Mingdu Xishan, War Temple.
The War Temple's First War God—Haori Douluo—looked at Rong Tianling before him with somewhat complicated feelings.
Chen Xinjie's sudden defection from the Federation, the Federation's selection, the new Temple Master's appointment—this series of events had left the War Temple's personnel restless. As a veteran War God, he also felt uneasy.
Fortunately, with time, he had gradually come to accept these realities.
Although the new Temple Master had just taken office, her strength was undeniable. The War Temple under her leadership might not necessarily be worse than it had been under Chen Xinjie.
Still, as a reclusive Limit Douluo, she was less experienced in other aspects and needed time to acclimate.
His other colleagues were also too restless now, shaken by recent setbacks.
Haori Douluo was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Temple Master, the pro-war sentiment within the Federation is strong right now. Action against Xingluo and Douling is inevitable. However, the enemy is not to be underestimated. The Federation still needs time to prepare. In my view, war won't break out immediately."
"And you've just taken office. The War Temple has been through various upheavals, and morale hasn't fully stabilized. If you're not in a rush, Temple Master, perhaps you could spend some time getting the temple's affairs in order before pushing for war. You can suppress the internal voices for now."
The Federation as a whole supported war, and he naturally held the same attitude.
After all, the mere facts that the Holy Spirit Cult was operating within Douling and Xingluo, and had ties to the Abyss, were enough to make any clear-headed person support military action.
But the timing wasn't right yet. There was no need to be so hasty.
Now that Rong Tianling had just become War Temple Temple Master, her priority should be familiarizing herself with the temple's affairs, not being swept along by the War Gods' eagerness for battle.
"You think I'm too eager for war right now?"
Rong Tianling looked at him. "Do you think I'm doing this because of the other War Gods' influence?"
Haori Douluo looked at her with confusion.
Wasn't that the case?
Though he'd only known her for a short time, in his eyes, this new Temple Master was steady in her actions—if a bit inexperienced—and shouldn't be making such bold moves immediately.
The most likely explanation was that the War Gods' intense eagerness for battle had influenced her.
But from what she was saying now, it didn't seem to be the case.
"Contrary to what you think, I'm doing this on my own initiative. The reason has to do with my origins. I was born on the Douling Continent."
Seeing Haori Douluo freeze, Rong Tianling looked toward the direction of the Douling Continent with a complex expression.
"Surprised, aren't you?"
"It is a bit surprising, but Temple Master, you're now a resident of the Douluo Continent. That's enough." Haori Douluo quickly recovered and answered.
He was indeed somewhat surprised that Rong Tianling came from Douling, but that was all.
After all, there were quite a few people in the Federation from Douling and Xingluo, and the Federation didn't discriminate. Since Rong Tianling was willing to share this information and had passed the Federation's identity verification, she was clearly trustworthy.
What Haori Douluo really cared about was why Rong Tianling wanted to attack Douling.
Seeming to read his thoughts, Rong Tianling continued, "The reason is simple. I want revenge—and to give Douling liberation."
A hundred years ago, her mother had detected the Holy Spirit Cult's presence on the Douling Continent. Filled with fear, she had conceived the idea of escaping the Douling Continent. But her mother ultimately failed, only managing to send her out.
From that moment on, her mother's fate and hers became two parallel lines that never crossed.
Though she had encountered danger along the way—even nearly being swallowed by a Sea Spirit Beast—she eventually reached the vicinity of the Douluo Continent and was fortunate enough to meet her adoptive father, Rong Lingji, gradually growing stronger.
As for her mother, according to Rong Lingji's later investigation, she had died under mysterious circumstances after the failed escape.
Rong Lingji hadn't been able to uncover the specifics, only finding the person who had helped her smuggle her out and learning the inside story of how she came to the Douluo Continent. Most of what she just shared came from that smuggler.
As for her biological father, he had been an accomplice of the Holy Spirit Cult. Such a person wasn't worth mentioning.
"I don't know exactly how my mother died." Rong Tianling gave a general account of her story, her tone low. "But I know it was most likely related to the Holy Spirit Cult. And that debt, I intend to collect."
Though she had left Douling as a child and didn't remember her biological mother well, she had given her the chance at a normal life. As a daughter, she should do something for her.
Previously, she hadn't had the ability. The Holy Spirit Cult's power had been growing, even possessing beings that made Rong Lingji cautious.
Now that her strength had reached the quasi-divine level and she had become War Temple Temple Master, with the Federation also considering military action against Douling—this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—she naturally had to seize it.
"Still, you're right. After so many years of seeing no opportunity, I have been a bit hasty."
Rong Tianling suddenly changed tack. "From now on, I'll focus on stabilizing things internally first and wait for the right timing."
Haori Douluo's prepared counsel came to a halt, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
This one was still reasonable.
Spirit Transmission Tower, Reception Room.
Watching Rong Lingji leave, Snow Empress looked thoughtful.
"No wonder that new Temple Master has her sights set on the Douling Empire. So that's the backstory. But this is a good thing, isn't it?"
"It is a good thing."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Though Rong Lingji didn't explain everything, Rong Tianling's identity on Douling is probably not simple. It might bring unexpected advantages to the strategy against Douling."
Snow Empress nodded slightly and looked at him with a smile.
"You gained another identity today."
"People always measure everything by their own knowledge. From his perspective, we might very well come up with some ridiculous conclusions."
Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly. "Well, enough about that. The thunder tribulation tempering of the Spirit Transmission Tower is temporarily complete. Next, I'll place it in the Undead Plane for nurturing and go into seclusion there for a while. I'll leave the outside to you."
"Alright."
Watching Huo Yuhao head to the Undead Plane, Snow Empress thought of that "Spirit Transmission Tower," her thoughts churning.
"After days of thunder tribulation tempering, that Divine Alloy has essentially undergone Heaven Forging. Does that make Yuhao a Divine Craftsman now?"
Snow Empress laughed and shook her head at the thought.
No wonder Rong Lingji guessed Huo Yuhao was the Time God. After transforming through faith power and thunder tribulation, the Spirit Transmission Tower emitted an aura more terrifying than most divine artifacts she had seen.
Who wouldn't be confused by that?
She wondered what it would become after evolving further in the Undead Plane.
While Snow Empress was thinking, Huo Yuhao's figure silently appeared in the Undead Plane.
He stood in this gray-white world. The ground beneath his feet trembled faintly, as if welcoming his arrival.
Looking up, the scene before him was completely different from his last visit.
The sky was no longer monotonous gray-white. Strands of pale gold light seeped in from unknown sources, like the dawn's first rays, painting this once-dead world with warmth. Clouds churned higher up, and wind seemed to flow—signs that the plane's laws were beginning to operate autonomously.
The air was thick with the interwoven scents of death and rebirth.
The aura of the undead was still strong, but no longer the sole ruler. He smelled soil, moisture, even a faint hint of something like grass—a barely perceptible vitality. The undead remains quietly decaying in the corners were becoming the plane's most primitive soil.
In the distance, the Seven Old Demons were using life energy to assist in birthing new life. Several blue plants poked their heads out from between the rocks.
The Undead Plane was gradually becoming a true plane.
Huo Yuhao looked around and nodded inwardly.
The progress was good. But if it continued at this pace, it would still take considerable time.
Perhaps he could accelerate things later using the God-Imprint Throne's power.
"Still, slow has its advantages. Placing the Spirit Transmission Tower at the plane core for nurturing now will give it the greatest benefit."
With that thought, Huo Yuhao willed himself directly to the Undead Plane's plane core.
Here was a chaotic space—no up or down, no front or back, only endless void interwoven with abundant energy.
In the void, traces of law energy flickered in and out of sight. These were the nascent order of this plane, and also support from the greater universe.
A newborn plane couldn't self-generate all laws, but it could draw on the power of the external universe.
Universal law supported the birth of new planes. As long as a plane was within the universe, its formation process would receive the universe's help. This seemed to be an instinct, perhaps also...
"The will of the Creator God?"
Thinking of the origin of the universe and life, Huo Yuhao pondered briefly, then set it aside.
This wasn't something he should be thinking about now.
His gaze shifted from the laws to other things at the plane core.
Besides the manifest law power, the most striking feature was the two energies permeating the entire space.
One was pure and light,
like the first light of dawn, radiating warm and gentle radiance. It rose slowly, and wherever it passed, the void trembled faintly, as if gestating something new.
The other was turbid and heavy, like the silence of the abyss, carrying a cold and dense aura. It sank gradually, and wherever it passed, space solidified, as if laying a foundation.
The two forces intertwined yet remained distinct. They traced two completely different trajectories through the void, yet at some mysterious node, they intertwined, collided, merged, and then separated again.
Yin and yang flowed. Chaos was born.
This was the Yin-Yang Chaos Dual Qi.
"Legend has it that each plane can give birth to at most one Yin-Yang Chaos Bird, formed from the residual Yin-Yang Chaos Dual Qi left from the creation of heaven and earth."
A smile appeared on Huo Yuhao's face. "Rather than searching for those residual Yin-Yang Chaos Dual Qi-formed birds, it's better to create an environment like the dawn of creation and directly comprehend and absorb some Yin-Yang Chaos Dual Qi here."
He summoned the Spirit Transmission Tower and placed it at the plane core for nurturing, then began cultivating.
Here, laws were manifest, and various exotic energies existed—it was the best place for cultivation.
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged in the chaotic void, with nothing beneath him yet as if seated on solid ground.
The Yin-Yang Dual Qi flowed slowly past him—the pure and light Yang Qi brushing his left shoulder, the turbid and heavy Yin Qi passing over his right knee, forming a faint cycle around him.
Life and death alternated. Yin and yang flowed. These were the most fundamental laws of heaven and earth.
He immersed himself completely in the wonder of this creation dawn, comprehending the flow of yin and yang, the condensation of laws, the entire process of a world emerging from nothing.
His aura gradually rose, breathing and growing in unison with this nascent plane.
Outside, the moon set and the sun rose, seasons turned.
At the Mingdu Spirit Transmission Tower, Tang Wutong's divine consciousness stood at the window, looking at a distant house, her emotions tangled.
"If you want to see him, go. They've allowed it. No one's stopping you. What's there to hesitate about?" Gu Ruiqiu beside her watched her speechlessly.
"You don't understand how I feel."
Tang Wutong's divine consciousness sighed. "He has his own life now, his own girlfriend, a happy family. What would my sudden appearance mean? Rather than letting Wu Lin know his true identity, I think it's better for him to just keep living like this, knowing nothing."
Ignorance was a kind of happiness too.
"Then just don't tell him." Gu Ruiqiu rolled her eyes.
"He's not stupid. And he has his father's divine consciousness with him. They'd see at a glance that I'm a divine consciousness. Plus, there are portraits of me in the Federation. If they recognize me, they might connect the dots."
Gu Ruiqiu thought about it seriously and found this not without merit, but still quipped, "I think that as long as you don't tell him the truth, he'll probably become even more convinced that he's a reincarnated deity. At most, he'll suspect he had some connection to you in his past life. He might even suspect he's your descendant or child—the names are just too similar."
Tang Wutong: "..."
That wasn't impossible.
"No, that's not right. Descendant or child—I'm still a virgin."
Tang Wutong's face darkened. She grabbed Gu Ruiqiu's shoulders. "I've heard about your exploits recently. Don't you dare cause trouble for me."
Gu Ruiqiu was momentarily confused, but seeing her expression, she gradually caught on.
Recently, Tang Wutong had learned about ten thousand years of history and read some unofficial histories of the Spirit Transmission Tower. Naturally, she'd also learned about some of Gu Ruiqiu's past deeds.
So what was Tang Wutong implying now?
Gu Ruiqiu's expression shifted to one of understanding. "You're worried I'll arrange an unofficial history for the Butterfly God too?"
"Exactly. Don't you dare spread that kind of talk."
Tang Wutong realized she'd overreacted and tipped the other off. Her expression soured. "Otherwise, even with Emperor Tian protecting you, I'll, I'll..."
After several "I'll"s, Tang Wutong couldn't finish the sentence.
Because she realized, to her dismay, that with Huo Yuhao and the others protecting Gu Ruiqiu, she really had no way to deal with her.
Seeing this, Gu Ruiqiu smiled slyly, pulled out a soul tool camera, and snapped a picture—Helpless Tang Wutong.jpg.
Tang Wutong froze. "What—what are you doing!"
"Keeping a memento." Gu Ruiqiu waved the camera, grinning from ear to ear. "That helpless expression of yours—pure art."
Tang Wutong's face reddened as she reached for the camera. Gu Ruiqiu laughed even harder, stepping back two paces and snapping another picture.
"This one's even better than the last."
Tang Wutong was too angry to speak. Just as she was about to say something, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. Seeing the two of them rough housing, he raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you two get so close?"
***
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