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*****
According to the universal rules of the Divine Realm, subordinate planes were not permitted to become divine-level planes.
Cultivators who possessed the true potential for godhood were granted divine thrones early on. They were forbidden from remaining in their original planes for too long, and gods were likewise barred from interfering with the lower realms.
This was all to prevent powerful deities from influencing a plane's development, which could trigger a planar ascension.
A divine-level planet did not mean that gods were as common as dogs or that those at the Limit Douluo level were everywhere. In fact, many divine-level planets in the universe gave birth to a very limited number of god-level experts. Maintaining a double-digit number of god-level powerhouses in the same era was an achievement reserved only for extremely rare divine planets.
Under normal circumstances, a newly ascended divine-level plane would see at most five or six Limit cultivators--who had been suppressed to their absolute boundaries for far too long--break through to the god level. Beyond that, as the planet ascended, the talent of succeeding generations of cultivators would generally be enhanced, making the Limit level increasingly common. However, the threshold of godhood remained a celestial tribulation.
If anything, breaking through the Limit became even harder than before.
Even in a mature divine-level plane, the number of god-level powerhouses remained limited. Furthermore, a divine planet was not the end of the line; it would still restrict the development of cultivation systems.
Above divine-level planets were ultra-divine planets, and above those lay even higher planar territories.
The strongest individual born on a simple divine planet would at most reach the True God level. In the Divine Realm, a True God corresponded to a third-class god without a divine throne.
This posed minimal threat to the Divine Realm.
However, if someone could break through to the god level on their own, did it mean they were qualified to inherit a divine throne?
This would breed resentment.
To a Divine Realm with strict, unyielding laws, the beginning of such unfairness would signal the start of the Divine Realm's descent into deformity.
Without rules, there could be no order, and without order, the Divine Realm would ultimately crumble.
Therefore, to prevent unfairness from arising, subordinate planes were simply blocked from ascending to the divine level.
Those who were truly talented were granted divine inheritances early on, giving them the opportunity to inherit a throne and become deities. As for those without talent, they were given no chance to stumble into godhood by sheer luck.
In doing so, unfairness was eliminated.
It had to be said that this was inherently the greatest unfairness of all, yet it was an undeniable reality.
The laws operated entirely according to this protocol.
However, at this moment, the Sea God had an unorthodox idea.
The addition of the God of Emotion had given the Douluo Divine Realm a divine-level plane in name. No, it wasn't just divine-level; on that plane, gods could actually be cultivated, and they could reach a level equivalent to at least an ultra-divine level in the universe.
In fact, Rong Nianbing was a native cultivator of that realm. Although his strength had progressed further after condensing a divine throne, before doing so, he was already equivalent to a first-class god with a throne.
This was incredibly terrifying.
Therefore, when it came to terminology, the Divine Realm was still accustomed to calling its relationship with that plane a "partnership" rather than referring to it as a subordinate plane.
Because if it were a subordinate plane, the Divine Realm would have to guarantee fairness toward it. If it was merely a partnership, there was no need to bear such immense pressure.
Yet, continuing like this forever was no solution. Why not simply develop the Douluo Plane to that exact same level?
It had to be said that the Sea God was truly daring to even conceive such an idea.
Ultimately, the main reason was that the Sea God had the confidence.
He felt that if other planes ascended to the divine level, the Divine Realm might intervene. But the Douluo Plane was different; the Divine Realm could absolutely never shake it, because the Douluo Plane was the very foundation of the Douluo Divine Realm.
Even the Divine Realm was named after Douluo, which made it obvious how vital the Douluo Continent was to it.
The Sea God's thoughts flashed by in a mere instant.
"Su Wen, the Abyss invasion is a disaster, but it is also an opportunity," the Sea God reminded Su Wen.
Su Wen nodded, completely devoid of fear. Instead, he looked quite expectant.
This left the Sea God, who had been worrying about him, somewhat speechless.
Good heavens, did this kid have any idea what weight the Abyss carried?
If the Heaven-Slamming Demonic Emperor remained inside the Abyss, he would definitely not be any weaker than the Sea God exerting his full power.
Facing such an enemy, Su Wen showed no fear whatsoever.
"The Douluo Planet is a subordinate plane of the Douluo Divine Realm. The Heaven-Slamming Demonic Emperor should be aware of this. Once he closes the distance a bit more, he ought to realize his target is a subordinate plane of the Douluo Divine Realm. I wonder if he has the ambition for it."
Standing beside Su Wen, the Sea God educated him on the situation.
However, Su Wen was already well-acquainted with this information.
"The only uncertainty right now is why the Abyss is advancing toward the Douluo Planet so rapidly." The Sea God frowned.
His true body was currently in the Divine Realm, and he quickly made his way to the Law Enforcement Committee.
At this moment, the one in charge of the Divine Realm's core at the committee was the God of Asura.
"Asura, surely you must know?"
"Why is the Abyss coming?"
The Sea God found the God of Asura and demanded answers directly.
The God of Asura frowned and glanced at the Sea God.
This junior was truly arrogant.
However, he did have the capital to be arrogant. Of course, the main reason was that the Sea God could be considered to have a backer behind him.
That most bizarre God of Time--though only a first-class god--was an individual whom none of the Five Great God-Kings wanted to provoke. In fact, even the Five Great God-Kings themselves had a hazy understanding of the God of Time's existence, lacking specific knowledge of his concrete abilities or true strength.
A first-class god?
Let me ask you: if a cultivator who had reached the God-King level inherited a third-class divine throne, would his strength plummet?
No.
Therefore, the God of Time's true strength could absolutely not be judged by his divine throne as the God of Time.
From what the God of Asura knew, the God of Time not only mastered the power of time, but his grasp over space was also not a single bit inferior to the God of Space. Beyond that, the God of Time had displayed far too many other methods.
Strictly speaking, Su Wen was remarkably similar to the God of Time.
Through the Divine Realm's core, the God of Asura could extend his perception across almost the entire territory of the Divine Realm. Even when spreading it outside the Divine Realm, he could detect things at an immense distance.
Utilizing the Divine Realm's core at this moment, he sensed the advancing speed of the Abyss.
"Aside from concealing a portion of its tracks, the Abyss is moving forward at near maximum speed," the God of Asura said gravely.
Did the Heaven-Slamming Demonic Emperor swallow gunpowder or something?
"Could the Crimson Mother be plotting behind the scenes?" the God of Asura suspected.
However, he couldn't analyze anything further. The God of Asura hated using his brain; he preferred to use his sword to reason with others.
"Asura, how is it? Can you peer into the interior of the Abyss? What is its purpose?" the Sea God asked.
"No, excessive probing will only alert the Abyss."
"Hand the core over to me. My Sea God divine power is easier to conceal; I should be able to scout out more information."
The God of Asura glanced at the Sea God, treating the request as if the Sea God had just spoken nonsense.
"What kind of look is that?" The Sea God's expression turned sour.
What are you acting so high and mighty for? Just wait until I ascend to God-King. You'll be the first one I test my hoops on, to see if I can bind you with my hoops until you can't move a single muscle!
"Hmph, completely useless." The Sea God snorted and promptly left the Divine Realm Committee.
The God of Asura's expression was grim. This Sea God was truly arrogant.
"The Abyss is rushing here at near maximum speed. It is estimated that in about half a month, it will arrive at the coordinates where the Douluo Planet is located. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that it might slow down or even flee once it perceives the background of the Douluo Planet."
The deterrent force of the Douluo Divine Realm was still incredibly formidable.
Even the Crimson Mother of the Crimson Realm was no match for a God-King, whereas the Douluo Divine Realm possessed Five Great God-Kings. From this contrast alone, one could see the sheer power of the Douluo Divine Realm.
As for the Crimson Mother's child, the Heaven-Slamming Demonic Emperor, it could only be said that he would dare even less to harbor designs against the Douluo Divine Realm.
The Abyss was notorious, but it had genuinely never devoured any planes belonging to the Douluo Divine Realm or other divine realms. This was because the Divine Realm's surveillance was terrifying. Once detected, the true body of a deity could rapidly deploy to any designated location within their territory via the Divine Realm's core!
Once caught, there would be no escape.
"That fast, huh," Su Wen murmured in contemplation.
He was actually feeling a bit anxious now. He hadn't been afraid before, but now he was. He was afraid the Abyss would run away.
With only half a month left, it would be too late even if the Divine Realm tried to beat them at their own game. The Divine Realm couldn't just vanish for no reason, nor could it let the Abyss keep charging forward simply by turning a blind eye.
"The headache right now remains why the Abyss is coming." The Sea God held onto his viewpoint. If they knew what the Abyss was doing and what its goal was, they would still have a chance to lure it in.
Su Wen scanned his surroundings, looking down at the Douluo Planet beneath his feet, his eyes filled with doubt.
What on earth was the Abyss after?
It couldn't possibly be for my miniature haven, right?
Su Wen froze. He let out a soft exclamation.
"Even if we don't know what the Abyss is after, we can use something far more alluring to bait them!" Su Wen reasoned in reverse.
"What do you want to use to attract them?" the Sea God asked, puzzled.
"This, of course." On Su Wen's body, a wave of world energy fluctuated from his three dantian regions simultaneously. The three dantians radiated light together, and within that glow, three miniature worlds seemed to manifest right before their eyes.
"You want to use your three miniature worlds to attract him?" The Sea God was astonished. He was incredibly shocked that Su Wen dared to bring these out to hook the Abyss, before he let out a sigh.
"Your three miniature worlds aren't enough. Although you've done your best to promote their advancement during this period, they are still lacking far too much."
Combined, the three miniature worlds didn't even possess as much origin energy as a weak planet. Let alone a living planet; even some lifeless planets rich in origin energy held vastly greater energy reserves than Su Wen's three miniature worlds. Living planets were considered rare in the universe, but lifeless planets were abundant, and plenty of them were rich in origin energy--far outnumbering living planets.
"No, it's obviously not as simple as just three miniature worlds," Su Wen said calmly.
One must not underestimate his cultivation roadmap.
These three miniature worlds were merely the beginning. Su Wen's ultimate goal was to merge them, carving out a true small-scale world.
Su Wen had already designed the structure of this world, drawing inspiration from the macro-world and micro-world structures he was most familiar with. The three miniature worlds of essence, qi, and spirit would serve as the macro-worlds within this small-scale world. These three top-tier macro-worlds would anchor the entire world, upon which micro-worlds would be carved out and bound, forming a formation to stabilize the entire realm.
Under this setup, Su Wen could open up thousands of worlds within a single small-scale world without ever having to worry about rejection issues.
Of course, forging this small-scale world might not be as simple as carving out a miniature world.
Carving out a miniature world was an extraction of space, forming spatial barriers and a closed spatial loop to isolate it. But what kind of structure could provide a secondary encapsulation for these miniature worlds?
"I'm not certain if it will succeed either. I'll do my best to try. If it works, perhaps this Abyss will be my greatest opportunity."
The Sea God pondered for a moment and nodded.
"Alright, give it a try. Regardless, both I and the God of Time are keeping a constant eye on you. Nothing will happen to you."
The Sea God's divine power dissipated.
Just as the Sea God's figure vanished, the Heavenly Book imprint on Su Wen's brow lit up, sending a burning sensation pulsing through him.
The contents of a new assessment materialized in Su Wen's mind.
A trident imprint appeared, quickly followed by a stream of information in his consciousness.
"The fifth test of the Nine Divine Trials of the Sea God: Lure the Abyss into the territory of the Douluo Divine Realm. Reward: An opportunity to comprehend the Thirteen Golden Halberd Techniques."
An opportunity to comprehend the Thirteen Golden Halberd Techniques?
Su Wen didn't quite understand this reward; the phrasing wasn't very clear.
Soon, his doubt was answered.
A fraction of the Sea God's divine sense had not fully dispersed yet, and he provided the explanation for him.
"The Sea God will personally take action to handle the Abyss? During which he will execute the Thirteen Golden Halberd Techniques, and I can possess him to perceive it?"
Su Wen nodded. He understood now. Such a reward was excellent.
It wasn't just a simple demonstration of the Thirteen Golden Halberd Techniques; it was possessing the Sea God to perceive him executing them.
Just as the Sea God granted his trial, another mysterious imprint emerged on Su Wen's brow.
"The sixth test of the Seven Red Trials: Decisive battle against the Abyss. Reward: An opportunity to perceive the dimensional perspective."
This was the trial of the God of Time.
Su Wen had already completed four of the God of Time's Seven Red Trials back on the Vast Boundless Continent, and he had completed the fifth test upon returning to the Douluo Continent.
Back then, Su Wen had assumed all seven trials of the God of Time would take place on the Vast Boundless Continent, only for them to conclude on the fourth test. Afterward, the fifth test required him to condense his natal soul ring, which rewarded him with the profound mysteries of time.
Now, the God of Time had issued the contents of the sixth test.
It was similar to the fifth test of the Sea God's Nine Divine Trials, except the God of Time's requirement demanded Su Wen to actively engage in combat with the Abyss.
As for the reward, it was even more abstract than the Sea God's.
Su Wen could actually accept this, because among the God of Time's trials, every single reward had been quite unexpected and highly abstract.
This time, upon receiving the details of the God of Time's trial and seeing the abstract reward, Su Wen didn't feel any confusion. He instantly formed an idea, grasping the meaning of the reward and understanding its benefits to him.
"Perception from a dimensional perspective--this is absolutely a crucial step in life evolution, and it will become the ultimate priority for forging my small-scale world."
Space had already closed to form miniature worlds. To encapsulate these miniature worlds within, one would need to involve the power of dimensions.
The overlapping of space was a power of a higher dimension.
Su Wen came to a realization, but he quickly ran into a dilemma.
Could this reward be advanced to him ahead of time?
Without this comprehension, he couldn't forge the small-scale world, and without the small-scale world, Su Wen really lacked the confidence to attract the Abyss.
If the Abyss didn't even come over, could Su Wen really run outside the territory of the Douluo Divine Realm to fight it out to the death?