Soul Beasts Become Gods (Continued)

However, the Fire God and the God of Water did not react much to the situation of Pei Qinhu, Zhen Ji, and the others, because they knew very well where the "ceiling" of their own paths lay.

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In the Extreme North Icefield, perpetual cold and desolation are the dominant themes.

The mountains, formed by millennia-old ice, stand silently, their fierce winds like invisible blades, slicing through any life that dares to expose itself.

The two rulers of this icy plain— the Heavenly Snow Woman, the Snow Empress, and the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion —are facing the same problem at this moment.

They sensed the shackles that bound Soul Beast to godhood disappear, the world's life level rise, and they could perceive the rules to become gods.

As the most supreme beings born from the Extreme North, they possess an innate affinity and profound understanding of the laws of "ice" and "snow," and all attempt to comprehend these rules and attain godhood.

However, slowly, no matter how deeply their divine sense penetrated the essence of the ice element, or how much they resonated with the swirling snow, they were always interrupted by an invisible wall.

The divine essence of the Ice God, at the God-King level... has long been occupied. Moreover, the occupant is none other than the Ice Dragon King from the Dragon God era, whose remaining divine will or law imprint still dominates the top of this path.

Even the later Ice God could only become First-Level God, and he only succeeded by relying on the power of faith.

Now, settling for second best is their only option.

Unable to condense the divine essence of the "Ice God," one can only attempt to comprehend the slightly lesser divine essences of the "Snow God" or "Frost God."

For the proud and arrogant Ice Empress and Snow Empress, this was tantamount to a compromise and a belittling.

What puzzled them even more were the two pillars of light that they had witnessed before, one a dazzling gold and the other a somber black.

Humans, those short-lived and physically fragile beings, were able to so "easily" gain the favor of the gods and become gods!

"Why...?" For the first time, a deep confusion, along with a hint of barely perceptible anger and sorrow, surfaced on Snow Empress's cold and beautiful face. She gazed at the seemingly unchanging ice field and sky, and murmured softly.

"The shackles are gone, and we Soul Beast can also become gods. Are we, the people of the Far North, not devout enough in our faith in ice and snow? Why... has the Ice God not shown us even the slightest favor?"

The emerald light around Ice Empress fluctuated violently, its tail hook pounding uneasily against the ice, producing a crisp yet agitated sound, "Humans! Are humans inherently more favored by those high and mighty gods? Are our hundreds of thousands of years of arduous cultivation, our instinctive affinity for the laws, really inferior to their mere decades of practice?"

An anger at being judged "unfairly" burned in the hearts of the two overlords of the ice plains.

Before even stepping onto the competition stage, they were told by the unseen rules that this path was blocked and the top prize had already been claimed.

How could their pride accept this?

However, reality never changes because of unwillingness.

Gods are beings that transcend mortal life; they are never objects of equal exchange or bargaining.

Anger and resentment cannot change the fact that the Ice God's divine status already belongs to someone else, nor can they summon the Ice God's mercy.

However, there was no time for them to feel resentful and angry.

Another crisis is imminent, triggered prematurely by their recent abandonment of suppression and their frenzied cultivation that disrupts the rules—the Heavenly Tribulation.

As Ferocious Beast whose cultivation had already reached its bottleneck, the Snow Empress and the Ice Empress were already approaching the next great calamity, but they had been suppressing their cultivation to improve.

During this period, their reckless attempts to break through the barriers of the rules and forcibly condense divine power not only consumed a great deal of energy but also triggered a strong backlash and "attention" from the laws of heaven and earth against their "transgressive" behavior.

They clearly sensed that the impending tribulation lightning would be far more powerful than any before, filled with a devastating sense of judgment.

"This calamity... we cannot overcome it." The Snow Empress's voice carried a calm, Ice Seal tone.

Ice Empress also fell silent, a fear of death appearing in their blue eyes.

In this desperate situation, it seems that they only have one choice left: to immediately try to condense the divine spark of the "Snow God" or the "Frost God," even if it is only Second-Level God. As long as they can successfully condense the divine spark and cross that step, the heavenly tribulation will disappear on its own, and they can also obtain god-level life and power!

Although this divine position was not what they originally desired...

"Enough..." Snow Empress sighed deeply, "Only by surviving can one have the right to talk about the future."

Ice Empress also let out a heavy snort, its tail hook piercing deep into the ice. "Become a god! Once we possess divine power, we'll find a way to find that guy who has usurped the Ice God's divine status!"

After making their choice, they began to focus their minds and devote all their energy to a deeper understanding of the rules of "snow" or "frost" and the formation of their divine essence.

On the icy plains, the wind and snow seemed to have become even more violent...

Destructive clouds churned and roared across the sky, while deep purple lightning locked onto the two auras deep within the icy plains below.

However, just before the world-destroying lightning was about to unleash its devastation—

"Boom--Buzz--!!!"

Two beams of divine light, seemingly forged by the very will of the polar origin, fiercely tore through the Ice and Snow Storm and shot straight into the heavens!

Where Snow Empress stood, a pure blue beam of light shot into the sky.

The beam of light was not blazing; within it, billions of perfectly shaped and unique hexagonal ice crystal snowflakes seemed to possess life, floating, rotating, and colliding. Every tiny movement drew upon the rhythm of the surrounding wind and snow, creating layers upon layers of a beautiful and enchanting snow kingdom.

At the edge of the beam of light, the air was frozen into a visible, crystalline ring of ice mist that slowly rotated.

The Snow Empress's figure appeared at the core of the pillar of light. Her eyes were closed, her silver hair moved without wind, resonating with the snow-covered sky. At the center of her brow, a rune made of extremely complex geometric snowflakes slowly solidified, radiating a pure and sublime divine radiance.

Immediately afterwards, a white beam of light shot into the sky from the direction of Ice Empress!

This beam of light is not a stable column; its shape is constantly undergoing subtle twists, refractions, and forks. Countless fine, yet incredibly sharp frost crystals condense, expand, and then quietly vanish at an astonishing speed, endlessly repeating the cycle.

Ice Empress's Azure Scorpion's true form seemed to transform into the embodiment of frost within the pillar of light. The patterns on its carapace flowed with a deadly cold light, and a point of azure light on its tail hook solidified into a tangible substance. With a gentle stroke, it left behind subtle, Jiujiu- lasting black frost marks in the space.

On her forehead, a divine pattern, resembling a multifaceted ice crystal constantly breaking and reforming, with jagged edges and a center that seemed to contain a miniature absolute zero singularity, Youyou appeared.

"Crack--Boom!!!"

As the process of becoming a god stabilizes, the energy of the pillar of light begins to converge inward and take shape.

Behind the Snow Empress, a ring of countless tiny snow crystals arranged in a mysterious trajectory slowly rotated, and at its center, the "Silver Snow God Ring" was fully formed, with the dual scenes of a tranquil snowfield and a howling blizzard faintly appearing. As the ring rotated, it seemed as if fine snow was falling silently.

Behind Ice Empress, a "Azure Frost God Ring" quietly appeared, composed of constantly appearing and disappearing sharp frost crystals, radiating a chilling aura that made one's soul tremble. The ring shimmered, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

The divine phenomenon lasted for a moment, until finally the radiance faded.

The Snow Empress and the Ice Empress stood in mid-air, their auras as deep as the sea, their divine radiance contained within. They had been reborn and become Second-Level God who governed "snow" and "frost".

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The radiance of the Snow God's Crown in the Extreme North gradually faded, but the ripples it caused continued to resonate in the hearts of various forces, with different reactions.

The reaction from the high-ranking officials of the Spirit Hall Empire was the most indifferent, even carrying a hint of detached composure.

When the intelligence was gathered and relayed to the core decision-making level, the Pope merely nodded slightly, his tone calm and unperturbed. "The ascension of the Ferocious Beast of the Far North to godhood was expected. Now that the shackles are removed, those with the necessary resources can take a gamble. However..."

He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his gaze distant. "Ultimately, he's only Second-Level God, incomparable to the Empire's two newly appointed God-Kings (Arthur and Dongfang Yao). Instruct the Northern Governor to ascertain his attitude; there's no need to overemphasize it. The Empire's strategic focus remains on integrating the lower realms and... responding to even greater changes."

In his view, the new god of the Far North was merely a slightly larger ripple in this dramatic upheaval.

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In the Soul Beast Realm, the atmosphere in the core area of Star Dou Great Forest is much more complex.

Mr. Xiong raised his huge head and looked towards the north. Envy and emotion were intertwined in his red eyes. He roared angrily, "Ice Emperor, Snow Emperor... they have really become! After tens of thousands of years... among us spirit beasts, there are finally those who can climb up on their own!"

Bi Ji beside her, her elegant Emerald Swan eyes shone with a soft yet bright light, a pure longing and hope.

"Excellent... The darling of ice and snow has stepped into the realm of gods." She murmured softly, her life force pulsating with joy. "This proves that the path has been opened. With enough accumulation and the right understanding, we Soul Beast can also..."

Deep in the ocean, the Sea Princess's feelings were far more complex and heavy.

Even though they were far apart, the resonance of the ocean allowed her to clearly perceive the birth of those two Snow God.

Her beautiful face showed no joy, but rather was shrouded in a lingering gloom.

"The shackles that prevented Soul Beast from becoming gods have indeed disappeared..." she murmured to herself, her voice echoing in the silent sea palace, "But in this so-called 'golden age,' crisis often comes along with opportunity."

"To survive is perhaps harder than to become a god." The thought of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, whose cultivation had reached nearly a million years, suddenly perished without warning, filled the Sea Princess with unprecedented unease and vigilance.

Even such a powerful being was annihilated in an instant, how could she not be afraid?

She felt little joy at the ascension of the Ice Empress Snow Empress to godhood; rather, she was deeply worried about the future.

Beside her, Xiao Bai Demon Soul Great White Shark King, was already able to move around with difficulty.

However, the hidden wounds left on its body from the battle with the Spirit Hall Empire, especially those that affected its very essence, were like a persistent carbuncle, difficult to heal completely, and constantly brought hidden pain and stagnation of power.

However, Xiao Bai's eyes were filled only with a raging, almost obsessive flame of revenge. It stared intently in a certain direction, completely ignoring its own injuries.

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In the Divine Realm, the Ice God's attention lingered on the newly born deity for only a fleeting moment.

As beings who had already condensed the divine essence of ice, the birth of the lower-level "Snow" and "Frost" deities was like two new branches growing from a tree, causing little ripple.

However, the Asura God, amidst his busy scheming and courting, noticed the information about the new god of the Far North and his brow furrowed imperceptibly.

He harbors a deep-seated dislike and wariness towards deities who are born from Soul Beast, stemming from ancient factional conflicts and certain unpleasant memories.

"Soul Beast... can also become gods?" A cold glint flashed in his blood-red eyes.

However, this displeasure was quickly suppressed by more realistic considerations.

He thought of the threat posed by the Dragon Clan, and the current power vacuum in the Divine Realm.

"Well, at least they're two usable fighting forces. In the future, when we fight against the Dragon Clan, they'll be... part of the resistance." He convinced himself, suppressing his repulsion, and included these two new pieces in the scope of potential future use.

Having reluctantly accepted their divine status as "Snow God" and "Frost God," the Ice Empress and Snow Empress did not linger in the mortal realm.

As newly ascended deities, they also felt the same gentle yet irresistible pull from a higher plane that exerted a influence on those who were "beyond the norm."

They answered the call, transforming into two streams of light, one Entanglement in silver snow and the other in emerald frost, breaking through the celestial barrier of Douluo Star and officially stepping into the Divine Realm.

However, the imagined glory of "ascension" and the privileges of being a "new god" did not materialize.

They were not greeted by a grand scene of gods gathering and music playing.

The Divine Realm is vast and boundless, with churning seas of clouds, towering temples, and dazzling lights, its energy so rich it's intoxicating.

They were led to a palace specifically for housing newly ascended lower-ranking deities.

The person in charge of guiding them was merely a low-ranking priest, who informed them of some of the most basic behavioral rules, zoning, and... of the Divine Realm.

After giving the warning, "Do not wander around unnecessarily, especially near the core temple area of the various god-kings and First-Level Main God," he quietly left.

The God of God of Destruction's divine sense swept across the area, yet it didn't pause when it touched them, as if they weren't worth the slightest attention from this god-king.

Aside from an instinctive dislike for being born as Soul Beast, the more important reason was. "Two newly promoted Second-Level God... are too weak."

The other established gods, busy with their own inheritance and eager to extricate themselves, were equally unwilling to expend energy befriending two new gods whose futures seemed assured and who were born from Soul Beast.

In the current climate of time constraints and preoccupation with our own problems, how can we expand our influence and forge alliances?

That also depends on whether the target has enough potential and value.

Clearly, in the eyes of the vast majority of deities, the Ice Empress and Snow Empress do not currently possess such appeal.