Douluo Star

The moment he stepped out of the Great Cocoon, Liu Xing sensed something odd in the way Firefly looked at him. She turned her head away, yet still secretly peeked in his direction. The Goddess of Life let out a soft laugh and waved her jade-like hand. The green cocoon turned into two streaks of light, splitting apart as they flew toward Liu Xing and Firefly. Liu Xing immediately felt a white robe appear on his body, while Firefly was draped in a dress.

Liu Xing's mouth twitched. He instantly understood what had happened, but he was not a girl, and only the Goddess of Life and Firefly had seen it. It was not as though he had lost out, so he could only pretend nothing had happened.

Liu Xing clenched his fists and felt strength unlike anything he had ever known. This young body felt ten thousand times better than his former body, which had been riddled with holes by illness.

"Is this... Firefly's power?"

Although he had long known from Firefly's memories that, at her peak, Firefly could awaken herself, tread the Path, and erupt with enough power to shatter planets, the current Firefly was merely a little girl. The Imaginary Energy fed back from following the Path could not be absorbed in this world. Right now, she only possessed this body modified using Zhen Zhe Insect genes, with the bloodline of the Propagation Aeon flowing through her veins.

Of course, Firefly also possessed her exclusive Mecha, bound to her since birth: SAM, the Firefly Mark IV Strategic Assault Armor, likewise forged from Swarm corpses. However, if she transformed into SAM, then without the Imaginary Energy provided by the Path, Firefly could only burn her life force to fight.

Liu Xing's current body had been created through the Life Sharing Ritual using Firefly as its template. It shared Firefly's bloodline and power. This was the Life Sharing Ritual's true effect: it could allow someone to obtain everything possessed by the one they shared with.

If the Goddess of Life herself had conducted the ritual, he could have ascended to the heavens in a single step and become the God of Life, sharing the Life Godhood with the Goddess of Life. Of course, things were no different now. Firefly was the Goddess of Life's heir, so Liu Xing could likewise share this power.

The two parties shared everything; Firefly was not the only one giving. For example, when cultivating, if Firefly's strength increased, Liu Xing would rise alongside her due to the Life Sharing Ritual. Conversely, if Liu Xing cultivated and improved himself, Firefly would improve as well. In other words, as long as Firefly worked hard at cultivation, Liu Xing could grow stronger while lying down.

The Life Sharing Ritual was just that inconceivable. The Goddess of Life governed life and was not particularly powerful in battle, but in support, healing, divination, and other matters unrelated to combat, she far surpassed the other God Kings.

Was this what they called living off a woman?

Liu Xing secretly clicked his tongue. This effect was simply incredible. Although the Life Sharing Ritual had tied him and Firefly together for good, he had no complaints whatsoever. He was happy beyond words.

He had originally been someone who should have died. Being able to live another life was entirely thanks to Firefly and the Goddess of Life. What could he possibly be dissatisfied with?

But!

Liu Xing looked at his tiny arms and legs, then at Firefly, his expression turning strange. His body had been modeled after Firefly's. So what did that make them? How was he supposed to define his relationship with Firefly?

The Goddess of Life watched the little boy and little girl staring wide-eyed at each other and covered her mouth with a smile. Everything had gone exactly as she expected. Firefly possessed both life and destruction. She could inherit either the Life Godhood or the Godhood of Destruction, but inheriting both divine positions would inevitably create an intense conflict and rejection. After all, that was why she and the God of Destruction had been unable to conceive life.

Just as she, the Goddess of Life who governed life itself, was unable to conceive a child belonging to herself and the God of Destruction, Firefly likely could not withstand the conflict between the positions of two God Kings. Although life and destruction could merge into creation, Firefly would likely be destroyed by the clash of divine positions before that fusion could take place.

Though she did not know which world Firefly came from, where life and destruction could coexist, in this world, she had to abide by this world's rules. Yet Firefly's uniqueness gave her the potential to break those rules. That was precisely the quality the Goddess of Life valued.

Liu Xing's existence also gave the Goddess of Life more ideas. Because of the two successful examples, the Sea God and Xiao Wu, the Asura Sword's scabbard, the Goddess of Life recalled the Life Sharing Ritual she had once forgotten. The Sea God and Xiao Wu shared divine positions and could switch at any time between the Sea God and the Asura God. By that logic, Liu Xing, who shared life with Firefly, should be able to do the same!

As long as Liu Xing inherited the God of Destruction's divine position, then Firefly and Liu Xing would effectively possess two divine positions as well. They could likewise switch between destruction and life. This would not only avoid the conflict between the two divine positions, but also allow them both to fully comprehend life and destruction. One day, they could fuse the two divine positions and become the Creation God, becoming a Supreme God King like the Dragon God—the sole one in the universe.

The Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction could also use this to study how to nurture life within destruction. Even if they failed, as long as Firefly and Liu Xing became the Creation God, they would likewise have the ability to help the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction conceive offspring. As the one and only Creation God in the universe, surely they could accomplish something like that!

"Thank you, Goddess of Life!"

Firefly and Liu Xing bowed to the Goddess of Life at the same time. Without her, this would have been Liu Xing's final stop, while Firefly would not have known where to go.

The Goddess of Life said gently, "All right, I'll send you to a life-bearing planet. You are not suited to living in the Divine Realm. A life-bearing planet in the lower realms is better suited to your growth. Worlds differ from one another. You must adapt to this world. Moreover, if you wish to inherit my divine position, you must undergo the divine position trials. If you cannot pass them, then even I cannot let you inherit my divine position. These are the rules of the Divine Realm. As a Law Enforcement God, I must lead by example."

"Law Enforcement God!"

Upon hearing that, Liu Xing felt an even stronger sense of familiarity. Yet it still felt as though something was missing, and he could not recall where he had heard these familiar terms before.

The Goddess of Life pondered for a moment. Their Divine Realm governed one hundred and eight lower planes within this starfield. Every plane had a different cultivation system, but all ultimately sought godhood. Different roads led to the same destination.

The Goddess of Life was now considering which plane would suit Firefly and Liu Xing's growth. She could tell that Firefly should originally have been a powerful being, but after arriving in this new world, she had lost too much power because the universe's laws were different. If Firefly wished to inherit her divine position, she would need to cultivate according to this universe's system. Otherwise, inheriting the divine position would be difficult.

"I have it. I'll send you to Douluo Star."

The Goddess of Life made her decision. Among the planes under the Divine Realm's jurisdiction, Douluo Star was considered fairly advanced. Its cultivation system was sufficiently unique, and it had consecutively produced several first-class gods and even one God King. The Sea God and Angel God had both ascended from Douluo Star, and Tang San, who now possessed the dual divine positions of the Sea God and Asura God, had also ascended from Douluo Star. One could easily see how extraordinary that plane was. Firefly and Liu Xing were also going to follow the path of dual divine positions, so there could be no more suitable place for them to grow.