Mortal Men Must Not Overstep!

[Begin climbing the first layer of the Divine Path]

[Codename: Bone Melting]

Bzz!

The colossal ring-shaped Soul Tool flashed with dazzling blue light. At its center, the massive blue-gold tree erupted with brilliant radiance as streams of high-concentration, high-speed Soul Power particles surged along predetermined precision tracks at unimaginable speed.

[Current computing capacity usage: 76.8%. All functional modules operating normally.]

Viewed from above, the entire Sea God Lake was divided and woven together by pale-blue Soul Power and gleaming streams of precision Soul Power particles, forming an enormous blue halo. Countless auxiliary channels connected to one another, their light pulsing in orderly rhythms.

The outermost layer of [Ascension] lit up in full, then rolled toward the inner rings in waves like a surging sea.

Bzz! Bzz! Bzz!

From the outside in, layer after layer of high-energy circular tracks lit up. Like rhythmic breathing, they gathered the qualified high-energy Soul Spirit particle streams, selected layer by layer, into a single point with every inhale and exhale.

Within a field of white light, Mu En was pierced without any reaction by semi-fused Soul Spirit particles that were highly compatible with his spiritual soul.

His super Spiritual Perception erupted with an intense warning of danger, yet his brain received no sensation at all. In that instant, he lost all feeling throughout his body.

However, the sensation did not last long. Mu En gradually began to feel a dull numbness in his body, and within that numbness, he first discovered that his body was "melting." A burning sensation, like watching blazing flames through a fireproof suit, flooded his insides.

The hidden injuries left behind from his battle with the previous Sect Master of the Original Body Sect were utterly "burned away" by the flames within him. The Soul Power that had stagnated for years also began rising at an astonishing rate.

In exchange, he lost all sensation of his Soul Bones.

[Bone Melting auxiliary program activated]

More than a thousand Ark Energy Cores—enough to empty Chen Fu's stockpile, prepared over an entire year by dozens of Titled Douluo—erupted with high-concentration Soul Power. As Mu En began absorbing the Soul Bones, that power was added in an appropriate ratio.

Compared to simply absorbing Soul Bones, this "watering" process would help the executor of [Ascension] rapidly complete the initial accumulation of Soul Power and ultimately undergo a qualitative transformation.

When Mu En was halfway through absorbing the Soul Bones, Chen Fu issued the second command beneath the blue-gold tree, which was already radiating intense heat.

[Initiate the second layer of Ascension]

[Codename: Ring Absorption]

The command was instantly transmitted to every functional sector through the overclocked blue-gold tree mainframe.

The outermost curved tracks slowly flickered with flowing light again, and a new wave of high-energy Soul Spirit particle streams began preparation.

"What terrifying control!"

Qian Duoduo, the vice-dean beside Fan Yu, looked at the blue multilayered Soul Tool halos that had completely confined the Soul Power above Sea God Lake, his heart filled with shock.

He had contributed to laying the more than one thousand Ark Cores beneath Sea God Lake, each comparable to an ordinary Titled Douluo. He had to admit that compared to the Ark, the Blazing Sun their academy had built was utter garbage.

Compared to the Ark energy unleashed through the combined efforts of all the Pavilion Elders, Qian Duoduo was utterly awestruck by Chen Fu's Soul Power control technology. He could not muster even the slightest desire to catch up.

"He once said that using the small to control the great and using tools to govern tools—this Soul Power energy had all been accumulated little by little by the Ark. That incomprehensible control over Soul Power was also the product of Soul Tool technology."

The moment Fan Yu had seen [Banished Immortal], he had already resigned himself to lying flat. Outside, he never dared mention that Chen Fu was his student. It was not because he feared Chen Fu would object, but because saying it made his face burn with embarrassment.

"Shao Zhe, stop just watching. Take Xian'er and the others to investigate what forces are outside."

For this Ascension plan, which had practically wagered Shrek's entire future, Xuan Zi did not dare be the slightest bit careless. In his perception, a familiar aura was rapidly expanding at the center of Sea God Lake.

He might have hesitated when the plan first began, but now that it had reached this point, it was no longer something he could decide with a few words.

If anyone was to blame, it was Chen Fu's god-creation project for being too tempting. After all, ever since the first generation of the Seven Monsters became gods, no one on Douluo Continent had ascended to godhood for tens of thousands of years.

If demons existed in this world, then that kid Chen Fu was undoubtedly the most troublesome demon of all!

When facing him, you never had to worry about being unable to pay the price. You could even freeload outright, because he could always obtain what he wanted from somewhere else.

"...My Lord, every time some time passes without seeing him, that man makes you realize that the world has become unfamiliar once again."

At the distant horizon, a black dragon spread his wings high in the sky, while a humanoid figure stood atop his head.

"..."

Gu Yuena did not answer. Her dazzling silver dragon eyes stared coldly into the distance, where the image of that man bearing a divine wheel and displaying divinity was etched deeply into her gaze.

"In your eyes, what are Soul Beasts?"

That question seemed to surface before her once more.

"Materials."

The man's answer had been simple and direct, without a moment's thought.

She still clearly remembered the calmness and indifference in his eyes. He had not feared in the slightest that the black dragon beside him, who could crush him to death at any moment, might suddenly attack.

"Will they succeed? That youngster Mu's aura has been rising rapidly. He has already reached Snow Empress's level."

The black dragon spoke again. The Snow Empress he mentioned was the being in the Extreme North who could contend with him on equal footing by relying on the advantage of her environment.

"He has already developed divinity. He knows all the secrets of becoming a god."

Gu Yuena did not directly answer Di Tian's question, but based on her observations and understanding of that man, succeeding and then replicating that success were his most defining traits.

"...Do we need to interfere?"

Di Tian hesitated. If Chen Fu succeeded, then Soul Beasts would not even have the ability to fight back in the future.

"Besides... I've realized that Chen Fu's Soul Tools claim to help Soul Beasts, but they feel more like... a lie built upon Soul Beasts to rise to power."

After learning some Soul Tool knowledge from Golden Scale, Di Tian discovered that Chen Fu's Energy Storage Ring—Soul Ring Engraving—Melting Ring—Soul Ring Engraving—Energy Storage Ring—Ascension was practically a complete god-creation industrial chain.

Wasn't technology supposed to be a double-edged sword that cut enemies and wounded its wielder as well? Why did every single edge hack at Soul Beasts???

Hearing Di Tian's words, Gu Yuena could not help falling silent as well. But she knew that while destroying the experiment was possible, killing the key individual was not.

World Will's attention upon him, as well as the Divine Trial bestowed by that unfamiliar Latecomer God, all indicated that this man was not someone they could casually touch.

Whoosh!

Letting out a heavy breath, she also felt that if they let their guard down for even a moment, that man always loved making enormous trouble.

"Wait. Wait for his promise!"

Her tone carried helplessness and resentment.

While Mu En, having completely lost control of his body, was immersed in the joy of having his body "power-leveled," he suddenly felt as if a massive wave had knocked him over. His spiritual sense stung like needles, and his body involuntarily revealed his Soul Rings.

Bzz!

Another Nuclear Ark was ignited, and vast Soul Power filled his entire body through the [Youlan] Divine Ring. This was the third Nuclear Ark he had ignited. The Bone Melting stage had taken longer due to the additional Soul Power infusion, wasting some time, but the following [Ring Absorption] and [Soul Merging] stages would be much faster.

In just a few breaths, the First Soul Ring of this Dragon God Douluo was dispersed, followed by the second, the third...

As Mu En climbed to a new limit, he once again felt the Soul Power within him surge wildly. The Two-colored Soul Core hidden deep within his body was compressed into a single point by the massive influx of Soul Power. As that Soul Power continued to expand, high-energy particle impact arrays surrounded it from every direction. Under the tremendous pressure, the Two-colored Soul Core spun at high speed and seemed to show the faintest sign of merging into one.

Soul Rings corresponded to the spirit and soul. The third step, [Soul Merging], would be able to force out results the moment [Ring Absorption] was completed.

Very soon, Mu En's fourth Soul Ring began to dissolve...

Chen Fu raised his head and looked toward the sky.

At some unknown moment, the sky had suddenly darkened...

"Mortal men must not overstep!"

It seemed as though the sky...

Had collapsed...

Thank you to [Book Friend 0209], [Longing for the Lonely Sea], [Green-Clad River Jade], [Six Paths Reincarnation Paradise], [I Don't Play Spicy], [1116-aE], [Xiu'er uou], [Just a Clown], [Captain], and [Mr. KFC of Kassel], my good brothers, for your monthly votes (σ′▽‵)′▽‵)σ

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