The Angel Temple's Back Mountain.
This place was the innermost forbidden ground of the Spirit Hall, a strange space separate from the Douluo Continent.
Within it, sword qi crisscrossed endlessly, undying since time immemorial.
An endless web of sword intent filled the space. Each strand could easily slay a Titled Douluo; even an ordinary deity who trespassed would be instantly shredded into nothingness.
At the very center of the countless strands of sword intent sat a young man.
His eyes were closed, and his features were strikingly handsome. His face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to the Angel Statue enshrined in the Spirit Hall.
Only, he lacked some of its divine majesty and had more of a gentle warmth unique to a human being.
Suddenly, the young man's long eyelashes trembled.
He opened his eyes.
In that instant, billions of stars seemed to be born and die within his deep pupils. At last, everything sank into stillness, leaving only pure, eternal sword intent.
"Hum—"
A soft chime rang out.
The endless sword intent that filled the entire space crumbled to dust and vanished without a trace.
"Ten thousand years have passed, like a dream."
Qian Ye slowly rose, feeling the brand-new power within him.
"My path is complete."
As the words fell, the stable pocket dimension that had endured for ten thousand years began to fracture layer by layer around him. Like a shattered mirror, it revealed the true world beyond.
Time and space across the entire Douluo Planet froze for an instant.
In the distant Divine Realm, a sudden tremor shook everything.
In the God Realm Committee, the Five Supreme Gods opened their eyes at once, their gazes sweeping uncertainly across the countless worlds under their jurisdiction.
They tried to find the source of the fluctuation that had made even them feel uneasy.
Yet after investigating, they found nothing.
In the end, the commotion in the Divine Realm gradually subsided, though a shadow lingered in the hearts of the gods.
Qian Ye paid no heed to the Divine Realm's prying. He merely clenched his fist lightly.
He could feel that, as he was now, he could shatter stars with a casual gesture—he was far beyond what he had once been.
Tens of thousands of years ago, he had crossed into this world. His Martial Soul had evolved, making him the first person on the Douluo Continent to possess a Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
He had gathered faith and ascended to godhood, becoming the First Generation Angel God.
But the path of the gods was, in the end, a crooked road—one constrained by godhood and faith. It seemed to promise immortality, but was actually a cage.
So he had resolutely given up his godhood and the Super Divine Artifact he had forged himself, the Angel Holy Sword. Returning to mortal form, he took an ordinary Iron Sword as his Martial Soul and walked the path of the sword anew.
The sword could reach divinity.
Yet relying on external objects would always leave something wanting.
Qian Ye had shattered his divine sword and pursued enlightenment and cultivation here.
After ten thousand years of arduous cultivation, he had no godhood, yet his strength had long since surpassed the gods of the Divine Realm.
And today, Qian Ye had finally taken another step forward, entering an entirely new realm.
Elsewhere.
A streak of golden light cut across the sky, flying out of the Angel Temple.
Dressed in a resplendent golden divine armor, Qian Renxue wore a grave expression as she sped toward Jialing Pass.
Tang San had become a god. For the Spirit Hall, this was a tremendous threat capable of overturning everything.
This battle could no longer be avoided!
She had to reach the battlefield as soon as possible and join forces with Bibi Dong to eliminate this grave threat once and for all!
But as she passed the Temple Back Mountain, a sudden change occurred.
The vast Angel Divine Power surging through her body abruptly faltered without warning, then fell completely out of control.
"What?"
Qian Renxue's lovely face drained of color. The six golden wings on her back dimmed in an instant, and she plunged from the sky like a kite with its strings cut.
"Boom!"
She slammed heavily into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.
Qian Renxue was a little dazed. Ever since inheriting the Angel Godhood, she had never been so humiliated.
The impact caused her divine armor to retract into her body, revealing her flawless figure.
A golden gown hugged her shapely form, especially her long, straight legs, their skin fair and smooth.
They gleamed like ivory in the sunlight, their rounded, graceful curves breathtakingly alluring.
Fortunately, the loss of control lasted only a moment.
She quickly circulated her Soul Power, regained control of her body, and rose to her feet, brushing the dust from her skirt.
"This is... the Temple Back Mountain?"
Qian Renxue looked around and recognized the place.
This was forbidden ground within the Spirit Hall. Even she was not permitted to enter without good reason.
Why had her divine power suddenly gone out of control?
As she wondered, her eyes happened to flick toward the side—and she froze on the spot.
Beneath an ancient tree not far away stood a man.
He wore a simple white robe, his black hair falling over his shoulders. Tall and straight, he showed no trace of Soul Power and looked like an ordinary man who couldn't hurt a fly.
Yet he was devastatingly handsome.
More importantly, his features bore a deep, bloodline-deep resemblance to her and to the Angel Statue.
Qian Renxue was utterly stunned.
Who was this man?
Why was he in the forbidden grounds?
Qian Ye saw her, too. His gaze fell on the Angel Holy Sword in her hand, and understanding flickered in his eyes.
A female Angel God...
As the First Generation Angel God, he supposed this woman was his descendant.
It seemed a great deal of time had passed.
Qian Renxue shook her head hard, clearing the distracting thoughts from her mind.
Now wasn't the time to investigate this. The battle at Jialing Pass was what mattered!
She paid no further attention to the mysterious man and turned to leave.
"You're not using that sword properly."
A calm voice came from behind her.
Qian Renxue paused, then spun around to look at Qian Ye, astonishment filling her eyes.
She was tall and statuesque. Her back straightened slightly with surprise, making the curves of her chest appear even fuller.
Her sculpted legs were taut and straight, their remarkable elasticity apparent.
"Who... are you?"
Qian Renxue asked warily.
She was the Angel God of this era!
Apart from Sea God Tang San, who on the entire Douluo Continent could stand as her equal?
This utterly ordinary-looking man actually dared to lecture her on how to use the Angel Holy Sword?
What a ridiculous joke!
Qian Renxue frowned and said sternly, "I don't have time to waste on you. Move aside!"
She couldn't be bothered to say more. She channeled her Soul Power, touched her toe lightly to the ground, and prepared to fly away on the Angel Holy Sword.
But the next moment, something happened that filled her with horror.
The Angel Holy Sword, connected to her soul and normally as obedient as her own arm, began to shake violently. Instead of carrying her into the air, it suddenly sank!
"Ah!"
Qian Renxue cried out. Caught off guard, she lost her balance again and pitched forward, landing face-first right in front of Qian Ye.
Meanwhile, the "culprit," the Angel Holy Sword, shot out of her hand and flew before Qian Ye.
It hovered in midair, its blade glowing with an affectionate golden light. Pointing its tip toward Qian Ye, it swayed gently from side to side, looking just like a little dog wagging its tail wildly when it saw its master.
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