He passed through the swirling golden vortex, and the scene before him suddenly opened up.
It was a vast, empty space, filled in every corner with pure white light, as though he had entered an ocean of light.
A holy aura so dense it seemed almost tangible flowed through the air.
Straight ahead stood an Angel Statue dozens of yards tall, its wings spread and its expression solemn. It was the incarnation of the Angel God.
Qian Daoliu walked up to the statue. With a solemn expression, he first bowed respectfully, then sank to his knees, his posture utterly devout.
Before long, the statue, which had been silent until then, began to radiate brilliant golden light.
The light gathered and flowed like a living thing, eventually coalescing into a graceful silhouette.
She was a woman with peerless beauty beyond the power of words to describe.
A golden gown outlined her perfect curves. Below its hem, her slender, well-proportioned jade-white legs were revealed, and the golden high heels on her feet added a touch of nobility.
A faint halo surrounded her, holiness and majesty mingling together.
She was none other than the founder of Spirit Hall and the only human to become a god on Douluo Continent in the past ten thousand years—the Angel God.
"Rise." The Angel God's voice was like music from heaven, gentle yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
Qian Daoliu rose respectfully and stood with his head bowed at her side, not even daring to look her in the eye.
The Angel God's gaze swept past him without pausing and landed directly on Ye Qing, who stood not far away.
Her golden eyes held a scrutinizing look, along with a complexity that was hard to put into words.
"Child, come here and let me have a look at you." She held out her hand, her tone gentle, as though calling over a younger relative.
Ye Qing walked over without hesitation.
He could sense that the Angel God meant him no harm. On the contrary, he felt a strange sense of closeness to her.
He guessed it might have come from the Seraphim Martial Soul within him.
It was understandable, after all. Seraphim was a branch of the Angel lineage.
Although the Six-Winged Angel was inferior to Seraphim in quality, the two came from the same source, no matter how you looked at it.
As Ye Qing watched in confusion, the Angel God gently placed her delicate, jade-white hand on top of his head.
In an instant, an utterly pure divine power of light flowed into his body, gentle yet impossible to resist.
As he sensed the proportion of Angel Divine Power, the Seraphim Martial Soul within Ye Qing's body erupted uncontrollably.
Six golden wings of light unfurled, their holy aura shining in concert with the radiance of this space.
Just then, a deep blue light suddenly shot out from Ye Qing's forehead, carrying the vast, surging aura of the deep sea. It seemed to resist the Angel God's power.
"Hmph."
At the sight, the Angel God's pupils contracted slightly, and the corner of her mouth curled into a cold smile. Her holy aura suddenly burst outward.
A moment later, an invisible pressure sent the Sea God Trident flying away.
She looked at the familiar weapon in the distance, her beautiful eyes narrowing. Her voice was filled with undisguised mockery. "That damn Sea God even gave you his trident. It seems he really doesn't want to give you back to me."
"What?!"
At her words, Ye Qing and Qian Daoliu both froze, shock written all over their faces.
Sea God didn't want to give someone back to her?
What did that mean?
Did the Angel God also want to pass her godhood on to Ye Qing?
A storm rose in Ye Qing's heart, but he quickly calmed himself.
To him, the Angel God's Godhood and the Sea God's Godhood were at the same level. It was just that the Angel God's Godhood was indeed a better fit for his Seraphim Martial Soul.
Even so, the sudden turn of events had caught him completely off guard.
He had always thought that only members of the Qian Family could inherit the Angel God's Godhood.
He never expected things to be different from what he had imagined.
Compared with Ye Qing, Qian Daoliu's reaction was far more intense.
When he came to his senses, he jerked his head up, disbelief and a trace of panic in his eyes.
The Qian Family had guarded the Angel Inheritance for ten thousand years, all so that one day a member of their clan could inherit the Angel Godhood and let the light of the Angel shine across the continent once more.
But now the Angel God had said that Sea God didn't want to give someone back to her. Didn't that mean she had already chosen Ye Qing as her successor?
Then what were the members of the Qian Family?
Clowns?
He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but swallowed every word beneath the Angel God's holy gaze.
How could a mere mortal question a deity's will?
The Angel God paid no mind to their shock. Her gaze returned to Ye Qing and the six wings of light on his back, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes. "Not bad. You're even purer than I expected. Seraphim belongs to my lineage, so you should have inherited my godhood. But that fellow Sea God got to you first. The nerve of him."
Ye Qing understood. It seemed the Angel God really had her eye on him. He chose his words carefully. "Senior, perhaps the inheritance of godhood is simply Heaven's will."
"Heaven's will?"
The Angel God chuckled, a trace of pride in her laughter, and spoke with an imperious air. "My will is Heaven's will. Child, remember this: only the Angel Godhood is the most suitable destination for you. I'll speak to Sea God myself."
She said it as casually as if it were a trivial matter, but Qian Daoliu was shaken to the core.
The Angel God was going to speak to Sea God herself?
All to fight over who would claim a successor?
Such a thing had likely never happened in ten thousand years!
At the mention of Heaven's will, Ye Qing could no longer hold back his doubts.
He looked up at the noble, peerlessly beautiful woman before him and asked, "Lord Angel God, I can understand why you've taken an interest in me. After all, my Martial Soul is Seraphim, from the same lineage as yours. But why did Lord Sea God choose me? He rules the sea and should know that my Martial Soul doesn't suit his godhood. Surely it can't be... that the two of you have a grudge in the Divine Realm, and he chose me just to spite you?"
It was a blunt question, even somewhat audacious.
After all, the Angel God and Sea God were both supreme deities. For a mortal to speculate about their relationship was inherently disrespectful.
But he truly couldn't understand.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass could inherit the Sea God Godhood because it at least had something to do with water.
But his Seraphim Martial Soul was nothing but light and fire, from head to toe. It had nothing whatsoever to do with the ocean. How had it caught Sea God's eye?
Listening from the side, Qian Daoliu couldn't help nodding. He hesitated before speaking, his voice barely above a whisper. "Lord Angel God, you... you and Lord Sea God, could it be that you were... together before?"
"What?!"
Ye Qing's eyes flew open. He almost couldn't keep his expression under control.
How had Qian Daoliu's mind taken such a strange turn?
How had he even thought of that?
And how did he dare say it?
The Angel God was even more stunned. Astonishment filled her peerlessly beautiful face, as though she had just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
The holy light around her wavered, clearly showing that his words had startled her badly.
Under their gazes, Qian Daoliu began to feel uneasy. He swallowed and, bracing himself, explained, "Think about it. Otherwise, how do you explain it? Ye Qing awakened an Angel Martial Soul on Sea God Island, and inherited the Sea God Inheritance at the same time. That makes no sense. If the two of you didn't have... a special relationship, how could something like this happen?"