Chapter 185: If I Become a God, I Grant You Eternal Life
Tianmeng looked at Han Li's smile, feeling extremely uneasy, but it had no way out. It glanced at its surroundings, then at the three Titled Douluo outside the domain who were watching its every move like hawks. Gritting its teeth, it said, "That's right, I begged you."
A man under a roof, a worm at a bird's beak it had no choice.
"Very good. A wise soul beast indeed. Tianmeng, you truly are one of a kind." Han Li smiled, pleased. He had ways to force Tianmeng into submission, but that would have made too much noise. Now that Tianmeng was willing to cooperate on its own, things were much easier.
"I'll spare your life, but I need you to offer yourself in sacrifice to me."
The contradiction in Han Li's words left Tianmeng completely stunned. It didn't understand what Han Li meant at all.
Sensing its confusion, Han Li continued, "How much do you know about godly inheritance and the power of fate?"
"Soul beasts cannot become gods. In the human world, the Spirit Hall is rumored to have divine inheritance. As for the power of fate, after I gained intelligence, all I ever heard of was the Imperial Auspicious Beast, but I have never personally seen such power."
Tianmeng answered truthfully, revealing everything it knew.
"Good. Since you already understand this much, I won't have to explain further." Han Li nodded in satisfaction, skipping the unnecessary details.
"As you guessed, Spirit Hall does indeed possess divine inheritance. But not only Spirit Hall I have it as well. My name is Han Li, the current Holy Son of Spirit Hall."
He tossed a token in front of Tianmeng, letting it examine it at its leisure. Whether or not Tianmeng recognized the emblem didn't matter; Han Li only wanted to make a point.
"Not only do I have divine inheritance I have more than one."
As he spoke, divine energy surged within the domain, floating in front of Tianmeng. Just the sheer presence of this energy made it feel suffocated.
"Moreover, I am also the human world's equivalent of an Imperial Auspicious Beast. Unlike them, I can directly manipulate fate and even modify or establish certain rules."
With that, Han Li had his little "obedient son" link the conversation directly into Tianmeng's consciousness. In its mind, an exact replica of Han Li appeared, and suddenly, the perspective of fate was unveiled before it.
From Tianmeng's eyes, Han Li was shrouded in golden, auspicious clouds, with countless threads linking him to everyone present including itself. These threads were subtly enhancing each individual's fortune.
Its own massive clump of white luck was slowly shifting towards red, though at an extremely sluggish pace. Meanwhile, the others had almost no red at all; their luck was predominantly wrapped in deep purple, with hints of gold flickering beneath the surface.
Tianmeng attempted to probe these changes with its spiritual power, but it found nothing unusual. This confirmed that what it was witnessing was not an illusion or a trick of spirit power.
"I'm telling you this to make one thing clear if you sacrifice yourself to me, you will not die. In fact, I will give you an opportunity to change your fate. So, what do you say? Do you accept?"
In both reality and its mind, the two "Han Li"s spoke simultaneously, their words booming within Tianmeng's consciousness.
"I believe you… but could you please leave my spiritual space? I'm not used to this..."
Tianmeng had now fully accepted its place, even addressing Han Li with utmost respect.
Han Li nodded, and Tianmeng's spiritual space finally calmed down. Its vision returned to normal, though its fear of Han Li had only deepened mixed now with a strange excitement.
"What exactly do you mean by changing my fate? Of course, even if you don't answer, I will still offer myself in sacrifice."
The cowardly silkworm had completely adapted to its role, willingly lowering itself.
"I will allow you to retain your original body, including your soul and consciousness. I will grant you the bloodline of a dragon and the power of the Ultimate Ice Spring, transforming you into an ice dragon the guardian of this place."
Han Li tapped his fingers against the armrest of his ice throne, watching as joy spread across Tianmeng's face. But then he delivered the true finishing blow.
"And…"
He paused deliberately. Seeing Tianmeng's eyes light up in anticipation, he finally smiled.
"When I ascend to godhood, I will allow you to follow me into the God Realm, granting you immortality as a divine beast."
Entering the God Realm. Attaining eternal life. Becoming a divine beast.
These nine words echoed repeatedly in Tianmeng's mind. It could hardly believe that Han Li was offering it such a generous deal so generous it felt unreal.
But it couldn't help but ask, "Really?"
"You're already here. What reason do I have to lie to you?"
Han Li lifted his hand slightly. Tianmeng dared not resist, and in that moment, it could feel the very laws of the world shifting, making it possible for it to initiate the sacrificial ceremony.
Seeing its body instinctively tense up, Han Li calmly lowered his hand, smiling. "Now, do you have any more doubts?"
"None at all."
Tianmeng shook its head so fast it was practically a blur. It didn't even have the option to resist.
"Now do you understand why I told you all of this?"
Han Li raised an eyebrow, looking at the now unusually obedient Tianmeng.
"I understand. You didn't want to waste any energy. Being chosen by you is my greatest honor."
Tianmeng grinned obsequiously, its tone utterly sincere.
Hearing Tianmeng's response, Han Li nodded in satisfaction. Giving it room to think and reach conclusions on its own was far more effective than simply telling it outright.
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention once you become the guardian of this place, your growth rate here will be more than ten times faster." Han Li rose from his frozen throne and slowly stepped down, speaking as if he were casually bringing up an insignificant detail.
"If I'm in a good mood, you might even advance into the realm of ten thousand year soul beasts very quickly."
Han Li dismissed his domain entirely but kept the protective layer of spring water around his body. With his back to Tianmeng, he walked toward Guang Ling and the other two.
Tianmeng's body trembled. Understanding Han Li's implication, it rushed to his side at full speed, following behind him like a loyal pet.
"Alright, Master, Uncle, Old Man, you can stand down. Tianmeng and I have finished talking it's one of us now." Han Li greeted the three, while the others stared at Tianmeng, who was bowing and nodding toward them. For a moment, they were at a loss for words.
"Go fill up the hole you dug."
Han Li didn't hesitate to give orders to Tianmeng.
"Got it."
Tianmeng responded instantly and burrowed back into the tunnel it had used to escape.
"You're not worried it'll run?" Guang Ling asked, pointing at the hole with some doubt.
"No, it won't. It wouldn't dare even if it wanted to."
Han Li shook his head and smiled.
"So it really is your chosen seventh spirit ring? And it's going to sacrifice itself for you?"
Dugu Bo still found it difficult to believe. He could clearly see Tianmeng seemed oddly… eager. Since when did soul beasts line up to die?
"Because I'm letting it live and have promised it certain conditions."
Han Li answered casually, though most of his focus remained on the glowing light in his consciousness.
He might have spoken lightly, but until the final outcome was secured, he wouldn't lower his guard. Sending Tianmeng away to "fix" the tunnel was just another test.
Right now, Tianmeng was a full kilometer away, yet its spiritual energy still subtly covered this area. Han Li naturally wouldn't reveal his real thoughts.
"Oh, I see. That makes sense."
Even Qing Luan nodded along with the other two. They had all undergone the sacrificial process before if Tianmeng could survive its own sacrifice, it wasn't entirely impossible.
After spending years with Han Li, they had long since become numb to the strange and impossible things that happened around him. At this point, they simply trusted him.
Meanwhile, a kilometer away, Tianmeng's body briefly stiffened before it abruptly accelerated its pace, quickly closing in on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Barely a minute later, Tianmeng re emerged from the tunnel, once again wearing its goofy, harmless expression. It obediently returned to Han Li's side.
"After breaking through to the million year level, did you gain any new abilities?"
Han Li suddenly turned to Tianmeng, speaking in a relaxed, conversational tone.
To be honest, he wasn't sure how Tianmeng had broken through. He had originally planned to use the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to forcibly push it to the million year level before the sacrifice.
"I didn't gain any new abilities."
Tianmeng had no idea what Han Li was thinking and simply answered honestly. "For some reason, Ditian and the others stopped tormenting me and instead became highly vigilant, concealing their auras."
"When I forcibly escaped, a tiny green light drifted out of a spatial crack. It was very small when it touched me, it disappeared. I felt really comfortable, then I broke through. Thanks to that power, I replenished my body's deficiencies and burrowed underground, escaping until today, when I sensed the rich energy here and dared to reveal myself."
"So right now, both your soul power and spiritual power are at their peak?"
Han Li narrowed his eyes, confirming the situation.
A tiny green light… That must have been Life Gold. A bit of a waste.
Tianmeng nodded rapidly, as if trying to prove its worth.
"Not bad."
Han Li replied absentmindedly, already calculating how to make the most of this energy.
Even with his four external spirit bones, the sheer influx of energy from Tianmeng's sacrifice would be overwhelming.
It seemed he would have to take some risks. Han Li glanced at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, already formulating a plan.
Afterward, he would need to consult with his "obedient son" to refine the strategy and minimize the risks.
His situation was different from Huo Yuhao's. He had no intention of carrying a spirit inside him he would have to rely on external forces.
At the same time, he wanted to use this as an opportunity to confirm whether certain things were truly "dead" and if not, to exploit the rules to eliminate any lingering threats once and for all.
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