Divine Artifact!

Xue Ke panicked.

"But, Teacher..."

Gu Nian waved a hand, cutting her off.

"Get up."

"Remember, from today onward, you are no longer the ignored swan of the Heaven Dou Royal Family."

He rose to his feet, walked to Xue Ke's side, and looked up at the four pillars of light that pierced through Heaven and Earth.

"Your era has only just begun."

"Soar to the Sky, and make the entire continent remember your name."

Soar to the Sky?

Xue Ke looked up in confusion, still not understanding the deeper meaning behind her Teacher's words.

Yet Gu Nian's words seemed to carry the power of Word of Law.

The four pillars of light in the sky instantly turned into streams of radiance and surged into her body.

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Ye stared at the words "Divine Artifact" on the Sky Screen, his entire body trembling with excitement.

He slammed his palm against the armrest of the dragon throne and issued an urgent, authoritative command.

"Pass on my decree!"

"At once! Immediately! Dispatch the finest knights of the Royal Knights, prepare the grandest honor guard, and head for Sunset Forest!"

"No! I will go myself!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire court was shocked.

An elderly minister hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him. "Your Majesty, absolutely not! Your health..."

"It is of no concern!"

Xue Ye waved his hand, his face alight with unprecedented vigor.

"My health is excellent!"

He took a deep breath, calming himself as he reconsidered the matter.

After a moment, he gave another order.

"Pass down the command. Marshal Gelong will personally lead the Royal Knights, carrying my handwritten letter and gifts of the highest standard to Sunset Forest, to respectfully escort Princess Xue Ke back to the palace!"

His voice echoed through the grand hall, filled with unquestionable authority.

"Remember, you represent the dignity of the Heaven Dou Royal Family on this journey!"

"When you see Princess Xue Ke, you are to offer the highest courtesies!"

"If you see His Excellency the Blue Silver God King, be even more respectful and cautious. Do not show the slightest offense! Should it prove impossible to bring the Princess back, you must still be sure to befriend His Excellency the God King!"

"Do you understand?"

"By Your Majesty's decree!"

The gathered officials shouted in unison.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations!"

"Heaven blesses Heaven Dou! The Royal Family shall rise!"

Praise rang out without end.

Among the officials, Qian Renxue, dressed in Crown Prince's robes, kept her eyes lowered. Beneath her golden hair, her peerlessly beautiful face held an unreadable expression.

Damn it!

How could such an unexpected development arise?!

Xue Ke!

That frail princess, who had posed no threat whatsoever in her plans and could even have been ignored, had suddenly become a Strong capable of shaking the entire continent's balance?

A powerful wave of regret surged through Qian Renxue's heart.

In order to clear away obstacles, she had secretly eliminated nearly all male heirs of the Heaven Dou Royal Family who posed a threat.

She had believed that a remaining princess was nothing to worry about.

Had she known this would happen, she never should have allowed Xue Ke to leave Heaven Dou City!

And that Blue Silver God King...

Who exactly was he?

He could actually make a Martial Soul "evolve"?

The thought made Qian Renxue's heart suddenly pound.

Evolution...

Could my Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul also...

No!

The instant that thought emerged, she ruthlessly crushed it.

Impossible!

My Angel Martial Soul is a god-level Martial Soul, the pinnacle of the continent!

A common martial soul like a swan began too low, which was why it had room to evolve.

My Martial Soul has long since reached its Endpoint!

That so-called Blue Silver God King cannot possibly accomplish it!

Qian Renxue took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart. Her gaze regained its usual calmness and pride.

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Inside the council hall, Ning Fengzhi, who had just been overjoyed by Sword Douluo's reward, now stared solemnly at the sky.

Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong beside him were likewise silent.

After a long while, Ning Fengzhi let out a deep sigh.

"The Heaven Dou Royal Family... has hidden itself well."

He shook his head with a bitter smile.

"We all thought that after Xue Ye, the Royal Family would have no successors. Who would have expected them to be hiding such a world-shaking trump card?"

Bone Douluo Gu Rong spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

"Who could have imagined that the Royal Family's broken Swan inheritance possessed such potential, capable of evolving into this form?"

Sword Douluo Chen Xin stared intently at the Sky Screen.

"The important thing is not the swan. It is that 'Blue Silver God King.'"

Ning Fengzhi nodded in agreement.

"Yes. The ability to make a Martial Soul evolve... this God King is the true key."

A calculating gleam flashed through his eyes.

"It seems our alliance with the Heaven Dou Royal Family must be reassessed."

The other two sects of the Upper Three Sects were also thrown into an uproar.

Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen stood in the sect plaza, staring at the Sky Screen with an uncertain expression.

The sudden rise of the Heaven Dou Royal Family was not good news for sects like theirs that had always remained neutral.

A faint sense of apprehension rose in his heart.

Meanwhile, in the Clear Sky Sect, far away in an unknown land.

Within the sealed sect, several elders were likewise engaged in heated discussion, their words filled with shock and vigilance.

But before long, whether it was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan or the Clear Sky Sect, their attention returned to the Sky Screen.

Because the reward for ninth place had ended.

Next to be revealed was eighth place!

The entire continent focused its gaze once more.

An even stronger Martial Soul and even richer rewards were about to be unveiled!

As every faction across the continent weighed its thoughts, a true miracle was unfolding at the heart of Sunset Forest.

The four pillars of light formed from the Sky Screen's Golden Light gave Xue Ke no chance to refuse.

That Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, as deep as a starry sky, moved first. It transformed into a streak of red light and flew straight toward Xue Ke.

Xue Ke's heart tightened, and she instinctively tried to circulate her Soul Power to resist.

"There is no need to resist. Calm yourself and accept it."

Gu Nian's calm voice sounded beside her ear, like a stabilizing pillar that instantly soothed the turmoil in her heart.

She gave up all resistance.

The Soul Ring descended. Instead of the violent surge of energy she had expected, it melted gently into her body like spring water melting snow.

Xue Ke's Soul Power began rising at a terrifying speed!

Level fifty-one!

Level fifty-two!

Level fifty-eight!

Level fifty-nine!

Her Soul Power Level soared all the way upward before steadily stopping at the peak of level fifty-nine. She was only one step away from entering the realm of Soul Emperor!

Immediately afterward, the torso Spirit Bone shining with the brilliance of Stars also turned into a stream of light and entered the center of her back.

A warm sensation spread from her spine throughout her body, and her bones let out crisp ringing sounds.

Xue Ke felt an itch on her back. The next instant, accompanied by a clear Phoenix Cry, a pair of enormous wings formed from dazzling starlight abruptly unfolded from behind her!

They spanned several meters, every feather seeming to have been carved from star diamonds and flowing with the radiance of the galaxy, sacred and magnificent.

This was the External Soul Bone—Swan Wings!