Sun Wokuong had expected Su Mo to be like the Jade Emperor and the Buddha, trying his utmost to dissuade her and convince her to fulfill her destiny.
She could understand such an approach.
For the future of Little Garden, the leader of the pantheons couldn't afford to be sentimental. Compared to the safety of Little Garden, Sun Wukong's personal preferences were insignificant.
In fact, it would be strange if he didn't try to persuade her.
But she never imagined that Su Mo would show no intention of doing so. Not only did he not refute or reprimand her, but he didn't even try to change her mind. After confirming her opinion, he simply took her needs as a given and proposed other possibilities.
Regardless of whether these possibilities could succeed, his attitude alone was enough to surprise her.
"Aren't you going to try and persuade me?" she asked subconsciously, surprised. This reaction was completely different from what she had imagined, and completely different from the attitudes of the Jade Emperor and the World-Honored One. Why was that?
Faced with Sun Wukong's confusion, Su Mo returned the question. "Do you want to be persuaded?"
"No, I don't!" Sun Wukong immediately shook her head. Killing someone born for the sole purpose of being killed by her went against her moral principles.
"Then there you have it," Su Mo said calmly. "Since you're unwilling, we naturally have to think of another way."
"...I suppose so." Sun Wukong was slightly taken aback. You make so much sense, I'm speechless.
The golden-haired girl stared at Su Mo, her eyes touched. This was the first time she had ever felt her personal will be respected to such an extent.
Before, no matter who it was, even her sworn siblings, they would always ask for her reasons after learning of her choice, and only support her after agreeing with her reasoning.
But Su Mo was different. He didn't ask anything. He simply confirmed her thoughts and didn't press further, as if her choice needed no reason and deserved unconditional respect.
This attitude sent a warm current through her heart.
While Kurma's consideration was based on personal feelings, Su Mo's attitude—knowing the importance of the issue yet still respecting her choice—was particularly rare.
Looking back on her life, perhaps only Patriarch Subhuti had ever shown her such limitless tolerance.
Seeing the golden-haired girl lost in thought, Su Mo couldn't help but prompt her. "Your answer?"
"Answer? Oh... oh!" Sun Wukong was suddenly startled. After a couple of seconds of confusion, she remembered Su Mo's previous question. "You mean, the Divinity of a Celestial Spirit can be transferred to someone else?"
After some thought, unable to answer Su Mo's question, she asked one of her own. Can that thing be transferred?
"Of course," Su Mo nodded. "You are a Half-Celestial Spirit, a candidate for the Earth Celestial Spirit, just like the Demon King of Confusion. But you two aren't the only candidates. If you're unwilling to fulfill your mission, someone else can do it in your place and complete the Divinity of the Earth Celestial Spirit."
There were a fair number of Half-Celestial Spirits in Little Garden. As the head of all spiritual bodies, a significant portion of nature-related beings actually possessed a certain degree of Celestial Spirit Divinity.
Just like Sun Wukong herself, who became a Half-Celestial Spirit as a rock nurtured within the planet.
Similarly, other beings nurtured by the planet, such as mountain ranges or magma, could be considered children of the planet, i.e., Half-Celestial Spirits. This even included the vast majority of Earth Mother Goddesses.
Their meritorious deeds in developing the "placenta of the star/planet" made many of them qualified to become the Earth Celestial Spirit.
If there were truly no other options, Su Mo would probably consider forcing Sun Wukong to act, or simply doing it himself. However, it was rare for Su Mo to be out of options. At least, the current situation didn't count.
Hearing Su Mo's words, Sun Wukong was overjoyed. "You can really do that? That's wonderful! In that case, I am willing to give up my Divinity as the Earth Celestial Spirit!"
It was less that she was willing to give it up, and more that she had already given it up long ago. When she refused to kill the Demon King of Confusion, she was already fated to have no connection with the Earth Celestial Spirit.
All this time, she had been worried about occupying the position of a Half-Celestial Spirit without being able to meet Little Garden's expectations and become a complete Celestial Spirit.
But who would have thought that someone could perfectly solve her problem?
Not needing to become the Earth Celestial Spirit completely freed Sun Wukong from her shackles and restraints.
Naturally, she no longer needed to kill the Demon King of Confusion. As for the responsibility of becoming the Earth Celestial Spirit, that would have to be entrusted to someone else.
"Very good." Seeing Sun Wukong's decisive response, Su Mo nodded in satisfaction. Then, he looked at the vampire princess who had come over to massage his shoulders with a fawning smile.
"What are your orders, Master?" Lamia, sensing Su Mo's gaze, blinked and asked.
"Bring Veles over," Su Mo instructed. "As the Archdemon of the Azure Flames, the 'Star's Breath' of Earth, she is also an illegitimate child of the star and possesses a certain degree of Half-Celestial Spirit aptitude. She should be useful."
Although natural gas is a gas, like rock, it is a product of the planet's internal cycle, making her a Half-Celestial Spirit of a very low inheritance rank.
"Veles?" Lamia was slightly surprised to hear the name of the big-breasted, child-faced Archdemon.
Connecting this with Su Mo's previous words, she asked with a mix of surprise and doubt, "Master, are you planning to make her the new Earth Celestial Spirit?"
That was too big of a leap! Veles currently only had a 5-digit Divinity. If she could become a 2-digit level Earth Celestial Spirit, it would be no exaggeration to say she had ascended to heaven in a single step.
Lamia and Veles were on good terms, so she naturally wouldn't be jealous. But precisely because of this, she was even more worried. "Miss Veles is too simple-minded. If she were to replace Miss Wukong..."
"No need to worry." Before Lamia could voice her concerns, Su Mo shook his head.
In the original series, Veles, as an illegitimate child of the star, might have had a chance to inherit Sun Wukong's Divinity and become the Earth Celestial Spirit, but that was a choice made out of desperation.
In Su Mo's plans, the Earth Celestial Spirit was a very important position. It would be great if Sun Wukong were willing to take it, but if she wasn't, Su Mo had a better choice.
"I just want to borrow Veles to understand the structure of a Natural Spirit's incarnation. As for the candidate to inherit the Earth Celestial Spirit, I already have someone in mind."
"Yes!" Hearing Su Mo's words, Lamia had no more questions and immediately took her leave to find the big-breasted, child-faced Archdemon of the Azure Flames.
As for Sun Wukong, after a moment's hesitation, she spoke again. "Lord Su Mo, I have an impertinent request."
"Speak," Su Mo said calmly.
"I hope..." After a moment of hesitation, the golden-haired girl stated her request.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, waking from the song and dance of the banquet, Shiroyasha vaguely remembered that she seemed to have missed something.
Shaking off the nearby Kurma, her heart tightened, and she immediately left her guest room and rushed to the Leticia sisters' room not far away.
After knocking for half a minute, she confirmed that the vampire sisters were not in their room, and her heart sank.
Then, she hurried to the door of Su Mo's room. Staring at the closed door, Shiroyasha took a deep breath, her expression filled with apprehension and regret.
Subconsciously, the scene she had worried about before surfaced in her mind. Could it be that while I was at the banquet yesterday, the Leticia sisters were in Su Mo's room, robbing my house? If so, doesn't that mean I missed the best opportunity? It's all that idiot Kurma's fault! I had made plans with Lamia, and I missed it because of her!
In her anguish, she leaned against the door. She didn't hear any strange sounds. Just as her heart relaxed slightly, a delicate, sobbing cry suddenly reached her ears.
Shiroyasha's eyes widened. She didn't know whether to knock and interrupt, or to leave in disgrace. Just then, Su Mo's door creaked open.
A silver-haired loli with shoulder-length hair, owl-like vertical pupils, and a familiar Earth Mother Goddess aura pushed the door open. "You must be the Shiroyasha the Master spoke of?"
The silver-haired loli tilted her head and sized up the girl before her before asking.
"Yes." Shiroyasha subconsciously nodded, then her eyes widened as she looked at the girl. She remembered now. She had seen this silver-haired loli before, on the chat group's live stream!
"You're... the Celestial Spirit Su Mo created before, the Athena from the Campione! world?"