Chapter 420: Why Does It Feel Like I’m Being Rushed?

After another uneventful week in the Star Dou Forest, Qian Renxue finally awakened.

"Xue'er, you're back to normal now?" Upon hearing the news, Qian Ran rushed to the Lake of Life, joining Gu Yuena and Qian Renxue. Among the women in his life, Qian Renxue held a special place in his heart.

It wasn't just because she was the strongest person by his side but also because of their deep connection and history.

Having known her the longest, Qian Ran was deeply attached to Qian Renxue. With her Angelic Godhood, she also gave him a profound sense of awe and admiration.

Of course, this meant Qian Ran couldn't inherit the Angelic Godhood himself. But his Martial Soul had already surpassed the potential of the Angelic God.

Qian Ran's Angelic Martial Soul had potential that could rival or even exceed the highest-level gods.

"Almost fully recovered," Qian Renxue replied confidently, a radiant smile lighting up her face. "If I only wanted to regain my Angelic God powers, it would be easy. But with the Silver Dragon King's help, I've decided to nurture Electrolux's divine fragment further before fusing it."

Her tone brimmed with certainty.

For her, merely returning to her old strength as an Angelic God was meaningless.

She aimed to become not only the Angelic God but also the Death God.

The fusion of these two near-first-tier divine powers would elevate her to a God-King-level deity.

"Congratulations." Gu Yuena's surprise was evident.

Qian Renxue's talent was extraordinary.

Divine fusion was an incredibly difficult process. If it were simple, the Divine Realm would have long descended into chaos from gods stealing and merging each other's divine powers.

Perhaps Qian Renxue's success lay in her unique circumstances—her Angelic Godhood was already in a fragmented state, and she was dealing with Electrolux, a diminished remnant of a once-powerful entity. Like breaking everything into pieces before rebuilding, this situation allowed the two divine powers to merge successfully.

Even Gu Yuena hadn't expected Qian Renxue to achieve this.

Gu Yuena knew that humans' ingenuity, not just their cruelty, was the primary reason for the soul beasts' decline.

Soul beasts might possess intelligence comparable to or surpassing humans, especially after reaching higher cultivation levels.

However, their disunity and lack of collective effort rendered that intelligence meaningless.

In contrast, humans built entire industries around their soul tools. The sheer number of participants in this collective endeavor ensured steady technological advancement.

Meanwhile, soul beasts, relying on a handful of scattered ten-thousand-year beasts, couldn't even begin to climb the "technology tree." Mining alone—a prerequisite for crafting soul tools—was beyond their capacity.

Even with their intelligence, soul beasts lacked the infrastructure to compete.

But once they applied their intellect to human technologies, they had the potential to become advanced soul engineers almost overnight.

"I think I'll need only a few years, maybe ten at most, to ascend again—and this time, I'll be far stronger," Qian Renxue told Qian Ran, her tone filled with determination.

"It seems I need to start training seriously too," Gu Yuena mused, her silver eyes flashing.

The arrival of Qian Renxue and Qian Ran reignited her confidence. Since retreating to the Lake of Life, she had willingly suppressed much of her strength to avoid being detected by the Divine Realm.

But now, she wanted to regain her peak strength as quickly as possible.

"And you," Qian Renxue said, turning to Qian Ran with a teasing smile. "You better start training seriously too."

"You don't need to worry about him," Gu Yuena interjected with a sly smile. "With his abilities, I can guarantee he'll reach the level of an Ultimate Douluo within ten years."

Her confidence stemmed from Qian Ran's unique ability to replicate soul rings and soul bones from soul beasts.

As the leader of the soul beasts, Gu Yuena could easily arrange for figures like Zi Ji, Rui Beast, and Bi Ji to assist Qian Ran in growing stronger.

Even sea soul beasts were within her reach.

Hearing this, Qian Renxue couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. She reached out and pinched Qian Ran's back hard.

Qian Ran winced as Gu Yuena chuckled subtly.

"You're just too lucky, aren't you?" Qian Renxue grumbled.

Gu Yuena was the soul beasts' queen and their ally now. Seeing Qian Ran's potential, Gu Yuena would undoubtedly spare no effort in helping him grow stronger.

And with that help would come an entourage of soul beast beauties.

Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were legendary figures of beauty.

Throughout history, tales of love between transformed soul beasts and humans always spoke of these women as peerless beauties.

Now Qian Ran was set to gain not one, but a harem of such beauties.

While others might dream of one such partner, Qian Ran was poised to collect seven or eight—perhaps even a dozen.

If news of this spread, he'd likely become the most envied—and targeted—man alive.

"Your cultivation has been advancing too quickly," Gu Yuena remarked seriously. "You just absorbed Zi Ji's power, and before that, Snow Emperor's. This rapid progression isn't necessarily a good thing. Once your strength stabilizes, I'll arrange for Bi Ji and Rui Beast to assist you next."

"Rui Beast may have lower cultivation, but don't underestimate her. The power of destiny surpasses all your other attributes. With normal cultivation, Rui Beast has the potential to reach the demigod level."

Gu Yuena's expression turned solemn.

The stronger Qian Ran became, the more leverage she had against the Divine Realm.

After Bi Ji and Rui Beast… Gu Yuena already had other powerful female soul beasts in mind.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" Qian Ran quipped, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Why did it feel like he was being rushed into this? Was there no room for negotiation?

"What's there to choose?" Gu Yuena frowned slightly. "Fine. I'll have Bi Ji compile a list of the strongest soul beasts on the continent for you."

Qian Ran shrugged in resignation. The strongest options on land were likely Ice Emperor, Snow Emperor, Zi Ji, Bi Ji, and Rui Beast. Beyond that, it seemed he'd need to look toward sea soul beasts. The other terrestrial beasts, even those with 200,000 years of cultivation, might not offer the attributes he was looking for.

Of course, he wasn't one to turn down gifts delivered straight to his doorstep.

"Oh, and congratulations, Xue'er," Qian Ran said, changing the subject. "I have a special gift prepared for you."

(Chapter Ends)

Notes-Read advanced chapters in patreon.com/Shadow_D_X