Chapter 111: Becoming Your God (XIV)

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Chapter 111: Becoming Your God (XIV)

The Death God’s rank and seniority were far beyond those of ordinary gods. More importantly, he was one of the few gods who could obtain divine power without mortal worship. His strength came primarily from the death and decay of all living things. Powerful as the War God was, even he probably couldn’t do much against the Death God.

Shang Ke had to say that he really didn’t need this great god backing him up. When the original Evil God had been surrounded and beaten down by the gods of light, the Death God hadn’t come forward to offer so much as a word of support. Yet now that the Evil God and a god of light were all lovey-dovey, he had suddenly appeared wearing an air of righteous indignation.

News of the Death God’s arrival quickly alarmed the other gods. To prevent Shang Ke from defecting back to the Dark Domain, Saya placed restrictions throughout the city. But while he could guard against darkness, he couldn’t guard against the light. The Fire God, Water God, Earth God, and several others who had old grudges against the Evil God all demanded that the War God either seal Shang Ke or expel him from the Light Domain.

The other gods were completely baffled by the spectacle. He was only an obscure god of darkness, so why had he drawn out so many major gods? Although light and darkness stood in opposition to one another, the two sides could still interact as long as circumstances permitted and neither violated the rules.

Although Shang Ke was a god of darkness, he had always followed the rules and treated others kindly. In fact, he seemed even more innocent and harmless than most gods of light. Yet this harmless little god was not only protected by the War God and fought over by the Death God—even his enemies were thousand-year-old major gods like the Fire God and Water God!

After information passed back and forth among the various parties, Shang Ke’s identity was finally made public. The moment they learned who he really was, many of the minor gods who had once caused trouble for him broke out in cold sweat. He was actually Unos, the Evil God who had drenched the continent in blood more than a thousand years ago? But he looked so harmless, so adorably silly, so damn likable! He was even skilled at all sorts of practical crafts, and most of the popular goods sold in the royal capital came from his worshipers!

If no one mentioned his identity, the other gods had practically begun treating him like some adorable little domestic sprite. Yet his true attributes were not cute in the slightest—they were exceptionally bloody. Had Lord Evil God perhaps become too successful at disguising himself? Not only had he openly moved into the Light Domain, he had even gained the War God’s protection. If they remembered correctly, hadn’t the War God personally sealed him away all those years ago? By all logic, they ought to be mortal enemies who would never rest until the other was destroyed. So why did they get along so well? Could the Evil God’s skills in bed be so incredible that he had conquered the War God that way?!

Whatever went on between the major gods had little to do with the minor ones. As long as mortals continued worshiping them, they could exist indefinitely. At worst, their power would suffer some damage. Even so, the gods of light made their position perfectly clear: they drew a firm line between themselves and the Evil God and resolutely stopped associating with him.

At the same time, the Shu Clan and the others who worshiped the Evil God were also ostracized. When they learned that the god they worshiped was actually the incomparably brutal Evil God of legend, they were shocked beyond belief and found it difficult to accept. Many people’s faith began to waver. However, some people with darker hearts instead flocked to the Evil God’s side. These were the worshipers who could truly provide Shang Ke with power. The wicked thoughts and desires within their hearts were precisely the nourishment the Evil God needed.

Instead of weakening, Shang Ke’s power rose sharply. In only a few short months, he accumulated more power than he had over the previous several years, and the aura befitting the Evil God gradually began to emerge from him.

At the same time, incidents of bloodshed throughout the city began to increase. Even if Shang Ke did nothing, the Evil God’s power naturally stirred up the violent impulses of mortals. Shang Ke finally began to understand why the original Evil God had continued killing and destroying even after gaining a new life. It wasn’t necessarily that he hadn’t wanted to change. His innate nature simply left him with no other choice.

The truly terrifying thing in this world wasn’t the Evil God, but the wickedness within human hearts. These people didn’t actually want the Evil God’s protection. They merely wanted to use their own evil thoughts to shape the most powerful Evil God imaginable, one capable of satisfying their selfish desires.

In the past, Shang Ke had needed to rack his brains just to gain the smallest bit of power. Now, even if he did absolutely nothing, his power continued skyrocketing. This was exactly why Shang Ke had kept his identity hidden for so long. The words Evil God were, in themselves, a powerful curse.

But Shang Ke didn’t particularly care about that. What truly bothered him was the Shu Clan’s attitude toward him. Over the past several years, he believed he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to protecting and caring for them. Yet simply because he was the Evil God, the very people who had once received his protection were the first to abandon their faith in him. Apart from Tima, most of them had already turned away from him and no longer even set foot inside his temple.

Yitamo, on the other hand, surprised him. His faith had never wavered from beginning to end, and he often came to the temple with Tima to make offerings.

The once-bustling Temple of Uno became cold and deserted in only a few months. Those who truly worshiped the Evil God generally came only at night. As his worshipers changed, the once bright and sunny Temple of Uno finally became a dark temple in the truest sense of the word.

“You Evil God worshipers, get out of the royal capital! You’re not welcome here!” The Shu Clan’s shops were smashed to pieces, and all the goods inside were looted.

They violently drove the Shu clansmen away, refusing to allow them to remain in the royal capital. The Shu Clan understood that there was probably no longer any place for them inside the city, so they could only move beyond the walls for the time being and wait for the hostility to die down.

Things should never have deteriorated this badly. After all, disputes between gods rarely involved mortals. But if a god was secretly inciting the humans from behind the scenes, that was an entirely different matter.

“You don’t need to concern yourself with those mortals. Their conflict wasn’t caused by you.” Saya had spent nearly every waking moment with him lately, so he knew perfectly well that Shang Ke had not recklessly used his power. Otherwise, the present situation would have been far more serious than these relatively minor disturbances.

There was no such thing as absolute peace in the mortal world. All gods could do was offer protection when necessary, not take responsibility for every action mortals chose to commit.

“Mm.” Shang Ke smiled at him, looking completely unbothered.

Saya assumed he truly didn’t care, and the two of them spent a long while having passionate sex together. Yet after Shang Ke recovered from their lovemaking, he broke through Saya’s restrictions and left Imperial Yi territory alone.

“Finally willing to leave your War God?” the Death God’s voice sounded across the wilderness.

“Lord Death God, can I ask you something?” Shang Ke was too lazy to search for the elusive god hiding somewhere nearby. He casually lay down on the grass, folded both hands behind his head, and stared up at the stars.

“What is it?” There was a hint of curiosity in the Death God’s voice.

“Why did you come looking for me?” Shang Ke asked calmly. “As far as I know, Lord Death God has never had a habit of meddling in other people’s business.”

“Hehe. I actually rather enjoy meddling in other people’s business.”

A bank of rolling mist suddenly appeared beside Shang Ke, and the Death God emerged from within it. He was dressed entirely in black robes, his long hair drifting around him like clouds of fog. His features held a sinister charm, thin lips curved upward in a smile. His eyes were pitch-black as ink, without even a trace of white, as though they could drag someone straight into the abyss in an instant.

Shang Ke stared at those completely black eyes for quite a while. Those eyes really have personality. They look like someone added special effects to them.

“You like my eyes?” the Death God asked with a slight smile.

“Mm. They’re pretty nice,” Shang Ke answered honestly.

The Death God slowly bent over him, his long hair drifting around him and seemingly merging with his black robes.

“If you’d like…” His voice was seductive. “I can give you a pair of eyes just like mine.”

Before Shang Ke could answer, he added, “As long as you give me your body.”

Shang Ke: “…Why don’t we get back to the original topic? Why did you come looking for me?”

The Death God straightened with obvious regret. “Naturally, because someone made a deal with me.”

“Who? What kind of deal?”

“I can’t tell you who it was. I have to maintain some integrity too.” The Death God smiled. “But I can tell you what they offered me.”

Shang Ke gestured for him to continue.

“They promised that after you were sealed, all of your worshipers would be given to me as sacrifices.”

“What?” Shang Ke sprang to his feet. “What right do they have to dispose of my worshipers?”

The Death God shook out his sleeves and replied leisurely, “The gods of the Light Domain are a pack of hypocrites. What does the life or death of a few mortals mean to them?”

“Why would Lord Death God make a deal with a god of light?”

“I govern death, whether it comes for gods or mortals, light or darkness.” The Death God leaned close to Shang Ke’s ear and whispered, “If you die, I’ll collect your soul as well.”

“Divine spirits cannot die, but…” His voice suddenly shifted to Shang Ke’s other side. “Embodied gods can.”

Shang Ke looked at him. “Then I’ll make a deal with you too.”

“Oh?” An intrigued expression appeared on the Death God’s face…

The two had only just finished their conversation when the air suddenly trembled. The next second, Saya appeared before them.

“It seems Lord War God really does like our Unos,” the Death God said with a smile.

“He’s mine,” Saya replied coldly.

The Death God spread his hands. “Even if you say that, it doesn’t change the fact that he is a god of darkness.”

Saya’s expression darkened as battle intent erupted from him, causing the mist surrounding the Death God to churn violently.

“Saya, let’s go back.” Shang Ke tugged at Saya’s arm.

At his words, Saya slowly withdrew his battle intent and pulled Shang Ke into his arms.

Before leaving, Shang Ke glanced at the Death God from the corner of his eye. The other god’s pitch-black eyes curved with amusement, his smile wickedly seductive.

……

…

Shang Ke let out a muffled groan, his voice breaking apart under Saya’s increasingly forceful thrusts.

“You’re not allowed to leave my territory again!” Saya demanded, thrusting hard into him.

“Mm.”

“You’re not allowed to meet the Death God alone again!”

“Mm.”

“You’re not allowed to have sex with any god or mortal other than me!”

“Mm.”

Saya laid down one demand after another, and Shang Ke agreed to every single one.

Only after hearing Shang Ke agree did the unease in Saya’s heart finally settle somewhat. He slowed his thrusts and began kissing Shang Ke’s body tenderly.

He didn’t know why, but somewhere deep inside, he always felt as though he had lost Shang Ke before. That was why he was so desperate to keep him this time, no matter what methods he had to use.

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