Immediately afterward, a brilliant green light appeared before Jiang Qingtong. The silhouette of the Goddess of Life slowly manifested within the glow. She looked gently at Jiang Qingtong and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the Goddess of Life from the God Realm."
"Goddess of Life?"
Judging from this woman's dramatic arrival—combined with the God of Destruction's earlier appearance—Jiang Qingtong had already more or less guessed her identity. But she still didn't understand why the Goddess of Life would suddenly appear right in front of her.
The Goddess of Life gazed softly at Jiang Qingtong and said in a warm voice, "Little one, I know you and your brother have suffered unfair treatment—something absolutely forbidden by the laws of the God Realm! In order to uphold justice, I can grant you the power to resist them. Are you willing to inherit my god position?"
Having a God King personally offer a god position—this was something rarer than a miracle!
But Jiang Qingtong spread her hands and replied, "I don't have a life-attribute martial soul. I'm afraid I'm not compatible with your god position."
The Goddess of Life shook her head. "Do not worry. I can bestow upon you a divine martial soul—one containing incomparably powerful life energy. As long as you cultivate it to the seventh ring, you may begin the godhood inheritance ritual!"
Jiang Qingtong frowned upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, she raised her hands and summoned a Mirror Lotus.
The lotus petals shimmered with multiple colors—
the blue of the Spirit Eyes,
the icy green of the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion,
the brilliant scarlet of the Fire Phoenix,
the dazzling radiance of the Golden Dragon,
and the deep purple of the Purple Radiant Sky-Extinguishing Dragon.
She was now a seven-ring Soul Sage, and aside from her martial soul avatar, she still had one more slot to inscribe an additional martial soul.
Seeing all the martial souls attached to the Mirror Lotus, the Goddess of Life widened her eyes in astonishment. "My, my—so many martial souls? Can someone from the Douluo Continent really possess martial souls like these?"
"The mysteries of martial souls are endless. Even gods may not have seen all of them."
Jiang Qingtong returned calmly. She then withdrew the Mirror Lotus and said,
"So, Goddess of Life, I don't need you to give me a life-attribute martial soul. I already have enough martial souls. Besides… surely your god position doesn't have to be inherited by me, right?"
Jiang Qingtong deliberately said this.
Upon hearing it, the Goddess of Life shook her head firmly.
"No! The god position of Life must be yours! Because Little Purple—
the God of Destruction—plans to pass his god position to your older brother.
Therefore, you have to inherit mine!"
Older brother…
Jiang Qingtong's eyelid twitched slightly. She suddenly asked,
"So even if I don't have a life-attribute martial soul, it doesn't matter?"
"I already told you—I will give you a life martial soul! You needn't worry…"
The Goddess of Life shook her head anxiously, her tone urgent, as if afraid Jiang Qingtong might refuse.
She wanted desperately to make up for her previous mistake: believing Tang San too easily and allowing him to seal off the Douluo Continent.
People make mistakes when they panic—
and even gods are no exception.
Whether in Legend of the Tang Sect or now, the Goddess of Life had never seemed particularly wise.
She was more like a god who simply drifted with the tide.
Jiang Qingtong raised her hand and declined. "A martial soul… I'll find one myself. Instead, let's discuss other matters."
A god-bestowed martial soul sounded great—but receiving one would mean binding herself to its giver on a deep level. Jiang Qingtong never liked placing her safety entirely in someone else's hands, not even the Goddess of Life, who symbolized peace and kindness.
Who knew whether a god-bestowed martial soul might affect her body?
If something went wrong during the final battle, she'd have nowhere to cry.
"Find a martial soul… yourself?"
The Goddess of Life was stunned.
Could martial souls really be found?
Those martial souls attached to the Mirror Lotus—
were they all something Jiang Qingtong had personally acquired
rather than something innately attached to the Mirror Lotus?
The Goddess of Life pondered, but her descent into the mortal world was limited. She quickly asked, "What other requests do you have?"
"The God of Destruction gave my brother a Destruction Heart.
Can you give me a Heart of Life?"
Jiang Qingtong looked directly at the Goddess of Life and made her request.
If they wanted her to inherit the god position, she should at least get something in return.
It wasn't her idea to inherit the position in the first place.
Wanting benefits when forced into something—
such was Jiang Qingtong's philosophy, and she didn't feel it was unreasonable.
Upon hearing the request, the Goddess of Life let out a breath of relief. She'd feared Jiang Qingtong might ask her to raise her cultivation directly to the rank of an Ultimate Douluo—that would violate God Realm laws.
But giving her a Heart of Life?
That was well within acceptable boundaries.
As long as Jiang Qingtong became her successor, she would be allowed to bestow it.
The Goddess of Life raised her hand. Verdant light gathered in her palm, where a tiny green tree sprouted. From the little tree grew a single fruit.
She handed the fruit to Jiang Qingtong and said,
"This contains extremely concentrated life energy—enough to rival… no, even surpass the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Forest! Take good care of it. From this moment on, you are my successor."
Jiang Qingtong accepted the fruit.
The Goddess of Life looked at her and solemnly reminded her:
"Remember—find a life-attribute martial soul as soon as possible.
Once you break through to the Ultimate Douluo realm,you may inherit my god position at any time…"
"Don't worry. I'll find an appropriate martial soul soon."
Jiang Qingtong nodded. She already had someone in mind.
The Goddess of Life let out a breath.
"I cannot stay any longer, or Tang San will detect me.
From here on… everything depends on you two.
Do not disappoint Little Purple and me."
With those final words, the Goddess of Life vanished.
As the green-gold light faded, time resumed, and everyone in the research institute began moving again.
Xuan Ziwen saw Jiang Qingtong standing motionlessly, holding a strange yet vibrantly alive-looking fruit. He frowned and asked,
"Qingtong, tired? Want to take a break?"
To Xuan Ziwen, Huo Yuhao could be worked like three people in one—but Jiang Qingtong absolutely could not.
Little junior sisters were meant to be cherished.
From the distance, Jing Hongchen heard his voice and called out,
"Qingtong, go rest!"
Seeing the concern in their eyes, Jiang Qingtong didn't pretend otherwise.
"Alright. Then I'll rest for a bit. Senior Brother, do you know where Dean Gu is right now?"
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