As the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body emitted a gigantic golden soul ring, the entire space instantly froze in place.
At the same time, Yang Podi's body turned golden, and eight blood-red soul rings appeared around him. Under an immensely powerful force, the golden soul ring gradually settled onto Yang Podi's body.
Immediately, it felt as if boundless soul power surged into Yang Podi, filling every inch of his flesh, every cell in his body. His entire being seemed to be undergoing a complete transformation under this energy.
At this moment, Yang Podi felt as though his body had broken through a certain limit.
The changes to his soul bones were even more dramatic. His eight soul bones, originally at the 100,000-year level, all manifested on their own without being summoned, forming a suit of armor.
These eight soul bones had come from eight different soul beasts, and as a result, they had always contained a certain level of repulsion toward each other—both between the bones themselves and between the bones and his martial soul.
But now, his eight soul bones suddenly began to crack apart, as if being forcibly ripped from his body. It felt like he was undergoing a process of refinement through endless suffering, as though his flesh was being peeled away and his bones dismantled. The pain burrowed deep into his soul.
All of a sudden, Yang Podi felt his entire being shifting into a peculiar state. It was as if he was witnessing his past and present lives unfold before his eyes.
Within this illusory space, Yang Podi saw the moment of his own birth—the instant he had entered this world. He saw the overwhelming joy on his parents' faces, their youthful appearances barely able to contain their excitement and happiness.
Next, he saw the moments of love shared between himself, Qian Renxue, and Ye Lingling—their first encounters, first meetings, and first moments together, each one filled with deep affection.
As time passed, his past and present lives flashed by like a kaleidoscope, making him feel as if he was reliving two lifetimes at once. He felt as though his entire soul was sinking into the depths of his own memories.
Every emotion and sensation seemed to be magnified countless times. Yang Podi understood clearly that he was being subjected to the trial of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires. He had to overcome this ordeal, or he would never be able to truly step beyond this final threshold.
At that moment, two voices suddenly echoed within his mind. These voices sounded urgent, as if calling out to him, or perhaps trying to convey something important.
It was unclear how much time had passed when Yang Podi's body began to emit radiant, flowing light. On both his Soul Breaking Spear and his golden full-body martial soul, his tenth soul ring gradually began to form.
However, perhaps due to a lack of energy, these two golden soul rings only partially materialized, appearing fragile and incomplete, as though they might scatter at any moment.
The voices in his mind grew clearer and more distinct.
"Yang Podi, with my power alone, I cannot help you form three million-year soul rings simultaneously. Even without soul bones, it is impossible. You need more energy."
Yang Podi's consciousness sharpened, and he realized that he had already crossed more than half of the threshold to Rank 100, yet he still couldn't fully step over it.
At that moment, his soul tool suddenly activated, and from it flew out a golden orb—the very drop of divine blood he had obtained from beneath the Star Luo Empire's royal palace.
He had acquired two of these drops of divine blood back then—one of which he had already given to Qian Renxue, leaving him with only this final drop.
The divine blood slowly floated above Yang Podi's head, beginning to dissolve and transform into limitless energy, merging into his body.
As the divine blood flowed into him, his last two golden soul rings finally took shape, becoming fully solidified.
But at that moment, Yang Podi's body suddenly underwent a terrifying change. His entire being was overflowing with energy, far surpassing what his physical body could endure. His very existence seemed on the verge of collapse.
Behind him, two massive apparitions emerged—one was a colossal Deep Sea Demon Whale, while the other was an enormous, sinister eye. These were the souls of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King and the Evil Emperor, though at this moment, they existed only as spiritual entities without true physical form.
During Yang Podi's breakthrough, the souls of both beings had undergone countless refinements, elevating them to a level close to divine souls.
Yet now, they were deeply worried about Yang Podi's condition. After all, he was their current vessel—if Yang Podi's body collapsed, then they too would perish without a trace.
At this moment, the Evil Emperor suddenly spoke.
"What's going on? He clearly already broke through Rank 100—so why does it look like his body is about to fall apart? Didn't you also just advance to a million-year level? Why aren't you collapsing?"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King pondered for a moment before replying slowly,
"The difference between soul beasts and humans is greater than I imagined. Yang Podi may have crossed Rank 100, but he still lacks a divine position and a divine weapon—he has no vessel to carry his divine power."
"Moreover, after absorbing my soul ring, his strength has grown far beyond what I expected. I believe that for him, achieving godhood is only the beginning, not the end."
Yang Podi fully understood his own situation.
With the five elemental soul rings—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—all gathered, all of his soul rings had undergone a fundamental transformation, seemingly breaking through an ancient taboo. This taboo exceeded the limits of his mortal body.
To truly transcend, he needed a divine weapon.
Realizing this, Yang Podi clenched his teeth and reached for his Asura Demon Sword—the only divine weapon he currently possessed.
He then soared upward, landing atop the Golden Ancient Tree. Only the unparalleled life force of this tree could sustain his body's continuous evolution.
As soon as he grasped Asura Demon Sword, a torrential aura of slaughter surged through his entire being, making it feel as if he was about to be torn apart.
At the same time, the Golden Ancient Tree's immense life force flowed into him, supporting his rapid transformation.
Faced with the endless killing intent, Yang Podi slowly began to lose himself, his very essence seeming to merge with the Asura Demon Sword.
Even his consciousness began to fade into oblivion.
—God Realm, Asura God's Palace—
The Asura God and Sea God had been deep in conversation.
However, at that moment, the Asura God suddenly felt his body undergo an inexplicable change, as if something had escaped his control.
The Sea God looked at him in surprise. "Asura God, what's wrong? I sense that something is off with you."
But the Asura God ignored him. His eyes radiated boundless divine light, scanning the entire cosmos.
When his gaze locked onto Douluo Star, specifically upon his Asura Demon Sword, he suddenly burst into wild laughter.