The God King's Glance

Night fell like ink over the soaring eaves of Spirit City, wrapping the entire majestic complex in dense silence.

The small courtyard deep within the Holy Maiden Hall had long since gone dark. Only a faint azure glow leaked through the lattice window of the western wing, like a gentle star in the deep night.

Bibi Xu sat cross-legged on his bed, held his breath, and focused his mind. Something stirred softly within his sea of consciousness.

Deep within his dantian, the vague phantom that had been dormant beside the source of his soul slowly stretched itself awake.

There was none of the domineering roar that had accompanied the birth of the Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon, nor the cold baleful aura of the Twin Spider Emperors' awakening. Only a warm, rich presence, like spring rain nourishing all things, silently spread outward.

A small azure lotus slowly rose from his palm.

The lotus was no larger than a palm, its entire body the warm color of azure jade. Eighteen petals overlapped in layers, each one wreathed in faint golden patterns like naturally formed runes of the Great Dao.

The petals gently opened and closed, releasing wisps of life essence from the flower's heart. When they settled on his skin, they seeped through his pores and into his meridians. Wherever they passed, the lingering sluggishness from awakening his martial souls during the day vanished, and even the circulation of his soul power became exceptionally clear and smooth.

"Life Azure Lotus..."

Bibi Xu softly spoke its name. The instant his third martial soul had fully awakened, the name had naturally surfaced in his sea of consciousness, as though it had existed since ancient times and been etched into the depths of his soul.

His fingertip lightly brushed the outermost petal.

With a soft hum, the azure lotus trembled and released a ring of gentle azure radiance.

The withered potted plants in the room sprouted fresh shoots at a visible rate. In the blink of an eye, their branches had grown full of verdant leaves, and tiny flower buds had even formed at their tips.

"Such powerful life force."

A trace of amazement flashed through Bibi Xu's eyes.

He had originally believed that the Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon's destruction attribute was already astonishing, while the Twin-in-One Spider Emperors possessed both offense and defense, combining deadly poison with control, making them nearly perfect combat martial souls.

Yet this Life Azure Lotus had completely transcended the realm of battle. It nourished the body, repaired the soul, and could even spur vitality into being.

Destruction and life, death and rebirth.

Three martial souls, three utterly different paths, yet they had strangely achieved balance within him.

The Spider Sovereign's Death Soul Devouring was his foundation, the Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon's destruction was his edge, and the Life Azure Lotus was his ultimate safeguard. It could repair all injuries, harmonize the other two violent powers, and ensure that he would never suffer backlash from the power of destruction and Death Force.

This was the true terror of the Three-Life Martial Soul—not a simple stacking of power, but the complementarity and perfection of the Dao.

Bibi Xu put away the azure lotus, and its faint light withdrew into his body. Darkness returned to the room. Leaning against the headboard, he gazed at the river of stars beyond the window, his thoughts drifting farther and farther away.

Innate Rank Twenty soul power, two top-tier martial souls already shocking enough to reveal to the world, and now a third martial soul that commanded the source of life—such talent had never existed before in the entire history of Douluo Continent.

Limit Douluo?

Bibi Xu gently shook his head.

If he had only possessed Twin Martial Souls, he might have regarded Limit Douluo as his goal. But now, his sights had long since risen beyond that.

On Douluo Continent, a soul master's ultimate destination had never been Limit Douluo, but godhood.

He had read the paths to godhood clearly in the books of his previous life.

The most common path was inheriting an ancient godhood, such as that of the Angel God, Rakshasa God, Sea God, or Shura God. As long as one passed the Divine Trial, one could inherit a deity's authority and ascend to the heavens in a single step.

A more difficult path was gathering the power of faith and, through immense determination and fortune, creating one's own godhood. That road was perilous beyond measure, and only a handful had succeeded in ten thousand years. As for the supreme position of God King, it was a legend among legends. Since the Divine Realm's birth, only a scant few had ever attained it.

And his martial souls happened to tread the two highest paths in the Divine Realm.

The Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon commanded destruction and was highly compatible with the authority of the God of Destruction. The Life Azure Lotus commanded life and followed the path of the Goddess of Life. The two God Kings were pillars of the Divine Realm, their authority far beyond that of First-Level Deities. If he could walk this path, his achievements would be far beyond those of the Rakshasa God or Angel God.

"God King..." Bibi Xu murmured, a faint smile curling at his lips. "Since I've come all this way, I have to give it a try. Otherwise, what would be the point?"

He had never been one to underestimate himself. The foresight of a transmigrator, the talent of the Three-Life Martial Soul, and Spirit Hall's resources—combined, they might not be unable to challenge that legendary realm.

Even if he ultimately failed, with the Three-Life Martial Soul as his foundation, creating a First-Level godhood would be no difficult task.

That was still better than following the Rakshasa God's path to the bitter end and ultimately having his soul utterly destroyed.

As he planned out his future cultivation, his heart suddenly stirred. Instinctively, he raised his head and looked toward the night sky beyond the window.

Somewhere unseen, it felt as if two incomparably vast and noble gazes had pierced through layers of space and time, descending from a place unimaginably high and distant to lightly sweep over his body.

Those gazes held no malice, yet they carried a terrifying pressure, as though they were the laws of heaven and earth themselves. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he unconsciously held his breath.

But the sensation came swiftly and vanished just as quickly. Within a single breath, the two gazes withdrew, as though they had only been an illusion.

Bibi Xu frowned and pondered for a moment.

Was it an illusion?

Or... was someone watching him?

He quickly suppressed his doubts. At his current level of strength, he could not yet come into contact with beings of that level. His immediate priority was to build a solid foundation and steadily increase his strength. As for everything else, he could deal with it once he was strong enough.

At the same time, in the Divine Realm.

The Ancient Life Tree stood lush and flourishing, its canopy blotting out the sky. Emerald motes danced through the air, making the entire Divine Forbidden Land brim with vitality.

Beneath the ancient tree stood the Goddess of Life in a flowing emerald dress. Her brows and eyes were gentle, and a faint smile rested on her lips as she looked toward the mortal realm.

At her side stood a tall figure clad in violet-black, faint destruction aura swirling around him. He was the God of Destruction. The hard, imposing lines of his face, usually cold and stern, unconsciously softened whenever he looked at the Goddess of Life beside him.

"What is it?" the God of Destruction asked. His voice was low and uniquely magnetic. "Why are you suddenly looking at the mortal realm?"

"I just sensed a very pure aura of life." The Goddess of Life turned back, her eyes carrying a hint of amusement. "There was also a fairly strong power of destruction, from the same origin as yours. He is quite an interesting little fellow."

With a gentle tap of her fingertip, a water mirror appeared out of thin air, its surface revealing a scene from the mortal realm.

Within the image, the young boy sat cross-legged, an azure lotus swaying in his palm. Destruction and Death Force lurked faintly around him. Though he had concealed the aura of his Three-Life Martial Soul extremely well, it could not escape a God King's perception.

The God of Destruction glanced at the water mirror. His gaze paused briefly on the phantom of the Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon before falling upon the Life Azure Lotus. One brow lifted almost imperceptibly. "Three-Life Martial Soul? That is rare indeed."