"Your fortune is truly remarkable," Qian Daoliu sighed, his composure breaking despite his otherwise smooth journey to becoming a Rank 99 Douluo.
At this moment, he was utterly disarmed.
"With Xue'er by your side, I am at ease," he said after a moment of silence.
For Qian Renxue to ascend to godhood and reach Rank 100, the Grand Worship of the Angelic God would have to make a sacrificial offering. At that point, he would no longer be there to protect his granddaughter.
Dai Mubai, however, was no ordinary native. Having witnessed Qian Daoliu's sacrificial act in his previous life, he found it moving yet unnecessary.
"Old man, I think Xue'er's divine trials can wait a few more years. That way, she won't have any regrets," Dai Mubai said calmly.
He had already discussed this with Qian Renxue, though it seemed Qian Daoliu was still in the dark about their plans.
"Oh?" Qian Daoliu raised an eyebrow, sensing the deeper implications in Dai Mubai's words.
Dai Mubai's reasoning made sense. Once he became a god, helping Qian Renxue begin her divine trials would be trivial. It wouldn't require Qian Daoliu to sacrifice himself.
Still, for Qian Daoliu, the Angelic God was his lifelong faith. He felt no regret or hesitation about offering himself for the deity.
"For Xue'er, you say..."
Qian Daoliu fell into a thoughtful silence. Was it truly acceptable to rely on another god's power to initiate the Angelic God's inheritance? Would that not betray his faith?
"Old man, when was the last time you received a divine oracle from the Angelic God?"
Qian Daoliu turned to Dai Mubai, puzzled, and then looked at the Angelic God statue.
The last oracle? Other than when he completed the Angelic Eight Trials, he had never received any divine messages.
Why was his grandson-in-law asking such a question? Did he know something?
"The Angelic God has fallen," Dai Mubai stated, his tone steady and calm.
The words hit Qian Daoliu like a thunderclap.
"The Angelic God... fallen?"
"That's impossible. Absolutely impossible!" Qian Daoliu exclaimed, waving his arms furiously. He refused to believe that a deity as powerful as the Angelic God could meet such an end.
"Accept reality. The Angelic God has long since fallen," Dai Mubai replied, unfazed.
"The divine trials you can still undertake are due to the faith Spirit Hall has accumulated over the years and the fact that, although the Angelic God has perished, their divine position remains intact."
"However, this position has been tampered with by two other gods."
"Anyone ascending through this divine position can become a god, but they will never achieve completeness. Worse, they could fall under the control of these two gods."
Qian Daoliu staggered back, his face pale. The Angelic God... dead? And their divine position sabotaged by others?
Was this the end of the Qian family's legacy?
"You..." Qian Daoliu began, wanting to ask how Dai Mubai knew this.
But seeing the gray scythe mark on Dai Mubai's forehead, realization dawned on him.
Of course Dai Mubai would know. As a successor of an incredibly powerful god—perhaps even more formidable than the Angelic God—he was privy to truths beyond mortal comprehension.
His earlier questions about the divine oracles now made perfect sense. Dai Mubai had known all along!
"I would never let Xue'er's divine inheritance be compromised. Surely you wouldn't want that either, old man?"
Dai Mubai raised an eyebrow, his tone as calm as ever.
Qian Daoliu fell silent. Could he ever harm his granddaughter?
"Can you tell me which two gods are responsible?" Qian Daoliu asked, his fists clenched and his face a mask of frost.
Though he was powerless against two such entities—even if he became a god—he still needed to know.
"You're actually quite familiar with them," Dai Mubai remarked, a strange expression on his face.
He truly was familiar with them.
One was worshiped by a woman he loved deeply.
The other was the source of his best friend's divine trials. Tang Chen, who had undertaken the Asura Nine Trials, had been sabotaged by the Rakshasa God, leading to possession by a bat-like creature.
And Bibi Dong? She had inherited the Rakshasa God's mantle.
"..."
"A first-tier god, the Sea God. Surely you know him, old man?"
Qian Daoliu's entire body trembled. The Sea God?
The Sea God was the second god he had ever learned of, after the Angelic God. He even knew the location of the Sea God's inheritance on Seagod Island.
But how did Dai Mubai know this? When he and Tang Chen had visited Seagod Island, Dai Mubai's father hadn't even been born yet!
Qian Daoliu braced himself. If the first was the Sea God, then the second could only be...
"The Rakshasa God," Dai Mubai continued. "Your daughter-in-law, Bibi Dong, is their successor, isn't she?"
Qian Daoliu's lips twitched, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Yes, you and Bo Saixi's history can stay off the record," Dai Mubai teased. "The other god? Their successor was your best friend, Tang Chen!"
"Tang Chen inherited the Asura God's trials. Asura God, you may not know well, but they're a superior god compared to the Rakshasa God. The Rakshasa God is the subordinate of the Asura God. Does that make sense now?"
Qian Daoliu felt his mind go blank.
Tang Chen had truly found a path to godhood and became a divine successor?
It made sense. With his talent, even if he relied solely on time, he could have eventually ascended. But he had been in a hurry, fearing someone else would claim the Sea God's inheritance first.
Qian Daoliu's gaze toward Dai Mubai shifted entirely.
This young man even knew about his past with Tang Chen and Bo Saixi. How?
"The ones who tampered with the Angelic God's inheritance are the Sea God and the Asura God."
"And about Tang Chen? He completed the Asura God's eighth trial, only to be sabotaged by the Rakshasa God before fully inheriting the divine position..."
"That would be Bibi Dong—your granddaughter's mother, correct?" Dai Mubai's tone carried an air of certainty.
Qian Daoliu sighed, his expression heavy. "Time and fate are cruel masters," he muttered.
Dai Mubai shook his head. One question had always troubled him:
The Rakshasa God was a subordinate of the Asura God, making them completely suppressed by the latter. Without the Asura God's permission, how had the Rakshasa God dared to sabotage Tang Chen?
If they had failed, Tang Chen, upon becoming a god, would have eliminated the Rakshasa God first.
Was the Asura God truly intent on granting Tang Chen the divine position? If so, why had they allowed their subordinate to interfere?
Surely, Tang Chen's talent rivaled, if not exceeded, Tang San's.
(End of Chapter)
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