At that moment, all of Jialing Pass fell deathly silent.
Then a presence even more terrifying, more evil, and yet more vast than the one that had erupted when Tang San became a god swept out of Bibi Dong.
A column of purple-black light shot into the sky, staining half the heavens the color of ink.
The gloom on Bibi Dong's face gave way to shock and wild elation.
She knew all too well what this meant.
How many years had she endured humiliation for that accursed Rakshasa Godhood?
She had devoured Soul Beasts and souls, even going so far as to turn herself into something no longer human, struggling through darkness and pain, all for the sake of passing those one trial after another—each more twisted than the last.
The Rakshasa God's trials had not only honed her strength; they had also ravaged her mind.
How many times had she been consumed by evil thoughts in the dead of night, suffering unbearable torment?
And now—
A golden light had swept away every obstacle!
The Rakshasa Grudge that had clung to her like a festering wound was now as docile as a lamb, fusing seamlessly with her soul in an instant.
The bottleneck at level ninety-nine had been like a thin sheet of paper—one poke, and it broke.
Boom!
The heavens and earth changed color.
A purple-black divine armor appeared out of thin air, covering Bibi Dong's voluptuous, alluring figure. Her scepter transformed into a gigantic Demon Scythe, radiating a chill that promised to reap souls.
The Rakshasa God had taken her place!
"This power..."
Bibi Dong drew a deep breath, feeling the boundless divine power surging within her.
Her anger and resentment from before vanished in an instant before this absolute power.
So what if she was third?
As long as she could become a god, she would accept even last place!
At the same time, Qian Renxue was also enveloped in golden light.
The six Angel wings on her back began to split and grow beneath that divine radiance.
Eight wings... ten wings... twelve wings!
When all twelve enormous white wings had fully unfurled, the divine aura around Qian Renxue grew so intense that it even seemed to surpass Bibi Dong, who had just become a god.
Her already breathtakingly beautiful face now carried an otherworldly, celestial grace.
Beneath her golden gown, her long, straight legs shimmered in and out of view through the holy light, exuding a lethal allure.
"Twelve wings..."
Qian Renxue stared at the transformation behind her, her beautiful eyes filled with astonishment.
According to legend, the Angel God's limit was only six wings.
Yet she had surpassed her ancestor!
Feeling the divine power boiling within her, Qian Renxue could hardly express the joy in her heart.
But in the midst of her elation, an indolent, smiling face rose unbidden in her mind.
It belonged to the man she had met while living in seclusion in Godwind City.
Venti.
The guy who spent every day drinking and sleeping, and couldn't even be bothered to look at the City Lord Mansion's paperwork.
"If he were here and saw me like this, I wonder what he'd look like?"
"Would he still act like he didn't care, hand me an apple, and say, 'Well, aren't you something?'"
A gentle smile unconsciously touched Qian Renxue's lips.
Amid this battlefield of bloodshed and scheming, her time in Godwind City felt like a fleeting, beautiful dream.
There had been none of the backstabbing in the Pope Palace.
None of the false courtesy and empty words of the Heaven Dou Royal Family.
Just the breeze, fine wine, and that man who always smiled as if he couldn't hurt a fly.
"Godwind City..."
Qian Renxue gazed into the distance, her eyes seeming to pierce through countless rivers and mountains.
"Once this battle is over, I'll go back."
"I'll return with this divine power and confess my feelings to you."
"This time, let's see where you'll run."
But at that very moment, Godwind City was nothing like the peaceful place Qian Renxue remembered.
Boom—!
A thunderous crash shattered the standoff in the street.
A figure in blue flew backward like a kite with its strings cut. His feet carved two deep furrows through the hard stone road before he barely managed to steady himself.
He was a tall, handsome young man, though a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth made him look rather battered.
He wore the blue uniform of Godwind Academy. Whirling winds circled him, while the phantom of a Twin-Headed Gale Demon Wolf roared toward the sky behind him.
It was Feng Xiaotian, captain of Godwind City's guard—and Venti's disciple!
"Cough, cough..."
Feng Xiaotian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glared fiercely at the arrogant blond man before him.
"Level ninety-five..."
"So this is the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils? You've got some tricks, I'll give you that."
Feng Xiaotian refused to back down in words, but inside, a storm of shock was raging.
With his teacher's guidance over the past few years, he had made rapid progress and broken through to level ninety-one, becoming a true Titled Douluo.
He had thought himself strong enough to look down on all others.
But he hadn't expected Dai Mubai to drive him back in just three moves.
The might of that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring was simply terrifying.
"Hmph. Know your place."
Dai Mubai drew back his claws and casually flicked at the nonexistent dust on his sleeve, his eyes full of contempt.
"You're only level ninety-one, yet you dare play the hero in front of me?"
"If you weren't a fellow Soul Master Tournament competitor, you'd already be dead from that last move."
Dai Mubai stepped forward, and the ferocious White Tiger aura around him pressed down on Feng Xiaotian and the four women behind him like a mountain.
"Feng Xiaotian, you're a clever man."
"Godwind City is an island, cut off from everything."
"Venti, that cowardly turtle, still hasn't shown his face. Why die for him?"
Yu Xiaogang spoke at just the right moment, his stiff face wearing an air of certainty.
"Feng Xiaotian, I've heard of you, too."
"You're talented. If you're willing to submit to Heaven Dou, I'll guarantee you a bright future."
"Look at the Sky Curtain. Tang San has already become a god, and the Tang Sect ranks fourth."
"This is the way the wind is blowing. Can't you see it?"
Yu Xiaogang's words were steeped in condescending superiority.
In his eyes, this was no plea for surrender. It was charity.
"I'll give you a piece of my mind!"
Before Feng Xiaotian could say anything, Shui Yue'er, behind him, had already started cursing:
"You lot look like gentlemen, but all you do is act like bandits!"
"You want Godwind City? You'll have to step over my corpse first!"
Shui Bing'er said nothing, but the chill around her intensified. She was clearly ready to fight to the death.
Dugu Yan's eyes had turned into snake pupils, and Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor poison curled around her fingertips.
Feng Xiaotian took a deep breath, straightened up, and stepped in front of the four women.
"Grandmaster, I appreciate the offer."
"But..."
Feng Xiaotian grinned, revealing a mouthful of bloodstained teeth.
"My bones are hard. I don't kneel."
"Besides, my teacher taught me something."
"The wind is free."
"You want me to be a dog for your Heaven Dou Empire? Dream on!"
Those words finally enraged Dai Mubai.
"Courting death!"
"Since you refuse to appreciate kindness, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
White Tiger Meteor Shower!