CHAPTER 1102: CHAPTER 1029: TOMB

On the sixth day of June, in the dead of night.

The rain poured relentlessly over Rain Alley City, and the claps of thunder echoed through the desolate small town.

Inside the Lu Mansion, all was pitch black, though it was not devoid of life.

In a small bedroom, a young man clad in a noble Emperor Robe knelt quietly in front of a small shrine, patiently awaiting a response from the Lord God.

Several days prior, after a long night of conversation with his father, Lu Ran returned home, finished his breakfast, and came to pay his respects at the small shrine.

Lord Immortal Sheep had said, "Wait."

And so, Lu Ran waited quietly in front of the shrine.

And in this waiting, his father, Lu Xing, advanced to the Third Level of the Heavenly Realm, and then he, himself, devoured a Divine Soul, transforming into a new Blood Skull.

Just a short while ago, Lu Ran placed his father inside the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd, sending him to seize the Top-level Magical Artifact Blood Skull Necklace.

"Woo~~~" Outside, a gale blew fiercely.

Intertwining with the torrential rain, they jointly ravaged this abandoned, dilapidated small town.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the night sky, and in an instant, Rain Alley City was bright as day.

Instinctively, Lu Ran looked up towards the window.

In a daze, he glimpsed the small statue of the Immortal Sheep within the shrine, its sheep head now turned pitch black.

Those dead sheep eyes seemed to be staring at him all along.

Chilling, eerie.

"Lord Immortal Sheep?" Lu Ran probed.

[Hmm.] A voice imprinted in his mind.

Lu Ran clasped his hands together, bowing his head in gratitude, "Thank you, Lord Immortal Sheep, for saving my father. Your great kindness will never be forgotten by this disciple."

"Boom!!"

After the lightning came a terrifying thunderous sound, as if the heavens were about to shatter.

In the pitch-black room, the Fiery Phoenix Patterned Gourd flew over from the small bed.

The little creature seemed a bit scared. It used the gourd’s mouth to lift the hem of the Emperor Robe, burrowing into it, clinging tightly to Lu Ran’s waist.

A top-level magical artifact, what kind of formation had it not seen?

It certainly would not be frightened by mere mortal storms.

The fear was due to the chill pervading the small shrine, an ominous aura that even a Divine Weapon found eerie and terrifying.

It was a dense... presence of death energy.

[Never be forgotten.] Soft words imprinted into Lu Ran’s mind, [Then you might have to remember for a very, very long time.]

Lu Ran also felt an overwhelming chill, but his eyes were bright and resolute, looking up at the small shrine, "As long as I live, I will remember each day."

[Heh.] Lord Immortal Sheep’s laugh was hoarse.

Seemingly satisfied, yet also with a tint of emotion.

"Lord Immortal Sheep, on March third, this disciple defeated the Evil Spear Emperor and subsequently absorbed the remaining forces of the Northwest. Now, I have completely unified the Great Xia God-Demon Camp."

[Hmm, these days, I’ve witnessed it myself.]

Upon hearing this, Lu Ran understood that in the past few days, Lord Immortal Sheep had been inspecting the achievements of the Ran Sect.

[You’ve done very well, exceptionally well.] Lord Immortal Sheep’s tone of admiration was surprisingly unrestrained, quite rare.

"Lord Immortal Sheep bestowed upon me a Sculpture Garden; if this disciple couldn’t conquer the God-Demon Camp, that would indeed be worthless."

[Do not belittle yourself.]

Lu Ran raised his head, looking at the eerie little statue.

Lord Immortal Sheep’s tone grew a bit stern: [Others would have long lost that inner perseverance, long been lost within the mighty power.]

With this Sculpture Garden, as Lord of Gods and Demons, you are meant to be unparalleled under the heavens;

Yet, you’ve carved out your own path.]

After sending this message, Lord Immortal Sheep chuckled softly and added four more words: [Just as I hoped.]

"My own path?" Lu Ran murmured.

[You were meant to be a solitary king, possessing sufficient power and eligibility to control everything independently.]

[Yet you are not stingy in sharing the Divine and Evil Sculptures, turning what should be your absolutely loyal servants into a legion of soldiers, each with their own traits and independent thoughts.]

[You possess a charisma and grandeur that ordinary people do not have; you have carved your own path.]

While speaking, Lord Immortal Sheep sighed deeply.

Along this journey, it had learned enough, with countless examples to verify it.

Soldiers of the Ran Sect successively Becoming a God and Becoming a Demon, yet remained steadfastly loyal to the Sect Leader.

On Heroine Divine Mountain, that towering Valkyrie only recognized the Faceless Jade Venerable throughout her life. Yet she willingly broke her own blade for a tiny, insignificant ant.

The once-arrogant Evil Spear Emperor would actually recognize the humble species, willing to engage in a fair fight, entrusting all his subordinates.

Lu Ran walked a road of a true king.

Such a king was now worshiping in front of the shrine, as respectful as always.

Just like the boy from a few years ago.

Even more devout now.

[Heh.] Lord Immortal Sheep suddenly laughed, understanding that Lu Ran still did not believe in gods.

The number of times he had knelt in front of the Divine Sculpture could be counted on one hand, and each time, it wasn’t for a god.

But for grace.

This is good, very good.

"Lord Immortal Sheep." Lu Ran’s voice carried a hint of tremble, "Don’t go."

Lord Immortal Sheep was silent.

Lu Ran was no fool.

If he could, he would prefer that during this conversation, Lord Immortal Sheep remained cold and mocking, even sarcastically laughing as before.

Yet, it was precisely because Lord Immortal Sheep uttered so many words of praise.

[You’ve accomplished everything I entrusted to you. If I don’t leave, I’d only be blocking your path forward.] After a long while, faint words once again imprinted in his mind.

"This disciple dares to offer to share the Divine Sculpted Body with you!" Lu Ran said in a deep voice.

With his fresh blood joining in, it should prolong the life span of Lord Immortal Sheep a bit, shouldn’t it?

[Heh.] Lord Immortal Sheep let out a light laugh, [Doing that wouldn’t mean sharing the body with me, but with another person.]

"Ah?" Lu Ran was a bit baffled.

"Someone you’ve been searching for all along."

Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then exclaimed in astonishment, "Grandpa Cheng Xin?"

[Indeed, the Immortal Sheep Divine Sculpture had long been under my control, and later, it was given to Cheng Xin.]

Lu Ran: !!!

"So, have I always been worshiping Grandpa Cheng Xin?"

[Others are worshiping Cheng Xin, but not you.] The Immortal Sheep said calmly, [You are my disciple, my only disciple.]

Lu Ran froze for a while, then hurriedly said, "Then... then I can take another path! There are many stone sculptures in the Sculpture Garden, and there are quite a few with divine positions."

[Haha.] The Immortal Sheep laughed again, [Those so-called Divine and Evil Sculptures are nothing but a pile of stones, how could they be worthy of my disciple?]

There was a heavy disdain in the tone, leaving Lu Ran stunned and speechless.

Many years ago, the Immortal Sheep had scorned: Gods? Nothing but a pile of stones.

Such words could be understood as disdain for gods and demons, a common sentiment.

But the context now is different!

From the perspective of Lord Immortal Sheep, the existence forms of Divine and Evil Sculptures were not worthy of its disciple?

Divine and Evil Sculptures can have extremely long lives and possess divine positions, making them the supreme beings in the Three Realms.

Yet... they still don’t meet the Sheep General’s standards?

[You’ve seen my true form.]

Lu Ran immediately reacted: "That sheep head burning with black fire?"

Yes, the Black Fire Sheep Head is not made of stone... wait!

If the Black Fire Sheep Head is Lord Immortal Sheep’s true form, unique in existence, and completely uncategorized as Divine or Evil Sculpture.

Then in essence, Lord Immortal Sheep...

Lu Ran looked at the Small Divine Shrine, staring at the eerie black sheep face:

"You are neither a god nor a demon?"

"Crack!" Another thick lightning bolt split the rainy night.

Rain Alley City lit up again and again, with the lightning’s glow reflecting the shocked face of the emperor-robed youth.

A hoarse voice etched into his mind:

[My name is Mu.]

Lu Ran’s mind raced, then he respectfully inquired about the divine name: "Is it the ’Mu’ of herding, or the ’Mu’ of the grave?"

[The latter.] The Immortal Sheep’s tone was quite playful, [Then you should be able to understand what the God Demon Sculpture Garden, which I gifted to you, really is.]

What is it really?

Lu Ran combined the Sheep General’s real name, and the answer immediately emerged in his mind.

"Gulp." His Adam’s apple moved, and he said tremulously, "The God Demon Sculpture Garden is actually... a cemetery for all gods?"

A graveyard?

[Indeed, a teachable child.] The Immortal Sheep seemed quite satisfied.

Lu Ran’s heart was in turmoil.

Yes, the Sculpture Garden is just a beautiful name; inside, there’s always a howling wind with death energy permeating.

The many stone sculptures standing within are all growing by devouring the souls of the dead.

[I am neither god nor demon, but something beyond gods and demons.]

"Boom!!"

The thunder following the lightning hurt Lu Ran’s eardrums.

While the hoarse voice imprinted in his mind shook his very soul.

[Gods feed on faith.]

[Demons feed on emotions.]

[And I, feed on gods and demons.]

Lu Ran widened his eyes, staring blankly at the small divine sculpture in the shrine.

Suddenly, Lu Ran’s vision blurred.

The small shrine and the scene shrouded in faint black mist alternated continuously before his eyes.

The next moment, he was inside the God Demon Sculpture Garden.

In the sky, a Black Fire Sheep Head burned fiercely, staring down at the insignificant human clan below with a pair of dead sheep eyes: "You wish to share my body, to extend my life in this way, right?"

"Yes." Lu Ran nodded in acknowledgment.

Upon hearing this, the dead life imbued eyes softened slightly:

"You think I, like those stones, draw less and less energy from the world over time, leaving barely anything for myself."

Lu Ran nodded again.

The Black Fire Sheep Head said hoarsely: "You think I will die."

Lu Ran was shocked, face stunned: "Are you... immortal?

Didn’t you say you would eventually dissipate?"

"Hoo~"

The Black Fire Sheep Head descended slowly, landing in front of Lu Ran: "Perishing is my choice."

Choice?!

Lu Ran’s eyes widened!

The Black Fire Sheep Head slowly spoke: "I am different from that pile of stones; leaving is the destiny I wish to pursue, not an inevitable result due to powerlessness.

As long as gods and demons exist for a day, I will not perish."

Lu Ran was dumbfounded for quite a while, then immediately asked: "Why? Why must you leave?"

"Not just me, but all living things."

"All... living things?"

The Black Fire Sheep Head didn’t respond further but asked: "Lu Ran, do gods and demons really age and die?"

Confused, Lu Ran answered: "Divine and Evil Sculptures will... you just said, over time they’ll lose the ability to retain energy within themselves, gradually perishing."

The Black Fire Sheep Head revealed a mysterious smile: "I did say that.

But do you truly think that it is time that slowly corrupts them?"

Lu Ran stood there, stunned.

Is it not?

The Black Fire Sheep Head spoke hoarsely, enunciating every word: "I already told you...

I feed on gods and demons."

Lu Ran’s mind buzzed!

...