Soul Land 2: Body Sect

Chapter 283: A Dose for Tang San

As the purple-gold soul ring gradually shrank, it was fully absorbed by Du Qianjue , integrating six soul rings into his body and causing his aura to surge dramatically. His already near-perfect attribute soul core became even more flawless.

Du Qianjue sat cross-legged, quickly assimilating the benefits of the absorbed soul ring. At that moment, he felt a strong pulling sensation on his soul and instantly reacted, forcefully stabilizing his soul to prevent it from being pulled out. He prepared to awaken Electrolux to counter the force trying to pull his soul. However, he soon stopped resisting and allowed this force to pull his soul upward.

It wasn't that Du Qianjue lacked the strength to resist. The reason he didn't resist was that the force pulling at his soul felt familiar—a mix of turbulent ferocity and a soothing warmth. Having just witnessed Electrolux perform the transformation trick, Du Qianjue immediately recognized these energies.

Life God Power and Destruction God Power.

Why had these two godly forces suddenly sought him out? As Du Qianjue felt his soul rising higher and watched the Douluo Continent grow smaller beneath him, he pondered this question. Eventually, all signs pointed to one conclusion:

His recent actions had likely caught the attention of the two godly forces. Since Life God Power and Destruction God Power were inherently linked to these godly entities, it was normal for them to sense fluctuations in their power.

Recognizing the nature of these powers, Du Qianjue did not resist. Unlike Tang San, who often ominously reminded others of their mortality, these gods would not harm him even if they pulled his soul into the divine realm.

Soon after, Du Qianjue's vision blurred as if passing through a barrier, arriving in a new realm. Before he could adjust his eyesight, a deep voice reached him.

"I wish to pass on my godly position to you. Do you wish to inherit it?"

As his vision cleared, Du Qianjue saw a man and a woman before him. The man was shrouded in a black robe, occasionally emitting strands of deep purple lightning, with eyes under his hood glowing faintly red, revealing only his youthful-looking chin. The woman wore a luxurious emerald gown, her hair, glowing with the vitality of green crystals, cascaded down her back. Her features were soft and inviting, a jeweled sash accentuated her slim waist, and beneath the mermaid-like skirt were slender legs clad in black stockings.

The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life! Two of the five great gods of the divine council, their true forms being the Destruction Condensate and the Life Ancient Tree, a loving couple indeed!

"Ah? A godly position, for me?" Du Qianjue pointed at himself, dumbfounded, his expression becoming an iconic meme.

The Goddess of Life couldn't help but laugh at Du Qianjue's absurd expression, which seemed to lighten his soul, enhancing it with a rich infusion of Life God Power. Even this slight increase was significant, considering Du Qianjue 's soul was already at its peak on the Douluo Continent.

Gods indeed lived up to their reputations.

The God of Destruction smiled, pleased with their chosen successor's reaction. "Correct, I am the God of Destruction, one of the five great gods of the divine realm, and this is the Goddess of Life, also one of the great gods," he said with a commanding tone. "Now, we wish to pass our positions to you. If you pass the divine trial, you can inherit our positions. Do you accept?"

At that moment Du Qianjue's heart skipped a beat. The positions of the Life and Destruction Gods were much more powerful than the lesser godly positions of the Sea God or the Asura God that Tang San held.

Yet, he was determined to create his own godly position. Du Qianjue's face twisted with conflict, causing the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life to exchange puzzled glances.

"What's the matter?" The Goddess of Life subtly signaled.

"I don't understand," replied the God of Destruction, shaking his head.

"It doesn't make sense. Douluo Continent was the homeland of the Sea God before his ascension; that world should have a tradition of divine inheritance. This young one surely must understand the significance of a godly position!" the Goddess of Life mused anxiously.

Just then, driven by frustration rather than logic, they realized how desperately they needed someone to inherit the godly position, allowing them to cast off their own positions and finally have children. Why wouldn't the young man agree?

"Let's wait and see if he has any questions for us," suggested the God of Destruction with a calming gesture.

The Goddess of Life had no choice but to settle down.

Unaware of the couple's encrypted conversation, Du Qianjue was deeply conflicted. This offer conflicted drastically with the path he had chosen for himself. From the moment he had first crossed into this world, he had contemplated inheriting the God of Destruction's position. But as he began to make a name for himself, he set his sights on creating his own godly position or achieving divinity on his own terms.

Even now, offered not just the Destruction God position but also the Life God position as a bonus, Du Qianjue still wished to achieve divinity through his own efforts, not by relying on the positions of others.

Observing Du Qianjue's troubled expression, the God of Destruction decided not to waste more time and spoke directly: "Do you have any doubts? Feel free to express them. Since we've chosen to offer you our positions, we are naturally prepared to address your concerns."

Taking a deep breath, Du Qianjue´s eyes hardened with resolve. There was no need to hesitate. Since he had already chosen his path, he should steadfastly follow it.

"Thank you, great gods, for considering me worthy of your legacy. However, please forgive my presumption. I do not intend to ascend through inheriting a godly position. I wish to achieve divinity on my own," Du Qianjue bowed respectfully to both the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life.

"Oh? That's a spirited decision. Such ambition makes me respect you even more," the God of Destruction chuckled lightly, nodding in approval. "Ambition is good. True prodigies have their own visions."

"In that case, we won't force you. If you need guidance on creating your own godly position, I am willing to teach you," the God of Destruction offered, sensing Du Qianjue's determination. Although disappointed, he accepted his decision gracefully.

Facing such a unique talent as Du Qianjue, the God of Destruction felt a kinship and was eager to help. If Du Qianjue could ascend with the attribute of chaos, it would likely be a significant boon for the divine realm, a prospect that the career-driven God of Destruction was not willing to pass up.

"That would be most appreciated. I indeed have much to learn about how to ascend," Du Qianjue's eyes lit up with gratitude, bowing again to the God of Destruction.

The God of Destruction smiled gently, but the Goddess of Life suddenly spoke up.

"Young one, may I ask why you chose to use a human soul master's soul to create a soul ring? Such actions are excessively cruel and disrupt the natural order," the Goddess of Life looked at Du Qianjue, her green eyes filled with worry.

Du Qianjue blinked, his face tensing slightly.

Truly, you are the Goddess of Life.

If this were Earth, even the Leshan Giant Buddha would step aside to let you take his place. In the world of the Three-Body Problem, Cheng Xin would have to bow down to you.

You are a true saint.

Du Qianjue opened his mouth, hesitated, and his expression grew odd.

The God of Destruction also looked somewhat uncomfortable. He hadn't expected his wife to be so naively charming today. They had agreed not to bring up this issue, yet she had asked anyway.

But he said nothing more, genuinely curious about how Du Qianjue would respond.

"Speak freely, I'm quite curious myself," the God of Destruction encouraged.

"Then I shall share my humble opinion. If I offend, please do not take it to heart," Du Qianjue's mouth twitched slightly, his tone somewhat resigned.

Well, since you want to hear it, don't blame me for being blunt.

"Lady Goddess, may I first ask you two questions: In your eyes, what is a soul ring? And how is it obtained?" Du Qianjue asked the Goddess of Life.

"A soul ring... it's an essential item for soul masters on Douluo Continent to break through their bottlenecks. The method of obtaining a soul ring is..." the Goddess of Life began confidently, but faltered towards the end.

"It's obtained by slaying soul beasts, right?" Du Qianjue chuckled softly, finishing the Goddess of Life's sentence for her.

"I've studied soul rings myself. They are formed by killing a soul beast and using the essence of its bloodline and soul fragments, combined with some of the soul force within the beast's body. Each soul ring represents a dead soul beast."

"Since soul beasts can die and be turned into soul rings by the rules, why can't human souls be used in the same way?"

"Humans are, after all, humans. They have intelligence. They are your kind. How can you think this way?" the Goddess of Life frowned slightly, clearly displeased.

"Soul beasts of ten thousand years possess intelligence not inferior to humans. Hundred thousand-year soul beasts can speak human languages, and ancient beasts over two hundred thousand years old can even transform into human form." Du Qianjue spoke calmly, his face expressionless.

"Moreover, some special soul beasts and those over a hundred thousand years can fully transform into humans and integrate into society. Yet, even so, human soul masters do not regard transformed soul beasts as human but converge on them like sharks that smell blood."

"Are soul beasts not intelligent beings? As I understand, the Sea God's mother was a hundred thousand-year soul beast. He himself has half of a soul beast's bloodline, and his wife is a transformed hundred thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit. Yet he slaughters soul beasts without mercy, using the pretext of only killing evil soul beasts to massacre them extensively for his external soul bones."

"The Sea God had such a past?" The God of Destruction couldn't help but speak up, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Otherwise, why do you think the Sea God's Eight Wings are so powerful? His eight spider legs, originally the Human Face Demon Spider, possess the ability to devour." Du Qianjue´s eyes held a hint of sarcasm as he explained.

Tang San's methods were far bloodier than his own. To strengthen his position, he even involved the Abyss, causing massive destruction.

In comparison, Du Qianjue had merely used Xu Tianran's soul for his experiments. Yet, directly or indirectly, many had died at Tang San's hands, and their resentful spirits could fill the divine realm, overshadowing his image of nobility and alignment more fitting for the God of Asuras.

"But you shouldn't manipulate souls. Once a person dies, if you manipulate their soul, they can never rest in peace!" the Goddess of Life said with a trace of pity.

"Ah?" Du Qianjue was taken aback.

The Goddess of Life's comment almost sent Du Qianjue into mental collapse, his expression turning utterly blank. Even the God of Destruction covered his face, unable to bear looking.

Good heavens. What was his wife thinking today? Did she add three spoons of sugar to her herbal tea? Her whole demeanor seemed to suggest a complete disconnection from reality.

"Manipulating the dead's souls... is that cruel?" Du Qianjue´s expression and tone became even stranger, making the Goddess of Life feel uneasy.

"Of course," the Goddess of Life affirmed, despite feeling uneasy.

"Isn't manipulating the living's souls even crueler?" Du Qianjue 's expression grew more bizarre.

"Why would you ask that?" The God of Destruction sensed something was amiss. While it seemed like Du Qianjue was rebutting his wife's view, it appeared he might be revealing something they were unaware of.

"Has it really been so long since Tang San ascended to the divine realm that you, two great gods, know so little about him?" Du Qianjue rubbed his forehead, easing the strain caused by his mental contortions.

It was no wonder Tang San had almost free rein in the divine realm with his scheming and manipulation. If not for his constant meddling with Douluo Continent and his attachment to Xiao Wu, Du Qianjue would have doubted whether the Goddess of Life had been turned into a plush toy by Tang San.

It turns out this couple really were naïve, no wonder.

"Explain clearly," the God of Destruction demanded, his expression serious.

Du Qianjue collected himself before continuing, "I am the Son of the Plane for this era of Douluo Continent, so I've communicated with the consciousness of the Douluo Planet."

"Douluo Planet has developed a consciousness?" The God of Destruction was shocked, "That explains why it can provide so much power of faith. It's already developed such a significant presence."

"But it's about to be destroyed!" Du Qianjue added dramatically.

"Absurd! Who dares to annihilate a planetary consciousness!" The God of Destruction was infuriated.

Many worlds were under the jurisdiction of the divine realm, but very few had developed a planetary consciousness. Each one capable of this was a boon to the divine realm's strength.

Hearing that the Douluo Planet's consciousness was threatened, the God of Destruction couldn't contain his anger. This was more important than anything else to him.

"It's not exactly annihilation, more like a replacement," Du Qianjue corrected, "The planetary consciousness told me that it chose me as the Son of the Plane to help it escape peril. This entire crisis started because Tang San had his parents, Tang Hao and A Yin, attempt to usurp the Douluo Planet's consciousness and life source."

"If they succeed, Tang Hao will replace the planetary ruler, and A Yin will take over the life source. I've resolved the issue with the life source, but Tang Hao is still attempting to usurp the planetary consciousness."

"Does that count as manipulating a soul? And it's not just any soul—it's the soul of a living planet, and even his own parents' souls," Du Qianjue grimaced, his face full of irony as he laid bare Tang San's machinations before the two great gods.

Du Qianjue finished speaking, leaving the God of Destruction seething with rage.

He knew Tang San frequently meddled with the lower realms, treating the Douluo Continent almost like his own backyard, but he hadn't imagined Tang San would be audacious enough to have his parents try to usurp the soul of the Douluo Continent in an attempt to become its master.

"Scoundrel, that's outrageous!" The God of Destruction was livid, his whole body radiating a ferocious aura, his eyes glowing a furious red, and the lightning around him crackling with a destructive will.

"Sea God, how could he do this to Little Qi? That's his own daughter!" The Goddess of Life was so enraged she began to cry, the first time regret truly dawned on her.

If only she had known this sooner, she wouldn't have indulged Tang San, smoothing things over between him and her husband. She was deeply remorseful.

"There's more!" Du Qianjue smiled wickedly.

Previously, he had no chance to trip Tang San up. Now that the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life had brought him to the divine realm and were engaging with him in good faith, how could he not seize the opportunity to plant a few stabs in Tang San's back and throw some dirt in his eyes?

From the start, he had said he wanted to give Tang San a couple of solid hits from behind. How could he forget such a thing?

Tang San wouldn't be happy, and that made Du Qianjue very pleased.

Messing with Tang San? He was serious about it!

"Go on!!" The God of Destruction, barely containing his rage, gritted his teeth and squeezed out three words.

"God of Destruction, you and the Goddess of Life must know Tang San's daughter, Xiao Qi, right?" Du Qianjue kept a straight face, but inwardly he was nearly bursting with laughter.

"Of course," the Goddess of Life nodded.

"Do you know that she has been sent by Tang San to the Douluo Continent? He did it to make her connect with me, the Son of the Plane, to make me fall in love with her, to meddle from within, to make me a pawn of the Tang family Du Qianjue 's tone was 'sorrowful' as he spoke.

"What's even more tragic is that Tang San didn't just use her to scheme against my fate; he used her to manipulate the fate of soul beasts as well!"

"Tang San's method involved splitting Tang Wutong's soul in half, sealing one half with memories in her original body, and placing the other half in the body of the Emperor Beast, manipulating the fate of the Emperor Beast and the bloodline of the Golden Dragon. Ultimately, under his divine guidance, he intended for the Emperor Beast to sacrifice itself to me, while his daughter's fragmented soul, carrying the bloodline and fate of the Emperor Beast, merged back into Tang Wutong's soul."

"In this process, Tang Wutong would have to die a horrific three times. She would die once when her soul was split, a second time when the two halves of her soul completed their tasks, and a third time when her memories were erased, before finally being resurrected by Tang San's divine power as a grotesque patchwork creation."

"When the planetary consciousness told me this, my heart trembled with fear. How could there be such a cruel father, such a scheming mastermind behind the scenes!"

The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life listened silently to Du Qianjue 's lengthy explanation.

The God of Destruction's murderous aura grew more intense, while the Goddess of Life's usually gentle face showed rare signs of anger.

"Tang San, Tang San...!" The God of Destruction clenched his teeth, his eyes blazing with thunderous fury.

"How could he do this to Xiao Qi? She is his own flesh and blood!" The Goddess of Life was overcome with emotion, her tears of anger making her speech falter.

"Lady Goddess, compared to Tang San, my act of turning a soul into a soul ring is child's play, right?" Du Qianjue spread his hands innocently, "After all, I would never harm my own daughter, nor would I send my parents to their deaths."

"The planetary consciousness told me that it was born from the collective will of all beings on Douluo. Once it becomes the planetary consciousness, it must endure the impact of all these wills. Even if Tang Hao succeeds, he won't last long amidst all the benevolent and malevolent thoughts, soon becoming a mindless, instinct-driven zombie."

"I really am too kind. After all, I only deal harshly with my enemies."

Brilliant! I'm beginning to understand everything!

No wonder so many enjoy gossiping behind others' backs. This feeling of stabbing someone in the back is just too exhilarating, hehehe, Tang San, wait for the grand gift I'm sending your way!

Watching the faces of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life contort with rage, Du Qianjue internally rolled on the floor with laughter.

(The chapter ends here.)