Hearing this, Lu Jingming's smile faded a little. Indeed, Qian Renxue had suffered. Even though she inherited the Angel God's position, she lost the grandfather who loved her most, and her relationship with her mother grew increasingly strained.
After all, the Angel God and the Rakshasa God are natural mortal enemies. If not for Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong being mother and daughter, with that thread of familial bond still lingering, they would fight to the death upon meeting.
Facing such a situation, even after becoming a god, the pressure on Qian Renxue had not lessened but increased. She didn't know how to handle her relationship with Bibi Dong, nor how to lead the Spirit Hall forward.
Spirit Hall was now split in two—one faction following Bibi Dong, the other following Qian Renxue—and the contradictions were steadily accumulating.
Because she had met an old friend, Qian Renxue briefly lowered her guard, but she didn't say much. Her dip in mood was only for an instant—after all, besides Lu Jingming, Shui Bing'er and others were present.
Even if she wanted to confide her bitterness, it would have to be when they were alone. In front of outsiders, she had to maintain the dignity and nobility of a deity.
Qian Renxue adjusted her emotions, shifted her gaze from Lu Jingming to the people at his side. She was not unfamiliar with Firefly and Castorice.
But when her eyes fell upon Jingliu and Gu Yuena, waves surged violently in her heart.
First was Lu Jingming himself.
Qian Renxue clearly sensed the soul power fluctuations emanating from Lu Jingming—he had already reached the level of a Titled Douluo.
"This… how is this possible?"
Qian Renxue exclaimed inwardly.
She remembered clearly that when they first met in Heaven Dou City, Lu Jingming had been only a Soul Emperor.
How long had it been since then?
At most only a few years.
She had become a god so quickly by relying on the millennia of accumulation by Spirit Hall and the inheritance of the Angel God's position, plus the 100,000-year Stigmata obtained from the Survival Tournament. One could say she stood on the shoulders of giants to become a god in just a few years.
But Lu Jingming? If she remembered correctly, he wasn't even twenty yet. And at not yet twenty, he had stepped into the realm of a Titled Douluo.
A Titled Douluo under twenty.
If this news spread, it would leave all forces and all geniuses on the Douluo Continent dumbfounded, shattering every rule of cognition in the continent's history.
Just how terrifying was his talent?
Yet what startled Qian Renxue even more were the two women at Lu Jingming's side.
The white-haired, red-eyed woman, simply standing there, felt like a peerless divine blade that had sheathed all its edge yet still struck fear into the heart. A hard-to-describe, razor-sharp sword intent coiled around her—far surpassing any Sword Douluo Qian Renxue had seen, a difference like heaven and earth.
The silver-haired, violet-eyed woman with an ethereal, mysterious aura gave her the sense of an unfathomable abyss—as if facing a vast, boundless starry sky filled with unimaginable, majestic power.
Qian Renxue had inherited a first-rank god's position—the Angel God.
Although she had just inherited it and her divine power was not fully integrated, her level not yet at a full first-rank god, with the god seat's blessing her strength far exceeded ordinary third-rank deities; she could even challenge above her level.
Yet these two gave her a faint sense of oppression.
What did that mean? It meant these two were likely stronger than she currently was.
That was simply inconceivable.
She was already a deity—how could there be existences in the mortal realm whose life level and power surpassed hers?
Unless… they too were not natives of this world, or possessed inheritances and powers equal to or beyond divinity?
Qian Renxue's gaze toward Lu Jingming grew complicated beyond words—shock, probing, and even a trace of disbelief.
She had thought that after becoming a god, at least in personal strength she had surpassed Lu Jingming. But now it seemed not only had he advanced at a pace defying common sense, he was also surrounded by powerhouses who made even an Angel God feel wary.
"Brother Lu… you truly… each time you appear, you bring surprise and… awe."
In the end, Qian Renxue could only make such a sigh, though the ripples in her heart would not settle for a long time.
Lu Jingming always seemed shrouded in mist. Just when you thought you'd seen clearly, you realized it was but the tip of a deeper, more mysterious iceberg.
Seeing the shock and complexity in Qian Renxue's eyes, Lu Jingming knew it was time to reveal something heavier.
He gestured for Shui Bing'er and the others to withdraw. The receiving hall suddenly felt much more spacious, leaving only him, Gu Yuena, Jingliu, Castorice, Firefly, and the unsettled Angel God, Qian Renxue.
As for Vita, who had come along, Lu Jingming had kept his promise and granted her a brief freedom to explore this equally novel world.
"Sister Xue."
Lu Jingming's voice returned to its usual steadiness. He took up the teapot and personally poured Qian Renxue a cup of tea, his movements unhurried.
The curling fragrance of tea slightly neutralized the suffocating aura that belonged to a deity.
"The vastness of the world is far greater than what you and I see at this moment."
Qian Renxue accepted the warm cup; the warmth of the porcelain touched her fingertips, but Lu Jingming's opening made her heartstrings tighten further.
Her golden eyes, filled with sacred radiance, stared at him without blinking, awaiting the moment truth would be revealed.
"First, I need to tell you a truth."
Lu Jingming set down the teapot and met Qian Renxue's gaze calmly, his tone even yet firm, as if stating a fact.
"We—me, Gu Yue, Teacher, Castorice, Firefly, and even those mysterious Titled Douluo who suddenly appeared and disrupted the spirit-hunting operation—we are not of this world."
Qian Renxue's pupils shrank; her fingers unconsciously tightened around the teacup until her knuckles paled.
"Not of this world… what do you mean?"
Her voice remained steady, but the slight tremor betrayed the turbulence within.
Lu Jingming gently turned his own teacup, the corner of his lips lifting in a half-smile.
"Sister Xue, with your current divine rank and divine sense, scanning the entire continent is hardly difficult. Have you truly not sensed anything amiss?
"Could so-called hidden sects completely evade the gaze of a god? Those soul tools far beyond this era, the simulated world and Stigmata, and those strong ones who appeared out of thin air… The root of all this cannot be found in this world. With your intelligence and that of the new empress, have you really never considered… the possibility of visitors from outside this realm?"
Unless they were blinded by romance, there was no way Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, both already gods, knew nothing.
Qian Renxue fell silent.
She had indeed searched, sweeping the continent with divine sense, yet found no concrete origin for Lu Jingming and the others.
Bibi Dong had also expressed doubts.
All the anomalies had long pointed to that boldest and most unbelievable conjecture.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her churning emotions, and asked in a low voice, "So, you are… visitors from another world, another planet?"
As a deity, she knew Douluo Star was not unique and that the universe was vast and boundless.
Lu Jingming slowly shook his head. He wasn't surprised she understood the concept of planets. That Douluo Continent was on a sphere was no secret to a deity; even Limit Douluo could probe the world's truth.
"Not another world or alien civilization in the usual sense, Sister Xue. We come from another parallel universe's Douluo Star. We too are beings of the Douluo Continent, also soul masters—only, our era is… ten thousand years after this world."
"That is a Douluo Continent that flows alongside your world in the river of time yet is entirely different. You can think of it as… a mirror, a parallel timeline spun off because of different choices at key nodes."
He stopped being coy and began to clearly and concisely explain the concept of parallel worlds, sketching a future Douluo where soul tool technology shone brilliantly and the power structure had changed drastically.
He did not detail specific history, but emphasized that the two worlds were of the same origin yet had diverged—similar yet different.
Qian Renxue listened, mind shaking.
Parallel worlds? Ten thousand years later? This was even more unbelievable than hearing that Lu Jingming was a reincarnated god.
But thinking of the soul tools far beyond the times that Lu Jingming brought out, the nameless powerhouses around him, and Xuan Zi and others whose martial souls were entirely unfamiliar, appearing suddenly on the continent… all these irrationalities seemed to find their answers in this earth-shattering explanation.
As a deity, her understanding of the world far exceeded mortals'. She could comprehend what he meant and understood what a parallel world was.
"So… those who rescued the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and helped the Heaven Dou remnants break out…"
Qian Renxue's voice carried a dryness even she didn't notice.
"Exactly."
Lu Jingming nodded.
"They came from my world—the top-tier powerhouses of the Douluo Continent ten thousand years hence. The one with the Taotie martial soul leading them is named Xuan Zi, a pillar of the future continent's number one academy—Shrek Academy. They arrived in this world earlier than we did through a temporal passage."
Qian Renxue fell silent, digesting information that upended her understanding.
So the opponents she faced were not just the Star Luo Empire and the surviving clans, but a group of future interlopers who knew the script.
That perfectly explained why her meticulously planned, almost seamless operation failed at the final stage.
She had hidden herself well and was about to inherit the Heaven Dou Empire's throne—taking an empire with ease—only for someone to interfere at the last moment, throwing the plan off.
She had wondered where she had slipped. Now she realized—deus ex machina from a future parallel world.
Understanding this, much of her frustration and unwillingness dissipated. At least the problem hadn't been her. This was no fault of war. Against future people familiar with history, even the most meticulous plan is like a fleeting cloud.
While Qian Renxue's heart surged, Lu Jingming laid his cards on the table and revealed the intent he had long prepared.
"Sister Xue."
His voice carried a guiding force.
"The world's vastness far exceeds what we currently imagine. A single world is but a speck of dust within the boundless multiverse. In that scale, does the ambition of ruling the continent under the Spirit Empire not seem… somewhat limited?"
His gaze grew unfathomable, as if reflecting myriad stars, filled with a seductive charisma.
"Two parallel timelines have already intersected. Who can say a third, a fourth, or infinitely many worlds won't connect? Future conflicts, opportunities, and challenges will no longer be confined to a continent, a planet, or even a single universe. Therefore, I hope to forge with you—and with the Spirit Empire you represent—an unprecedented alliance."
"An alliance?"
Qian Renxue lifted her eyes, divine light flowing in her gaze, revealing her inner unrest.
"Yes—an alliance that crosses world boundaries and points toward the sea of stars."
Lu Jingming's voice wasn't loud, but it carried the rise of a grand blueprint.
"What I pursue has never been gains and losses of a single city or land, but the drawing of a grand map spanning the multiverse. The Douluo Continent before us—whether past or future—is merely the foundation and starting point of that map."
"And you, Qian Renxue—your personal power and the force under your command—are worthy of becoming a brilliant facet on that map."
He leaned forward slightly, his tone deeply sincere, powerfully persuasive:
"By aligning with me, you won't just gain help with the current situation. You'll receive a complete knowledge system from an advanced civilization, cutting-edge technology, and boundless resources. This will greatly accelerate the Spirit Empire's ascendance and even… help you explore realms beyond a first-rank god."
"When others are still squabbling over continental hegemony, your gaze will have already transcended the mundane and turned to the endless stars. When the horn to campaign across worlds sounds, I hope the ally by my side is you."
Qian Renxue felt her heart beating uncontrollably faster.
Lu Jingming's words were like a key, opening a door that had constrained her thinking.
The multiverse? A map spanning the heavens? The breadth and depth of this ambition utterly surpassed the Spirit Hall popes' dream of unifying the continent.
If all this were true, then being trapped in the struggles of Douluo Star seemed indeed small—like a frog at the bottom of a well.
The terrifying potential Lu Jingming displayed, the powerhouses at his side who even made her wary, and the massive resources and profound knowledge of the world he represented—all made this alliance difficult to resist.
She gazed at Lu Jingming. His peerlessly handsome face was indeed moving, but what drew her more was the ambition and unshakable confidence burning in those deep red eyes—enough to devour the stars.