Chapter 36: Old Fortune Teller, Is Ultraman Your Accomplice?

"What exactly is the connection between this golden finger and Earth? Does it become useless the moment I leave the planet? So many ideas I just had have already died before they even began!"

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Zhang Kai scratched his head, helpless.

There was nothing he could do.

He was still exploring the nature of this golden finger. Until now, he'd only focused on cultivation, never considering what would happen if he left Earth.

This meant that, from now on, anything he wanted to create would have to be done on Earth, and then somehow sent into space.

Not only was this process cumbersome, it also carried significant risks of exposure.

Clearly, trying to achieve everything at once was impossible. He'd have to take things step by step.

With a sigh, Zhang Kai put away the tablet and decided to return to Earth for now.

Regardless, this trip had been fruitful.

The biggest surprise was discovering that he could leave Earth at all.

Moreover, by employing Ultraman’s abilities, he’d sensed the planet’s extraordinary state.

Within the atmosphere, Earth was protected by some power beyond imagination. Currently, it remained a low-magic world; any force exceeding that limit couldn't be manifested here.

And the Investiture of the Gods was also unusable outside Earth.

This suggested that the changes which occurred when the Investiture appeared were likely tied to Earth’s unique restrictions.

If he wanted to understand why Earth had become the way it was, there was only one method: spiritual revival.

Fortunately, the Investiture of the Gods was now under his control. This meant that the revival of spiritual energy was also in his hands, and all the gods, Buddhas, monsters, and demons waiting to emerge on Earth would have to wait for him to release spiritual energy before they could return to the world.

But now, Zhang Kai had some new thoughts about the Investiture.

With the revival of spiritual energy inevitable, those gods, Buddhas, and demons would surely regain some of their former power.

That would make it much harder for him to claim a divine title for himself.

Therefore, to ensure he could hold his own against the ancient gods and demons, he couldn't allow the Investiture of the Gods to progress too quickly. He had to proceed cautiously, making thorough preparations before releasing more spiritual energy.

As for the golden finger, perhaps in the future its origins would become clear, but for now, dwelling on it was pointless.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Zhang Kai transformed into light once more and flew back toward Earth.

This time, he was far more careful, avoiding the satellites orbiting the planet, entering the atmosphere directly, and landing in a forest at the foot of the Snow Peak Mountains in Changling.

After landing, he released the mountain god sheep, then summoned the Investiture of the Gods.

This time, the Investiture appeared at his will.

Zhang Kai gazed at it for a moment, then waved his hand, sending it toward the mountain god sheep.

Sensing the presence of a divine title, the list shimmered with divine light and unfurled slowly. Instantly, golden rays began to seep from the mountain god sheep's body, which the Investiture of the Gods absorbed.

"So it’s the Investiture of the Gods! You are the new envoy!" The bearded mountain god’s phantom appeared once more, staring at Zhang Kai in terror. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, pleading for mercy.

"Great one, spare me! Don’t take my divine title! Without it, I will dissipate. Have mercy! I am willing to serve as your slave, to stand by your side as your servant."

Zhang Kai replied coldly, "This world no longer needs the gods of old. It’s best you return to dust and earth."

"No! It’s mine! The divine title is mine! I toiled for tens of thousands of years, enduring countless hardships to obtain it. You can’t take it from me, you can’t!" The bearded mountain god shrieked in anger and despair, his face contorted, and then swung his divine trident at Zhang Kai.

But before he even got close, as the golden light faded from his body, the mountain god's phantom instantly shattered, dissolving into countless points of light that soon vanished.

Zhang Kai felt nothing in his heart.

It had nothing to do with good or evil.

It was simply what the world required.

In ancient times, people needed gods, so the gods could stand above all.

But now, this was a new era.

Even if gods were needed, they would have to be gods suited to the new age; the old ones had to be discarded.

Such was the cruel reality of the world.

Stripped of its divine title, the mountain god sheep he’d once held in high regard suddenly disintegrated, turning to powder, not a single hair left behind.

Zhang Kai felt a pang of regret, but didn’t dwell on it.

He retrieved the Investiture of the Gods.

A new divine title had appeared on it—

Mountain God of Changling.

A god overseeing an entire mountain range—far superior to the previous one, its rank alone made it more valuable.

But this time, Zhang Kai wasn't going to bestow the title lightly.

Having discovered the connection between Earth and the Investiture of the Gods, he had no intention of letting the list become a tool for others.

At the very least, if he was the one conferring divinity, the gods had to obey him. Otherwise, he’d rather destroy the list than let it be used against him.

With a wave of his hand, he put the Investiture of the Gods away and looked off into the distance.

That was the direction of Snow Peak Mountain.

He wondered if the old fortune-teller and the others had left yet, or if they were still inside the burial tomb searching for treasures left by the mountain lord of Changling.

With this in mind, Zhang Kai soared through the air toward the tomb.

Landing once more at the entrance, he reverted to his human form and hurried inside.

As he moved deeper, he listened carefully and soon heard voices.

"Damn it, there really are guardians for these treasures. Those are Mongu Poison Toads. Be careful, old Taoist—if their venom touches you, I won’t have time to save you," came the voice of the Bone Gate youth.

"I know, damn it. You fools from the Demon Sect, are you still trying to fight me for it?" That was the fortune-teller’s voice.

"Hmph, I’d sooner destroy this Azure Lotus than let Wudang take it," said a twin-tailed girl.

"Idiot. Take it if you want it so badly; I’m done playing," the fortune-teller shouted, exasperated.

Following the voices, Zhang Kai soon took in the scene.

It was the very place where he’d discovered the lotus flower.

Now, dozens of fist-sized, pitch-black toads were leaping out of the pool, hopping in all directions and periodically spewing venomous fluid from their mouths.

The fortune-teller and his companions were dodging the sprays, making a swift escape from the poolside.

A few of Gu Mingyu’s hapless lackeys lay on the ground, smoke rising from their bodies, clearly corroded by the poison.

Mongu Poison Toads?

Weren’t those from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils"?

But no, in that novel they were called Mongu Zhu Toads—just one character different, but essentially not the same thing.

Especially since the Mongu Zhu Toads of legend were exceedingly rare, while here there were dozens, and who knew how many remained in the pool.

Still, poison was poison. The Bone Gate youth had said a touch of their venom was instantly fatal—these were probably even more deadly than the five-step snake.

Without sufficient strength, encountering such creatures was a mortal threat.

Even Zhang Kai couldn’t guarantee he could face dozens of venomous toads of unknown abilities head-on and come out safe.

He watched quietly for a moment and soon saw the fortune-teller and his group running straight toward him.

After a brief consideration, Zhang Kai quietly retreated to the entrance by the bronze gate, waiting just outside.

Not long after, the fortune-teller and the Bone Gate youth burst out, gasping for breath and utterly exhausted.

"Lao Zhou, you made it out," Zhang Kai called out with a cheerful grin.

The fortune-teller looked up, stunned. "What are you doing here?"

"I triggered a trap," Zhang Kai replied, "almost ended up riddled with arrows, so I didn’t dare go any further and came back out."

The fortune-teller gave him a peculiar look and asked, "Did you see Ultraman?"

Zhang Kai was ready for this. He widened his eyes and exclaimed, "You saw it too? It was real? I thought I was seeing things! But what’s going on? Isn’t this supposed to be the mountain god’s forbidden ground? How did Ultraman appear here? No, how could there even be an Ultraman in this world? That’s just too bizarre! It must have been someone in an Ultraman costume. Lao Zhou, this place was discovered by your Wudang sect—don’t tell me the Ultraman was one of your backup plans?"

He finished with a suspicious look at the fortune-teller.

Even the Bone Gate youth, despite his labored breathing, couldn’t help but glance over.

The fortune-teller’s face darkened.

What the hell did this have to do with him?

He’d risked everything for a forbidden ground and come away empty-handed—now he was expected to shoulder the blame too?