King

Spirit City.

Awakening Hall.

Qian Qizhou stood upon the Awakening Platform, awakening his martial soul with the assistance of Guang Ling.

A divine Six-Winged Angel manifested behind him.

"I see your regrets. Do you desire power?"

Suddenly, a cold, feminine voice echoed in Qian Qizhou's mind, simultaneously pulling his consciousness away.

Qian Qizhou's consciousness suddenly cleared within the chaos. He snapped his eyes open, a flicker of vigilance flashing through his pupils.

A voice seemed to be calling me just now... What is going on? Wasn't I in the middle of my martial soul awakening?

He looked around in confusion, but the surroundings were no longer the Awakening Hall; instead, he stood in a void of starry space, with countless stars swirling beneath his feet.

Suddenly, a hum resonated behind him, and Qian Qizhou instinctively turned his head.

He froze, staring blankly at the figure before him.

That person... no, that deity, was dressed in a magnificent gown, with purple divine patterns flowing beneath her feet.

Behind her, a long, purple braid drifted slowly through the void.

And that incomparably majestic divine ring all served to highlight the identity of the person before him.

Countless pairs of purple eyes also existed in the void, watching him in silence.

Not to mention the polearm in her hand, which continuously radiated a murderous aura.

Qian Qizhou opened his mouth, then swallowed his words.

Something isn't right. I've only ever seen two gods in books: the Angel God and the Sea God.

The figure before him was clearly female, but this couldn't be the legendary Angel God, could it? Her temperament and image were quite different.

He took a deep breath and bowed solemnly toward the phantom, his posture respectful yet not servile. "Greetings, Exalted Deity."

He hesitated slightly before asking cautiously, "May I ask which deity you are?"

Upon hearing this, the phantom's lips curled upward. She did not answer, instead offering a meaningful, light chuckle.

She slowly raised her hand, a wisp of purple light swirling around her fingertips. "May you hold fast to your own eternity."

Following her words, the entire space was suddenly flooded with pure lightning; the stars retreated, and all things fell silent.

"This body symbolizes supreme majesty; it is the incarnation of all lightning in this world."

"Determination, courage, love, and hatred will all warp and distort in the river of time."

"Only the laws remain eternal and unchanging!"

"Remember my name: the God of Lightning, Beelzebul."

"You may also call me Raiden Ei."

As her voice faded, purple energy surged like a tidal wave.

Without any time to react, Qian Qizhou felt a vast power rush toward him, as if it intended to swallow him whole.

Raiden Ei's figure gradually blurred within the energy, and those countless eyes rippled like water.

"The power of the Electro element is already within your body."

"I look forward to seeing the new chapter of your future in this story."

"The living beings of this world are mired in a sea of suffering; I hope you can reach your own shore."

Outside, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the Awakening Platform.

The Six-Winged Angel martial soul behind Qian Qizhou shattered with a roar, transforming into pure energy that swirled and merged into his body.

In an instant, a terrifying thunderstorm surged into the sky, and six brand-new wings violently unfurled from Qian Qizhou's back.

Unlike the Six-Winged Angel, these wings were composed entirely of energy—the incarnation of elements.

Lightning, holy light, and fire circulated endlessly within his body.

Then, the elements circled his body, flowing like living things.

Above his head, energy converged to form an illusory crown.

Woven from pure elements, it radiated an aura of majesty and slaughter.

Thus, the angel had dissipated, and a brand-new name echoed in Qian Qizhou's mind: "King."

The king of all lightning in this world, and the king of holy light and fire as well.

Guang Ling stood below the platform, his pupils constricting; he was clearly too stunned by this commotion to speak.

How did the Six-Winged Angel martial soul shatter... What is this?

Guang Ling stepped forward anxiously, his voice laced with panic. "Xiao Zhou?"

A moment later, the divine light surrounding Qian Qizhou gradually dissipated, and his consciousness returned to his body.

He slowly opened his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering as his pupils—one purple and one gold—lit up like burning stars.

Guang Ling was about to show a look of joy, but he froze the moment he saw those eyes.

He instinctively took half a step back and said hesitantly, "Your eyes..."

Qian Qizhou had not yet managed to figure out what had happened, nor had he thanked Raiden Ei, when he heard those words.

He looked at Guang Ling in confusion, tilted his head slightly, and asked, "My eyes?"

Guang Ling quickly took a silver-rimmed mirror from his soul tool and handed it to Qian Qizhou.

Qian Qizhou whispered a word of thanks, took the mirror, and looked at himself with curiosity.

But the reflection in the mirror left him stunned.

Those eyes, which should have been as black as ink, had completely transformed into flowing energy.

His left eye had transformed into the same element as hers?

Even more terrifying was that when he stared into his pupils, he could vaguely see countless tiny lightning patterns rotating deep within his irises.

Seeing Guang Ling's hesitant expression, Qian Qizhou sighed helplessly; he knew what he wanted to ask.

Why had his martial soul turned out like this, and was this mutation benign or malignant?

But since he didn't understand it himself, he could only skip the topic, return the mirror to Guang Ling, and retract his martial soul.

"It's nothing." Qian Qizhou raised a hand to brush the corner of his eye, a hint of a smile appearing in his gaze. "It's caused by my martial soul."

"Let's go, let's find Father."

In front of the Pope Palace.

Qian Qizhou looked at the tightly closed doors and asked Guang Ling, who had just walked out looking indignant, "I have awakened my martial soul; does Father still refuse to see me?"

The sky was almost bright; his birthday had already passed, and he still refused to see him?

Hearing this, Guang Ling lowered his head, his silver-white hair shimmering under the moonlight.

He pursed his lips and said in a very soft voice, "Xiao Zhou, the Pope has his own difficulties; it's not that he doesn't care about you."

Hearing this, how could Qian Qizhou not understand the situation?

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Is that so... He doesn't even want to participate in the most important milestone of my life..."

Why? His mother treated him like an enemy, and his father was indifferent toward him...

Guang Ling looked at Qian Qizhou, seemingly wanting to say something, but the words died on his lips.

What else could he say? The facts were laid out so clearly before them; unless one was a fool, anyone could see it...

Qian Qizhou gazed at the rising sun, the golden morning light spilling over his pale face.

"Ling."

"Let this page of the story end here. It's quite meaningless, always laboring in vain."

"Since they don't care, I don't need to have parents anymore."

Hearing this, Guang Ling hurriedly tried to cover Qian Qizhou's mouth. "Xiao Zhou, don't say such angry words!"

Looking at his nervous expression, Qian Qizhou smiled and pushed his hand away. "I am not saying angry words."

"In the thousands of years to come, no matter how I live, whether it be good or bad, I will no longer need Spirit Hall, nor will I need these so-called relatives."

"Relying only on myself, even if the process is difficult and long, one day, every inch of land on this continent will sing of my story."

As his words faded, Guang Ling stared blankly at Qian Qizhou's profile, watching the morning light gild him with a pale golden outline.

Those eyes, which always held a smile, were now filled with indifference.

For some reason, Guang Ling looked up at the towering Pope Palace; it still stood there quietly, just as it had for the past few decades.

It seemed as if nothing had changed, yet it also seemed as if everything had already changed.