Chapter 395: The Beginning of the Mass Ascension of Gods and the Return to the Slaughter City
Below the battlefield, Han Li and Qian Renxue had yet to leave. They stood there, watching as the sky was torn apart by the spatial rifts and energy tides caused by Bibi Dong's self destruction, their hair being swept sideways by the wind.
"She wanted you to keep hating her."
"I know."
"Are you sad?"
"A little."
"Do you want to keep anything as a memento?"
"No."
"Shall we leave then?"
"Alright."
With this brief exchange, their figures disappeared from where they stood.
Moments after they vanished, Yu Xiaogang's corpse was suddenly engulfed in golden flames, along with the thousand year old spirit bone he had absorbed. His remains turned to ashes, swept away by the wind, drifting to an unknown destination.
Han Li and Qian RenSnow Empressd not return directly to the Heaven Dou Empire. Instead, they traveled across various regions of the Star Luo Empire.
Star Luo City had been completely wiped off the map. The two large scale attacks that Qian Renxue had unleashed against Bibi Dong had been imbued with the True Solar Fire, and even the lingering aftershocks had been devastating. Perhaps, in the future, this land might become a fertile paradise for plant growth.
Though no one had directly witnessed the battle, Han Li had amplified its impact so that no one could doubt the power of the gods. This was especially evident when some daring spirit masters ventured close to Star Luo City.
Qian Renxue proceeded to rally the army. With Bibi Dong dead, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo had taken charge, and with the presence of the true Angel God, there was no resistance at all.
In the Heaven Dou Empire, after Qian Renxue's identity was revealed, the people were even more enthusiastic. As the battle of the gods concluded, everyone understood that the continent was on the verge of unification it was just a matter of what name it would take.
Whether it was called the Spirit Empire or the Heaven Dou Empire, they could accept either. As long as it wasn't the Star Luo Empire, they didn't care.
More than anything, they were even more curious about Qian Renxue and Han Li's relationship. It was well known that the two had worked together to stop the evil former Spirit Hall Pope. Given that they were already close before, and had gone on this journey together, and considering they were a man and a woman… well, it was only natural for people's imaginations to run wild. Gossip was, after all, a fundamental human instinct even when it involved gods.
As for the Star Luo Empire, its citizens had no thoughts of rebellion. Were they insane? Out of everyone, they had felt the battle's terror the most. It was as if divine thunder had been striking right above their heads who would dare to resist?
Thus, wherever Qian Renxue led her forces, the people simply knelt, shouting "Your Majesty" and "Angel God." It aligned with the Star Luo Empire's long standing culture submission to the strong.
And so, the continent was now on the path to complete unification.
While Qian RenSnow Empresssplayed her divine might across the land, Han Li once again found himself idle.
Everything had gone even more smoothly than he had anticipated. The faith energy required to forge a God King level divine position had already reached its full capacity he had barely taken anything from Qian Renxue, and it was still enough.
And since things were going so well, he decided to go all the way.
Since he had already figured out the Asura God's plan, he might as well make his move first. Han Li directly went to the locations where his companions were undergoing their divine trials and forcibly opened pathways connecting them to the divine palaces in the God Realm.
Now, their ascension to godhood would be completed in an instant, with no need to physically ascend to the God Realm.
At this stage, Asura would have no reason to interfere with such minor details. With the Plane's Will backing him, Han Li wasn't concerned about the God Realm pulling any tricks.
At that moment, he was holding Bibi Dong's divinity in his hand, extracting the rule engravings from the Rakshasa Scythe and replacing them with the Laws of Darkness. The scythe's resistance was obvious, but under his suppression, it couldn't do much.
Han Li wasn't worried about the Rakshasa Goddess causing trouble. Her divine position had already been passed on, and with the Asura God overseeing Douluo Star, she neither had the ability nor the courage to defy him. In fact, she had likely already fled.
"Three months at most. What a pity I didn't manage to finish everything by the time I was sixteen."
Han Li placed the now blackened Dark Scythe onto the table in front of him.
Apart from its shape, the rebranded Rakshasa Scythe was now entirely his. All that was left was for Zhu Zhuqing to refine it over time.
The only thing he regretted was that he hadn't been able to wrap things up by the age of sixteen. But if not at sixteen, then he'd just have to finish everything at seventeen, during the rainy season.
Since the great battle of the gods had ended, the God Realm had yet to issue any response. However, they had further accelerated the divine trials of those connected to Han Li, pushing them all into their ninth and final godly test.
Han Li wasn't in a rush. Three months was nothing to him now it would pass in the blink of an eye.
Besides, he needed this time.
Qian Renxue had to completely unify the continent. His other companions needed to manifest their divinity in this era's final days.
Turning the God Realm's restraints into his leverage on Douluo Star this was Han Li's ultimate goal.
The improved version of the Mysterious Heaven Technique had already been subtly spread across the continent. This time, he hadn't publicly announced it like before. Now, his and Qian Renxue's names were the strongest endorsements.
Both humans and soul beasts had been practicing it for some time now. And with Han Li, the true mastermind, hiding under the protection of the continent's only visible god Qian Renxue he had once again harvested an enormous amount of faith energy. The God Realm had yet to notice anything; to them, mere ants weren't worth paying attention to.
Following the battle of the gods, the continent entered a brief period of transition.
The Spirit Empire became the sole ruling nation, and the former Spirit City became its singular capital.
Qian RenSnow Empressd not implement any drastic reforms. She simply had the Spirit Halls across the land temporarily take over the administrative duties of the former city lords, maintaining order and stability.
However, one thing left the citizens highly curious.
Around Qian Renxue's Angel God statue, a new sculpture of Han Li had appeared.
Additionally, several unfinished statues had been erected, arranged in a circular formation with no clear hierarchy.
Naturally, the rumors began to spread.
Perhaps these are the statues of future gods.
This was the most widely accepted theory. Discussions about gods had become the hottest topic on the Douluo Continent. With the real existence of Qian Renxue as a divine being, historical records that had long been buried were unearthed, breathing new life into the continent.
Time flew by, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Han Li had never once appeared in the public eye, yet speculation about him never ceased. Everyone believed he was making his final efforts to become a god.
And in truth, that was exactly the case.
He was currently staying in a small town on the outskirts of the Slaughter City, waiting for the final moment to arrive. In the meantime, within his spiritual space, he listened to Qian Renxue and Gu Yue hurl verbal attacks at each other.
Ever since he had grouped them together, things had initially been somewhat peaceful, but before long, for reasons unknown, it had turned into this.
The two of them didn't get along at all. Both were proud, one the current leader of humanity and the other the leader of soul beasts. Since they couldn't physically fight each other, Han Li didn't bother stopping them.
After getting used to it, he found it amusing. Occasionally, when they both ganged up on him, he remained unfazed. After all, even if they teamed up, they couldn't outmatch Han Li in verbal battles because he had no morals. In the end, the two of them would always be left too angry to speak.
"Has it begun?"
Han Li turned his gaze to a corner of the continent, a smile forming on his lips. He activated his control, broadcasting this scene across the entire sky of the continent.
That was where Elder Qingluan's inheritance lay the new God of Speed was about to be born.
As Qingluan's inheritance site erupted with activity, it was as if a chain reaction had been set off across the entire continent. Other divine inheritance sites began showing similar fluctuations, including Ye Lingling, who was currently on Sea God Island.
As Han Li had expected, the only places that remained dormant were the sites where Xiu'er, Dugu Yan, and Shui Bing'er were undergoing their divine trials. It was as if they were waiting for something.
"I'm starting now, Xiaoxue. Keep order under control."
Han Li stood up and left a brief message in the mental space before cutting off contact.
"Follow the plan keep the current rhythm going."
He gave this instruction to his "obedient son" in his heart. After receiving confirmation, silver light flickered beneath his feet, and he disappeared from his spot, stepping into the Slaughter City.
On the streets that had once been drenched in his bloodshed, Han Li's figure slowly materialized from a transparent state. A passerby caught sight of him, turned pale with fright, and bolted away, crashing through a window to hide inside one of the street side buildings. His panic sent a ripple effect through the crowd, and others instinctively followed his lead, diving into hiding.
"Hah."
Han Li suddenly chuckled. He hadn't expected such a comedic effect.
"The Demon King? That's him, right?"
"It really looks like him… Why has he come back?"
…
In the shadows, after their initial fright wore off, some of the survivors from that time slowly emerged. They had lived through Han Li's earlier massacre and recognized him.
After some mental deliberation, they hesitantly approached him.
This was thanks to the "good reputation" Han Li had left behind in the Slaughter City. Yes, good reputation.
Apart from that one time when he went on a rampage, he rarely killed people outside the arena. Those forced to fight him had not been captured by him personally. As a result, although he was known as the "Demon King," encountering him outside the arena was actually safer than running into most others.
Moreover, it had been two years since he left. Anyone who had survived this long in the Slaughter City was undoubtedly cunning. If Han Li truly wanted them dead, hiding would be pointless.
Perhaps the impression he had left on them was too deep, because every time newcomers arrived, they would inquire about Han Li. The news of Tang Hao being slaughtered and the Haotian Sect being wiped out had also caused a great stir in the Slaughter City.
So, their decision to approach Han Li was actually a survival strategy. They didn't know why he had returned, but if they could latch onto his leg, wouldn't they be absolutely safe during this time?
In their hearts, Han Li was far more reliable than the King of Slaughter himself.
Thus, to the shock of the newcomers, they saw the veterans the very people they had always seen avoiding trouble at all costs suddenly approach Han Li like sycophants.
Bowing respectfully, they loudly addressed him as "Great Demon King."
"Damn, even the Holy Son of Spirit Hall is this influential here?"
The newcomers' already questionable moral compass shattered completely upon witnessing this scene.
"Alright, stand to the side. My visit has nothing to do with you."
Han Li glanced at them with mild amusement, shook his head with a smile, and pointed to the side of the street.
To his surprise, even though he had long forgotten these people, their behavior was quite entertaining.
"Yes, sir!"
The veterans' smiles didn't fade. Upon hearing his words, they obediently lined up according to height and stood neatly along the street, like loyal guards awaiting orders.
"Why are you here again? Are you here to challenge me?"
A piercing voice rang out as the King of Slaughter, clad in his blood red cape, appeared in the sky. His tone made it clear he was in a terrible mood.
"Challenge you? No, you've got it all wrong."
Han Li wasn't surprised by his arrival. He simply pointed to the ground he didn't like looking up at people when speaking.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen