Tang San's eighth Sea God trial required him to cultivate both of his martial spirits to the ninth ring level and collect all spirit bones within five years.
During this period, besides monitoring the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire's arrangements for the remnants of the Spirit Empire and their newly implemented continental policies, he mainly stayed in the City of Slaughter, accompanying Shang Yang in preparation for the Asura God's divine position inheritance.
Yes, even Tang Sui and Hei Mian hadn't anticipated that the ultimate inheritor of the Asura God's divine position would be Shang Yang.
It was the Asura God who proactively approached Shang Yang.
After the battle at Jialing Pass, where Shang Yang tore apart a deity single-handedly, he was recuperating in the City of Slaughter and was subsequently found by the Asura God.
Even Tang Sui had no idea what agreement Shang Yang and the Asura God had reached for the Asura God to be willing to let Shang Yang pursue a divine position through a demonic path.
The so-called demonic path was to directly devour the Asura God's divine spark.
If successful, Shang Yang would completely assimilate the Asura God's divine spark into his own power, becoming a new demon god, just like Tang Sui.
Failure meant death, or even utter annihilation. Even with Qing Nü Fang present, Tang Sui and Hei Mian weren't confident they could resurrect Shang Yang, whose strength and cultivation level were, strictly speaking, already indistinguishable from a god.
Shang Yang later explained the entire sequence of events to Tang Sui.
When the Asura God first approached him, he was initially resistant to the divine position inheritance.
Because the so-called Nine Trials of the Asura God sounded incredibly bothersome.
He detested trouble and being controlled the most, so as soon as the Asura God finished speaking, he frowned and refused, saying that this method of becoming a god was inferior to the ancient way of directly devouring a divine spark and taking a gamble, which was much more exhilarating.
To his surprise, after a moment of contemplation, the Asura God actually agreed to his unconventional method of divine position inheritance.
Even though Shang Yang's success came at the cost of the Asura God's true death.
This was because the authority held by deities was unique.
Just as when Tang San truly became the Sea God, the previous Sea God had also perished.
Perhaps its divine soul had the opportunity to reincarnate, but thereafter, Poseidon would simply be Poseidon, no longer Sea God Poseidon, with everything returning to nothingness and starting from scratch.
The Asura God was not like the Sea God, whose state of mind was cleansed and utterly pure, guided by absolute rationality. Its divine duty inherently governed the violent power of slaughter. Although the divine duty also encompassed elements of judgment and law, its inherent, pleasure-seeking nature had not been erased with its ascension.
This was an unprecedented gamble.
Shang Yang, who had anticipated an early retirement, was forced to work diligently. In addition to refining a tube of divine blood gratuitously offered by Tang Sui daily, he set his sights on the leftover presence in the Demon Whale Sea Domain – the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Tang San, who was also targeting the Deep Sea Demon Whale King for his ninth spirit ring for the Clear Sky Hammer, coincidentally voiced his intention: "..."
Tang San, who was cultivating in the Sea God's Temple, learned of this and negotiated with Shang Yang. Tang San would take the spirit ring, while the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's corpse and the dragon pearl born from its transformation would go to Shang Yang.
With Shang Yang's involvement, this was practically a slaughter without any suspense.
But the law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, was the governing principle here.
If you don't kill him, when he becomes powerful later, he will kill you in return.
In this world, weakness was the original sin.
Whether it was selfishness or indifference, for Tang Sui, the death of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King brought more benefits than drawbacks.
Tang San's ascension to godhood took seven years.
On the day of his ascension, Bo Saixi, who had sacrificed herself for Tang San's ninth divine trial, was resurrected by Tang Sui using Qing Nü Fang, employing the same technique as before.
Bo Saixi and Tang Chen, lovers separated for centuries, could finally live together in peace.
Next were the Shrek Six Monsters, who, like in the original timeline, heard divine pronouncements and received divine position inheritances.
Bai Chenxiang and Xiao Wu did not receive divine position inheritances.
However, if one ascended to the rank of a First-Rank Deity, they could bring important individuals with them to the God Realm.
On the day of Tang San's ascension, he had intended to include Bai Chenxiang. But Ma Hongjun also received a divine position trial for the Phoenix God, and he was Bai Chenxiang's lover. This responsibility and burden rightfully belonged to Ma Hongjun.
Shang Yang spent nearly three hundred years undergoing divine blood cleansing, while Tang Sui observed the Douluo Continent for three hundred years.
The dependents of the City of Slaughter, as time passed, those whose lifespans reached their end were enveloped by Hei Mian in cocoons of blood, their souls entering a deep slumber, awaiting the day He would restart another world, fulfilling the "new world" promised to His believers.
A century was but a nap for demons.
For humans, however, it was enough for earth-shattering changes to occur.
In the ninth year after Tang San's ascension, Ning Rongrong and Oscar, who had inherited the positions of the Nine-Colored Goddess and the God of Food, ascended from the Douluo Continent to the God Realm.
In the thirteenth year, Zhu Zhuqing ascended.
In the fifteenth year, Dai Mubai ascended.
In the twenty-third year, Ma Hongjun, who ultimately only became a Third-Rank Deity and could not bring his loved ones with him, ascended in self-reproach and endless regret.
Fortunately, Tang Sui was still there.
Hei Mian appeared and, taking the tearful Bai Chenxiang with him, journeyed to the God Realm.
By the time Hei Mian returned to the Douluo Continent from the God Realm, it had taken him a full fifteen years.
If not for Tang Sui and Hei Mian's telepathic connection, allowing them to communicate even across the world barrier, Tang Sui would have grown impatient long ago.
When ascending to the God Realm, Tang San also wanted to bring Master and the others along.
This way, even if they couldn't obtain divine positions, they could become divine officials under the Sea God and gain eternal life.
However, Master and the others refused.
For them, a simple, peaceful life was the true essence.
While the God Realm was the dream of all spirit masters, they cherished their current harmonious lives more and wished to see this continent, belonging to humanity, prosper.
After three hundred years, Shang Yang, who had continuously received Tang Sui's divine blood, finally broke through from the Great Demon realm.
After Tang Sui personally sealed the souls of the last batch of believers in the City of Slaughter, Shang Yang initiated the divine spark devouring. Su Dan Novel Network.
As the heavens and earth changed color, two twin demon gods, one black and one white, stood atop the clouds, gazing at the primordial beast that had soared upwards, achieving the divine position of a new demon god through the method of devouring.
As the merits of divine attestation surged into the bodies of the twin demon gods, another force, arriving three hundred years late from a unique point in a parallel world, finally arrived.
The Clear Sky Hammer, which had never been used and to which no spirit rings had been affixed for over three hundred years, was finally summoned. It was forcibly stripped from the divine soul and became one of the "laws" for opening a new world, as well as a crucial "pass" that allowed the sentient beings of the Douluo Continent to reincarnate and exist in this new world.
As the final creation law was perfected, the space between heaven and earth began to shimmer with resplendent colors. The azure sky was adorned with seven-colored auspicious clouds, proclaiming the establishment of the "Ultimate Realm" to the laws of countless parallel worlds that had intersected with Tang Sui.
The "potato" (referring to a planted seed) sealed in the divine realm saw daylight again. Tang Sui planted it in a fabricated, yet familiar and unfamiliar courtyard. Like a fertilized seed, it broke through the soil after absorbing sufficient nutrients and grew at an astonishing speed into a giant tree adorned with pink and white cherry blossoms.
Like falling snow, the pink and white cherry petals fluttered down, dancing in the wind like pale pink veils, settling throughout the courtyard with the gentle breeze.
Tang Sui reached out and caught a pink and white cherry petal.
The petal, translucent and elegant with a hint of pink, lay quietly in her palm.
"The cherry blossoms of the Ten Thousand Year Cherry have bloomed again," Tang Sui murmured, her voice slightly choked as she felt the familiar aura within the cherry petal, so familiar it made her want to weep.
Hei Mian raised a hand, placed it on the cherry petal in Tang Sui's palm, and said softly, "It's alright. We will wait with you. If you miss Tang San and the others, we can go to the Douluo God Realm for a while before returning."
As he spoke, another weight settled on Tang Sui's head.
"There's no need to be sad, child. You should be happy now," Shang Yang said, stroking Tang Sui's head as she lost herself in thought.
The ever-blooming Ten Thousand Year Cherry would slowly nourish Abe no Seimei's residual soul until it was complete, until he was resurrected.
The abundant spiritual energy of the Ultimate Realm was also nourishing Fuyi and the others, who had merged with the twin gods to become imperial souls.
One day, they too would regain their physical forms and stand before them.
And the "Ultimate Realm" they had created would be the final destination for all their former companions who had reached their end.
All deaths would be reborn through reincarnation.
They would always guard this place, waiting for everyone's arrival.
Just like ten thousand years ago, waiting for everyone to return from their adventures outside, gather under the Ten Thousand Year Cherry, and say:
"Welcome back, Lord Seimei."
"Welcome back, everyone."
【End of the text】
— Author's Notes —
Thank you, dear readers, for your companionship throughout this journey. Sui Sui's story has officially concluded. If fate allows, we will meet again in my next novel featuring the youngest daughter, Yue Long (bows).