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The God of Shura spoke in a deep voice, "Have you made your decision? Becoming a God-King means possessing the most powerful force in this world. Forces like the Spirit Hall, the Angel Clan, and even the Angel God who created them—such small powers—you could recreate them with ease. You could even create several more. And if you kill them, once you ascend to God-King, you can bring them back to life. It's like sacrificing the lesser self to achieve the greater self."
Qian Renhan shook his head and replied without hesitation, "There's no need to consider. Some things are bottom lines. If I abandon even that, I might indeed go further on this path—but I might no longer be myself."
The next moment, a powerful voice echoed—not mechanical this time, but filled with reverence:
"Shura Ninth Trial—complete. Shura Godhood—perfectly inherited."
Qian Renhan suddenly looked up, staring at the Shura God standing calmly with his hands behind his back. He asked in confusion, "Master?"
The Shura God shook his head and said, "Finding a worthy successor is just too difficult. Out of a group of short ones, I've picked the tallest. It could only be you."
"Qian Renhan, remember this: the God-King is not the end of the world. Beyond the Divine Realm, there are many other worlds. In those places, beings stronger than even I may exist. Your journey won't end with the Divine Realm. Among all of Spirit Hall, only you have the ability to travel to new worlds. When that time comes, your path will be refined anew. Take the Shura Demon Sword I've passed on to you—go, and let your brilliance shine in the new world."
As his words fell, the Shura God vanished before Qian Renhan's eyes. The entire space began to collapse, and the magnificent Shura God Temple reappeared before him.
The mechanical voice sounded once again:
"All spirit rings upgraded by 50,000 years!"
"SHURA—DESCENDS!"
Immediately afterward, another mechanical voice followed:
"Evil Ninth Trial—complete. Shura Ninth Trial—complete. Evil Godhood—perfectly inherited. All spirit rings upgraded by 50,000 years."
"EVIL—DESCENDS!"
Outside the mountains where the Slaughter City was located, a pillar of blood-red light surged into the sky. In the heavens, waves of overwhelmingly evil auras gathered, coalescing into massive black clouds that blotted out the sky. Within them, pitch-black lightning crackled and surrounded the blood-red pillar like a writhing cage.
In the Divine Realm, within the Shura God Temple, the Shura God let out a sigh of relief. That was close. Even with his super artifact—the Shura Demon Sword—he still got some of his hair sliced off during the fight with Qian Renhan, who only wielded the lowest-tier divine weapon. It was downright embarrassing. Fortunately, Qian Renhan didn't realize this and assumed their fight was a fair contest between equals.
The Shura God gently stroked the sword in his hand and said, "Old friend, we can finally leave this cursed place. You've been trapped in the Blood River for so long—it's time you tasted blood and slew living beings once more."
"Shura, are you leaving?" The God of Evil suddenly appeared in the Shura Temple and said, "As an enforcer of the Divine Realm, you must wait for your successor to officially take over."
"Qian Renhan is your inheritor too. I've already put in all the effort to train him. The formalities have nothing to do with me. You really do enjoy reaping the benefits, don't you?"
Shura glanced at Evil with calm indifference and waved his hand. The Shura Demon Sword turned into a streak of blood-red light and returned to his body. Evil chuckled awkwardly.
Evil asked again, "Aren't you going to say goodbye to everyone?"
"Goodbyes only add to sorrow."
With that, the Shura God soared into the sky, leaving the Shura Temple behind as he flew toward the upper layers of the Divine Realm.
On the Hell Road, within the Blood River, Qian Renhan stood clad in black, six pairs of pitch-black wings radiating an aura of overwhelming evil from his back. In his hand, he held a three-foot-long blood-red sword. Behind him, the statue of the Fallen Angel Goddess no longer stood—for upon becoming the Evil God, his martial soul had become one with himself. He was now his own martial soul.
Around Qian Renhan, a total of twenty soul rings floated. On one side were nine red and one golden; on the other, eight red and two golden.
"I'm still missing the torso and head spirit bones. Without them, I can't form the soul bone armor standard to divine beings. I'll need to go get a set soon."
Retracting both of his martial souls, Qian Renhan returned to his original appearance. Just as he was about to leave Slaughter City, he frowned slightly. He sensed the presence of the Rakshasa God. A successor of the Rakshasa was within the city.
"So it's him... That rat still has some life in him. Not only did he survive—he even became the Rakshasa God's inheritor."
Qian Renhan cast a brief glance at Tang San, who was wielding a massive hammer and wreaking havoc in the Hell Slaughter Arena. But it was just a glance. After becoming the God of Shura, he had gained complete clarity about his path. Someone like Tang San was nothing more than a roadside ant—if he happened to step on him, so be it. But if he went out of his way to kill him, it would only taint the purity of his sword's intent.
"Let my silly little sister handle it."
With a single step, Qian Renhan traversed a thousand miles and appeared before Qian Renxue, who was currently undergoing the dual divine trials of Light and Darkness in the Spirit Hall. On her forehead was a striking mark—the Seal of the Light and Dark Angel.
Qian Renxue opened her eyes and looked at the mark on Qian Renhan's forehead. "Brother, you've already…"
Qian Renhan nodded lightly and said calmly, "In just a few days, I'll be leaving this world. But I'll leave behind a divine thought to continue managing Spirit Hall's affairs until you ascend."
"Brother, why? Even after becoming a god and going to the Divine Realm, you're allowed to remain in the mortal world for up to a hundred years. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Qian Renxue cried softly, throwing herself into Qian Renhan's arms. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with tears. For the first time, her brother felt distant—like a man who desired nothing from the world. Is this the cost of godhood?
A divine thought is just that—a thought. It's not the real person. Qian Renxue couldn't possibly treat a divine thought as her true brother.
Qian Renhan gently patted her head and said, "You've grown up. It's time you learned to stand on your own. Don't act like a child anymore. Broaden your perspective. The Douluo Continent is ultimately a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things. One's strength determines one's stage. I won't be waiting long in the Divine Realm."
He gently pushed Qian Renxue away. Divine power surged around him and condensed into nine divine-bestowed spirit rings.
"These divine-bestowed rings are perfectly attuned to your current martial soul. Since your martial soul has changed, your spirit rings must too. Formed from my divine power, these rings will be the best nourishment for your spirit and will allow your potential to be fully unlocked. As for removing your current spirit rings, let the Gods of Light and Darkness handle it."
Qian Renhan handed the nine divine-bestowed rings to Qian Renxue. He feared that if he took on the task himself, he might hesitate out of pity and simply destroy the rings with divine power—reducing her suffering far too much.
As for Ye Lingling? She could do whatever she pleased. She had always been an emotionless fiancée. He'd agreed to the engagement only because Spirit Hall lacked a powerful healing-type spirit master—and out of pity for her situation, not wanting her to bear the stigma of being abandoned. The arrangement had been initiated by Qian Daoliu, and Qian Renhan had merely accepted it.
But now? Ye Lingling had everything—talent, strength, reputation. Her family was firmly rooted in Spirit Hall. Qian Renhan no longer spared her even a thought.
(End of Chapter)