"You don't mean to tell me... you two seniors are eyeing our sect's inheritance, are you? The Angelic God's inheritance can only be passed down to a single wielder of the Seraphim martial soul. No chance for you."
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao exchanged a speechless glance. Of course, they knew the secret of the Angelic God's inheritance—Seraphim martial souls originated from the Angelic God. What intrigued them more was whether there were other paths to godhood.
For instance, the Rakshasa God that Bibi Dong had inherited. Ye Xishui considered herself no lesser than Bibi Dong. Both were Ultimate Douluo with twin martial souls, and Ye Xishui was also a top-tier soul engineer.
Yet ten thousand years had passed, and becoming a god was no longer as straightforward as it once was.
In the past, at least the Slaughter City existed, and anyone with enough strength could try their luck. Now, even Ultimate Douluo were fumbling in the dark.
Compared to them, the Spirit Hall likely had far more information about these matters. Perhaps they still knew some secrets about the paths to godhood?
Ye Xishui was confident that if given a chance, she could ascend to godhood with her abilities. If she failed, she could accept her fate and leave the world without resentment.
But to simply wither away and die of old age? She couldn't accept that.
Long Xiaoyao didn't share Ye Xishui's fierce ambitions, but he, too, wasn't ready to leave this world just yet.
"Things are no longer the same as they were," Qian Ran sighed, shaking his head. "Ten thousand years ago, the Douluo Continent was filled with opportunities. As long as you were strong enough, you could find a path to godhood. But everything was destroyed in that war."
The Angelic God? Out of the question. During the great war, the Angelic God's divine core was shattered, making the inheritance impossible. Now, with Qian Renxue's resurgence, she wouldn't pass her godhood down even if she could.
As for Bibi Dong's Rakshasa God inheritance, Qian Ran had no clue what had happened to it. Perhaps when a principal god died, the inheritance vanished with them. Or maybe the Divine Realm reallocated the Rakshasa God's domain to other deities.
The Sea God and Asura God positions? Tang San had monopolized them. From the beginning of the series until its end, Tang San never stepped down. Without a vacancy, there could be no inheritance.
The four major divine positions from ten thousand years ago were essentially out of reach.
As for gods in the Divine Realm wanting to retire, they rarely looked to the Douluo Continent.
Perhaps the reason was that the Douluo Continent had produced seven gods at once in the past, causing an imbalance. It seemed more likely that Tang San treated the Douluo Continent as his personal domain, barring other gods from meddling. Gods weren't about to provoke the Divine Realm's enforcer over a lower plane.
Qian Ran suspected that Tang San simply didn't want new gods emerging from the Douluo Continent. After all, the resources required for godhood were immense. Tang San's ascension had consumed countless top-tier soul beasts and heavenly treasures.
Tang San likely hoarded these resources for his descendants, allowing them to occasionally descend and reap benefits from the Douluo Continent once its resources accumulated again. Each harvest would provide the next Tang family member with a path to godhood.
In any case, there were no longer any divine inheritances available on this continent.
In the entire "Peerless Tang Sect" saga, the only ones who achieved godhood were Tang family members or their associates. Tang Wutong and Huo Yuhao ascended only because Tang San forced the opportunity upon them. Even among the Shrek Seven Monsters, the remaining five died of old age on the Douluo Continent.
Without the right connections, godhood was a pipe dream.
"Is there really no chance at all?" Ye Xishui's voice trembled with dissatisfaction. She couldn't accept it. If there was even the slimmest chance to become a god, she'd be willing to pay any price.
To her, allying with the Sun Moon Empire to unify the continent was insignificant.
In the face of the allure of godhood, worldly matters were worthless.
"Senior Ye Xishui, your talent is indeed extraordinary. If this were a meritocracy, you'd have no issues at all. But the reality is, advancing to godhood depends on connections. No matter how hard you work, without the right connections, the best you can achieve is Ultimate Douluo," Qian Ran said with a wry smile. The words were harsh, but they were the truth.
This system had been in place since Tang San's era, and Tang San himself had closed off opportunities for future generations. He gave no one else a chance to climb higher.
"Connections?" Ye Xishui's expression darkened, and Long Xiaoyao was equally stunned.
They had speculated about the path to godhood in the past, but they never expected Qian Ran to provide such a sobering answer.
"Exactly. The pathways to godhood are completely closed. They only open when the 'connected' descend to gain experience. Even then, the pathways are tailored exclusively for them. No matter how powerful the locals are, they're deemed unsuitable. You can't fight for a chance because the paths aren't even accessible," Qian Ran explained bluntly.
"Still, there's one way. Overthrow this rotten Divine Realm, establish a fairer one, and we can enjoy the benefits as its creators," Qian Ran added with a laugh.
"Overthrow the Divine Realm? You're bold to even suggest it. But isn't it possible to create a new godhood? Surely not all divine positions require inheritance through trials?" Long Xiaoyao was exasperated. The power of gods far surpassed that of Ultimate Douluo. How could anyone overthrow the Divine Realm? It was an assembly of deities, a realm they could only look up to.
The Divine Realm had seemed like paradise to him, but after hearing Qian Ran's explanation, it sounded no better than their own Douluo Continent. Gods, it turned out, were just like people.
"In theory, you could create a godhood through enlightenment. But first, you'd need to reach the pinnacle of Ultimate Douluo, enter the demigod realm, gather immense faith, and finally gain the Divine Realm Committee's approval," Qian Ran mused.
The gods in the Divine Realm controlled various domains with precise boundaries. Creating a new godhood would mean encroaching on their territories, so they'd never allow it. Unless one pioneered an entirely new domain, leaving existing gods unaffected, it was nearly impossible. Someone like Ye Xishui, with her temperament, would likely end up aligning with dark or evil powers, encroaching on existing domains like Rakshasa. She'd never succeed.
Besides, creating a godhood was an incredibly difficult path. Without shortcuts, it was impossible.
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao were both deeply shaken. Long Xiaoyao hadn't held out much hope to begin with—how many Ultimate Douluo throughout history had failed to ascend?
Ye Xishui, however, looked furious. If it were a matter of skill, she wouldn't complain, but hearing that her position had been taken by the well-connected? That was intolerable.
Despite her frustration, Ye Xishui's determination to pursue godhood only grew. If Qian Ran knew so much about the process, he must also know alternative paths to ascend.
And clearly, Qian Ran wasn't one of the "connected." Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken about them with such disdain.
Having learned so much useful information from Qian Ran, Ye Xishui was satisfied. Whether she succeeded or not, if there was even the smallest chance, she would take it.
(Chapter End)
Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X