"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to ask further. It's not that I can't, but that I'm unwilling to transform into a human. I lived in the human world for many years. Most humans... aren't exactly likable. Therefore, I maintain my true form and wander between heaven and earth. There's a saying among you humans, 'carefree and at ease.' I am currently in that state."
A carefree deer demon, if not judging from its state of mind, this should be a deer immortal.
"I envy your carefree life, and that's my goal too. But unfortunately, I'm still a long way from achieving that carefree state!"
"That's why I don't like humans. Your desires are too many and too varied. It's as if they can never be satisfied."
"Yes, that's humanity. But it's precisely because our desires are so complex that we constantly pursue new gains and continuously improve ourselves. Perhaps that's why humanity dominates this era."
The deer demon thought for a moment, then spoke.
“What you say makes a lot of sense. Perhaps I should also have higher aspirations. Let’s cooperate this time. Two hundred miles to the west, there’s a golden eagle that has grown powerful. If we join forces to eliminate it, everything in its lair will be yours!”
Lu Xuan: "..." I feel like I've been tricked!
The deer demon's cultivation was originally above that of the golden eagle. However, its flying abilities were not comparable to the golden eagle's, so it had been unable to defeat it. But with Lu Xuan's help, the two easily eliminated the golden eagle and ransacked its cave.
Lu Xuan also found three golden eagle eggs among them. He pocketed them without hesitation.
The deer demon didn't do anything; it was just as agreed. He simply asked Lu Xuan to help him eliminate an opponent.
This was an extremely interesting experience for Lu Xuan. He also gained quite a few benefits, giving him the feeling of being the protagonist of an online novel.
This experience also gave him some new ideas. He began to consciously collect various spirit beast cubs or eggs. Because for cultivators, spirit pets are actually an extremely important aid.
If he is to leave, he needs to leave as much legacy as possible for his sect. Beast taming is also an excellent supplementary method.
In the wild jungles of the West, countless rare and exotic beasts roamed. Lu Xuan quickly amassed hundreds of different spirit beasts. Afterward, he ended his journey through the western swamps and returned to his sect.
He used the Beast Taming Techniques taught by the Beast God to stimulate the bloodlines within these spirit beasts, greatly enhancing their spirituality. He then settled down in the Hidden Immortal Sect.
At the same time, he also adopted his own way of beast taming, selected some disciples from the sect, and opened up another branch.
Lu Xuan's next destination was the Ruthless Sea of the Abyss of the Dead. He had been interested in this place for a long time, but he had never been confident in venturing deep into it. Now that he had achieved the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, he naturally wanted to go deep into it.
The Sea of Ruthlessness extends deep underground, essentially a vast subterranean lake. Some of the laws governing it are completely different from those of the outside world. Both its creatures and spiritual energy are unlike anything else.
Along the way, Lu Xuan encountered attacks from all sorts of strange monsters in the Heartless Sea. Some were normal aquatic monsters, but most were indescribable oddities.
While he was resting on a rock, a tentacle reached out from the dark clouds above and attacked him.
Enraged, Lu Xuan unleashed the Yin-Yang Twin Lightning, instantly evaporating the entire cloud of mist. However, there was nothing inside; after searching for a long time, he found nothing.
On another occasion, he was attacked by a mass of seawater without any prior warning. Only later did he realize it was some kind of monster capable of simulating seawater, or rather, it was simply a mass of seawater itself.
Lu Xuan shattered the thing into pieces with a single bolt of lightning. It then fell into the water and disappeared from sight. It was unclear whether it died or escaped. Countless similar monsters existed, most posing no real threat to Lu Xuan. However, their bizarre properties truly broadened his horizons.
In the deepest part of the Heartless Sea, Lu Xuan saw a strange thing.
There's a huge plot hole in the Heartless Sea: the original text describes it as a place of surging waves. But the Heartless Sea is underground, with no wind or earthquakes, so where do the waves come from?
At the heart of the Heartless Sea, Lu Xuan witnessed the root of all this.
At the center of the Merciless Sea is a colossal fountain. The fountain originates from deeper underground. It is the constant surging of this fountain, along with its intermittent, eruptive bursts, that keeps the Merciless Sea in a state of perpetual motion.
During a lull in the fountain's flow, Lu Xuan ventured deeper into it, swimming upstream. He felt as if he had traveled thousands of meters further. Then, Lu Xuan saw the source of everything.
The thing looked like a water sphere, but it was definitely not a pure water sphere, because it clearly possessed a life force. This reminded Lu Xuan of a demon he had encountered on his journey that could completely dissolve in water. This thing seemed similar, but its status was much higher. It even gave Lu Xuan a feeling of being suppressed.
The endless flow of water originates from it, accompanied by a unique rhythm, as if it were breathing. The sea surface also exhibits intermittent gushing forth. Reflected in the relentless sea, this manifests as intermittent surging waves.
Looking at the strange life form before him, Lu Xuan composed himself. Then, he gently pointed a finger at the outer edge of the water.
Without any intention to attack, Lu Xuan was essentially just saying hello. He was certain that what was in front of him was alive, just in a special state of slumber.
The moment Lu Xuan touched the other party, an oppressive force he had never felt before suddenly struck him.
For a fleeting moment, Lu Xuan even had the feeling that the water sphere in front of him had opened its eyes and was looking at him, even though the other party didn't have eyes.
Lu Xuan felt an endless stream of information flooding into his consciousness as the other person awoke. He wanted to resist, but at that moment he realized he was utterly powerless. The oppressive force seemed to be some kind of divine power.
------------
Chapter 471 The Last Stop
Divinity is a very complex thing. Lu Xuan had seen many gods. In the world of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, there were many temples with thriving incense offerings that could be called gods.
However, most of the gods worshipped through incense offerings are quite weak. They exist solely based on the faith of a small group of people around them.
Their magical powers are weak, and they can only grant very minor wishes. They can only provide limited protection to their people within a limited range.
In the face of major natural or man-made disasters, they collapse even faster than humans. Lu Xuan could crush a whole group of these gods with a single finger. No wonder Sun Wukong always arrogantly bosses around the local earth gods in Journey to the West. Those earth gods are simply too weak to handle!
But their divinity is real. It is a higher state of spirituality, distinct from that of a spiritual practitioner.
Even those weak local deities who attain godhood through incense offerings possess a divinity that surpasses that of the vast majority of cultivators.
Because divinity possesses an extremely magical characteristic: regardless of its nature, it is remarkably easy for it to gain the approval of heaven and earth. This is true even for evil gods.
Logically speaking, local deities and mountain gods should be the kind of beings that protect villagers and do good deeds.
However, Lu Xuan had seen more than one corrupt mountain god and land deity in the world of Liaozhai. They not only practiced evil magic, but also used living people as sacrifices. They gathered faith power through bribery, threats, and other means to strengthen themselves.
But what's the result? They receive absolutely no punishment. Even as they rapidly increase their cultivation, they escape even the heavenly tribulation. The karmic consequences of their various misdeeds are neutralized by their divinity. If no one subdues these demons, they will ultimately become powerful monsters that wreak havoc on the region.
This is the function of divinity, and it is only the most basic effect. If divinity is powerful, its wonders are boundless.
Lu Xuan is now facing the gaze of a certain divinity. This is why he cannot resist it. Because the divinity contained in the life before him far surpasses that of the incense-burning gods he has seen before.