Ready for Cultivation

Shi Hao sat down to recount his past, speaking about the time he first met her, all the way up to when they were forced to part. 

Unlike his intense emotions, the two old men listening let out yawns one after another after hearing the significant details.

Seeing their reactions, Shi Hao's face darkened. He thought to himself:

"What's going on? I thought our love story was supposed to be moving! Why are these two reacting so weirdly? Oh right, they're not human, so their reactions aren't exactly typical."

Seeing Shi Hao fall silent, Meng Cheng Xian spoke up:

"So, in short, a soul beast can choose to take human form after reaching 100,000 years of cultivation, correct? After reaching the level of a seventh-degree soul master, it can perfectly conceal its soul beast aura so even a demigod can't detect it, right? Moreover, a 100,000-year-old soul beast can willingly offer itself as a sacrifice to another."

Shi Hao nodded, replying:

"That's right. Why do you ask?"

He inquired because he could sense the curiosity in Meng Cheng Xian's tone.

"Why was she hunted down, then? The two of you hid and ran everywhere but still couldn't escape. Didn't you say she had already reached the seventh degree?"

At this, Shi Hao looked embarrasse, he honestly didn't know. He was just minding his business with his wife when, out of nowhere, a group came to hunt them. As time went on, more and more people joined the hunt.

Seeing Shi Hao's confusion, Xiao Yao Zi also realized Shi Hao didn't understand it fully. Suddenly considering something, he asked:

"You mentioned that ninth-degree soul masters are called demigods. Does that mean there are actual gods in this world?"

At this point, Meng Cheng Xian also grew serious. 

There were two things in life he cared about most: his path to becoming a xian and his only friend. 

The question of gods was related to his friend, so it piqued his interest even more.

Shi Hao thought for a moment, then said:

"I think so, but I'm not entirely sure. This world probably has a few gods, but the last time a god appeared was over ten thousand years ago."

"What exactly are gods like? What do they do? What responsibilities do they have?" Xiao Yao Zi asked, his face serious.

Seeing both of them so earnest, Shi Hao thought to himself:

"What's going on? Just mentioning gods made the two of them suddenly like this?"

Despite his confusion, he replied:

"Basically, humans who break through to level 100 become gods. As for what they do, I'm not sure. But according to legends, they seem to help others, earning the reverence of the people and thus becoming gods."

The expressions on the other two's faces grew dark and severe, and they spoke in unison:

"How dare trash like that calls itself gods. A true god is completely separate from mortals. Outside of gods, no one even knows the names or existence of other gods. Those so-called gods worshipped by the masses are nothing but imposters."

Suddenly, the two of them froze, exchanging glances. Meng Cheng Xian asked:

"Are gods supposed to represent your friend?"

"You think the same?"

They both went silent for a few seconds before Meng Cheng Xian broke the silence:

"Who is your friend?"

"Everything in heaven and earth. And yours?"

"The cosmos."

"What is the cosmos?"

"The cosmos is everything in existence, including myself."

"Oh, so we share the same friend."

Shi Hao's head throbbed, and he cursed internally:

"What the heck? Friend? Wait a minute—their attitude towards these so-called gods is absolute disdain. In the future, they'll probably exterminate any unworthy gods. Isn't the Sun and Moon Divine Hall said to be derived from these gods?"

At this thought, Shi Hao's eyes lit up. Initially, he had been wondering how to get them to help him seek revenge against the Sun and Moon Divine Hall.

Now, things were looking up. If the gods of the Sun and Moon Divine Hall were still alive, their days were likely numbered.

Seeing Shi Hao's bright expression, Meng Cheng Xian smiled and said:

"That Sun and Moon Divine Hall, I'll sooner or later tear it down to pieces. As for those worthless so-called gods, I'll exterminate them all. It looks like we have a common goal, so let's help each other along the way."

Meng Cheng Xian was a xian who was warm and approachable. He would only kill when cultivating, if someone blocked his path to immortal, or when some stupid one falsely claimed to be god.

He still couldn't quite understand it. Humans seemed more than willing to offer up their bodies to him, and he'd always thought he was quite friendly to them in his spare time, so why did they go crazy trying to kill him?

To be clear, he only actively devoured people for cultivation—less than a hundred million in total—yet humanity initiated wars that escalated the death toll to billions. 

He was obviously a benevolent xian, but everyone he met tried to hunt him down, which left him feeling quite helpless!

Xiao Yao Zi nodded in agreement beside him. Although he hadn't killed as many as Meng Cheng Xian, the difference wasn't much. 

His approach was simply more... sustainable. His process went like this: he would drain someone's qi, then release them to cultivate more, only to return years later to harvest their qi again. 

This cycle repeated until he reached his limit, unable to evolve any further.

Throughout his life, countless talented individuals spent a lifetime cultivating, only to realize their qi was always lost by him. 

After reaching his limit, he retreated to a place where no one could survive. 

Though he vanished from the world, he left behind a title—one that made even the strongest martial artists shudder at the mere sight of his shadow: "The Demon Lord of the World" or "Founder of Dark Cultivation." 

He was the pioneer of dark cultivation, revered as the "Founder" by dark cultivators worldwide and the first in history to be called a demon.

Just hearing these stories made it obvious that these two old men were friendly, approachable, and definitely the type to care for the young and respect their elders!

"Do you need any help? I may be a little rusty now, but my power isn't exactly weak among the demigods." Shi Hao asked. 

He thought to himself that, in their prime, these two old monsters could have made the entire world tremble.

But currently, they were like children, needing some assistance to grow quickly.

"No need for now. Wait about a month for me to get used to cultivating, then I'll need your help." Meng Cheng Xian replied. 

Xiao Yao Zi also chimed in:

"I'll need roughly the same amount of time. After that, I'll need you to catch some ordinary animals and soul beasts under a hundred years for research."

"No problem, I can handle that with ease." Shi Hao said, nodding in agreement.