Chen Yi couldn't help but take a deep breath, the air rich with blood and burnt flesh, as he gazed at the three flowing golden patterns etched on the crimson soul ring. Shock, unhidden, filled his eyes.
"Three hundred thousand years!"
Indeed, the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King's cultivation level had reached an astounding 300,000 years. Even among the most ferocious beasts of later generations, this marked it amongst the top ten, standing head and shoulders above the rest.
Upon hearing Chen Yi's shout, the Grand Elder—unable to contain his excitement—began breathing raggedly, his eyes blazing like twin furnaces.
Three hundred thousand years! This was a perfect supplement created just for him. With such a spirit ring, he could compensate for all the previous restrictions from his ninth ring's poor quality.
"Grand Elder, are you ready?" Chen Yi composed himself, his voice solemn as he looked at the Grand Elder.
Changing soul rings was no easy task, especially when done forcibly with divine power. Opportunity and risk existed together.
The Grand Elder took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging excitement and blood. His gaze sharpened strikingly. "Ready!"
Chen Yi said no more. As he focused his mind, the Thunder God's mace in his hand shimmered with silvery, holy light, slowly enveloping the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder sat cross-legged, eyes closed, focusing his consciousness. His nine spirit rings began to shine one after another: two yellow, two purple, five black.
He poured all spiritual and soul power into communication with the depths of his soul, guided and blessed by the sacred light.
Gradually, the outermost ninth black ring trembled, its radiance flickering slightly, as if it were being gently loosened from some mighty bondage.
This process was long and painful. The soul ring formed the very core of a soul master's cultivation system; forcibly removing it was no less than tearing out bone and sinew.
Veins stood out on the elder's forehead, his face pale, but he held fast, submitting completely to the guidance of divinity.
At last, beneath the continued influence of the divine light, the ninth black ring separated fully from the deepest part of his being, floating three feet overhead. Its light quickly faded, and then disappeared from the air altogether.
"Good!"
The moment the ring left his body, the Grand Elder trembled violently, unable to stifle a groan. His aura plummeted like a breached dam, his face white, blood running from the corner of his lips.
Witnessing this, Chu Shanhe, Qian Daoliu, and the others all wore deeply grave expressions.
Such an exchange had never been attempted before. It was Chen Yi himself who had proposed it—combining Thunder God's legacy with stories from a prior life.
Seeing the dangers, they understood fully just how difficult and risky a ring swap could be. Even with divine aid, it was no simple matter.
A single misstep, and the Grand Elder would not only fail to acquire a new soul ring, but also suffer great loss of cultivation, perhaps even damage his very essence.
"Come!" The Grand Elder abruptly opened his eyes, shouting. He poured spirit and soul power, guiding the crimson soul ring floating overhead.
A phantom shone brightly behind his head. Unprecedented spiritual waves rose up, actively merging with the soul ring.
Slowly but surely, the scarlet ring was drawn down to his crown. The instant it touched his martial soul, immense, bone-chilling energy surged into the Grand Elder's body.
In a flash, the elder began to tremble, his face flushed, his soul power violently fluctuating. His body, weakened from just losing a soul ring, was barely holding on.
Yet he maintained clarity, meticulously guiding and refining the oncoming storm of energy.
Time elapsed bit by bit as the elder endured the pain. The fusion process remained stable after the initial surge; his aura slowly but steadily began to rise.
Seeing this, Chu Shanhe finally let out a sigh of relief. "If the Grand Elder completes this, his strength will soar beyond measure..." His eyes sparkled with satisfaction and anticipation.
Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue also stepped up.
Qian Daoliu, watching both the absorbing elder and Chen Yi (whose brow was slick with sweat as he continued to channel divine power), clasped his hands together and saluted Chu Shanhe.
"Congratulations, Sect Master Chu. If Wisdom Brain Douluo succeeds today, his power will leap by bounds."
Chu Shanhe beamed. "Yes, congratulations all round! This was only possible thanks to Brother Qian and the Spirit Palace's help in defeating such a formidable foe."
After a while, Qian Daoliu glanced at the still-ongoing fusion, crouched, and picked up the severed, ferocious head of Bo Saixi from the ground. Addressing Chu Shanhe, he said:
"Brother Chu, I have some personal matters to attend to—may I excuse myself?"
Chu Shanhe understood instantly and nodded. "Of course, Brother Qian."
Qian Daoliu nodded lightly, addressed Qian Renxue beside him in a grave tone:
"Xue'er, mobilize the forces and see to all post-battle arrangements immediately."
"Spirit City has suffered tremendous damage. Quick, tabulate the casualties and arrange appropriate relief and compensation. Properly reward all the soul masters who contributed to the defense."
"Yes, Grandfather!" Qian Renxue's expression turned solemn as she accepted the order. Maintaining morale and restoring order was now her most crucial task.
Qian Daoliu said no more, carrying Bo Saixi's head as he transformed into golden light and shot deep into the temple's heart.
Qian Renxue turned to Chu Shanhe and bowed. "Sect Master Chu, I also have after-battle duties to attend to..."
"Don't let me keep you. Duty comes first." Chu Shanhe waved her on graciously.
Qian Renxue bowed again, turned, and spread her golden wings, flying off toward the Spirit Palace's administrative area to gather her people and issue a stream of orders.
Chu Shanhe stood alone, guarding the Grand Elder and Chen Yi as the absorption neared completion—and began quietly radiating a powerful, stable aura.
He couldn't help a sigh. "Brother, your luck... is truly enviable!"
…
Divine Realm.
Near the Divine Council, a huge, chaotic battle was raging.
The four Pillar God Kings—Evil, Good, Destruction, and Life—watched the distant region swallowed by violently surging godly power, their expressions grave.
"Stop! Stop at once!" God's voice was laced with urgency, struggling to pierce the roaring clash of energies into the ears of both sides.
Evil frowned, stepped forward, and unleashed a burst of evil divine power, attempting by force to separate the brawling Asura God and Seven Elemental Gods.
Yet as Evil's power reached the battlefield's edge, a destructive force from the side intercepted it at the last second—both forces vanishing together.
"Destruction! What are you doing—fueling the chaos?!" Evil glared at the cold-faced God of Destruction beside him.
Destruction, blank as ever, replied coolly: "A clash of energies. Just an accident."
Meanwhile, the Goddess of Life, wrapped in emerald light, gently swept her jade-like hand to send out a curtain of green glow. These barriers appeared to harmonize battlefield energies, but "accidentally" always blocked the Merciful God's attempts to intervene.
"Life! What exactly are you doing?!" Good finally snapped, her beautiful face alight with anger as she pointed at the battlefield—already torn apart by aftershocks.
"Keep at this, and the entire Divine Realm will turn upside down!"
"Don't worry," the Goddess of Life intervened swiftly with a smile, "Asura is a longtime God King. The Elemental Formation is termed 'God King level,' but it's merely ordinary among God Kings—and they certainly don't intend to fight Asura to the death. Nothing too serious will happen."
She paused, glanced meaningfully at the stern God of Destruction, and went on:
"What's more, Little Purple has already asked the Seven Deadly Sin Gods to mediate. With their intervention, things will soon settle."
"Mediating?!" Evil sneered, shoving aside the "accidentally blocking" Destruction and pointing to the very center of battle.
"You call that mediation? They're obviously ganging up on him! Just look—they've simply charged in, launching a group assault!"
In the midst of the chaos, the Seven Elemental Gods were already besieging the Asura God. But at some point, the Seven Deadly Sin Gods entered the fray too, forming the Seven Original Sin Gods Divine Punishment Array.
This mighty formation wielded unimaginable force—a God King-level strike. Worse, it was all focused upon the Asura God, who, while a veteran God King, was without any top artifacts at all.
Confronted with simultaneous double encirclement by two God King-level formations, even he was instantly pressed into crisis.
The red sword light remained fierce, but the elemental attacks and erosion now assailed him from all sides. His divine armor was damaged, and his aura wavered.
This, by any standard, was not "peacemaking." On the contrary, it was plainly pressing a weakened foe further, helping the Seven Elemental Gods suppress him.
With her query, the Goddess of Life's gentle smile at last vanished. She turned, fixing Evil and Good Gods with emerald eyes now utterly emotionless—robbed of all warmth and tolerance, sending a shiver down their respective spines.
They, who had co-governed the Divine Realm for eons, had never seen the once-tender Life Goddess wear such a frosty expression.
As a chill prickled their scalps, the Goddess of Life finally spoke. Her voice was gentle as ever, but the warmth was gone.
"You remember, don't you? The final verdict and punishment the Divine Council gave to the Asura God—"
"Until his chosen successor formally enters a divine trial, Asura is forbidden from directly interfering in any matter in the Douluo World."
Her gaze turned to the distant, now-defending Asura God, then back to the perplexed God Kings.
"So tell me..."
"About Tang Chen, the god-trial-fallen one from the lower realm, and the Asura Demon Sword..."
"What happened today?"
"Evil. Good..."
"Do you have anything to explain?"