10,000 Years of Anticipation

Within the Crystal Palace at the heart of the Star Dou Forest, the previous clamor had long since faded into silence.

The various spirit beasts who had received the Dragon God's blessing all bowed and retreated, following Gu Yuan's orders to disperse throughout the Star Dou Forest to reorganize their tribes and establish a sealing barrier.

In the vast palace, only Gu Yuan, Qian Renxue, and the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena—whose state had been thoroughly stabilized through the aura of the Dragon God Heart—remained.

Gu Yuena stood beside the altar, her long silver hair dancing without a breeze, her body wreathed in a vast, boundless aura of life and creation.

The Dragon God Heart had not only completely repaired the origin that had been severely damaged by the Five Great God Kings back then, but it had also restored her power to the peak state she held after the Dragon God split, leaving her only a step away from the true God King realm.

Her purple-gold dragon pupils swept across the hall and finally landed on Qian Renxue beside her, her gaze carrying a calm sense of understanding.

Through the resonance of the Dragon God's soul, she knew of Qian Renxue's past and the ten-thousand-year pact that the Dragon God had made with her.

Qian Renxue stood before the altar, her golden eyes fixed tightly on the empty space in the center of the hall, her fingertips tightening slightly, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

From the moment she awoke in the Dragon Graveyard, resurrecting her mother, Bibi Dong, had become an obsession carved into her very bones.

During her three years of traveling across the Douluo Continent, she had walked every inch of land that Bibi Dong had traversed ten thousand years ago, recovering the three Rakshasa God Fragment pieces scattered across the continent. She had even used her own origin to carefully nurture the last remaining wisp of Bibi Dong's soul, which she had risked her life to protect back then—waiting for a full ten thousand years.

Now, she had finally reached the day to fulfill that promise.

Yet, the closer it drew, the more chaotic her heart became.

She feared the ritual would fail, feared that even this last wisp of soul could not be preserved. She feared even more that this ten-thousand-year wait would ultimately end in nothing.

"Are you afraid?"

Gu Yuan walked to her side, his voice gentle, instantly pulling her back from her scattered thoughts.

Qian Renxue looked up, meeting his deep eyes, and bit her lip. Without hiding her unease, she nodded slightly: "I have waited ten thousand years for this day. I am afraid..."

"Afraid that I cannot fulfill my promise?" Gu Yuan smiled faintly, raising his hand as two distinct rays of light suddenly ignited in his palms.

One was the ultimate darkness, like the end of the universe and the annihilation of all things. It contained the Law of Destruction that made even heaven and earth tremble, yet at the very end of that destruction, it hid a sliver of the vitality of reincarnation.

This power was vast and boundless.

The other was the ultimate light, like the first ray of light at the dawn of the universe, eternal and everlasting.

It contained the supreme Law of Holiness and Protection, which resonated with Qian Renxue's Angel God origin, causing the Angelic divine power within her to boil uncontrollably.

Qian Renxue looked at these two rays of light, her golden eyes filled with shock.

She could clearly feel that the God King origins contained within these two crystals were the God Cores of ancient God Kings! Even when she achieved the Angel God divinity ten thousand years ago, she had never felt such pure, such vast power.

"This is..."

"The God Cores of the God of Annihilation and the God of Eternity." Gu Yuan spoke slowly, his voice carrying the vicissitudes of ages past.

"They were ancient God Kings from the same era as the Five Great God Kings. The God of Annihilation governed the laws of life and death in the universe, while the God of Eternity governed the laws of time and space. During the Dragon God War, they refused to collude with the Five Great God Kings and were ultimately ambushed by them, falling during the internal strife of the God Realm."

He paused, his gaze falling first on the dark Annihilation God Core: "The Rakshasa God position that Bibi Dong achieved back then was inherently flawed with incomplete laws. Even at her peak, she could never exert its true power."

"And this Annihilation God Core contains the most fundamental laws of life and death in the universe. It fits perfectly with her soul, not only allowing her to be successfully resurrected but also enabling her to completely break free from the shackles of the Rakshasa God position and achieve the foundation of a God King."

He then looked at the golden Eternity God Core and raised his hand, placing it into Qian Renxue's palm.

The moment the God Core touched her hand, a warm and vast eternal divine power surged into Qian Renxue's body.

The Angel God origin within her, which had already been fully repaired, began to undergo a frantic transformation and sublimation under the nourishment of this power. Behind her, the phantom of a twelve-winged angel faintly emerged, and the divine patterns of her original six-winged angel began to evolve toward a higher level.

"This Eternity God Core is for you." Gu Yuan's voice was calm, carrying an unquestionable weight.

"Your Angel God position was shattered by Tang San back then. Even after ten thousand years of nurturing and repair, it still had irreparable cracks. The laws of the God of Eternity are of the same origin as the holy light of the Angel God. By merging with it, you will not only be able to advance further, but you will also be able to repair the Angel God Core and recreate an Angel God among the descendants of the angels."

Qian Renxue clutched the Eternity God Core in her hand, feeling the divine power transforming frantically within her, her golden eyes instantly brimming with tears.

Her cooperation with Gu Yuan was merely a matter of mutual need. He needed her power to confront the God Realm, and she needed his power to resurrect her mother and his help to take revenge on Tang San.

Yet, she had never imagined that he would bring out such precious ancient God King cores to pave a path for her toward the God King realm.

"Gu Yuan..." Qian Renxue's voice trembled slightly; for a moment, she did not know what to say.

"No need to thank me." Gu Yuan smiled faintly, his gaze looking toward the distant God Realm, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

"In the future, we will face the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm and the dual-god-position Tang San. Relying on me alone, even with Gu Yuena, we do not have an absolute chance of winning. We need more God King-level combat power, and you and Bibi Dong will be our allies. Besides, this is the contract I made with you back then; what I promised you, I will naturally fulfill."

Gu Yuena, standing to the side, also spoke slowly, her purple-gold dragon pupils carrying a calm agreement: "I have already gained full control over the origin life force of the Life Lake. Resurrecting a deity requires the ultimate power of creation and life to recast the physical body. I will cooperate with you with all my might."

Qian Renxue took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena.

She did not say any more words of thanks, but she firmly etched this kindness into her heart.

Ten thousand years of time had taught her that no amount of words could compare to the trust of life and death when fighting side by side in the future.

"There is no time to lose; let us begin the preparations now." Gu Yuan withdrew his smile, his expression becoming serious.

"Resurrecting a deity is an act against the heavens and will inevitably trigger a backlash, perhaps even alerting the divine sense of the God Realm. We must make thorough preparations to ensure the ritual is foolproof and cannot have even the slightest error."

Following Gu Yuan's order, the entire core of the Star Dou Forest instantly began to operate.