At the thought, Hodan and Silvermoon's breathing grew ragged. Could another Paragon-level expert be about to appear in the world—and break through right before their eyes?
And setting everything else aside, simply witnessing Huoxie become a Paragon was enough to give them something to brag about for ages.
As things stood, Huoxie seemed to have grasped the secret to becoming a Paragon from Hodan's words. Did that mean Hodan could gain a Paragon friend? At the very least, he'd earn a favor from one.
At the thought, Hodan clenched his fists. Just thinking that he now had a favor owed by a Paragon made the pressure weighing on him suddenly feel much lighter. At least his safety in Hell would be assured. Whether Huoxie had truly become a Paragon, however, depended on the outcome of his epiphany.
Hodan and the others didn't have to wait long.
Suddenly,
"Boom!"
A strange wave of the Laws of the World descended. Hodan was all too familiar with this kind of fluctuation. It was the fluctuation of the Laws of the World that came with becoming a god or transforming a Godhead. The laws descended directly above Huoxie. A High Godhead glowing red flew out of his body.
The Laws of the World reshaped the Godhead. At the same time, his soul transformed...
After a long while...
Huoxie opened his eyes.
"Hm? What's going on? This is Willpower? This is Willpower? Hahaha! The Paragon realm! I, Huoxie, have finally become a Paragon!" Huoxie could clearly feel the fluctuations of space around him. The feeling of absolute control gave him the sense that he could control other people's fates.
Like an emperor, with absolute dominion.
Laughing, Huoxie raised his hand, formed it into a blade, then slashed to the side—
Huoxie hadn't even seemed to use divine power. He simply—
"Whoosh!"
As if a piece of fabric had been cut, a terrifying rift hundreds of meters long and several meters wide instantly appeared in the space around them. A tremendous force sucked at everything nearby. Silvermoon hurriedly took Hodan away from the rift in the planar barrier. If they were swallowed by it, neither Silvermoon nor Hodan would survive. After all, they weren't Paragons and had no Material Defense Sovereign Artifact.
But Huoxie stood right beside the rift, unmoved by its powerful suction, like a reef in the sea.
After a long while, the rift healed under the power of the plane.
Hodan and Silvermoon were stunned by Huoxie's attack. Without using divine power, he'd casually slashed open a terrifying rift more than a hundred meters long in Hell. Even Silvermoon Fiend, a Seven-Star Fiend, could only create a rift a dozen meters long when he went all out. There was simply no comparison with the rift Huoxie had made with a casual slash.
Was this the strength of a Paragon?
Watching Huoxie break through to Paragon right before his eyes, Hodan felt a pang of envy. When would he ever gain strength like that?
As he watched Huoxie's breakthrough, Hodan envied him, but he also studied the differences between the Laws of the World's descent during a Paragon breakthrough and when someone became a god.
Hodan had seen plenty of people become gods in Hell, and his Fate God Clone had undergone the baptism of the Laws of the World three times.
But becoming a Paragon was different from becoming a god. A Paragon had fused all the Mysteries of a single element into one and was granted Willpower by the world.
As Hodan focused on Huoxie's breakthrough, he indeed sensed a different kind of power of fate within the Laws of the World. Every Paragon was a darling of the world, naturally blessed with boundless fortune. Though they didn't cultivate the Fate Rule, they constantly radiated an aura of fate.
If this world had no Sovereigns, then Paragons would be the true rulers of the world, able to control the fates of countless people. Though Hodan had helped bring about a Paragon, he hadn't become one himself. Still, Huoxie had reached that realm because of Hodan's advice. What was more, Hodan cultivated the Fate Rule, so he could sense the fluctuations of fate more clearly than others.
As Huoxie became a Paragon, Hodan's understanding of fate rapidly deepened. But Huoxie's breakthrough didn't last long.
Hodan had only been immersed in the fluctuations of fate for a brief moment before he was interrupted. He felt as though he'd lost a great opportunity. By the time Huoxie had finished breaking through, Hodan's understanding of the Fate Rule had only reached the level of a Five-Star Fiend.
Even so, the aura of Hodan's Fate God Clone had grown stronger, which caught Silvermoon's attention.
Silvermoon couldn't help feeling envious. What kind of person was this? One sentence from him could help someone break through to Paragon, and observing a Paragon's breakthrough had even made his own strength increase. Silvermoon had heard Hodan's words too and watched Huoxie become a Paragon, so why didn't he feel even the slightest hint of a breakthrough?
Huoxie, who had just descended, also noticed the change in Hodan's aura.
"What's this? Did Hodan break through?" Huoxie asked Silvermoon. Seeing how easily Hodan had broken through—even if it was only to Five-Star Fiend—made Huoxie feel a pang of frustration at his own talent. The excitement of becoming a Paragon slowly began to fade.
After his Fate God Clone had finished comprehending the fluctuations, Hodan suddenly realized this was a fast path for cultivation. But then he thought better of it. There weren't many experts stuck at the brink of becoming a Paragon in this world, and those who were either held lofty positions or lived in seclusion. They were far beyond someone of Hodan's current level.
Even if he did meet one, they wouldn't necessarily be like Huoxie, breaking through to Paragon after a few words from him. Huoxie had accumulated power for countless years, cultivated his mind for nearly thirty billion years, and benefited from all kinds of fortunate coincidences. Only then had Hodan's words spurred him to become a Paragon. There might not be another case like it in the entire Coiling Dragon World. Hodan had no confidence that he could help other peak Asuras become Paragons.
Hodan didn't want to waste time on something he had no confidence in, especially when there was no clear prospect of success.
When Huoxie descended, Hodan and Silvermoon immediately went over to congratulate him.
"Congratulations on becoming a Paragon, Senior Huoxie. From now on, you're free to roam the vast world."
"Hahaha! Actually, I have you to thank for helping me become a Paragon, Hodan." Huoxie might have been a drunk, but he was also a man who valued friendship. He wouldn't repay kindness with treachery.
"Hodan, you're my friend from now on. If you ever run into trouble, just give them my name."
"And you too, young Silvermoon. You're my friend now as well. If you hadn't brought Hodan here, who knows how long it would've taken me to become a Paragon?"
After becoming a Paragon, Huoxie was in excellent spirits. He'd finally reached that realm and fulfilled his vow. At last, he could leave this godforsaken place. Who would choose to stay here for countless years, if they had a choice?
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