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"Stop, stop, stop!"
Xuan Ming hastily raised his hands in surrender. "Xue'er, let's not circle back to that, all right? We'll talk about it later, I'll definitely make it up to you—promise. Right now we're discussing serious business: the future of the Douluo Federation."
Qian Renxue drew several sharp breaths, her chest heaving. She glared at Xuan Ming for a long moment, then stamped her foot hard and sat back down.
"Fine. Let's talk business."
"Let's talk about Douluo Star."
Though her emotions still surged, Qian Renxue's mind was perfectly clear when it came to serious matters.
"As everyone knows, four Divinities currently wield the greatest influence on Douluo Star."
She lifted several slender fingers and counted them off. "First, naturally, is you—the 'God of Death' who sent down Divine Punishment and overnight wiped out millions of troops from the Two Great Empires. Your fame is built on rivers of blood; no one dares disbelieve or defy you."
"Second is me, the Angel God. Spirit Hall's Foundation rests on faith in the Angel; millennia of Legacy have embedded it in every heart."
"Third is my… mother, Bibi Dong, the Asura God. Although she's ascended, her Mortal image remains the iron-fisted Empress."
"Fourth is Sea God Bo Saixi."
At this point Qian Renxue's brows drew together. "My mother doesn't care about worship, but what about the Sea God?"
"Bo Saixi keeps a low profile, yet Sea God Island's status among sea Spirit Masters is unshakable. And now you want me to lead the Douluo Federation—how do we solve the question of faith?"
"Are we going to have the inlanders worship the Angel God while the coastal folk worship the Sea God?"
"Isn't that just splitting the realm? Isn't that a seedbed for future wars?"
Her voice grew harsher. "You once taught me that differing faiths inevitably lead to war—it's human nature! If two evenly matched, independent belief systems exist inside the Federation, even with us holding them down now, centuries or millennia from now the Mortals below will still slaughter each other for the right to call themselves orthodox!"
"By then the so-called Douluo Federation will be nothing but a breeding ground for civil war!"
Xuan Ming listened in silence for a moment.
She was right; religious wars are often crueler and longer-lasting than wars over profit. Without unified belief the Douluo Federation could not endure.
"That problem is actually easy to fix."
"How? Are you going to kill Bo Saixi?" Qian Renxue arched a brow. "I wouldn't mind, but could you bear to?"
Xuan Ming rolled his eyes and ignored the jab. "Simple: just place me at the very top."
"You?" Qian Renxue blinked.
"Exactly." He nodded. "Whether it's the Sea God or the Angel God, at bottom they're both my subordinates now. I'm the Supreme God King, Lord of the God Realm, leader of every God."
"As long as every Mortal understands this—that the Angel God is my envoy and the Sea God my officer—they'll see that both represent merely different facets of the Supreme God's will."
"Since all worship flows from the same source, what essential difference does choosing one branch make?"
"It's like a single nation having a general for its army and an admiral for its navy. Farmers revere the general, fishermen the admiral—no conflict. Everyone knows both serve one Emperor."
"Once my absolute position as Supreme God is established, and the Angel God and Sea God reduced to attendant or guardian gods, the clash of faiths dissolves on its own."
Qian Renxue nodded thoughtfully, then frowned. "But if both factions remain, they'll still compete."
"Competition is good."
Xuan Ming smiled meaningfully. "If every voice were identical and every mind followed a single track, we'd have a stagnant pond. What vitality would humanity have then?"
"Within a unified framework, a measured, healthy rivalry drives civilization forward."
"The Angel Church and the Sea God Church can watch each other, each vying to contribute more to the Federation and to better fathom the Supreme God's intent. As long as the contest stays within bounds, it's not harmful—it's beneficial."
"Our task isn't to erase difference, but to harness it."
Xuan Ming walked up to Qian Renxue and took her hand.
"So, Xue'er, your task is a heavy one."
"You must not only oversee your Angel God Church but also learn how to coexist with the Sea God's faction—even harness their strength to expand the Federation."
"That is the true bearing of a God King."
Qian Renxue gazed at Xuan Ming, so close she could feel the confidence and dominance that bent others to his will, and the last trace of petty resentment in her heart finally melted away.
She had to admit that when this man spoke seriously of important matters, he was truly charismatic.
"Got it."
Qian Renxue slapped his hand away and gave a proud little snort. "I don't need you telling me what to do. Balancing factions? I have my methods."
"However..."
Her tone shifted, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. "Since you want to be that Supreme God, you'll need an impressive title. You can't have your subordinates simply calling you Xuan Ming, can you?"
"A title?"
Xuan Ming blinked; he had never considered the question.
Back in the Mortal realm they had called him "God of Death"; after becoming a God King the God Realm addressed him as "Your Majesty" or "Supreme God."
"What do you think?" he asked in return.
Qian Renxue's eyes spun, a wicked smile curving her lips.
"Since you love meddling and keeping everyone in your grasp... how about God of Creation and Order? It sounds awe-inspiring and will keep the masses in line."
"Creation and Order..."
Xuan Ming tasted the words and shook his head. "Too vulgar. Besides, I never created a World—I only patch things up."
"No need for fuss or deep meaning."
"A single word is enough."
"Sky."
"Sky?" Qian Renxue was stunned.
"Yes—Sky."
Xuan Ming turned, regarding her with a gaze that shimmered with an almost indifferent God. "Mortals don't need to know a God King's name, nor grasp concepts like order or creation—those ideas are too complex, too distant."
"They only need to know there is a sky above them."
He lifted a finger and pointed upward.
"People act; Sky watches."
"Heaven's mandate is hard—and impossible—to defy."
"That is the utmost awe," he said calmly. "Wherever Mortals stand, whatever God they worship, when they lift their eyes they see the sky. While they live, they dwell beneath it."
"I am that sky—omnipresent, supreme."
Qian Renxue stared at him, dumbstruck.
She had thought "Creation and Order" was arrogant, yet this man was far prouder than she'd imagined.
He had declared himself a concept incarnate.
No explanations needed, no reasoning required—Sky does not argue with Mortals; if Heaven had feelings, it would age. The Heavenly Dao is impartial, ever close to the good.
The present Xuan Ming was no longer the one who once weighed pros and cons with Mortals.
He was a true god—the Sky that sets rules and defines the World.
"Impressive as that sounds..."
Qian Renxue recovered, her expression turning odd. She looked him up and down, pointed at herself, and added with playful embarrassment,
"But don't you think it feels... strange?"
Xuan Ming frowned. "Strange how?"
"You are 'Sky'." She pointed to him, then to herself. "And I am the 'Angel God'."
"Angel... Heaven's messenger."
A faint blush tinted her cheeks, her eyes evasive. "By that logic... I'm your envoy? Yours?"
"And in the original meaning of the word, aren't angels those who... serve Heaven?"
Before, all called her "Angel God", the emissary of light.
But now that Xuan Ming had named himself "Sky", her title suddenly demoted her from an independent faith's chief deity to his personal... possession.
How did that feel?
A mortifying sense of total ownership—yet inexplicably... sweet?
Watching her sudden, shy embarrassment, Xuan Ming wondered if his own mind was out of date.
Why could she associate everything—and always twist it?