Chapter 149: An Envoy of God Again?

But this was no time to dwell on that. Since he couldn't deal with the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity in the dream, he would have to handle it in the waking world. With that thought, Su Mu slowly roused himself from sleep.

As soon as he opened his eyes, a miserable wailing reached his ears.

"Celestial Sovereign of Longevity! Oh, Celestial Sovereign, how did you shatter into so many pieces? Su Mu! It was you! You broke the Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, didn't you!"

Tears streamed down Taoist Priest Xuanqing's aged face. Seeing Su Mu wake, his eyes burned with a venomous hatred, as if glaring at a mortal enemy.

Shing!

An ancient longsword was drawn. Weeping, Taoist Priest Xuanqing marched toward Su Mu with the blade raised. "Why? Why would you do this to the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity?"

Despite his pathetic sobs, his aura swelled to terrifying heights, thickening until the air felt stagnant. The chirping bugs and birds throughout the Longevity Daoist Temple fell completely silent. Thick tentacles slithered out from beneath his loose robes, writhing in the air.

Su Mu slowly pushed himself up and calmly watched the priest approach. He realized Xuanqing likely had no idea what the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was actually plotting.

Given the entity's sheer arrogance, the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity certainly wouldn't have stooped to explain anything to Taoist Priest Xuanqing.

"The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity is the greatest God in the world! He is merciful, He is benevolent, He is magnificent! But you! You destroyed the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's Statue, you wretched... The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity!?"

Clatter!

The longsword slipped from Taoist Priest Xuanqing's grasp and hit the floor. He stared dumbfounded at Su Mu, trembling uncontrollably as he took in the cyan light radiating from the young man's body.

"You... why do you possess the divine power of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity!?"

Su Mu spun a lie without missing a beat. "Because the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity chose me."

It was barely even a lie. He really had been "chosen" by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing froze. A complicated mix of emotions washed over his wrinkled face—envy, longing, and profound awe. The only thing missing was doubt.

A zealot's worldview was remarkably simple. If you wielded divine power, you were an envoy. To them, their God was omnipotent, which meant it was entirely impossible for a mere mortal to steal that power. It could only be bestowed by a God.

This was especially true when Xuanqing recalled his previous conversation with the future Pride. At the time, he had deduced that the future Pride must have borrowed the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's power.

Now everything clicked into place. Pride was an envoy of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, which explained why Jun Wushang would join the Seven Deadly Sins in the future! It all made sense!

He stood dazed for a moment before dropping to his knees, repeatedly slamming his forehead against the floor in a flurry of kowtows.

Watching this unfold, Su Mu felt a strong sense of familiarity. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Was he destined to become an envoy for every major religion in the world?

The Statue had shattered simply because its Divinity had transferred into his body and was actively invading his soul. His ambient mental energy now carried the distinct aura of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity, leading to Xuanqing's misunderstanding.

Su Mu leaned down and patted Taoist Priest Xuanqing's head with practiced ease. "Rise. The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity is always watching over you."

Taoist Priest Xuanqing shuddered. Murky tears spilled freely from his eyes. "Thank you, Lord Envoy."

The old priest scrambled up on trembling legs. He kept stealing glances at Su Mu, wanting to look but too terrified to stare.

"Lord Envoy, did the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity suddenly bestow His divine power upon you for some great purpose?"

Su Mu nodded. "There is indeed a matter of vital importance. However, the time is not yet ripe. I cannot reveal it to you just yet."

A wave of bitterness washed through Xuanqing. He had always considered himself the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's most devout follower. It hurt to realize another envoy had been chosen, let alone one who shared secrets with the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity that he wasn't allowed to know.

"Your only duty now is to cooperate with me completely. Do you understand?"

"Understood, completely understood! This humble priest is entirely at your disposal, Lord Envoy," Taoist Priest Xuanqing hurriedly declared, eager to prove his loyalty.

Su Mu waited in silence for a moment, but the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's Divinity within him remained completely inert. He scoffed inwardly. Just as he thought—a God never truly cared about mortals.

The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity didn't care about His own devout followers. To Him, Su Mu and Xuanqing were likely just two ants chattering away. He had no reason to care about the actions of ants.

"Let's talk about you first," Su Mu said. "For the sake of future tasks, I need a complete understanding of your strength. Only then can I determine what responsibilities you can handle moving forward."

"Yes, yes, I will hide nothing!" Taoist Priest Xuanqing nodded vigorously. "I am not a Transcendent. My strength comes solely from the Daoist arts bestowed by the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity. If I disregard the cost to my own lifespan, I could confidently battle a Gold expert."

Su Mu wasn't surprised. He had already suspected Xuanqing possessed power rivaling the Gold tier, though it sounded like his actual endurance fell short of a true Gold expert.

Casting the Primal Angel's Divine Art required sacrifices, growing stronger with a larger death toll. In contrast, the medium for the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's Daoist arts was clearly lifespan.

As Taoist Priest Xuanqing spoke, Su Mu gradually came to understand him.

Taoist Priest Xuanqing had grown up in an orphanage. When it shut down, he was forced onto the streets, where a gang abducted him. They broke his legs and forced him to act as a crippled beggar on the streets. His disability earned him a significant amount of money each day, but every cent ultimately fell into the hands of the gang.

To maintain his pitiful appearance, the gang offered him only a little water and food each day. He was starved down to skin and bones, making it easier to beg.

This life lasted for three whole years. He spent every single day in despair and torment. Once, a kind-hearted woman gave him a steamed bun and told him that the gods would bless him. Those words became his motivation to keep living. He prayed to the gods every day, begging them to deliver him from his suffering, but no god ever answered.

During the winter of his final year on the streets, he was so cold and hungry that he secretly hid some money to buy food. But the gang caught him and beat him mercilessly. His severe injuries, combined with the cold and starvation, gave him a high fever. He teetered on the brink of death.

Unwilling to waste money treating a dying beggar, the gang simply tossed him into a garbage dump.

Even as his consciousness faded, he kept praying to the gods. And this time... the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity answered!

He found the Divine Statue of the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity in the garbage dump. A warm power poured into his body, healing his injuries and restoring his crippled legs. From that day on, he understood one thing: the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity was the greatest God in this world, and only the benevolent Celestial Sovereign of Longevity would help him.

Later, with the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity's help, he steadily grew stronger. He founded the Longevity Daoist Temple and traveled the globe, dedicating his entire life to searching for what the Celestial Sovereign of Longevity wanted.

Listening to the tale, Su Mu largely understood Xuanqing's mindset. In his desperate, miserable life, whatever entity reached out to help him would be called a God.

The Celestial Sovereign of Longevity didn't care about Xuanqing's devotion; the deity merely wanted to use Xuanqing to find what it was looking for. But Xuanqing cared. He was willing to dedicate his entire life to fulfilling the wish of the God in his heart.