Chapter 711: Becoming a God (3)
The Torture of Urzkartaga
Time in the soul realm differs from reality.
The concept of time here is vague and protracted. Sometimes, one second is equivalent to ten seconds, and sometimes, it's a year.
Screams rose and fell, never ceasing from beginning to end. Barbara huddled in a corner, trembling, her eyes fixed on Luke with boundless terror.
The Perfect Man?
Bullshit. He was a psychopath, a cold-blooded, tyrannical executioner.
Urzkartaga was burned by the green flame for what felt like months. Every time she was about to vanish, Luke would restore her, then continue the burning—a recurring cycle. The despair of it made bystanders shudder, let alone the victim.
This man was utterly twisted. How could Diana be with him?
During this period, Urzkartaga pleaded countless times, even abandoning her divine dignity to beg for forgiveness, but Luke was unmoved. Instead, his face was alight with excitement, as if he were enjoying some interesting entertainment.
Upon realizing this, Urzkartaga completely despaired. She was a goddess, a god by birth, who had lived a charmed life. She had never endured such torture.
Pain can unleash a person's potential, but it can also destroy their will.
Urzkartaga belonged to the latter. Her will was on the verge of collapse.
Finally, Luke stopped, saying with a hint of reluctance,
"Rest up well. We'll continue tomorrow."
Urzkartaga shivered violently, her soul trembling, nearly collapsing from the shock of his words. The green flame burned the soul; the pain was inescapable and could only be endured through gritted teeth. There was no such thing as being numb to the pain after too much suffering.
Another session, and she would literally be tortured to death.
"Mortal, why are you doing this? Tell me what you want, and I'll give it all to you!"
"Just let me go, or kill me! I can't take this anymore!"
With that, Urzkartaga actually began to sob—the Queen of Africa was crying.
Luke sighed faintly, reached out, and helped her up.
"Why cry? I haven't done anything bad. I just wanted to torture you, purely and simply. It's nothing. Just bear with it, it'll pass quickly."
He patted her shoulder, and in her stunned, numb expression, he vanished.
Barbara looked over with an abnormal sense of pity. Before, she thought Urzkartaga was detestable. Now, she realized the goddess was decent, at least she wasn't a sadist.
In the following days, Urzkartaga experienced a living hell where she couldn't live or die.
All memories in her mind vanished, leaving only fear and despair. Every time she saw Luke, she would scream frantically. She was no longer a god, just a mentally broken husk.
This was the result Luke wanted.
Only when her ambition, dignity, and belief were completely crushed would she fully submit.
"Do you want to die?"
Urzkartaga nodded woodenly. "Kill me."
"Answer a few questions, and I will grant you release."
Urzkartaga's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"My word is my bond."
"Ask away. I'll tell you anything," Urzkartaga said eagerly. "Just please, stop tormenting me."
"That depends on whether your answers satisfy me."
Luke gave a cold smile and asked, "How much do you know about the inherited cultivation methods of the Eastern Celestial Court?"
"I enslaved three gods from the Eastern Celestial Court. I know their methods. I can pass them to you."
Luke touched her brow, connecting their souls. A flood of information appeared in his mind: the complete legacy of the Celestial Court's cultivation method. Most of the content matched the Celestial Master's Tome, except for the final few chapters.
These chapters described the method for taking the ultimate step toward godhood.
"The Immortal Ascension Pool?"
Luke murmured the name, frowning. According to the legacy, to shed their mortal coil and evolve into a god, one had to undergo a process in the Immortal Ascension Pool. It contained the necessary element for becoming a god.
Most of the Celestial Court's gods, apart from those born divine, gained their power through the Immortal Ascension Pool.
No wonder Cold Moon said he couldn't achieve godhood. The Celestial Court was destroyed, and the Immortal Ascension Pool had vanished. Without it, a mortal could not become a god.
After a moment of thought, Luke continued,
"Tell me every spell you know. Don't miss a single one. If you dare to lie, I will throw you into the sea of fire, and you will never find rest, for all eternity."
Urzkartaga's spirit was already broken. Hearing this, she actually looked relieved. Having suffered so much, she no longer had the will to live and simply begged for death.
The knowledge a god possesses is immense, especially the Cheetah Goddess, who hailed from the Cêrn pantheon. It took a full four days for Luke to assimilate the colossal volume of magical knowledge—enough to fill two new dictionaries.
It included not only African sorcery but also Mayan sacrificial rituals, Eastern Celestial Court Taoist techniques, ancient Indian Buddhist mantras, and more.
These were all acquired by Urzkartaga from her servants. Most were limited by bloodline and divine power, making them unusable by others, but the sheer knowledge system benefited Luke immensely.
He gained a whole new understanding of magic and Taoist arts, and even subtly grasped the essence of divine power.
Having obtained what he wanted, Luke kept his promise, giving her a very swift death. He then returned to the center of the island.
As Urzkartaga's consciousness dissipated, Barbara was restored to her original state.
"Remember, this was just a dream."
Time and space twisted; moments rewound.
When she opened her eyes again, the cramped cell was gone, replaced by the warm, orange light and antique-style furniture of a house.
"You're finally awake."
A woman walked in from the living room and placed a cup of coffee with milk on the table.
"Diana?"
Barbara was stunned. Realizing something, she quickly checked her body. The cheetah form was gone; her skin was back to normal.
She was the same chubby girl she had been before.
Diana said calmly, "Urzkartaga is dead. You don't have to worry about her haunting you." She paused, then added, "Luke didn't fully remove the divine power in your body; he kept a portion. Your current physique far exceeds that of an ordinary person. If you train hard, you can certainly overcome your previous anxieties."
"Drink your coffee, and then you should go."
Barbara opened her mouth, a thousand words stuck in her throat. All that came out was, "I'm so sorry."
"I truly apologize. I... I..."
"It's over, Barbara. You need to leave."
Barbara gave a wry smile. She looked at the coffee but ultimately didn't drink it. Putting on her boots and coat, she walked away, step by step.
She felt like she had been dreaming. Everything was blurred, making it impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion.
Diana felt the same way. This was her only friend, and now they were strangers.
Friendship, like romance, once fractured, cannot be fully repaired. The crack only grows wider.
A sullen Diana leaped up, finding Luke, who was conducting an experiment.
"I need a drink."
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