The pillar of fire that had erupted from the Divine Court that day could not be hidden from anyone. So, in the days that followed, news that the "Tyrant" Aogemate and his lackeys had been slain by a mysterious expert spread overnight, soon reaching every street and alley.
What left Luo Ao unsure whether to laugh or cry, however, was that he had clearly killed Aogemate with just one move that day.
Yet as the news passed from mouth to mouth, it somehow became a world-shaking battle between him and the "God King" Aogemate. The two had supposedly fought bitterly for a long time before he finally defeated Aogemate by the narrowest of margins, at the cost of grievous wounds that left him on the brink of death.
When Luo Ao later heard about this, he found it rather amusing. These bards truly had a talent for adapting stories.
But precisely because of this, Luo Ge found himself saddled with the title of "Guardian God of Boya." Even the various empires across the continent uniformly established guardian temples devoted to him.
After almost all the Deity Level experts had left the continent, the "Guardian God of Boya" became, almost overnight, the sole deity worshipped by numerous nations. Luo Ao gained quite a bit of faith power for nothing as a result.
First, the Deity Level experts from all sides had departed the continent; then, the "Supreme Divine Court" had fallen apart. The powers across the Boya Continent began reshuffling, though none of this had much to do with Luo Ao.
As he leisurely toured the continent's scenic mountains and rivers, he also tried to comprehend a second profound mystery of the Water Law.
Luo Ao's talent for the Elemental Laws of Fire was the strongest, followed by the Edicts of Destruction. His aptitude for the Water Element was the weakest.
But once his Water Law also reached the God level, fusing his two types of God-level divine power would give his strength another substantial boost.
Although comprehending a second profound mystery of the Water Element was no simple matter either, it was at least considerably easier than fusing three profound mysteries.
One day, in a nameless valley, another familiar ripple of the Natural Laws spread outward-
"Hummm..."
A peculiar ripple came from the south, reaching the Forest of Dragons, the most mysterious place in the Tarde Empire.
Ordinary dragons might not have felt anything, but the experts led by Echidna and the old Dragon God all raised their heads in shock to look south. "Someone else has attained godhood!"
Having experienced the ripples of the Natural Laws before, Echidna was very familiar with that sensation.
Although the distant ripple was already very faint by the time it reached them, Echidna and the others still sensed it clearly. It was precisely the peculiar ripple of the Laws that heaven and earth sent down at the moment someone attained godhood.
Someone has attained godhood in the south. Who is it? Echidna wondered.
Ever since Aogemate had stirred up that storm, there were few even ordinary Saint-level experts left on the Boya Continent. Who had attained godhood this time?
Who was it?
"Grandpa Duolagu, I'll go take a look." Echidna abruptly stood up, wanting to meet this person.
"Echidna, be careful." That was all the old Dragon God could say to her, though he was not too worried about her safety.
After all, Echidna possessed an extraordinary bloodline. Although she had only recently attained godhood, her strength had already surpassed an old fellow like him.
Moreover, after everything Aogemate had done, only a handful of experts remained on the continent. There was now almost no one in the entire Boya Plane who could still threaten Echidna.
Flying through the air, Echidna carefully sensed the location of the ripple. "Due south. I wonder who it could be?"
Echidna's divine sense spread like rippling water, soon extending to the nameless valley where Luo Ao was.
The process of heaven and earth bestowing a Divine Spark and forming a divine body was relatively brief. Before long, the ripple of the Natural Laws disappeared, but Luo Ao was in no hurry to leave.
So when Echidna extended her divine sense farther again, it instantly swept over him.
"It's him?!" A trace of astonishment appeared on Echidna's face. She still clearly remembered that contest over ownership of the "Sacred Spring Water" some fifty-odd years ago.
Although Luo Ao had never made a move, even at the very end, he had been the only unfamiliar face there, so he had left quite a deep impression on Echidna.
"Didn't the Thunder God take his followers and disciples to the Celestial Realm long ago? This fellow actually didn't go?" Echidna still did not know that Luo Ao had merely been an outside helper invited along back then.
"Who's there?" Detecting an unfamiliar divine sense probing toward him, Luo Ao immediately spread his own divine sense like a surging tide, instantly discovering the newcomer.
"What! How is that possible?!" When Luo Ao suddenly unleashed his terrifying divine sense, Echidna instantly felt as though a dreadful ancient beast had fixed its gaze upon her. Her hair stood on end.
"You're... the Guardian God of Boya?" Shock still lingered in Echidna's eyes, but she quickly guessed his identity.
"How... how is that possible?!" Echidna could not believe her own senses. Fifty years ago, this fellow had only been a Saint-level expert. How could he possibly be the mysterious expert who had slain "Aogemate"?
This was simply too inconceivable!
"You're... that mysterious dragon?" Luo Ao looked at the girl with some surprise. Although this was his first time meeting her in human form, her soul aura was indeed the same.
"My name is Echidna." The spirited girl was a little excited now, and a little nervous as well.
She did not know what he would do to her!
"Echidna?" Luo Ao's gaze carefully appraised the beautiful girl before him.
She had waist-length silver hair and two bright, clear eyes, delicate and lively. Her exquisite face was filled with serenity and composure, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips, giving one the feeling that they could relax without worry.
Even more wondrous were the two peculiar azure qilin horns growing from the back of the girl's head. Clearly, she was not human.
"Thank you for killing Aogemate last time. I never imagined you were the 'Guardian God of Boya.' How did you do it?" The girl seemed very simple-minded, blinking her large, lively eyes.
She bent forward and lowered her head in a bow of thanks to Luo Ao, completely unaware that she had just offered a glimpse of spring.
"Hiss..."
Such enormous twin mounds of evil. Luo Ao could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
"What do you mean, how did I do it? I actually only swung my sword once, and he already couldn't withstand it." Luo Ao's gaze returned to calm, his wandering attention already reined in.
"I mean, how did you become so strong in such a short time? Could it be that you were already a powerful expert to begin with?" Echidna was somewhat doubtful, but Miss Betty had told her that there should not have been any other experts left on the continent before this.
"That's a secret." What a joke. How could I casually tell an outsider something so confidential? Unless...
"Y-you, what are you looking at?!" The silver-haired girl's tone suddenly grew somewhat embarrassed and annoyed.
As it turned out, while Luo Ao thought he was discreetly inspecting her figure, he had no idea that his gaze could already be considered quite unrestrained.
"I'm looking at you." Luo Ao's tone was calm, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
After all, beautiful things existed in this world to be admired.
And beneath Luo Ao's appreciative gaze, the girl's figure was naturally laid bare.
Once the silver-haired girl straightened up, her waist appeared even more slender. She wore an exquisitely crafted suit of pure white battle armor, exposing only a little of her fair, tender skin. An ice-blue gem with a distinctive aura was set into the waist of her armor, radiating an intimidating power of frost.
"You!" Hearing Luo Ao's words so bluntly spoken, Echidna instantly flushed crimson. For a moment, she stood rooted to the spot, not knowing how to respond.