"For an angel, your senses aren't half bad," Max remarked, his voice carrying casual amusement as he took a step back, posture entirely relaxed — though his presence still pressed on the air like a storm waiting to break. "As for me? Just a traveler. Passing through… exploring this little world of yours."
With a flick of his wrist, something materialized in his palm — radiant, gleaming, pulsing faintly with pure Spirit Power.
An External Spirit Bone.
But not just any ordinary one — Max's unique aura wrapped around it, subtly warping its properties, infusing it with his power. Its form twisted, reshaped itself into something breathtaking yet deadly — a Holy Imperial Sun Scorpion Tail Bone, radiating warmth like divine sunlight, but laced with a dangerous, elegant sharpness.
"Consider this… a meeting gift," Max offered coolly, tossing the shining treasure toward her with effortless precision.
Qian Renxue's hand snapped out automatically, catching the Spirit Bone. Her golden eyes widened, shock rippling through her as she stared at the priceless, perfect treasure now resting in her palm.
By the time her gaze lifted, Max was already leaning against the balcony railing, a lazy, almost teasing wave accompanying his next words.
"See you around," he called smoothly — and then, with a flicker of shadows, his figure dissolved into the night, vanishing as though he was never there at all.
For a long moment, Qian Renxue stood frozen, her thoughts scrambled, heart thundering in her chest. Only the lingering warmth of the Spirit Bone in her hand grounded her, proof that the impossible encounter had been all too real.
"…Just who the hell… are you…?" she whispered to the empty balcony, eyes narrowing with suspicion and a trace of intrigue, mind racing with possibilities.
Meanwhile, back at his rented inn, Max lounged comfortably by the window, moonlight spilling across his figure as he looked out over the rooftops of Tian Dou City. Yet his glowing eyes weren't focused on the streets below — they reflected the faint blue light of his System Interface, the ever-present, omniscient tool he simply called… the Yue.
"Hm… Sea God's Heart… that's one secured," Max muttered under his breath, casually flipping a luminous, condensed orb of divine power between his fingers before tucking it away into his spatial ring.
But this was only the beginning.
Max knew that after the Dragon God's descent into madness and fragmentation, countless gods perished — their lingering power scattered across Douluo Dalu in hidden pockets, waiting to be claimed. If the Sea God's Heart could be concealed beneath an imperial city for generations, who knew how many more relics were out there… forgotten… ripe for the taking.
[System, global scan. Locate divine remnants. Priority: Hearts or condensed godly inheritances.]
A faint metallic chime echoed within his mind as the map interface materialized before him, glowing like a constellation of golden lights across the holographic projection of the continent.
"Four divine remnants detected," the System's cold, precise voice declared. "Displaying confirmed locations."
The map zoomed in, four pulsing icons flaring to life:
Death God's Heart
Nestled deep within the infamous Death Soul Valley, a cursed land avoided even by Titled Douluo. The entire region oozes decay and lifelessness — no birds sing, no plants thrive, and an oppressive, bone-deep chill clings to the place, as though death itself guards the relic.
Light God's Heart
Concealed beneath the lush canopy of the Emerald Dreamwood, an ancient forest bathed in perpetual sunlight. Though not overtly dangerous, the forest twists space and direction — only those with exceptional senses could navigate to the relic, hidden beneath a weathered tree stump, softly pulsing with Soul Guide-like glow.
Darkness God's Heart
Resting undisturbed at the bottom of the Blackstone Lake, a vast, ominous body of water near Spirit Hall's borders. The lake's inky depths hide the relic from view, shrouded in darkness that even powerful Spirit Masters cannot pierce without knowledge of its true presence.
Justice God's Heart
Perhaps the strangest of them all. Abandoned in plain sight within a dusty pawn shop in a nameless border town. To the untrained eye, it resembles a worthless, ornamental Soul Guide — nothing more. Yet, in reality, it is the sealed Heart of the Justice God King, unnoticed by all, waiting for someone worthy.
Max leaned back, satisfied, a smirk playing across his face as possibilities bloomed in his mind.
"No overhyped ruins. No forgotten gods lurking behind riddles. Just discarded relics… overlooked… waiting for the right hands."
His eyes gleamed with amusement and ambition as the Monarch of the Night Dragons stirred faintly behind his irises.
"I'll take them all. Every single one."
Max wasted no time.
The map hovered in his vision, pulsing softly as the locations burned into his memory. And with the casual ease of a predator stalking helpless prey, he set off — each divine remnant nothing more than a marked destination for his collection.
First Stop: Death God's Heart — Death Soul Valley
The locals whispered of the valley as if uttering its name alone could curse them. A place where even Spirit Beasts avoided, where the sun never shone, and where the ground itself reeked of decay. But to Max? It was laughable.
The moment he stepped across the boundary, the air grew heavy, oppressive… to mortals and weak Spirit Masters.
Max? He barely noticed.
His Monarch of the Night Dragons spirit stirred behind him, and the valley parted. The deathly aura that suffocated others recoiled like a frightened animal before the presence of a being far beyond its comprehension.
In minutes, he stood at the heart of the valley. There, nestled in a twisted, fossilized tree, pulsed a small, black orb — dense, cold, humming with divine authority.
The Death God's Heart.
Without hesitation, Max plucked it free, tucking the relic into his spatial ring as the valley fell utterly silent, as though the land itself submitted to him.
"One down," he muttered.
Second Stop: Light God's Heart — Emerald Dreamwood
The ancient forest sparkled like a painting of paradise. Sunlight danced through impossibly green leaves, birdsong filled the air, and vibrant flowers carpeted the ground.
***
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