Chapter 54: Space Ring

Page (1/3)

Within the Martial Soul Hall, Ling Xiao sat cross-legged in midair with his eyes closed. Suddenly, his body trembled as he opened his eyes, and beside him, the river of time manifested—countless lives from the past, present, and future appeared within its flow.

“Finally, the seventh divine trial is complete. Now, Sister Xue can inherit the divine seat of the God of Judgment!” Ling Xiao stood on the ground as the river of time beside him vanished.

His gaze passed through the Pope’s Hall to where Bibi Dong was training. Ling Xiao chose not to disturb her; instead, he draped a black cloak around himself, enveloping his entire figure. With a single step, he crossed multiple layers of space toward the Heavenly Dou Empire.

In the next moment, he appeared in Xue Qinghe’s chamber.

“Greetings, Holy Son!” The Snake Spear Douluo and the Porcupine Douluo appeared simultaneously.

“Have you finally reached level ninety-seven? Although it seems you’ve only just stepped into it, not many days have passed,” Ling Xiao said as he looked at them.

“We’ve disappointed the Holy Son’s guidance. Please punish us!” the two Douluos said anxiously.

“It’s not that you’ve disappointed me—your progress is simply too slow. The Martial Soul Hall has already promoted three new Title Douluos. Do you know that? Don’t let the newcomers surpass you!” Ling Xiao said, then sat on the bed.

“Yes, we will remember the Holy Son’s words!” they replied.

“Dismissed.”

After the two Douluos left, Ling Xiao waited quietly in the room, taking the opportunity to review the rewards from the divine trial once more.

An hour later, Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, returned to the room.

Startled at first by the figure cloaked in black, she quickly recognized him.

Joy flashed in Qian Renxue’s eyes as she shed her disguise and threw herself into Ling Xiao’s embrace.

“Xiao’er, after so long, you’ve finally come to see me again!” she said, clutching his neck, her lovely face pressed close.

“Sister Xue, I came to help you complete the divine trials. I will only assist you in the first trial by killing the Rakshasa God. As for the subsequent evil God Kings, you will have to strive on your own!” Ling Xiao said, removing the hood that concealed his face.

“I know. If you had to help me with everything, what use would I be?” Qian Renxue rolled her eyes.

“Very well, Sister Xue, let us begin now!”

Seeing Qian Renxue nod in agreement, Ling Xiao immediately halted time across the entire star system.

Except for a few like Helena and Bibi Dong who possessed divine trial levels of equal rank, everything else—including the divine realm—was frozen in place.

Following the traces left by the Rakshasa God, Ling Xiao led Qian Renxue to the spot the Rakshasa God had once occupied.

The river of time appeared in Ling Xiao’s eyes, which shimmered with mysterious beauty, captivating Qian Renxue.

“Stellar Body, activate!”

A faint glow radiated from Ling Xiao’s body.

“Space lock!”

“Time—Reverse the cosmos!”

Instantly, everything in the surrounding space began to rewind in time. After a moment, the image of the Rakshasa God reappeared, as if dragged back, returning before the two.

“Freeze!”

Ling Xiao pointed at the Rakshasa God, immobilizing her, then lifted the space lock, allowing time to flow forward again.

Waves of backlash surged against Ling Xiao’s body, causing his eyes to flicker. His Stellar Body suffered damage; the temporal backlash eroded part of his divine body.

When time returned to normal, the Rakshasa God, whose eyes had been dazed, suddenly regained clarity upon seeing Ling Xiao.

“What’s going on? Didn’t I already die?” she exclaimed in horror. In her memories, Ling Xiao had already killed her.

“You still have a purpose, so you live for now, but it is only to die,” Ling Xiao said.

Hearing this, a flicker of hope appeared in the Rakshasa God’s eyes, only to be shattered by his next words.

“Is that so? I have come back just to die again?”

She offered no resistance; she knew it was futile. Rather than endure torturous suffering before inevitable death, she chose to die with dignity.

Ling Xiao condensed chains into a black longsword and handed it to Qian Renxue.

“Sister Xue, the Rakshasa God is still a deity; her divine body cannot be harmed by ordinary means. Use this sword.”

“Alright!”

Qian Renxue nodded and stepped before the Rakshasa God. With Ling Xiao present, the Rakshasa God could not harm her.

“Come then! At last, I can rest.”

Perhaps knowing resistance was pointless, the Rakshasa God appeared resigned.

Qian Renxue nodded and with the magic sword in hand easily shattered the Rakshasa God’s divine body. Feeling the vitality rapidly dissipate, the Rakshasa God smiled faintly.

Page (2/3)

Looking at Ling Xiao, she whispered, “Even as a sinful god, I suppose I did a good deed by helping others.”

“Hmm.”

Seeing Ling Xiao nod, she smiled before gradually dissolving into the world.

“Sister Xue, let’s go!” Ling Xiao said, noticing Qian Renxue’s complex emotions.

“Hmm, let’s return.”

Space rippled as the two returned to the room.

With the first trial complete, the reward was granted: a platinum longsword gleaming with streaks of thunder, brimming with destructive power, was held in Qian Renxue’s hand.

“This is the Sword of Judgment!” she said, examining it, then handed the magic sword back to Ling Xiao.

“No need to return it! Sister Xue, you cannot wield the Sword of Judgment yet. You must first inherit the divine seat and possess your divine essence. For now, use the magic sword to protect yourself—it contains some of my power,” Ling Xiao explained as both swords transformed into streams of light and entered Qian Renxue’s body.

“Understood! I remember!” she said earnestly, then suddenly pounced on Ling Xiao, pinning him to the bed with her flushed face buried in his embrace.

“Xiao’er, you haven’t visited for so long. Today, you must stay with me!”

“Alright!” Ling Xiao nodded.

After bathing, they lay together on the bed, entwined in sleep. Qian Renxue held Ling Xiao tightly, her head resting on his chest.

Early the next morning, Qian Renxue awoke to find Ling Xiao still asleep beside her. She gently loosened the hand around his waist.

Carefully shifting her position to lie on her stomach, she propped her chin on her hands and quietly watched Ling Xiao sleep, swinging her legs softly.

As Ling Xiao opened his eyes, he met Qian Renxue’s goofy smile.

“Sister Xue!”

“Xiao’er, you’re awake!” she exclaimed, immediately sitting up.

“Hmm! Sister Xue, I have a gift for you!” Ling Xiao sat up and said.

“A gift? No need. You’ve given me so many already, and I haven’t given you anything yet!”

“No need. As long as you’re happy!” Ling Xiao said, producing a ring inset with golden gems from the system space.

“Xiao’er, this is…” Qian Renxue’s body trembled as she looked at the ring, her gaze shy.

The ring floated in Ling Xiao’s hand, stirring both shyness and curiosity in her.

“This is a spatial ring. It contains a million cubic meters of space. Sister Xue, use it for now. When I deepen my understanding of spatial laws, I’ll give you a better one.

“I’ve also stored some Life Water inside. It can preserve living beings. If you encounter danger, you can hide within it. Without the power of a Divine Ancestor, no one can break this ring.

“There are three sword auras inside. Each one can easily kill a Divine Sovereign; combined, they can kill a Divine Lord.

“Also, inside the ring is a chamber nurturing the laws of time. Ten days there equals one day outside. When I understand time laws more deeply, I might modify the flow even further, so that a year or even longer inside passes as just one day outside.”

Qian Renxue was stunned—she hadn’t expected Ling Xiao to prepare so many precious things.

“This is what I have for now. When I inherit other divine seats later, I can give you a replacement…” Ling Xiao said.

At these words, Qian Renxue suddenly embraced him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

“Sister Xue, what’s wrong?”

Feeling her sobs, Ling Xiao was puzzled.

“Thank you, Xiao’er. Thank you!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Qian Renxue felt Ling Xiao had helped her untangle her heart when she had lost hope. Having someone like him made her feel it was worth dying for.

“It’s nothing. You’re Sister Xue!” Ling Xiao gently stroked her hair, comforting her softly.

Qian Renxue lifted her lovely face and smiled. Slowly, she rose on tiptoe, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

After the kiss, her cheeks flushed crimson, her gaze tender as water.

Ling Xiao, however, felt nothing unusual—he was used to it.

“Sister Xue, I must leave now,” Ling Xiao said.

“Hmm! Goodbye, Xiao’er!”

Though reluctant, Qian Renxue did not try to stop him. After kissing his face once more, she waved farewell.

Ling Xiao nodded. In the next moment, a black cloak enveloped him as he stepped forward and vanished instantly, space rippling.

After seeing Ling Xiao leave, Qian Renxue concealed the spatial ring on her hand with the Angelic Divine Armor and resumed her disguise as Xue Qinghe.

Page (3/3)

Ling Xiao had now arrived above the Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda Sect, unnoticed by anyone.

He glanced over the square where disciples trained. None practiced the Step on Moon technique—they were not core members of the sect.

He moved to a vast area where dozens of core disciples were sparring; each practiced Step on Moon and were considered geniuses of the sect.

Some even possessed the Eight Treasure Glazed Pagoda martial soul, and one had the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda—a prodigy younger than all others.

Ling Xiao nodded. Before leaving last time, he had crafted a crystal ball infused with soul martial advancement energy.

Though it contained only thirty times the energy of a Divine King, which was negligible for him, it was enough to evolve countless martial souls among these disciples.

At the sect’s conference hall, Ling Xiao saw Ning Fengzhi and Gu Rong seated.

“Who’s there?”

Gu Rong eyed the black-cloaked figure warily.

Ning Fengzhi summoned his martial soul, the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda. He had reached level eighty-eight Soul Douluo!

“Ning Sect Leader, don’t you recognize me?” Ling Xiao said, removing his cloak’s hood.

“It’s you—the Holy Son of the Martial Soul Hall!” Gu Rong exclaimed, startled by his familiar face despite the mask Ling Xiao wore.

“So it is the Holy Son! Welcome back, long time no see!” Ning Fengzhi smiled lightly as he retracted his martial soul.

“Indeed, it’s been a long time! Three years, right?” Ling Xiao said.

“Yes! Since you left three years ago, Rongrong has stopped eating and sleeping, wasting away. Recently, she even ran away from home!” Ning Fengzhi said with a worried expression.

“Rongrong ran away from home?” Ling Xiao looked at Ning Fengzhi. “Sect Leader Ning, you can’t be unaware of this. Surely someone has been secretly protecting Rongrong all along!”

He could not believe Ning Fengzhi would allow harm to come to Ning Rongrong.

“You’re right. I secretly assigned a control-type Soul Douluo and a support-type Soul Douluo to follow Rongrong,” Ning Fengzhi said calmly.

“Where is Sword Douluo?”

“The Old Swordman went to find Rongrong. He feared she’d suffer outside, so he left a day ago. He’s probably nearly there now,” Gu Rong said.

Originally, Gu Rong had intended to go but lost to the Sword Douluo, so he stayed to guard the sect. Besides, the Sword Douluo was faster at traveling.

“Where did Rongrong go?” Ling Xiao raised an eyebrow.

“To a place called Shrek Academy!” Ning Fengzhi answered.

“Shrek Academy? Xiao Wu is there too? Rongrong actually went there!” Ling Xiao smiled.

“Oh! The Holy Son knows someone there too?”

“Yes! I’ve heard of that academy—it sounds ordinary, but I didn’t expect Rongrong to go there.”

“Is the Holy Son going to find Rongrong? With your strength, you’ll be there in no time!” Ning Fengzhi said.

It took the Sword Douluo a day to fly from the sect, thanks to his level ninety-seven power; otherwise, two days would be considered fast.

“Hmm,” Ling Xiao nodded and looked at Gu Rong.

“Why is Bone Douluo still only level ninety-six? And how high is Sword Douluo now?”

“Soul Douluos find it extremely difficult to level up at this stage. I’ve managed to advance two levels in six years, which is quick. The Old Swordman is now level ninety-seven,” Gu Rong said helplessly.

“Haven’t you used the Life Water?” Ling Xiao asked. He had left enough Life Water to help all three reach level ninety-eight.

Gu Rong fell silent.

“Did you dilute the Life Water and give it to the disciples?”

“Yes. We’re not in a hurry. We’ll take it slow. The disciples must be well cultivated. Fortunately, they haven’t disappointed us!”

“One disciple awakened the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, has innate full soul power, and at just nine years old already approaches level twenty soul power!” Gu Rong added.

“Fine, how you use the Life Water is your business. I won’t interfere!” Ling Xiao said, producing several bottles of Life Water from his system space and tossing them to Gu Rong.

“You’d better train quickly. Aside from the newly promoted Title Douluos, everyone else in the Martial Soul Hall is at least level ninety-eight. Your sect is falling behind!”

With that, Ling Xiao bid them farewell and left.