Having finally returned to the Douluo Continent, Qian Renxue and Chen Xin looked back at the spatial passage that had already disappeared, feeling deeply uneasy.
Although the Asura God sent them all back in the end, he himself was likely in dire straits, and the entire God Realm might even fall.
Carrying the God of Lust on his back, Chen Xin said to Qian Renxue, "Qian Renxue, go find Tianlin immediately. I infer that the reason the Asura God was able to regain mobility just now is precisely because Tianlin has successfully inherited his god position. The Evil Sword Immortal used the Evil Spirit Pearl to suppress divine seat power, so he couldn't limit someone who didn't yet have a god position."
Qian Renxue nodded. "Alright. But Xiao Tian's efficiency at accepting a god position is really something—he completed the inheritance in such a short time."
"No. One day in the God Realm equals one year in the lower plane. Although we were only in the God Realm for a few hours, several months have likely passed on the Douluo Continent. The more powerful a plane is, the slower its time flows in order to maintain stability—that's our opportunity," Chen Xin said with a smile. "With the Evil Sword Immortal in the God Realm, even if he completely takes it over and seizes the core hub, it will take him at least three to four days. By then, three to four years will have passed in the lower plane, which undoubtedly gives Tianlin more time to raise the Asura god position."
"By the way, did you do something to the God Realm passage at the end?" Chen Xin was a bit puzzled; he actually hadn't understood Qian Renxue's last maneuver.
Qian Renxue nodded confidently. "Yes, I pulled a little trick. Sigh, our plan to intercept and eliminate my mother was actually going quite well, but it was completely ruined by the God of Destruction's interference. Still, failure is failure—there's no point in assigning blame now, nor in complaining or playing the victim. What we should do is mount an effective counterattack."
"The Evil Sword Immortal was born from my parents, so I do know him to a degree, and I can roughly guess his next moves. Just watch—what I left behind will definitely make him suffer a good one."
"I'll look forward to it," Chen Xin said, not asking further. He had boundless faith in this girl's talent—perhaps in these years, she had comprehended something.
The two flew to Seven Treasures Mountain; Tianlin had already been waiting there.
Chen Xin's guess was right. Although Tianlin was quick in inheriting the god position, it couldn't have been completed in mere days; he had leveraged the time dilation between the God Realm and the lower plane.
Upon becoming a god, Tianlin immediately learned about Bibi Dong's apotheosis and the Evil Sword Immortal's rampage in the God Realm. He had intended to open the God Realm gate at once to go support.
Unfortunately, no matter what he tried, he couldn't sense the God Realm at all—it seemed the Asura God had completely severed the link between the two planes earlier.
Just as he was growing anxious, he saw Qian Renxue and Chen Xin return, overjoying him.
"Master, Sister Xue, thank goodness you're alright. I couldn't sense you on the continent earlier—you must have gone to the God Realm. What happened up there, and how did you make it back? Also, who is the person on your back, Master?" Tianlin asked urgently.
Both wore heavy expressions. Chen Xin spoke first. "I'll explain."
Chen Xin recounted the God Realm battle in full detail to Tianlin.
Tianlin finally understood why the Asura God had been so eager for him to become a god: to stop the reckless gambit of the four God Kings.
Sadly, he was still a step too late—the four God Kings carried out their plan. Fortunately, at the last moment, the Asura God made a snap decision and saved the God of Lust.
If Tianlin had guessed correctly, since the Evil Spirit Pearl corresponded to the Holy Spirit Pearl, there should also be a divine position within it—like the Holy Emperor, at the Divine Emperor level.
However, to fully inherit this divine position, the Evil Sword Immortal would need to devour the greatest evil thoughts on the Douluo Continent—the Seven Deadly Sins—which amounted to his divine assessment. The Evil God King and the Rakshasa God were incidental: consuming them made him stronger, but failing to do so didn't matter.
The Seven Deadly Sins, however, could not be missing even one; if any were absent, he would be only the strongest Supreme God King, not a Divine Emperor.
"Never thought the God Realm would face such calamity one day. Those haughty gods finally get to taste what it's like to be trampled underfoot," Gu Yuena said, holding no fondness for the God Realm and even a bit of schadenfreude.
But she knew priorities. The God Realm's disaster was only the prelude. To achieve Divine Emperor, the Evil Sword Immortal would definitely seize the God Realm hub and reopen the gate—then it would be a catastrophe for the entire continent. She warned, "Tianlin, there's still a large portion of the power the God-Demon Sword granted you that you haven't used. Use this time to complete your god-seat ascension. No matter how you slice it, the Evil Sword Immortal's strength is at the peak of the Supreme God King level. If you don't reach the same realm, you absolutely won't beat him."
Tianlin nodded. "I understand. Gu Yuena, rest assured."
He knew this wasn't the time for fear or worry—only by becoming stronger could he resolve the disaster.
"Xiao Tian, let me help you. Since you've also become a god, our Heavenly Snow power might evolve into divine power. I can definitely lend you a hand," Qian Renxue said.
Tianlin accepted Qian Renxue's offer, then turned to Chen Xin. "Alright. Master, I'll leave the God of Lust in your protection. Also, please keep an eye on the God Realm—if the passage opens again, notify us immediately. Whether or not I've completed my ascension by then, I'll come to aid you. And please inform my father-in-law's side as well. With his wisdom, he won't sit on his hands. Even if he can't help directly, he'll at least make preparations—fortify the cities and protect the people from collateral damage from god-level battles."
When immortals fight, mortals suffer—Tianlin had always remembered this saying.
"Don't worry. Leave everything to your teacher when the time comes." Chen Xin neither accepted nor refused. In his view, if Tianlin hadn't completed his ascension, coming would be courting death. He was the only hope—nothing must happen to him.
When disaster strikes, it is natural for the teacher to take the lead.
Tianlin understood the subtext. To prevent such a situation, he had to accelerate his cultivation.
Fortunately, the gods of the Douluo God Realm weren't separated from humanity by an unbridgeable gulf like in other worlds. With certain external aids, even a Titled Douluo could fight a god.
For example, high-level Martial Soul fusion techniques between two Titled Douluo, like the Netherworld White Tiger or Golden Holy Dragon.
Or like Yu Yuanzhen earlier, leveraging the Ninefold True Dragon Crown plus a multi-person fusion technique—these could temporarily reach god-level combat power and hold a region.
But this time, Tianlin underestimated Ning Fengzhi. In Ning Fengzhi's mind, the Evil Sword Immortal born from Qian Xunji's evil thoughts wasn't actually that intelligent—he was just too strong and too good at hiding, so even Ning Fengzhi's smarts were of little use. But if he had enough intelligence shared with him, when the fighting started, he was confident he could bridge the gap between man and god and teach the Evil Sword Immortal a good lesson.
Additionally, Tianlin could sense that the Asura God wasn't dead, only gravely injured. Although the divine seat had been passed to him, the authorities hadn't fully transferred, so the Asura Sword Seal remained. Tianlin could still faintly sense a bit of the Asura God's divine power.
The Evil Sword Immortal, having fully inherited Qian Xunji's wrath, hatred, and arrogance, would definitely not let the Asura God die quickly—he would prefer to torture him for ruining his plans.
Since starting the Asura inheritance, the Asura God had helped him greatly. He owed him a debt, and Tianlin was not one to leave debts unpaid. One way or another, he would rescue the Asura God.
…
That night, Tianlin and Qian Renxue went to the cliff peak of Seven Treasures Mountain, cultivating under the moonlight by merging their divine powers.
Time had not dulled their tacit understanding. Although they hadn't cultivated together for years, they blended seamlessly.
Once elevated to the divine level, the Heavenly Snow power proved extraordinary—Tianlin clearly felt the surge of power within him.
Even Qian Renxue's Angel God seat was affected. The Seraphim of originally six wings gained two additional snow-white wings; though still illusory for now, once fully condensed, she should become an Eight-Winged Angel, possessing God King-level strength. In time, she might even have hope of becoming a Twelve-Winged Holy Angel.
If a Six-Winged Angel is a First-Level God, an Eight-Winged Angel is an initial God King, a Ten-Winged Angel is a peak God King, then a Twelve-Winged Holy Angel would be a Supreme God King, transcending the five God Kings of the God Realm Committee.
However, that would be the limit of the Angel martial soul. To achieve a Divine Emperor seat like the Holy Emperor or Evil Emperor would basically be impossible.
Supreme God Kings must still obey the world's operating rules. Only Divine Emperors can break the rules; therefore, even for someone as strong as the Evil Sword Immortal, without becoming a Divine Emperor, he could only honestly open the God Realm passage to descend his true body into the human world.
After Chen Xin returned to Spirit City and relayed all the intelligence to Ning Fengzhi, Ning Fengzhi didn't panic. He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Upon waking, the God of Lust provided another key piece of intel: for the Evil Sword Immortal to fully master the God Realm hub would take at least five days; but to master a portion and open the gate would take three days.
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi smiled. "So even Supreme God Kings are constrained by rules? And there's an Evil Emperor assessment, Seven Deadly Sins—how interesting."
"Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough to assist Tianlin much. I can only respond to moves as they come. But if my idea is right, I might have found a way to deal with that thing."