The "Godhead" path proposed by Yu Yuanchen was not a shot in the dark, but based on a profound insight into the current structure of the God Realm and the status of the Douluo Plane.
Since he became a god, and with Qian Daoliu, Tang Chen, Ye Zhilan, and Bo Saixi successively inheriting god positions and stepping into the god-level, the Power of Faith accumulated by the Douluo Plane over ten thousand years had been significantly diverted; they were currently in a stage where they needed the Power of Faith to stabilize their realms.
Although the total amount of faith was still growing due to the unification of the continent and the flourishing population, it was still insufficient to support a new powerhouse in creating a complete "God Position" from scratch.
Creating a god position from scratch not only requires a massive amount of faith as a foundation, but also requires triggering the resonance of cosmic laws to shape a framework of divine authority that can be passed down; the consumption involved is astronomical.
This is one of the important reasons why, even in an era where geniuses emerge in large numbers, those who become gods remain as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns—the resource threshold is simply too high.
As for the existing god positions in the God Realm, there are very few First-level Gods, and each has its own inheritance or specific requirements; while there are many Second and Third-level Deity positions, most have limited potential. Unless the path is truly a perfect fit, for a proud and solidly-grounded genius like Yu Yunting, it would be no different from binding his own hands and feet.
More importantly, Yu Yuanchen vaguely sensed that the veteran God Kings on the God Realm Committee, especially Goodness and Evil, held a subtle restrictive mentality toward new gods from the lower realms, especially those with close ties to him, and were not necessarily happy to see another powerful First-level God rise rapidly.
Furthermore, although Yu Yuanchen is not entirely selfless, he is certainly not someone who abuses his position for personal gain. To plan for his children and for the future of those with potential on the Douluo Plane, Yu Yuanchen had to open up a new path to godhood.
The concept of a "Godhead" thus emerged. The core difference between it and a "God Position" is that a "God Position" is a complete "post" containing divine authority, an inheritance mechanism, and a source of divine power, much like an official position in an empire that can be handed over;
Whereas a "Godhead" is more of a "source core" condensed after an individual has comprehended a certain law to the extreme. It is a manifestation of the cultivator's own Dao fruit, cannot be directly inherited, and its power and potential depend entirely on the person who condensed it.
The advantage is that it consumes far less Power of Faith than creating a god position, is extremely pure, fits one's own path one hundred percent, and its future growth ceiling is not limited by inherent divine authority; one can explore and open up their own authority independently.
The disadvantage is that there is no ready-made divine power bonus, everything must be accumulated from scratch, and the condensation process is extremely risky with no precedent to follow, relying entirely on one's own grit.
In general, it cannot be said that the path of a god position or a godhead is stronger or weaker; it only depends on whether it is suitable for the individual.
In the valley, Yu Yunting's momentum had climbed to its peak. The soul power of a Level 99 Titled Douluo merged with the bloodline power of his three hundred-thousand-year dragon pets, forming a pillar of thunder light interwoven with purple-gold, dark purple, and holy white, shooting straight into the clouds.
The path he chose was to uphold his original heart, pushing his most characteristic "Evil-Breaking Divine Thunder" law to the extreme to condense an "Evil-Breaking Thunder Godhead"!
"Let's begin!" Yu Yunting let out a low roar, no longer suppressing his aura, and completely triggered the laws of heaven and earth!
Boom-crack—!
The originally clear sky instantly darkened, and thick tribulation clouds gathered from all directions, colorful and flowing with the seven destructive energies of earth, water, fire, wind, light, darkness, and thunder—this was the peerlessly powerful Seven-Colored Heavenly Tribulation.
Although its scale and power were slightly inferior to what Yu Yuanchen had faced back then, the destructive aura still made the creatures within a radius of a thousand miles tremble.
Yu Yuanchen's figure faded, hiding in the void, but his divine sense was firmly locked onto his son. He had long since set up layers of barriers here, which could not only prevent the tribulation waves from leaking out and harming the innocent, but also provide a sliver of protection at critical moments.
However, he strictly adhered to his principles: unless Yu Yunting was truly in danger of having his body and soul destroyed, he would not intervene. This was the path to godhood, and it had to be walked by himself.
The first wave of tribulation lightning, red as blood and containing the pure Yang fire that burns away filth, descended like billions of blood-colored thunder spears, tearing through the firmament with a roar!
"Well come!" Yu Yunting was not alarmed but delighted, laughing out loud. He did not dodge or evade, and brilliant purple-gold lightning erupted from his body, transforming into a giant phantom shining with thunder light, punching upward against the sky!
Boom—!
Thunder and fire collided, erupting with a deafening roar! Yu Yunting's figure swayed slightly, electricity coursing all over his body, but he forcibly withstood this first wave of impact! Using the power of the tribulation lightning, he began to frantically compress and purify his own thunder soul power, guiding it to gather toward the core of his Dantian.
The second wave, the third wave... the tribulation lightning became more ferocious with each strike! Some were chilling to the bone, specifically eroding the divine soul; some were heavy as mountains, attempting to crush his will; others were unpredictable, dazzling the eyes...
Yu Yunting pushed his martial way to the extreme; his fists, palms, fingers, and legs all contained the Evil-Breaking Thunder Intent, clashing head-on with the heavenly tribulation! His skin was torn open and he was covered in blood, but he fought more bravely as the battle progressed, his momentum constantly climbing! Inside his Dantian, the vast soul power was being extremely compressed under the hammering of the tribulation lightning, gradually condensing into a violently rotating purple-gold energy vortex that emitted terrifying fluctuations!
"Power of Evil-Breaking, upright and bright, banishing all evil!" Yu Yunting's eyes were sharp, pushing the characteristics of the Evil-Breaking Divine Thunder to the limit.
The thunder light contained a majestic, inviolable righteousness, forcibly opening up a domain in the center of light and darkness annihilation. Even as the two extreme energies washed over him, he remained unmoved! However, his divine soul began to feel a stinging pain; this was erosion at the level of laws.
The eighth wave of tribulation, the Heart Demon Tribulation. Silently, a transparent bolt of lightning struck directly toward Yu Yunting's sea of consciousness! This tribulation specifically attacked the divine soul, inducing inner demons, and was impossible to guard against.
Yu Yunting groaned, his complexion turning deathly pale instantly. Illusions surged in his mind: the hardships of his childhood cultivation, the pain of being separated from the Snow Empress, the powerlessness when facing strong enemies, the doubts about his own path... all kinds of negative emotions were infinitely magnified, attempting to destroy his will.
"My heart is like thunder, extreme Yang and extreme hardness, immune to all evil! Break for me!" Yu Yunting held fast to his original heart. In his sea of consciousness, the Evil-Breaking Thunder Intent transformed into a brilliant sun, dispelling the gloom and burning away all illusions and inner demons! However, his divine soul power was heavily consumed, and he was already showing signs of exhaustion.
After eight consecutive waves of tribulation lightning, Yu Yunting was covered in wounds and his aura had weakened significantly, but his eyes were becoming increasingly firm and bright, his understanding of the Evil-Breaking Thunder deepening through the test of life and death.
The most critical moment had arrived! The seven-colored tribulation clouds began to shrink, condensing their final power, which was also the clearest manifestation of the cosmic will! Yu Yunting needed to capture that sliver of opportunity in the final tribulation lightning and condense his understanding of the Evil-Breaking law into an immortal godhead!
"Now!" Yu Yunting adjusted his state to the best, and his three dragon pets also turned into streams of light and merged into his body, providing the final support. He held his hands in a void-grasping gesture, pouring all his soul power, qi and blood, and mental will into his understanding of the "Evil-Breaking" true meaning.
The final bolt of tribulation lightning was no longer pure destruction, but a chaotic-colored thunder pillar containing complex artistic conceptions of life and death, creation, and judgment, crashing down!
Yu Yunting did not resist head-on, but opened his body and mind, actively drawing this ultimate tribulation lightning into his body! He wanted to use his body as a furnace and the tribulation lightning as fire to forge his godhead!
"Ugh, ahhh—!" Unimaginable pain instantly swept through every cell and every inch of his soul! His body cycled between disintegration and reorganization, and his divine soul struggled between dissipation and condensation. The Evil-Breaking Thunder Intent and the chaotic tribulation lightning clashed and fused violently within him.
Just then, an accident occurred!
Because the "righteousness" contained in Yu Yunting's Evil-Breaking Divine Thunder was too strong, when it triggered the cosmic will, it vaguely touched some negative law fragments hidden deep within the laws, representing "evil," "chaos," and "curse"! These fragments were attracted by the Power of Evil-Breaking and merged into the tribulation lightning like moths to a flame, adding a few traces of eerie, erosive characteristics to the already violent chaotic tribulation lightning!
"As expected, there is a variable." Yu Yuanchen's eyes in the void narrowed. He had long anticipated that creating a godhead would not be smooth sailing, as the cosmic laws seek balance, but he did not expect the cosmic laws to draw in law forces with attributes opposite to the cultivator's own to temper the cultivator's Dao.
Yu Yunting's pressure increased instantly! Those negative law fragments were like maggots on bone, constantly eroding his will and polluting his thunder origin, making the condensation process of the godhead sluggish, distorted, and even at risk of losing control! The thunder light on his body began to flicker, sometimes holy, sometimes dark.
"Hold fast to your original heart! The true meaning of Evil-Breaking lies in 'breaking,' not 'avoiding'! Break these impurities as well!" Yu Yuanchen's voice transmission sounded like a morning bell and evening drum in Yu Yunting's sea of consciousness, which was on the verge of being lost.
Yu Yunting woke up with a start! That's right, how could the Evil-Breaking Divine Thunder fear evil? It is precisely because there is evil in the world that the power of evil-breaking is needed! These negative laws are also part of the universe; why not use them as a whetstone?
He had a flash of inspiration and no longer forcibly repelled those negative fragments, but instead guided his more pure Evil-Breaking Thunder Intent to actively purify and refine them! Using evil to temper righteousness made his own Evil-Breaking Intent increasingly pure and resilient!
This process was extremely dangerous, like walking a tightrope; a slight carelessness would lead to a backlash from the negative energy. Yu Yunting's spiritual power was consumed at an unprecedented speed, and his physical body was on the verge of collapse.
Just as he was about to be exhausted, a wisp of pure Yuanchen Divine Power that Yu Yuanchen had pre-placed in his body was quietly activated. This wisp of divine power did not directly help him fight the tribulation lightning, but instantly nourished his nearly dried-up life origin and divine soul, winning him the most critical moment of respite!
It was this instant! Yu Yunting seized the opportunity, and with all his heart, will, and ultimate understanding of the Evil-Breaking law, he roared and compressed it, condensing it!
Wum—!
A Dao-sound that seemed to come from the beginning of heaven and earth rang out from within his body! All pain, chaos, and struggle instantly subsided. A diamond-shaped crystal, about the size of a fingernail, deep purple in its entirety, with pure white-gold patterns flowing on its surface, and emitting a majestic, righteous, and evil-banishing aura, slowly condensed and formed at his Dantian position!
Evil-Breaking Thunder Godhead, complete!
The moment the Godhead condensed and took form, the seven-colored tribulation clouds in the sky seemed to have fulfilled their mission and slowly dissipated. Yu Yuanchen hurriedly channeled his own primordial divine power into his son's body, nourishing Yu Yunting's battered frame.
His aura began to climb frantically, breaking through the limits of the mortal realm and officially stepping into the Spirit-level Domain! Although he had just entered the spirit level and his divine power was faint, that pure and sharp Evil-Breaking Divine Might was enough to make even an ordinary Third-level Deity take notice.
Yu Yunting slowly opened his eyes, a flash of purple lightning flickering within them. Feeling the Godhead within his body—one that fit him perfectly and responded to his every whim—a weary yet incredibly radiant smile appeared on his face. He had succeeded! Relying on his own strength, he had successfully traversed the new path his father had envisioned!
"Congratulations." Yu Yuanchen's figure appeared, his eyes filled with comfort as he looked at his son. Yu Yunting's success did not just mean he had personally stepped onto the Divine Path; it also verified the feasibility of the "Godhead" path, lighting a beacon for those who would follow.
"Thank you for acting as my Guardian, Father!" Yu Yunting bowed respectfully, his reverence for his father deepening. He knew that without that strand of divine power his father had provided at the critical moment, he might not have made it to the end.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan