Under everyone’s respectful gaze, Chen Fan sauntered through the Susano Shrine’s gate with his hands behind his back. A hint of snicker flashed in Chizuru Masahiro’s eyes, but he quickly masked it with a solemn expression.
“Master Chen Beixuan, this is the main hall where we worshiped Lord Susano.”
Chen Fan and Yukishiro Sa followed Chizuru Masahiro and arrived at a large hall with no one in it. Despite its seeming emptiness, Chen Fan’s Divine Will would sense many furtive presences around the dark corners. These men lurking in the darkness controlled their breath to a minimum and camouflaged themselves against their environment just as the Ninja of the Fuji clan had done.
They might have avoided the detection of an ordinary Grandmaster, but not Chen Fan. Chen Fan’s Divine Will had already flooded the entire hall and could detect even the smallest movement.
Chen Fan didn’t much mind these furtive lurkers. He followed Chizuru Masahiro and arrived before a tall and the entrance of and an inner sanctum. Despite the shrine’s reverential facade, there was a cold menacing quality hang in the air.
“Master, Lord Susano is waiting for you in there.”
Chizuru Masahiro bowed.
Chen Fan still hung the smile on his face even as he studied the entrance. Seeing Chen Fan was about to take a step into the inner sanctum, Yukishiro Sa hurried to put a restraining hand on him.
“Don’t worry, just wait for me here.”
Chen Fan gave her a comforting smile and disappeared behind the threshold.
At the corner of Yukishiro Sa’s eyes, she caught the glint of joy in the eyes of Chizuru Masahiro. She suddenly felt afraid. Although Chen Fan had already removed the Illusion Form from her body, she retained the keen perspicacity. Ever since Yukishiro Sa saw these priests, she knew they were up to something. However, her master was so confident in himself that he wouldn’t listen to her warning.
“This girl is as tantalizing as Violet. I say after I do away with Chen Beixuan, I should take her for myself, and turn her into my little bird.” The hook of Genkaza Takeda’s lewd gaze caught Yukishiro Sa and unnerved her.
“Bam!”
Even as Yukishiro Sa moved a few inches away from the group of priests, a curvaceous figure appeared right behind her, pressing her warm soft body to the back of Yukishiro Sa.
“Yukishiro Sa, where are you going?” Violet asked with a smile, breathing down on her neck.
Yukishiro Sa turned around and saw the ugly grin on Chizuru Masahiro’s face. It gave her a chill down her spine.
Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and walked into the inner sanctum.
The inner sanctum was spacious and its floor was paved with handcrafted tiles. Its large recessed roof was supported by a few columns made out of a hundred-year-old sandalwood. Even from a distance, Chen Fan could smell the pleasant fragrance of the in the air. All the furniture and items on the altar were exquisitely made.
The most stunning feature of the inner sanctum was a three-meter tall statue.
The statue was a hellish depiction of an Oni. It has a green face with two long fangs jutting out from its gaping mouth. It was covered with dark scales from head to toe. Underneath the statue, an old man with a glowing face sat on his folded legs on a futon.
“Welcome, my honored guest. Please, grab a seat.”
The old man’s face was thin and hard. He was wearing traditional attire from the Edo period. His long hair and beard were as white as snow, making him look like a Clairvoyant Onmyoji.
Chen Fan was unfazed by the old man, he walked casually to a futon and sat down across from the old man, face to face.
“I am Susano Nihon. Thou cometh to seek me?” The thin old man said with a faint smile.
His Chinese was fluent, but a few words he used were obsolete and ancient. Chen Fan felt like he was talking to someone who had lived over a few hundred years.
Susano Nihon was a God Reining State Grand Onmyoji. He was the protector of the realm during the Edo Period and was active even in the nineteenth century. He used to be the teacher of a Japanese Emperor and oversaw the Ise Grand Shrine. During that time, he had incredible influence over the politics of Japan and was feared even by the Shogun of the time: the thirteenth Daimyo of the Tokugawa clan.
His name appeared in many historical records as the most influential Grand Onmyoji in Japanese history. However, after his death, he had fallen from grace and became a Demon God.
“Yes, I am here to look for you. I am disappointed to see that you have chosen this pathetic form after death.” Chen Fan shook his head.
In any ordinary man’s eyes, Susano Nihon was a thin old man wearing a dated outfit. However, Chen Fan knew exactly what he was. His flesh had long since perished and left nothing but a Divine Soul. However, due to Susano Nihon’s level of attainment, he was able to make his Divine Soul appear in the real world.
“The Gate to Heavenly Dao was shut for me, what choice do I have but to exist as a Ghost Spirit using my devotee’s faith.” Susano Nihon heaved a sigh. Already, his vocabulary sounded much more modern. “Even in your home country, the middle kingdom, the last Immortal Master who achieved Immortality, the Sword Secret the Exalted Cultivator was seen a thousand years ago.”
“Oh? You have been to the middle kingdom?” Chen Fan asked curiously.
Chen Fan thought he would start the conversation with a Thunder Art: his typical opening gambit. However, seeing the calm and unhurried demeanor of the old man, Chen Fan changed his mind.
Ever since Chen Fan was reborn, he had figured that let it be Martial arts or Dharma Spells on the earth, they could all trace their lineage to Immortal Cultivation. However, due to the depletion of Spirit Qi on earth, the Immortal Cultivator had all but left here. Therefore, the mentioning of other Connate Cultivators piqued his interest.
“Two hundred years ago, I traveled west to China. It was the Manchurians who ruled the land then. The first place I visited was the most powerful Chinese sect, the Heavenly Master Sect at Dragon Tiger Mountain. I then visited and had a pleasant conversation with Grand Magus from the Dark Witch Sect. I was also a guest at the Wu Dang Sect, and witnessed their ingenious duel Cultivation of Dharma Spell and Martial Arts.”
A wistful light came up in his eyes as old memories came back to him. He used to be one of the most powerful men on earth a stark contrast to what he had been reduced to.
“So, after Immortal State, a cultivator can become a so-called Earth Level Deity?” Chen Fan asked.
“So says the ancient scrolls. However, even in China where talents were abundant, I have never heard of anyone who had become a Earth Level Deity.” Susano Nihon shook his head and said: “I was so disappointed and started to lose faith in these ancient teachings. Over time, I started to think that not even the wise ancients had seen an Earth Level Deity and therefore what they wrote down for us were just their conjecture.”
Chen Fan fell into deep thought.
He disagreed with Susano Nihon who had disregarded the existence of Deities on earth. Little did he know that the so-called deities were simply Connate Spirit Level Cultivators, it was one of the eight stages of the immortal cultivation: Qi Refinement, Connate Spirit, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Void Refinement, Dao Reunion, and Tribulation.
Connate Spirit was the second stage, yet, those who had reached this level could live up to five hundred years. They were able to travel great distances in a blink of an eye, move mountains and oceans. In the eyes of ordinary people, they were no different than deities and gods.
Earth wasn’t always depleted of Spirit Qi, so Chen Fan believed that there had been once-powerful Connate Spirit Cultivators walked the earth. However, as the Spirit Qi starting running out, they either left the planet or hid somewhere, biding their time.
Susano Nihon had cultivated for hundreds of years, yet could not take the leap of faith, neither could his peers. Over time, he started to doubt the path he was one and gave up.
“So you have given up on yourself and became a Demon God ?” Chen Fan asked
“Haha, that’s right! The main road was blocked, but I have found my own path. After I turned myself into a Demon God, I could survive hundreds of years while feeding on my devotee’s faith. It’s much easier than cultivation.” The thin old man let out a peal of laughter. He then fixed his gaze on Chen Fan and said in a soft coaxing voice:
“Don’t you want to reach the Immortal State? That’s why you are here after all, isn’t it?”
“I can show you the ropes, and I can even tell you my secret method of turning into a Demon God. You can be just like me, and live hundreds of years.”
There was deadly poison in Susano Nihon’s honey-coated words.
Chen Fan was convinced that any other Grandmaster or Perfected Cultivator would fall for Susano Nihon’s trap. The temptation would even make Ye Nantian or Lei Qianjue waver.
After all, who wouldn’t be affected by the promise of Immortal State?
There hasn’t been an Immortal State cultivator for decades and those who had already reached the Immortal State had all gone silent. Any new rising Immortal State cultivator could have dominated the world.
Not to mention that the old man had also offered a way to achieve immortality.
“Oh? What do you need in exchange?” Chen Fan narrowed his eyes and asked with a half-smile.
“Nothing.” Lord Susano shook his head and said: “I am very impressed by you after Chizuru told me that you are the most powerful Grandmaster in China, that you are only a half-step away from Immortal State. I want to sow a seed of mutual understanding between us and maybe later, you could offer me some help as well.”
He said with a drawl that was typical of elders when they talk to youngsters.
To his surprise, Chen Fan let out a peal of laughter.
“Lord Susano, your trick can fool anyone else, but me.”
Then the smile on Chen Fan’s face faded, as his eyes grew cold.
“It’s just a matter of time for me to reach Immortal State. As for your method of turning into Demon God, it’s worthless to me. You call yourself a Demon God, but in reality, you are just an Oni. Without reaching the Soul Formation state, and without the ability to keep your Primordial Essence alive in the Void Dimension, how dare you call yourself a god?”
“And I know exactly what you want from me. You want my body.”
A silence fell over the shrine as soon as Chen Fan finished his words.
A dark but incandescent light came up in Lord Susano’s eyes.