Chapter 338: A Conversation? The Missing Ninth Trial of the Grand Priest?
On the outskirts of the Extreme North, in a small human town, inside a hotel.
A series of knocks echoed through the room, breaking the silence.
Han Li wasn't surprised. He walked over to the door and opened it, welcoming Qian Daoliu inside.
"Master Uncle, please take a seat. I'll get you some water."
Han Li turned and walked toward a side table, while Qian Daoliu closed the door behind him and casually found a place to sit.
After Dugu Yan and Shui Bing'er entered the inheritance site, the three remaining members had lingered in the core region of the Extreme North until near dusk before deciding to return to the human town.
Although they didn't fear the cold, and Snow Empress's castle wasn't exactly inhospitable, at the end of the day, they were still humans.
Aside from Han Li answering Snow Empress and the others' questions, the atmosphere wasn't exactly relaxing.
After weighing their options, they chose to return to human civilization.
Most importantly, they weren't exactly close to the soul beasts.
For both Qian Daoliu and Ye LingLing, staying there felt awkward.
And Han Li?
He couldn't stand Ice Empress's "thief guarding" glare any longer.
So he chose to slip away at the first chance.
His goals were achieved anyway, and this way, he could avoid dealing with their pent up resentment toward the Divine Realm.
"Here you go, Master Uncle."
Han Li infused the water with some medicinal herbs before handing it over.
A small dose could help with sleep, though at their level, this was probably more placebo than necessity.
Qian Daoliu accepted the cup but didn't drink.
Instead, he placed it on the table.
He had come with questions.
During the day, there had been too many people around, and besides, they were soul beasts it wasn't the right place to speak.
Han Li noticed the hesitation in Qian Daoliu's expression and chuckled.
"I know what you want to ask, Master Uncle. How about I explain first?"
Qian Daoliu gazed at him and nodded silently.
The information Han Li had revealed during the day was far from ordinary.
Even for him the Grand Priest of the Angel God, it was overwhelming.
His mind weighed heavy with the revelations.
"You heard it during the day I am the Master of the Plane."
Qian Daoliu nodded again.
As someone who had undergone the Angel God's trials, he had access to the Angel Sanctuary at will.
While the concept of a plane's master was a bit vague, he could still understand it.
After all, within the sanctuary, he too possessed certain privileges, even if limited.
Seeing that Qian Daoliu wasn't questioning it, Han Li continued explaining.
As Han Li spoke, Qian Daoliu grew more and more tense.
By the time Han Li had finished the full story, he had already refilled Qian Daoliu's cup three times.
"…So that's the situation."
Han Li leaned back.
"The Divine Realm will likely try to seize control of the continent once I ascend."
"What happens next? I don't know."
"But me? I'm not planning to just hand it over."
"Not everyone is like you and Xue'er, Master Uncle. I'm sure you understand that."
Han Li spread his hands in a helpless gesture.
"A treasured jade invites covetous hands."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, but his gaze grew distant.
After a pause, he muttered under his breath:
"…So even gods are like this?"
Han Li's explanation had shattered his idealized image of the Divine Realm.
As a devout believer in the Angel God, this truth was hard to accept.
Han Li smiled.
He said something he would never have told Qian Daoliu before:
"Master Uncle, gods aren't as mysterious or noble as you imagine."
"They're just beings who've mastered the Laws, making them stronger than others."
"…And the Angel God?"
Qian Daoliu was silent for a long time before finally speaking.
Throughout Han Li's entire explanation, the Angel God had barely been mentioned.
"I don't know."
"Maybe severely injured and in hiding."
"Or maybe…"
Han Li stopped short of saying the words "already fallen."
After all, in the original timeline, the Angel God's trials had been hijacked, and that utterly disgusting final test…
Let's just say it was best left unspoken.
Qian Daoliu fell into deep silence once more.
As a leader of a great power, he wasn't ignorant.
Han Li's implication was all too clear.
"You don't need to worry, Master Uncle."
"Before I make my final move, I'll already have separated from Spirit Hall."
"No matter how things turn out, neither Spirit Hall's legacy nor Xue'er's future will be significantly impacted."
"Of course, if I fail, there will still be some consequences."
Han Li's expression was serious as he laid out his decision.
Qian Daoliu's head snapped up, his face a mix of emotions but above all, anger.
"Absurd."
For a long moment, he struggled for words.
Then, in a low, restrained voice, he spat out two syllables.
Han Li had grown up under his watch.
Though playful at times, he had never been one to falter on major decisions.
His actions had greatly benefited Spirit Hall, and he respected Qian Daoliu as a mentor.
Though Qian Daoliu prioritized Spirit Hall's legacy and Xue'er's future, hearing Han Li talk about leaving stirred a deep, conflicting emotion within him.
After all…
The enemy was the Divine Realm.
He sank back into silence.
This feeling of powerlessness it had been a long time since he last experienced it.
Han Li, on the other hand, was a little surprised by Qian Daoliu's reaction.
But after a moment, he understood and it actually improved his mood.
"Master Uncle, you don't have to be like this."
Han Li chuckled, shaking his head.
"I know what you mean, but they won't dare to kill me."
"Having Xue'er sit out of this was always part of my plan."
"If things reach the worst case scenario, she might even become the last contingency plan."
Han Li's smile was bright his tone, genuine.
"Xue'er can stay out of this, but I can help you."
Qian Daoliu had wanted to say this, but he suddenly realized if Qian RenSnow Empressdn't participate, then by that time, he himself would have already fulfilled his mission.
So he opened his mouth... but no words came out.
"Xue'er won't agree to this."
He thought about Qian Renxue's interactions with Han Li, let out a deep sigh, and shook his head.
He knew his granddaughter's stubborn nature all too well.
Besides, he had personally guided her through the first and second trials of her God's Inheritance, so how could he not understand her true thoughts?
"That's exactly why I need you to talk to her, Master Uncle."
Han Li smiled as he handed Qian Daoliu another cup of water.
"I can't."
Qian Daoliu shook his head but said nothing about the final sacrifice he had to make.
"You mean because of your duty as the Grand Priest of the Angel God?"
"Why don't you tell me about it?"
"Maybe I can find another way."
Han Li could see through him completely and exposed his thoughts outright.
"You even know about this?"
Qian Daoliu frowned.
God's Inheritance trials were highly secretive, and each one differed from the next.
Among all the God Trials Han Li had mentioned before, none except for the Sea God's Inheritance had a Grand Priest to serve as a guide.
Qian Daoliu had previously speculated that perhaps this was due to both the Angel God and Sea God having self created god positions.
But how did Han Li know?
"As the Master of the Plane, it's natural for me to know a little more, right?"
Han Li answered with a straight face, without the slightest hint of guilt.
The secret of being a transmigrator?
That was a slippery slope he'd never, ever touch.
He would take that truth to the grave.
Qian Daoliu studied him carefully but remained silent.
If Han Li knew about the Divine Realm, then knowing about his sacrificial fate wasn't that far fetched.
"It's part of the trial's process. It's my destined mission. There's no escape."
Qian Daoliu's expression turned firm once more.
Even though Han Li had torn away the illusion of the Divine Realm, Qian Daoliu's faith in the Angel God remained unwavering.
To him, it wasn't just a deity it was his ancestor.
"Ugh."
Han Li felt a headache coming on.
As a firm atheist, he couldn't truly accept this mindset, but he could understand it.
After all, this had been Qian Daoliu's belief since childhood something he had dedicated his entire existence to.
"Fine, don't resist. Let me take a look."
Han Li sighed.
Tomorrow, he would set out for Sea God Island, so this was his best chance to figure things out.
If he could gather concrete information, it would be easier to make a plan.
Qian Daoliu wanted to object, but as soon as he saw Han Li's golden glowing eyes, he fell silent.
There was something… off about the aura surrounding Han Li.
Something he couldn't understand.
And when his gaze met those golden pupils, he felt an unsettling sense of exposure as if his soul had been stripped bare.
Instinctively, his body wanted to summon his spirit power for protection, even feeling the urge to call upon the Angel Sanctuary itself.
But knowing it was Han Li, he forcibly suppressed the feeling, swallowing his discomfort.
Across from him, Han Li's eyes were empty, devoid of focus.
This was the first time he had actively tapped into the power of Fate.
Unlike before, when he had only manipulated Luck, this time, he was touching upon an incomplete, unrefined Law.
He felt that he should do this.
So he did.
From Han Li's perspective, the moment he activated the power of Fate, it was as if his consciousness was pulled into the golden threads of destiny above Qian Daoliu's head.
It felt like falling into a river, his awareness drifting with the current.
Then, he saw a ruined golden kingdom, where Qian Daoliu stood alone in utter solitude.
There was no one beside him, only a dead silence.
And then
The scene shattered into chaos, dissolving into complete darkness.
Han Li could see nothing.
Yet, the threads of fate remained connected to him.
When Han Li's golden glow faded from his eyes, he blinked a few times.
Had he just seen two separate timelines?
The first one was a world where he didn't exist.
And the second one where the thread connected to him was the current timeline.
More importantly, in that first vision, Qian Daoliu's body had been formed entirely of divine power, and his soul fluctuated with godly energy.
Which meant…
After the sacrifice, did he ascend in an unusual way?
Was he taken into the Angel God's divine kingdom?
Yet because Qian Renxue never fully ascended, because she never completed her divine transformation, because she never inherited the Angel God's sanctuary…
No one ever came to bring Qian Daoliu out.
So he was trapped there, a lonely guardian of a ruined divine realm, an eternal watchman with no successor?
Han Li shuddered at the thought.
Even with his current power, the idea was chilling.
How desperate must Qian Daoliu have felt if that was truly his fate?
A Grand Priest or rather, just another trial for future gods?
A sacrifice that didn't actually result in death just another "final test" for inheritors?
So this was the missing ninth trial of the Grand Priest?
(Chapter End)
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