Chapter 230: Divine Essence
The next morning, the dimly lit chamber was filled with a lingering, heady aroma that was almost dizzying. Ye Wen's eyes felt heavy, yet his body, conditioned by years of training, urged him awake. Though last night's battle had ended in his victory albeit a hard won one the toll it took was undeniable.
Massaging his temples, Ye Wen sighed. Bibi Dong's stamina had been formidable; he would have struggled to keep up without tapping into his divine power to sustain himself. Though the "bone draining" experience had been intense, he found himself savoring the memory, as unusual as it was.
It was just after nine in the morning, yet Bibi Dong was already gone. He chuckled at her diligence; unlike an emperor bound to early court meetings, Bibi Dong didn't need to maintain such a rigid schedule. Likely, the pressing demands of her role were due in large part to the chaos caused by Tang Hao. In a feudal world like Douluo Continent, the amount of political matters requiring a leader's attention was considerably low unless someone was constantly stirring up trouble.
For the time being, Ye Wen decided not to return immediately to Tianxing Academy. After all, Bibi Dong's sudden surge in passion had caught him off guard. Rather than returning home in a daze and risking the chaos of juggling explanations, he figured he might as well enjoy a short reprieve.
Being a god didn't mean losing one's humanity, he mused. Even the most devoted need a change of pace now and then. Perhaps Douluo's gods didn't live up to the hype after all; there were certainly limitations to divine endurance that seemed a little lacking. With a self amused grin, he set off, choosing to wander through Wuhun Palace itself.
As the heart of Wuhun Hall's power, Wuhun Palace housed four major sanctuaries:
The Douluo Hall, which honored the mighty Titled Douluo, recording their titles and achievements. It also served as a final resting place for their remains. Yet, in reality, the remains of deceased Titled Douluo were often stripped of their spirit bones, regardless of the solemnity of the hall.The Elder Hall in theory, the stronghold of Wuhun Hall's top ranking Titled Douluo and once under the Pope's command. Since the Elder Hall was mostly made up of members of the Qian family line, Bibi Dong struggled to exercise complete authority there. Yet with Ye Wen's support, Bibi Dong had already replaced many high ranking Wuhun Hall figures, rendering these elders little more than symbolic mascots.The Pope's Hall served as Bibi Dong's domain, where official meetings and religious rituals were held.The Offering Hall the most elite inner circle of Wuhun Hall. Led by Grand Worshipper Qian Daoliu, it housed seven Super Douluo and was a force independent of the Pope's command. Though the Offering Hall made only brief appearances in the story's climax, even Tang San didn't underestimate its power.
Ye Wen's gaze lingered on the Offering Hall as he reflected on the missed opportunities of Qian Renxue's ill conceived takeover plan. In Ye Wen's view, with seven Super Douluo on hand, it would have been far simpler to eradicate the ruling families of both empires in one fell swoop. But personal drama within Wuhun Hall had ultimately undermined that strategy, turning a near certain victory into an unexpected win for Tang San.
Even the last minute decisions to spare Tang San baffled Ye Wen. This was war, not romance; without unwavering resolve, no plan could succeed. In the end, Ye Wen had all but given up on following the original plot.
As he wandered, Ye Wen paused mid step. His original plan had been to pit Qian Renxue against Tang San by ensuring she inherited the Angel God position. In her current state, whether she could hold her own against Tang San was uncertain. Should she fall, her divine essence could be shattered and absorbed by Tang San. Yet allowing such a waste of resources would have far reaching consequences.
Over the years, Ye Wen had gleaned some understanding of divine essence. A god's essence formed by an accumulation of immense spiritual power, divine insight, and compressed faith was not easily obtained or recreated. He himself had studied Sea God's divine essence in hopes of understanding its structure, but he was still limited by the need for materials and time to create an empty godly essence.
The primary ingredient for godly essence was a vast amount of faith energy, something only attainable by gathering believers and harnessing the power of their devotion. For an ordinary soul master, sensing such energy before reaching level 99 was impossible. In the Douluo Star, however, this faith energy was drawn from the innate life force of all beings what Ye Wen called "Primal Light."
This Primal Light gave life its vitality and spiritual growth, allowing the Douluo Star to thrive. But if more gods continued to emerge, the Douluo Star would eventually enter an era of spiritual decline, where soul masters would be left with few resources.
Ye Wen understood, then, that inheriting divine essence was the only viable path to divinity for those on Douluo Star. If Qian Renxue's godly essence were destroyed, the return of this Primal Light would offer only a brief recovery to the world's energy.
The reality was stark: without a strong, unified strategy to conserve resources and minimize waste, every attempt to preserve the world would eventually lead to diminishing returns.
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