Chapter 301: The Land of the Asura God's Inheritance.
That night, Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu arrived again at the foot of the rooftop of the Hall of Offerings.
Qian Daoliu gazed at the sky and said, "In that case, I too will begin my mission. Ji'er, I entrust the Spirit Hall to you from now on."
Qian Xunji remained silent.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu said, "There's no need to be reluctant to part with me. I'm just doing what I should do. The ultimate purpose of the Angel God's offerings is for the successor of the Angel God to sacrifice themselves, burn their lives, and use divine power to pave the path to godhood. This is my mission, and also the mission of all the Angel Gods throughout history."
"Compared to my predecessors, I am fortunate. They spent their entire lives waiting for the successor of the Angel God, while I can finally fulfill my mission as the Angel God," Qian Daoliu said.
"I am deeply moved. To burn one's life, to use divine power to pave the path to godhood—this is indeed the mission our angelic race upholds. Father, have you ever considered that the key to opening the path to godhood is not life, but divine power?" Qian Xunji said. "It is precisely because your divine power is insufficient that you need to burn your life. If you had enough divine power, would you waste your life on this?"
Qian Daoliu, hearing Qian Xunji's words, stared at him speechlessly and said, "The Angel God has not contacted our angelic race for many years. The divine power passed down through generations is only this much. What good is it if we don't burn our lives to ignite the divine fire?"
"Draw your sword, my father," Qian Xunji said.
Hearing Qian Xunji's words, Qian Daoliu drew his Heavenly Measuring Sword and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Qian Xunji also drew his angelic sword. The two swords clashed, their light gleaming brightly in the night sky.
Qian Daoliu felt a vast divine power surging into his body from that sword, flowing continuously through his own Measuring Heaven Sword.
Qian Xunji, as a high-ranking priest of the Divine Examination, was extremely sensitive to divine power, and only now did he truly grasp the immensity of the divine power within Qian Xunji.
If the divine power possessed by Qian Daoliu, a high-ranking priest of the Angel God, was merely a stream, then Qian Xunji's divine power was a boundless ocean.
This vast divine power from Qian Xunji transformed into Angelic Divine Power and flowed into Qian Daoliu's body!
Finally, Qian Xunji sheathed his sword.
Qian Daoliu glanced at Qian Xunji and said, "You've become a god. Including Xue'er, two members of our angel clan have become gods in three generations. What makes Tang Chen compare to me?"
Qian Xunji scoffed, "You always bring up that spineless dog. Can't you have a little more perspective?"
Previously, Qian Xunji had been searching for a way to ensure Xue'er's godhood while protecting himself. Later, after the Sea God became Qian Xunji's slave, he inquired with the Sea God and discovered that some seemingly difficult problems were actually quite simple to implement. The reason for offering sacrifices was to convert life into divine power, opening the gate to godhood for the trial participants!
In other words, with sufficient divine power, sacrifices were unnecessary.
The next day, Qian Daoliu led Qian Renxue to enter the Angel Temple to begin the divine trial.
Qian Renxue said to Qian Daoliu, "Grandpa, wait a moment."
Then, she rushed to Qian Xunji, her lips moving, and asked, "Father, tell me, should Grandpa sacrifice his life for this divine trial?"
The conversation between Qian Xunji and Qian Daoliu yesterday was overheard. The reason Qian Daoliu hadn't noticed was partly because Qian Renxue's strength had grown to almost equal to Qian Daoliu's, and by deliberately concealing herself, she wouldn't be discovered by him.
Of course, Qian Xunji also helped Qian Renxue cover up her abilities.
Upon hearing the High Priest's mission, Qian Renxue's first reaction was that she didn't want to lose her grandfather because of inheriting the Angel God's position. However, later, her father said: the key to becoming a god is not sacrificing one's life, but accumulating divine power. She then witnessed her father and grandfather's swords clashing, the divine power flowing between them.
Qian Xunji replied, "Xue'er, don't worry, go with your grandfather to participate in the Angel God's assessment. I won't let him sacrifice himself for the divine test."
"Father, I believe you." After saying that, Qian Renxue turned around and entered the Angel Temple with Qian Daoliu.
The moment the divine test began, the Angel Temple closed. Qian Xunji, Bibi Dong, and a group of elders from the Spirit Hall watched the Angel Temple's doors close.
After a long while, they saw a colorful pillar of light descend from the sky above the Angel Temple—this was the sign that the Angel God's divine-level assessment had begun.
"If nothing unexpected happens, Xue'er's talent is enough for the Angel God Ancestor to bring down the nine divine-level tests," said Guangling Douluo.
"That's nothing. His Holiness the Pope said that Xue'er's current talent can even bring this divine position to a new height. Our Spirit Hall will give birth to a King of Gods," said Kuangshi Douluo.
After leaving the Angel Temple and returning to the Pope's Palace, Qian Xunji summoned everyone and announced something surprising.
"Gentlemen," Qian Xunji said, "I intend to pass the papacy to Bibi Dong. During my absence, you must all obey Bibi Dong's orders, understand?"
A commotion erupted in the Papal Palace. Even Bibi Dong hadn't received news of Qian Xunji's intention to abdicate.
"I have important matters to attend to and need to leave the Spirit Hall for a while, but the Spirit Hall cannot be without a leader," Qian Xunji said.
Hearing this, Bibi Dong said, "Very well, I can temporarily act as the Pope of the Spirit Hall. Whenever you wish to return, I will return the throne to you."
Qian Xunji nodded. That evening, before leaving the Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji told Bibi Dong about many important measures he would need to implement in the future, as well as the Spirit Hall's strategic plans, including Xue Qinghe's identity, the Spirit Hall's relationship with the Asdeka region, and so on.
Of course, abdicating in favor of Bibi Dong was also part of Qian Xunji's plan.
The next day, the Spirit Hall announced to the world that Pope Qian Xunji had officially abdicated in favor of Bibi Dong, marking the formal transition from Qian Xunji's era to Bibi Dong's.
Upon hearing this announcement, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Rat School, the two great empires, breathed a sigh of relief, almost celebrating with firecrackers until dawn.
Why?
During Qian Xunji's era, the Spirit Hall was domineering and powerful, suffocating many forces and leaving them with almost no hope. Now, the Spirit Hall's decision-maker had finally changed.
Regardless of whether Bibi Dong was a wise or mediocre ruler, it was still better for all the forces than for Qian Xunji to be Pope.
Although it was unclear why Qian Xunji had abdicated and entrusted the affairs of the Spirit Hall to Bibi Dong, he then set off for the City of Slaughter.
As a god, Qian Xunji possesses extremely fast mobility. However, he still managed to enter the City of Slaughter before Tang San and the others arrived, using the speed of a Limit Douluo.
Upon entering the City of Slaughter for the first time, Qian Xunji immediately sensed a divine law suppressing him within the city.
This suppression manifested as a blockade on Soul Masters' Soul Skills. Within the City of Slaughter, only those who possessed the Killing God Domain could use Soul Skills, and those within the domain could also use divine power. This law was undoubtedly laid down by the God of Asura.
Qian Xunji did not possess the Killing God Domain, but he was a god, so the God of Asura's restrictions on him were practically nonexistent.
However, from the moment Qian Xunji entered the City of Slaughter, he also attracted the attention of the God of Asura!
The God of Asura only learned of the outcome of Tang Chen's intrusion into the Spirit Hall after returning from the God Realm.
Although his precious treasure was unharmed, seeing his chosen Grand Priest, Tang Chen, beaten into a broken-backed dog by the Spirit Hall filled the God of Asura with boundless rage. If not for the constraints of the two God Kings of Destruction and Life, the God of Asura would have already descended to the mortal realm to directly confront the damned Spirit Hall.
Then, Qian Xunji, An Zhongdao, and other powerful figures were sentenced to death, preventing the Spirit Hall from becoming too powerful. This way, his precious treasure could be tempered, and his treasure wouldn't be left defenseless due to the Spirit Hall's overwhelming strength.
This time, when the God of Asura saw Qian Xunji appear in the City of Slaughter, he was overjoyed!
The God of Asura quickly deduced the reason for Qian Xunji's appearance.
Ye Yang had betrayed them, revealing to the Spirit Hall that his precious treasure was going to the City of Slaughter.
And instead of sending people to intercept Tang San and his group on the way to the City of Slaughter, the Pope of the Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, went directly into the City of Slaughter.
What kind of place was the City of Slaughter? It was the location of the God of Asura's Daoist temple.
Gods of the God Realm couldn't interfere in the Douluo Continent, but places involving Daoist temples of inheritance were places gods could visit.
In the City of Slaughter, the God of Asura held complete control. Qian Xunji's arrival was like a godsend for the God of Asura; he thought, "I wanted to kill you to clear the way for my precious treasure, and you've already put your hand on my neck!" "Qian Xunji, Qian Xunji, you've chosen the path to hell!"
Filled with an impatient desire to kill Qian Xunji, the God of Asura vanished from the divine realm through the connection between the Asura Temple and the City of Slaughter.
Upon entering the City of Slaughter, its most striking feature was chaos and disorder.
But chaos itself was a form of order; here, social Darwinism reigned supreme—the strong survived, the weak perished.
The disappearance of the King of Slaughter left the City without a ruler. Here, warlords rose and fell, each vying for the throne of the King of Slaughter.
But no one possessed the prestige of the former King of Slaughter. War raged here every moment, leaving corpses strewn everywhere. Walking the streets, one could see swarms of rotting bodies, their stench unchecked, swarming with flies.
Some starving people lay on the corpses, frantically sucking their blood!
It was a human tragedy, but Qian Xunji felt no sympathy for the people here.
They entered the City of Slaughter with sinful hearts, seeking the freedom to commit crimes, without considering that there were people here even more sinful than themselves. Here, sin was the only order. Although Qian Xunji hated the God of Slaughter, he had to admit that the existence of the City of Slaughter was one of the few good things the God of Slaughter had done for the continent.
Qian Xunji calculated the location of the God of Slaughter's inheritance with his fingers, when suddenly, he felt a seductive melody bewitching him.
"Young Pope Qian Xunji of the Spirit Hall, this is my place of inheritance. Do you wish to become a god? I see your extraordinary talent makes you perfectly suited to be my successor. Come, the throne of the God of Asura awaits you."
These words clearly came from the God of Asura, and a meaningful smile appeared on Qian Xunji's face.
Following the God of Asura's guidance, Qian Xunji walked deeper into the City of Slaughter.
Beside the former throne of the King of Slaughter, in a boiling pool of blood, a passageway opened like the Staff of Moses. Guided by the God of Asura, Qian Xunji entered the depths of the blood pool, where a portal to a small world opened before him.
He entered the portal and arrived in a new world, a subspace with a grand hall predominantly blood-red in color.
The Temple of Asura, like the Temple of Angels, was connected to the Douluo Continent, but it did not belong to the Douluo Continent's divine subspace.
This was the Douluo God's abode.
When Qian Xunji entered the dojo, the rear doors were already closed.
He found himself completely immersed in the Shura God's grand hall. The entire angelic temple was utterly silent. He walked in and saw murals depicting the Shura God's distant past.
Legend had it that in ancient times, there existed an evil martial spirit called the Killing Heart Sword. This sword corrupted the human heart, causing people to become addicted to the pleasure of killing, using slaughter to increase their strength, absorb blood, and transform it into soul power.
Any soul master who awakened the Killing Heart Sword martial spirit would undoubtedly become a scourge, a demon who slaughtered all living beings.
However, the Shura God was an exception. He also killed, but he used killing to stop killing, using slaughter to establish the order of the Douluo Continent, and comprehending the laws of slaughter. He condensed these laws through slaughter and ascended to godhood.
Unlike the Sea God and the Angel God, who needed faith to maintain their positions, he was a god who proved himself through slaughter; therefore, his divine position did not change with shifts in faith.
Of course, while he created the divine positions, he also ultimately limited the Asura God. When the Asura God's own strength reached the pinnacle of divine power, the divine position became an insurmountable threshold. This is why he chose Tang San.
Unfortunately, the first God of Slaughter was a God of Law, while his successor, Tang San, was a God of Faith.
Qian Xunji, gazing upon the glorious past of the Asura God, unknowingly arrived at the center of the Asura Plaza, a place with twenty-two pillars burning with eternally blazing crimson flames.
Soon, an anomaly occurred—
(End of Chapter)