I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"As long as there is a physical body that can be destroyed, then immortality is still a long way off. Some people are foolish and only focus on strengthening their bodies, wanting to obtain a body that has been tempered and refined, and wanting to rely on their own strength to crush everything, but they are wrong."

Browning tossed the severed finger into his mouth like a cookie, chewed it, and swallowed it.

The old butler, who was standing nearby, had bloodshot eyes and collapsed to the ground. He looked as if he had been thrown into a bell and struck dozens of times, unable to react to anything.

Seeing the old butler like this, Xia punched him directly, knocking him unconscious, to prevent him from being contaminated later.

"The sublimation you're referring to is the process of transforming from an ordinary person into a god? How is that achieved?"

Lu Ban asked slowly and deliberately.

He knew very well that Daoist Heming posed no threat to them at the moment; otherwise, given Daoist Heming's current state, he wouldn't need to be chatting with Lu Ban and the others here.

The fact that the other party is communicating with you means that they have a need.

Considering that Daoist Heming claimed to be hiding here and that he used paintings from the ancient capital to suppress evil, Lu Ban felt there must be some missing element he hadn't discovered. (Gu Guo)

"Good question."

Browning laughed as the wound on his severed finger healed rapidly, and a brand new finger grew out faster than grass on a road, making it impossible to tell the difference between the two.

What are gods?

Browning asked a question in return, and before Lu Ban could think about it, he spoke again, answering his own question.

"In ancient times, lightning was a god, torrential rain was a god, landslides were a god, and earth fissures were also gods. People revered natural phenomena, so they became gods. But we know very well that these are not gods. They have no will of their own and are just the embodiment of laws."

Lu Ban had read about these things in books on folklore and mythology. The earliest human beliefs and myths originated from reverence for nature.

"Then, if lightning possesses a will, can it be called a true god?"

Browning asked.

"……law?"

Almost instantly, Lu Ban connected the dots to the strange things in his world.

As we all know, those strange things are the embodiment of rules, which cannot be destroyed and will only move from one place to another. If these strange things awaken their will, then they can indeed be considered gods.

"The so-called sublimation is the process of transforming oneself into a concept. Apart from those who are born as Great Old Ones, extraterrestrial gods, or ancient gods, ordinary beings who want to reign over immortality must transform themselves into a concept."

Browning snapped his fingers, and flames appeared in his hand.

"If I were to give a civilization the concept of fire, then I would be a fire god. But I do not exist because of these people; I am the embodiment of fire myself. Of course, in this vast alien world, there are also alien worlds without fire. For example, in a certain alien world, there are only endless abysses and seawater, with evil lurking beneath the waves. In such a world, there is no concept of fire, and the influence of the gods who exist there would be weakened."

"So, you exist in the ruined capital based on the concept of 'Crane Cry Daoist'?"

Shea quickly understood Browning's meaning.

Once Crane Cry Daoist becomes Crane Cry Daoist, even if his physical body decays, as long as his name is still sung, Crane Cry Daoist is immortal. He can descend into any foreign land that sang his name in any way. The more foreign land understands the concept of Crane Cry Daoist, the stronger his power will be.

If Daoist Heming had mastered other concepts, such as fire, rain, or light, then he could indeed be omnipresent and omnipotent, surviving through the long and ancient ages.

This may sound incredible, but you should know that a concept is also a kind of knowledge, and all knowledge has the potential for contamination and power.

Once it becomes a concept, it becomes pollution.

This is why those Great Old Ones possess such potent corruption that even a single glance can cause a person to lose their sanity and descend into madness.

This is the essence of sublimation.

“You are very smart, which is why I am communicating with you.”

Browning crossed his legs, tilted his head forward slightly, and asked.

"Want to make a deal with me?"

Chapter 640 One-Sided Account

There are at least three factions within this Stormy Mountain Villa.

Crane Cry Taoist was naturally one of them; he possessed Browning and hid here.

The other branch consists of the actual controllers of the ruined capital, the ancient rulers who truly walk the earth, and the living gods.

The last one is the entity that Crane Cry Daoist needs to suppress by using the paintings of the ancient capital and the power of another Great Old One.

What do you want?

"Sia asked."

Making a deal with someone who has lost their human identity sounds crazy, but as the chosen ones, sometimes crazy decisions are the right ones.

"My remains are hidden in this stormy mountain villa."

Browning said generously.

"As I told you before, I once clashed with the gods who roamed the ruined city. At that time, I even tried to modify my body to get closer to the gods with a powerful physique, but I failed. That's why I left behind some legacies."

"You mean the matter of ascension and transcending tribulations?"

Having spent so long in this foreign land, Xi Ya was naturally very familiar with the experiences of Daoist Heming. She had heard the story of him sitting under a big tree, being struck by lightning, and then transcending tribulation to ascend to immortality dozens of times.

"Yes."

Browning nodded, seemingly unsurprised that Sia knew about it.

"So, that lightning really was struck down by one of the Old Ones here?"

Lu Ban blurted out the question.

This is divine retribution, it truly is divine retribution.

It's likely that when Daoist Heming was preparing to take a further step and elevate himself, the leader of the ruined capital seized the opportunity and unleashed a heavenly lightning bolt, reducing Daoist Heming's physical body to ashes. That's why he's in his current state.

Previously, Lu Ban had always thought that Daoist Heming had given up his physical body to reduce his own pollution, but now it seemed that he had his reasons.

"Ahem, actually, I expected this all along."

Crane Cry Taoist maintained his elegance, he said.

"I realized back then that the more skilled you are at tempering your body, the more you want to resist everything materially, the more you can feel the limits of your flesh and blood."

"what do you want to say in the end?"

Shea couldn't help but ask.

"He means he's no longer human."

Lu Ban helped answer.

"...I was already prepared to give up my physical body, but that guy accelerated the process."

After a moment of silence, Daoist Heming managed to steer the conversation away from the topic that was about to be steered astray by Lu Ban.

"It was because of that lightning strike that I was severely contaminated, but I also glimpsed some forbidden knowledge, which allowed me to transform myself into a concept and remain in the world. That guy must have noticed this, so he suppressed my sect and disciples throughout the entire ruined capital, trying to erase my name from this world."

"As for the corpse that was struck by lightning and was the most contaminated, it has become my biggest concern."

Hearing what Daoist Heming said, Lu Ban finally understood the goals of these three forces.

Crane Cry Daoist wanted to resolve the issue of his remains. These remains were heavily contaminated and had a close relationship with him, potentially influencing him under the influence of some ancient rulers. For example, if the remains were to revive through some kind of will, they would compete with him for the title of "Crane Cry Daoist," weakening his own identity. Therefore, completely resolving the issue of his remains was Crane Cry Daoist's greatest goal.

谷讎

Prior to this, Crane Cry Daoist, posing as Browning, used the power of other Great Old Ones to suppress the remnants, but with Browning's decline and some unexpected circumstances, he had to seek a way out of the predicament.

The powerful figure in the ruined capital, an Old One who walks the earth, aims to completely annihilate Crane Cry Daoist, cutting off his path to becoming an Old One like himself, and eliminating any future trouble.

Finally, the one that was suppressed and wanted to cause trouble was the remains of Daoist Heming himself.

"You want us to just grind your bones to ashes and dispose of your remains?"

Lu Ban asked.

"...My remains have been influenced by that Great Old One, and they only lack an opportunity to try to replace me. My deal with you is to guarantee your lives and give you some special knowledge in exchange for destroying my remains."

"That's what Daoist Heming said."

"The same meaning."

Lu Ban provides a brief summary.

"But why should we help you?"

Sia had no good feelings towards Daoist Heming. The benefits of helping him were immeasurable, and she might offend the Old Ones of the Abandoned Capital, who were genuine big shots, beings that could drive people crazy with just a glance.

“The summoning of the soul is a ritual. When the night of the summoning of the soul arrives, the [Crane Cry Taoist] will be revived. At that time, you witnesses will be devoured by my remains and become your own power.”

Crane Cry Taoist answered, paused, and then continued.

"Furthermore, I don't know how much you know about those monsters. Those monsters made of sludge originated from the kin of an Old One. Their master is sealed away, and the kin were used by that one in the ruined city for experiments in order to develop a more powerful race, or rather, He tried to approach some supreme being in other ways."

“When I was trying to summon these creatures, I also thought that was the answer, but after transforming myself into that form, I realized that it was just a trap.”

Upon hearing Crane Cry Daoist's words, Xi Ya immediately realized what he meant.

"You transformed yourself into that mud monster?"

"It seems you know quite a bit about this."

Daoist Heming nodded.

“That’s right. That thing devours human consciousness and eventually disguises itself as a human. I saw through this and turned it around to control it. I succeeded, but even this was anticipated by the other party, and in the end, I failed. My remains are a mud monster with a personality similar to mine.”

"and……"

Crane Cry Taoist glanced at Browning's black and white portrait.

“I live here, but I can’t find any trace of it. I can only feel it slowly reviving. After I failed to suppress it with the power of another Great Old One, I thought of this and tried to lure it out by faking my death. I even found it, disguised as that pathetic speculator, and easily killed it. But I know very well that it still exists.”

"Did you kill Gao De?"

Sia countered with a question.

“That’s right. Killing him is simple. I just need to control his body and choose death. It tried to hide itself, but in the face of life and death, it was eventually exposed.”

Crane Cry Taoist explained.

Lu Ban suddenly understood why the Stormy Mountain Villa amplified human emotions and caused many people to hallucinate and even prepare to end their lives. It was probably because Daoist Heming was causing trouble and trying to find the disguised remains.

However, Lu Ban soon discovered something.

"Wait, bro, you said you controlled his body and killed yourself, so what did you do with his internal organs?"

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, Daoist Heming's expression froze slightly.