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As soon as he stepped out of the cocoon, Meteor instantly noticed something was off with Liuying's expression. She glanced away, but her eyes kept sneaking peeks at him.
The Goddess of Life just chuckled softly, waved her delicate hand, and the green cocoon of light split into two beams—one shot toward Meteor, the other toward Liuying.
Meteor felt a sudden shift—he was now wearing a white robe. At the same time, a dress draped itself over Liuying.
The corner of Meteor's mouth twitched. He immediately understood what had just happened. But hey, he wasn't a girl, and only the Goddess of Life and Liuying had seen anything, so it's not like he lost anything. He decided to just pretend nothing had happened.
Clenching his fists, Meteor felt an overwhelming strength surging through him. This small, youthful body felt ten thousand times better than the one he used to have—ravaged and broken by illness.
"So this… is Liuying's power?"
Even though he'd already seen her memories—how, at her peak, Liuying could go full beast mode and blow up entire planets—right now, she was just a little girl.
The "imaginary energy" that powered her insane boosts wasn't something this world could provide. At the moment, all she had was this body—genetically modified using the DNA of the Zhen Zhe Bug species—and it carried the bloodline of the Star Gods of reproduction.
She also had her exclusive mecha, Sam, the Firefly IV-type strategic assault armor, made from the corpses of a swarm. It had been bonded to her since birth. But transforming into Sam required that same imaginary energy—and without it, Liuying could only fight by burning her own life force.
Meteor's current body was modeled after Liuying's. It was created using the Life Sharing Ritual. He now shared her bloodline and strength—that was the true effect of the ritual: it allowed the receiver to gain everything from the donor.
If it had been the Goddess of Life who performed the ritual with him, he could've shot straight to godhood—become the God of Life and shared her divine status. But even now, it was basically the same deal. Since Liuying was the Goddess's successor, Meteor could share that power too.
And this was no one-way deal. They were now sharing everything. When Liuying improved her strength, Meteor would also get stronger through their connection. And vice versa—if Meteor trained and powered up, Liuying would level up as well. In other words, if she trained hard, Meteor could literally just nap and still get stronger.
The Life Sharing Ritual was that insane. The Goddess of Life might not be the strongest in combat, but when it came to support, healing, and divination—all that non-combat stuff—she left the other God Kings in the dust.
"So this is what it means to live off someone else's power, huh?"
Meteor clicked his tongue in amazement. This was too good to be true. Sure, the ritual had tied his fate to Liuying's for life—but what was there to complain about? He was overjoyed.
He was supposed to be dead. Getting a second life like this? He owed everything to Liuying and the Goddess of Life. He couldn't be more grateful.
But still...
Meteor glanced at his own tiny arms and legs, then looked at Liuying. His expression turned strange. His body was based on hers... so what did that make their relationship now?
The Goddess of Life looked at the two kids—wide-eyed Meteor and pouty Liuying—and gave a soft chuckle. Everything was going exactly as she had planned.
Liuying carried both Life and Destruction within her. She could inherit either divine role. But trying to inherit both Life and Destruction would cause massive conflict. That was exactly why she and the God of Destruction had never been able to create a child of their own.
Even as the Goddess of Life, she couldn't carry a child with the God of Destruction. In the same way, Liuying probably couldn't handle the clash of both divine powers. Sure, Life and Destruction could combine into Creation eventually—but before they fused, the conflicting powers could very well kill her.
The Goddess didn't know where Liuying had come from, or how Life and Destruction could coexist within her, but in this universe, she had to follow this universe's rules. Still, Liuying had the potential to break those rules—which is exactly why the Goddess had chosen her.
Meteor's presence gave her even more ideas. Thanks to successful cases like Sea God and Shura Sword's Xiao Wu, the Goddess of Life had remembered the long-forgotten Life Sharing Ritual.
Sea God and Xiao Wu shared a divine role, and could switch between Sea God and Shura God at will. So why couldn't Meteor do the same with Liuying?
If Meteor inherited the position of God of Destruction, then he and Liuying would be like a dual-god setup too. They could switch between Life and Destruction freely. That would not only solve the conflict between the two powers but also let them truly understand both Life and Destruction.
Eventually, the two could merge both godly powers into Creation—becoming the Creator God, a supreme being like the Dragon God, the one and only in the universe.
And at that point, even if she and the God of Destruction still couldn't have a child, Liuying and Meteor, as Creator Gods, could help them make one. If you're the only Creator God in the universe, surely that kind of miracle is within reach, right?
"Thank you, Goddess of Life!"
Both Liuying and Meteor bowed deeply in unison. If not for the Goddess, Meteor's story would've ended already—and Liuying wouldn't have had a clue where to go next.
The Goddess of Life smiled gently. "Alright then. I'll send you two to a life planet. You're not fit to survive in the God Realm just yet. A mortal world is much better for your growth. Every world is different, and you'll need to adapt to this one. And if you want to inherit my divine position, you'll have to pass the Divine Trial. If you fail… even I can't hand it over to you. That's the rule of the God Realm. As a Judge God, I have to lead by example."
"Judge God?"
Meteor felt a wave of déjà vu. These terms were all too familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard them before.
The Goddess of Life paused to think. Their God Realm ruled over 108 lower-level planes, each with a different cultivation system. But they all had one goal—becoming gods. Different paths, same destination.
She was trying to figure out which world would best suit Liuying and Meteor's growth. It was clear Liuying had once been extremely powerful, but ever since entering this universe, she'd lost most of her strength due to the change in cosmic laws.
To inherit her divine seat, Liuying would have to cultivate within this universe's system. Otherwise, it'd be almost impossible.
"I've got it. I'll send you to Douluo Star."
She had made up her mind.
Among the God Realm's domains, Douluo Star was considered one of the higher-tier worlds. Its cultivation system was quite unique. Over time, it had produced several first-class gods and even a God King. The original Sea God and Angel God had both ascended from Douluo Star. The current dual-god, Tang San—Sea God and Shura God—also came from there.
That alone showed how special that world was.
And since Meteor and Liuying were going to walk the path of dual-godhood, Douluo Star was the perfect place for them to grow.
"....."