Death… And Me

Chapter 4445: Profits

The Sanctuary remained active, continuously erasing the Godly Pressure within its range.

Lukay swept his Divine Sense across the surroundings before speaking. ”Is there any other Godly Creature nearby? If not, you shouldn’t keep using this Sanctuary of yours. You never know when you might need it again.”

The twins nodded and connected to the System, manually deactivating the Sanctuary. Naturally, doing so earlier didn’t reduce its cooldown.

[Sanctuary Countdown: 24:00]

Rean immediately played along. ”It’s still very taxing to use, so we’d better save it for later.”

Another System notification appeared before the twins.

[Predators analyzed inside the Sanctuary: 01]

That meant there were still ninety-nine Godly Predators left before the Sanctuary permanently gained the weakening effect. Rean secretly felt relieved. As long as they kept hunting Predators during this expedition, completing the quest should only be a matter of time.

With that settled, everyone returned to the airplane. Although the Godly Predator Crystal was by far the most valuable reward, the body itself still contained plenty of useful materials.

Bones, scales, blood, tendons, claws, and organs were all valuable to alchemists, blacksmiths, and cultivators alike. Before leaving Besgol, the twins had prepared plenty of inexpensive Spatial Rings precisely for that purpose. They quickly stored every usable part, leaving behind only what had no value.

Moments later, the Celestial Thrusters roared back to life.

*Vruash!*

The airplane shot into the distance. There was no point remaining there, especially since the discarded remains would inevitably attract more Godly Creatures.

Rean concentrated on piloting while the airplane continuously scanned the terrain below. Mountains, forests, rivers, cliffs, and valleys were transformed into a three-dimensional map before being stored in the airplane’s database. That information would later be submitted to the Godly Subjugation Guild as proof that they had completed their Elite Exploration Mission.

After watching the process for a while, Lukay decided to remind everyone of something important.

”The farther we travel into the uncharted areas, the more dangerous things become. We don’t know what lives ahead, so there’s always a chance we might attract the attention of a Godly Horror.”

The twins naturally knew that, but it was also a good opportunity to gather more information.

”Senior,” Rean asked, ”this is only our second Elite Exploration Mission, so we’ve never actually encountered a Godly Horror. What do experienced exploration groups do if one notices them?”

”There honestly isn’t much to do,” Lukay answered. ”You turn around and flee. These missions pay so well precisely because dangers like that exist.”

He paused before continuing.

”The good news is that Godly Horrors are extremely prideful creatures. Even though all Godly Creatures are naturally attracted to cultivators outside a Sacred Relic’s influence, most Horrors won’t bother chasing you if you immediately leave their territory. To them, we’re usually beneath their attention.”

”Of course, there are exceptions,” he added. ”If a Godly Horror genuinely decides to hunt you, escaping becomes incredibly difficult. That’s why most Elite Exploration Groups prepare life-saving treasures or desperate escape techniques.”

He pointed at himself.

”My Voltari Race has one such technique. For a short burst, I can fly as fast as a Godly Horror. However, every bit of my racial energy is devoted entirely to speed. I can’t attack or defend while using it, and once it’s over, I’ll be left heavily weakened for several days. If I tried fighting at that speed, I’d simply die faster.”

The twins understood. Such abilities weren’t meant to change the outcome of a battle, only to create one last opportunity to survive.

Thinking about it, Rean realized the group had rarely relied on escape treasures throughout their cultivation journey. Back when they still possessed the Soul Gem System, they had emergency teleportation formations. Even now, their system gave them options that ordinary cultivators simply didn’t possess.

”I see...” Rean nodded thoughtfully. ”We don’t really have any life-saving treasures with us.”

Lukay wasn’t surprised. The twins had only been in the Celestial Plane for a little over ten years. Accumulating treasures took time.

Then Rean smiled and tapped the airplane’s controls. ”But we probably won’t need them anyway.”

Lukay looked at him in confusion. ”I know your airplane can fly as fast as an Initial Stage Zone God or perhaps a weaker Godly Predator, but that’s nowhere near enough to escape from a Godly Horror.”

”Oh, right!” Rean suddenly remembered. ”There’s still one thing we haven’t shown you. Just like everything else, though, you mustn’t tell anyone about it.”

Lightning crackled around Lukay’s core.

”Again?!” he exclaimed. ”Can’t we just pretend you don’t have any more ridiculous inventions? I really don’t want to hear another secret.”

Roan immediately shook his head. ”No can do. Considering we’re hunting Godly Predators, there’s a good chance we’ll eventually encounter a Godly Horror. If that happens, you’ll definitely prefer using this than relying on your life-saving technique.”

Lukay remained silent for a moment.

Ever since accepting Clasou’s request, everything he believed he knew about cultivators had been overturned. First, the twins could fly as Aura Gods. Then they used Intent. After that came the Anti-Godly Pressure Pills, followed by the Sanctuary Skill and their overwhelming victories against Godly Predators. Every time he thought they couldn’t surprise him anymore, they somehow managed to do exactly that.

”...Fine,” he finally gave up. ”What is it this time? Some ridiculous bomb capable of killing a Godly Horror?”

Rean’s eyes widened. ”How did you know?!”

Lukay’s lightning exploded uncontrollably. ”Are you fucking serious?!”

”Nope!” Rean burst into laughter. ”Hahaha! If we could make something like that, cultivators wouldn’t have jobs anymore!”

Kentucky couldn’t help laughing as well, while even Celis smiled. Only Roan completely ignored the joke.

Lukay, however, felt both angry and relieved.

”Fuck you.”

He floated back toward his seat. ”I’ve already learned enough impossible things during this trip. Whatever this next secret is, I don’t even want to know anymore.”

Roan slightly nodded at Rean.

Understanding immediately, Rean took out a Godly Crystal from his Spatial Ring and inserted it into one of the airplane’s hidden array slots.

At once, Godly Energy spread through countless array lines hidden inside the airplane.

Lukay had just begun landing in his seat when every instinct within him screamed. ”Shit!”

He immediately floated back into the air. ”Godly Beast Pressure!”

His Divine Sense expanded in every direction. ”Careful! There’s a Godly Beast nearby! How did it get this close without me noticing?”

The pressure surrounding the airplane had completely changed. Just moments ago, he sensed nothing more than several cultivators.

Now...

An unmistakable Godly Beast aura enveloped the airplane.

It wasn’t especially powerful, only comparable to an ordinary Godly Beast, yet it felt completely authentic.

Lukay searched above, below, ahead, and behind.

Nothing.

Then he suddenly froze. The source wasn’t outside. It was... the airplane itself!

Rean spread his arms proudly.

”Oh, that’s because...” He grinned. ”...we are the Godly Beast!”

Silence filled the cabin.

Lukay slowly turned toward Rean before looking around the airplane again.

Rean patted the wall beside him.

”This is my airplane’s Godly Pressure Disguise Array. It separates Godly Energy from a Godly Crystal into Godly Pressure and Celestial Energy before using the Godly Pressure to disguise the airplane. To nearby Creatures, we no longer appear to be cultivators. Instead, they’ll sense another Godly Creature.”

Celis added, ”It doesn’t make us invisible. If another creature actually sees the airplane, it’ll still know we’re here. What changes is our identity.”

”Exactly,” Roan continued. ”Godly Creatures instinctively hunt cultivators. They don’t have that same instinct toward other Godly Creatures. As long as the disguise isn’t exposed, most of them won’t have any reason to chase us. Of coruse, Godly Creatures still hunt each other for their crystals, but that’s a lot harder to happen.”

Lukay quickly connected everything together.

The airplane’s incredible speed...

Its radar...

The Light Bending Arrays...

The Anti-Godly Pressure Pills...

The Sanctuary...

And now this disguise.

Each invention alone would revolutionize Elite Exploration Groups. Together, they completely changed how exploration missions could be carried out.

Rean quickly tempered those expectations.

”It isn’t perfect. It consumes a Godly Crystal while active, so we can’t keep it running forever. More importantly, the disguise only works for the airplane. The moment one of us leaves it, we’ll immediately be recognized as cultivators again if we leave the disguise range.”

Lukay slowly returned to his seat.

This time, he remained quiet for several moments before speaking in a tired voice.

”...I knew I wasn’t going to like hearing about this.”