Chapter 419: Heavenly God and the 13 skeletons
Divine Skill, [Time Stanch]
Gu Qing Shan started recalling the battle he saw in the dreamscape.
Two peopleâs figures appeared in Gu Qing Shanâs mind.
The card user Soft Note and the red-robed Demi.
Within the bar dreamscape, the 3rd dreamscape: Devil King Warden Rod had showed him the scene of the Demi killing the girl.
At the time, the Demi had sacrificed the other leaders of the 4-realm alliance to summon an ancient Divinity and used this Divine Skill.
ââwhere is Haze?
Is he watching this right now?
Gu Qing Shanâs mind noticed something.
He released his inner sight to look at his Thought Sea.
A card was there.
A card from the Vengeance Deck: Asura King.
[Asura King, a Vengeance deck spell card, once activated, the Oath of the 4 Realms from 10,000 years ago will once again goes into effect]
[Oath of the 4 Realms: the Demis, Demons, Asuras and Beast Kings must provide each other help and never betray each other, the rulers of the 4 realms have sworn upon this]
[Those who betray the Oath will receive total retribution from the 4 rulers]
The Asura King looked at Gu Qing Shan from the card with absolute seriousness.
âDo you still remember what we discussed with Haze?â the Asura King asked.
âOf course, Iâve already received my payment, what do I need to do now?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âThe red-robed Demi has come, keep him busy, I need some time to activate the Oath of the 4 Realmsâ the Asura King told him.
âFor how long?â
âAs long as possibleâ
Another card then appeared.
Great Ghost General.
[Great Ghost General, Vengeance deck summon card, top-level fighting power]
The Asura King looked at the Great Ghost General: âAre you prepared to fight?â
The Great Ghost General broke into a laugh, but at the same time it sounded like him crying.
âIâve desired this battle for 10,000 years!â
The Asura King looked back at Gu Qing Shan and spoke: âThis is our only chance, please buy as much as you possibly can!â
Saying so, he clasped his hands together and began to chant the ancient Oath of the 4 Realms.
âVery well, Iâll do my bestâŠâ Gu Qing Shan answered him.
Holding the Six Paths Great Mountain sword in hand, he felt a bit more reassured.
Since this sword is unaffected by any Law, itâll be the key to dispelling the opponentâs Divine Skill.
âShannu, if I happen to be affected, itâll be your turn â-you may use all my experience and skills to fightâ
âUnderstood, gongziâ Shannu was a bit nervous.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The sound of knocking on the door came again.
This time, a voice also came from the void of space, speaking in an exceptionally polite tone.
âExcuse me, is the Devil King here?â
âI amâ Gu Qing Shan answered.
âExcuse my sudden visit, but if youâre free, I would like to have a little talk with you face to face. Do you mind?â
âPleaseâ
âIâm honoredâ
A black glowing dot came out from the void of space.
The dot quickly expanded and became a faint humanoid figure.
At first glance he seems to be an amiable old man.
Silver white hair and a luxurious red robe, the old man held a scepter in hand as he descended from the air.
While Gu Qing Shan stared at this intently, his expression was calm.
Inside his Thought Sea, a bloody skeleton appeared next to the Asura King.
Noticing Gu Qing Shanâs inner sight, the Asura King took some time to explain: âThis is nowhere near enough, in order to summon the ancient Divinity, the red-robed Demi had betrayed the ancient Oath and sacrificed 13 highest leaders of the allied armyâ
âI have to activate the power of the Oath in all 13 leaders to wake up the soul contracts that have been silent for 10,000 yearsâ
âWhether this succeeds or not depends on you being able to buy his timeâ
After explaining so, he went back to chanting.
Gu Qing Shan pulled his inner sight back and looked at the red-robed Demi.
This is indeed the Demi that killed Soft Note.
Iâll have to keep him busyâŠ
Gu Qing Shan smiled: âI didnât expect to have guests at this time, not to mention one who can manipulate timeâ
Hearing that, the red-robed Demi smiled amiably: âI came in quite a hurry, hope you wonât mindâ
âThis time I came here to âââ
While the red-robed Demi wanted to say something else, Gu Qing Shan waved his hand gestured him to sit down.
âPlease have a seat, itâs not my hobby to receive a guest while standingâ
The red-robed Demi was a bit surprised.
âAh, that is indeed the case, quite well, quite well, let us have a seatâ
Saying so, the red-robed Demi sat across Gu Qing Shan on the sofa, squinting his eyes to evaluate him.
A second later, the red-robed Demi was about to talk again.
Gu Qing Shan abruptly stood up and came over to the shelf, opening it.
It was Zhang Ying Haoâs personal wine collection.
âWould you like something to drink?â
âAll the best liquors and wine of the human world are here, youâre welcome to chooseâ
Gu Qing Shan smiled and asked.
The red-robed Demi glanced at the wine shelf and couldnât help but ask: âDo you already know who I am?â
âI do not, but everything around me seems to be frozenâ
âIâve never even heard of such a power in my entire lifeâ
âFollowing that line of thought, you must be an exceptionally noble personageâ
Gu Qing Shan kept smiling as he took out two beautifully crafted crystal glasses: âAnd when receiving such esteemed guests, itâs our human culture to welcome them with a drinkâ
As the red-robed Demi seriously listened to him, he slowly smiled.
âWhat an exceptional character indeed, no wonder you were able to become the Devil Kingâ he praised.
Gu Qing Shan didnât follow up on that.
He only took out two bottles of liquor to show.
â100-year Imperial Deer, a specialty of Fuxi. Famous throughout the lands, only royalty can get their hands on one of these 100-year old bottlesâ
âAs for this, this is the Confederate Aria of Freedom, a rare treasure of the 9 Lords from 700 years ago. Normally this is only kept as a decoration, a symbol of status, because no one is actually willing to waste it by drinkingâ
Saying so, Gu Qing Shanâs inner sight passed through his Thought Sea.
The 2nd bloody skeleton had just manifested.
A total of 13 skeletons need to be summoned to succeed, so there was still a while to go.
The red-robed Demi was fully focused on his antics and answered after some thinking: âThen the second bottle, pleaseâ
After a short pause, Gu Qing Shan very generously unsealed the bottle.
The fragrance of liquor drifted everywhere.
Zhang Ying Hao, your beloved treasure is being used for a very crucial occasion, please donât be sad.
Gu Qing Shan silently muttered.
The Demi closed his eyes, taking in the smell.
His expression mellowed out in satisfaction as he softly spoke: âIndeed, this is a very exceptional liquor. I would sometimes come take a look down here, but never have I gotten such great liquor beforeâ
âWould you like some ice?â
âBetter not, this type of liquor is best drunken cleanâ
Gu Qing Shan then poured a glass full, passing it to the red-robed Demi.
He also didnât hesitate to pour himself a glass as well.
The two of them sat across each other on the sofa.
Gu Qing Shan stared straight at the old man gulping down his glass.
The 3rd skeleton manifested.
10 more.
The Demi placed his glass down, sighing: âI have to say, you humans are very well-versed in enjoying yourselvesâ
Gu Qing Shan also raised his glass and took in a gulp.
Cool and refreshing.
If these were the last moments before the apocalypse, this was fully worth it.
After finishing his glass, he poured another glass full for both the Demi and himself.
âTo you, sirâ he said.
âThank you for your hospitalityâ the Demi replied.
They both finished their glasses.
When Gu Qing Shan wanted to pour some more, the Demi waved his hand to stop him.
âNo need, right now, I want to talk to youâ
Gu Qing Shan placed the bottle of liquor down and got himself ready to listen.
The 4th skeleton manifested.
âDevil King, your method of doing things are quite excellent, even though I only noticed after all the demons in Huang Quan were wiped outâ
The red-robed Demi leaned back on the sofa and slowly explained.
âNext, every step of the way you had managed to overturn the demonâs schemes, it wasnât until you reached my well-made preparations that you were finally helplessâ
âI have to say that Iâm very pleased with you, except for one thing that I think youâre sorely mistaken inâ
âAh? Please open my eyesâ Gu Qing Shan asked.
In his Thought Sea, the 5th bloody skeleton had manifested next to the Asura King.
âDo you still not get it? You gave Merit to those fleas in hell, giving them a chance to reincarnate. Your actions caused hell to become emptyâ
The red-robed Demi now completely leaned on the sofa, casually explaining: âMr. Devil King, that, is your greatest failureâ
âFailure?â Gu Qing Shan questioned with a wondering look.
âThatâs right, hell is empty, you have no one that you can useâ
âYouâve become just a single person, get it?â
The red-robed Demi sighed full of regret.
âThatâs why, you now only have âââ
âThatâs not true! Only that method of mine could go against that spearâ Gu Qing Shan cut off what he was saying.
He explained: âFrom what I know, even the Divinities of Huang Quan couldnât go against that spear, without what I did, there would be no way to deal with the problems brought by the spearâ
The 6th skeleton manifested.
The red-robed Demi shrugged: âWhy bother with the spear at all? As a king, you should be more worried about the authority you holdâ
Gu Qing Shan answered: âThey did their work, the Merit is simply their payâ
âNo wonder why you fell into such a situation. You still donât get it, a king should hold authority over all, that is your dignity and your powerâ the red-robed Demi commented.
âYou and I have a very different opinion on thisâ Gu Qing Shan replied.
âAh? Then do tellâ
âI need to have them truly desire to do something in order to trigger their full potential, thus succeeding on doing what I needed them to doâ
The 7th skeleton manifested.
6 more to go.
The red-robed Demi looked at him and fell silent.
It was as if he was looking at a strange creature.
After a short pause.
âAlright, say what you like, thereâs nothing you can do to change the future Iâve prepared for this worldâ
The red-robed Demi continued: âAnd so, what I want to say is ââ-â
Gu Qing Shan then instantly cut in: âPardon me but, what is your name?â
The old man looked at him questioningly.
Gu Qing Shan explained: âI canât keep continuing without even knowing your name. It is rude and unprofessional to keep calling you âyouââ
The red-robed Demi stopped for a bit, as if thinking about what he said.
The 8th bloody skeleton manifested.
âMy name when uttered will cause a lot of existences to take a peek, this private conversation will then turn into an open discussionâ he seems to be bothered with that.
âYou can just call me Heavenly Godâ
âThat is to say, you are the ruler of the Heaven realm?â
âIndeedâ
Gu Qing Shanâs expression became excited.
âA noble personage such as you personally appearing at this moment of the human realmâs fall into the apocalypse, could it be to save humanity?â he asked.
âNo, I think youâve misunderstoodâ the red-robed Demi tapped the wooden table with a regretful expression.
The 9th skeleton manifested.
The red-robed Demi explained: âI think Iâm expressing myself very clearly here, this is also what Iâve been trying to tell youâ
âAh? Please do tell meâ Gu Qing Shan asked.
The red-robed Demi slightly smiled, saying: âIâm here to enjoy the desperate struggle before death of those that have failedâ
âI believe itâs not to the point of total desperation yetâ Gu Qing Shan refuted.
The red-robed Demi spoke: âThis is why Iâm pleased with you, as well as the joy of this whole situationâ
âThe army of the demons are currently marching into the Samsara world, and I need to bring the Divinities to leave soon, so Iâll make this briefâ
âIâm all earsâ Gu Qing Shan said.
He sent his inner sight into his Thought Sea again.
10 skeletons have manifested, only the last three left to go.
The Asura Kingâs body was glowing in a divine light, chanting the incantations of the Oath.
The Great Ghost General told Gu Qing Shan: âNicely done so far, keep up for just a bit more, weâre nearly done!â
In the living room, the red-robed Demi finally spoke of his intentions for coming here.
âHell is empty, the human realm is weak, both these worlds are no longer salvageable, but your talents are excellent, I hope that you will be as smart as you seem and join meâ
âJoin you?â
âThatâs right, Iâve killed a Devil King before, now I hope to enslave the nextâ
âYouâve killed a Devil King? Thatâs not possibleâ Gu Qing Shan shook his head.
âHow would it be impossible?â the red-robed Demi casually asked.
âThere is only a single Devil King Warden Rod in Huang Quan, and the only Devil King is meâ
âThat is true, but what Iâm talking about is 10,000 years agoâ
The self-proclaimed Heavenly God started to reminiscent.
That plan of 10,000 years ago was the biggest risk he ever took, even now, his heart still beat fast whenever he thought about it.
Furthermore, because the plan was successful he felt a sense of accomplishment whenever he recalled that time.
The Demi smiled faintly.
11 skeletons.
Only two more.
The Demi regained his senses.
He felt that he didnât need to keep acting amiable, letâs just directly spell it out for this Devil King here.
Then he heard Gu Qing Shan asked: âThere must be a reason why youâve come to invite meâ
âOf courseâ
âWhat do you want from me?â
âYour unique spell ââyou were able to project your soul from your body to go to Huang Quan, and then returnâ
âFurthermore, your ability to turn into a dead person to become the Devil King, this is such a miraculous technique that even I have never even heard of beforeâ
The red-robed old manâs beady eyes now started to glow.
He leaned forward, staring straight at Gu Qing Shan and said: âGive me that technique, I will allow you to become a servant of the Heaven realm and bring you to escape from this Samsara worldâ
âThis is the only hope of survivalâ the red-robed old man smiled: âThink about it, endless waves of demons and Demon lords are about to enter this world, and you are only a single person without any subordinates ââyou can only wait for your own death in despairâ
âIâve observed you for a long time. I know youâre a smart person, and I believe you know what choice is bestâ
Gu Qing Shan lowered his head, acting like heâs contemplating deeply.
12 skeletons were now ready, they all knelt before the Asura King, summoning the last skeleton.
âCan I have a minute to consider?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
âUnfortunately, you have to make the choice now â-Iâm refraining from attacking you right now purely because of that hospitable bottle of liquor from before, so I hope you understand that point wellâ the Demi spoke.
âVery well, but you made a mistake, Iâm not going to wait for my own death in despairâ Gu Qing Shan continued to speak.
The red-robed Demi smiled unexpectedly.
âWhere would I be? There arenât that many powerful people in the human realm, even true soldiers are few and far between, even I couldnât possibly hope to do anything in that situation, what hope do you have?â he asked in intrigue.
âThe human realm has already fused with Huang Quanâ
âThatâs right, but so what? Iâm certain that the world barrier isnât going to reform in time, what can you hope to go against an endless horde of demons?â
âIâll probably be the first to die in battleâ Gu Qing Shan spoke.
âFirst to die?â the red-robed old man didnât quite understand.
âFirst to die, first to become a dead person, no longer afraid of death, forever fighting and killing demons in this worldâ
Gu Qing Shanâs voice gradually slowed, his expression was calm, like he was talking about something completely unrelated to himself.
â1 year, 10 years, 100 years, 1000 years, 10,000 years, Iâll keep reviving, keep going against the demons, Iâll see for myself whether the demons know the word fearâ
Hearing him explain, the red-robed Demiâs smile slowly disappeared.
âI thought you were a smart person, but you truly are just a Devil Kingâ the Demi commented.
âIâm actually looking forward to the daily battles from now onâ Gu Qing Shan answered.
The Demiâs tone became harsh and angry: âDo you not understand!? A dead person will be bound by the Law of Huang Quan, forever trapped in this land together with the endless horde of demons that takes over, you will never be able to reincarnate!â
âSo what?â Gu Qing Shan asked.
The Demi was stunned.
Gu Qing Shan thought for a bit: âTruthfully speaking, this sounds like itâll be a very enjoyable thing, you know?â
As if he has thought something through, his expression slowly became calm.
Thatâs right, he already didnât care anymore.
Unrelenting, uncompromising battles forever.
This was his final will.
The red-robed Demi also realized this.
He fell silent for a while.
âYouâre madâŠâ the red-robed Demi muttered.
He then suddenly stood up: âNo, you are too dangerous an existence, I should kill you right here and now, even your soul should be destroyed on the spotâ
He swung his scepter.
Overwhelming power flowed from his body and poured into the scepter.
At the same time, in Gu Qing Shanâs Thought Sea.
All 13 skeletons had manifested, roaring in unison: âVenâŠgeanceâŠâ
The very next moment, the skeletons disappeared from Gu Qing Shanâs Thought Sea and manifested in the living room.
âââEnforcers of the Oath!â the red-robed old manâs expression shifted.
He raised the scepter in his hand, shouting: âThatâs impossible, youâre already dead!â
A glorious light came from his scepter, enveloping the red-robed old man, wanting to escape into the void of space.
The Asura King also appeared, whispering: âWith this body as living proof, I hereby enforce the Oath, Barrier of Retribution, [Absolute Shackles]!â
The 13 bloody skeletons quickly surrounded the red-robed Demi.
He was forced back.