Chapter 5

Maintaining a polite smile, Luo Han corrected gently, “I'm already an adult. Please don't call me a little cub. Thank you.”
The ancient remnant spirit ignored her protests entirely. To a being of its age, even Ling Qingxiao was considered young, let alone Luo Han. Her protests seemed as harmless and endearing as a newborn kitten baring its teeth.
The spirit sighed with deep emotion. Each deity had once governed distinct laws—some presiding over fertility, some over time, others over yin and yang. Luo Han, as it happened, governed the law of Heaven itself. The rising and setting of the sun, the shifting of seasons, the cycle of life and death—each of these was a divine law, created by gods. It was the intertwining of all these laws that gave birth to the Six Realms.
After the great war of creation, the gods had reached equilibrium, and for a long time, no new deity had emerged. Who could have imagined that after the collapse of the divine order, a new deity overseeing Heaven’s laws would finally be born?
Luo Han’s consciousness was naturally formed from Heaven itself, making her not only part of the world’s order but also the youngest deity in existence. Having waited alone for so long, the ancient remnant couldn’t help but indulge in nostalgia upon finally meeting this "newcomer."
“Do you know the history of the gods?” it asked eagerly.
Luo Han felt a sudden flashback to her first day at university, joining clubs, when her senior classmates had asked her exactly the same question with identical enthusiasm. She hadn’t particularly wanted to know then, and wasn’t overly curious now—but courtesy dictated she listen politely. So she smiled graciously and replied, “Not really. Would you mind telling me, senior?”
This was exactly what the spirit had been waiting for. Immediately, it launched into a long-winded explanation: “When Pangu first split Heaven and Earth, the clear qi rose upwards, becoming the sky, while the turbid qi descended, forming the earth. The gods then granted these two energies to the celestial and demonic races. Celestials absorbed clear qi, becoming detached and refined; demons absorbed turbid qi, becoming aggressive and combative. Later, Goddess Nuwa molded humans from clay. Thus, while celestials and demons received superior energy, humanity received the most perfect physical form.”
Playing her role, Luo Han asked politely, “Perfect physical form?”
“The divine body, naturally,” the spirit reminisced fondly. “Ah, those days truly marked the golden age of the gods!”
Luo Han was momentarily speechless. But reflecting on this logic, she suddenly understood why immortals and demons alike sought human shapes. “So, gods created humans in their own image, and now all immortals and demons cultivate to take on that form—to achieve godlike bodies.”
“Precisely!” The spirit encouraged warmly. “How perfect the gods’ forms truly were!”
Understanding now, Luo Han realized why immortals, despite their varied original forms, always appeared human—they were, in fact, striving toward divinity.
After a moment, Luo Han sensed something puzzling. “But if gods were the source of celestial and demonic power, and they created humans too, then why…”
Why had gods perished completely, while immortals, demons, and humans flourished instead?
Pulled back from reminiscing about former glories, the remnant sighed deeply. “All things cycle; prosperity inevitably leads to decline. The gods bestowed brilliance upon other races, unknowingly placing themselves in jeopardy. Once the celestials ascended alongside the gods, their large numbers and rapid reproduction allowed them gradually to replace gods as rulers of Heaven. Humans turned to worshiping celestials instead, depriving gods of faith. Gradually, the gods—already slow to reproduce—were overtaken by the immortals they'd created. While celestials could continuously improve their power through cultivation, gods relied solely on innate strength. Eventually, the immortals surpassed even the gods themselves.”
Its voice faded into weary silence.
Luo Han quickly understood the essence of the story: It was essentially a tragic tale of a big brother nurturing his younger siblings, only to be overtaken by them in the end. Gods could only be born naturally, and their rate of birth was far too slow compared to the rate of death. With the gradual disappearance of faith, one by one, the gods had fallen. By the time it came down to this lingering spirit before her, he had already become the last deity in existence.
And yet, even he had died. The figure standing before Luo Han now was just a remnant consciousness—a mere shadow of the final god, marking the definitive end of the divine era and the rise of the Immortal Age.
Luo Han quickly grasped the main point, asking anxiously, “So, does this mean that no matter how hard I cultivate in the future, I probably won't be able to beat the Celestial Emperor?”
“Exactly.” The spirit admitted frankly, without a shred of embarrassment. “Your predecessors couldn't defeat them either. Later, to preserve the dignity of the gods, we sealed off the Divine Realm and let it wander unpredictably across the Six Realms. The more mysterious it seemed, the less people dared question the power of the gods.”
"I understand," Luo Han nodded thoughtfully, learning useful tricks from this senior deity. "In other words, I should make good friends with the future Celestial Emperor. If there’s any way to avoid fighting, I definitely should."
If she actually tried to fight, wouldn't she immediately expose herself?
After lamenting the past and sighing at their present circumstances, the spirit suddenly switched to bragging, "But now that you're here, the gods haven't truly died out."
"You're celebrating too early," Luo Han coldly corrected him, kindly educating this deity who clearly hadn't studied evolution. "I'm literally the only one left. If I can't have children, sooner or later the gods will still disappear."
Hearing this, the spirit paused regretfully. "Gods are naturally born from heaven and earth. Unlike immortals and humans, we can't have marriages or children. This is truly a fatal flaw."
Exactly. Luo Han nodded deeply in agreement.
Just as the pair—one young, one ancient—lamented the destiny of their species, the boundary of the spiritual barrier suddenly trembled slightly.
Although young, Luo Han was still technically a minor deity and immediately sensed this disturbance. The remnant spirit was genuinely surprised. "Oh? He actually discovered the true location of this barrier...Has the younger generation of the dragon clan grown so strong now?"
As expected—it was Ling Qingxiao again. Luo Han had developed a deep mistrust towards barriers by now. This was the second time. The first barrier, created by the ancient beings who guided her through time, had been shattered with a single strike from Ling Qingxiao. Now even this divine barrier was shaking under his assault.
How unreliable were barriers in the cultivation world?
The spirit reminisced again, "Back in ancient times, when the gods rewarded all living creatures after the great war, the dragons received power first due to their extraordinary combat merits. Who could've guessed that after all these years, the dragons would become rulers of Heaven?"
Only after saying this did he finally notice something suspicious. He turned back to Luo Han, asking, "What's your relationship with that young dragon outside?"
Oh, now you think to ask? Luo Han replied readily, "He's my bodyguard." And the future CEO I've personally selected to manage my divine affairs.
The spirit made a strange noise, uncertain whether to marvel at the strength of young dragons or the cunning of their young goddess. At such a tender age, she'd already started raising bodyguards (and perhaps handsome companions).
"Fine," the remnant sighed wearily, waving his hand. His form gradually blurred as he began to fade away. "I've seen you at last. My lingering wish has been fulfilled; now I can return to the embrace of heaven and earth. Go on and take your handsome companion with you."
“He’s not my handsome companion,” Luo Han corrected coldly. But then she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called after the disappearing spirit. "Wait! One last thing—how exactly am I supposed to cultivate? I was thrown into this place without knowing anything!"
The spirit seemed genuinely startled. "I saw the seal and magical artifact left by your guardian on your body, so I assumed you already knew. Did your guardian really never teach you how to cultivate divine energy?"
Luo Han shook her head earnestly. Heaven could testify—she truly knew nothing. She'd lived earnestly as a human for eighteen full years.
The "guardian" the spirit mentioned was probably her parents, but...what seal? What magical artifact?
Had her parents really just casually left something this significant on her without bothering to inform her?
To the spirit, breaking a seal was merely a minor effort. With a casual wave of his hand, he activated the jade bracelet on Luo Han’s wrist and simultaneously released the seal on her true appearance. He nodded in satisfaction. "I always said the gods have perfect appearances and bodies. Look at this lovely face—such perfection!"
Only then did Luo Han realize that her eighteenth-birthday gift had actually been a powerful artifact! Distracted by her jade bracelet, she momentarily didn't register the spirit’s words clearly. "Wait, what did you just say?"
But she received no response. In an instant, the scene shifted, and Luo Han found herself abruptly back in the gloomy abyss. A fierce sword energy shot straight toward her, only dissipating at the very last moment.
Ling Qingxiao calmly withdrew his sword, looking at her as though he'd expected this outcome. "You're back."
He spoke so calmly, almost as though he'd always known she'd be safe.
Luo Han nodded, deciding to set aside her curiosity about the bracelet for later. Right now, escaping the Divine Realm took priority. If she stayed any longer, she'd definitely become depressed.
Overjoyed, she ran up to Ling Qingxiao, feeling—for the first time—that she could truly contribute to their little team. "I know how to leave this damned place!"
The lingering remnant spirit, still hovering unseen in the distance, overheard Luo Han shamelessly referring to his revered homeland as a "damned place" and felt momentarily depressed.
What a heartless girl! He’d just helped her handsome companion heal his wounds, and now she immediately spoke so poorly of her ancestral home?
What damned place? This was the glorious and sacred Divine Realm!
Considering how ancient gods were, wasn't it perfectly normal for the Divine Realm to look slightly shabby?
Ling Qingxiao didn’t question her whereabouts or how she'd gained her knowledge. He simply stepped back respectfully and nodded. "I'll follow your lead."
Ever since leaving the barrier, those sinister shadows, unnatural winds, and strange abyssal creatures had quietly retreated, avoiding Luo Han entirely. Following the instructions given by the spirit, Luo Han swiftly made several intricate hand seals, sending subtle pulses outward. Soon, the surroundings began to brighten. In the blink of an eye, they appeared at the base of a lush mountain.
Seeing the verdant hills, crystal-clear waters, and hearing the chirping of birds and insects again, Luo Han nearly burst into tears of joy. “Finally! We're free!”
Luo Han was so thrilled to finally be free that she failed to notice Ling Qingxiao beside her quietly pressing a hand to his chest.
He'd sensed it earlier, but only at the very moment they escaped the Abyss of Absolute Spirits had he confirmed it: the empty void left by his stolen dragon core was now filled by a mysterious pearl. Though this pearl couldn't hold as much spiritual energy or power as his original dragon core, it was still vastly superior to having nothing at all.
Perhaps it wasn't merely a spiritual pearl, but a divine one. After all, only a god could create something out of nothing.
It seemed the ancient texts were right. The fearsome Abyss of Absolute Spirits, spoken of with dread across the immortal realm, truly was the long-sealed Divine Realm.
Ling Qingxiao silently observed the girl bouncing excitedly ahead of him. She was someone who had casually handed him priceless ten-thousand-year Bodhi essence, wore clothes crafted from materials the greatest immortals would fight wars for, and had even persuaded the lingering spirit of a god to heal his internal injuries.
Ultimately, Ling Qingxiao said nothing. He simply looked away, pretending he hadn't noticed a thing.
When Luo Han turned back, she noticed Ling Qingxiao was unusually quiet, seemingly lost in thought. Curious, she waved a hand in front of his face and asked playfully, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about so seriously?"
Ling Qingxiao stared at the girl smiling brightly before him, and for a moment, it felt as though his vision was flooded by dazzling light.
The gods loved all beings equally. They had created order from chaos, bestowed power to immortals and demons alike, and gifted humanity with the perfect form—their own.
He had to admit, the beauty of a god was truly overwhelming. Everyone in the immortal realm possessed outstanding looks, and Ling Qingxiao had seen countless beauties, believing himself immune. Yet, he'd never encountered the absolute pinnacle of beauty until now.
From Luo Han's behavior, she clearly hadn't yet realized that her appearance had changed. Before, her beauty had certainly been impressive by mortal standards, but after the seal had been lifted, revealing her true divine features, her previous appearance seemed suddenly ordinary.
Her facial features retained their original shape, yet each had become breathtakingly refined. Her skin was as luminous and flawless as fresh snow; her eyes curved beautifully; her nose, lips, and brows were finely shaped, each contour delicate yet sharp. Her jawline was exquisitely defined, as if sculpted to perfection.
Of course, she was indeed the original template: all beings considered beauty as resemblance to the gods, and Luo Han herself now defined the pinnacle of beauty across all six realms.
Her beauty wasn't gentle or soft—it was a breathtaking, untouchable sort of elegance, as distant and majestic as eternal ice.
Noticing Ling Qingxiao's peculiar gaze, Luo Han felt somewhat uneasy. She touched her own face uncertainly. "Is something wrong?"
Realizing she hadn't noticed yet, Ling Qingxiao sighed softly and conjured a mirror in his palm, handing it to her. "From now on, when you're alone, don't casually show your face to others."
Confused, Luo Han took the mirror. Without any mental preparation, she glanced at her reflection and nearly fainted in shock, inwardly cursing, "Holy—!"
Just moments ago, she'd silently mocked the ancient spirit for his endless vanity, wondering how a mere remnant consciousness could go on about his supposed "perfection." Now, Luo Han finally understood:
He'd only been stating facts.
Gods truly embodied ultimate beauty, and now that she was the last deity left, she was literally the most beautiful being in existence.
Author’s note:
Luo “Mary Sue” Han has arrived.