"There's no mistaking it. That's the aura of divine power. Zi Tian really does have deities backing him!"
A glint flashed through Qian Daoliu's eyes as he looked at the gravely wounded, dying Tang Hao.
The force of that explosion had been controlled perfectly, unleashing only the destructive power of an ordinary Peerless Douluo.
But Qian Daoliu could clearly sense that this power was, in essence, divine power, and that its level was even higher than his own.
If Zi Tian has a deity backing him, why not have that deity act directly?
And that deity held back against Tang Hao, too. It seems deities really cannot act in the Douluo Realm.
Even if they do, they face many restrictions.
At that thought, Qian Daoliu's eyes lit up.
Combining this with the records left behind by the Angel God, he felt he had uncovered the truth behind Zi Tian.
"Palace Master Zi, you have deities backing you, but they cannot act freely.
"Under the laws of the Divine Realm, only deities who attained godhood in this realm can act here. Am I right?"
Seeing Qian Daoliu suddenly grow confident, Zi Tian nodded.
"That's right. Deities from the Divine Realm who act in the lower realms are subject to arbitration by the God Realm Committee.
"But gods of the lower realms have no such concern as long as they have yet to ascend to the Divine Realm."
"If the deities backing you cannot act, what else do you have to rely on?"
Rather than answer Qian Daoliu's question, Zi Tian looked outside.
A familiar fluctuation reached him, and Bibi Dong entered Zi Tian Palace, walking to his side.
"Palace Master, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has agreed to join Zi Tian Palace. Ning Fengzhi will arrive shortly.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan refused. Everyone in the clan was put to death, with only a handful of disciples escaping."
Zi Tian nodded at Bibi Dong's report.
As expected of the former Pope of Spirit Hall, she was truly efficient.
Two of the Upper Three Sects had now been dealt with.
All that remained were Spirit Hall, the Clear Sky Sect, and Sea God Island.
"Bibi Dong, you joined Zi Tian Palace?"
Qian Daoliu himself had announced the decision to expel Bibi Dong from Spirit Hall back then. Naturally, there was no room to take it back now.
"But have you prepared yourself to make enemies of deities?"
At Qian Daoliu's words, Bibi Dong took a step back and stood behind Zi Tian.
That gesture alone made her stance clear.
"Grandfather..."
Qian Renxue wanted to persuade him again, but Qian Daoliu interrupted her with a wave.
"It's all right, Xiao Xue. If I win, you will remain Spirit Hall's Young Master. If I lose, stay with Zi Tian.
"From now on, I leave the Angel God Trial to you."
Golden radiance appeared in Qian Daoliu's hand and slowly settled over Qian Renxue.
The twelve-winged angel king manifested on its own, perfectly inheriting the angel divine power.
"Sky Screen, I choose to obtain a brand-new first-level godhood."
Losing the angel divine power that had accompanied him for so many years left Qian Daoliu feeling forlorn.
But soon, golden radiance behind him shrouded the entire sky, and a new god position gradually took shape within it.
"Such powerful purification, and it can heal as well. This power is called holy light."
The moment the god position formed, its name naturally appeared in Qian Daoliu's mind.
"So, from this moment onward, I am a First-Level God, the God of Holy Light!"
After obtaining the holy light god position, Qian Daoliu felt a sense of completeness.
His perspective continued to rise, as though he had reached a new realm.
Not only that, Qian Daoliu could now see several figures standing in the void, radiating fluctuations even stronger than his own.
Are these the deities backing Zi Tian?
Remembering that deities could not act freely eased the pressure in Qian Daoliu's heart a little.
Meanwhile, the deities in the void clicked their tongues in wonder.
"A new god position, and judging by its fluctuations, it has already reached the level of first-level godhood.
"It seems the Divine Realm will have another First-Level God in the future."
"As expected of first-level godhood. He has only just become a Divine Official, yet he can already sense your auras."
The First-Level God, the God of Greed, glanced at the several Divine Official-level deities around him, somewhat surprised.
Although they were all at the Divine Official level, Qian Daoliu had not reached the Divine Realm and had yet to undergo a sublimation of his life essence.
Thus, a considerable gap in strength still existed between them.
"Little Hao?"
As Qian Daoliu inherited the holy light god position, Tang Chen and Bo Saixi arrived as well.
Before he even approached Zi Tian Palace, Tang Chen spotted the gravely wounded Tang Hao.
He hurriedly released a strand of divine power to stabilize Tang Hao's condition and ensure he would not die.
"Qian Daoliu, did you do this?"
Noticing Tang Chen's gaze, Qian Daoliu infused a strand of holy light into Tang Hao's body, allowing his injuries to gradually heal.
The most important thing now was to resolve the threat of Zi Tian Palace. Against the other deities, his only hope lay in joining forces with Tang Chen and Bo Saixi.
Healing Tang Hao with holy light was also Qian Daoliu's way of taking the initiative to make his stance clear.
"So, you were the one who attacked?"
Tang Chen shifted his gaze to Zi Tian, who sat upon the Throne.
Although this was his first time seeing Zi Tian, he inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
No, that familiarity did not come from him, but from the asura god position.
But why would the asura god position have a connection with the handsome young man before him?
Moreover, Tang Chen discovered several figures in the void outside Zi Tian Palace.
Every one of those figures radiated an aura no weaker than his own.
In other words, several deities were hiding around Zi Tian Palace.
Just what is his background?
"Since you're all here, let's settle everything at once."
Seeing that Tang Chen and Bo Saixi had finally arrived, Zi Tian slowly rose from the Throne.
Beside Zi Tian, Bibi Dong stepped forward and spoke coldly.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has joined Zi Tian Palace, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has been destroyed, and both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire have expressed their intention to join.
"Now, only Spirit Hall, the Clear Sky Sect, and Sea God Island remain."
After dealing with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Bibi Dong had also paid a visit to the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.
Faced with a Peerless Douluo, the two empires swiftly mobilized all their Titled Douluos.
Unfortunately for them, once Bibi Dong made her move, both empires decisively chose to submit.
However, they also put forward one condition.
As long as Zi Tian Palace could deal with Spirit Hall and the Clear Sky Sect, they were willing to surrender their imperial authority without involving the common people.
Although Bibi Dong could have dealt with them directly, she agreed for the sake of stability among the common people.
This had also been Zi Tian's intention from the outset.
Thus, once these final three great powers were dealt with, the goal of unifying the Douluo Realm would be achieved.
"In that case, let me experience your prowess, Palace Master."
After hearing Bibi Dong's words, Tang Chen reached out. The Clear Sky Hammer appeared, bearing mighty asura divine power, and he seized it.
On the other side, the Eight-Winged Angel behind Qian Daoliu spread their wings, scattering dense holy light in every direction.
"Zi Tian, fight me!"
Before you continue