"Work around it?" A huge question mark seemed to appear over Yu Xiaogang's head.
"How exactly do you work around a Godhood?"
"Please enlighten me, Dark God."
Yu Xiaogang bowed respectfully.
This really was beyond his knowledge.
"Why not have you become a God King the moment you ascend?"
"???"
The Dark God suddenly felt that Asura had a real talent for talking people into things.
It was rather amusing, too.
Then he realized something.
Wait... by that logic, didn't Asura talk me into it too?
Damn it!
To be honest, he was starting to regret it.
But he was already aboard the pirate ship, and Little Light had already issued his Divine Trial.
There was nothing for it. He would have to grit his teeth and see it through.
"I can tell you the contents of the Light God Ninth Trial right now."
The Dark God no longer cared. Asura would cover for him anyway.
You broke the rules first, Asura. I'm done worrying about them!
"Huh???" Yu Xiaogang felt as though everything he knew had been turned upside down.
Wait.
Hadn't they said in his previous life that the contents of a Divine Trial couldn't be revealed?
Hadn't they said gods couldn't do this or that?
Had the world changed when he was reborn? Had even the gods started acting strangely?
"The Light God Ninth Trial... what was the name of your previous Godhood again?"
"...Saint Radiant Dragon King." Why did Yu Xiaogang get the feeling the Dark God was a little unreliable?
The Dark God he had met in his previous life hadn't been like this...
"Ahem... The Light God Ninth Trial: perfect the Radiant Dragon King Godhood, wield the Light Divine Authority, and fuse the source powers of the Saint Radiant Dragon King and the Light God—two First-Level Gods—to become a God King."
"You can do that?" Yu Xiaogang asked uncertainly. "Wouldn't that... break the rules?"
"Who cares if it breaks the rules? I'm not scared, so what the hell are you scared of?" The Dark God glared at Yu Xiaogang. "At worst, we all go down together."
"...Fine. I'll keep completing the Divine Trials." Hearing that, Yu Xiaogang understood what the Dark God was implying.
If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up.
If anyone went down, the Dark God and the Light God would go first.
He would be last.
If those two weren't afraid, why the hell should he be?
He would just do it!
"Mm. I'm off." The Dark God made to leave at once.
He was the Dark God, a First-Level Main God. How could he offer to take a mortal as his successor?
At the very least, the mortal ought to ask him.
"Please wait, Dark God!" Yu Xiaogang and Bibi Dong called out at the same time.
Just as expected. The Dark God had known the two of them would speak up. "What is it?"
"Dark God, I wonder... am I qualified to become your successor?" Bibi Dong asked tentatively.
The Dark God turned to Yu Xiaogang. His meaning was clear.
"That's what I wanted to ask too. Dark God, Bibi Dong's aptitude should meet the standard for the Dark Nine Trials... shouldn't it?" Yu Xiaogang had no idea whether the Dark God would agree.
But if he didn't even ask, they certainly had no chance.
"Bibi Dong, was it?" The Dark God's Divine Sense manifested.
Still. Oppressive. It was like facing the endless depths of space; her soul instinctively fell silent, leaving her unable to speak.
"Yes!" Bibi Dong forced the word out with all her strength.
"Don't you already have the Rakshasa God Trial? You should know that under the God Realm Rules, one person cannot inherit two Godhoods at once."
"That rule is especially strict for First-Level Gods and above."
The Dark God fought to hold back his laughter as he spoke.
Just thinking about what he and Asura were planning made him want to laugh.
God Realm Rules?
The chief God of Law Enforcement is leading the charge in breaking them. To hell with the rules.
Once he passed on his Godhood, he and Little Light could make a clean getaway.
Asura would probably run even faster than they did.
Once the Godhoods are passed on, you can't come after us for it, can you?
The thought struck the Dark God. No. Bibi Dong has to ascend faster. What if I'm too slow to get away?
"I trust Xiao Gang's judgment. Xiao Gang said you're stronger than the Rakshasa God, and that the Rakshasa God is no good." Remembering the Light God's guidance and the detailed announcement of his Divine Trial, Bibi Dong believed Yu Xiaogang's earlier words more than ever. "I'm willing to abandon the Rakshasa God Trial."
Her Rakshasa God Trial had offered nothing close to such detailed guidance or clear objectives.
The Dark God froze for a moment at her words, then looked at Yu Xiaogang in surprise. "What spell did you cast on her?"
Yu Xiaogang says it, and you believe him?
"The facts are right there. I only stated them." Yu Xiaogang saw nothing wrong with that.
"Mm..." The Dark God's lips curved slightly as he suppressed a laugh. "Your aptitude is good enough, but my trials are very strict."
"They could even cost you your life. Bibi Dong, are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Bibi Dong would rather face a perilous Divine Trial than carry on as she was, trying to decipher and resist the vague demands of the Rakshasa God Trial.
"Very good." The Dark God smiled faintly. "I'll erase the Rakshasa Divine Sense for you as well."
A dark six-pointed star gathered and sank into Bibi Dong's forehead.
At the same time, it stripped away the lingering Rakshasa Divine Sense completely. The Dark God announced the Dark Nine Trials First Trial: "Break through to Level 96 within one year. Do not add an eighth or ninth Soul Ring to the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor."
Bibi Dong felt the pressure at once. She had only just reached Level 95, and now she had to break through to Level 96 within a year?
And she couldn't add an eighth or ninth Soul Ring to the Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor...
"Think it's too hard?" The Dark God smiled faintly. "If you don't think you can do it, you can withdraw right now. I won't force you."
The Dark Divine Power he had left behind would slowly repair the damage the Rakshasa God had done to Bibi Dong's body and mind.
It would also lend her a hand in her cultivation.
If she worked hard, success was not entirely out of reach.
Although he wanted to free himself from the shackles of his Godhood, he wasn't about to choose a successor at random.
He would not dispense with the necessary standards and trials.
"I accept the Divine Trial. I'll complete it!" Bibi Dong felt the pressure, but this was far better than the Rakshasa God Trial and its unclear demands.
If she gave it her all, she had a chance.
The Dark God said nothing more. He left her with a single sentence: "Do your best, young one."
His Divine Sense then departed.
The Papal Palace fell quiet again.
Everything that had just happened felt like a dream to Bibi Dong.
The Light Nine Trials and the Dark Nine Trials had arrived one after the other?
She and Xiao Gang had both received Divine Trials, just like that?
"What's wrong? Feeling the pressure?" Yu Xiaogang broke the silence when he saw Bibi Dong standing there in a daze.
"Mm."
"I've only just reached Level 95, and I have to break through to Level 96 within a year..."
Yu Xiaogang reassured her. "The Dark God had a reason for telling you not to add the eighth and ninth Soul Rings."
"Hm?"
"Remember what I told you before? Divine Trial rewards include God-Bestowed Spirit Rings."
"Even if you found a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it might not suit your Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor."
"But with God-Bestowed Spirit Rings, given the foundation you've built, you could definitely obtain two Soul Rings of over a hundred thousand years."