Preparing to Retreat
"Show me your soul essence."
"Hmm... This is really interesting. Not even a single Soul Bone has evolved to the god level... It's slower than I expected... Is the Angel God Inheritance really that difficult..."
Qian Renxue was somewhat bewildered; these words left her completely confused. "What's the connection between Soul Bone and the progress of inheritance?"
"You're supposed to be a part of Qian Renxue's soul, yet you don't even know the process of divine inheritance?"
"Alright, once Qian Daoliu, representing the Great Enshrined of the Angel God, makes his sacrifice, the God Trial will be over. Now she has entered the illusionary realm for the inheritance of the Godhood. As the inheritance progresses, the Soul Bone in her body will evolve into divine-level pieces one by one, eventually forming Divine Set Soul Bone. And right now, none of your Soul Bone have evolved into divine-level pieces, which means we still have plenty of time."
Sure enough, this woman from the Holy Spirit Cult actually knows so much about the inheritance of gods... It made her sense a dangerous stench. "Tell me your conditions first..."
"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, I'll show you my sincerity in cooperating. Now you just need to go back and tell Bibi Dong that we're preparing to withdraw our troops in three days."
After saying that, he took out a fist-sized red rhomboid crystal and handed it to Qian Renxue (?). "Similarly, I know you don't trust me yet, so I'll give you two choices. This crystal can hold a soul. You can try it out. Find someone with strong Divine Power to help you move your soul into this crystal. I'll also help you create a physical body here. Secondly, if you use my Holy Spirit Cult's secret techniques, as long as the soul hasn't reached the god level, I can extract it. I believe you understand what I mean."
Qian Renxue stared at the red-glowing crystal before her, hesitating whether to accept it. But the thought that she might truly possess this body, or at least have a physical form of her own, made her swallow hard. She couldn't resist the temptation; humans are always greedy. Initially, she only wanted to take advantage of Qian Renxue's time inheriting the Godhood to see the people and things in her memories. She knew she was merely a part of Qian Renxue's discarded soul, one that didn't conform to the Angel's justice, and had no chance. But now, after experiencing so much, especially possessing memories she created herself, she truly couldn't bear to simply vanish...
"They're here..."
It must be said that Yu Tianshuang's speed in traveling at full speed was really fast and quite impressive. When the Ice and Snow Empresses sensed it through the soul contract and then Bo Saixi sensed it, almost in the blink of an eye, Yu Tianshuang appeared in front of them as a tiny streak of light from the horizon. The Heavenly Frost Cold Qi under her feet froze all the trees in her path, and the sudden stop caused a burst of rubble to fly up.
"Senior Bo Saixi???"
After landing, Yu Tianshuang looked at the dignified Bo Saixi with a bewildered expression. How did this older sister end up on land... and how did she end up clashing and fighting with the Ice and Snow Empresses?
"Little one, you've come..."
Before Bo Saixi could finish speaking, Ice Empress, who had been dejected just a moment ago but was now beaming with pride, interrupted her, "Hmph, we're not afraid now. With the three of us combined, we can definitely defeat her!"
Damn, so they've come after me... No, I can't sense any killing intent from her, and... she should understand that even on the open sea, she might not be able to defeat me, let alone on land. She can't control the power of the sea. How could Bo Saixi, as the High Priestess of Sea God Island, be so stupid...?
"Successor of the Ice God, you don't need to be so hostile towards me. I said from the beginning that I came to the land only to ask for an answer... and..."
Bo Saixi's words left Yu Tianshuang completely bewildered. Was she looking at Ice Empress when she said that? What was going on? When did Ice Empress become the successor of the Ice God? Was the Ice God so capricious? Seeing that her senior sister was unwilling to inherit the throne, she immediately replaced her? But surely she couldn't have replaced Ice Empress?
Seeing Yu Tianshuang's questioning gaze, Snow Empress transmitted everything that had happened, "Senior... you might have misunderstood. Those two are not the successors of the Ice God or the Great Enshrined. But Senior, I'm very curious, what question could have made you risk such a great deal to come to the mainland? Especially since the person who can give you the answer is an enemy..."
Bo Saixi smiled indifferently, a smile that contained so much: reluctance, confusion, and also resolve. "What risks could there be? It's nothing more than being killed by you. In the end, the result is the same, so it doesn't matter anymore. Now I just want to take advantage of the time I still have to fill the gaps in my heart and resolve the regrets."
"All right..."
"Actually, the answer is very simple. My senior and I both think this way: if our victory requires her sacrifice, then what's the point of a future without her?"
Bo Saixi hadn't expected the answer to be so simple. After a moment of silence, she said, "If what you say is true, that Tang San a god and also allies with the Holy Spirit Cult, then how could you possibly win? The human world will become a living hell. Don't you care about the millions of lives on this continent?"
"Senior, we're not that selfless and noble. It's true, a large part of what keeps us fighting is the desire to prevent the world from becoming so terrible, to fight for all the good things in the world. But if all that goodness comes at the cost of someone I care about, her sacrifice, then my thought is... to hell with world peace! Faced with the choice between greater love and personal love, I will always choose my own personal love..."
Yu Tianshuang's words left Bo Saixi speechless for a moment. She recalled the words Tang San had spoken when he underwent trials in her hands, and now, thinking back, they seemed so hypocritical...
"Little one, although we've only known each other for a short time, I'm very satisfied with your answer. Indeed, we're all just mortals; how can we be so selfless and great? Thinking about it, I'm actually quite hypocritical. If only I had understood sooner..." If only I had understood sooner... I would have left with him back then. Perhaps they would both be surrounded by children and grandchildren now, and I would probably be at the Clear Sky Sect, teaching... um... my great-granddaughter...
Yu Tianshuang watched as Bo Saixi's expression shifted rapidly, finally settling into a look of relief. He nodded at her and prepared to leave, asking curiously, "Senior? Where are you going?"
"Goodbye, little one. Your answer has left me with no regrets, but there's no use in regretting it now. Since you chose to fulfill the responsibilities that come with your identity, now go and complete those responsibilities... Don't try to stop me. I know I'm no match for you on land, but even here, I can sacrifice myself at any time..."
"..."
Yu Tianshuang was speechless, unsure whether she should speak to her... but seeing her relieved expression and the tone of someone preparing to die, she remained silent and watched her disappear into the horizon.
"What's she going to do? Find Tang San? To unlock the Sea God Inheritance for Tang San? He's already turned into ice shards, can she really unlock it?"