Green Banyan stood to one side, watching the Golden Earth Dragon King, which had offered itself as a sacrifice for her younger brother.
The reason the dragon king was willing to give up its life was that Green Banyan had promised to revive it and elevate it to a divine beast once Gu Shengge became a god.
It would be just like the Sky Azure Bull Python and Titan Giant Ape, who had once sacrificed themselves to the Sea God and were revived as divine beasts after he became a god.
Faced with the Goddess of Life's promise, the Golden Earth Dragon King naturally wasn't about to pass up such a good deal.
As the Golden Earth Dragon King's Soul Ring fused with Gu Shengge, a crimson Soul Bone phantom also merged into his right arm.
Crimson light flowed through his body, seeping into every scrap of flesh, every bone and tendon, every inch of his meridians. The Soul Ring's enhancement made them harder and broader, while the Bloodline Power surging through him roared higher and higher, like oil tossed into a raging fire, blazing as fiercely as a tiny blood-red sun!
The moment the vast Soul Power brought by the 100,000-Year Soul Ring entered his body, the sleeping Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong sensed it. Two powerful forces of attraction erupted from within them, greedily devouring the immense Soul Power. They even began fighting over it, tugging at the energy until they had swallowed every last trace.
The mighty Bloodline Power brought by the sacrifice boiled inside Gu Shengge! It was like a primordial beast roaring and bellowing, scorching as magma and surging like a flood! His blood steamed, forming a thin but dense column of crimson vapor that shot into the sky, roiling the clouds and dyeing the heavens red!
Pale gold blood coursed through his flesh, so overbearing that it dissolved every impurity! His bones grew hard as iron and stone, unbreakable, while the marrow within them became purer and denser, faintly silvered.
His right arm was far stronger and harder than the rest of his body. Even a Titled Douluo couldn't shatter its bones, because during the sacrifice, the Soul Bone born from the Golden Earth Dragon King had fused with his arm.
Even the Golden Earth Dragon King's soul had merged into the Soul Bone. Once Gu Shengge became a god, it too would benefit and advance into a divine beast.
The crimson light gradually faded. After offering up its life force and cultivation, the Golden Earth Dragon King's enormous body shrank dozens of times, becoming a small golden earth dragon with dull scales and no sign of life.
Gu Shengge sat cross-legged on the ground. His Angel God Martial Soul was enveloped by a bizarre, scarlet 100,000-Year Soul Ring, which revolved slowly and radiated such powerful Soul Power that it inspired awe.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes. A flash of red passed through them before they cleared, and a trace of regret surfaced in their depths.
Green Banyan noticed the regret in his eyes and asked gently, puzzled, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy with this Soul Ring?"
"No, I'm very happy with it. Thank you, Big Sister Green Banyan."
Gu Shengge shook his head. How could he be unhappy with a 100,000-Year Soul Ring so perfectly suited to him?
It was just that Bibi Dong and her daughter had snatched all the Soul Power the Golden Earth Dragon King had offered up—not even leaving him a scrap. Those two wastrels!
Seeing that Gu Shengge didn't explain, Green Banyan didn't press him. She looked at the Golden Earth Dragon King's corpse and waved her hand, burying it.
"Little Shengge, a 100,000-Year Soul Ring can grant two Soul Skills. What are yours?"
Gu Shengge didn't hide them. He told Green Banyan the two Soul Skills granted by his First Soul Ring.
[Divine Body: Increases all of the user's attributes by 200%. Also removes all negative effects and grants immunity to energy-based Soul Skills no more than ten levels above the user's Soul Power. Can be used continuously as long as the user has enough Soul Power.]
[Pure World Holy Flame: A divine flame that purifies all evil in the world. It suppresses Soul Masters and Soul Beasts with dark, water, or poison attributes. Fueled by Soul Power, it continuously drains the Soul Power of anyone it hits. It can purify and destroy, and cannot be extinguished.]
One was an enhancement Soul Skill, the other an attack Soul Skill.
Gu Shengge was pleased with both of them.
"Mm, they're both excellent." Green Banyan nodded. She was pleased with the two Soul Skills as well.
Now that he had obtained his First Soul Ring, there was no need to stay in the Holy Light Forest. Green Banyan took Gu Shengge by the hand and led him back to Soul Hunting Town.
Divine Realm
Tang San watched the Douluo Plane constantly, like a lovesick fool. When he saw the Goddess of Life help her "son" obtain a 100,000-Year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring, he frowned, deeply displeased with her actions.
Gods weren't allowed to interfere in the mortal world. Going down there was bad enough, but she'd even broken the rules of Soul Masters. Only Titled Douluo could obtain a 100,000-Year Soul Ring, yet she had threatened that 100,000-year-old Golden Earth Dragon King into sacrificing itself for her "son," a flagrant violation of the Divine Realm's rules.
No, he absolutely couldn't let the Goddess of Life stay on the Douluo Plane for long.
If things continued like this, he'd have no chance to tame that child.
A thoughtful glint crossed Tang San's eyes. He had to find a way to get the Goddess of Life back to the Divine Realm without making her suspicious.
"What should I do~" God King Tang murmured. Then inspiration struck. He had it!
[Divine Realm Council]
The Divine Realm held a council every ten years. Everyone attended, from the God Kings down to the Third-Level Gods.
The next Divine Realm Council was only six days away.
But one day in the Divine Realm was a year in the mortal world.
By the time the council convened six days later, six years would have passed on the Douluo Plane.
Still, six years was no problem. Even then, that child would only be twelve. His mind would surely still be immature, leaving plenty of time to tame him.
God King Tang was proud of his cleverness.
He then closed the viewing window on the Douluo Plane and began notifying the gods of the upcoming Divine Realm Council in his capacity as the Asura God.
Douluo Plane
After Green Banyan and Gu Shengge returned to the Small Fishing Village, she received word that the Divine Realm Council would be convened.
Although the council would take place in six days by Divine Realm time, she could still stay on the Douluo Plane for six years.
Six years would be enough to lay a solid foundation for the Creator God's son.
Back in the Divine Realm, when Green Banyan had called Gu Shengge her and Destruction's successor, she had already begun considering passing her Godhood on to her younger brother.
Of the current Five Great God Kings in the Divine Realm, only she and Destruction were first-generation gods. Asura, Good, and Evil were all second-generation gods.
The gods of their generation had either left or reincarnated. Only she and Destruction remained in the Divine Realm.
To be honest, after spending so many years in the Divine Realm, Green Banyan was growing tired of it. She wanted to leave, travel elsewhere in the universe, see new sights, and witness the birth of more life and miracles.
But their Godhoods prevented her and Destruction from leaving the Divine Realm for long. Even if they wanted to pass on their Godhoods, they had to consider it carefully.
Of the three second-generation God Kings, Tang San had fully inherited the Godhood and divine weapon of the Asura God, while Lie Yan and Ji Dong merely acted as stewards of the Godhoods of Good and Evil. Neither had inherited a divine weapon.
As the Creator God's son, Gu Shengge bore the Creator God's Bloodline. No one was better suited to inherit her and Destruction's Godhoods.
If Tang San could inherit Dual Godhood, then her younger brother could too.
Besides, the Five Great God Kings had originally been formed from the Creator God. It was only right that Gu Shengge inherit the Life and Destruction Godhoods.
That was Green Banyan's plan, and God of Destruction fully supported her.
And so Green Banyan began six years of training Gu Shengge.
~
PS: No padding. Skipping the six-year transition.
Before you continue