"It's out!"
Golden-Eyed's eyes lit up as he gazed at the enormous whirlpool in the Ocean of Milk from afar. Its center was black and unfathomably deep, as though it connected directly to the endless depths of the Ocean of Milk.
Amrita!
Was it Amrita?!
Boom!
Golden-Eyed shot into the sky, crossing the vast sea before flying straight above the spinning vortex.
The gods all turned their attention toward it.
They too were curious about what the churning Ocean of Milk had produced this time.
Indra stared into the distance.
The many Asuras on the Ocean of Milk also flew out like meteors, heading toward the enormous whirlpool.
"Halahala probably can't kill Golden-Eyed either. That fellow really had a good memory. When he asked for his blessing, he practically listed every living and nonliving thing in the world, asking Brahma for a blessing that nothing could harm him. Poison should have been included too!"
"He only forgot to mention wild boars!"
"But getting this close to Halahala, the Asura army is probably in for a disaster!"
Indra thought.
Meanwhile, Golden-Eyed had already arrived above the whirlpool. He lowered his head and peered down into it.
Within the vortex, blue-green radiance churned like an aurora, like a brilliant painting, dazzling beyond compare.
Whoosh!
Golden-Eyed was utterly fearless. He was even impatient with excitement as he leaped straight down.
Before beginning his arduous cultivation, he had already made his plan. He had decided on the blessing he wanted: that nothing in the world would be capable of harming him.
To that end, he had compiled an enormous list, writing down nearly everything in the world.
He had even taken the trouble to memorize it.
Gods, Asuras, and humans; animals, plants, and poisons—nearly every phenomenon and thing in the world had been included. There was absolutely nothing left out.
Nothing in this world could kill him anymore.
A mere whirlpool in the Ocean of Milk was naturally nothing to fear.
As Golden-Eyed jumped into the enormous vortex, Prahlad and the other Asuras had also arrived. They stared eagerly at the whirlpool, poised to dive in after him.
Boom!
At that moment, the vortex shuddered violently. Billowing blue-green poisonous mist instantly erupted from within, shooting into the heavens and spreading in all directions.
Prahlad halted on one foot, turning sideways in midair as he immediately stopped. He watched the blue-purple poisonous mist with caution and suspicion.
Something was wrong!
Prahlad retreated two steps, and the other Asura generals stiffened as well.
The moment the blue-green poisonous mist touched the Ocean of Milk, it corroded it into black, rotten pus. When Mandara Mountain came into contact with the mist, the countless living beings upon it collapsed one after another, leaving no corpses behind. The earth and rocks blackened, and all things fell silent in death.
The sight shocked the Asura generals.
"It's poison! Such terrifying poison! Could the king already be dead?!"
"I don't know!"
"The king has Immortal Blessing!"
Amid the Asuras' shock and terror, a deafening cry of pain rang out as a huge figure burst from the blue-green poisonous mist.
"Aah!"
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
Golden-Eyed roared in pain as he shot from the poisonous fog.
His body remained completely intact, without the slightest wound. But his golden armor and ornaments had already decayed, swelling and blackening like dough dissolved by aqua regia. They turned into brittle fragments and clattered down.
Golden-Eyed swallowed, his face filled with horror. He lowered his head and looked at his hands and body in lingering fear.
His body was completely unharmed!
But...
It hurt so badly!
The poisonous mist could not injure him, but contact with it inflicted the most extreme pain imaginable.
How could the Ocean of Milk churn out something like this?!
What about his treasures?!
"King, that poisonous mist is coming this way!"
Before Golden-Eyed could react, an Asura cried out in alarm.
Golden-Eyed turned and saw vast clouds of poisonous mist billowing outward, rolling in every direction.
"That damned Vishnu! He tricked me! He tricked me!"
"I will definitely return!"
Golden-Eyed roared furiously. He did not even bother to use his divine power to restore his corroded, blackened armor before soaring into the sky.
Prahlad and the other Asuras looked toward the Halahala, their faces turning pale with horror, their eyes brimming with fear.
Even Golden-Eyed had been forced to retreat.
If they did not flee now, they would likely die without even a burial place.
"Retreat!"
The Asuras fled one after another.
Elsewhere.
The Halahala was also spreading toward the gods.
The gods were dumbfounded and helpless.
Whoosh!
A streak of golden light drifted before the gods, gathering into the elegant form of Vishnu.
Vishnu's expression was solemn as he looked up at the Halahala pouring forth.
"This is Halahala, the poison of the world!"
"Anything that touches Halahala will be destroyed. Even gods will perish."
Vishnu said.
At those words, the gods immediately lost their nerve.
They still had wonderful lives to enjoy. They did not want to die here.
"What should we do? Lord, please think of something! Halahala is spreading so quickly—the entire world will be destroyed!"
"Please, Lord!"
Surya hurriedly spoke, pressing his palms together with a pleading expression.
The other gods were equally flustered, looking at Vishnu with fear and worry.
Yet Vishnu's gaze fell upon Indra.
"I wonder if I can handle it!"
Indra stepped forward. The Golden Solar God Armor on his body flashed, and strands of Power of Arduous Cultivation transformed into lightning that burst forth in brilliant azure light, winding around the divine armor.
"This armor shall gain the power to absorb all poisons in the world!"
Indra pressed his palms together and spoke slowly.
The moment his words fell, the upper body of Sun God Surya appeared upon the Golden Solar God Armor. He raised his right hand, and light manifested, shining upon the Sun God Armor.
"As you wish!"
Surya's voice rang out from the divine armor.
The nearby Surya slightly opened his mouth. He stared at his own armor with astonishment in his eyes.
So handsome!
As expected of him, the Sun God!
"Heavenly Emperor, you've accumulated enough Power of Arduous Cultivation!"
Surya looked utterly astonished.
Even he had not expected the Heavenly Emperor to truly succeed in arduous cultivation.
What a complete surprise!
Vishnu was also quite intrigued. He examined the Golden Solar God Armor curiously, nodded, and smiled. "It's worth a try!"
Hearing this, the gods breathed a sigh of relief.
If even the Lord said it was worth trying, then perhaps it really could absorb it!
"Heavenly Emperor, you truly had the foresight!"
Vayu could not help saying.
"Yes! This is wonderful!"
Agni breathed a sigh of relief.
As the gods relaxed, Indra smiled faintly. He gripped the edges of the Golden Solar God Armor with both hands and removed it. The armor flashed with light and floated before the gods.
"So, which of you will carry the armor over to absorb the Halahala?"
Indra blinked and asked.
The gods: "???"
The gods widened their eyes and could not help drawing a deep breath as they stared at Indra in shock.
So he was not going near the Halahala himself and wanted them to do it!
Indra cleared his throat, his eyes shifting away as he turned his head aside.
"Cough! Cough! I condensed this armor myself. After years of arduous cultivation, my divine body is weak. Besides, I'm not fast enough to keep up with Halahala's spreading speed."
Before you continue