After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lin Mu asked, "When did you return?"
"Half a month ago. I passed the Angel God's seventh trial. The eighth trial, a test of character, is coming up, with a three-year time limit."
After a pause, Qian Renxue stared intently at Lin Mu and said, "My grandfather made me return to pass the Angel God's eighth trial, saying it would be more conducive to tempering my character here."
Hearing this, Lin Mu wasn't too surprised; it was almost exactly what he had guessed.
If Qian Renxue stayed in Spirit City, she would essentially be working in isolation. As the ruler of the Heaven Dou Empire, she needed to return to oversee the overall situation.
In the past year, the Spirit Empire had annexed a considerable amount of territory, most of which came from the Star Luo Empire.
Although the Star Luo Empire had a more powerful army, the Heaven Dou Empire, with Lin Mu and the Wuji Sect at its helm, would undoubtedly crush the Star Luo Empire in a contest of true strength.
Even though Lin Mu was rarely in the Heaven Dou Empire, Bibi Dong didn't dare to act too recklessly.
After all, Bibi Dong knew Lin Mu's strength very well. Unless she completed the Rakshasa God Trial first and broke through to the god level in one fell swoop, she would never be a match for Lin Mu.
Moreover, she knew Lin Mu's temper very well; if she angered him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Therefore, she had to be cautious and focus on dealing with the Star Luo Empire for now, planning to take down the Heaven Dou Empire only after breaking through to the god level.
But she didn't know that all of this was entirely under Lin Mu's control.
In fact, Lin Mu could have completely shattered Bibi Dong's illusions long ago.
The reason he didn't stop the Spirit Empire from annexing territory was mainly because he was waiting for an opportunity.
Once Bibi Dong completely provoked a full-scale war, he could use it to collect the faith power of the soul masters.
But an unexpected event had occurred.
Out of nowhere, the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life simultaneously passed their inheritance with divine trials, choosing him and Ye Lingling as their respective successors.
Compared to a single elemental god, Lin Mu much preferred inheriting the position of the God of Destruction.
As for his original path to godhood, he wasn't really willing to give it up; he could only take it one step at a time and see if he could have his cake and eat it too.
"And you, why are you back so quickly?"
Seeing that Lin Mu hadn't replied, Qian Renxue mounted him, forcefully interrupting his train of thought.
Lin Mu didn't give in easily; he reached out and grabbed Qian Renxue's slender waist, effortlessly flipping her over to take the initiative.
"It hasn't been that long, and you're already itching for a beating?"
"You haven't answered my question yet."
Even though she was at a disadvantage, Qian Renxue still had a defiant look on her face, which was exactly what Lin Mu admired most.
Although she always ended up fainting from the sheer exertion anyway.
"Little San has completed the first seven trials of the Sea God. His eighth trial can be completed on the mainland, so we all came back."
In just a few words, Lin Mu explained the situation clearly.
However, upon hearing the nickname "Little San", a term that also served as common slang for "mistress", Qian Renxue felt something was off, and for some reason, she suddenly thought of Ye Lingling.
But then she realized that Ye Lingling could only accompany Lin Mu for a little while.
After all, she and Lin Mu would both enter the God Realm in the future, and then she would be the only one truly worthy of Lin Mu.
The only problem was that she alone could hardly withstand Lin Mu's physical onslaught; she could only hope that her physique would become much stronger after breaking through to the god level.
"By the way, why has the mark on your forehead changed?"
Qian Renxue reached out and hugged Lin Mu's neck, pulling his head close to her face to carefully examine the scepter mark on his forehead.
Just that one mark alone made her feel a heavy sense of oppression.
Before, although Lin Mu possessed the inheritances of three gods, he hadn't given her this kind of stifling feeling.
This proved that the god behind this new mark was far stronger than the original three gods.
"More than half a month ago, another god chose me as their successor. Presumably not wanting to offend this god, all three of the previous gods fled."
Lin Mu said this with complete nonchalance.
Any other soul master would be overjoyed to receive the inheritance of an elemental god.
But three elemental gods had chosen Lin Mu as their successor at the same time.
This made Lin Mu realize a crucial problem: none of the elemental gods' positions were truly suitable for him; he could only choose the path of creating his own.
Therefore, he felt no regret whatsoever about losing the inheritances of the three elemental gods.
Even if he hadn't been chosen as a successor by the God of Destruction, he still wouldn't have chosen to inherit from any of them.
Besides, when he was targeted by the three elemental gods, he wasn't happy; he felt more worried and annoyed, like a shiny prize being fought over.
If there had only been one elemental god, he might have considered it.
"You're such a pervert! So many gods are vying to choose you as their successor," Qian Renxue said irritably.
If Lin Mu were a stranger to her, she probably wouldn't be able to resist feeling deeply jealous.
Strictly speaking, her Angel God Trial was a family inheritance, while Lin Mu was the one who truly gained the recognition of the gods based on pure merit, and not just from one god either.
"How dare you call me a pervert? How am I more of a pervert than you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu began to torment this disobedient angel, fully intending to force her to admit her mistake.
Even when pinned down, Qian Renxue not only refused to admit her mistake but also tried her best to torment Lin Mu in return.
Since Lin Mu dared to call her a pervert, she would show him exactly what a pervert she could be.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Qian Renxue was about to reach the peak, her physical appearance suddenly changed.
The corners of her eyes turned up, giving her a much more sinister look.
Her lips shifted to a dark, alluring gold color, and her eyes were no longer holy, but rather seductive and cold.
Her hair color turned a bright, striking silver-white, making her look exactly like a succubus.
"What's going on?!"
Lin Mu's first thought was that Qian Renxue had been swapped out, but upon closer inspection, this woman's facial features were completely identical to Qian Renxue's.
Could this be the eighth trial of the Angel God?
If it were truly just a test of character, this dark side should only appear in her mental illusions, so why would it physically alter Qian Renxue's true form?
"Lin Mu, I'm guessing you have many questions, but those aren't important. I am merely her other side."
As she spoke, Dark Qian Renxue proactively wrapped her arms around Lin Mu's waist.
Her every smile and gesture exuded charm and raw allure, her temperament completely different from the bright, holy Qian Renxue he was used to.
Besides the stark difference in temperament, her personality was also somewhat different.
Simply put, the trial had unearthed a hidden, suppressed part of Qian Renxue's inner self, making her far more openly dependent on Lin Mu.
"It's a bit of a pity, I thought I could experience double the pleasure," Lin Mu said with slight disappointment.
Hearing this, Dark Qian Renxue rolled her eyes at him, thinking he had just been confused by her sudden appearance, but it turned out his mind was still entirely focused on such filthy things.
The two didn't exchange any more words and quickly continued their intense physical battle.
At the same time, Qian Renxue's original consciousness could perfectly perceive everything that was happening, but she could only watch helplessly from the inside.