Sadius also noticed something unusual about that distant stretch of desert wasteland.
In the original novel, Dylin had always lingered nearby, which was why he escaped immediately when Linley drew the Blood Violet Sword.
Later on, eight Deity-level experts fled from this exact location.
"Mr. Leylin, this place is likely guarded by a Deity-level expert. It won't be easy to get close."
"Indeed, if that Deity has remained here all this time, we might not get a chance."
"Mr. Leylin, I actually have a proposal."
"Go on."
"As long as I become a Deity myself, I too will be at the Deity level. I may not necessarily lose to the Deity guarding this place."
Sadius knew that at this point in time, Dylin was merely a Lesser Deity, living in extreme hardship—two of his five sons were already dead.
"Become a Deity? In this Planar Prison, becoming a Deity is extremely dangerous. If you become one internally, that's manageable—your soul remains whole, and you can maintain your peak strength. But if you become one externally, your soul will split in two, which greatly weakens your power. If another Deity senses it, they'll kill you and seize your Divine Spark."
"Mr. Leylin, have you forgotten? I have a trifold soul mutation. The strength of my soul is a hundred times greater than others at my level. Even if my soul splits in two, it will still far surpass others. My strength won't necessarily fall below theirs."
"I had forgotten about that… Excellent. Your mastery of the Laws of Destruction has already reached the peak of the Saint level. You're only one step away from becoming a Deity."
"Which is why I intend to devote myself entirely to comprehending the Laws of Destruction and ascend as soon as possible."
Afterward, the two quietly slipped underground and began training.
Sadius focused inward, reaffirming his past insights.
His Slaughter Sword Dao's profound mysteries: to slay enemies and self alike, advancing without hesitation.
Again and again, he recalled, again and again, he comprehended. The aura of destruction around Sadius grew denser and more solid.
"Where exactly is the breakthrough point?"
Gradually, a flicker of understanding surfaced within him.
To kill enemy and self—was the key the enemy? Himself?
No.
The key was slaughter itself!
A pure intent of killing slowly emerged from the depths of Sadius' soul.
"It's here!"
His mind became a clear mirror. Sadius keenly sensed he had broken through a boundary—his entire being elevated.
Sadius opened his eyes, and a vast, soul-shaking divine force descended.
Terrifying energy from Heaven and Earth surged downward. Even though Sadius was deep underground, nearby Deity-level experts sensed it.
Some developed greedy intentions. In the Planar Prison, Divine Sparks were unimaginably precious.
Countless Lesser Deities rushed toward the disturbance.
A few Mid Deity experts also considered intervening but seemed to receive some kind of command and swiftly withdrew—leaving behind only a group of greedy Lesser Deities loitering nearby.
If the one becoming a Deity chose internal divinity, perhaps they would hesitate. After all, expending divine power in the Planar Prison was unwise.
But if it was external divinity, then there was no doubt—a bloody battle was inevitable.
In a cave somewhere in the desert—Dylin was currently shielding his three remaining sons.
His three six-eyed Goldenscale Behemoths were merely Saint-level magical beasts—becoming Deities was nearly impossible for them.
If Dylin had been exiled to the Planar Prison alone, his life wouldn't be this hard.
But protecting his sons constantly distracted him.
In the Planar Prison, Saint-level magical beasts were pitiful—they couldn't even defend themselves, often ending up as food for Deity-level beings.
Dylin had already lost two sons. That only made him guard the remaining three even more fiercely.
Their days in the Planar Prison were incredibly harsh.
Naturally, the sudden descent of divine laws drew Dylin's attention—he initially hoped to pick up some leftovers.
But as more and more Lesser Deities gathered nearby, Dylin had no choice but to retreat. Protecting his sons came first.
There is a difference between becoming a Deity via laws versus rules.
Law-based ascension causes the descent of heavenly laws. Then, as law power condenses, elemental essence is drawn in, forming a Divine Spark imbued with a specific elemental law.
Becoming a Deity via the Laws of Destruction works similarly: the destructive rules descend, condense into rule power, and draw in destructive force from the world—eventually forming a Lesser Divine Spark of Destruction.
In practice, the two methods were not all that different.
Deep underground, a Lesser Divine Spark infused with the Laws of Destruction was slowly forming.
Not far away, Leylin was watching silently.
A message echoed within Sadius' soul—it asked whether he would choose internal or external divinity.
Sadius was curious: if a mutated soul chose internal ascension, what would happen?
Would the mutation remain?
No longer bothering with idle speculation, Sadius chose external divinity.
The Divine Spark hovered beside him, under his control.
Suddenly, a wave of searing pain surged from the depths of his soul.
It was reminiscent of his earlier soul mutation—but somehow different.
In Sadius' sea of consciousness, the Azure Dragon soul opened its eyes. It didn't roar—but began to tear itself apart!
It split into two smaller Azure Dragons.
The soul had divided. Sadius was in agony.
But both soul fragments retained their full Azure Dragon form. There was no damage from the division—only their size had halved.
One Azure Dragon soul remained within his sea of consciousness, while the other soared out of his body.
The flying soul fragment quickly merged with the newly formed Lesser Divine Spark.
Soul and spark became one.
Back in his body, Sadius felt a strange sensation in his sea of consciousness.
In the next moment, the soul within the Divine Spark sensed a boundless plane—Not the Elespiritual sea…But the Sea of Destruction.
A sea formed entirely from endless destructive energy.
Beneath the destruction floated something even more terrifying—Destruction Deity power.
Because of Sadius' soul mutation, his soul was already far stronger than his peers. Even after splitting, it remained vastly superior.
He could sense far deeper into the Sea of Destruction than any newly ascended Deity.
The purity of his divine power was likewise unmatched.
Dozens of meters beneath the surface of the Sea of Destruction, massive quantities of Destruction Deity power vanished into thin air—channeled through a special conduit formed by the rules of the world—and descended directly into the location of Sadius' Divine Spark.
Centered on that spark, a Divine Body filled with Destruction Deity power began to take form.
Then—A naked human figure appeared before Sadius.
It had the handsome face of his past life.
Sadius was stunned.
His soul had split into two—and now resided in two separate bodies.
Though the souls were once one, they operated in perfect harmony—like two minds working as one.
With a single thought, the human-shaped body formed a long purple robe on its surface, woven from Destruction Deity power.
"I've become a God… and not just a regular Deity either."
Then, Sadius' Divine Body returned to his main body.
His magical beast form now bore the appearance of a divine clone.