Fortunately, Yun Shang was always by his side, subtly manipulating time with her control over it—bit by bit—to give Hunyuanzi enough time to neutralize the divine race’s countermeasures. After enduring numerous life-and-death crises, they finally completed the entire process of condensing the void into reality.
Nowadays, Hunyuanzi has truly turned misfortune into advantage. After acquiring a divine body from the Shenzu and combining it with his thousand years of cultivation, his power has advanced rapidly. He now possesses the strength of a Half-Immortal, surpassing his previous attainments and achieving immortality in an instant.
Listening to Yun Shang explaining all these, Yang Hao’s mouth kept opening wider and wider, to the point where an entire chicken leg could have fit inside. He never could have imagined that his master, who previously only knew how to teach in times of crisis, had now suddenly ascended to the level of a loose immortal. After all, from what he had heard before from Hun Yuanzi about the Dan Ding Sect’s anecdotes, the ultimate goal of cultivation was to become a deity. And now, Hun Yuanzi had essentially already ascended and become an immortal.
This made Yang Hao extremely delighted. What could be better than having a master who is a deity? Thinking about it, Yang Hao quickly put on a fawning expression and offered the nearly finished chicken leg he had been eating back to Hunyuanzi.
Hongyuanshi indeed took it without the slightest sense of shame, and said confidently, “Don’t worry, my good disciple. From now on, your immortal master will protect you. Once the two of us leave here, we’ll first kill our enemies, then promote and expand the Dan and Cauldron Cultivation Sect. From today onward, with master and disciple united…”
“Fantastic!” Yang Hao was so excited he nearly jumped. “When the time comes, we’ll assemble a fleet of spaceships, sell aphrodisiacs along the cosmic routes, and ensure the Danding Dual Cultivation Sect becomes the top merchant, the top sect, and the top master in the universe!!!”
“Uh… go out?”
“That’s right, isn’t it? Is there any problem?” Hunyuanzi shot back, his eyes wide open.
“It’s just a minor issue,” Yun Shang said with a smile, though his expression now seemed anything but reassuring. “According to an agreement reached in the Divine Realm long ago, anyone is free to enter. However, leaving requires the unanimous consent of the five major deities of this realm.”
“The Five Major Deities?” Yang Hao’s heart felt as if it had been thrown from a bonfire into an ice cellar, instantly turning stone cold. “And they all have to agree before we can leave.”
“The five of us, including me from the Light Clan of the Celestials, Titan, Garuda, and from the Dark Side, the King of the Dark Angels, Saan, and the Kadis Dragon Clan,” Yun Shang said casually, listing the five names that alone were enough to shake the heavens and earth. “Only with the unanimous agreement of all five can you be released. So you see, it’s not simple at all, yet at the same time, it’s not necessarily difficult either.”
“Old man!” Hunyuanzi flew into a rage. He was no longer that lonely wandering soul—now he had his own form. Without a care for his appearance, he flung away a chicken leg and pointed at Yun Shang’s fat face, shouting furiously, “What are you leaving us here for? We’re not here to be bred like livestock!”
“Stay calm!” Yang Hao grabbed Hunyuanzi, who looked ready to lunge forward and bite Yun Shang. At this moment, surprisingly, Yang Hao remained calmer. He looked at Yun Shang with an innocent expression, “Chubby uncle, look at my master and me—we’re both idle people who can’t really contribute anything to the Divine Realm. Although my master has already become a deity, lower-level gods are numerous anyway. What can you really do if you don’t release us? You might as well set us free. We can collect plenty of herbs outside and produce thousands of extraordinary elixirs for you. Rest assured, these pills will have your divine race perpetually brimming with passion, resulting in thousands upon thousands of dragons flying wildly throughout the Divine Realm—it’ll be absolutely spectacular…”
Yang Hao’s words sounded quite absurd, but Yun Shang couldn’t help but shudder upon hearing them. If Yang Hao really managed to produce tens of thousands of dragons, wouldn’t the entire world descend into chaos?
“Uh… There’s no need for you two to worry about continuing anything,” Yun Shang quickly changed the subject, genuinely afraid that Yang Hao might take such a matter upon himself. “Actually, both Tai Tan and Garuda and I have no intention of making things difficult for you two. Although we indeed have our own hardships, they have nothing to do with you. If you simply follow our instructions, we’ll set you free as soon as possible. However…”
Yun Shang hadn’t yet explained anything, but Yang Hao was extremely quick-witted. Previously, he had overheard Yun Shang telling those monsters that Yang Hao was the savior. Although Yang Hao didn’t understand what the monsters meant by “savior,” it was clear that these giants had something they wanted from him.
So Yang Hao and Hunyuanzi exchanged a glance, and with great tacit understanding, they sat there waiting, clearly expecting someone to make a request.
Yun Shang, the head of the Sumerian gods, was countless millions of years old, yet when faced with that pair of rascal master and apprentice, he had no choice but to speak up: “Our divine race indeed has a matter in which we need Yang Hao’s help. Actually, assisting us will also benefit yourselves. As long as you agree, our five major deities will immediately send you two out.” When the divine race actually pleaded for his help, Yang Hao felt extremely pleased inside. This was quite…
When I arrived, it was a completely different situation, as if I were treated as an entirely different person. However, despite feeling pleased, I was somewhat confused and asked, “If each of you gods possesses the power to reshape heaven and earth, and any one of you could easily command the winds and rains across the universe—so much so that even the Empire’s invincible fleet couldn’t do anything to you—then what could possibly be the reason you need my help?”
Yang Hao’s words caused Yun Shang’s expression to fall drastically. The old fat man silently sat down without saying a word, lowering his head to stare at a cup of watered wine before him. Suddenly, the wine in the cup rose up, then instantly emitted cold vapor and froze into ice. Before one could even blink, it transformed again into a bright red, fiery liquid. Before observers could react with astonishment, it shifted once more into a pale, watery state.
The divine race possesses unpredictable transformative abilities, so it’s no surprise they can turn a cup of wine into anything. However, the transformation before Yun Shang vividly reveals the inner turbulence of this high-ranking deity.
After a long while, Yun Shang’s heart finally began to calm. He stroked the rim of his water-wine cup and smiled, saying, “You see, I possess such transformative abilities, even capable of halting and reversing time. Yet in reality, we divine beings, who seem so lofty and superior, are merely imprisoned captives.”
“Prisoner?” Yang Hao and Hun Yuanzi exclaimed in unison. No matter how many possibilities they had considered, they never would have guessed that a deity with such great power could actually be a prisoner.
“This matter is quite a long story,” Yun Shang said. Although it was indeed a lengthy tale, he was still preparing to start from the beginning. “At the dawn of the universe, the Creator emerged from an explosion of a singularity, giving rise to the boundless cosmic expanse we know today. Before life had even begun to sprout, the Creator had already realized that with the vast and teeming universe of the future, there must be beings of great power to oversee it all, lest it eventually fall into ruin. Therefore, the Creator used a portion of his own power to create what are now known as the divine races. Initially, there were merely a little over ten types of divine races, specifically a dozen or so high-level divine races. However, as time passed and eras changed, new divine races emerged, and the entire classification gradually divided into three tiers: lower divine races, middle-tier divine races, and high-level divine races.”
“Do you mean that the Xenzu were born to rule the universe?” Yang Hao smirked, pretending not to understand as he asked Hun Yuanzi, “Is that what you’re saying?”
“Since you’re so capable, what do you need us master and apprentice for?” Hun Yuanzi scoffed.
Yun Shang had no mood for banter with this master and apprentice. Waving his hand, he continued, “Originally, all life apart from the Divine Race emerged naturally from the universe, without any influence from a creator. You are known as the Common Race; although you may control everything on your own planets, you still must kneel before the gods.”
“It’s all nonsense!” Yuan Zih shook his head vigorously. He no longer cared whether his physical body belonged to the divine race, considering himself still the head of the Dan Ding Sect. “The so-called gods controlling everything is nothing but your delusional wishful thinking, you divine race people treat everything as mere straw dogs, thinking you’re superior to others. There’s nothing great about that.”
“That’s indeed nothing extraordinary,” Yun Shang said, speaking rather amicably. “Many deities, relying on the gifts bestowed by the Creator, act as if they can take whatever they want and treat ordinary people like slaves. But who could have foreseen that the lives sprouting from heaven and earth would possess their own abilities? Some elites among commoners managed to learn cultivation techniques and, using their utterly energy-less bodies, cultivated unique skills. Some even mastered the divine techniques of the gods, adapting and transforming them in countless ways, eventually surpassing their teachers. Your Dan Ding Dual Cultivation Sect is precisely one of these outstanding sects. In fact, elders from your sect appeared already in the ancient dragon-slaying chronicles, making it one of the oldest cultivation sects in history.”
As soon as they heard the other party praising their sect, Hun Yuanzi and Yang Hao became extremely delighted, after all, receiving compliments from a high-ranking divine clan was no easy feat.
“That’s right. The ultimate goal of our Dual Cultivation Sect is to become immortal. Once we achieve immortality, we will stand equal to your divine race, possessing great power just like you.” Hun Yuanzi spoke with considerable pride.
“The cultivation systems vary across different planets. Taking the cultivation sects on your Earth as an example, when one reaches ultimate mastery, one can become a Celestial Immortal. The first stage is called ‘Semi-Immortal,’ equivalent to a Lower Divine Race. The second stage is ‘Flying Immortal,’ corresponding to a Middle Divine Race. The highest stage is ‘Golden Immortal,’ possessing abilities equal to those of the Upper Divine Race,” Yun Shang was quite clear about the cultivation hierarchy. “Unfortunately, throughout history, very few have managed to reach the level of Golden Immortal, and even those who did have long since hidden themselves deep within the universe, vanishing without a trace.”
Yang Hao had been completely unaware of these matters before. He used to think this or that was impressive, but after entering the divine realm, he realized the abilities of the gods were truly unparalleled. However, after hearing so much today, he finally understood that mastering the Dan Ding Sect’s techniques could also grant him powers comparable to those of the gods. This revelation fired him up with such passion that he could hardly wait to start training—so much so that he even felt like skipping meals to begin immediately.
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