The Shrinking Angel

Jiang Ci'an truly did not know why he was able to fuse with the Angel Divine Set.

He naturally knew that the Angel Divine Set could only be fused by someone possessing a Six-Winged Angel martial soul, and there were certain limitations regarding innate talent; otherwise, one could not fuse with too many pieces.

However, He was already here.

In any case, this was a Virtual World. Even if the fusion failed and he blew himself to pieces, he could use "Time Control" to revert to his state before the fusion.

Throughout the entire process, he would suffer no losses, and he could even mask the pain directly using "Indifference."

Since that was the case, why not give it a try?

Moreover, experiencing the Angel Divine Set firsthand would clearly be more helpful for his subsequent research, so he attempted it quite decisively.

Yet, who would have thought?

He had actually succeeded in the fusion?

Jiang Ci'an lowered his head and looked at his left arm again, feeling the power contained within it, and was truly somewhat surprised.

Was it his unique constitution? Or some hidden characteristic of his martial soul?

Jiang Ci'an was not sure.

But he knew one thing:

The research that followed would be much, much easier.

Ignoring Qian Renxue, who was in a daze, Jiang Ci'an's pupils shimmered with a faint light as he stared at his own left arm.

He did not care about what soul skills were contained within this Left Arm Bone; instead, he focused his attention on its structure.

As a true, complete set of soul bones, the most attractive aspect of the Angel Divine Set to him was not how high the quality of the individual pieces was or how strong the attached soul skills were, but the synergy between these soul bones.

Only when the Head Bone, the four Limb Bones, and the Torso Bone—all six soul bones—were fully absorbed could it truly be called a "Divine Set."

This synergy was not a simple case of 1+1=2, but a deeper, transformative linkage.

If he could thoroughly research the principle of this synergy between soul bones and apply it to the development of "Self-Condensing Soul Bone," then it would be equivalent to possessing a set of growable Divine Set armor unique to himself!

If he were to layer "Spirit Aperture" on top of that... this would not just be an increase in cultivation speed; his chances of becoming a god would also greatly increase!

Jiang Ci'an quietly withdrew his thoughts, shifted his attention away from his arm, and landed it on the second soul bone in his hand.

This was a Torso Bone.

Its volume was more than double that of the Left Arm Bone, and golden light flowed across its surface, covering almost the entire soul bone.

Adding the Head Bone, Right Arm Bone, and Left and Right Leg Bones that Qian Renxue had already fused, along with the Left Arm Bone and this Torso Bone that he had now fused, All six components of the Angel Divine Set were present here at this moment.

To fuse all components of the Angel Divine Set, the final condition was to fuse the last soul bone at level one hundred, which meant one must become a god.

Judging from Qian Renxue's absorption of the soul bones, she was likely preparing to fuse all the Head and Limb bones first, then fuse the Torso Bone, and in the final sublimation, integrate her entire body, connecting the power of the six soul bones into a complete system to thoroughly achieve godhood.

Jiang Ci'an was thoughtful as he raised his eyes and looked at Qian Renxue again.

At this moment, Qian Renxue's eyes were still slightly vacant.

She was still digesting the fact that "this guy could fuse with the Angel Divine Set," struggling to pull herself back from the shock.

First, she was suddenly controlled and had her disguise torn off, then she was toyed with at will without being able to do anything, and now the Angel Divine Set could even be fused by an outsider.

Perhaps because she had experienced too many things beyond her comprehension in such a short time, she was truly feeling somewhat lost.

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly felt that person's gaze land on her.

Raising her eyes, she met those golden pupils once again.

At this moment, those eyes were looking at her thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping back and forth between her head, right arm, and legs, the sensation of being watched remaining intense.

Qian Renxue felt her hair stand on end, and her expression instantly became guarded.

"What do you want to do?"

Jiang Ci'an looked at the bristling angel lady and said in a gentle tone:

"Don't worry, it's nothing. I just want to take the soul bones off your body."

Qian Renxue's gaze stalled once more.

Taking soul bones from a soul master, especially in her case where she had already fused the Head Bone—she knew all too well what the term "taking soul bones" meant.

Usually, there was only one scenario where that happened.

She gritted her teeth, staring fixedly at Jiang Ci'an, her cyan eyes churning with unwillingness, anger, and some indescribable emotion.

Once again, she tried her best to mobilize every trace of Soul Power in her body, attempting to break through that invisible restraint.

But the very next moment, Jiang Ci'an's domain had already covered her.

A certain power acted upon her body, gentle yet irresistible.

Qian Renxue clearly felt that her Soul Power was rapidly draining away in an irreversible trend.

That feeling was like a dam opening its floodgates; energy accumulated over many years poured out in a roar, impossible to pull back.

Her body was growing weak.

Her strength was dissipating.

Her consciousness was blurring as well.

Is this, the feeling of death?

Qian Renxue's azure eyes reflected the figure of that young man, and countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

Her grandfather Qian Daoliu, her plan of infiltrating the Heaven Dou Empire for many years, her yet-to-be-completed Angel God Trial... and, that so-called mother of hers...

She still had so many things left undone.

How unwilling she was.

The loss of strength was clear and rapid, beyond redemption.

Finally, Qian Renxue closed her eyes.

"..."

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

After quite a while, Just as the humiliation she had expected to endure moments ago had not arrived, the total darkness she anticipated this time also failed to descend.

Qian Renxue frowned slightly and tentatively opened her eyes.

Then, she froze.

Before her, five soul bones hovered in the young man's hand.

Excluding the Torso Bone from earlier, the Head Bone, Right Arm Bone, and Left and Right Leg Bones—the four soul bones that should have been on her body—were now hovering above his palm, not a single one missing.

Qian Renxue's mind went blank for another brief moment.

Subconsciously, she wanted to feel her body, attempting to sense her own soul bones, yet her gaze, which had fallen upon the young man, paused involuntarily... she discovered something wrong.

This guy, how did he seem to have grown taller?

No.

It wasn't that he had grown taller.

It was that she had grown shorter.

Qian Renxue's pupils shrank violently as she felt the fluctuations of soul power within her.

The soul power that had originally been quite strong had vanished without a trace, replaced by a much weaker soul power level that felt almost foreign to her.

Perhaps, a Soul Ancestor? Or even someone who had only just broken through?

She had neglected her cultivation due to her undercover mission in Heaven Dou, but relying on the powerful talent of the Six-Winged Angel, her soul power level had not been low.

And now, compared to her peak, her soul power level had dropped by an unknown amount.

Qian Renxue whipped her head around to look at the floor-length mirror not far away.

In the mirror was a young girl with a slightly petite figure and a face carrying a hint of immaturity.

She looked to be only eleven or twelve years old, her long golden hair scattered messily over her shoulders, and she was draped in a moon-white, luxurious garment that was clearly several sizes too big for her.

Her body was fixed in mid-air, the wide collar of the garment slipping slightly to reveal one side of her fair, rounded shoulder, the hem dragging below her knees like a skirt, and the sleeves completely engulfing her arms, making it impossible for her to even reach out.

Qian Renxue was completely stunned.

"I... have become smaller?"