Chapter 828: Chapter 840: Wild Thoughts

Four hours later.

The companions had all fallen asleep, and Lancelot sat quietly in a corner of the room, silently performing Circulation Transfer to quickly restore his strength. Although taking a direct hit from a Ninth Circle spell had looked severe, it hadn’t actually hurt his core. Lancelot estimated that it would take ten days at the shortest, and no more than a month at the longest, to fully recover his cultivation power.

He wasn’t sure if he had that much time left.

Since this frightful domain of the Shadow Plane had originally been ‘cut’ from the material plane into a demi-plane, there was some spiritual energy to absorb from the heavens and earth, though much thinner than outside. However, given Lancelot’s current realm, this difference didn’t have much of an impact on him. But, the Human Knight’s cultivation speed was still slower than usual because his mind was preoccupied with the conversation he had with Cranvo.

Just as the Lord of the Dead admitted, after losing contact with his true self, the ‘human’ part of his essence that had long been suppressed finally resurfaced. Cranvo talked a lot, sharing stories of when he was still a mortal. Lancelot learned that Cranvo came from a cursed family and would turn into a ferocious leopard under certain conditions. Shrek had tricked Bane into removing the curse for him, causing Cranvo to regard the future Prince of Lies as a trustworthy companion, allowing Shrek to steal the victory. Cranvo was deified by Ao on a mountaintop outside Deepwater City, inheriting the divine offices of Bane, Baal, and Milko in one leap, becoming one of the most powerful deities in the multiverse.

But was becoming a deity really something to envy?

The newly appointed (speaking relatively in divine terms) Lord of the Dead had a clear answer to this question.

Another matter Lancelot had been curious about–the source of a god’s power–was also clarified this time. In his initial impressions, becoming a deity was similar to immortal cultivation, achieved by continuously enhancing one’s own power and meeting certain conditions, but Cranvo’s experience clearly refuted this view. Despite slaying several True Gods during the Saints’ War, none of the victories were achieved without using the power of other deities–Shrek killed Baal with the demon sword drawn from Mask, the god of hunters, and Midnight dissolved Milko using the divine power left by the Goddess of Magic.

This all suggested that their power at that time might have been less than Lancelot’s current strength, yet that didn’t stop them from being exalted to True Gods by Ao after the Saints’ War. It seemed that as long as one gained the Supreme Deity’s recognition, anyone could be granted divine office and divinity, becoming a True God.

Cranvo’s situation was slightly different; Shrek had read his own Sirek Sutra and had unwittingly fallen into madness, essentially not fulfilling his duties as the Lord of the Dead. Cranvo used the Divine Calamity Sword, manifesting Mask’s power, to kill Shrek in his divine kingdom, creating an effective vacancy in the Lord of the Dead’s seat (though since it wasn’t the Year of Turmoil, Shrek soon revived due to the enduring faith of the Prince of Lies).

The interesting part came next. Cranvo admitted he didn’t absorb any power from Shrek after killing him. Instead, he suddenly gained divine power and authority after being acknowledged by the deceased souls waiting for judgment in the City of the Dead (the supplicant souls from the Domain of the Vague) and later received posthumous recognition from the Supreme Deity Ao.

As the god in charge of death and the deceased, Cranvo could bring death to any mortal and order or destroy any non-intelligent undead within his sight, while intelligent undead required physical touch. He was immune to all necromancy and necromantic spells and abilities, and no form of darkness could impair his vision, nor could bright light or heat like infrared vision.

Of course, as a deity, he was immortal. He wouldn’t age, wouldn’t die, and couldn’t feel the passage of time since it no longer meant anything to him. Yet, he would still feel fatigue, the weight of his duties pressing him, though habitually, he no longer needed to rest. He couldn’t afford the slightest relaxation–not out of fear of the Supreme Deity’s reproach, but out of concern that it would restore the chaos of Shrek’s reign over the multiverse.

Every moment, people died around the world. Most of these souls couldn’t be accepted by any deity and so came to Cranvo’s judgment hall. He would split his consciousness countless times to read each deceased’s life and make judgments, deciding the ultimate fate of these souls.

This was extremely, extremely, extremely painful work. Cranvo had to suppress all his emotions and don that cold, expressionless silver mask just to barely continue.

“When Midnight and I received the task of finding the Tablets of Fate, neither of us wanted to become gods. But look at us now,” Cranvo had said to Lancelot with a bitter smile not long ago. “As the Grim Reaper, I can certainly see your uniqueness, Sir Lancelot. Do you want to become a god?”

“I have never considered it,” the Human Knight answered honestly. “But after hearing your story, I realize that becoming a god doesn’t seem like such a good thing.”

“I wish I had known that then…”

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Lancelot completed another Circulation Transfer, feeling a warm current rise from his Dantian and flow slowly through his meridians, bringing great comfort. His mind wandered, comparing the paths of spiritual cultivation and becoming a deity. Clearly, once one became a True God, their power would instantly reach a height unimaginable for mortals, and it was hard to kill a deity. As long as a single believer remained, a god couldn’t die completely and would always be able to revive. In comparison, the path of immortal cultivation seemed more arduous, requiring daily meditation and Qi Refinement, and risking one’s life to break through realms with a single misstep leading to total obliteration.

However, Spiritual Cultivators lived freely and unrestrained. Though they would never have the special powers of deities, they could control their own bodies and wills. They could immerse themselves in the world, fall in love with a Succubus Lord in the Abyss, and capture flags on battlefields. Or they could retreat into a cave for thirty to fifty years, avoiding any coercion from time or the world.

While he was lost in these thoughts, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar. The footsteps were hurried at first, but they slowed as they neared the small house where everyone was resting, as if the owner was hesitating. Finally, the sound of knuckles rapping on the door rang out, and Lancelot was already prepared behind the door.