Chapter 936: Who will be the next one to be fooled? |
"What?!"
Prometheus froze.
It was like being paid with hell banknotes after being used and discarded—the entire god was utterly dumbfounded.
After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, shame and fury swiftly seized control of his mind.
He was the Fire God to begin with.
His face was already flushed.
Now, the enraged Fire God was practically 'radiant with red light'!
"Ahhhhh! No way!" He pointed at Hades, panting like an ox: "You! Must! Participate! In my God's Second Trial!"
He had already planned exactly how to deal with Tang Er.
Tang Er and the Golden Dragon God had ruined his inheritance!
Someone had to pay the price for this!
Otherwise, he'd sit straight up in his sleep and slap himself across the face!
"Not participating." Hades turned and started walking down the mountain.
Participate in what nonsense.
He was the God of Death; he couldn't possibly actually inherit the Fire God's Divine Position, could he? How would he explain it if he got found out later?
"Don't even think about running! If you don't participate, who will?!"
Prometheus, enraged and humiliated, reached out a hand to grab Tang Er.
But Hades, as if he had eyes in the back, turned around the instant Prometheus's hand was about to touch him, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "What, you want to lay hands on the chosen child? Aren't you afraid His Lordship the Golden Dragon God will skin you alive?!"
Prometheus's hand halted mid-air, a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes.
As if recalling some horrific memory, humiliation and hatred surfaced in the depths of his gaze, only to be suppressed once more.
"If you have any grievances against the Golden Dragon God, go find the Golden Dragon God." Hades narrowed his eyes, speaking with utter indifference: "As a deity, to have not a shred of dignity left—what difference is there between you, a god, and a stray dog by the roadside?"
Hearing this, even Chen Huaian and Li Qingran, who had been lost in their own tender moment, couldn't help but be taken aback.
Hades actually said something like that.
Even if the Fire God had the best temper, he wouldn't be able to tolerate this, would he?
Moreover, the Fire God didn't seem like someone with a good temper to begin with. The only reason he hadn't gotten angry when Li Qingran bumped into him earlier was entirely because the talent Li Qingran displayed was so extraordinary that it stirred a sense of fondness for talent in this Fire God.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have so readily produced that God-granted Million-Year World Ring condensed from his own divinity later on.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, the rage on Prometheus's face gradually dissipated. He looked calmly at Tang Er, his tone flat: "Fine, you may leave. But I must tell you, from the moment you leave this Divine Mountain, you will never again have any chance of obtaining the Fire God's inheritance. Even if, in the future, you kneel on the ground begging me, it will be useless."
The corner of Hades's mouth lifted, and he turned and left without the slightest hint of reluctance.
Prometheus didn't give chase either, simply watching quietly as Tang Er departed.
After Tang Er had gone far away, he turned to look at Li Qingran and Chen Huaian: "So, what do you say? Will you undergo the Fire God's Second Trial?
That chosen child voluntarily gave up the opportunity; I didn't force him. Now I can completely give the qualification for the Fire God's Second Trial to you."
Hearing this, Chen Huaian and Li Qingran exchanged a glance, then simultaneously stepped back, shaking their heads.
Prometheus: "..."
No way!
He had lived for tens of thousands of years, with countless Battle Masters begging for his Divine Position inheritance.
Countless Battle Masters had perished in his Divine Trials, knowing full well the dangers yet charging forward regardless, sparing no cost...
But what was going on today?
Was his Divine Position some kind of worthless cabbage you could find anywhere?
"You really don't want my Divine Position inheritance?" Prometheus produced a red-hot Fire Poker: "I can even pass on my divine artifact—Blazing Joy—to you!"
"Um, Lord Fire God, my Master and I just want to be ordinary, run-of-the-mill Battle Masters. We really have no interest in Divine Position inheritance." Li Qingran looked at the Fire Poker and waved her hands dismissively, offering an apologetic smile.
She was a Sword Cultivator!
If a Sword Cultivator went out wielding that Fire Poker, wouldn't she be laughed to death?
And it was so ugly too!
Prometheus's throat felt dry and scratchy.
He was deeply wounded.
The disdain in Li Qingran's eyes—he saw it clearly.
He, the mighty Fire God, was actually looked down upon by a mortal, a Battle Master who wasn't even a Demigod...
"Forget it." Prometheus was tired. He slowly turned and returned to sit upon his Flame Throne, his back to Li Qingran and Chen Huaian: "You may leave... never come back again..."
Listening to the footsteps fading into the distance behind him.
Prometheus sighed.
He couldn't help but recall those days long ago when the Golden Dragon God had bound him to the Divine Mountain, sealed his divine power, and let vultures peck at his flesh.
He clenched his fists, burying the hatred and pain beneath the blazing flames in his eyes.
...
"Hades, this Fire God doesn't seem as despicable as you made him out to be." Chen Huaian looked at the God of Death walking beside him, curious: "Aren't you afraid he'll seek revenge for the things you said? After all, you're currently in Tang Er's identity."
"I said those things on purpose."
Hades glanced at Chen Huaian, his tone indifferent:
"Although the Fire God didn't lose a wife to the Golden Dragon God like I did, he too has grievances with the Golden Dragon God.
Back in the day, human Battle Masters were not the rulers of the Canglan Continent; it was the age of the World Beasts.
Humans could only survive in the cracks between the conflicts of World Beasts.
The Fire God couldn't bear to watch humans being slaughtered by World Beasts, so he transformed into an emissary and taught humans much knowledge for survival, simultaneously gaining their faith because of this.
This act was seen by the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings as stealing faith.
Thus, they sealed the Fire God's divine power, bound him to the Divine Mountain, and let endless vultures peck at his flesh and organs as punishment for overstepping his bounds.
Of course, that wasn't even the worst part.
To strip the Fire God of his faith, they deliberately sent a heavenly fire down upon the nations that worshipped him, causing massive numbers of humans who believed in the Fire God to perish in the disaster.
Because of this, the Fire God was later regarded by posterity as an evil deity.
Even to this day, he still lives amidst the curses and wails of those resentful souls..."
After hearing the Fire God's story, Chen Huaian's mouth twitched.
That's truly tragic.
Those Gold and Silver Dragon Kings really don't do any good deeds.
To suppress these deities, they've done every despicable thing imaginable.
"So, you wanted to ignite the Fire God's rage, to make him a force against the Dragon Gods?"
"Exactly." Hades nodded. "Because of past events, the Fire God is deeply fearful of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings.
But as long as he sees a glimmer of hope, he will undoubtedly be one of the gods most eager to kill the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings.
We need to consolidate every force we can possibly consolidate!"
"I see." Chen Huaian nodded thoughtfully, then abruptly changed the subject: "So, who are we going to hoodwink next?"
Hades narrowed his eyes: "The Sea God, Poseidon."
The Sea God?
Chen Huaian's eyes lit up.
The qilin governs water. If he could absorb the Sea God's divinity, might there be signs of the Sacred Beast Black Tortoise reviving as well?
"Alright then, the Sea God Poseidon it is. Let's set off right now!" He immediately made the decision.
"Uh... shouldn't we take it a bit slower? After all, you just absorbed a God-granted Million-Year World Ring; your body..."
Hades looked at Chen Huaian, somewhat bewildered. Previously, this mysterious Battle Soul hadn't been this enthusiastic.
"My body is fine!" Chen Huaian urged: "Time waits for no one, there's not a moment to lose!"
...
Meanwhile.
The Endless Sea.
Poseidon, dozing off on his Sea God's Throne, suddenly sneezed, causing the Sea God's Trident in his hand to clatter to the ground.
"Strange..."
He frowned.
He hadn't sneezed in tens of thousands of years.
"I have a feeling... something bad is about to happen..."
...