Outside the great hall, the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Li Changsheng left with Feng Ling, leaving only Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao, and Zhongli Wu—three top-tier giants—in the vast, gloomy hall of the Holy Spirit Forbidden Grounds once more.
The humility and reverence they had shown the divine son vanished completely, and the three returned to the steady, inscrutable bearing of Limit Douluo who stood at the pinnacle of the age.
Ye Xishui narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly as she gazed toward the hall doors, taking the lead in breaking the silence.
"What do you two think?"
Zhongli Wu froze for a moment. Still not fully recovered from the wild joy brought by the prospect of an eternal divine seed and a Divine King's promise, he scratched his head instinctively. "Huh? What do you mean, what do we think?"
His mind was filled with the prospect of following the divine son to ascend to the God Realm, breaking free of mortal shackles, and surpassing the limits of a hundred-year lifespan. For a moment, his thoughts could not catch up.
Long Xiaoyao's gaze was calm, and his brows lifted slightly. He instantly caught Ye Xishui's meaning and asked in a deep voice,
"Xishui, are you doubting the divine son's identity?"
Ye Xishui shook her head gently, her eyes filled with absolute certainty.
"Doubt is not the right word."
"That incomparably pure dual divine power, transcending the laws of the lower realm, and that perspective and vision that looked down upon eternity—no mortal could possibly fake such things."
"Other than being the true son of a Divine King, can either of you think of another possibility?"
Long Xiaoyao and Zhongli Wu fell silent at the same time.
They could not.
Not even remotely.
That inborn divinity, that origin of divine power, was simply impossible to imitate.
"Then what are you worried about?" Long Xiaoyao pressed.
Ye Xishui raised her eyes and swept her gaze across the two of them, her tone incomparably solemn.
"I am not questioning whether it is real. I am asking whether you two have truly made up your minds."
"Protecting a young boy while he slowly grows may sound simple, but in truth, it means completely gambling the legacies and lives of the three of us, the Holy Spirit Cult's centuries of foundation, and even overturning the entire continent's balance between righteousness and evil."
"This gamble means defying fate. Either we ascend to the God Realm in one step, or we are doomed beyond redemption and utterly destroyed."
As those words fell, the atmosphere in the hall instantly grew heavy.
Because when the time came, they might have to face not only the righteous forces led by Shrek Academy, but also every evil Soul Master in the Holy Spirit Cult apart from themselves.
Just as they had said earlier, their cultivation had already reached its peak. Ordinary methods of cultivation could no longer satisfy them.
Moreover, with Li Changsheng's promise, they no longer needed to obtain power through slaughter.
But the others were different.
Zhongli Wu took a deep breath. His eyes burst with blazing fervor and excitement as he spoke without hesitation.
"I made up my mind long ago!"
"This is a supreme opportunity that comes once in ten thousand years—an opportunity that may not appear even once in a thousand!"
"We have cultivated bitterly for centuries, trapped beneath the mortal ceiling. Our lifespans are running out, the road ahead is cut off, and we are destined to remain imprisoned in this lower realm forever!"
"Now, the divine son is showing us the way. Eternal life is within reach, and the God Realm can be climbed! Only an idiot would refuse to gamble!"
Long Xiaoyao nodded heavily as well. His eyes were filled with both immense relief and lingering fear as he sighed.
"That's right."
"To be honest, we should count ourselves lucky. We should be laughing in secret."
"Fortunately, those fools at Shrek who fancy themselves righteous were blind, narrow-minded, and reckless!"
"If they had known better, understood reverence, and not rashly labeled the divine son an evil Soul Master, he would most likely have settled down at Shrek directly."
"At that point, forget about clinging to his coattails, receiving divine seeds, hoping for eternal life, or ascending to the God Realm."
"Before long, the Holy Spirit Cult would have been wiped out by the divine son with a casual wave of his hand. The three of us would not even know how we died!"
At that thought, both men felt a chill run through their bodies, fear lingering in their hearts.
The difference was that absurd.
One thought apart, and the difference was as vast as heaven and earth!
Seeing this, a relieved smile appeared on Ye Xishui's breathtaking face, and she finally cast aside all her reservations.
"Since both of you have made up your minds."
"Then we act at once. The entire cult will transform, we will purge the vile practices of the evil path, and we will support the divine son to the death!"
"From this day onward, the three of us will fight for the divine son alone!"
The three exchanged looks, their eyes filled with resolve.
They would gamble!
They would go all in!
In this life, they would follow the divine son, reach the God Realm, and transcend into eternal life!
Meanwhile.
Outside the forbidden grounds' great hall, within the long, shadowy passage of demonic rock.
Feng Ling followed closely at Li Changsheng's side, every step measured and obedient.
This peerless beauty, who handled the Holy Spirit Cult's countless affairs as its vice leader and had weathered every kind of storm, still felt enormous waves raging in her heart, unable to calm down for a long while.
The more she thought about it, the more shocked she became. The more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.
A young boy who had only just awakened his martial soul was actually able to make three of the continent's foremost giants value him so highly.
He had even been granted the highest authority over the entire cult, standing above all elders and worshippers!
Her overwhelming curiosity finally surpassed the shock in her heart.
After hesitating again and again, Feng Ling bit her lip before finally speaking softly and asking with great caution,
"Holy Son... forgive your subordinate for asking, but what exactly is your martial soul?"
Li Changsheng walked at an unhurried pace, his expression utterly calm as he answered casually,
"The Destruction Scepter. Innate Full Soul Power."
His tone was light, as though he were merely mentioning something utterly insignificant.
But Feng Ling's body suddenly stiffened!
The Destruction Scepter?
Just hearing that name carried the tyrannical aura of divine might that could bring silence and annihilation to all heavens!
And on top of that, Innate Full Soul Power!
On the Douluo Continent, Innate Soul Power was capped at level ten. Innate Full Soul Power was already the mark of a peerless genius, one found only among tens of thousands!
Ten thousand years ago, Tang San ascended to godhood with twin Innate Full Soul Power, his name dazzling through the ages!
Yet this young man's martial soul was actually an ultimate martial soul of the destruction type, tyrannical beyond compare!
Feng Ling's beautiful eyes trembled violently, her long lashes fluttering without stop as her heart roiled.
Yet Li Changsheng remained calm, with no ripples in his heart.
He knew full well that Tang Wutong and he had descended to the lower realm purely to travel, train, and experience mortal life.
Therefore, whether it was his father, his mother, or Tang San, all of them had deliberately refrained from filling them with additional divine power or granting them acquired Soul Power enhancements.
In other words, when they came to the lower realm, they followed its laws.
Thus, even as sons of Divine Kings, their Innate Soul Power was restricted by the world's laws to the upper limit of level ten. Innate Full Soul Power was the highest they could reach, and they could not surpass it.
But Feng Ling had no way of knowing such details.
She only felt her scalp go numb, her heart shaken beyond measure. Unable to stop herself, she asked softly again,
"Then... Holy Son, what kind of extraordinary figures are your parents?"
To be able to give birth to such a heaven-defying young man, his parents had to be peerless powerhouses who shook the ages!
Facing Feng Ling's curious, probing gaze, the corners of Li Changsheng's lips rose slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.
He glanced sideways at the stunning woman beside him, who was still frozen in shock, and spoke in a languid, composed tone.
"You would be better off asking those three people from earlier when you return."
"What they tell you themselves will carry more authority—and convince you more—than anything I could say."
With that light remark, he directly tossed the matter to Long Xiaoyao and the other two.
Feng Ling instantly sucked in a sharp breath, her entire mind going blank!
She stared blankly at the tall figure before her. Though his features were still youthful, his aura was as profound as an ancient monster who had lived through eternity, and her thoughts went wild.
Absurd!
Far too absurd!
Was he really a young boy who had only just awakened his martial soul?
His steadiness, composure, scheming, vision, and poise!
Every gesture and every word was mature and profound, as though everything lay within his grasp.
He was even more unfathomable than those old monsters who had lived for centuries!
There was not the slightest trace of childishness about him!
Just where had Zhongli Wu picked up such an unparalleled big shot?
At that moment, Feng Ling became completely certain that this newly appointed Holy Son was a true dragon hidden among mortals—unfathomable and terrifying beyond measure!
Following him might be the most correct—and most heaven-defying—choice the Holy Spirit Cult had made in all these years!
Before you continue