"Sigh, you are all too weak. I might as well ascend to godhood before fighting you."
High above the sky, Chen Xiaoming's indifferent sigh echoed. Tang San, Qian Renxue, and Bibi Dong—three deities—were momentarily stunned. Too weak? He would ascend to godhood just to battle them?
On two nearby mountain peaks, groups of people and soul beasts watched the unfolding spectacle.
"Snow Empress, this guy is simply too infuriating! He hasn't even ascended, yet he tricked us into coming here."
A soul beast resembling an ice crystal scorpion clicked its small pincers repeatedly, as though snipping at something, speaking in clear irritation.
Beside it stood a humanoid soul beast sculpted from ice and snow. She remained silent, gazing at Chen Xiaoming with concern reflected in her eyes.
These two were none other than the Ice Empress and Snow Empress of the Extreme North.
Behind them stood two leopard soul beasts and their cubs—beasts that Chen Xiaoming was familiar with. The leopards, though wary, remained rooted in place. Even with the silver radiance bestowed by Chen Xiaoming shielding them from the oppressive aura of the hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, they could not help but feel a trace of unease.
Especially when Ice Empress's pincers kept clamping shut aggressively, her gaze toward Chen Xiaoming filled with indignation. The leopard soul beast had a nagging suspicion—had Chen Xiaoming wronged her in some way? The more it looked, the more it felt like those pincers were metaphorically cutting down a section of the Azurewood Tree.
While the leopards pondered, another mountain peak housed another group of spectators.
The Seven Shrek Devils, Grandmaster, Flender, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Tang Hao—all were present. This battle of deities was an unprecedented event in the continent's history, and they had come to witness it firsthand.
As Chen Xiaoming's words rang out, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and the others exchanged glances. They understood each other without speaking.
This tone, this style—this was undeniably Chen Xiaoming. The same old showboating braggart!
...
High above the skies.
Chen Xiaoming looked at the shocked Tang San, a faint smile playing at his lips. With a mere flicker of his figure, he soared higher.
"Xiao San, do you remember what I once told you about ascending to godhood?"
His voice, imbued with soul power, resonated across the sky. Tang San snapped back to reality, his expression shifting.
As the Sea God, he naturally understood the methods of godhood ascension. Seeing Chen Xiaoming's actions, he immediately realized what was about to unfold.
The process of inheriting a divine position required time, and there was no existing god's presence here. If Chen Xiaoming was speaking of ascending, there was only one method available—self-ascension.
The difficulty of self-ascension was something Tang San fully comprehended. His eyes gleamed with expectation as he focused on Chen Xiaoming, ready to witness his transformation.
"Hah, it is time."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Xiaoming summoned his system panel and glanced at his soul power level.
Ninety-ninth rank.
The peak of Titled Douluo. The only step left was to break past the hundredth rank and become a god!
Without hesitation, taking precautions, Chen Xiaoming unleashed a surge of silver radiance, momentarily stabilizing the surrounding space. He then extended a finger and pressed the upgrade option.
Boom!
In an instant, an overwhelming force poured into his body. Unlike soul power, this energy was akin to the divine power within Tang San and the others. Yet, the moment it entered him, it transformed into a silver radiance, enveloping his entire being.
From the outside, Chen Xiaoming appeared as a colossal sphere of light, radiating boundless brilliance that shook the fabric of space.
"He's truly ascending to godhood!"
Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue felt the surging divine power within the light and were left in shock. Self-ascension? How was that possible? Without the vast will of sentient beings, how could one possibly ascend?
But divine power could not be faked. The boundless brilliance emitting from the light bore the unmistakable nature of true divine energy.
"Stop him! He cannot be allowed to ascend!"
Bibi Dong's voice rang with urgency. Chen Xiaoming was already formidable as a mortal. If he truly became a god, how could they possibly contend with him?
Without hesitation, she charged forward. Her violet scythe erupted with divine light as she slashed at Chen Xiaoming with all her might.
"Hmph, not a chance!"
Tang San let out a cold snort. Just as he was about to intervene, he witnessed something startling. The moment Bibi Dong approached the silver radiance, it was as if she had crashed into an invisible iron wall. Her body was instantly halted and sent flying backward.
Tang San paused, gazing at Chen Xiaoming in the sky before breaking into a knowing smile. He recognized that silver light. His concerns eased.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaoming's body was undergoing a fundamental transformation. The ten-hundred-thousand-year soul bones within him shattered under the divine radiance, only to be reforged anew. Pieces of silver divine armor gradually manifested over his body.
From limb bones to skull, then to torso—the transformation continued, and with it, his strength surged exponentially.
Divine power infusion, body reconstruction, divine consciousness condensation—step by step, Chen Xiaoming saw his transformation nearing completion. Resolute, he tapped his upgrade panel three more times.
Instantly, his divine power ascended to First-Class God.
After breaking past the hundredth rank, his soul power had completely converted into divine power. Initially, his rank displayed as God Officer, then Third-Class God, Second-Class God, and finally, First-Class God.
The experience points required for advancement had only slightly increased, shifting from ten billion per level to fifteen billion.
Suddenly, a searing brilliance erupted, illuminating the surrounding ten thousand meters. An immense divine pressure swept across the land.
From the silver radiance, a towering silhouette emerged—a phantom identical to Chen Xiaoming, clad in gleaming silver godly armor, wielding a silver spear. His eyes shimmered with the collapse and rebirth of space itself, exuding boundless divine majesty.
"Not good!"
In an instant, Tang San descended toward the Shrek Seven Devils, unleashing his divine power. A vast sea-blue radiance formed above Dai Mubai and the others. Wielding his Sea God Trident, he swept out a golden-blue halo, shielding them from the divine suppression.
Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong, too, invoked their divine power, forming barriers to resist Chen Xiaoming's overwhelming might.
Meanwhile, Snow Empress, Ice Empress, and the others stood within the silver radiance. Unlike the others, they felt no harm. Instead, their foreheads bore a glowing silver Azurewood Tree imprint, filling them with an indescribable sense of comfort.
The divine silver radiance warped space. A figure, bathed in endless light, slowly emerged. Clad in silver divine armor, his eyes held the brilliance of world-breaking destruction. With a single step, the very space beneath him trembled, unable to bear his weight.
The sky shuddered as an immense spectral form loomed behind him, vast beyond comprehension. Divine majesty permeated every inch of the world as his voice echoed across existence:
"I, Chen Xiaoming, have ascended to godhood! Let all beings bow before me!"
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