A Ten-Thousand-Year Wait

Deep in the Star Dou Forest, the Crystal Palace by Life Lake was no longer as bustling as before.

All the Ferocious Beasts who had received the Dragon God's blessing bowed and withdrew. Following Gu Yuan's orders, they hurried to every corner of Star Dou to organize their clans and lay down sealing barriers.

In the vast palace, only Gu Yuan, Qian Renxue, and the Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena remained. The Dragon God Heart's aura had just fully stabilized Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena stood beside the altar, her long silver hair stirring without a breeze, while boundless auras of life and creation swirled around her.

The Dragon God Heart had not only completely repaired the source of her power, which the Five Great God Kings had gravely wounded back then, but also restored her strength to its peak after the Dragon God split apart. She was now only a single step away from the true God King realm.

Her violet-gold dragon eyes swept across the hall before settling on Qian Renxue beside her. Her gaze held a calm understanding.

Through the Dragon God's soul resonance, she had learned of Qian Renxue's past, as well as the ten-thousand-year pact the Dragon God and Qian Renxue had made.

Qian Renxue stood before the altar, her golden eyes fixed on the empty space in the center of the hall. Her fingertips tightened slightly, and even her breathing grew somewhat hurried.

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

Over three years of traveling the continent, she had walked every inch of ground Bibi Dong had traversed ten thousand years ago and recovered the three Rakshasa God Fragments scattered across Douluo Continent. She had also carefully nurtured with her own power the last wisp of Bibi Dong's soul, which she had protected with her life back then. She had waited for a full ten thousand years.

Now, at last, the day she had been promised had arrived.

Yet the closer it drew, the more unsettled she became.

She feared the ritual would fail, feared she would not even be able to preserve this last wisp of her soul. More than anything, she feared that after ten thousand years of waiting, it would all come to nothing.

"Are you afraid?"

Gu Yuan walked over to her, his voice gentle. In an instant, it drew her back from her tangled thoughts.

Qian Renxue looked up and met his deep gaze. She pressed her lips together, made no attempt to hide her unease, and nodded lightly. "I've waited ten thousand years for this day. I'm afraid..."

"Afraid I won't keep my promise?" Gu Yuan smiled faintly and raised his hand. Two utterly different lights suddenly blazed in his palm.

One was a darkness so absolute it seemed the universe's final end, the annihilation of all things. It held a destructive law that made even heaven and earth tremble, yet at destruction's very end lay a sliver of life, the seed of reincarnation.

This power was boundless.

The other was a light so absolute it seemed the first ray of light at the universe's birth, eternal and undying, enduring since time immemorial.

It contained the supreme laws of divinity and protection. It resonated with the Angel God's source within Qian Renxue, making the Angel Divine Power in her body surge beyond her control.

Qian Renxue stared at the two lights, shock filling her golden eyes.

She could clearly sense the God King origins within the two crystals. They were the God Cores of ancient God Kings! Even when she had become an Angel God ten thousand years ago, she had never felt power so pure and boundless.

"This is..."

"The God Cores of the God of Annihilation and the God of Eternity," Gu Yuan said slowly, his voice carrying the weight of ages.

"They were ancient God Kings from the same era as the Five Great God Kings. The God of Annihilation governed the universe's laws of life and death, while the God of Eternity governed the eternal laws of time and space. During the Dragon God War, they refused to join the Five Great God Kings in their wrongdoing. In the end, the Five Great God Kings conspired against them, and they fell amid the turmoil within the Divine Realm."

He paused, his gaze first settling on the dark Annihilation God Core. "The Rakshasa Godhood Bibi Dong attained back then was already incomplete, its laws unfinished. Even at the height of her power, she could never wield its true strength."

"This Annihilation God Core contains the universe's most fundamental laws of life and death, perfectly compatible with her soul. It will not only allow her to be resurrected safely, but also free her from the shackles of the Rakshasa Godhood and give her the foundation to become a God King."

Then he looked at the golden Eternity God Core and placed it in Qian Renxue's hand.

The instant the God Core touched her palm, a warm, vast power of eternity poured into Qian Renxue's body.

Nourished by this power, the Angel God's source within her, already completely restored, began to transform and ascend at a frenzied pace. The phantom of a twelve-winged angel faintly appeared behind her, while the divine markings of the Six-Winged Angel began to evolve toward an even higher realm.

"This Eternity God Core is for you," Gu Yuan said evenly, his words leaving no room for argument.

"Your Angel Godhood was shattered by Tang San back then. Even after ten thousand years of nurturing and repair, irreparable cracks remain. The laws of the God of Eternity share the same origin as the Angel God's divine light. Fuse with it, and you'll not only advance further, but also repair your Angel God Core and create a new Angel God among the descendants of the angels."

Qian Renxue held the Eternity God Core, feeling the divine power within her transform wildly. Tears instantly welled in her golden eyes.

Gu Yuan had partnered with her for mutual gain. He needed her power to fight the Divine Realm; she needed his power to resurrect her mother and his help to take revenge on Tang San.

But she had never imagined he would offer up such a precious God Core of an ancient God King to pave her path to the God King realm.

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

"You don't need to thank me." Gu Yuan smiled faintly and gazed toward the distant Divine Realm, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"What we'll face in the future are the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm and Tang San with his Dual Godhood. Even with just me and Yuena, we wouldn't have any certainty of victory. We need more God King-level fighters. You and Bibi Dong are our allies. Besides, this is the pact I made with you back then. I promised you, so of course I'll keep my word."

Gu Yuena spoke up as well. Her violet-gold dragon eyes held a calm note of agreement. "I've fully mastered the life force at the source of Life Lake. Resurrecting a deity requires the ultimate powers of creation and life to rebuild the body. I'll do everything I can to help you."

Qian Renxue drew a deep breath, suppressing the emotions surging within her, and bowed deeply to Gu Yuan and Gu Yuena.

She said no more words of thanks. She simply engraved this kindness firmly in her heart.

Ten thousand years had taught her that no matter how many words one spoke, they meant less than entrusting one's life to a comrade on the battlefield.

"There's no time to waste. Let's begin preparing now." Gu Yuan's smile faded, his expression turning grave.

"Resurrecting a deity is defying the heavens. It will inevitably provoke a backlash and may even alert the Divine Realm's divine consciousness. We must prepare for every eventuality and ensure the ritual proceeds flawlessly. There can't be the slightest mistake."

At Gu Yuan's command, the entire core of the Star Dou Forest sprang into action.