While the Ghost Emperor was pondering, a figure appeared silently at the edge of the shadowy hall and knelt on one knee.
"Lord Ghost Emperor," a hoarse, low voice rang out with absolute reverence, "the Eternal Heaven that Lord Demon Emperor brought back is being studied by the researchers. Opening the Soul Tool that seals it will require considerable time. Forcing it open may cause the Eternal Heaven inside to self-destruct."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of displeasure passed through the Ghost Emperor's eyes.
"A bunch of useless trash! A Soul Tool used merely for sealing takes them this long? Tell them that no matter what means they use, they must open that Soul Tool before the war with the Douluo Federation begins. Otherwise, have them use the Eternal Heaven through violent means and take the enemy down with them!"
Although the Eternal Heaven had been retrieved, the Soul Tool used to seal it was a problem. It appeared to be a ninth-grade Soul Tool, and with Xingluo's current Soul Tool technology, unlocking it would take some time.
However, this did not actually delay the use of the Eternal Heaven. When the time truly came, they could simply use it violently, though the cost would be considerable.
Thus, the Ghost Emperor's anger flared quickly and faded just as fast.
He glanced at the evil soul master who had delivered the news. "You may go. Also, notify Xingluo that they may take advantage of the Federation's weakened state to pick up some scraps, but they must know when to stop. Now is not the time for a decisive battle!"
The Federation had its own troubles to deal with, and the Holy Spirit Cult equally needed more preparation.
After all, facing the sudden emergence of divine-level combat power within the Douluo Federation, they needed to devise countermeasures. Unlocking the seal on the Eternal Heaven would also take time.
After his subordinate left, the Ghost Emperor pondered for a moment, then chose to contact the Demon Emperor.
The current situation had already exceeded his initial estimates. The sudden appearance of multiple combatants touching the divine level within the Douluo Federation, especially the two suspected reincarnations of First-Class Gods, had cast a heavy shadow over what had seemed like a clear situation. He needed to seek that one's opinion.
However, when the Ghost Emperor contacted the Demon Emperor, he discovered that the latter was not stationed in the waters near the Douling Continent.
"Why did you suddenly leave Douling?"
"This Emperor left because there are more important matters."
On the vast, boundless ocean, the Demon Emperor's tone was flat. "I sensed a large number of Divine Shards. Someone must have used divine power or divine consciousness to activate the power of the Sea God's Divine Shards, which made my senses so clear."
"Divine Shards?"
The Ghost Emperor was startled, then thought of the battle on the Douluo side and his eyes brightened. "It must be Chen Xinjie!"
"You know?" The Demon Emperor frowned.
"Indeed. News from the Federation has spread that Chen Xinjie has defected. His martial soul is connected to the ocean, and he has reached the Divine Origin realm. It is highly likely he has found a large number of Divine Shards."
"I see."
The Demon Emperor seemed thoughtful, light swirling in her eyes. Sea God Divine Shards were an irresistible temptation for any ocean-attributed powerhouse, let alone someone like her who bore a grudge against the Sea God. Just looking at those Divine Shards, she could laugh in her sleep.
But the Demon Emperor quickly suppressed her excitement and shifted the topic. "You wish to contact that one, don't you? He has already recovered to the divine level and is not in seclusion."
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Emperor's heart shook, and ghostly flames seemed to flicker violently in his eyes.
Although that Killing God had previously informed them that his cultivation was nearly restored to the divine level, truly hearing the news still stirred excitement within the Ghost Emperor.
This was a true god, a true god possessing a divine seat, not comparable to the fleeting divine-level combatants of the Douluo Federation, nor to Emperor Tian who had reached the divine level through Battle Armor augmentation.
And when he considered that the two reincarnated deities of Douluo were only around the Soul Sage realm, the Ghost Emperor suddenly felt his spirits lift considerably.
The Holy Spirit Cult still had the strength to fight.
However, the Ghost Emperor then considered that with the Killing God's recovery, the Holy Spirit Cult no longer had any means to restrict him, and he could not help but feel some helplessness.
When the Holy Spirit Cult had first found the Killing God, his condition had been abysmal. Only a wisp of divine consciousness remained, unable to even maintain a form, with damaged memories, sustained only by a terrifying intensity of resentment, evil thoughts, and killing intent. If not for that, they might not have even learned the Killing God's true name.
After all, faith required direction. At that time, the Killing God had virtually no power and could not even mimic his own appearance, let alone create statues of himself. Fortunately, he still remembered his divine title and office, which became the best directional markers.
For this reason, between killing the Killing God to attempt obtaining his inheritance and nurturing him back to recovery, the Holy Spirit Cult chose the latter. After all, the former would very likely yield nothing. Twenty thousand years had passed since the Rakshasa God's death, and no one had been heard to have obtained the Rakshasa God's inheritance. With the latter choice, given the Killing God's state at the time, the Holy Spirit Cult's methods might truly have allowed them to control this deity.
Unfortunately, the depth of a deity's foundation still exceeded their imagination. Once his divine consciousness and memories recovered, they could no longer restrict him.
"Now it seems, in the end, we have been courting a tiger for its skin. Fortunately, he still needs the Holy Spirit Cult, so there is still opportunity. Once the plan succeeds, we too can become gods."
The Ghost Emperor took a deep breath, ended his communication with the Demon Emperor, calmed his mind, and retrieved a dark-colored prismatic crystal, as if formed from congealed blood and condensed resentment.
He held the Blood Soul Crystal in his palm and infused a strand of spirit power and will into it.
The crystal's surface glowed with viscous bloodlight, and within, countless vengeful souls seemed to wail, gradually coalescing into a blurred, distorted silhouette that contained endless sharpness and deathly stillness.
Just a wisp of divine consciousness, yet it brought immense pressure upon the Ghost Emperor.
"Great Killing God above, congratulations on your return to the divine realm."
The Ghost Emperor lowered his head, maintaining the proper reverence due before a deity. "I have urgent matters to report and request your divine guidance."
The silhouette within the Blood Soul Crystal rippled slightly. An icy, hoarse voice rang out, tinged with indifference: "Speak."
The Ghost Emperor dared not delay and quickly reported the intelligence from the battle by Sea God Lake on the Douluo Continent, especially the information on Emperor Tian, Snow Empress, Huo Yuhao, and Gu Yuena, summarizing it concisely.
Finally, the Ghost Emperor asked: "Lord Killing God, how should we deal with those newly emerged reincarnated deities?"
The silhouette within the Blood Soul Crystal fell silent for a moment before the icy voice spoke again. "Do those two spread their faith on the Douluo Continent?"
"No."
"Then there is no need for concern."
Shupuros's voice carried a faint, barely perceptible trace of mockery and resentment.
"Without faith to sustain them, relying only on their own slow absorption of ambient energy and the plane's essence, how could their recovery speed compare to mine? Though I was sealed for ten thousand years and my divine consciousness damaged, the essence of my Killing God seat remains intact. Moreover, your Holy Spirit Cult offers blood sacrifices and faith as fuel, nourishing me day and night. They only recently revived. What can they use to contend with me?"
He paused briefly, as if stating an indisputable fact: "Moreover, the Douluo plane is resource-poor and its laws are incomplete. Without a vast foundation of faith and willpower, or finding other divine-level opportunities and seizing the position of Plane Lord, it is simply insufficient to support the revival of any existence above Third-Class Gods. Their current apparent glory is merely due to the remnant origin and law comprehension left over from their previous lives."
Although Shupuros was a Second-Class God, he had followed the former Asura God for a long time and had frequently enforced laws across countless realms as an Enforcer God. His knowledge was no less than that of a First-Class God.
Flame was a special case among lower-realm Second-Class Gods. She was a being born from the Earthcore of the Five Elements Continent. Even so, before meeting Ji Dong, she had only been a Third-Class God.
This showed how difficult it was to break through to Second-Class God in these lower realms without special opportunities. And on the same level, Shupuros had no fear of those former main gods, especially since they were recovering more slowly than him.
Of course, Sea God, who possessed a Super Divine Tool, was an exception.
"I am already a step ahead. Even if they are reincarnated main gods, they cannot touch me. Rather than worrying about the Douluo Federation's strength, you should think about how to advance your plan and use the Abyss to enhance your power."
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Emperor felt greatly reassured.
"I shall obey your divine oracle, Lord Killing God!" the Ghost Emperor replied respectfully. "In addition to the Abyss plane, the cult has received news of other planes, which may allow you to recover even faster."
The silhouette within the Blood Soul Crystal gave a slight nod, then spoke no further and slowly dissipated.
The Ghost Emperor held the crystal, ghostly flames burning bright in his eyes. With the Killing God's judgment, the last trace of doubt in his heart had vanished.
As long as the plan could proceed, that was all that mattered.
However, whether to pursue that other plane and allow the Killing God to advance further was something he would need to consider carefully.
If the Killing God became too powerful, the Holy Spirit Cult would completely lose its value to him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a blood-colored figure stood above the Douling Continent, gazing down at the believers who provided him with faith. A sinister smile curled across his cold face.
"How pathetic."
The Abyss, that universal cancer which devoured the origins of planes, was a troublesome entity even for the Divine Realm. Its Plane Lord was definitely a First-Class God.
How could this plane resist?
Moreover, he had already established a cooperation with the Abyss.
Beside the Killing God, the Demon Lord, who had somehow arrived at the Douling Continent, looked down at the humans below with a faint smile.
"If the Killing God wishes, after the Abyss breaks through the Douluo plane, your followers may be spared."
"No need. Let them become sacrifices for the Blood River God-Slaying Grand Array. Your Abyss needs a true divine-level existence to serve as the vessel for the Abyss Saint Lord's descent, does it not? The Demon Emperor is most suitable."
The Killing God glanced indifferently at the Demon Lord, his words making the latter's heart leap with terror. "Or is it that your Saint Lord has set his sights on me? Do you wish to use me as the vessel?"
Some of the Abyss Saint Lord's actions might have fooled the Holy Spirit Cult, but not him. He simply did not care about the Holy Spirit Cult's fate.
A look of panic appeared on the Demon Lord's face as he quickly bowed: "Lord Killing God, please see clearly! The Saint Lord has absolutely no such intention! You are our most important ally and an indispensable combat power for conquering the myriad realms in the future. We would never cripple our own strength!"
His back was already drenched in cold sweat, and a wave of fear washed over him.
The secrets the Saint Lord had specifically revealed to him for the sake of the plan, the Killing God had somehow detected from mere clues. Truly, some things could not be hidden from this experienced deity.
In truth, ever since the Abyss passage connected to the Douluo Continent, the Saint Lord's consciousness had already enveloped the Douluo plane. Though he could perceive nothing directly, he could sense intense negative energy.
Those fools in the Holy Spirit Cult, in their development, had sought the help of an evil god. The Saint Lord discovered this and, under the guise of that evil god, bestowed some divine miracles upon the Holy Spirit Cult. The Blood River God-Slaying Grand Array was the most important of these. The goal was for someone within Douluo to become a god, providing the foundation for the Saint Lord's descent.
However, although the Holy Spirit Cult's development had been good over the years, the Douluo Federation was simply too strong. That Emperor Tian had even managed to block Lord Blazing Emperor head-on. So, to prevent the Holy Spirit Cult from being annihilated by the Douluo Federation before they could make waves, and to ensure the completion of the Blood River God-Slaying Grand Array, the Saint Lord had sent them, the Possession Demons, to assist the Holy Spirit Cult.
Yet even the Saint Lord likely had not anticipated that within the Douluo plane, inside the Holy Spirit Cult itself, there would actually be a true deity.
When the Demon Lord first learned of the Killing God's existence, he had been both shocked and terrified, fearing the deity would see through the Saint Lord's plan. But the Killing God's response had exceeded his imagination. He had actively chosen to cooperate with the Abyss, which had dispelled the Demon Lord's doubts. But now it seemed he had known of the Saint Lord's plan all along!
Worried that the Killing God might be angered, the Demon Lord added: "With you, Lord Deity, opening planar passages across the realms, the Abyss's plan to devour the myriad worlds will proceed without hindrance. The Saint Lord is by no means a short-sighted individual."
The Killing God's cooperation with their Abyss plane was not limited to just the Douluo plane. He had offered all the subordinate planes of the Divine Realm as bargaining chips!
For the Abyss to invade other planes was difficult. Even planes without a conscious Plane Lord would naturally reject them. But what if there were a human deity on the inside to help them open the planar passages?
Other planes elsewhere might not be the same, but the planes subordinate to this Divine Realm would not block the Killing God's entry. With his help, the Abyss could advance unopposed, consuming all the former subordinate planes of the Divine Realm as nourishment!
Thus, when the Saint Lord learned that a deity was willing to cooperate with him, he truly regarded the Killing God as an ally, not a disposable pawn like the Holy Spirit Cult.
Glancing at the trembling Demon Lord, the Killing God withdrew his gaze and looked downward, recalling his own experiences as killing intent surged around him.
The Divine Realm did not permit deities to remain in the lower realms. Flame, a Second-Class God, resided in the Five Elements Continent. He had gone to enforce the law and apprehend her, only for her to sacrifice herself to destroy him. His divine consciousness was then sealed by Ji Dong using the Fire God Twin Swords.
Ji Dong grew in power and eventually used the divine tool to suppress and absorb his divine consciousness. All that remained was his Killing Law and divine seat within the tool, protecting his last vestiges of consciousness.
Even at that time, he had believed his master, the Asura God, would rescue him.
But Shupuros never expected that Ji Dong and Flame would ultimately be chosen by the two God Kings as their successors, and that his own master had long since passed on his divine seat and left the Divine Realm!
Moreover, the Divine Realm had decreed that enforcement actions involving Second-Class Gods required approval. He had violated this law, and thus was punished by the two former God Kings to be imprisoned within the divine tool for a thousand days.
To this day, Shupuros still remembered a message that had appeared in his ears when he learned of his punishment. He did not know whether it was a hallucination born of his dazed state or something Ji Dong had said, but it remained etched in his memory.
"The two God Kings' order is to imprison you for a thousand days. Very well, sometimes living is more terrifying than death. Then you shall continue to be suppressed within the divine tool. Should the two God Kings one day return, they may completely erase you. By then, no one will care about a being forgotten by the Divine Realm."
In the end, he was indeed forgotten by the Divine Realm.
Ji Dong and Flame had likely forgotten him while immersed in their love.
Until that day, when Ji Dong and Flame willingly confronted the Golden Dragon King to buy time for the current Asura God to recover his divine power, resulting in damage to the divine tool and giving him a chance to escape.
Among all deities, only the Killing God Shupuros truly thanked the Golden Dragon King, for it was because of him that he had the opportunity to exact revenge upon the Divine Realm!
Standing above the Douling Continent, the Killing God suddenly let out a low, twisted laugh, his voice filled with endless venom and madness.
"Possession Demon, tell the Abyss Saint Lord this: if he wants my body, he may have it. As long as he preserves my divine consciousness, abides by our agreement, tramples the subordinate planes of the Divine Realm one by one, slaughters every living being within them, and ultimately gathers enough power to kill the reincarnated God Kings of Goodness and Evil in those subordinate planes, I will give him everything I have!"
In the ten thousand years of his imprisonment, he was no longer the "Enforcer" who had once strictly upheld the Divine Realm's laws.
Endless darkness, solitude, and resentment, like the most venomous bone-devouring maggots, had long since eaten away his original divinity, leaving only a towering hatred for his "imprisoners," for those who had "forgotten" him, for the entire Divine Realm, and even for the whole world, along with an overwhelming desire for destruction.
His divine office of "Killing" had also undergone a terrifying distortion under such extreme negative emotions, becoming more violent, more chaotic, filled with pure destruction and finality.
But Shupuros did not care. As long as he could take revenge on the Divine Realm, on the two generations of God Kings of Goodness and Evil, he would do anything!
The gods came from countless realms, so he would see those realms all destroyed!
Upon hearing this, the Demon Lord swallowed hard.
The Killing God had completely lost his mind. His usual coldness and pride were gone, replaced by a pure, all-consuming desire for destruction.
But for the Abyss, this was a good thing.
"I will inform the Saint Lord. However, the Abyss still needs you, Lord Ally, to deal with those deities. Please give the Demon Emperor some time," the Demon Lord said tactfully.
"Fine!"
Hearing the Demon Lord's reply, the Killing God's laughter grew more vicious as he turned his gaze toward the Douluo Continent.
"Lord Fire God? The Fire God Twin Swords that imprisoned me came from your predecessor. I will collect the interest on that grudge from you first."
His revenge would begin with the slaughter of the gods who had come to Douluo, starting with the complete destruction of the Douluo plane!
***
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