"Unless the Dragon God fully revives and the Dragon Clan returns to its former glory, all beasts under heaven and Spirit Beasts in the human world shall never become gods independently, and the God Realm shall never accept beast deities without the Dragon God's leadership."
Qian Xunji calmly recited the original text of the Dragon God Oath, yet it weighed upon the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King and his wife like a massive mountain, crushing the breath from them.
When they saw the Lie Detector's green light illuminate and learned that he was telling the truth rather than lying, despair filled their hearts.
So this was the true reason the Spirit Beast race could not become gods.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"Ridiculous, ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!!!"
Unable to become a god, unable to take revenge on that bastard Poseidon, unable to protect his wife and daughter—none of this was something the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King could accept.
The truth was so cruel, so absurd.
The one who had truly cut off the Spirit Beasts' path to godhood was actually the Dragon God, once revered by all beasts.
"The God Realm Committee took the opportunity to abolish every beast godhood, creating a double blockade. The Dragon God Oath is the root cause, while God Realm Law serves as the external restriction. Together, they have prevented all beasts from ascending to godhood for hundreds of millions of years."
As Qian Xunji finished speaking, the green light came on.
The Demon Empress closed her eyes. Her heart had died.
She had thought the Dragon God Oath preventing Spirit Beasts from becoming gods independently was already despairing enough.
She had never expected that to be merely the first shackle, with another layer of blockade from the God Realm waiting behind it.
Under those double shackles, all beasts had been unable to ascend to godhood for hundreds of millions of years.
"What does this line, 'Spirit Beasts shall never become gods independently,' mean?" The Demon Empress caught the key issue.
"Exactly what it says. Spirit Beasts are not allowed to become gods independently, but that does not mean they have no chance to become gods."
Qian Xunji thought of Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming, the three Spirit Beasts who became Divine Beasts because Tang San became a god during the first era.
He also thought of Snow Empress, Ice Empress, Xiao Bai, Eight-Corner, Li Ya, Evil Emperor, and Tian Meng, the seven Spirit Beasts who became Divine Beasts because Dai Yuhao became a god during the second era.
"A Spirit Beast can sacrifice itself to a Spirit Master and attach its soul to a Spirit Ring or Spirit Bone. Once that Spirit Master becomes a god and enters the God Realm, absorbing Immortal Spirit Qi can revive it, allowing it to ascend in a single step and become a Divine Beast."
The green light illuminated, proving Qian Xunji had not lied.
"You want me to sacrifice myself to you?" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King changed how he addressed him, and his tone was no longer so distant, though he remained wary.
"If you are willing." Qian Xunji nodded in admission.
"After all, no human can refuse the Spirit Ring and Spirit Bone of a Million-Year Spirit Beast, can they?"
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King regarded the honest Qian Xunji in a new light. "You are quite honest, unlike that hypocrite Poseidon."
Poseidon wore a hypocritical face, saying one thing and doing another. On the surface, he appeared righteous and honorable, yet in secret he was filthy, vile, and underhanded.
The hierarchy on Sea God Island had long since solidified.
Sea Soul Masters lived in misery.
Children on Sea God Island who failed to awaken Soul Power were directly exiled, their fates unknown.
They spoke of maintaining peace and justice in the ocean, yet in reality, they indulged the Sea Spirit Beasts that believed in them while slaughtering those that refused to do so, even calling them "evil Sea Spirit Beasts" that endangered the sea and deserved death.
"Can you become a god?" Lan Fozi asked curiously.
Even someone as powerful as her father could not become a god. Could this handsome human man before her do it?
She did not believe it.
"If nothing unexpected happens, I can inherit the Asura God Position."
Qian Xunji did not hide it, nor was there any need to.
Even if he could not successfully inherit the Asura God Position, he was confident that he could reach level one hundred and become a god on his own.
However, whether condensing a godhood by himself would allow him to reach the God King Realm was something he could not guarantee with absolute certainty.
"You are a deity's successor?" ×3
"Genuine, without question."
The green light came on. He was telling the truth, not lying.
The man before them was actually a deity's successor, with the chance to inherit a godhood and ascend to the God Realm.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King began to entertain the faintest thought of sacrifice.
But at that very moment, an unexpected event occurred.
A massive number of Sea Spirit Beasts led by Demon Soul Great White Sharks poured into the Demon Whale Sea Area from every direction.
"Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, the Sea God has commanded you to surrender immediately!"
"Asura Successor, the sea does not welcome you!"
Sea God High Priestess Bo Saixi stood high above, her voice icy and commanding. Enhanced by Soul Power, it reached the ears of Qian Xunji and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's family of three.
The moment Qian Xunji heard it, his mood brightened considerably.
He knew the Sea God Lineage had come to provide him with assistance.
Sweeping out with his divine sense, he found more than ten thousand Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts. Including the hundred-year and thousand-year Spirit Beasts, there was an army of a full million bearing down on them.
So much Sea Spirit Beast meat could feed so many Ten-Thousand-Year Man Faced Demon Spiders.
"Bo Saixi, instead of staying on Sea God Island and enjoying your retirement, you dare come to my territory and cause trouble? You even dare order this king around!"
"Who exactly gave you the courage to speak to this king like that?" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale roared in fury.
A mere Sea God High Priestess actually dared leave Sea God Island, bringing so many Sea Spirit Beasts into his territory to cause trouble.
Did she really think an army of one million could oppose him?
She was underestimating him far too much.
Ants would always be ants. Before the strong, numbers meant nothing.
"Of course it was Lord Sea God Poseidon who gave me the courage!"
Bo Saixi stood upon eight black and one red Spirit Rings, raising the Sea God High Priestess Scepter in her hand.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Summon Sea God!"
A colossal phantom of Sea God Poseidon appeared above the ocean.
This time, the power contained in the Sea God Divine Sense that descended was far beyond that previous strand of divine sense.
Its strength was already very close to that of a Third-Class Deity.
"This is a little troublesome." Seeing the Sea God Phantom Bo Saixi had summoned over the sea, Qian Xunji sensed that it would not be easy to handle.
On the sea, fighting the Sea God was not something he was foolish enough to do.
As for the Sea God knowing the contents of his Seven Trials of Asura, that was perfectly normal.
In the original story, the relationship between the Sea God and Asura God had been extremely good.
"Poseidon, what gives you the right to order me around?" The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King glared at Poseidon with his single eye.
An enemy from the past should not think that merely because he was stronger, he could order him about.
I, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, will never submit to that damned Sea God Poseidon!
Never! Not even if it means death!
At that moment, the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King proactively accelerated the descent of the Heavenly Tribulation.
Black clouds churned overhead as Lightning flashed and thunder roared, while violent winds howled across the sea.
The wind disheveled Bo Saixi's long hair and threw her heart into turmoil as well.
Though she had never seen a Spirit Beast's Heavenly Tribulation, there were records of it in the Sea God Temple Library.
Spirit Beasts possessed such formidable bodies, yet even flesh that powerful could not withstand the Lightning of the Heavenly Tribulation.
As a wheelchair-bound artillery mage, her physical strength ranked near the bottom among all level ninety-nine Limit Douluo.
If Lightning struck her even once, would she not end up charred on the outside and tender within, with her hair standing on end?
Poseidon's mouth twitched. He had not expected the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's cultivation to have already reached a million years, yet for him to provoke the Heavenly Tribulation so fiercely merely to defy His command.
His gaze flicked toward Bo Saixi, and He cursed inwardly, That stupid woman is incapable of accomplishing anything and only knows how to ruin things.
A million Sea Spirit Beasts had gathered in the Demon Whale Sea Area, and they were all His believers.
These Sea Spirit Beasts, too weak to possess even one hundred thousand years of cultivation, would only be walking to their deaths against the Heavenly Tribulation of a Million-Year Spirit Beast.
Before you continue