556: Chapter 554 The Theory of Gods

The night was deep.

Outside Zijin Mountain, a pillar of light shot into the sky, almost illuminating half the city.

Beneath this pillar of light was a Formation Plate inscribed with dense, intricate runes. Rings of light radiated from the center of this Formation Plate, continuously spreading outwards.

"A Formation Plate nurtured by Heaven and Earth is truly wondrous!"

Near the light of the Formation, a handsome man with hair cascading like a waterfall sat in a grandmaster chair, with a purple wood tea table placed before him.

He took a light sip of tea, his expression immensely satisfied. "What a wonderful world. I am merely existing in this world, without having done anything, yet I can feel the True Qi within my body surging ceaselessly. Is this the gift bestowed upon me by Cangyun World?"

As he spoke, he looked up at the young man opposite him, who had a star-like mark on his brow, and smiled. "Junior Brother Shen Guyun, you all have worked hard. We were able to come to this Realm because of your invaluable contributions! After this matter is concluded, you will certainly be greatly rewarded and have the potential to become one of the candidates for the position of Sect Master."

"Senior Brother Tan Yun, you jest. How could I dare to contend with you for the position of Sect Master? I have already received enough gifts, reaching the Diyuan Realm of the Guiyuan Realm, and I am not far from the Heavenly Realm. Not only that..." Junior Brother Shen Guyun played with a fiery red crystal in his hand and said with a smile:

"These strange stones, which contain the Source of the World, are recorded by the Will of Cangyun, regardless of who digs them up, as part of my contribution.

Once this mission is successful and we return, I might even have the hope of stepping into the Shengyuan Realm in one stride. What is there to be unsatisfied with? It is a pity for you, Senior Brother, possessing the cultivation of the Heavenly Realm of the Guiyuan Realm, yet you can only sit here and guard with me. It is truly a waste of your talents."

"Haha! Junior Brother Shen Guyun, you jest. I only luckily just entered the Tianyuan Realm, and my Realm has only just stabilized, otherwise, how could I have been teleported in so quickly? There is no such thing as wasting talent. You set up the Formation, and I guard the Formation; everyone's contribution is the same, and it is all for the sake of the Sect!"

Tan Yun laughed loudly and drank the tea in his hand in one gulp. "There is no need to rush. Wait about another hour, and this Teleportation Array should be able to expand to a hundred zhang. When the Formation is stable, we can teleport large numbers of Guiyuan Realm Martial Artists. At that time, we will be able to liberate ourselves and go harvest more contributions."

"Senior Brother is right." Junior Brother Shen Guyun smiled slightly.

"However..." Tan Yun changed the subject and asked suspiciously, "I just heard from a few other Junior Brothers that a deity descended into this world not long ago, but was killed by Yang Yu with a single sword strike. I wonder if there is any truth to this?"

"Although I witnessed this matter with my own eyes, I do not know the specific details. Perhaps it was a true deity, or perhaps it was merely a projection. Actually, none of this is important." Junior Brother Shen Guyun smiled indifferently:

"We, the Disciples of the four Sects, are all protected by the Will of Cangyun. Since we have come to this place, it is by the Mandate of Heaven. Although challenges are unavoidable, it is impossible for us to be asked to do things that cannot be completed."

Tan Yun nodded slightly, but still frowned slightly. "I naturally understand this principle, but... if Yang Yu, who struck that sword, were to suddenly appear..."

"Senior Brother, you are overthinking it. Yang Yu never had such strength! When he first entered the Cangyun World, he was barely comparable to a Renyuan Martial Artist who had just stepped into the Guiyuan Realm; his strength was far inferior to yours. Only a few months have passed, what level could he possibly have reached?"

Junior Brother Shen Guyun scoffed. "Senior Brother Tan Yun, you do not know this, but this Realm is restricted by rules, making it extremely difficult to achieve a Breakthrough. I met him ten days ago; his strength has increased, but it is still only comparable to the Renyuan level, and he should still be some distance away from the Diyuan Realm."

Tan Yun could not help but be confused. "Then how did he slay a deity with one sword strike?"

"He invited me several times to intervene in the strange events of this world, but I refused every time. From our conversations, I judged that he must have been endowed with some kind of power by this Small World, but he must not use it unless it is an absolute last resort. Otherwise, his essence, Qi, and spirit would be exhausted, and he might die directly. I imagine that was the power of that sword strike. In other words, Yang Yu is nothing more than a vessel!"

Junior Brother Shen Guyun shook his head and smiled. "Among the Transcendent of this world, there is a contribution ranking list, and after Yang Yu struck that sword, he disappeared from the ranking list. Clearly, he is already dead, so we do not need to worry."

"If one can hear the Dao, what does it matter if one dies? In any case, to be able to slay a deity with one sword strike, one would have no regrets even in death. Yang Yu is fortunate." Tan Yun sighed with emotion. "However, we are also fortunate to have come just after his sword strike; otherwise..."

"If it weren't for waiting for that sword strike of his, you, Senior Brother, could have come long ago," Junior Brother Shen Guyun said with a smile.

Tan Yun was stunned. "You mean..."

Junior Brother Shen Guyun smiled slightly. "Regarding the possibility of endowed power within Yang Yu, I had already reported it to the Sect. The Sect Elders had vaguely sensed some kind of potential threat as early as when Yang Yu first entered the Cangyun World. We have been waiting for the right opportunity, lying dormant until now before taking action. This is also one of the important reasons, just to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"So that's how it is." Tan Yun suddenly realized.

"Besides, what was destroyed by that sword strike before might not even be called a true deity," Junior Brother Shen Guyun said meaningfully.

Tan Yun immediately became interested. "Junior Brother Shen Guyun, what does this mean?"

"In our Cangyun World, there are many Lands of Gods Fall, which are places where ancient deities fell. Only the legendary Realm of Gods that can shatter the Void Realm can compare! There are records in the classics that if a deity exerts its power, Heaven and Earth will change, space will shatter, and it will be difficult to bear its might..."

Junior Brother Shen Guyun scoffed at this point. "Even our Cangyun World cannot erase a deity; all living things crawl in submission! Yet this mere Small World has only had some demons comparable to the Renyuan level of the Guiyuan Realm descend, and it has already suffered from the invasion of The Gloom to this extent, with black fog connecting to the Dark Place everywhere. If a true deity had descended, I fear it would have shattered instantly; how could it possibly have been killed by Yang Yu with a single sword strike?"

"Oh?" Tan Yun could not help nodding. "Junior Brother Shen Guyun, what you say makes some sense. Then, in your opinion, what Realm of powerhouse was it that Yang Yu destroyed with that one sword strike?"

Junior Brother Shen Guyun rubbed his chin. "Perhaps equivalent to the Peak of the Shengyuan Realm, or at most one Realm higher."