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..."You couldn't possibly... be interested in that little girl, could you?"
Not long after walking out of the Tang Sect base, Qian Renxue couldn't help but nudge Xuan Ming with her elbow, her face full of suspicion and jealousy.
Xuan Ming stopped and looked at her with a look of utter confusion. "How does your brain even work? Why would I be interested in her? She's Tang San's descendant! By seniority, I could be her ancestor's ancestor!"
"Tch, men."
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes and pointed toward the Tang Sect. "One second you're all serious saying 'Divinities won't interfere in Mortal revolutions' and 'this is humanity's own business.' And then? The next second you give that priceless deep sea crystal to her!"
"That's a divine object that even a Limit Douluo would dream of! You just tossed it over like you were throwing a stone. If that's not playing favorites, what is?"
"If it wasn't because you saw how pretty that little girl is, would you be this generous?"
Xuan Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
This woman's ability to make associations was truly a Divine Rank talent.
"Xue'er, let's be reasonable, okay?"
Xuan Ming spread his hands helplessly. "I gave her the deep sea crystal purely because I'm interested in that big guy."
"Think about it, a mecha designed by Mortals, a Fusion of ten thousand years of Hidden Weapons wisdom and the latest spirit tool technology, that can even threaten a Divine Officer. Isn't that worth seeing?"
"I want to see what that thing looks like when it really moves. And... if it really succeeds, I might want to build a few for fun myself."
"Build a few for fun?" Qian Renxue's eyes widened.
"Yeah."
Xuan Ming said solemnly, "Gods have to keep up with the times too. Look at how fast Mortal technology is developing now. They can even create weapons that rival Divinities. If we Gods stay stuck tens of thousands of years in the past, only knowing how to throw skills and clash with divine force all day, wouldn't we just be waiting to be phased out?"
Qian Renxue rolled her eyes.
"A sense of crisis? You?"
She pointed at Xuan Ming's nose and said crossly, "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about yourself? A piece of scrap metal that can fight a Divine Officer at most—and even then, it's like scratching an itch—could give you a sense of crisis?"
"Are you kidding me?"
"Forget Divine Officers; even most First-level Gods, what difference is there between them and Mortals in front of you? You could crush a whole bunch of them with a flick of your finger."
"In this Universe, those qualified to have a so-called 'battle' with you must at least be at the God King level. And they'd have to be the veteran God Kings who have mastered core Laws and have deep foundations."
"As for these so-called 'God-Slaying Spirit Tools'..."
Qian Renxue curled her lip disdainfully. "They're nothing more than an energy outburst piled up by relying on the current upgrade of Douluo Star, which has birthed a large amount of high-energy Ores and Heaven And Earth Treasures."
"They are still within the rules. But every First-level Main God is an existence that stands above the rules, even controlling the power of Laws."
"Laws against energy—that's a dimensional strike."
"These Mortal tricks can at most threaten those Second-level Divinities who haven't even figured out the threshold of Laws. Their peak is destined to be below First-level Divinities."
"Just this? Is it worth you, the Primal God, 'learning' from it?"
Facing Qian Renxue's complaints, Xuan Ming didn't argue. He just smiled slightly, his gaze becoming deep.
"What if?"
"Xue'er, don't underestimate Mortal wisdom, and certainly don't underestimate the word 'evolution'."
"Tens of thousands of years ago, humans only knew how to fight with sticks and stones; ten thousand years ago, they were still using cold weapons and Spirit Abilities to brawl; and now, they can already create 'Heavens Punishment,' a weapon that can threaten a Divine Officer."
"Who knows what it will develop into in the future?"
"Maybe in tens of thousands of years, they'll be able to create weapons that slay First-level Gods? Or even... Law weapons targeted at God Kings?"
There was no worry in Xuan Ming's tone; instead, there was a hint of anticipation.
"If Gods become complacent and stuck in their ways, how are they any different from those old fogies waiting to die?"
"My strength isn't just because I stand at the peak now, but because... I will always stay ahead of everyone else."
"Whether it's power, the Realm, or... vision."
Qian Renxue looked at the man before her.
At this moment, he didn't have that Divine Might that oppressed all living beings, yet he radiated a heart-stirring wisdom and composure.
This was the man she had fallen in love with.
Even standing at the pinnacle of the Universe, he still maintained curiosity about the unknown and reverence for the future.
"Fine, fine, fine, you're right, I can't win an argument with you."
Qian Renxue took his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Just as long as you don't bring back some 'Mecha Girl.' Otherwise, Xiao Wu will definitely dismantle that pile of scrap metal and sell it for scrap."
Xuan Ming laughed. "What are you thinking?"
"What am I thinking? You didn't even let a rabbit go, what else can I think?" Qian Renxue looked speechless.
"Aren't you a bird person too? Your mother is a spider, Nana is a fox, and then there's the snake, Dragon, and cat... isn't our whole family just human-beasts?"
"..."
"Can you change the adjective?"
...Time passed, and another year went by.
The situation on Douluo Star had undergone earth-shaking changes in just this one short year.
Originally, relying on the deterrence of that "Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus," Huo Yuhao and the Tang Sect could barely maintain a delicate balance, making the Federation and the Church hesitate.
However, fortresses are often breached from within.
A traitor emerged within the Tang Sect. A high-ranking Elder named "An Ya," out of fear of the Federation's reckoning and despair over the Tang Sect's seemingly bottomless resource consumption, ultimately chose betrayal.
He sold the top-secret intelligence—that the Tang Sect had long since exhausted its supplies and was completely unable to create a second Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus—to the Federation Intelligence Bureau for a high price.
This news instantly ignited the greed and killing intent that the Federation's upper ranks had suppressed for so long.
To verify the authenticity of the intelligence, the Federation didn't launch a full-scale attack immediately. Instead, they sent an extremely rare space-attribute Limit Douluo to lead a fully armed ace soul tool mecha regiment on a tentative 'decapitation strike' against a Tang Sect branch.
That battle was tragic in the extreme.
Although the Tang Sect resisted with all its might, without top-tier strategic deterrence and facing a surprise attack from a space-attribute powerhouse, they were powerless to change the outcome. The branch was annihilated with heavy casualties, and Huo Yuhao and the others were forced to abandon most of their strongholds and flee into the deep mountains in a sorry state.
The result of this battle allowed the Federation to completely confirm the truth of that intelligence.
That terrifying paper tiger had finally been punctured.
Immediately afterward, those semi-god level Old freaks who had been in seclusion for hundreds or even thousands of years deep within the Federation began to emerge.
Dressed in magnificent vintage robes and holding staves symbolizing power, they stood on the high platforms of the Federation Council, hypocritically claiming they had received the latest instructions from 'Heaven' to act on its behalf and thoroughly eradicate the Tang Sect, which they called 'heretics who create slaughter weapons.'
However, this was nothing more than a self-deceiving trick.
For thousands of years, ever since the Angel Temple and Sea God Island were sealed and divine miracles no longer appeared, these old guys standing at the peak of Mortals had long lost their reverence for so-called 'Gods.'
In their view, the current Douluo Federation already possessed 'Heavens Punishment,' a weapon capable of slaying Gods. Gods? If they didn't descend, then fine; but if they really dared to descend, they would just be slightly more powerful creatures.
If truly pushed, they'd even show you that they can kill a God!