Betray Gods

Chapter 1: Devotion to the Divine

It has been 987 years since the Gods vanished. Zhao Sujiang is twelve years old now. To be precise, she should be far older than twelve. Elder Wu You, the Great Shaman, told her that she was a deity, the last human god of the land of Xiaoming Great Land. Thus, after her twelfth year, Elder Wu You found her, and she was taken back to her native land, the Great Yan Country, to the peak of Chaoming on the Sacred Mountain of Dayan. From then on, she was no longer called Zhao Sujiang. In the shamanic chronicles, she was referred to as the semi-god, Divine Sujiang. Among the people of Xiaoming Great Land, hardly anyone dared to call her by her original name, Zhao Sujiang. For over nine hundred years, under the rule of the human gods, all beings and spirits bowed in her presence, and even in her absence, they bowed devoutly, calling her "Our God."

At first, Sujiang was confused and at a loss. However, when Elder Wu You took her hand and led her to the highest peak of Chaoming, standing before the Jiuxuan Divine Cauldron, the cauldron emitted mist. Within moments, an invisible, nurturing force surged into Sujiang's heart, flowing through her limbs and body. She unconsciously raised her hands slightly. Far below, all the people and spirits prostrated themselves on the ground, and the dark clouds in the sky parted in the middle, instantly lighting up the earth. Waves of voices filled with reckless adoration spread, and she heard the thunderous praises of all living beings. They exclaimed, "Our God has descended! Our God has descended! " At that moment, she truly believed that she was the last reincarnation of the ancient true god Xuli, as spoken by the Great Shaman Wu You, endowed with supreme divine power to alter the heavens and earth.

"Now, as Our God stands upon the summit of Chaoming, the Jiuxuan Divine Cauldron has recognized your past and present lives, restoring your divine power. At this moment, we can say our hearts are half at ease," said a lean, old man with a pine-straight back beneath the divine throne, his voice gentle. The voice echoed through the empty temple, resonating with a humming sound, drawing the drifting Sujiang's gaze to the old man. "What do you mean by 'half'?" asked Sujiang, her voice young but carrying an invisible, mighty force. The lean old man smiled in relief; he was the current Great Shaman of the Wu You clan, Elder Wu You, aged eighty-eight, his face as weathered as a rock battered by the seas, showing no fresh sharp edges. Elder Wu You had personally brought Sujiang and her father from a remote town in the distant country of Ao back to Dayan, and Sujiang had unconsciously grown to trust and rely on this inscrutable old man. Sujiang genuinely appreciated Elder Wu You, for it was he who had rescued her from a life of turmoil, helping her father ascend the throne, giving Sujiang a sense of safety. Listening to Sujiang's question, Elder Wu You bowed towards the divine throne and said, "Although Our God's divine power has been restored, the divine intellect has not yet awakened, nor has the method to wield this power been mastered, so we can only say that our hearts are half at ease." Sujiang tried to put on a serious, grown-up face as she asked, "What is the divine intellect?" Elder Wu You slowly replied, "Once the divine intellect is awakened, you will know life, death, all things, and the paths of all beings." After speaking, he bowed to the ground, proclaiming, "As the new reincarnation of the human god, newly arrived in the human world, the Wu You clan will wholeheartedly serve Our God, heeding your commands, assisting you to awaken your divine intellect soon, and protect all spirits of heaven and earth from the great calamity of extinction." "Can I trust you, Elder Wu You?" "Our God above, this old man Wu You dedicates his remaining life to serve the human gods, serving both the ninth generation God of Crane Wind and you, the tenth generation Divine Sujiang, without deceit, just as it is." Sujiang wanted to ask more, but realizing that any further questions would only yield more profound and elusive answers, her head began to ache, so she decided to stop. She thought: It's not easy to escape being chased and fought over, and with my divine intellect still unawakened, it's better not to discuss too much about my mother for now. I should first have enough to eat and sleep before figuring out what to do next. Having drifted for years, Sujiang had grown quite fond and trusting of Elder Wu You, but she still instinctively kept some reservations. Yet, her face remained calm, revealing no trace of her thoughts, as she lowered her gaze, asking no further questions. Seeing the young girl seemed tired, the corners of Elder Wu You's eyes gently creased, and he said, "The Great Shaman Wu You will now retreat for a while. Liu is waiting outside the hall; he is the mount of your first reincarnation, Semi God Qushang, commanded by Semi God Qushang to continue serving each reincarnation of Our Gods. With your divine intellect yet to awaken, you might face many inconveniences and problems, but you can rely on him." As he finished speaking, Elder Wu You's figure gradually faded like a thin, gray mist.

"Ah—Elder Wu, don't—" Sujiang was again shocked as she watched the figure before her gradually disappear with profound sorcery, unable to utter a final plea. Sujiang felt afraid; everyone claimed she was the reincarnation of a god, yet she knew nothing and understood nothing. Her father, who had always looked after her, was no longer by her side, precisely when Sujiang felt a severe lack of confidence. Thinking of her father, Zhao Rui, and her uncle, Zhao Xueluo, Sujiang, like a lone boat navigating through the night, seemed to find the most familiar star in the night sky again. Its gentle light, though not the brightest, was enough to support the girl's greatest strength. Now recognized as the last generation of human gods, her father, Zhao Rui, could no longer be an exiled wandering royal but had returned to Dayan as the new ruler of the Xu clan, becoming the new sovereign of Dayan. As a consequence, Zhao Rui no longer maintained a father-daughter relationship with the divine Sujiang; even after returning, father and daughter had never met face to face. Sujiang exhaled the stuffiness in her chest, gathering her thoughts. She touched the armrest of the divine throne, her thin lips curling up slightly. Though her face was youthful, it already showed remarkable beauty. Every frown and smile radiated a captivating presence, the spiritual essence of all things in heaven and earth.

The divine throne was made of cold jade, both icy and hard, making it very uncomfortable to sit on. Sujiang remembered what Elder Wu You had mentioned earlier about the mount named Liu, so she put on a serious face and called out loudly, "Liu!" "Coming, coming," a lazy voice replied. The door of the hall silently swung open. The owner of the voice moved so quickly that probably even the wind would be ashamed. The newcomer had the head of a handsome man with a wild appearance and a serpent's body, his skin dark, his left hand resting on a large and long broadsword, his long hair gently swaying on his shoulder. My mount is a huge, bizarre snake demon! Sujiang screamed inside her head. Two years ago, her close maid, Anuo, who Sujiang had regarded as family, had died at the hands of a bird demon. Combined with the influence of her father and the turmoil she had witnessed, even though Sujiang had now become the guardian of the entire Xiaoming continent, she found it difficult to be unbiased toward non-human races, unable to treat them equally.

Faced with the tall and imposing Liu, Sujiang trembled with a mix of disgust and curiosity typical of a teenager, though she showed none of it outwardly. It seemed that any being who gained power and worship was not so easily frightened, at least outwardly. Seeing that Liu did not show the usual reverence and awe towards her, Sujiang was a bit puzzled but also felt a sense of relief. She suppressed her nervousness and lifted her chin slightly, asking, "Liu, why do you not kneel before God?" Liu had not participated in the welcoming ceremony and was meeting Sujiang for the first time. Slightly stunned, his thoughts swirling: Could it still be him? No, it's not him, not at all like him, different. He had served and accompanied each reincarnation of the human gods, who were said to be reincarnations of the true God Xuli, but their temperaments and appearances were not very similar. If there was a similarity, it was that they were all chosen from the royal families by the elders of the Wu You clan; he didn't believe in that damned theory of successive reincarnations at all. That was probably why he had only developed those feelings for that one person, just him.

Liu vaguely heard Sujiang telling him to kneel and chuckled disdainfully, "Kids, every time during their juvenile reincarnation phase, they are so unlovable. Your previous nine reincarnations all said, 'Liu, you may see the god without kneeling.' Over these hundreds of years, I really haven't knelt much to anyone. Also, you can speak normally in front of me. Being a god is not an identity, nor a mask; it's not something to wear." "You—" The twelve-year-old girl was a bit angry, still very young and with her divine intellect unopened. Even if her past turmoil had matured her somewhat, some recent words still sounded too profound to her. "Hmph, I don't need you, this snake demon, to lecture me. Since I allowed you not to kneel nine hundred years ago, I can certainly make you kneel now!" Liu was taken aback, then laughed boisterously, "You've got quite a godly presence. Good, then you'd better regain your divine intellect soon, and then you can make me kneel as many times as you like." With that, Liu stretched out his muscular, sinewy arm and skillfully scooped Sujiang into his arms, "Let's go, monster uncle is taking the little girl back to the sleeping palace." Sujiang initially resisted in disgust, struggling to curse, then realized she was lifted into the air like a breeze, chasing stars and treading moons out of the great hall, flying above the mystic heavens. Sujiang gradually forgot who was holding her, suddenly bursting into joyous laughter, attracting the clouds and night birds in the sky to gather around her.

Like the temple, the sleeping palace was a vast hall, and Sujiang, still partly a child, felt cold and alienated in the silent expanse, clinging tightly to Liu's neck. Liu disdainfully pulled her down, saying, "The previous nine were all big old men; how come it's a woman this time. Men are less troublesome." Having not spent much time together, Sujiang already understood that Liu was an old monster who had accompanied the human gods for nearly a thousand years. He probably knew more about her past lives, her responsibilities, and her mission than she did herself, so she had unconsciously placed him among the faces she could trust. Sujiang told herself: Liu is a monster who accompanies the gods, different from other monsters, and she should put away her disgust, and Anuo's vengeance should not be counted against him.

The hall was too large, too quiet. Sujiang, like a plaster, clung tightly to Liu's chest, shouting loudly, "What does it matter if it's a man or a woman? I haven't grown up yet, nor have I opened my divine intellect, I don't want to sleep alone!" Liu was surprised, his snake eyes the color of the setting sun glaring, angrily retorted, "A god dares to say such things?" Sujiang's snow-white face showed a trace of grievance; she pouted, bumped her forehead against Liu's cheek playfully, and whined in a prolonged girlish voice, "I know Liu is family, he won't tell anyone else!" "..." Liu was stunned, touched by the soft, tender sensation Sujiang left on his face, conceding, "It seems that anything female is trouble. Whether human, monster, or god! Tonight, I'll stay here to watch over you sleep, with both snake eyes staring at you, will that be alright, little ancestor?" Sujiang beamed brightly, revealing a row of white rice-like teeth, a scene that momentarily dazzled Liu. "And a bedtime story." "What?" "The stories my father used to tell me before sleep!" Getting an inch and taking a mile was one of Sujiang's strengths. Liu inwardly gasped, but thinking of the now-deceased God of Crane Wind, he couldn't help but feel a compulsion to believe there was some connection between these two people; he wanted to grasp that connection. "Are you really sure you want me to tell it?" For Liu, killing was not difficult, but telling a story was as rare as a maiden's first marriage. Liu irritably flicked his snake tail, suddenly inspired, and reached into the void to pull out a book, its cover bearing several dry, forceful ink characters—《Wu You Chronicle》. Liu often used this book to pass the long nights when he couldn't sleep, relying on its boring, occasionally fabricated content to help him fall asleep. The content was often twisted and convoluted, and during his service to the ninth generation human god, God of Crane Wind, Crane Wind would sometimes patiently explain and correct the text for Liu. "What story is this?" The little girl on the cold jade bed blinked her spirited large eyes expectantly at Liu. "Your bedtime One Thousand and One Nights," Liu snapped back to reality, flashing a wicked, wild smile.

"Tonight's story is about the oracle left by the true god Xuli." "Isn't the true god Xuli just me from a long, long time ago?" Sujiang asked. Liu noncommittally twisted his mouth, shrugging, "Sort of, can't say for sure, supposedly you're just one of the myriad souls of the true god. Ah, well, I wasn't around at that time, didn't witness it myself, but the Wu You clan's chronicles probably wouldn't dare to fabricate such a major event concerning the true god. Listen carefully, no interruptions. Legend has it that at the end of the ancient era, a thousand years ago, there were only two true gods above Xiaoming in Shenzhou, an elder brother named Xuli and a younger sister named Xuhe. Besides the true gods, there were all sorts of spirited beings in the world; various non-human races, ancient divine beasts. Among these beings, some exceptional individuals understood and learned the method of spirit cultivation, known as cultivators. And among them, those who achieved the highest realm of complete spiritual cultivation could fly through the heavens and follow the true gods, known at the time as immortals. Of course, when the true gods vanished, the existing immortals also disappeared, and after that, the term 'immortal' was seldom mentioned. With the true gods gone, who dared call themselves immortals. Regarding the vanishing of the true gods, also known as the divine calamity, a thousand years ago, the ancient true god Xuli prophesied that he and his sister Xuhe would soon depart from this world, sleeping in the void for a thousand years. Before their disappearance, Xuli left an oracle with his then Great Shaman Wuli, commanding Wuli to pass the oracle to the royal families and all beings of the world." Sujiang listened intently, unknowingly resting her head on Liu's leg, looking up and asking, "What does the oracle say?" Liu scoffed, "What did you say yourself that you don't know?" Sujiang stretched out her white feet toward the coiled snake tail at the foot of the bed, then recoiled from the cold touch of the snake skin. Liu lightly chuckled, "A fierce little girl who can't take a joke. The oracle says: A thousand years shall pass, and one strand of my soul shall reincarnate generation after generation, descending into the world through the divinations of the Wu You, and you, the spirits of the world, must await it devoutly, honor it, believe in it, and belong to it. Otherwise, there shall be great evil in the world, and at the end of a thousand years, I shall annihilate the world to be reborn." "That's so verbose." "Ha, right! I think so too! Plain speech is better—basically, your human gods are all little reincarnations of that strand of Xuli's soul. The power you've gained is mostly stored in the Jiuxuan Divine Cauldron as a chaotic divine power. Of course, all those temples built on this land are there to assess the deeds of each generation of human gods. If you win the hearts of the people and receive more offerings, the greater the power of faith you'll receive, and the temples' spirit platforms will collect more of this faith power, transferring it back to the Jiuxuan Divine Cauldron to be converted into new chaotic spiritual power for your use. This part of the power, though not as formidable as the power left by the true gods, is entirely your own, not as domineering, usable without opening your divine intellect, and it doesn't harm your spirit channels. When you die, the Divine Cauldron won't take this power back; you can give it to whomever you like..." Liu talked more and more, getting increasingly convoluted, and Sujiang, overwhelmed by his rambling, let out a huge yawn, suddenly asking, "The oracle's last sentence says 'I shall annihilate the world to be reborn,' what does annihilate the world mean?" "Annihilate the world means, everyone dies, only you and your sister remain." "Will my father die?" "Yes." "Will you die too?" "Of course. Except for the gods, everyone will die." "Then I definitely won't annihilate the world." Liu paused, silent.

Sujiang thought Liu felt she was just speaking off the cuff, and, fighting off sleepiness, she earnestly said, "I want to be a very good god, to rid the world of disasters and calamities, to have every spirit follow the ways of the world, to let every person regain peace and happiness!" "Ha, that's very difficult, much harder than gaining the faith power of countless spirited beings." "Difficult tasks are what reflect the meaning of being a god!" "For gods, perhaps even more challenging. You should know, the previous ones weren't very successful?" Sujiang defiantly said, "They are them, I am me! Once I open my divine intellect, I'll wipe out all the demons and monsters that harm the human race! Of course, monsters like you who are kind to people and devoutly serve the gods don't count!" Liu was amused and asked, "Then tell me, Divine Sujiang, are you the god of all beings in this world, or just the god of the human race? If it's just to protect the human race, then if two countries go to war and kill each other, in order to 'let every person regain peace and happiness,' whom do you protect and whom do you kill?" Sujiang was already sleepy, not really listening to Liu's words, just emphasizing again with dull eyes, "No matter what, I, will, not, annihilate, the world!" Liu closed the book, cast a minor concealment spell to put it away, then tucked Sujiang in properly, saying, "Don't worry for now, you don't have the capability yet. Moreover, once a millennium passes, who knows if the true god who returns will be you or maybe not? Ah, forget it! What's the use of thinking so much? It's still decades away! Just sleep well for now."

Liu's words seemed to imply something, but the young human god didn't think deeply about it. The moment she closed her eyes, a trace of curiosity flashed through Sujiang's mind—where had the legendary sister of the true god Xuli, Xuhe, reincarnated? Had she left any words for this world at all?