"This staff isn't impossible to give you, but if I really do, you'll probably die."
Su Ye said, hiding nothing and telling her the truth. "A God Emperor is dwelling inside this staff. I don't know if he really is one, but that guy calls himself the God Emperor."
"The God Emperor?"
Lotus War Goddess's stunning face shifted slightly at his words. She hadn't sensed any other living being inside the Totem Pillar. If there really was one, it had to be stronger than her. If she fused with it, she would be walking straight into a tiger's den.
Besides, not just anyone dared to call themselves a God Emperor. Anyone bold enough to claim that title had to be a powerful being who surpassed a True God.
The stronger one's cultivation, the more one understood this world—and the more wary one became, not daring to casually call oneself an emperor lest it draw Karma.
Of course, there was always the chance that some reckless fool, lacking the strength and the fate to back it up, would still dare to call himself an emperor.
"Is there something wrong with your head? You actually told her your trump card."
The God Emperor said furiously. He had known from the start what the Little Dream God Lotus wanted, so he had been waiting for her to enter the Totem Pillar of her own accord. Then he could devour her. Yet this foolish brat had actually told her he was there.
"You're the one with something wrong with your head. The fairy looks like a good person, while you look like a bad egg."
Su Ye said coolly, his eyes full of disdain as he stared at the Totem Pillar.
Of course, it wasn't because she was so beautiful and peerless that he'd let his head get hot and told her everything. Absolutely not.
If the Little Dream God Lotus had attacked and killed him just now, he would never have told her. But despite having overwhelming strength, she hadn't attacked him outright. Instead, she had asked him to hand it over willingly. That meant she was kind—or at least, that was what he believed.
And this mysterious, unfathomable God Emperor of unknown origins had always put him on guard. Especially since the first time they'd met, the God Emperor had indirectly caused the deaths of thousands. Su Ye had long since branded him an evil fiend.
A kind, beautiful fairy on one side, and an evil, eerie old man on the other—which side to take hardly required a second thought.
The staff shuddered.
The already cracked outer shell of the Ruyi Golden Cudgel broke away as it trembled, revealing the Totem Pillar's true form: an ancient, weathered Bronze Pillar.
"This is..."
Lotus War Goddess's beautiful eyes turned toward the Totem Pillar. Her moon-bright gaze was filled with shock. Feeling the faint power radiating from it, she said, "There's no mistaking it. This Bronze Pillar carries an aura that doesn't belong to the mortal world."
The Bronze Pillar continued to tremble.
The patterns etched across it now shone with light. One after another, Dao Patterns flew from the pillar and spread through the surrounding void. Hazy radiance flowed, enveloping the entire region and forming a vast, boundless firmament.
"You old dog, you really were deceiving me. How devious."
Su Ye hurriedly retreated from the Totem Pillar, his expression dark. The other fellow had said that without faith power, he couldn't interfere with the Reality World. So what was this?
Light Rain steamed through the air, Auspicious Mist spread everywhere, and the phantom figure of an old man gradually emerged in the radiance. A surging divine might blanketed heaven and earth, suppressing the eight directions.
The old man stood tall and straight, his gaze fixed on Su Ye. "I'd planned to keep raising you for a while longer. I never expected my luck to be so good—I've found such a nourishing morsel. Once I eat her, I'll use your body to return to the world.
"You knew I had designs on you, yet you still dared to keep me by your side. I truly can't tell whether you're foolish or simply too greedy."
At that moment, he no longer bothered to keep up the pretense. There was no need. In this Mental Domain he had constructed, he was the absolute master.
"I'd say greedy."
Su Ye answered. He wasn't about to admit he was foolish.
Besides, he had dared to carry the Bronze Pillar around not because he was confident in himself, convinced he was a heaven-blessed hero with kingly dominance, able to make the gods and devils of the heavens submit with a single glance. It was because he would soon enter the Hundred Broken Mountains. By then, he planned to find the mysterious Little Pagoda and use its power to suppress the Bronze Pillar.
Unfortunately, ideals were beautiful, but reality was cruel.
"The Mental Domain?"
Su Ye suddenly realized something and looked around. He was no longer in that cramped pit. He was now in a vast world.
"This is a Sacrificial Spirit's method. With powerful Mental Power, one can construct a Mental Domain. This one is very strong, and with the aid of that extraordinary Totem Pillar, the domain he has created is no longer limited to a small world. It's as if he's actually opening Heaven."
Lotus War Goddess said, her expression grave. She hadn't expected things to take such a turn. She glanced at Su Ye. This fellow really was reckless beyond reason, daring to keep such a powerful being by his side.
"Um, don't look at me like I'm an idiot."
Su Ye smiled awkwardly, his expression sheepish. In other people's eyes, he really was being foolish. He offered no explanation and said, "Fairy, do you have any way to deal with him? Should I believe in you?"
"Believe in me?"
Lotus War Goddess couldn't help but laugh. "Who do you think you are, an unrivaled being who shakes the universe? You're a mere Blood-Moving Realm cultivator. How much faith power could you provide me?"
Faith power mainly depended on three things.
First was the number of people. The more people there were, the more faith power they naturally produced. Small streams joined to form a river, and rivers swelled into seas. If each person contributed a little, then billions of living beings could gather into a sea of faith.
Second was the depth of their faith. A simple bow contributed almost no faith power. But if the faith came from the heart, it could provide a great deal.
The villagers in that valley had been directly converted and believed with all their hearts. The faith they provided was the most immense.
But that method was no different from the demonic path, because those believers were like walking corpses, stripped of their own consciousness.
The third was strength.
The stronger one was, the greater the faith power one naturally provided. If a True Immortal bowed to Lotus War Goddess, that alone would be worth the faith of countless billions of living beings.
Su Ye was only at the Blood-Moving Realm. Even if he reached the Blood-Moving Realm's extreme, the faith power he provided would amount to less than the combined faith of a hundred ordinary mortals.
"Am I going to die here?"
Su Ye couldn't help but sigh. He hadn't even risen to greatness or gone to war across the heavens, and now he was going to die here. He was unwilling to accept it.
"You won't die."
The God Emperor looked at Su Ye and said, "I'll become you and take your place, rising to greatness in this era. That will be your supreme glory."
"Take my place?"
Su Ye thought of something and looked at the God Emperor. "I have a question I want answered. If you possess me, will the descendants born in the future be yours or mine?"
"..."
The God Emperor fell silent.
"..."
Lotus War Goddess fell silent too.
Before you continue