WebNovel Chapter 925: Death God Hades
Chapter 925: Death God Hades
"Hah, truly spectacular!"A cold, sinister laugh suddenly rang out.
Chen Huaian turned his head and saw that on the altar, where the statue of the God of Death had been, now stood a man clad in black robes, holding a scythe, with a deathly pale face.
He had no hair.
With his hood removed, his head appeared very shiny.
It was obvious he had transformed from the statue.
From this mysterious man, Chen Huaian sensed a far more refined and pure Death Divinity. The tiny bit of divinity on the City Lord of Demon Tower City was like a single drop of water compared to the vast ocean that was this being.
Chen Huaian knew that the true master representing this world's rule of death had arrived.
He gazed calmly at the Death God, his right hand resting on his sword hilt.
The Heavenly Demon Law Manifestation behind him grinned ferociously. With a "puff," four thick, muscular demonic claws extended from its back. Its arms spread out, enveloping the black-robed bald man from all sides, sealing off every possible escape route.
The Death God looked at Chen Huaian, then at the Heavenly Demon Law Manifestation radiating an overbearing aura, and smiled faintly. "My name is Hades. I am the deity of this world who holds the Death Divinity. The scene of you using a sword strike imbued with the Law of Death to kill Derifis was witnessed under my gaze."
Chen Huaian's heart grew wary.
The deities of this world were still worthy of serious attention.
At the very least, he had not detected the slightest hint of this Death God's descent.
But judging by the other's words, it seemed he had been watching the show for quite some time.
During that period when Chen Huaian was unaware, the other could have attacked Li Qingran at any moment. In that situation, Chen Huaian might not have been able to react in time.
The other had not attacked.
Either he harbored no malice, or he lacked the confidence.
The Electronic Girlfriend System's map function was still usable, but this area was clearly already influenced by the Death God's power. The map only showed a chaotic blur, and it was impossible to discern whether the Death God held hostile intent through that chaos.
"So?" Chen Huaian said coldly. "Are you here to avenge Derifis?"
"No~" Hades waved his hands repeatedly. "He was merely my examinee, not my spokesperson, and even less my inheritor of divinity. I have no need to avenge him. To put it bluntly... he was just a mangy dog clinging to the foot of my divinity. To pass the Divine Trial, he altered the rules of Demon Tower City, controlled other examinees or sent them away, all to monopolize the qualification for the trial... I knew all of this. But in truth, from the moment he did these things, he lost the qualification to comprehend the deeper aspects of Death Divinity. Because he feared death and clung to life. How can someone who fears death embrace death? How can they master it?"
Hades closed his eyes, spreading his arms with an expression of rapture.
Black mist formed from Death Divinity weaved through his voluminous robes, looking very much like he was embracing death itself.
"If you knew he was altering the rules, why didn't you stop him?" Chen Huaian couldn't quite grasp Hades's line of thinking. "Don't you wish to find an inheritor for your Death Divinity?"
"I do, of course I do." Hades opened his eyes. "For a deity like me, the path to becoming stronger is simple: have more subordinate deities. Only then will my divine power grow greater. But while I yearn for an inheritor, I won't accept just any misshapen melons and cracked dates. Those who were killed by Derifis or tricked into leaving Demon Tower City inherently lacked the qualification to inherit my divinity. Only those who completely kill Derifis, fully take control of Demon Tower City, and comprehend Death Divinity have the right to inherit the Divine Position."
Chen Huaian understood.
So the deities of the Canglan Realm weren't much different from the Immortals and Buddhas of Earth.
There were many methods to achieve immortality or Buddhahood. Some relied on their own strength to ascend step by step. Others were elevated by the accumulation of incense offerings and faith, directly receiving virtue to ascend in broad daylight.
The deities of the Canglan World were similar to the latter.
One could view a Divine System as a company, with the chief deity as the boss and the other subordinate deities as employees. These employees all wield divinity similar to the chief deity's, or are connected to it. The more such employees there are, the larger the Divine System grows, and the stronger the chief deity's power becomes.
"What is the meaning of telling me all this? I am not interested in these matters." Chen Huaian hugged his sword, smiling as he spoke. "However, if you could give me some Million-Year World Rings, I wouldn't mind chatting with you a while longer."
Hades chuckled, not minding Chen Huaian's impertinence.
"The inheritor I desire has already appeared. Your swordsmanship contains the ultimate Death Divinity; you have already grasped the rule of death. No one is more suitable than you to inherit my Divine Position. You should participate in my Divine Trial."
The corner of Chen Huaian's mouth twitched. He was about to refuse.
But Hades seemed to have predicted it. "Don't be so quick to refuse. I know you are not an existence of this world, even though you currently exist in the form of a Battle Soul. But you carry a powerful aura that does not belong to this world... Perhaps in that world, you and I are of the same rank, both rulers of rules."
That would be an Immortal.
Chen Huaian silently thought to himself.
"Someone like you would never willingly inherit a Divine Position and become a subordinate. I also know what you want."
After saying this, Hades fell silent for a long while before finally speaking again in a sinister tone. "Do you know of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings? Do you wish... to kill them?"
Chen Huaian originally had not the slightest interest in Hades or the Death God's Divine Position. If the Divine Trial still gifted Million-Year World Rings, he was willing to give it a try. If not, he would hurry to find other deities and see if he could coax some World Rings out of them.
But now, Hades's words made his eyes light up, and his interest grew considerably.
"As far as I know, the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings are the pinnacle of divine power in this world. The various gods reign over all living beings, and the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings reign over the various gods. The gods grasp the rules, while the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings trample upon them. To put it bluntly, you gods are nothing but the claws and lackeys of the Dragon Kings. Now you ask me if I want to kill the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings? That question is... rather strange."
"You may not want to kill the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings, but they want to kill you." Hades said calmly. "You know Tang Er, right? It was the Golden Dragon King who guided him to undergo my trial. Besides that, there is also the Fire God's trial. The Golden Dragon King needs Tang Er to grow stronger quickly, with the ultimate goal of dealing with you. Your appearance, and that of the one by your side, has already offended the dignity of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings. You are thorns in their eyes, splinters in their flesh! They wish they could tear you to pieces!"
Chen Huaian stared at the Death God without speaking. After a long while, he slowly said, "And you? What grudge do you have with those two Dragon Kings?"
"The rules of the Divine Trial were established by the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings, with the purpose of suppressing the growth speed of all Divine Systems."
Hades's tone was icy, carrying hidden hatred and anger.
"The life-and-death struggle between World Beasts and Battle Masters on the Canglan Continent is also due to the rules created by the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings—Battle Masters must kill World Beasts and use their World Rings and bones to enhance their strength. Every World Ring represents the life of a World Beast. Such a twisted, perverse rule... is also enforced in the Divine Realm. This led to my wife... dying at the hands of hunters from another Divine System."