"They say clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse, but your husband is the exception. Even a regular military uniform looks incredibly dashing on him," Xia Yi said, admiring himself in the mirror and nodding repeatedly in satisfaction.
"Alright, I get it—you're the most handsome man in the world, okay?" Leng Yaozhu, dressed in a light nightgown, rolled her eyes at him as she lay on the sofa. "Are you done showing off? Because if so, I need to talk to you about something serious."
"Something serious? What is it?" Xia Yi asked.
"I..." Leng Yaozhu parted her red lips, hesitated, and then said, "I want to create my own God Realm."
"What?" Xia Yi stumbled in surprise and had to steady himself against the wall.
"Create your own God Realm? Where did that idea come from?" Xia Yi looked at her, bewildered.
"What's with that look? Are you underestimating me?" Leng Yaozhu gave a cold snort and threw a cushion at Xia Yi from the sofa.
Xia Yi caught the cushion and walked behind her, placing his hands naturally on her alluring shoulders and gently massaging them. "How could I possibly underestimate my amazing Yaozhu? I'm just curious—why the sudden thought of creating a God Realm?"
"That's better." Leng Yaozhu closed her eyes, enjoying his massage. Only when his hands wandered did she swat them away.
"I've been stuck at the quasi-god level for a while now. To go further, I have to become a true god. But with the original God Realm gone, even if I ascend, I'd only be a third-rank god at best. And a third-rank god... isn't enough to save Douluo Continent." Her tone was calm but firm.
"What do you mean?" Xia Yi asked.
"I've been with the Blood God Legion for a while now and have fought the emperors from the upper ten levels of the Abyss more than once. Some of them have already reached god-level in specific domains. The current rules of Douluo Continent still suppress them heavily—just one extreme Douluo at the half-god level can push them back. But I can feel that each time they appear, the world's suppression on them weakens. I fear that one day, they'll fully descend in their strongest forms. They alone aren't the scariest part—it's the Abyssal Saint Lord behind them. His power is unfathomable," Leng Yaozhu said gravely.
"You fought the Abyssal Saint Lord?" Xia Yi asked.
"The last time I killed an Abyssal Monarch, it caused the Saint Lord to descend across worlds. Though it was only a wisp of his aura, his power clearly surpassed that of a third-rank god. If it hadn't been for the Blood God Formation being held by four extreme Douluos, the Blood God Legion might not even exist now." Her expression grew heavy. "Even if I reach third-rank godhood, if the Saint Lord comes in full form, Douluo Continent is doomed."
Even Guan Yue, observing from afar, felt that even without the God Realm, Leng Yaozhu had a good chance of ascending. But without it, she'd only reach third-rank godhood at most.
And a third-rank god... was no match for the Abyssal Saint Lord.
Leng Yaozhu took a deep breath and opened her eyes to look at Xia Yi. "So I want to create a new God Realm. During the process, Yulai and I can ascend to second or third-rank gods. But together, we can build a God Realm strong enough to help you and Yue'er break through to first-rank godhood—maybe even become God Kings."
Xia Yi was stunned. "You mean you two would sacrifice your own future to give Yue'er and me a chance?"
"I wouldn't call it a sacrifice. It's just that we may never surpass second-rank gods. But considering I once thought becoming a quasi-god was impossible, second-rank is already a luxury," Leng Yaozhu said quietly.
"No way!" Xia Yi shook his head firmly. How could he possibly agree to Leng Yaozhu and Yu Lai sacrificing their future?
"This is only a concept for now. How to actually do it still needs more exploration," Leng Yaozhu said calmly. "You don't agree now because you don't truly understand the horrors of the Abyss. But now that you're with the Blood God Legion, you'll get your chance. When you do, you'll change your mind. To prevent Douluo Continent from being devoured by the Abyss, giving up our future is nothing. I'm a soldier now. As a member of the Blood God Legion, I must do everything I can to prepare. As they say among the troops, even if I have to die on the battlefield, I won't hesitate."
Her expression was solemn, her gaze determined—she wasn't joking.
As Blood One of the Blood God Legion, she understood the terror of the Abyssal Plane better than anyone. She knew exactly what would happen if a full-scale invasion occurred—Douluo Continent couldn't afford to lose.
"Don't say stuff like that—it won't be that bad," Xia Yi pulled her into his arms and rubbed her fiery red hair. "It's just the Abyssal Plane. Trust your man. He won't need you two to sacrifice yourselves—one slap in the future, and he'll squash that so-called Saint Lord."
"I'm not a child. Don't use the same coaxing tricks you use on Yue'er," Leng Yaozhu pushed his wandering hand away again, then leaned into his embrace with a soft sigh. "Of course I believe in you. But as Blood One, I want to be prepared. In a war between worlds, Douluo Continent can't afford to lose."
Then she slowly raised her jade-like hand, and nine flame-shaped droplets appeared at her fingertips.
This was the True Phoenix Flame. As a half-god, she could only conjure seven droplets. Now she could summon nine.
Each drop held tremendous power—enough to threaten even a quasi-god.
Xia Yi noticed that two of the nine flames had dark purple oval crystals sealed inside. Even within the flames, the crystals flickered ominously.
Leng Yaozhu explained, "These are Plane Seeds from the Abyssal Plane. There are 108 layers in the Abyss, and each Abyssal Monarch carries a seed. These seeds return energy to the Abyss upon death, allowing them to be reborn. I sealed these two to prevent that. If I destroy them, I could collapse two layers of the Abyss. That's why the Saint Lord risked everything to attack me last time."
Xia Yi observed the flames. The two flames that sealed the seeds looked clearly different.
"No need to look. I integrated my understanding of the River Diagram and Luo Book into those two flames. Otherwise, they couldn't hold the Plane Seeds," Leng Yaozhu said with a smile. "That cauldron you used in the trial was special too—it could seal possession demons."
The Blood God Legion had fought the Abyss for thousands of years and knew that the creatures couldn't be truly killed. Their energy always returned to the Abyss to be reborn.
They'd tried everything to seal them and stop this cycle—but nothing ever worked. The plane's power always recalled them.
Without Leng Yaozhu's success in sealing Plane Seeds, if Xia Yi had suddenly sealed a possession demon, the Blood God Legion's upper ranks would've interrogated him immediately.
"That was the Earth Cauldron I forged in Star Luo City. It was built based on my understanding of the River Diagram and Luo Book," Xia Yi said, shaking his head with a helpless smile. "You're planning to use these Plane Seeds to build your own God Realm, right? Alright—I'll help you. But don't talk about sacrificing your future. My Yaozhu is going to become a goddess emperor who makes her man live a life of leisure forever. How could I let you give up your future?"
"Why are you so obsessed with being a kept man?" Leng Yaozhu facepalmed, exasperated.
"Older women are gold—three years older, you strike gold. Thirty years older, she hands you a kingdom," Xia Yi chuckled.
"I don't have a kingdom to give you," Leng Yaozhu glared at him. Unsatisfied, she raised her dainty foot and gave him a good kick.
(End of Chapter)