Chapter 382: Conversation with Qian Renxue & the Movements of the Divine Realm
After confirming that Qian Daoliu had fallen into a mystical state due to the impact of Qian Renxue's ascension, Han Li and Qian Renxue had no choice but to leave the Angel Shrine for now.
"How's the situation?"
The moment they returned to the courtyard, Qian Renxue immediately asked.
Her divine senses scanned Heaven Dou City.
The city was still stable, but the atmosphere felt different.
She could sense a significant increase in foot traffic about thirty percent higher than usual.
This was definitely not normal.
"Just as we expected the Spirit Empire has been established."
Han Li replied casually while admiring Qian Renxue's new aura.
Her presence was even stronger than before.
"Has she ascended too?"
Qian Renxue frowned slightly.
"Not yet. You're still the first."
"But she's only one step away. Once the war starts and she absorbs negative energy, she'll ascend."
Han Li waved a hand, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Your aura's even stronger now."
Qian Renxue sat beside him and looked at him strangely.
"You're really letting her grow stronger?"
"Why would I stop her?"
"You already know I need faith energy."
"And let's be honest letting her cripple Star Luo first is perfect, isn't it?"
Han Li leaned back.
"When the time comes, we'll step in together.
"We'll harvest faith energy and gain a heroic reputation and unifying the continent will be effortless."
"Why not?"
Qian Renxue studied him for a moment but didn't respond.
This contradicted some of the principles he had lectured her about before.
But considering his personality, it actually made sense.
Han Li wasn't indifferent to the common people
He had always been willing to help them.
But only if it didn't interfere with his goals.
As "Xue Qinghe," she had ruled Heaven Dou for years.
She understood that idealism alone wasn't enough.
And, in a way, Han Li had done even better than her.
While she had only been able to express good intentions, he had actually built an organization his merchant guild to make a real impact.
"It's impossible to protect everyone."
"I'm already doing as much as I can."
Han Li spoke suddenly, his voice carrying a hint of frustration.
It was hard to tell if he was talking to Qian Renxue
Or convincing himself.
"Hmm… as long as you can justify it to yourself."
"The Angel God values justice, but not blind idealism."
"Did Grandfather say anything?"
Qian Renxue held his gaze, her voice calm.
"Uh…"
Han Li hesitated, feeling a little uneasy.
He let out a self mocking laugh.
Maybe he was being too sentimental.
He had already made his choice
Yet he was still setting obstacles for himself.
He was not some moral champion.
Everything was falling into place.
Even though he appeared calm, a subtle sense of unease had begun to weigh on him.
Wait… no, something's off.
Han Li's eyes widened.
He bit the tip of his tongue, using pain to snap himself back to reality.
This wasn't like him at all.
He wasn't someone who doubted himself.
His instincts had been tampered with.
His gaze snapped to Qian Renxue.
She was smirking.
"You set me up? No… is this the effect of your divine seat?"
Han Li quickly realized the truth.
"Yes."
"This wasn't intentional on my part."
"Even if I suppress my divine power, my divine seat and godhood still subtly influence my surroundings."
"It's not a fixed effect, but since you were right next to me during my ascension, you were bound to be affected."
"I thought you might reflect on something else."
"But I guess this is all I got."
Qian Renxue sighed in disappointment.
She had hoped to mess with him a little more, but he had realized the trick too quickly.
Of course
Even if Han Li hadn't noticed, she would've stopped it herself.
She had only meant it as a joke.
Letting it influence him too much would've been crossing the line.
Besides
This was also a lesson.
A warning about the real effects of divine power.
If they were going to face Bibi Dong, Han Li needed to understand this.
Her sister was far more adept at this type of attack than she was.
Han Li opened his mouth, about to curse
But in the end, he held back.
He had a bad habit of not using Douluo's will to defend himself around his allies.
He would need to be more careful from now on.
So this is the power of a true divine seat?
Recognized by the universe itself…
Boosted by natural laws…
No wonder stealing Shura's divine seat was such a necessity.
Han Li's mind raced.
"Fine.
"I admit it was a mistake."
Qian Renxue, seeing his silence, thought he was angry
So she immediately apologized.
"This wasn't intentional I wasn't even actively releasing power."
"It's fine."
"Thanks, actually."
Han Li waved a hand dismissively.
He wasn't about to blame her for his own carelessness.
And more importantly
This had been a valuable lesson.
Until the very end
He couldn't let his guard down.
The rapid increase in power over a short period had indeed made Han Li a bit overconfident lately.
For example, when he stole faith energy from the Angel Shrine for Qian Renxue and got caught red handed by Shura
That was a wake up call.
This was a problem.
It needed fixing.
After reinforcing his mental defenses, Qian Renxue could no longer influence him.
Han Li then projected a light screen, catching her up on all the events she missed due to her divine trials.
Now that she had completed her ascension, it was time for her to take action.
As for Qian Daoliu, the old man had fallen into deep insight into the laws of the world and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
When Qian Renxue learned that, thanks to Han Li's arrangements, the Xue family had now become a branch of the Qian family, she was momentarily speechless.
Her mouth slightly open, processing the news.
But she didn't argue.
This solution was actually quite clever.
The stability of Heaven Dou Empire's situation was proof of that.
"When the time comes, make sure to cooperate with me.
"I'll release your divine radiance again
"Hmm… you'll become a god for the second time."
Han Li smirked as he discussed their next steps.
"As for revealing your true identity
"That's up to you."
He gestured toward the Imperial Palace, where the only remaining legitimate royal bloodline still resided.
"Exposing my identity doesn't matter…
"But Xue Ke…"
Qian Renxue's gaze flickered with complicated emotions before she finally made a decision.
"Forget it. Let's stick to the original plan.
"I'll just revert to using my real name Qian Renxue."
Among the upper ranks of Spirit Hall, her true identity was an open secret.
But there was no need to make it public.
The records would never state she was the daughter of the former Pope and current Pope.
Besides
She and Bibi Dong would eventually stand as enemies.
So why not simply keep the identity Han Li arranged for her?
All that was needed was a name change.
This way, she could also keep Xue Ke as a younger sister.
Wasn't that better?
"When Master wakes up, you can discuss it with him."
Han Li nodded.
As long as she could convince Qian Daoliu, he had no objections.
Now that Qian Renxue was officially a god, she needed no additional titles.
And given how obsessed Qian Daoliu was with his granddaughter, plus the messy history of their family
There was no way he'd object.
After all, the name was restored.
They chatted for a while longer, finishing up business matters.
Since it had been several months since they last met, they had a table of food and wine brought in and relaxed with casual conversation.
"By the way
"Is this a change in the Divine Realm's rules?"
Qian Renxue frowned slightly.
"After ascending, the information I received says I can only stay in the mortal world for one year.
"But that contradicts the records left by our ancestors and the Sea God."
There was clear annoyance in her expression.
This was a hundredfold difference.
"One year?"
Han Li's chopsticks froze in midair.
He put them down.
You've got to be kidding.
In the original timeline, Ma Hongjun stayed in the mortal world until Bai Chenxiang died of old age.
The normal time limit should be around a century.
One year?
This was clearly a move by the Divine Realm.
Was it because of me?
Were they trying to force people connected to me into the Divine Realm?
To use them against me?
Was this Shura's doing again?
Han Li didn't need proof.
He instantly locked in on the culprit.
If it wasn't Shura, then who else could it be?
Adding this to the accelerated divine trials for the others…
Han Li couldn't ignore it.
If they hadn't acted against him directly yet
That meant they still didn't have enough proof.
Which meant the Divine Realm was already preparing to take him down.
At this rate, the people connected to him would all complete their trials within a year.
No within six months.
They were trying to pressure him.
They were forcing his hand.
This was an attempt to swallow him whole.
Han Li took a deep breath.
"No
"The rules haven't changed."
"They're coming after me.
"You're just getting caught in the crossfire."
Since the Divine Realm's gaze wasn't on him at the moment, and the will of Douluo was monitoring things, Han Li spoke freely.
"They're targeting you?"
Qian Renxue stopped eating and looked at him seriously.
Han Li glanced at her.
So all the work he put into convincing Qian Daoliu was pointless?
Now that the old man was in seclusion, he still had to explain everything himself?
Meeting her gaze, Han Li decided not to hide anything.
He told her everything.
Every single detail.
Now that his strength had risen, he no longer needed to soften the truth for her.
He even dropped all attempts at persuading her to stay neutral.
"Hah?"
Even as a new god, Qian Renxue couldn't hide her shock.
"So you're saying
"The planet I've lived on for twenty years actually belongs to you
"And now the Divine Realm is trying to steal it?"
After organizing her thoughts, she summed it up neatly.
"Hmm…
"That's not entirely accurate
"But it's not wrong either."
Han Li wanted to explain more about the Divine Realm's structure and laws
But he didn't even know where to start.
But truthfully
Her summary was on point.
Technically, he had taken over the planet the moment he was born.
And he simply refused to bow down to the Divine Realm.
But who cares about technicalities?
Her phrasing sounded just right to him.
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