Chapter 53: Divine Tools and Gods
Sighing for what seemed like the eighteenth time, Percy raised his hand and gently touched his torso, where there was a large scar. The wound, although already closed, was still an almost burning red color. And despite having lost an arm to the wound, he felt a bit of relief in the fact that one of his nipples had not been obliterated, that would make him look strange.
Letting out a small laugh at his strange thoughts, Percy took out some things from his storage bracelet. He took out a small bottle that had a liquid in it and uncovered it with his mouth before setting it back down on the ground. He had not left the site of the battle, even if days had passed. The people who had left the place, had returned, but they had not dared to move closer. Some had actually tried to take the body of Tang Chen, the King of Slaughter. Sadly for them, Percy pushed them away and prevented such a thing from happening.
Although he didn't have any kind of friendly feelings for Tang Chen, there was a respect in the face of the battle they had. He didn't want to see the old man's lifeless body torn apart either. Since Tang Chen had respected him as an opponent and a fighter, he would give him the same kind of respect after death: he would hand over his body to the Clear Sky Clan, even if they could be considered enemies.
Tang Chen was a level 99 titled douluo, one of the three known so-called peerless douluo. In fact, he was someone considered a demigod. So-called demigods weren't like those on Earth. When someone reached the threshold to reach rank 99, they were considered quasi-demigod. Upon entering rank 99, they were considered a demigod. Finally, at the threshold between rank 99 and 100, people were referred to as quasi-gods.
Sadly, Tang Chen's constant mental struggle had weakened him.
But even if a few months passed, a body like Tang Chen's would not decay, so he had enough time to hand over his body.
Percy pulled out the bandages wrapped around what was left of his left arm and poured the liquid onto the wound that still looked bad. Even with the absorption of his wings, it still couldn't heal completely. He gritted his teeth as he felt the burning and pain of his wound. When the feeling had subsided after a couple of minutes, he grabbed a small container and used his mouth again to remove the lid; inside was a green paste that he scooped up with two fingers before rubbing it onto the wound carefully. When he finished this process, he put on new, clean bandages and continued with his wound on his torso before he bandaged his body with difficulty.
"That sword is too powerful and stubborn..." Percy muttered as his differently colored eyes stared at the asura demonic sword that was still stuck in the ground. However, now a little more of its blood-colored blade could be seen. These days he had tried to take the sword as his test asked him to. However, every time he grabbed the hilt to pull it out, he felt an endless killing intent, the effect was so great and powerful that even with his spiritual power being so great, it was annoying, painful, and hard to resist.
Percy looked at Anaklusmos on his legs and smiled.
"I wish I was more like you, friend..."
Anaklusmos seemed to vibrate for a moment before Percy snorted through his nose. The connection he now had with Anaklusmos was much greater. It's not that he could speak directly, no, it was more like Anaklusmos' intentions were stuck directly into Percy's mind, therefore he could understand it to a certain extent.
After a few hours of rest and food, Percy was still in the same place. Anaklusmos had now disappeared from his legs and he was only concentrating on the sword stuck in the ground in front of him.
From what he knew from his vast acquired knowledge, divine tools were divided into ranks: quasi-divine tool, divine, pseudo ultra divine, and ultra divine, each with intelligence and different types of abilities. The Asura Demonic Sword was of ultra divine rank, making it one of the most powerful weapons in the realm of gods. Its sharpness and ability to cut through the strongest defenses that even split the dragon god gave it the reputation of one of the most powerful.
One of the reasons why taking the sword was so difficult, not only has to do with the intelligence it possessed, but rather the requirement to be able to carry a divine tool: immortal power, or also called immortal Qi.
Unlike what the gods on earth believe, this denomination did not come from themselves or even the titans, but from the universe itself. The earth was not the first planet to be born, in fact the primordials were before the formation of planets. As was already known, the primordials were, in a certain way, part of the universe. They could not fade away until the universe was completely extinguished. And since the earth was not the first to be born, gods had already been born elsewhere.
The word 'God' had already existed before the birth of the gods of the earth. The words might have been different, but the meaning was the same.
There were different ways to become God, but they all led to the same thing: sensing the world principles or The Law of Heaven and Earth; by doing this, an individual could surpass a three-dimensional existence and become a four-dimensional being. It was evolution, something that was somehow linked to the expansion of the universe.
The thing is, someone could somewhat surpass the limit of mortality, but without immortal Qi, their lives would not be immortal, nor would it allow them to use the full extent of their divine powers and tools. They would be considered wild gods, in other places some called them false immortals.
Percy had no immortal Qi/power, so trying to pull out the sword was difficult. And even if he had such a thing, it still wouldn't be easy due to the intelligence of the ultra divine weapon. Therefore, the only thing he had thought of doing was to use his eye of annihilation to directly annihilate as much of the killing intent from the sword as he could and use the entirety of his strength to take it.
He was sure that he hadn't pulled out more than five centimeters of the sword, and it was two meters long!
Something that also bothered him was that when he used his full strength, the five meter radius around the sword wasn't destroyed, it was as if the sword was denying the destruction of the place around it so that it wouldn't be taken.
After a week, Percy tried again. His intent of annihilation gained from his eye enveloped the killing intent and dispersed it into nothingness before it struck again with even greater force. Percy gripped the hilt of the sword and gritted his teeth as he pulled hard. Growls came from his throat as veins bulged on his neck and forehead.
The asura demonic sword seemed to tremble as he increased his mental attacks of killing intent. When Percy felt the sword slip a little, a second later it seemed to return to where it was before. Feeling his teeth ache from the effort he was making, Percy used his feet to dig into the ground, but even with all his current strength, he couldn't even cause cracks in the ground.
"Damn... and dumb... sword!" Percy screamed and felt the sword slip again. His right arm seemed to bulge with his muscles as he continued to pull the sword upwards. Time passed quickly in hours and Percy was exhausted as he walked away and sat back down while breathing raggedly. A frown was plastered on his face as he ate another bite.
As Percy rested, a female figure watched him from a rooftop in the distance. The woman had a small smile as she tried her best to pull out the sword. She watched him without seeming annoyed at the wait. She didn't seem to care how long she had to watch.
She watched a day later as Percy continued to try. A week later, she watched as Percy destroyed the ground around him, only for his face to contort in rage as it seemed impossible to destroy the earth around the sword, leaving him with what looked like a two-meter-long and five-meter-wide mace.
One day, she decided to go over and help Percy with his bandages. He didn't object, mostly because he was upset and needed to talk to someone so he wouldn't die from so much indignation and anger.
"You don't seem bothered by the sword's killing intent, Murong Yun."
Murong Yun just smiled faintly as she looked at Percy's mismatched eyes.
"That's the Asura God's sword, right?" she asked as she looked at the sword.
"How do you know that?" Percy narrowed his eyes.
"I have served the King of Slaughter for years. And even if I don't know much, I know of the god who created this place."
Percy was silent for a few moments before nodding, "Yes, that is the sword..."
"Mmm...", she looked at the sword thoughtfully.
"What is it?"
"Tell me, Perseus Jackson. What makes you think you can take a god's weapon by force?"
Narrowing his eyes once more, Percy asked, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing really. It's just… a god is powerful, right? I don't think a mere mortal can possibly understand the extent of the gods' power. Would a god really let a mortal take their weapon? Heir or not, such a thing is too difficult to see."
"I don't think a divine weapon like that would just let you take it. At least, not to a person who doesn't seem fully willing…"
Percy frowned looking at Murong Yun's face before looking at the sword.
"I don't think…" Percy paused as he looked back at Murong Yun. She was nowhere to be seen, even his spiritual power couldn't detect her.
Percy's eyebrows relaxed and he looked at the sword intently. 'Willing', the word stuck in his mind as he thought. Percy wasn't a fool, at least not like before. Therefore when he understood Murong Yun's words, he laughed self-deprecatingly.
Yeah… that was all, was what he thought. He hated gods, at least the ones on his home planet. That seed of hatred in his heart had made him disdain and hate the fact of becoming a god in order to get revenge. Those feelings had been there, but he ignored them as he grew stronger. And apparently, the Asura God knew about it if he was giving him this test.
"Willing...", Percy inhaled sharply before letting out a breath of air from his lungs to his mouth.
"Yes, I will become a god, something I hate... But, I know that this will bring me good opportunities."
By becoming a god, he will be able to create a kingdom of gods in his galaxy sector. He could protect his mother, his stepfather, and his little sister. He could welcome them into the kingdom of gods if they wanted it or when they died. He would have the power to end the gods that plagued the planet and make the Earth follow its normal course of evolution. He could have a family without many problems, he could... do many things.
"Stupid idiot..." Percy smiled shakily as he insulted himself. "You don't have to be a god like them. You can be a better one, a superior one."
Percy knew that if he strayed from the path, Liu Erlong would be by his side to beat him up if necessary. He knew Bibi Dong would do so as well.
"There's that dragon woman too!... I'm sure she'd kill me if I did something despicable."
Percy's eyes sparkled as he realized his hidden feelings and fears of becoming what he hated. At the same time, he smiled happily like a child remembering that he had a family that would help him in any way they could.
Percy pulled out a jug containing wine and began to drink it. The liquid went down his throat as some of it dripped down his chin. The sound of gulping could be heard as he finished the wine in one go and then raised the jug upwards with a smile.
"That was for new beginnings..." Percy laughed before standing up and looking at the sword with renewed vigor.
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