Li Er: "Once you ascend to the heavens, you realize how trivial everything below truly is!"
Purdue Sentient Beings: "Time to grab a few roasted chicken legs and feast. Those who refuse to revere the divine deserve whatever fate befalls them..."
Ninja Scientist: "Brother-level power is running rampant once again! Who among us has broken through the third floor of the Thirty-Three-Layered Heavenly Pagoda? I just conquered the second floor!"
Dashan Chu: "Not yet, but I have found my path. As long as I can clear the third level, I feel I will be able to break through to the realm of godhood."
Ordinary Ye Laohei: "You people are true battle maniacs. I only just cleared the second floor myself. Facing my own mirror image nearly did me in—I'm currently sprawled out on the ground, unable to lift a finger."
Within the second layer, he had encountered a mirror reflection of himself.
To pass, one had to completely surpass their current limits; otherwise, defeating that identical counterpart was an impossible feat.
Only by relentlessly ferreting out his own flaws had Ye Fan managed to crush his mirror self and secure victory.
For Peace: "I just took down the second-floor gatekeeper as well. It was brutally tough... But Chu Feng spoke true—I have found my direction too.
"Originally, I simply swung my divine powers around recklessly, relying on the dragon's body while ignoring countless flaws in my own fundamentals.
"Now, I have refined the divine dragon bloodline directly into my flesh, unlocking a second form that doubles my combat strength!"
Seeing Chu Feng's progress had ignited an intense pride within Monkey D. Dragon.
Why should others surge ahead while he fell behind?
He refused to accept stagnation.
He had constantly sought new breakthroughs. Ultimately, while chatting with his son Luffy back home, Luffy's bizarre techniques had caught his attention.
Luffy was a rubber man; even after the Devil Fruit returned to its origin and left him powerless for a time, the boy had come up with many ingenious moves.
For instance, the Snakeman form from his original world, as well as the vibrational resonance of rubber elasticity. By harnessing high-frequency rubber vibrations, Luffy had actually managed to tap into the power of spatial tremors!
That had taken Dragon completely by surprise.
Of course, Luffy had been pushed into a corner as well—because ever since Zoro arrived in the Divine Realm, the swordsman had embarked on an endless journey of wandering challenges, living for battle every single day.
It wasn't until recently that the Straw Hat crew had briefly reunited within the Thirty-Three-Layered Heavenly Pagoda, where Zoro had effortlessly surpassed Luffy and left a message bidding him farewell before advancing to higher realms.
As the former captain, how could Luffy not feel the pressure?
Driven to the brink, Luffy had unlocked his fullest potential.
In truth, this was also tied to Nico Robin's guidance. As an old companion, Robin frequently sent messages via spirit cranes. Alongside serving the Lord God, she now managed the Divine Library and even assisted with ceremonial vestment designs.
Young Master Murong: "By the way, why haven't we seen any of the goddesses chatting lately? Even Rin Tosaka hasn't said a word."
Bearded Swordsman: "They must be in secluded cultivation. Since none of the goddesses are speaking, they are undoubtedly comprehending divine laws. We had better redouble our efforts—I have only just cleared the first floor."
Sadly Reminded Lao Gao: "I've attempted it hundreds of times and still failed... It seems I must completely relearn how to fight from scratch."
Ninja Scientist: "Heh, keep at it. I am off to study the mechanics of the third floor..."
Ancestor of Magic Yearning for Peace: "I truly envy you all. I don't even plan to sleep lately; I only hope I can ascend to the Divine Domain as soon as possible."
Troubled Times: "Herder, are you sure you won't work yourself to exhaustion like that?"
Emperor Qin Shi: "Unlikely. If I recall correctly, Herder is the reincarnation of an ancient entity, currently revered as an Apostle, is she not?"
Ancestor of Magic Yearning for Peace: "Indeed. Going without sleep for a month is nothing to me. Since I failed to meet the Lord God's expectations back then, now that others are competing with me, I must naturally accelerate my progress."
In truth, she could have intervened directly in the Arad continent to disrupt Katie's operations.
Yet Herder had her own pride.
The Empyrean, the Pandemonium Demon Realm, and the Tayberrs territory—developing three fronts simultaneously was far faster than focusing solely on Arad.
Bad Ye Laoxie: "Hey, brothers! I finally found the mission target resting in the deep sea... Whew, I almost failed this quest entirely!"
Purdue Sentient Beings: "And here I was preparing a new nickname for you—Brother Overturned—looks like you won't need it after all. [Smirk.jpg]"
Sadly Reminded Lao Gao: "Pfft... Brother Overturned, that suits him brilliantly."
Bad Ye Laoxie: "I despise you baldies! Alright, I'm heading out to handle the preparations; we'll chat later."
Purdue Sentient Beings: "Farewell..."
Mysterious God of Death: "Seeing how hard everyone is striving, I suppose I must accelerate my own plans. The Thirty-Three-Layered Heavenly Pagoda... I look forward to testing where my limits lie."
Within the Online Game World.
Ye Laoxie stood amidst the depths of the Divine Sea, clad in radiant dragon armor. Bolstered by the Eternal God's divine teachings, the crushing sea pressure could not affect him in the slightest.
Parting the roaring waters before him, he beheld a young girl slumbering peacefully inside a massive crystal of deep purple amethyst.
This was the person his divine mission required him to find.
What a pitiable soul.
Gathering the amethyst crystal into his arms, Ye Laoxie floated upward toward the surface.
Guoguo hovered beside him and asked, "Master, is she our mission target?"
"Mm. As long as we place her upon the sacred altar, the sacrifice can begin. Ouyang Shaogong has already completed his ceremony; mine will not lag behind.
"It is time this entire world truly witnesses the boundless majesty of God!"
Ye Laoxie cared little about the girl's past identity.
As long as he completed the divine task, he would not have to face demise. That alone was enough.
Moreover, the first sacrificial rite was of paramount importance.
Currently, sixteen nations on Earth had passed the strict spiritual evaluation and officially joined the Eternal God Cult, while the grand central altar within the territory of Huaxia had long been erected.
All that remained was the sacred sacrifice.
Stepping onto the inter-dimensional teleportation array established through divine art, Ye Laoxie teleported directly from the sea to the cult's headquarters.
Before him stood the breathtaking Golden Altar City.
Governed by the Divine Cult 1.5 management system, countless players had been steadily leveling up and growing their strength, successfully repelling multiple assaults launched by the main city factions.
Looking at the sleeping girl in Ye Laoxie's arms, Liu Qiyue asked with a gentle smile, "Is everything ready for the sacrifice?"
"Mm. Sister, are you truly prepared?"
"Of course. I have spent enough time wandering the mortal dust; hereafter, my soul belongs to the divine realm..."
Liu Qiyue offered an alluring smile, though an inward sigh escaped her heart.
Fate.
Sometimes, it was truly immutable.
At that moment, the entire player base received an urgent, full-server system broadcast:
[Server Announcement: Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock sharp, the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony of the Eternal God Cult shall formally commence. This sacred rite will forge a direct bridge between our world and the supreme Divine Domain of our Lord God. All devout believers are instructed to bathe, fast, and prepare for prayer.]
"Is it finally beginning?! Tomorrow we shall witness whether this is the grandest hoax of the century or the true descent of almighty gods!"
"Hoax? If this were a hoax, how do you explain the miracles experienced by millions of believers?"
"The divine power of the Eternal God has been verified countless times. That is precisely why corrupt souls cannot pass the evaluation to enter the faith."
At the Earth Federation summit, the heads of state whose nations had successfully joined the cult engaged in their daily rounds of smug ridicule.
Their countries had originally been weak and marginalized, constantly bullied on the global stage.
Now, everything was different. Having joined the Eternal God Cult and received divine blessings, they stood tall and unyielding.
Of the more than one hundred nations participating in the conference, only sixteen—aside from Huaxia—had attained the honor of joining.
This alone demonstrated how rigorous the spiritual review of the Eternal God was.
Meanwhile, across global internet forums, a single debate topic erupted with unprecedented fervor:
[What magnitude of power is truly worthy of being called a God?]
Some proclaimed: "A true god is a being who can obliterate a planet with a casual wave of his hand!"
Others argued: "Creation defines divinity! A being capable of creating celestial bodies is a true god!"
Still others asserted: "A god transcends physical dimensions, existing beyond mortal sight..."
As self-proclaimed academic experts and scholars argued incessantly, a prominent believer from Huaxia posted a single, crushing response:
"From the shallow opinions you post, it is obvious none of you have ever joined the faith, nor have you genuinely studied the sacred scriptures.
"First of all, our Lord God created the boundless multiverse. Anyone with the slightest cosmic awareness knows that Earth is merely a grain of dust in His grand design.
"Furthermore, as long as one cultivates the divine meditation technique and enters deep spiritual communion, one can behold the supreme true form of our Lord God—a colossal, transcendent existence encompassing the universe, with stars and galaxies glittering around His divine form like dust motes.
"By the way: spreading malicious falsehoods and misleading the public constitutes severe blasphemy. Therefore, the spiritual audit for the three regions represented by those self-proclaimed experts above shall be officially postponed for three months!"
Seeing that post, millions of believers burst into uproarious laughter across the forums.
"Haha! Those arrogant clowns got exactly what they deserved!"
"Pretending to be scholars when they're just frogs at the bottom of a well!"
The people of Huaxia and the allied nations rejoiced, while the citizens of those three penalized regions descended into panic and fury, frantically hunting down the three so-called experts who had ruined their chance at divine salvation.
———
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