"That old tree used its own cultivation to help awaken the Divine Blood and elevate its origin. This is good," said the God of Destruction expressionlessly. "Though unexpected, it has saved us much effort."
"Mm!" Jing Shaoyu nodded upon hearing the God of Destruction's words.
"Our time is limited," the God of Destruction continued. "In the coming period, we will teach you the Path of Destruction and the Path of Creation. Be prepared."
"Yes!" Excitement flashed in Jing Shaoyu's eyes. Being personally instructed by two God Kings in the Path of Destruction and the Path of Creation truly thrilled him. After all, both the Power of Destruction and the Power of Creation were energy laws of a higher order than those of Douluo Star. If he could master these two abilities, it would greatly enhance his combat prowess!
"Shaoyu, you can spend one day learning the Path of Creation with me and another day learning the Path of Destruction with your uncle," the Goddess of Life said with a warm smile. "We'll begin the formal lessons tomorrow. For today, let's just get acquainted."
"Understood, Auntie," Jing Shaoyu replied.
"Show us your Martial Soul and your current strength," the God of Destruction commanded.
"What exactly should I do?" Jing Shaoyu asked.
"Release your Martial Soul. We'll assess the rest ourselves," the God of Destruction replied flatly.
"Got it."
With a nod, Jing Shaoyu willed his Natural God Spirit Soul to manifest in its Martial Soul Avatar form. Seeing this, the Goddess of Life placed a hand on him, and the Power of Creation immediately radiated from his body. Sensing such pure Power of Creation, her eyes brightened considerably.
"Excellent! As expected of the Core of Life from a Quasi-God Star!" she exclaimed joyfully. "To possess the Power of Creation governed by natural laws—even I envy you."
"Quasi-God Star? What's that?" Hearing the unfamiliar term, Jing Shaoyu couldn't help but ask curiously.
"The universe we inhabit is composed of countless life-bearing planets. These planets are fundamentally the same, but based on the lifeforms they nurture, they are categorized into three types.
"The first type consists of ordinary planets, where lifeforms cannot possess supernatural powers or have lost their supernatural systems. Such planets are rare in the universe. Even at its peak, the Douluo God Realm governed less than a tenth of them.
"The second type comprises transcendent planets—those with complete supernatural systems. The energy level and origin grade of these planets directly determine the life intensity of their inhabitants. These are the most numerous in the universe. Douluo Star is a classic example of a transcendent planet, and one of the finest among them.
"The third type is God Stars. These planets possess energy levels surpassing the divine and contain immensely powerful life origins. The most obvious manifestation is their ability to sustain divine lifeforms. God Stars are the rarest in the universe. Even at the height of the Douluo God Realm's glory, none were born under its jurisdiction.
"I have only ever seen one God Star—the former Dragon God Star."
The God of Destruction explained calmly, though a trace of melancholy flickered in his eyes when he mentioned the Douluo God Realm's most glorious era.
"A Quasi-God Star is a planet that exists between a transcendent planet and a God Star. In essence, it still belongs to the category of transcendent planets, but because such planets frequently give birth to divine-level beings, they are called Quasi-God Stars," the Goddess of Life continued where the God of Destruction left off. "The energy level of a Quasi-God Star reaches the pinnacle of transcendent planets, and its planetary origin approaches perfection, having the potential to ascend into a true God Star."
"Only by becoming a God Star can one qualify to compete in the cosmos and the universe," the God of Destruction added. "Without external intervention, it would take Douluo Star at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years to ascend into a God Star."
"So that's how it is," Jing Shaoyu exclaimed in surprise, truly understanding the truth of the universe for the first time.
"Devouring the core essence of other planets or assimilating the world energy of independent realms can accelerate the ascension of a Quasi-God Star," the Goddess of Life explained. "Alternatively, there's an even faster method—merging a God Realm with a transcendent planet can instantly elevate it into a God Star. However, the conditions for this method are extremely stringent. The deity who established the God Realm must be a being born from that planet. Only then can the two perfectly harmonize. Otherwise, forced fusion would only result in a double loss, with both sides suffering a decline in rank."
"What about the Douluo God Realm..." Jing Shaoyu was curious because, according to the Goddess of Life's explanation, the Douluo God Realm could theoretically merge with Douluo Star and evolve into a God Star. That would undoubtedly be a win-win situation.
"The Douluo God Realm is merely what you call it in relation to Douluo Star," the Goddess of Life said helplessly. "In reality, its connection to Douluo Star is only one-fifth."
"What do you mean?" Jing Shaoyu looked at the Goddess of Life, puzzled.
"Among the five God Kings who originally established and maintained the God Realm, only the Asura God was born from Douluo Star. The God of Kindness and the God of Evil were deities born from the Five Element Stars, while I and Destruction are cosmic deities born from the void," the Goddess of Life explained.
"The Creator God who established the God Realm perished due to the exhaustion of His God Power. Little Purple and I were born from His essence. Because our Father God perished suddenly, the newly formed God Realm was unstable and at risk of collapse. So, we joined forces with the God of Kindness, the God of Evil, and the Asura God to maintain the God Realm. As a result, the authority of the God Realm was divided into five parts, giving rise to the five God Kings of the God Realm."
"The dispersal of authority meant the God Realm lacked a unified core. It couldn't merge with Douluo Star, nor was it compatible with the Five Element Stars. Thus, it could only exist as an independent realm stationed in this sector of the cosmos."
"I see," Jing Shaoyu murmured, his expression dawning with understanding. Such secrets were likely known only to ancient deities like Life and Destruction.
But the old Asura God actually attained godhood on Douluo Star? No wonder He left a legacy on the Douluo Continent and was closely connected to the old Poseidon—they were fellow natives! Then why did He clash with the Angel God? Was it because the Angel God was female?
"So your responsibility is immense," the God of Destruction interjected.
Jing Shaoyu instinctively turned his gaze toward the God of Destruction.
"As the Planet Spirit and Core of Life of Douluo Star, attaining godhood is no challenge for you. The most crucial task is how to elevate the entire Douluo Star, transforming it into a true God Star," the God of Destruction continued, indifferent to Jing Shaoyu's stare.
"You must understand that your fate is intertwined with that of Douluo Star. So remember, the first thing you must do after ascending to godhood is to find a way to elevate Douluo Star's rank. Let me make this clear—Douluo Star is currently in grave danger. An Abyss Plane, whose overall strength is no weaker than Douluo Star's, is invading it.
Either Douluo Star devours the Abyss Plane, or the Abyss Plane devours Douluo Star. The choice between these two destinies lies in your hands."
"I understand!" Jing Shaoyu replied with a solemn expression.
Ascending to godhood, eradicating the Abyss Plane, and elevating the planet's essence—these were his main objectives moving forward. Everything else would have to pave the way for these three tasks.
"Shaoyu, you don't need to be too tense. Your uncle and I will help you," the Goddess of Life reassured him, gently stroking his head with a comforting smile. "As the being universally acknowledged as the most naturally gifted in the cosmos, the ascension rate for Planet Spirits is one hundred percent.
Moreover, you carry the essence of a God King within you, which already places you above ninety-nine percent of all Planet Spirits. As long as you follow our guidance and fully refine and assimilate the God King's essence, even if you ascend step by step, you could directly reach the God Third Realm!"
"God Third Realm?" Another unfamiliar term, another unknown realm.
"The God System, which exists above the mortal cultivation system, is divided into ascending tiers: God First Realm, God Second Realm, God Third Realm, all the way up to God Sixth Realm—abbreviated as God First, God Second, God Third, and so on..." the God of Destruction explained.
"Alternatively, using the God Realm's standards, God First corresponds to an ordinary divine official, God Second to a third-tier deity with a low-ranking Divine Throne, God Third to a second-tier deity with a mid-ranking Divine Throne, God Fourth to a first-tier deity with a high-ranking Divine Throne, and God Fifth to a God King with a supreme Divine Throne. As for God Sixth... I don't know, because only Father God has reached that realm."
"What about the Dragon God?" Jing Shaoyu was gaining his first clear understanding of the God System, and upon hearing the God of Destruction mention the God Sixth Realm, he couldn't help but think of the Dragon God.
"The Dragon God was powerful, but he never reached the Sixth Realm," the God of Destruction shook his head. "Though there are distinctions between ordinary God Kings and Supreme God Kings, those are differences in God Power, not in the hierarchy of life itself."
"Understood." Jing Shaoyu nodded. The Goddess of Life had said that, at the very least, he could directly attain the status of a second-tier deity. This excited him—after all, the strongest 'old-timer' on the Douluo Continent right now, Tang Hao, was only a second-tier deity, and one without a Divine Throne at that.
A second-tier deity was Tang Hao's ceiling, yet it was merely Jing Shaoyu's floor. How could he not be thrilled?
Of course, Tang Hao was only worth a brief moment of excitement for Jing Shaoyu—his true opponents were never Tang Hao, but the Abyss Monarch of the Abyss Plane and the God King Tang San lurking within the depths of the black hole!
"Condensing a Soul Core with the Power of Creation—impressive." Returning to the main topic, the Goddess of Life gazed at Jing Shaoyu, her eyes shimmering as if she could see right through him. She smiled and said, "But its position is wrong. If it were anchored in your heart, it would be perfect."
"Understood." Jing Shaoyu nodded thoughtfully.
"Good. Now, release your second Martial Soul," the God of Destruction instructed.
Jing Shaoyu did not hesitate. He raised his hand, and a black spear appeared in his grasp. The spear appeared ordinary at first glance, with a pyramidal tip and deep, winding blood grooves. Its shaft was sturdy, inscribed with eerie patterns, and it exuded an aura of doom that made it unbearable to behold.
The Doomsday Godslaying Spear—no, it should now be called the Doomsday Divine Spear.
His Origin Elf Soul had evolved due to the Divine Blood, and naturally, the Doomsday Godslaying Spear refused to lag behind. Under the influence of the God of Destruction's Divine Blood and the Star Spirit Origin, it had transformed into the true embodiment of apocalypse—the Doomsday Divine Spear.
The God of Destruction gazed at the Doomsday Divine Spear in Jing Shaoyu's hand, his eyes glowing with crimson light. A look of joy spread across his face as he said, "Good! Very good! Pure Power of Destruction—excellent!"
Seeing the God of Destruction actually smile was surprising not only to Jing Shaoyu but even to the Goddess of Life.
"The Power of Destruction has also condensed into a Soul Core. Hmm," the God of Destruction continued, examining Jing Shaoyu from head to toe before nodding in satisfaction. "It would be even better if it could anchor itself in the dantian."
Hearing this, Jing Shaoyu stiffened slightly before shrugging helplessly. Well, if both God Kings said so, he would have to make adjustments.
When he broke through to Soul Saint, he had simultaneously condensed his second Soul Core. As the God of Destruction had said, this second Soul Core was primarily formed from the Soul Power of the Doomsday Divine Spear—a Destruction Soul Core, which could also be called the Earth Core.
Like the first Soul Core, the second was also engraved with special runes.
This was one of the Eight Trigrams—the Kun Trigram.
The first Soul Core bore the Qian Trigram, representing Heaven, while the second bore the Kun Trigram, representing Earth. To bear both Heaven and Earth upon oneself—such a privilege was likely reserved only for him, the Planet Spirit.
According to the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction, he needed to swap the positions of his first and second Soul Cores. Though difficult, it wasn't impossible for him, as his Soul Core system hadn't fully solidified yet and could still be adjusted.
If he were to condense a third Soul Core, however, things would become truly troublesome. Once a three-core system took shape, unless he abandoned his cultivation and started anew, there would be no way to alter it.
"I'll make the adjustments," Jing Shaoyu said.
"Put away your Martial Soul," the God of Destruction waved his hand dismissively. "We already understand your situation. Your foundation is solid, and your path is steady. Even without us, ascending to godhood would be effortless for you. Our presence merely accelerates the process."
The Goddess of Life maintained her gentle smile. "Shaoyu, that's enough for today. Starting tomorrow, come to us in person."
"Understood, Auntie," Jing Shaoyu replied respectfully.
Then, both the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction stood up simultaneously. Jing Shaoyu's vision darkened, and he felt his body grow unbearably heavy, plummeting downward. When he opened his eyes again, he was back on Devil Island, surrounded by five old demons wearing expectant expressions.
"You're awake! Wonderful!" the Greedy Old Devil exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Jing Shaoyu stir.
"How long was I gone?" Jing Shaoyu asked instinctively.
"Three days," the Lazy Old Demon answered. "We thought you'd sleep for months, but you woke up in just three days. How unusual."
"Kid, hurry up and tell us—what did you experience?" the Desire Old Demon asked eagerly, brimming with curiosity.
"That's right, that's right! Have you seen the Destruction God King and the Life God King?" the Devouring Old Demon immediately chimed in.
"Seniors, is there something you need my help with?" Jing Shaoyu asked with a chuckle, having already seen through the old demons' intentions, which made him quite composed.
"Look at you all! Now you've gone and exposed yourselves!" the Hate Old Demon grumbled in frustration at the others.
"Enough!" the Greedy Old Devil said sternly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of! Just tell him directly—no need to beat around the bush. It's annoying!"
With that, the Greedy Old Devil turned to Jing Shaoyu, his gaze filled with both hope and fear.
"Kid, we want to know—once you become a god, can you help us escape this Devil Island?" he said, his tone filled with melancholy. "A thousand years... We've had enough of this half-life, neither human nor ghost!"
"Seniors, when you say 'escape Devil Island,' do you merely wish to be free from its control, or do you seek liberation for your souls?" Jing Shaoyu asked after a moment of silence.
"Is there a difference?" the Greedy Old Devil said self-deprecatingly. "Our souls have survived this long only because of the Life Energy on this island. If we leave Devil Island, our souls will naturally dissipate."
"I understand," Jing Shaoyu replied with a nod, then smiled mysteriously. "Actually, you don't have to give up on yourselves. I have a way to grant you true freedom!"
(End of Chapter)