Word Count: 3,232 Words
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"I have long awaited becoming a God. Two generations of Gods, ten thousand years of blood feud. It is only fitting that I bring it all to an end."
Ling Bai's gaze was ice-cold. On the surface, the Angel Empire flourished in splendid prosperity, but in truth it was a castle in the air. If he lost the final battle against Tang San, everything he had built would dissolve like a dream. He could not afford to lose, and he had to exhaust every possible means to secure his victory.
"Xiao Bai, ascend as an Angel first, then inherit Rakshasa."
Golden Crocodile Douluo smiled as he spoke. "We old fossils all exist by clinging to Rakshasa evil power. The moment you inherit the Rakshasa God Position, we lose what sustains us. In the thousands of years since our resurrection, we've gathered no small measure of strength. Don't let it go to waste. Perhaps it can carry you all the way to Angel God King."
The other five Worships nodded as one. Golden Crocodile Douluo's words covered only half the reason. They carried another wish in their hearts as well, a longing to witness the Angel God rise into a God King with their own eyes!
Bibi Dong looked at the Spirit Hall Worships. A trace of indefinable complexity surfaced across her peerlessly elegant face. She understood exactly what the six of them meant to do, and a quiet, lingering sigh escaped her.
"All right."
Six angelic wings burst from Ling Bai's back. Beneath the gazes of the Spirit Empire's resurrected warriors, he rocketed skyward like a meteor in reverse, trailing a brilliant golden tail of flame.
The Angel God Position emerged from between his brows and came to rest peacefully before his chest, radiating halo after halo of golden light that shone in concert with the vast sun overhead. Ling Bai's expression turned solemn, and he slowly began to speak.
In that same instant, every Seraphim statue across the Angel Empire lit up. Beams of golden light erupted skyward, and the statues seemed to come alive, obeying Ling Bai's will. A majestic, sweeping voice rang through the world:
"Believers of the Seraphim, kneel before the light and lift me high!"
…
The Angel Empire.
Crowds surrounded the towering Seraphim statues. Spirit Masters and commoners alike knelt on one knee in perfect unison, right hands clenched into fists pressed over their left breasts, their gazes burning as they fixed upon the miraculous angelic figures.
Most nobles were opportunists who bent with the wind and enforced every law and decree of the Angel Empire to the letter. The common people, however, had never asked for much.
Commoners wanted full stomachs and warm clothes, and the right not to be casually humiliated or trampled by nobles. Weak Spirit Masters wanted spirit rings suited to their Martial Spirits, a chance to give something back to their families. These people made up eighty percent of the Douluo Continent's population, and whoever fulfilled their wishes earned their faith.
The Angel Empire's achievements were plain for all to see. The deacons of the Angelic Sanctuaries spared no effort, traveling village by village every year to help the people awaken their Martial Spirits.
Anyone under the age of twenty, from one-ringed Spirit Masters to three-ringed Spirit Elders, could receive a daily subsidy from the Angelic Sanctuaries. Talented Spirit Masters no longer had to abandon cultivation because of tuition or the weight of living expenses, and the free bestowal of a first spirit ring alone had saved the vast majority of poor children from a future of despair.
The Angel Empire had lifted the people high, and now the people gave everything they could in return. At Ling Bai's summons, humans bowed before angelic statues and portraits in solemn Angelic Sanctuaries and humble farmhouse cottages alike. Specks of golden light seemed to transcend time and space, converging upon Ling Bai alone!
In the Star Dou Forest, before the angelic statue at the center of the Lake of Life, Di Tian, Bi Ji, Xiong Jun, the Myriad Demon King, and one fearsome super spirit beast after another assumed human form and knelt on one knee.
Across the Core Region, the Mixed Region, and the Outer Region, countless Star Dou spirit beasts ceased their conflicts. They obeyed the commands of their rulers and offered their faith to the god above.
In the Extreme North, the Seraphim statue forged from ice and snow caught the sunlight and threw it back in shards of brilliance. From a distance, the kneeling beasts looked like an endless field of fresh snow draped across the land.
Under the Snow Empress's rule, the spirit beasts of the Extreme North believed in Ling Bai as fervently as they believed in their own queen, and the quality of their faith stood a step above even that of the Star Dou Forest.
Across the boundless sea, the Sea Princess and the two mermaid princesses guided vast hosts of sea spirit beasts to turn their faith.
Spirit beasts below ten thousand years possessed intelligence roughly equal to that of human children. Their minds knew only the orders of their tribal kings, and whoever those kings told them to believe in, they believed without hesitation.
Deserts, grasslands, mountain ranges...
These spirit beasts had been brought to heel during the Angel Empire's three years of growth. Ling Bai had asked Di Tian and the Snow Empress to win them over through reason, and in time they had yielded, placing their faith in the Angel.
Humans and spirit beasts, two great races that had stood opposed for a million years, reached unprecedented unity on a single matter. Across the continent, living beings silently spoke the Angel's name and prayed devoutly to the Seraphim. The power of faith converged into a great torrent, and from the Angel God Position a wing forged of pure faith suddenly sprouted, shining with holy radiance!
The Angel God Position was made whole!
Yet a 1st Class God Position was far from enough!
The holy hymn rose once more. Dust-covered stories opened to a new chapter, and a bright, magnificent soul stepped onto the long stairway of deification!
The Seraphim's radiance grew ever more dazzling as it carried the faith of all living beings. The glorious hymn echoed across the world, and more wings waited to unfurl from the Seraphim's back!
"Seraphim, you think even you can stand in the way of my son?!"
A low, furious roar split the air like muffled thunder.
A black figure appeared without a sound. An ominous wash of blood-red light veiled his features, and a massive dark golden hammer rested across his shoulder.
"Tang Hao!"
Bibi Dong's deep purple pupils contracted sharply. The six great Worships of the Spirit Hall stared with grave expressions at the man who had descended before them. The power coursing through his body clearly surpassed that of a Limit Douluo!
"Bibi Dong! Do you still remember that hammer in the Supreme Pontiff's Hall ten thousand years ago?!"
Tang Hao threw his head back and laughed wildly. One spirit ring after another rose slowly around him. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red, gold!
The tenth spirit ring was an extremely faint gold. It looked somewhat illusory in appearance, yet the heavy pressure it released forced back the auras of the six great Worships.
The pale gold ring flashed, and the Clear Sky Hammer swelled in an instant. Dark golden demonic patterns crawled across its surface one after another. The giant hammer stretched more than three hundred feet long, its intense dark light surging without restraint, its head looming as massive as a mountain.
"A mere God Officer dares speak so arrogantly!"
Bibi Dong's sharp cry cut the air. The Asura Sword piercing her body answered at once, and Asura power erupted, firmly suppressing the Rakshasa God Position.
"Even if the seas have turned to mulberry fields and ten thousand years have passed, the Worships of the Spirit Hall will still rise and guard our God!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo roared. His Golden Crocodile King Martial Spirit manifested, and every scale on his body rose on end. His white hair hardened into thick keratin, and his upper body leaned forward, as fierce as a crocodile poised to strike.
The remaining Worships soared into the air and hovered before Ling Bai as he ascended toward his God Position. Across from them stood Tang Hao, now a God Officer. The Worships of the Spirit Hall would not yield a single step!
Tang Hao's gaze swept across the six of them and settled on Bibi Dong's unwilling face. He sneered:
"A God Officer is nothing before a 1st Class God. But I broke the seal early for this exact moment, to strike while the Seraphim cannot interrupt his God Position Inheritance. I will sever your Spirit Empire's last hope!
Seraphim, pay for my Ah Yin's life!"
His roar fell like a hammer blow. All ten spirit rings exploded at once, and the air across Jialing Pass twisted violently. The dark golden Clear Sky Hammer carved itself across the sky. This strike fused Tang Hao's essence, energy, and spirit into one, and every drop of hatred over Ling Bai killing Ah Yin poured wholly into the hammer!
Hummm—
The Clear Sky Hammer swallowed the sky, and Ling Bai, still tempering the Angel God Position, began to change. Seven crimson halos, one gold, and one white-gold fused into a single radiance in the span of a heartbeat.
A breathtaking golden figure unfurled her angelic wings and slipped free of Ling Bai's body. She held the Angel Sword in hand and gazed down upon the falling Clear Sky Hammer with serene pride, her brilliant golden eyes blazing with awe-inspiring majesty!
"Young Mistress!"
The six great Worships froze. Then tears streamed unchecked down their aged faces.
The one they had always loved was Qian Renxue. Whether Ling Bai or Ye Guyi, their devotion had only ever extended outward from her.
"Angel God Qian Renxue!"
Tang Hao's eyes widened until they nearly split. The Angel God Position had shattered, and Qian Renxue had clearly died ten thousand years ago. How could she be residing within Ling Bai's body? And the pulse of her aura stood above his own as a God Officer!
"He said we should be the ones to end the hatred from ten thousand years ago."
Qian Renxue smiled faintly. A gray scythe radiating deathly stillness fell suddenly into Bibi Dong's palm. It was the Death Abyss Demon Scythe, once known by another name: the Rakshasa Demon Scythe!
"Xue Er!"
Bibi Dong cried out sharply. She had carried her guilt for ten thousand years, and now at last she saw Qian Renxue again. This was the atonement she had yearned for day and night.
The Death Abyss Demon Scythe stirred Rakshasa divine power, momentarily resisting the Asura divine power within her. Cobweb-like markings traced themselves across Bibi Dong's forehead. She raised the giant scythe, and a point of purple light spread along its edge. The blade turned cold and bloodthirsty, and a heaven-shaking demonic slash fell straight toward Tang Hao's head!
Divine Skill, Rakshasa Death Scythe!
Holy light erupted from the depths of Qian Renxue's beautiful eyes. The holy power of the Angel Sword rose to its absolute peak, and she poured every last measure of her energy into the Angel Divine Weapon from which she had been parted so long. The Angel Sword dyed her into a resplendent golden sun!
Divine Skill, Solar Sacred Sword!
BOOM!
Destruction. Eruption. Shattering!
At the heart of the collision between the Angel Sword, the Death Abyss Demon Scythe, and the Clear Sky Hammer, countless fine spatial rifts spread without end. The sky became a black spiderweb, its cracks running farther and farther into the distance.
Tang Hao died. There was no suspense in it, not beneath the Divine Skills of two Gods.
Somewhere in the unseen, Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong seemed to hear a voice of gratitude. Freed at last from Tang Hao's parasitic grip, the planar consciousness of the Douluo Continent was reborn.
"Xue Er!"
"Young Mistress!"
The moment Tang Hao fell, everyone called out to Qian Renxue without restraint. They had lived for more than ten thousand years, yet seeing her again, they could not contain their agitation. Bibi Dong gripped the Rakshasa Demon Scythe tightly, and the six great Worships wept until their voices broke.
"Grandpas, ten thousand years have passed. Thank you for still being willing to protect the Angel lineage."
Qian Renxue smiled, and in that instant the world seemed to bloom into dawn for her alone.
"No... this is our duty..." Golden Crocodile Douluo's voice trembled almost beyond control.
Then, beneath Bibi Dong's dazed gaze, Qian Renxue drifted down before the Supreme Pontiff's throne. She ignored the Asura Sword and opened her arms, drawing her mother into an embrace.
"Mother, the one who should have borne this Asura Demon Sword was me."
"Xue Er, I owe you far too much..." Bibi Dong closed her eyes and stroked her daughter's back.
"Mother, I have to go now."
Qian Renxue released her.
"Where are you going?!" Bibi Dong asked urgently.
The Angel's clear golden eyes turned toward the figure high in the sky, and she chuckled softly. "Angel and Sea God, Rakshasa God and Asura God. The hatred stretching across ten thousand years must end today.
I watched him grow, every step of the way. He has done very well, better even than I once did. But even after he inherits the position of Angel God King, he still carries one disadvantage.
The Sea God Trident and the Asura Sword are both Ultra Divine Weapons. The Angel Sword and the Rakshasa Demon Scythe are not.
He anticipated this, of course. He promised to return an Ultra Divine Weapon to the Silver Dragon King and the Emperor Destiny Beast in the future, and in exchange borrowed the Golden Dragon Spear and the Silver Dragon Spear from them."
Qian Renxue paused and summoned the two dragon spears. Then she shook her head. "His original plan was to fuse the Golden and Silver Dragon Spears into an Ultra Divine Weapon, the Dragon God Spear. But that shares no affinity with the dual bloodline of Angel and Rakshasa. It is not the best choice.
The elders should lay the foundation for those who come after. So I have decided to use the last of my divine soul power to help him. I will become the spirit of a Divine Weapon, fuse with the Silver Dragon Spear, and elevate the Angel Sword into an Ultra Divine Weapon!
Mother, I will live on forever within the Angel Sword."
Before her voice had faded, Qian Renxue grasped the Silver Dragon Spear in her left hand and tightened her right around the Angel Sword. Her divine soul ignited with holy, pure angelic fire, and the Divine Weapon fusion began.
The Silver Dragon Spear was the companion Divine Weapon of the Silver Dragon King. Among the elements the Silver Dragon governed was light. Qian Renxue set herself ablaze, made light the primary attribute of the Silver Dragon Spear, and merged it into the Angel Divine Weapon, the Angel Sword!
"Xue Er, without you I could find no reason to keep living."
Bibi Dong let out a long, melancholy sigh. In the next instant she seized the Golden Dragon Spear. Purple flames engulfed her body, and the Death Abyss Demon Scythe slowly merged with the Golden Dragon Spear.
"Mother..."
"Xue Er." Bibi Dong's smile came free and unburdened. "Then let us become Divine Weapon spirits together."
The six great Worships stared in stunned silence at the mother and daughter who looked upon each other within the flames. They loved Qian Renxue deeply, and they had long been wary of Bibi Dong. Now all the old entanglements vanished like smoke. For the vengeance of the Angel lineage, the losers from ten thousand years ago gave everything they had!
The Angel Sword and the Death Abyss Demon Scythe rose into the sky and hovered before Ling Bai.
The two great Divine Weapons had transformed into Ultra Divine Weapons. Ling Bai could feel them connect to his bloodline with perfect clarity. Qian Renxue's smiling voice rang out from within the Angel Sword:
"Xiao Bai, I can call you that, can't I?
Don't be sad. Before I inherited the Angel God Position, Grandfather opened the gate of inheritance at the cost of his life and taught me one final truth. Now I'll pass it on to you.
If one day my heir steps onto the road of becoming a God, I hope he won't see it as a burden. I hope he'll carry the responsibilities I could not set down and the hopes I longed to change, and walk bravely onward.
Xiao Bai, take our light and fly higher!"
"I will. I promise I will."
Ling Bai nodded heavily. The faith of all living beings poured into the Angel God Position, and the Angel's divine power climbed without end. Six new ridges swelled from his back, taking shape between his original six angelic wings.
Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue had found their path. The six great Worships stepped forward in silence, and Falling Devil Douluo bowed deeply.
"My apologies. When we first met at Jialing City, we brothers failed in our duty as Worships."
"There's no need for that, seniors. It's long since passed."
"Many thanks."
Falling Devil Douluo smiled in relief. That matter had always weighed on his heart. On the ground below, one-sixth of the Spirit Empire's warriors dissolved into pure energy and poured into his body.
"Keep this power safe. In the final battle, slap Tang San across the face for me, and slap him hard."
He cast one last lingering look at the Angel Sword, then merged resolutely into the Angel God Position!
Riiiip—
A crisp tearing sound rang across the world. The Angel's seventh wing burst from Ling Bai's back!
"That Falling Devil bastard couldn't even wait for me."
Fifteen Ton Douluo cursed under his breath and charged into the Angel God Position, carrying his own one-sixth of the Spirit Empire's soldiers with him!
The eighth wing!
Glowing Feather Douluo toyed with the bow in his hand and curled his lips. "If only Big Brother were here."
The ninth wing!
"Good lad. Don't you dare lose face for us!"
Mighty Lion Douluo and Azure Luan Douluo clapped Ling Bai on the shoulders from either side, their eyes brimming with encouragement.
The tenth wing. The eleventh wing!
"To become a wing of the Angel God is the greatest glory any of us could ask for!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo laughed, his voice brazen and utterly unrestrained.
"Big Brother, here we come!"
Endless light traced out the twelfth wing!
Across the Douluo Continent, every living soul looked up and beheld the glorious illusory image of an Angel rising into the sky. The Angel seemed to blot out the firmament, yet within that vast, crushing pressure lingered a holy, gentle warmth.
Brilliant golden hair streamed behind him. Ling Bai raised the Ultra Divine Weapon, the Angel Sword, high above his head. A golden pillar of light surged into the boundless starry expanse, and twelve angelic wings ignited with inextinguishable golden flame!
"Wings of eternal flame, lift me from mortal temptation!"
The God Position advanced!
Twelve-Winged Angel God!
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Title: Angel and Rakshasa Slay Tang Hao, Twelve-Winged Angel God
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