Once the chains released by the Demon-Sealing Pot loosened, the Plane Will breathed a sigh of relief. If this avatar of his had perished here, he would have been finished for good.
Fortunately, Tang Li was not like the last Otherworld Demon, who had shouted, "You have already set foot on the Way to Court Death," before killing him.
"Rest assured, young friend. I've long been a candle guttering in the wind. I came to you now only to entrust you with what remains after I'm gone."
The Plane Will could not keep the wistfulness from his voice. To think that he, a Plane Will born of the universe itself, had fallen so far.
"The god who just tried to plant a spiritual brand on you covets my position as Master of the Plane. Through his many schemes, I've already lost seventy percent of my authority over this plane. Only a few small tricks have kept me clinging to life until now."
"So you came to me because you want help dealing with the Sea God?"
Tang Li frowned. He had already decided to refuse.
"No, no. You misunderstand, young friend. You're my last hope. Why would I push you into a pit of fire? Besides, at your current level, even another hundred years would hardly make you a match for the Sea God. I want you to inherit my position as Master of the Plane."
The Spiritual Body's words left Tang Li stunned. He had considered many possibilities, but not this one.
"If you're willing to give the position of Master of the Plane to someone else, why not hand it straight to the one stealing your authority?"
Pies don't fall from the sky. An unexpected windfall is a trap. Who knows what this guy is plotting?
"Give it to him?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Even if I die, I'll never hand the position of Master of the Plane to those bastards! Those traitors don't deserve to rule this world! Even in death, I'll curse them!"
At Tang Li's words, the Plane Will's Spiritual Body flew into a rage. From the look of him, he hated the Tang family to the bone.
"Young friend, once you reach level ninety-five, I'll immediately pass all my power to you. You'll become the Master of the Douluo Continent outright, with the strength of a First-Level God."
At this point, the Plane Will's Spiritual Body suddenly grew excited. He pointed at the Demon-Sealing Pot and continued:
"With that divine artifact of extraordinary grade in your hands, you can devour the Abyss Plane completely. Once the Douluo Plane evolves, it will surely help you ascend to God King. Even if that damned Sea God returns, he'll have no choice but to swallow his defeat!"
"They think they can devour me by steadily stripping away my power. Little do they know that, under the rules of the universe, as long as I remain Master of the Plane, I can choose my successor. Those who attained Godhood through those rules cannot defy their power!"
Watching the Plane Will's near-mad excitement, Tang Li wondered if he had lost his mind. Was this really a request? For Tang Li, it was practically a gift!
If nothing went wrong, the Plane Will's plan really could let him attain Godhood quickly despite the Divine Realm's disappearance and the limits on his lifespan. With the Demon-Sealing Pot, he also had no reason to fear having his body seized.
Still, the title of Master of the Douluo Plane held little appeal for him. Folding the plane into the Pot World as fuel to fully unseal the Demon-Sealing Pot would just about make it worthwhile.
"I accept your plan. I, Tang Li, promise that if I become strong enough one day, I will revive you. There will always be a place for you in the Douluo Plane."
I happen to need a gardener to tend the Pot World. Once I revive you, you'll work for me for the rest of your life!
"You can make a contract through the rules, can't you? Let's sign one, or swear mutual oaths the way you just did. Then we can both rest easy."
Tang Li rubbed the Demon-Sealing Pot before him and offered the Plane Will a safeguard they could both trust.
"Good, good, good! It seems I chose the right person this time."
The Plane Will swore an oath before the rules on the spot, and Tang Li followed suit. Their oaths took hold: whoever broke his word would die, body and soul.
"The oaths are sealed. While I can still command the authority over Qi Luck and death within this plane, grow as boldly as you please, young friend. Even if you die, I'll bring you back. And I have another opportunity to give you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Plane Will's Spiritual Body separated a tiny, flickering flame from himself.
The flame swayed in the Spirit Sea, as though countless colors had mingled within it. Its shimmering light made the whole Spirit Sea blaze with color.
But when Tang Li looked closely, the flame seemed to turn to chaos, holding every color within it. It was wondrous beyond words.
When the Plane Will pushed the flame toward Tang Li, the Demon-Sealing Pot suddenly radiated longing. Tang Li's heart jolted.
Even Tang San's invading Spiritual Sense had not provoked such a fierce reaction from the Demon-Sealing Pot. That had been like a pebble dropped into the ocean, raising not a ripple. Yet this brilliant flame stirred a tsunami within it.
If it can awaken such instinctive longing in a divine artifact like the Demon-Sealing Pot, this flame must be extraordinary!
"Keep it safe, young friend. With this on you, the Sea God Divine Sense lodged within your family member will no longer threaten you. As for anyone else whose Spiritual Power falls below the God King level, they won't be able to detect anything unusual about you at all."
After parting with that wisp of flame, the Plane Will's Spiritual Body had grown much more transparent, but relief filled his voice.
"I still don't know what to call you."
"Call me Elder Ling, young friend. Plane Will, Plane Spirit—it amounts to the same thing. Ah, and would you let this old man examine the brand the Sea God sent into you?"
Now that Elder Ling could finally breathe easy, he had no qualms about giving Tang Li his name. He also asked to see the spiritual brand the Sea God had left behind.
Tang Li handed Elder Ling the refined spiritual brand beside him. Elder Ling's Spiritual Body accepted the pill-like brand with trembling hands and examined it closely. A moment later, he returned it to Tang Li in excitement and laughed with satisfaction:
"Hahaha! To control you, the Sea God spared no expense. He gave you the cultivation technique he practices and even left you one move from his Sea God arts. What an opportunity! Study it well, young friend."
A cultivation technique? The Mysterious Heaven Skill? Sea God arts? Could it be the Thirteen Golden Halberds?
Tang Li had known Buddha Tang's "gift" was hidden inside, but he had never expected anything this good.
He snatched it up at once and refined it in an instant. Exceptionally pure Spiritual Power flowed into his Spirit Sea and resonated with the power Buddha Tang had left there earlier, raising Tang Li's Spiritual Power to a higher level.
And just as Elder Ling had said, the brand contained the complete Mysterious Heaven Skill left by Tang San, along with Boundless Turbulent Storm, the first move of the Thirteen Golden Halberds.
Unfortunately, he did not possess the Sea God Godhood. He could use the move only by drawing on the special Spiritual Power Buddha Tang had left behind. He had already refined that power, and what remained would suffice for three uses at most.
While Tang Li pondered these "gifts," Elder Ling busied himself tending to the Sea God Spiritual Power Tang Li had already refined, looking thoroughly eager to work...
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