Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Desire to Ascend to Divinity

“…Was she also an extraordinary being who underwent a ‘spiritual transformation’ like me?”
The question Yang Luo directed at the Master of the Temple of Shifting Divinity echoed in his mind.
Yet, as if his voice had been cast into the boundless, empty cosmos, no response came.
Within his heart, where once that presence had dwelled, there was now only a void.
This was not unexpected. In recent days, Yang Luo had respectfully posed many questions to the temple master, but no message ever came. It seemed, just as that existence had once proclaimed, that this “heart’s resonance” could not be maintained for long, and contact had been severed.
Moreover, both his physical and spiritual transformations had concluded. Yang Luo felt his abilities had reached a bottleneck—no matter how he tried, he could not break through. Yet, seeking guidance from the temple master was no longer an option.
“…Must I wait until the Old Ones return, until the gods descend and the world is remade, to hear that will again?”
Yang Luo’s expression darkened.
The sensation was unpleasant; it left him feeling neglected, as if he was of little importance to that distant power. There was a vague sense of anxiety.
Had he still been his former self, laboring away at “Shengyi,” a weary office worker fated to endless overtime, perhaps he would not have cared. Back then, he cherished every little thing he received, content with even a drop of honey, like a busy ant.
But things were different now.
He possessed a strength surpassing billions, wielded the power of “Fierce Flame” that could set the world ablaze. Everything in this world was his for the taking—he needed only exert a fraction of his might to sweep up assets worth billions. Since returning to his hometown, he had become a figure whom no one in the city dared underestimate.
Were it not for his concerns about modern weapons of war and the countless tides of the populace, he might already have been omnipotent and unrestrained—had he lived a few centuries ago, he would surely have become an emperor at the very least.
The more one possesses, the more one fears losing; the more one is respected, the more one feels slighted by indifference.
Perhaps there are people who can remain unmoved by fortune or misfortune, who can accept all stations in life with equanimity, but Yang Luo was not one of them.
Even knowing full well that the temple master was a being far beyond his reach, after failing again and again to receive a response, Yang Luo could not help but feel a subtle disappointment in his heart:
“Ah, Master…”
But that was as far as his grievance went. The majesty of the Master of the Temple of Shifting Divinity was, in his heart, a million times more dignified and noble than the law and order of this world. Even if a trace of complaint shadowed his thoughts, it never surpassed the bounds of disappointment—he dared not let it go further.
Cutting off those stray thoughts, Yang Luo was about to rewatch the video and contemplate how to deal with the coming tide of extraordinary beings emerging across the world when a sudden knock sounded at the door.
“…Mr. Yang.”
It was the cautious voice of a young man.

“Come in.”
Yang Luo frowned slightly.
A young man in a white shirt opened the door, stooping and wearing a fawning smile as he approached Yang Luo step by step. But Yang Luo only fixed him with a cold, indifferent gaze:
“Didn’t I say not to disturb me for the next few hours?”
“Ah, it’s just… your parents are here, Mr. Yang. They wish to speak with you.”
His parents?
A flicker of annoyance rose in his heart. Yang Luo waved him in.
“Let them in.”
“Yes, sir.”
A moment later, an elderly couple was ushered in by the young man. Once they were seated in the office, the youth slipped out discreetly and closed the door behind him.
“—Oh, Xiao Luo…”
No sooner had she sat down than Yang Luo’s mother began to pour out her woes.
“These days in the city, I just can’t get used to it. That villa of yours is so empty and lonely, and I’m not used to being waited on. Every time someone bows to me, I feel like I should bow back. I’d rather go back to the countryside. Just build a nicer house on our old plot and I’ll be content.”
“That’s right, Xiao Luo. We’ve lived in the countryside all our lives—this so-called good life here just doesn’t feel right. All I want is to play chess at the village entrance. Now that you’ve made a name for yourself, I don’t have to slave away in the fields anymore; I can just tend to a little vegetable patch every day.”
Yang Luo’s father nodded eagerly.
Their heavy provincial accents made Yang Luo’s brow furrow deeper still.
“It’s normal to feel lonely in the city. Haven’t I told you? You can go to those senior clubs or wellness centers—everyone there is your age. I’ve even arranged a driver for you; you can go anywhere you like.”
The two exchanged glances. His father sighed,
“Xiao Luo, you know your mother gets carsick. All that driving around is uncomfortable for her. And those clubs and wellness centers, they’re full of retired officials and old business owners. We’re just simple farmers—what could we have in common with them? All I want is to return to the village, to put down roots. Now that you’ve come back to your hometown, you can visit us often—”
Before his father could finish, Yang Luo cut him off with a wave of his hand, his tone brooking no dissent.
“That’s enough. Carsickness is just a habit—she’ll get used to it with time. Sure, she might get sick in a cheap taxi, but I don’t believe she’d get carsick in a Mercedes or a Land Rover. Think about it—what is my status here? You’re my parents. How would it look if you went back to that shabby village? If you want to impress your old friends, that’s simple—I’ll just build an apartment building by the villa and invite all the village elders to live there, so you can reminisce together every day.”
At these words, the elderly couple looked at each other helplessly, wanting to protest, but Yang Luo’s overwhelming presence left them no room to argue.

“That’s enough. No more opinions—go back and rest. I still have a lot to deal with.”
He rapped his knuckles on the desk.
“Zhang Cheng, see my parents downstairs!”
The young man respectfully entered, bowing and gesturing to Yang Luo’s parents. With no other choice, they left the office, which once more fell silent.
In the vast office, Yang Luo was alone again.
Reclaiming the solitude that belonged to him, he rose from his chair and gazed out from the twenty-fifth floor.
The fiery clouds in the distance looked much like the power he wielded when unleashed. It was dusk.
“…Heh.”
He exhaled softly. Recalling both the scene in the office and the video, his expression darkened once more.
“I truly wish… that this world, where one must still be draped in the cloak of civilization, where absolute power cannot rule all, would hurry to its end.
“Wealth, authority, status… Even though I possess the strength to slaughter tens of thousands in an instant, I’m still bound by social order—forced to barter for resources through various means, unable to freely control everything in my grasp.”
He indulged in visions of the world’s order collapsing, of himself ascending to the very peak by virtue of his own power, becoming a sovereign among men. Yet beyond those imaginings, a new frustration welled within him.
“But—when the gods descend upon the earth, their power will far outstrip mine. They will become the true sovereigns. Then, though the old order crumbles, I still won’t be the master of the new era… What a pity.
“If I wish to establish my own order with absolute might, I must submit to the gods who descend; if I want to be the supreme force, to wield overwhelming power over all others, I must continue to live cramped within the order of this era—it’s truly confining…”
At this thought, a fierce ambition blazed in Yang Luo’s eyes.
“…It seems the only way to have it both ways is to become an existence on par with the gods themselves.
“—When that day comes, even if the gods descend, I will possess the power to stand alongside them, to rule a land by my own will!”
(End of this chapter)