Man on the ark, forced to become king

All power comes from one's own efforts, obtained through battle, and never from external sources.

Those who believe in the old gods of the past, who were born in Yan Kingdom and on the side of the victors, turn around and worship the losers, putting them on their heads to act arrogantly and domineeringly. Isn't that sick?

Do they not need anything else to survive, and do they have to find an ancestor to feel comfortable?

“We teach them to stand tall and be respectable people, but they insist on kneeling down and acting like dogs for some inexplicable things. What can we do?”

The old master was also helpless; he couldn't understand why anyone would be willing to believe in such a thing.

However, whether he understood or not, it didn't affect his actions.

In recent years, the court's behavior has been too mild. The true emperor has been practicing benevolent governance, which has led some people to become arrogant and forget what they can and cannot do.

While the followers of the old gods bear the majority of the responsibility for this nationwide outbreak of religious strife, are certain powerful families who hold sway over their regions, and even some people in the imperial court, really so clean behind the scenes?

Human nature is unpredictable, and not everyone in the court is loyal. The powerful and wealthy families are insatiable and often secretly stir up trouble.

"It's not necessarily all bad. With Mr. Lin's help, Yumen Pass is as solid as a mountain. No matter how they managed to collude with the evil forces from beyond the realm, it's all over now."

"There is no need to worry about the danger at Yumen. The court can focus all its energy on dealing with the divine troubles. The chaos will not last long and will be quelled. At that time, all those involved will be purged one by one. No matter where they hide, they will be uprooted. In the vast Yan Kingdom, there will be no place for them to stand."

As he spoke, the old master narrowed his eyes even more, a cold glint flashing within them.

He hadn't been truly angry in a long time, but this time, some people were determined to make him angry, so he couldn't be blamed.

Rules are both constraints and protections.

Someone personally tore down this layer of protection, probably because they had forgotten who set the rules, and forgotten that everything they relied on came from the rules themselves.

Their pride in their power only has meaning when the rule-makers are willing to abide by it together with them.

Once the rule-makers decide to stop playing, they become nothing.

Dissatisfied with being restricted?

Those who hold this view will soon realize the horrors they will face once they are truly free from constraints.

Is there anything I can help you with?

Lin Lu thought for a moment and took the initiative to ask. Fragments of gods or corpses might be useless in Yan Kingdom's hands, belonging to the category of 'hazardous waste' that is difficult to dispose of, but he still needed them.

Each deity's authority is an excellent complement to the Golden Tree, greatly enriching its existing spell system.

Therefore, he didn't mind helping Yan Kingdom solve some problems, even without extra compensation.

As long as something can be obtained, the value of the divine authority itself will far exceed what is given.

Even if one only gains one or two powers in the end, it's still a worthwhile investment.

"It would be wonderful if Mr. Lin were willing to lend a hand."

The old master was taken aback, not expecting Lin Lu to suddenly offer her help, but he did not refuse.

Dealing with deities is no easy task; casualties are inevitable.

In particular, according to reliable intelligence, genuine deities have resurrected in some places, and killing them again is indeed possible, but it will come at a price.

If Golden Tree is willing to intervene, the pressure on the imperial court can be greatly reduced.

"Alright, once you find concrete information about the resurgence of a deity, you can contact me. We at the Golden Tree will take care of it."

"The spirits of the old era should lie obediently in their coffins. If they want to come out and rise from the dead, they should be prepared for complete destruction."

Lin Lu grinned, a smile that was unusually chilling.

"We're professionals when it comes to dealing with gods. We guarantee to kill them completely in one go, so they'll never have the slightest chance of reviving."

Are you kidding me? You think you can be resurrected after being stabbed by your destined death? Dream on!

Any god who dies at his hands will never be able to come out and cause trouble again.

The power of predetermined death will kill it conceptually, destroying everything from the vitality of the body to the soul. Even if there is a way to bring the dead body back to life, at most you will get a piece of flesh that can never wake up.

When Golden Godwin was killed by his destined death, even with the support of the mature Golden Tree, he still died completely.

Could those gods be stronger than the Great Golden Tree that rules over the borderlands?

"Then...what about the compensation?"

Asking someone for help is never a free lunch; the old master was prepared to pay a hefty price when he agreed.

Helping to take down a few gods, while not requiring a massive amount of resources like at Yumen Pass, shouldn't be too stingy either.

"This is a friendly donation, I don't want any payment."

Lin Lu chuckled and weighed the glass heart in her hand.

"I have only one request: the bodies of any deity slain by the Golden Tree shall belong to the Golden Tree. Apart from that, the Yan Kingdom need not pay any compensation."

"That's no problem at all. As long as you killed them, they're yours."

The old master agreed to the request without even thinking about it. What's the difference between that and getting something for free?

Not to mention that the prey that others killed should have been their spoils of war, the bodies left behind by those gods were of little use at all. At most, they could be used to forge weapons, but they were not of much practical use.

God's power comes from His own authority and cannot be utilized. What He left behind is neither useful nor worth discarding.

He would be laughing in his sleep if he could get the Golden Tree's help for free by exchanging a bunch of junk.

Chapter 189 Chongyue Paving the Way for His Disciple

"Big brother, are you really not going?"

Inside Yumen City, at the Grandmaster's residence, Lin Lu, carrying Yumen specialties she had bought from the city, inquired about them from Chong Yue.

Before coming, his plan was to come and scout ahead with Ling, and then bring Nian and the others over. However, it turned out that the demons were not as powerful as expected, and they did not launch a major attack on Yumen Pass. Instead, they were driven back by a great fire.

The lingering flames outside the city mean there's no need to worry about a large-scale attack by demons for at least a few days, so the preparations made are unnecessary.

Therefore, Lin Lu did not intend to stay here any longer.

Firstly, he needed to discuss the landship issue with his good brother Black Serpent. After all, it belonged to Ursus and was documented. If they wanted to sail it to Yumen Pass, Yan Kingdom wouldn't be a problem, but Ursus's reaction still needed to be considered. Without handling everything properly, they couldn't use it directly.

Secondly, according to the customs and calendar of Yan Kingdom, today is already 'New Year's Eve'. Since we have some free time, we should naturally go back to celebrate the New Year.

Before leaving, Lin Lu wanted to invite Chong Yue, who was, after all, the elder brother of Nianxi Ling, so it would be perfectly normal to invite him to Longmen for the New Year.

However, although the crisis of the demons has been resolved, things are not completely stable, and Chongyue does not plan to leave Yumen at this time.

"I won't go. You guys can get together. I have a duty to fulfill and can't leave my post without permission."

Chongyue waved his hand, rejecting the suggestion.

More than celebrating the New Year, he was concerned about the safety of Yumen and did not want his departure to cause any weaknesses in Yumen's defenses.

He had already celebrated many festivals like the Lunar New Year, and the problem of the Year Beast had been solved. All that remained was the final moment when the Year Beast would be defeated, and he and his brothers and sisters would regain their freedom.

During the festival, the sea is wide enough for fish to leap and the sky is high enough for birds to fly. There is still a long time ahead, so there is no need to rush.

This time, he didn't plan to join in the fun.

"The title of Grandmaster... You don't have a specific position in Yumen, do you? And with the Golden Tree around... Never mind, since you don't want to go, then we'll leave."

Seeing that Chongyue really didn't want to move, Lin Lu didn't say anything more. She casually waved her hand, and the light of the golden tree shone down, covering him and Ling. When the light dissipated, the place was empty.

"The ways of the world are truly unpredictable."

Chongyue looked at the empty space, shook his head, and turned to go back into the house.

"Grandmaster, who exactly is that person...?"

The Elafia girl, Qiu Bai, who had been watching the whole thing with her sword in her hand, had a strange look in her eyes and couldn't help but speak up.

Although she didn't show much expression on her face, she was still a young girl and had the curiosity that comes with it.

Moreover, Mr. Lin's behavior was truly mysterious and unpredictable.

"By seniority, he is my brother-in-law."

Chongyue glanced at him and immediately guessed what his little apprentice was thinking.

Thinking of Lin Lu and then looking at Qiu Bai, he suddenly felt that his disciple should learn from Lin Lu—specifically, in terms of personality.

Lin Lu is carefree and straightforward, while Qiu Bai is much less so; even after many years, he still hasn't been able to overcome that hurdle.

...Perhaps she has seen through it all. It's just that she herself is unwilling to believe it and is still struggling with it.

However, this is just wishful thinking; some things cannot be learned.

Qiu Bai is so young, where does he get so much experience and knowledge to support him?

He didn't know Lin Lu's exact age, but he guessed it was at least a hundred years old. You could tell from his aura how many battles and life-or-death struggles that man had experienced. His current appearance was entirely the result of the passage of time.

That carefree and unrestrained attitude comes from martial arts honed through countless trials and tribulations, and unparalleled strength. Because he is strong enough, he has the right to disregard everything. This cannot be learned simply by studying.

"Outside Yumen Pass...was that done by Mr. Lin?"

Qiu Bai did not witness the scene of the flames spreading for three hundred miles that day; she only saw the burning earth afterward and was shocked for quite some time.

Even now, she still can't understand why people can be that strong.

The Grandmaster was the strongest person she had ever met. Could it be that the person was even stronger than the Grandmaster?

Thinking this through, she couldn't help but ask her question.

"Of course, that kind of scene... is beyond human capability."