Chapter 116: Invitation to Spar, Divine Battle
The azure divine light gradually withdrew, receding into the Xue Di's body like a tide. Behind her, that dark blue divine ring, its edges flowing with faint golden patterns, rotated slowly, radiating a vast divine might that could freeze eternity.
The sky of the Far North Land returned to its usual pallor, but the ultimate cold and holy pressure permeating between heaven and earth announced that a deity in charge of ice and snow had officially returned to her position.
The Xue Di slowly lowered her head, looking at her hands, which seemed to be carved from eternal ice crystals. She felt the surging divine power within her that could summon the frost of heaven and earth with a single thought. The excitement on her cold and peerless face gradually subsided, replaced by a deep immersion and realization of a brand-new realm.
With a smile on his face, Lei Chen took a step forward. Space seemed to lose its meaning beneath his feet as he instantly arrived before the Xue Di.
"Congratulations. From now on, you are the rightful ruler of ice and snow on this plane, a First-rank Deity—the Ice God." Lei Chen's voice carried heartfelt praise and affirmation. "A million years of accumulation, bursting forth in an instant to enter the First-level God realm—such an achievement is rare even across the universe."
Hearing this, the Xue Di recovered from her realization of power. Facing Lei Chen, she performed an extremely solemn ancient salute—a ritual used by the Soul Beasts of the Far North Land to show respect to a supreme existence. Her voice was clear and full of sincerity:
"The Plane Master overpraises me. That I, the Xue Di, could take this final step is entirely thanks to you blocking that certain-death Heavenly Tribulation for me. The grace of your protection is like a second birth. This kindness and friendship, I shall never forget throughout the ages."
Lei Chen accepted the salute calmly, then waved his hand, saying in a peaceful tone, "There is no need for such formality between us. Your success was fundamentally due to your foundation and perseverance; I merely cleared the obstacles on the road ahead."
The Xue Di straightened up, an imperceptible trace of doubt flashing in her ice-blue eyes. She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows, seemingly sensing something carefully.
After a moment, she looked up at Lei Chen and said with a somewhat uncertain tone, "Plane Master, when I was stabilizing my God Position just now, I vaguely had a strange feeling..."
"Besides the Power Of Faith gathered from the subjects of the Far North Land, in... in a place very far away, seemingly beyond the boundaries of this plane, there seemed to be extremely faint but qualitatively similar fluctuations of thought, vaguely pointing towards me—or rather, pointing towards the concept of 'Ice'..."
Hearing this, Lei Chen did not show any surprise. Instead, a knowing smile appeared on his face. He nodded and confirmed, "Your perception is not wrong. Those faint thoughts do indeed exist, and they do not come from this plane."
He paused, looking into the Xue Di's eyes, which had become even deeper, and explained in detail:
"Those are faiths from other planes. Not all intelligent beings reside in our plane. The universe is vast, and planes are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges."
"In those distant worlds, there are also tribes or civilizations that believe in ice and snow, fear the winter, or even directly worship the concept of the 'Ice God'."
"Otherwise, with only the Soul Beasts of the Far North Land, their numbers and the purity of their faith might support a third-rank god position, but it would be impossible to forge and maintain a complete First-level God."
Lei Chen looked at the Xue Di and pointed out the key:
"Bi Ji treated the Star Dou Great Forest and even some of the allied soldiers. The faith she gained was not small, but it could only forge a third-rank god position. The number of Soul Beasts in the Far North Land is less than that of Star Dou, and the total amount of faith is even smaller."
"The reason the Ice God could become a First-rank Deity is precisely because before her ancient fall, her faith and reputation had already spread beyond this plane to other planes that also had icy environments."
"Those faint prayers coming from distant time and space are the proof. This is similar to the situation with my Thunder God Position. The faith of truly ancient deities often exists across planes."
Hearing this, a look of realization immediately appeared on the Xue Di's face.
So that was it!
The reason she could achieve a First-level God in one go, besides the inheritance of the heart of the ice god and her own million-year accumulation, was also due to this ancient faith from unknown worlds that crossed the plane barriers as one of its foundations.
This gave her a deeper understanding of the origin and heritage of her God Position.
The Xue Di understood completely.
Feeling that faint but real bond of faith from an endless distance, a sense of respect for the ancient Ice God rose in her heart. At the same time, she realized more clearly what the name 'Ice God' she carried on her shoulders meant.
She bowed slightly to Lei Chen again: "Thank you, Plane Master, for clearing my doubts. I understand now."
"These are just small matters." Lei Chen smiled indifferently. Then, a hint of hard-to-detect interest appeared in his gaze as he looked at the Xue Di, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"Speaking of which, Xue Di, you have just ascended to the First-level God realm. With such a large leap in power, you must still need to familiarize yourself with the use of your authority. How about it? Are you interested in sparring with me? It would also allow you to truly experience how the power of a First-level God should be wielded."
Hearing this proposal, the Xue Di's eyes, which were like a ten-thousand-year-old cold pool, instantly lit up, as if ice-blue flames were dancing within them.
Indeed, just as Lei Chen said, she had jumped directly from the peak of a demigod to a First-level God with almost no transition in between. Vast power filled her body; although she could feel its immensity, she truly needed actual combat to temper and verify how to use it as easily as her own fingers and how to exert the authority of the Ice God's Position to its limit.
And what better way was there than to spar with this unfathomable Plane Master, who was also a First-rank Deity, Lei Chen?
Thinking of this, she suppressed her eagerness and maintained proper etiquette, but her tone already revealed clear interest and expectation. Her cold voice carried a hint of solemnity:
"It is my honor that the Plane Master is willing to personally guide me. It is exactly what I desire, though I did not dare to ask. I can take this opportunity to familiarize myself with the power of my God Position and consolidate what I have gained from this breakthrough."
Lei Chen was very satisfied with the Xue Di's reaction and laughed loudly: "Good! Then let's do it right here. Let loose and show me exactly how much style the reborn Ice God has!"
As his voice fell, streaks of lightning bloomed around Lei Chen's body. Although he didn't intentionally release his pressure, an invisible aura had already spread out, solidifying the surrounding space by several degrees.
The Xue Di's eyes also narrowed. The dark blue divine light behind her flared up intensely, and ultimate coldness spread out with her as the center. The ice peak beneath her feet made an overburdened 'crack' sound, and the ten-thousand-mile snowy plains seemed to respond to their deity's fighting spirit.
A contest between First-Rank Deities was about to unfold on this Peak of the Extreme North.
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