"You don't seem particularly curious about what happened back then. Or... do you already know some secrets?" The woman's gaze swept over Su Wen, her eyes full of meaning.
"Yes." Su Wen didn't hide it, nodding slightly.
"Many gods from the Primordial God Realm died in that great calamity, while the Dragon and Phoenix races were almost completely wiped out, with only a scant few survivors. And now, there is truly no one left of my Phoenix clan…" the woman said quietly.
"I intend to leave a Phoenix Divine Mark within your little girlfriend's body. When she ascends to godhood in the future, it would count as preserving one of the last pureblood lines of the Phoenix. Would you agree?" The Ancient Ice God spoke, looking to Su Wen.
"...About that, my opinion doesn't matter. It's up to whether she's willing or not," Su Wen replied awkwardly.
"Hehe, you needn't be so guarded with me." The woman smiled gently, stepping past Su Wen. "The girl's heart and mind are tied to you, not to mention the profound, bone-deep soul link you share. It's not an exaggeration to say you could control her fate."
"If she's your servant, that means you get to decide everything for her."
"She is not my servant," Su Wen frowned slightly.
"…"
The Ancient Ice God paused, then sighed.
"Alright then, just give me a straightforward answer. Do you want to preserve my Phoenix bloodline or not?"
"Does she need to fuse with the other before inheriting the Ice God's position?" Su Wen mused.
"Yes. Each of them has a sliver of my remaining bloodline inside their body. If I purify it, they'll become a true pureblood Ice Phoenix, attaining the level of godhood, equal to the Dragon God."
"So… they'd have to share a divine seat?"
"Hehe, my Ice Godhood is at the peak Divine King level. Even if two merge together, it's still not an insult to them."
"Alright…" Su Wen thought for a moment, then nodded.
The Ancient Ice God seemed to be asking, but Su Wen knew he had no real choice. These were ancient beings of tremendous power, equals to the Dragon God, far above his station.
Besides, as the Ice Empress advanced, she encountered more and more nearly-godlike enemies, rendering her extreme ice ability increasingly ineffective. She'd appeared less often than even the Snow Empress lately.
The Snow Empress was better, but not by much.
Inheriting the Ancient Ice God's position… could actually be a good thing.
Even if it meant fusing together…
"You are… the Ancient Ice God?" Gu Yuena looked at the figure in surprise, awakened by the familiar aura.
"She's the Snow Empress. No, strictly speaking, she's a fusion of the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress—just with the Snow Empress currently in control of the body." Su Wen shook his head with a smile.
Like Gu Yuena, this weakened version of the Ancient Ice God had the status of a top god, but only the power equivalent to a million years of cultivation.
"Oh~." Gu Yuena gave Su Wen a meaningful smile. "How does it feel to be with the Ancient Ice God?"
She appraised Su Wen with a smile.
"I…" Su Wen was a little helpless—truly deserving her title as Silver Dragon King, always thinking outside the box.
"Give it a try, then." The reserved, chilly voice of the Snow Empress suddenly spoke up.
"Hehe…" Gu Yuena mischievously covered her mouth and giggled.
Su Wen: "…"
Inside the black hole.
Location unknown.
"Welcome to the Land of the Godly Tombs…" As the surrounding black mist dissipated, a figure slowly appeared before Tang San and the others. He was clad in white, an aura of music rippling around him, a faint smile on his lips as he inspected the group.
"There are still humans here?" Tang San was full of surprise.
"This place, within the black hole, is the last refuge we surviving gods forged through endless years," Ye Yinzhu sighed softly.
"An assemblage of god realms…" Tang San's eyes narrowed.
He'd once thought, as the Asura God King, that commanding his divine realm made him invincible. But now… there were other powers here?
When his gaze met Ye Yinzhu's, there was a strange sense of familiarity, as if they'd met centuries ago.
"Come, I'm not the only one waiting inside." Ye Yinzhu smiled and gestured.
Tang San's expression was calm. Only his consciousness was present—he wasn't afraid of these people scheming against him.
He walked into an ancient-style courtyard.
Two figures sat silently within.
One, in blue robes, tall and unruly—none other than the Hai Long Immortal Emperor.
The other, with a buzzcut and red hair, muscles twisted and imposing, his rough face both formidable and intimidating. Both quietly gazed at Tang San.
Tang San didn't feel anything special toward the Hai Long, but the red-haired man struck him as oddly familiar, like they were the same kind of person.
"Mad God Lei Xiang!" the red-haired man said.
"Asura. Tang San." Tang San reached out to shake his hand.
His divine consciousness lingered here a while and quickly understood the situation: there were six god realms in total—a seventh if you included his own. Each realm sent a representative, all working together to find a way out of the black hole.
It was even proposed that the various gods form an alliance, creating a 'Super God Realm'.
After returning his consciousness,
Back in the Divine Realm, Zhou Weiqing, Lie Yan, and Ji Dong all gathered around Tang San.
Tang San briefly explained what he'd seen and his intention to ally with the others.
"Dad, isn't that too risky?" Huo Yuhao hesitated.
"I get a very good feeling from them. There's a vague sense of familiarity, even kinship. If we ally, I believe they'll make good friends. Trust my intuition..." Tang San smiled gently.
"The priority now is to become a god," Su Wen mused.
With his bug-like powers, once he ascended, he could instantly wield power far beyond an ordinary Divine King—it wouldn't be a stretch to say that his godhood would allow his contracted beasts to soar.
"I'm at the peak of level 98. In a few days, I'll hit level 99, just half a step from becoming a god."
"But… isn't there supposed to be a test by the God of Time and Space? Or did he just forget about me?" Su Wen scratched his head.
Probably not? As an ancient being from the Dragon God's era, that one should still be reliable...
Otherwise, how would Su Wen get the divine seat for his advancement? The last time they met, he hadn't mentioned how to get in touch.
Su Wen was a little troubled.
At Tang San's level, the godly test was nearly over, but Su Wen still didn't have a clue.
No matter. Fate would work things out. He'd wait until he reached the Limit Douluo level.
In the small shop—
A figure walked in sheepishly behind Gu Yue.
"Hey, Su Wen, gimme a Poké Ball for Sister Hong!" Gu Yue pointed haughtily at the nearby Crimson Mother, arms crossed.
Su Wen: "…"
"Hey—!"
Gu Yue immediately clutched her head and howled.
"Who are you calling Su Wen? No respect at all." Su Wen calmly lowered his hand.
"You want me to call you 'Daddy'? Dream on!" Gu Yue seethed. "Unless… you cut down on my training."
....