Ever since Luo Ya had come to this world, aside from a few minor troubles in his childhood, he had never felt as stifled as he did today.
Perhaps, in Nilo's eyes, he was simply in high spirits after becoming a god, and had gotten a little carried away, playing a harmless prank on a "junior."
But Luo Ya, the person who had just been targeted by God's Domain, couldn't simply laugh it off.
Granted, as Milia had said, Nilo seemed to be a decent person. That was why he was safe and sound now.
But what if Nilo had been a little more narrow-minded, a little more despicable? Would he have killed Luo Ya outright, then forced Milia to marry his son, Neptune?
Although nothing like that had happened, Luo Ya couldn't accept the feeling that his fate was entirely in someone else's hands!
To put it bluntly, he was standing here alive only because of someone else's "mercy."
But how much "mercy" could he count on?
What if the next powerful enemy he encountered wasn't so "merciful"?
He couldn't pin his hopes on the "mercy" of others forever.
His fate should be his to command!
In an instant, many thoughts raced through Luo Ya's mind, and he came to understand a few things.
"Ultimately, it's because I'm too weak right now." After reflecting on himself, Luo Ya arrived at the right answer.
In this magical world of swords and magic, where even divine power existed, one unchanging law of survival had endured for countless ages: the strong ruled supreme!
With the help of the Black Hole inside him and his considerable understanding of the Profundity of Devour, even Saint Realm powerhouses at the peak were no match for him. That was why he was the genius Sword Saint whose name had spread across the continent.
But even that was nothing in the face of a god-level powerhouse!
Until one reached godhood, one was no more than an ant!
A god-level powerhouse could crush him with God's Domain alone.
"Strange. Lord Nilo came from Qianyan Island, but I don't see the 'big fellow' Milia mentioned anywhere near him. Did he kill it?" The silver-haired elf Beiya hadn't given it much thought. Instead, she was curious about that.
"When I was in Uncle Nilo's arms just now, I saw a strange stone. That must have been it." After thinking back for a moment, Milia recalled the peculiar stone that had seemed almost alive.
She had sensed a familiar life force from it.
Saint Realm magical beasts could easily change their size. Even those as large as mountains could shrink to the size of a cat.
The Earth Giant was made of stone to begin with, so it wasn't surprising that it could turn into a rock.
"I see." Beiya nodded, not giving it much thought.
She was more curious about the god-level powerhouse Nilo than a strange Saint Realm magical beast.
The arrival of a newly ascended god-level powerhouse was enough to change the balance of power across the continent. It might even spark another large-scale War of Faith.
"Milia, Beiya, since the 'big fellow' on Qianyan Island already has an owner, let's part ways here." In truth, a large part of the reason he had set out to travel this time was Milia's invitation.
But now it seemed some things could wait.
There would be plenty of time to grow closer to Milia and talk about romance later. After all, they were both Saint Realm powerhouses with endless lifespans.
As long as they remained in each other's hearts, what difference would it make to wait ten or a hundred years?
"Luo Ya, Wind Forbidden Island is not far from here..." Milia sensed that something was troubling Luo Ya and invited him again.
"Once I become a god, I'll come to Wind Forbidden Island to find you right away." That was Luo Ya's promise.
Although he had suffered a setback this time, it might not be a bad thing.
He would have plenty of time to spend with Milia and talk about love and romance. After all, they were both Saint Realm powerhouses with endless lifespans.
As long as they kept a place for each other in their hearts, what did it matter if they waited another ten or a hundred years?
"Mm. I'll wait for you." Hearing Luo Ya's promise, Milia wasn't too disappointed. Instead, she smiled and nodded.
"I'm off!" After taking one last long look at Milia and engraving her smile in his memory, Luo Ya flew away alone, without even bringing Hellfire Phoenix Ignis along.
"Beiya, what about you? Would you like to visit Wind Forbidden Island?" Milia turned her gaze away from Luo Ya and looked at the silver-haired elf.
Wind Forbidden Island had an extremely unusual geographical environment. It was practically a sacred place for cultivating the Laws of Wind. Several Saint Realm powerhouses lived on the island, which was fairly well-known among the Saint Realm powerhouses of the continent.
"Of course." Beiya nodded. Then the two of them continued riding Hellfire Phoenix Ignis toward Wind Forbidden Island.
As for Hellfire Phoenix Ignis, she had already received her master's final order, so she naturally had no objection to taking orders from Milia.
The sun sank in the west, and the Azure Sea was bathed in a hazy red glow, its surface shimmering with an unusual light.
On any other day, such a magnificent sight might have made Luo Ya stop and admire it for a moment. But right now, frustration weighed on his heart, and he wasn't in the mood.
"Splash—"
He picked an uninhabited island at random, carved out a simple cultivation chamber with his sword, and immediately began his secluded training!
His goal this time was to become a god!
Inside the crude cultivation chamber,
Luo Ya took three deep breaths before he could calm himself completely. Then he immersed himself in the Laws of Dark Element and continued deducing and perfecting his Profundity of Devour.
As he sensed the boundless laws of the elements, the phantom black hole in his mind, representing the Profundity of Devour, began to evolve further. Like a real celestial black hole, it carried a strange rhythm at every moment. In an instant, Luo Ya deduced millions of possible outcomes.
"No, it should be like this..."
He would deduce, then observe the real Black Hole inside him and compare the two. Naturally, his rate of comprehension far surpassed what was normal!
Luo Ya still didn't know where the Black Hole inside him had truly come from.
But he had a feeling that it was extraordinary!
Helping him cultivate magic power and battle qi, correcting his understanding of the Profundity of Devour... These were probably only the most basic uses of the Black Hole.
Perhaps only after he became a god and grew stronger would he be able to uncover its greater uses.
With a real Black Hole as a reference, Luo Ya could easily tell whether his understanding was on the right track. And with the occasional chance to test and improve his techniques, his cultivation progressed at a good pace.
Perhaps because his mindset had changed, Luo Ya soon entered a state of pure cultivation, free from thought and distraction.
In that state, all the chaotic thoughts in his mind cleared away.
Though this state of cultivation couldn't compare to sudden enlightenment, it had the advantage of lasting. Once every stray thought had been filtered out, Luo Ya's soul became as clear as ice.
His rate of deducing the Laws and Profundities was now nearly ten times faster than before!
A mere doubling of his speed wouldn't have made much difference in the short term.
But a tenfold increase was astonishing.
Under such efficient comprehension, Luo Ya quickly gained a deeper understanding of the Profundity of Devour.
The more he comprehended, the more clearly he saw the wonders of the Profundity of Devour.
The Profundity of Devour actually contained two aspects: "swallowing" and "devouring."
"Swallowing" referred to the power to draw all things into itself.
"Devouring" referred to the power to annihilate all things into nothingness.
Though these two aspects seemed completely different, they weren't at odds with each other. On the contrary, they naturally depended on one another and had been one from the beginning.
Before, Luo Ya had worked on the two aspects of "swallowing" and "devouring" separately. Each time he gained a little more insight into either aspect, the Profundity of Devour as a whole advanced a little.
Since the Profundity of Devour was one whole to begin with,
cultivating the two aspects separately to an extremely high level and letting them fuse naturally could indeed be a method of cultivation.
But doing so was undoubtedly taking a "shortcut" and settling for a lower path.
If the Profundity of Devour was already a seamless whole, why go out of one's way to split it apart?
Once Luo Ya began to view the Profundity of Devour as a single entity, his understanding advanced by leaps and bounds!
Time flowed by like water.
Now and then, seabirds passed over the deserted island, but they didn't dare approach the cultivation chamber, which constantly gave off a terrifying suction force.
Just like that, three years passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the crude chamber built against the mountainside on the unnamed island, Luo Ya sat cross-legged, absorbed in his cultivation. In his mind... the phantom black hole continued to evolve. The phantom black hole representing the Profundity of Devour had just released a mysterious pulse.
"It's here!"
As inspiration struck, Luo Ya instinctively sensed it... He could clearly feel that he had crossed a boundary. It was the boundary between the Saint Realm and the God Realm.
Luo Ya opened his eyes and looked up!
"Hmm~~~"
A vast force that shook the soul suddenly descended, completely enveloping Luo Ya. The space around him distorted, seemingly separating him from the surrounding area, and his entire body began to float.
He was floating completely beyond his control.
"How terrifying." Luo Ya could sense that vast, boundless, ancient, and mysterious power. More precisely, it seemed to be something akin to a law or a rule. Before it, Luo Ya felt like nothing more than an ant.
"This must be the Laws of the World, judging whether I've become a god." Luo Ya was utterly shaken.
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