Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner...
At first, when that holy light began to envelop him, everything seemed so perfect and harmonious. The soft and dazzling white radiance was like agile flowing water, gently wrapping around Huo Yuhao's body, seeping into every inch of his skin and every cell thread by thread. He only felt a warm and powerful force, like a spring breeze brushing his face, slowly flowing through his entire body. Every pore was cheering and jumping for joy, greedily absorbing this holy power.
Under the baptism of this holy power, his body underwent an astonishing transformation. His muscles became firmer and more elastic, each piece containing endless power, as if able to easily tear through space. His bones were also continuously strengthening, emitting crisp and pleasant sounds, like an impassioned divine movement being played. His originally ordinary eyes now shone with a holy light, as if able to see through all the darkness and evil in the world. His long black hair was also gradually dyed with a faint layer of gold, fluttering in the wind like flowing sunlight.
As the inheritance ceremony progressed, the aura on Huo Yuhao's body became increasingly powerful. He could clearly feel that the power of the Angel God was deeply fusing with his soul. Every heartbeat resonated with the will of the god, as if his heart had become a resonator for the divine will. His every movement exuded a transcendent temperament, as if he were no longer a mortal, but a true deity descending.
However, the originally pure and flawless white light began to flicker unsteadily, occasionally flashing with a trace of eerie black. It was like a dark cloud suddenly drifting across a clear sky; although it was only a brief obscurity, it made one feel a trace of unease. The fluctuations of his power also became unstable.
Huo Yuhao's appearance also gradually changed. In his originally bright eyes, a trace of dark red light began to appear, revealing a crazy and bloodthirsty desire. His skin became pale as paper, as if having lost all its blood color. The ends of his golden hair also began to turn scarlet, with a few strands of blood-colored hair quietly mixing in, spreading wantonly like the tentacles of a demon god.
Huo Yuhao had been paying attention to the changes in his body. Although he had prepared himself mentally, seeing a transformation similar to a dark angel happening to his body still inevitably made his heart palpitate slightly.
At this time, outside his body, accompanied by a layer of black mist suddenly bursting open, the six great Dragon King soul bones and the Demon Tree King's left and right palm bones appeared around his body from within him and from the void respectively.
Under the infiltration of that divine power, each soul bone began to undergo strange changes. The soul bones were no longer in the shape of bones, but gradually melted, integrating with the surrounding light patterns, and gradually turned into a water-like state, transforming into a large pool of scarlet liquid, condensing into a giant blood sphere that floated a few meters in front of Huo Yuhao.
In the very next moment—
Tumbling bloody water poured out of that blood sphere, dyeing the space Huo Yuhao was in into a boundless sea of blood.
Huo Yuhao stood alone above the sea of blood. The sea of blood, thick as ink, surged wantonly, emitting a pungent, nauseating stench of blood. Every trace of the smell was like a materialized evil ghost, drilling straight into his nasal cavity.
The blood waves overlapped layer upon layer, baring fangs and brandishing claws like hideous giant beasts, and also like countless wronged souls roaring and howling in despair. That sound was like a blunt knife scraping against his nerves, making even his soul tremble uncontrollably.
The surroundings were dead silent. Only the sound of the blood waves crashing echoed continuously in this empty and eerie space, beat after beat, like life-urging drumbeats, pushing the gloomy and terrifying atmosphere to the extreme.
Having reached this point, it was clearly no longer what a normal Angel God inheritance would experience, but rather closer to the inheritance of the Rakshasa God.
In this seemingly solidified dead silence, the peace was instantly broken.
From beneath the sea of blood, countless pale hands suddenly reached out. That ghastly pale color was like rotting flesh that hadn't seen the light for a thousand years. The fingers were slender and twisted, like withered and decaying branches, fragile yet carrying an inexplicable toughness. The nails were sharp and pitch-black, flashing with a chilling cold light, as if quenched in deadly poison. These hands broke through the water at an extremely fast speed, bringing up strings of blood beads, shooting towards Huo Yuhao like Tang Sect hidden weapons.
Huo Yuhao was so frightened that his pupils shrank sharply, and he rapidly retreated backward.
While dodging these life-claiming hands, he rapidly pondered how to pass the test. But the densely packed hands were like a tide, wave after wave, leaving him almost nowhere to run. Every narrow escape left his back soaked in cold sweat. Suddenly, a hand drilled out from an angle he didn't expect and fiercely grabbed his ankle. The strength of that hand was immense, like an iron pincer, making Huo Yuhao feel a severe pain from his ankle, as if his bones were about to be crushed.
He struggled desperately, pouring out his soul power madly, and barely managed to break free from the restraint of this hand.
If Bibi Dong were here, I would definitely not be able to resist asking her: Is the Rakshasa God's test really this eerie and terrifying?
Just as he pulled back and continuously retreated, the surrounding scenery changed constantly once again—
At the end of a desolate wilderness, a palace stood alone. Its outer walls were built of ancient giant stones. The erosion of time had left the stones covered in mottled traces, as if silently recounting stories of the past. The main door of the palace was half-open, swaying gently in the breeze, making a creaking sound that echoed in the empty surroundings, adding a bit of desolation.
"This is..." Huo Yuhao looked around. He had no impression of this place whatsoever.
The floor of the palace was paved with smooth marble, but now it was covered in crisscrossing moss. The dome of the hall was extremely high, painted with exquisite murals, but due to the long passage of time, the colors had dimmed, and the faces of the figures had become blurry.
Huo Yuhao began to walk forward aimlessly. To successfully pass the test of this god position, he would probably have to figure out everything here.
On both sides of the hall were rows of tall pillars. The pillars were carved with exquisite patterns: flying dragons, auspicious beasts, and heroic deeds from ancient times. But at this moment, these carvings appeared exceptionally gloomy in the silent palace. Between the pillars, some huge vases were placed, painted with bright patterns, but now the vases were covered in cracks, some even incomplete, and the withered flower branches inside had long since turned to dust.
The entire palace was permeated with a stale aura, mixed with the smell of dust and decay. There was not a single human voice, not a trace of vitality. Only the occasional wind whistled through the empty palace, as if the palace itself was letting out its final sigh. Here, time seemed to have stopped, and everything was frozen in the past, leaving only this empty palace to silently witness the changes of time.
Is there no one here...
Huo Yuhao sighed. He had finally remembered what this place was.
This was the capital of the Eden Kingdom from six million years ago, once the most prosperous city on the continent. Millions of people had once lived here, praising the king's achievements day after day, living and working in peace and contentment.
Could the scenes in the test be taking place after that great disaster?
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but cast his gaze towards the throne. Then, as if discovering something, his whole body trembled.
Simply because, on that originally empty throne, a figure was currently sitting—
Although his eyes were like mysterious black holes in the night sky, deep and bottomless, the flames burning in his dark red pupils had lost their former scorching heat, leaving only exhaustion and sorrow.
His luxurious armor was equally in a mess. The ancient totems and mysterious runes of the Eden Kingdom embroidered with gold threads were destroyed by cracks, losing their former noble radiance.
"Are you... Lucifer?" Huo Yuhao's pupils slightly dilated, and his body involuntarily stepped back.
Lucifer's face remained unobservable, but with the faith of the Eden Kingdom's people, the only one qualified to sit on the throne was Lucifer himself.
"Has the spark of civilization... been left behind..." Lucifer seemed to be muttering to himself, raising his head to look at the dim sky.
The sky was very desolate. There wasn't even the sound of birds flying past and singing. Only the wind mixed with yellow sand constantly swirled up, attempting to bury this ancient city.
Seeing that he seemed lost in memories, Huo Yuhao didn't disturb him, just standing quietly to the side.
"Successor, are you willing to share a drink with me?"
At this time, Lucifer turned his gaze back to Huo Yuhao and suddenly asked.
"I'd be delighted." Huo Yuhao didn't stand on ceremony. He directly pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Lucifer.
At some unknown point, two cups made entirely of gold appeared in Lucifer's hands and were placed on the table.
"Actually, I don't like drinking." Huo Yuhao chuckled. "But since it's bestowed by the King, I naturally have no reason not to drink."
With that, he picked up the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.
The wine was very sweet, not inferior in the slightest to the fine wines he had drunk in his past life. From this, the superb winemaking skills during the Eden Kingdom era could be seen; it was just a pity that they had been lost on the Douluo Continent.
"Since you call yourself the Demon King, this King shall use this wine to ask a question." King Lucifer seemed very talkative. He raised his wine cup to Huo Yuhao and then drank it.
"Since you have witnessed the once prosperous kingdom, then in your eyes, what is a King?"
"Your Majesty intends to hear my words from the bottom of my heart?" Huo Yuhao hugged the wine jar on his own accord and continued to fill both their cups.
"Of course. Your caliber is an important factor in determining whether you are qualified to inherit the god position I established." Lucifer picked up the wine cup again, but didn't drink it directly. Instead, he held it in his hand and swirled it, letting the golden liquid inside refract an amber-like luster under the setting sun.
"In my hometown, there is a saying: the so-called King either dies for the state, or guards the nation's gates, sacrificing his life for an ideal." Huo Yuhao held his wine cup and smiled lightly. "Similarly, there are also those who enjoy their vested power, those who say 'why not eat meat porridge', living a life of pleasure, so carefree!"
"Oh? It seems the emperors of your world are largely identical but with minor differences to this King's predecessors." Lucifer examined the fine wine in his hand. "Then in your eyes, what kind of existence is this King considered to be?"
"Your Majesty is naturally a wise ruler of a generation," Huo Yuhao answered neither haughtily nor humbly. "Under your governance, the Eden Kingdom enjoyed unprecedented prosperity. It could be called a great miracle of humanity."
Lucifer didn't speak, just listening quietly.
"You are a king revered by the myriad people. Countless subjects were willing to sacrifice everything for this civilization from six million years ago, including their own lives." Huo Yuhao continued speaking, taking a sip of the fine wine.
"At the same time, you are also a brave hero, the King of Braves. You led your subjects to fight to the death against invading monsters, continuing the spark of Douluo civilization. It is admirable and lamentable."
"The King of Braves..." Lucifer carefully savored Huo Yuhao's words, forgetting to drink for a moment.
"Yes. If it were me, there is absolutely no way I could have done better than you. Facing that kind of enemy, just the courage to confront them is already rare and commendable." Huo Yuhao then drained the wine in his cup.
"If future generations knew of your actual deeds back then, they might feel that you were a slave to the so-called 'correctness', not at all a way a person should live, because in the end, the entire kingdom was annihilated."
"This is the deep-rooted bad habit carved into human bones. Facing a planet-destroying monster, what many people think of in the first place is to survive and flee with the people they care about."
"After becoming a king and ruling the country, I no longer extravagantly hoped to have the lifestyle of a normal person. A way of living solely to satisfy personal desires was not suitable for me." Lucifer sighed and once again drained the wine in his cup in one gulp.
"Therefore, you are a saint. Your heroic bearing is noble and inviolable," Huo Yuhao said sincerely.
"This was this King's choice, and the outcome of the devoted struggles of the subjects who followed me. So whether it is destruction or continuation, it is the inevitability of civilization. This King will shed tears for it, will feel heartache for it, but will absolutely not harbor half a bit of regret." Lucifer set down his wine cup, his gaze falling back onto Huo Yuhao.
"To deny my own actions would be to insult those subjects who created that era together with this King."
"Those later generations who style themselves as kings desire more power than anyone else, enjoy more pleasures, and whether good or evil, they reach the absolute pinnacle. Their ministers will feel envy towards the king, be captivated by him, making the king an object of admiration. How do you view this?"
Facing this question from Lucifer, Huo Yuhao fell silent.
This was undoubtedly the core test of the Demon God's god position: the understanding of the concept of a King.
A King is solitary and aloof, is that right or wrong?
Is it to become the King of the people of the world, or to be the King of ideals?
Lucifer also didn't rush to continue asking. Six million years ago, gods simply didn't exist on the Douluo Continent. The god position he established was actually a King empowered by faith, absolutely not a deity.
Perhaps the answer wasn't a multiple-choice question, but an interrogation of Huo Yuhao's inner heart.
He was neither a savior nor a conqueror.
Because he had once lived in a more advanced era, in that era, a red nation nurtured him, endowing him with more advanced thoughts.
There was once a great figure who raised his arms and shouted "Long Live" to a sea of celebrating people.
A King has always been pure, without any attached shackles.
King of Men, Emperor, Sage King, God King, Immortal King...
Those are not true Kings.
Huo Yuhao's eyes suddenly became broad-minded and clear. He abruptly stood up, grabbed the wine jar, and poured it directly into his mouth—
"The King bears the burden, the King grants permission, the King shoulders this world!"