Word Count: 2,962 Words
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Twelve angelic wings burned with eternal flame as Ling Bai rose into the sky, climbing more than half a mile in a single breath.
The state of a God was utterly different from that of a Limit Douluo. The sky seemed to have become part of the Angel. He no longer needed to stir his divine power. A single thought was enough for the air currents to carry him wherever he wished to go.
The Angel God was also known as the God of the Sky and the God of the Sun. Now that Ling Bai had ascended as the Angel God, whether it was the sky above the sea or the sky above the land, he could claim it perfectly as his own.
The sky boiled over as the Twelve-Winged Angel God descended upon the world. Clouds danced wildly as if overcome with joy, and the sun blazed with a brilliance far beyond the ordinary. Drawn by the sacred angelic aura, the firmament transformed into a world of pure golden glass.
Blazing light flickered around him, yet Ling Bai's expression remained unusually calm. He took no exultation in the boundless, magnificent power of the Angel God. Within his divine sense lay only warmth, a gentle current that soothed the trembling souls of every living being on the Douluo Continent.
The countless people of the Angel Empire bowed in his direction, tears of excitement shining in their eyes. To witness the birth of a God was the greatest fortune and glory a mortal could know, and this God carried within him a portion of what they themselves had offered!
Nine Treasure City. Angel Holy City. Shrek City. The Extreme North. The Star Dou Forest...
Every place that had shared in Ling Bai's glory and disgrace erupted in ecstasy. A God King. They had truly created a God King!
The future of the Douluo Continent and the future of the spirit beast race were now bound entirely to the Angel God!
Divine power surged around Ling Bai. One spirit ring after another rose with unstoppable force. Red, red, red, red, red, red, gold, red, white-gold. Above the nine, a misty golden radiance settled over them, as if each ring had been wrapped in fine gold leaf. Their original colors could still be faintly glimpsed beneath, yet they shone far more brilliantly than before.
This was the mark of god-level spirit rings. Bathed in divine power, every ring had awakened with the aura of a God. Once the nine had risen, a brilliant golden halo slowly condensed behind them, eclipsing all the rest.
The golden halo stretched more than thirty feet across, woven from countless angel feathers. It did not stand in line with the first nine spirit rings. Instead, it appeared behind Ling Bai, enclosing his twelve angelic wings like the backdrop of a God King.
The faith of every living being on the Douluo Continent, condensed together with the warriors of the Spirit Empire, had become his tenth divine ring!
Ling Bai's wings trembled faintly. He pierced the heavy clouds like a golden meteor, and his body suddenly began to change. Starting from the angelic brand between his brows, feather-shaped patterns spread downward, dyeing that handsome, divinely sculpted face before flowing onward across the rest of his body.
Whoosh—
More than six miles above the earth, the Angelic Holy Fire burned away every thread of clothing and revealed a perfect divine body. Ling Bai's entire frame erupted with dazzling flame. His twelve angelic wings looked as though they had been forged from golden fire, and a single beat sent waves of gold rolling through the clouds.
Torso, head, limbs. The spirit bones within Ling Bai's body underwent a strange transformation beneath the Angelic Holy Fire. They melted slowly, losing their bone-like form, and fused with the divine power of the Angel God to condense into a vast sphere of light.
An impassioned dragon roar resounded across the sky. A majestic dragon soared upward, its long body winding through the air in a wild, unrestrained dance. Its tail dragged a stream of golden flame behind it.
Scorching light power poured down upon Ling Bai. Every inch of skin along his right arm filled with unprecedented strength, from fingertip to shoulder. Within the surging divine power, brilliant golden armor took shape beneath the cover of holy light.
A protruding Light Holy Dragon head formed at his shoulder, beautiful and imposing in design. From the shoulder downward, dragon-scale patterns covered the armor as it wrapped around his entire right arm, palm and fingers included, fitting perfectly against every line of muscle.
The sky was bound to the continent's consciousness, and divine power poured ceaselessly into his body through the Light Holy Dragon head. A brilliant golden pillar of holiness joined earth and sky, resplendent beyond compare.
Ling Bai had not inherited Qian Renxue's Angel Sacred Armor. The spirit bones within his body were transforming into an Angel Divine Armor unique to this new generation's Angel God!
Right Arm Divine Armor, Light Holy Dragon!
Another clear dragon roar rang out. Unlike the Light Holy Dragon, this one had violent lightning overflowing from every scale on its body. The instant it separated from Ling Bai, the winds shifted and thunder split the sky!
The right leg armor looked slightly bulkier than the right arm armor, but its overall structure and holy-light cloud patterns were exactly the same. The two dragons mirrored one another, their roars echoing to every corner of the world!
Right Leg Divine Armor, Radiant Thunder Hell Dragon!
Far away in the Star Dou Forest, the Beast God Di Tian sensed the aura of the two dragons transforming, and a restlessness stirred in his heart.
As the continent's foremost Great Beast and the spirit beast king closest to godhood, Di Tian had longed desperately for a God Position. Now that he had witnessed two members of the dragon clan ascend in the Angel God's wake, how could he not feel the sting of envy?
A current of Ultimate Ice froze the surrounding air. A peerlessly beautiful figure stepped forth, snow-white hair falling to her waist, sky-blue eyes clear and ethereal, the loveliest sight in all the world.
Far away in the Extreme North, the Snow Empress felt the call. Her cold, stunning face softened like an ancient glacier beginning to thaw, and a trace of warmth touched her lips as she extended her jade-white left hand.
In that same moment, the beautiful figure in the sky clasped hands with the Angel God. The freezing current turned warm and merged into his left arm. Three sword blades protruded from the elbow, signifying the Snow Empress's renowned Empress's Sword: Unparalleled Chill.
Left Arm Divine Armor, Heavenly Snow Woman!
Heavenly Snow Woman. Light Holy Dragon. Though the armor on his two arms differed, there was no clash between them. Instead, they carried a perfect harmony of strength and beauty, as if the Angel God had been born this way.
A pitch-black evil bird appeared next. It let out a hoarse cry and crashed into Ling Bai's left leg. A sinister chill spread at once, nothing like the Snow Empress's cold. This bird harbored the gloom of an evil spirit beast.
The left leg armor formed in the same shape as the right, with one difference. Across the front of the left leg lay a faint, mist-like halo, tied to the two great skills, Void and Traceless Phantom.
Left Leg Divine Armor, Harbinger Zhen!
With each new piece of divine armor that merged into his body, Ling Bai's divine power multiplied many times over, and the holy light pouring from the twelve-winged angel brand on his forehead grew ever vaster.
The largest spirit bone, the torso bone, began to melt and refine. The blood-red bone of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King fused with angelic divine power, and a brilliant suit of golden armor emerged from within. The torso plate and the layered battle skirt shone as one. The full armor enveloped him completely, and the fierce markings of the Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King added a domineering edge to the Angel Divine Armor.
An irregular crimson-gold gem the size of a fist was set between the chest plate and the waist armor. Deep light flowed within it, much like the dark blood sea of Slaughter City, though what this gem held was angelic divine power.
Main Body Divine Armor, Blood Red Nine-Headed Bat King!
The skull spirit bone drifted upward in silence, its golden light dazzling. A miniature twelve-winged angel transformed into a ring that encircled Ling Bai's forehead.
At the very center of the ring, an angelic gemstone shone with radiant light. Ripples spread above it, and holy light wove itself into a sovereign's crown. As the crown gathered up his long golden hair, its hollow patterns aligned perfectly with the angelic brand between his brows.
Head Divine Armor, Evileye Tyrant Emperor!
Spiritual Crystal, Demon Eye Evil Tree!
Feather-shaped patterns spread across every inch of the divine armor. Behind him, the twelve angelic wings blazed with splendor. Rings of golden ripples rolled outward from his body without end, and the crossguard of the Ultra Divine Weapon, the Angel Sword, unfolded like a pair of enormous angelic wings.
Ling Bai grasped the Angel Sword, and a true sense of closeness spread through his entire body. The lines carved into the hilt fit perfectly against his palm. The sword was warm to the touch, and its blade seemed to flow with pure angelic blood.
Angel Divine Armor, complete!
Only with the Angel Divine Armor was Ling Bai truly the Angel God!
"Elder Yi," Ling Bai called softly.
Electrolux appeared. The Holy Necromancer who had fused with the Death Abyss Spider Emperor had grown stronger alongside Ling Bai. He held a necromantic staff in hand, his expression solemn.
"The Silver Dragon King was right. The faith of the Douluo Continent's living beings is only enough to forge a single God King."
Ling Bai opened his palm to reveal the Rakshasa God Position that Bibi Dong had left behind. The remaining power of faith poured into it, and the position's evil radiance blazed fiercely, its aura leaping from a 1st Class God to the very peak of a 1st Class God.
"So close, yet worlds apart. Between a 1st Class God and a God King lies an insurmountable chasm."
"Fortunately, we anticipated this from the start and made many preparations over the past three years."
Electrolux smiled calmly and accepted the Rakshasa God Position. A Spectral Gate swung open behind him, and the howls of spectral creatures echoed from within.
Over the past three years, the Angel Empire had exhausted every method to harvest faith for Ling Bai. The spirit beasts had united from top to bottom as well. The Star Dou Forest and the Extreme North sent their people to every major spirit beast gathering ground, paying unannounced visits to ensure none held back.
Ling Bai's cultivation had stalled at Rank 99, Limit Douluo. No matter how hard he trained, advancing further within mere years was impossible.
He had not wasted the time. He spent it in deep discussion with Electrolux, working out how to ascend to a God Position when the faith of the Douluo Continent's living beings fell short.
The two of them devised two plans. The first was to absorb a powerful divine beast. Ling Bai had thought of the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King.
The Silver Dragon King was an ally, and for the time being she was unwilling to become one mind and body with a human. The Golden Dragon King was sealed within the Divine Realm's God Forbidden Land. Setting aside whether Ling Bai could even defeat him, the moment he set one foot into that forbidden ground, the five great God Kings would catch the scent and come running.
The first plan was scrapped, so Electrolux proposed the second. The Death Abyss Spider Emperor carried the bloodline of the Rakshasa God and had already fused with Electrolux's gray spirit ring, granting it command over necromancy.
Given this, Electrolux intended to fuse the Rakshasa God Position with the entire Spectral Demiplane, sacrificing every spectral creature within to forge a flesh-and-blood monument for the birth of a God King!
"Undead, sacrifice!"
Electrolux chanted an obscure necromantic incantation. Gray flames of death erupted across the Spectral Demiplane, yet not a single spectral creature resisted or struggled.
From beginning to end, the meaning of their existence had been to brave fire and flood for their master!
Bone Dragon Kings, Spectral Bone Dragons, Abominations, Lich Kings, Death Knights, Skeletons... without exception, the spectral creatures devoutly offered up their lives until they burned to ash!
Hummm—
Electrolux's divine sense ignited in a fierce surge of gray flame. The true key to ascending as a God King was not the Spectral Demiplane. It was Electrolux himself, the Holy Necromancer. Only when he too joined the offering could the Rakshasa God Position become that of a God King!
"My hand grasps the sun and moon and plucks the stars from the sky! This world has no one else like me!"
Electrolux laughed heartily. With his astonishing, peerless talent, had he truly wished it, he could have ascended as the Death God long ago!
"Brat, catch!"
The strength of countless spectral creatures converged, and a gray God Position was born.
The second God King Position. The Death God!
Ling Bai seized it in one hand and refined it in an instant.
He did not grieve for the Spirit Empire or for Electrolux. He understood one thing with absolute clarity. Their souls all lived on within the two great God Positions, and as long as he won the ultimate battle, every one of them might yet return!
Do not stop. Charge into the Divine Realm and fulfill their shared wish!
BOOM—
The barrier of the mortal realm shattered, and the Angel God descended upon the Divine Realm!
The holy power of an unfamiliar God King swept across the Divine Realm. The Gods were shaken. Streaks of light tore through the sky, and at their head came none other than the five great God Kings!
"You are... the Angel God!"
The God of Destruction stared at the golden figure before him in astonishment. "One day in the Divine Realm is one year in the mortal world. By mortal reckoning, I recall the Angel God Position was shattered ten thousand years ago. The one responsible was...
The Asura God!"
Not far away, Tang San gripped the Sea God Trident. His gaze turned cold. "The Angel God poisoned the mortal realm and violated the rules of the Divine Realm. I am the Asura God, one of the Divine Realm's law enforcers. Punishing a guilty God is my duty!"
"What a pure and spotless God King!"
Ling Bai's voice turned sharp. "Violating the rules of the Divine Realm. Punishing a guilty God. Then let this God ask you in return. What crime should be assigned to a God King who breaks the Divine Realm's rules and personally descends to the mortal realm?!"
His words had barely faded before God King-level spiritual power took tangible form. Before the eyes of every God in the Divine Realm, scene after scene replayed the descent of Tang San's divine soul into the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley.
The Gods were stunned. A dignified law enforcer of the Divine Realm had knowingly broken the law. For the destiny power of two great races, he had thrown away all face!
The Goddess of Life ground her teeth. Tang San's scheme had failed, and his divine soul had been gravely injured after being beaten down. Yet this man had used the excuse of an accident during secluded cultivation to deceive her into healing him!
The newly appointed Goddess of Kindness and God of Evil exchanged a glance. One of them spoke hesitantly. "We… we are all members of the Divine Realm. Could there be some misunderstanding here?"
"There is no misunderstanding."
Angelic Holy Fire that burned away every sin in the world climbed from beneath Ling Bai's feet, and an incomparably vivid illusory image of a twelve-winged angel rose behind him.
"When this God was weak, Tang San schemed against me time and again. Now that this God has ascended as a God King, I will demand repayment for every last debt!"
The Angel Sword pointed straight at the tip of Tang San's nose. Cold intent filled Ling Bai's gaze.
"Tang San, do you dare fight me? Let this battle end you and me both, and end the hatred of ten thousand years!"
"He violated the rules to descend to the lower realm, only to have his divine soul beaten into serious injury."
The God of Destruction gave Tang San a meaningful glance, then said mildly, "For breaking the rules of the Divine Realm, the Asura God should indeed be punished. Since the Angel God insists, then claim your justice with your own hands!"
"I dedicated everything to the Divine Realm, yet in the end we were never of one mind..."
A trace of blood-red flashed deep within Tang San's eyes. The God of Destruction had long wanted to wage war upon the outer realms, but Tang San had done everything in his power to stop him. Now the God of Destruction meant to use the Angel God's hand to bring him down!
"This God King has been renowned for ten thousand years. Why would I fear you!"
Tang San raised the Sea God Trident and drew a deep breath. His signature declaration sprang to his lips.
"Angel God, you already have—"
"Tang San, you already have a path to death!"
His own words, stolen from his lips and driven back!