At the center of the golden formation, the radiant glow of the God Source flickered and pulsed. A moment later, a small soul fragment, carrying the faint but unmistakable divinity of the Boundless End God, erupted from within.
It hovered, trembling, trying to merge with the God Source—yearning for unity.
But the fragment was far too small. Though they reached for each other, the fusion could not begin.
Still, High Priest Wan Dao showed no sign of concern.
With a flick of his sleeve, the heart of the formation ignited. At once, the entire array responded—the Divine Abyssal Stones scattered throughout it glowing with blinding intensity.
"..."
From within the crowd, Dian Jiuzhi stood silently, his eyes locked on the God Source. Like everyone else, he watched the ceremony unfold…
But unlike the rest, his gaze never wavered.
It was fixed. Focused. Burning.
"Such a powerful soul aura…"
Meng Kongchan murmured under his breath, his eyes widening as he watched one of the Primordial Flame Abyssal Stones shatter within the array. A torrent of ancient soul fire burst forth—so intense it scorched the air—and surged directly toward Dian Rahu's soul fragment, latching onto it like a blinding brand of flame.
"..."
Hua Caili's eyes quietly followed the many streams of light bursting from the Abyssal Divine Stones, each glowing with a unique and radiant hue. The soft blending of colors danced before her like a celestial painting… and it reminded her—achingly—of someone her heart longed for, day and night.
"Close your eyes and heart, Caili,"
Hua Qingying, standing beside her, gently placed a hand on her shoulder, her voice soft but firm—a quiet reminder for her niece to guard her emotions.
Next to them stood Hua Fuchen, his face lined with silent sorrow as he watched his daughter struggle against the weight of memory and feeling.
"It's fine… I'm okay."
Hua Caili forced a smile as she shook off the thoughts lingering in her heart, giving them both a look of reassurance, though her eyes still carried the shadow of longing.
"..."
Suddenly—
"BOOOOOOOMMMM!!! BOOOMMMM! BOOOMMMM!!!"
One after another, the Divine Stones exploded, each shattering into fragments of pure heavenly law. Their energy surged like waves of divine wrath, converging toward the center of the formation—toward the soul fragment and the God Source suspended in golden light.
By now, High Priest Wan Dao had already stepped out of the golden formation. His expression calm, he stood just beyond the light's reach.
After all… this sacred fusion was meant for the fallen God.
Not for him.
"With the heavenly law of revelation to guide the way… the flame of life that burns fiercely…"
High Priest Wan Dao raised both hands, his voice deep and solemn as he began to chant. Each word resonated like a divine echo, as if the heavens themselves were answering his call. His power surged into the formation, and the golden array trembled violently under the growing weight of the laws he invoked.
The light from the Divine Stone of Revelation expanded, stretching forward like a radiant path—a bridge carved from pure law, guiding the soul back from the distant shore of death. It shimmered, becoming the very road that the fragmented divinity could walk upon.
From the other side, the flame of life—drawn from the Primordial Flame Abyssal Stone—began to merge with the soul fragment, its flickering heat weaving into the dead god's essence.
Slowly… cautiously…
Life began to touch death.
The room was silent, every being holding their breath.
Then, with a voice that rang like thunder—
"…Return! Once more, return and walk among us Gods!"
"BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!"
And as if the heavens themselves answered— The fragment soul soon begin to fused with the flame and the God Source too start it fusion.
As the gods watched the fusion unfold, a silent certainty settled over them. They already knew—the chances of success were overwhelmingly high. The very presence of the God Source was proof enough. After all, its return could only mean one thing:
Dian Rahu's soul had been completely destroyed.
No one—absolutely no one in their right mind—would willingly relinquish their divinity, leaving behind a weakened soul fragment, unless they had truly fallen. Only in death could such separation occur.
Now, all that remained was the final step:
Would the soul fragment and the God Source fuse without rejection?
If so, then the process would be confirmed. The path of full God Rebirth would be set in motion.
But in the crowd… a shadow stirred.
"You're just going to let the opportunity slip away?"
Among the sea of divine beings, Dian Jiuzhi stood motionless, his gaze locked onto the glowing God Source at the center of the formation. A flicker of madness danced in his eyes, buried just beneath the surface. He trembled—part rage, part desire, and part something darker.
He wanted to act.
He almost did.
But the last shred of hesitation held him back.
And then—
A voice echoed through his soul.
"...!!!!!!!"
"Are you really content with being just a mere Divine Son… blindly following your father's orders like a dog on a leash?"
The voice slithered through Dian Jiuzhi's mind, cold and taunting.
"What are you saying?! Who are you?!"
Dian Jiuzhi's eyes darted around, his voice roaring inwardly. Yet on the outside, no one noticed.
No one looked his way.
All eyes were fixed on the divine fusion taking place.
"You know what you desire. So why not reach for it?"
The voice came again, calm… poisonous.
"Or are you just a man content to be led by the nose, bowing to everyone else's will?"
"YOU—!!"
Dian Jiuzhi's roar echoed within the confines of his soul, his body trembling as the madness in his eyes began to surge—barely held back.
But the voice didn't stop.
It pressed on, ruthless and sharp.
"This is why you keep losing what should have been yours…"
"Because you never had the courage to take it."
"Whether it's that little girl Caili… or Shen Wuyi—if you were a God… with your power, with my power… the power of the Great Rage—everything you've ever wanted would already be yours!"
"And yet here you are… standing on the edge of greatness, on the verge of becoming someone who could shape his own fate, carve his own destiny… and you choose to cower?"
"You're nothing but a coward!"
In that moment, how could Dian Jiuzhi not realize the truth?
The voice that was whispering—gnawing—deep inside his soul…
It was his own Vein of Great Rage.
"I'm not a coward…" he murmured under his breath, his voice low and strained.
"You are. Otherwise, you wouldn't be where you are right now," the voice hissed back.
"I'm not…"
His eyes—already tinged with madness—deepened into a glowing, blood-red hue, the light of fury flooding his pupils.
"Then prove it. Or else, you're just a coward in denial."
"How long will you keep hiding behind your father's shadow?"
"And tell me… what are you going to do about your little brother? Will you carry that guilt forever too?"
The voice grew louder, more seductive, more unbearable—like the most tempting call in existence. It clawed at his heart, tore through his thoughts, shattered the fragile walls of his reason.
It was a voice that promised everything… and asked only for surrender.
"I'M NOT A COWARD!"
"!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"BOOOOOMMM!!!"
A violent burst of power exploded from Dian Jiuzhi as he shot forward like a comet of pure rage.
The mention of his little brother—it was the final straw. The breaking point. That buried guilt, twisted and fermented over the years, had finally ruptured into madness. In that instant, he lost all restraint.
His body tore across the grand hall with terrifying momentum, eyes locked on the glowing God Source like a predator lunging for its prey.
Sometimes, guilt doesn't come from actual debt. Sometimes, it's not about what you owe—
It's about what you feel you owe.
And when guilt festers for too long, it begins to rot.
Twisting, turning, eating away at the heart…
Until what's left is no longer regret—
But hatred.
The distance between him and the God Source was less than a kilometer.
To a cultivator at the Late Stage Divine Extinction Realm, that was nothing.
A blink. A breath.
A step.
And he was closing in—fast.
The crowd, mesmerized by the divine fusion, didn't notice immediately.
But the **Ancient True Gods—the High Priests—**did.
They had already tasted the shame of negligence once.
During the match between Hua Caili and Long Xi, their moment of inattention had led to Caili's injury. That failure burned in their memory like a brand, a mistake they would not make again.
Even now, inside their own sacred domain, in the holiest of halls, they never let their guard down.
And at this moment—when a storm of crimson madness surged toward the God Source—
They moved.
It was true—only those who carried the Dian bloodline could inherit the God Source before them. No outsider, no matter how powerful, could steal it away. That divine inheritance was sealed by the very laws of their lineage.
But this… was not an inheritance ceremony.
It was a God Revival.
And that made all the difference.
No one present cared whom the Boundless End Divine Regent might choose to pass his power to after his return. That was a matter for the future. But right now—during the most fragile and sacred stage of the revival—any interference was a threat. Even someone of the Dian bloodline could disrupt the process if their actions were reckless.
Though Dian Jiuzhi's speed was astonishing—his cultivation at the Late Stage Divine Extinction Realm granting him incredible swiftness—and the distance was negligible… it wasn't as if he was unchecked.
The Ancient True Gods, the High Priests, had long prepared for such a possibility. Ever since the shameful negligence during Hua Caili and Long Xi's match, they had remained on edge, alert to any threat—even within their own walls.
Their divine senses flared instantly as Dian Jiuzhi made his move. They prepared to strike—several of them already vanishing into blurs of golden light, ready to intercept him before he could reach the God Source.
But then—
"Leave it."
A calm, resonant voice echoed in the minds of every High Priest, halting them in their tracks. It wasn't shouted, nor was it urgent—but it carried an undeniable authority. One that froze their movements instantly.
Their eyes widened in confusion.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Dian Jiuzhi arrived.
With a swift, violent motion, he lunged into the center of the formation and grabbed the God Source with both hands. His eyes burned crimson, and a wild, unhinged smile spread across his face—a smile born of madness, desperation, and twisted purpose.
Then, without hesitation, he roared—
"COME INTO ME!!"
His soul surged, and all eight of his Divine Essences erupted open at once, spinning violently as they released their full power. In the next instant, he shoved the God Source into himself, forcing its divine energy into his own essence.
The light exploded.
The formation trembled.
And the hall was filled with a blinding brilliance that swallowed all sight.
"YOU!!!"
The gods erupted in fury, their voices trembling with divine wrath. They were the first to break free from their stunned silence—
But it was already too late.
"Brother! What are you doing?!!"
Dian Xiang cried out, his voice cracking as he stumbled forward, disbelief and horror flooding his face. Around him, the expressions of the others mirrored his own—shock, betrayal, and devastation.
The fusion had been moments away from completion. The revival of their father, the Boundless End Divine Regent, had been nearly certain. His return would have shaken the divine realms, restored hope to their kingdom… and then—
Dian Jiuzhi had seized the God Source for himself.
A collective gasp rippled through the hall.
Some fell silent.
Others stared, wide-eyed, unable to speak.
If the people of the Eternal Night Divine Kingdom had been present, they would have remembered another day, another betrayal—when Shenwu Yanye had taken the God Source for herself, ascending to divinity through a stolen path.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
Dian Jiuzhi roared as the God Source surged into his body. Divine light burst from within him as the fusion began—not between soul fragment and God Source, but between man and divinity.
All eight of his Divine Essences erupted outward, shining like celestial stars, spinning furiously as they absorbed the divine power. Each one acted as a vessel, devouring the God Source's radiance with greedy hunger.
A single Divine Essence could hold ten percent of a God Source's power.
But Dian Jiuzhi had eight.
And in that moment, as the divine light twisted and raged around him.
"RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Dian Jiuzhi's aura surged like a tidal wave, climbing at an unfathomable speed. In an instant, he shattered through the bottleneck into the Divine Limit Realm—
Early stage…
Mid-stage…
Late-stage…
And then—
BOOM!
He crossed the final threshold and stepped into the impossible:
The True God Realm.
The moment his breakthrough began, the gods had already moved. Their instincts honed by countless calamities, they erected layer after layer of divine barriers—shields of light and law—to protect their people from the raw, destructive force now erupting from Dian Jiuzhi's body.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
His roar shook the very walls of the sacred hall, and divine pressure swept across the chamber like a hurricane.
The crowd looked on, stunned.
Some clenched their fists.
Some bit their lips in envy and frustration.
One day, they silently vowed, one day… I too will become a God.
But even as his power ascended…
Even as eight Divine Essences blazed around him like stars in orbit—But; not all of the God Source's power was entering his body.
A portion of it—brilliant, radiant, and still unclaimed—hovered in the air, resisting him. Refusing to be absorbed.
"Eight Essence True God…"
Dian Jiuzhi muttered, breathing heavily as godly power surged through his veins. His body trembled under the weight of it—a power far beyond anything he had ever wielded.
But still…
It wasn't enough.
Compared to his father—the original Boundless End Divine Regent—he was still lesser.
That gap… that inferiority… it gnawed at him.
And just as dissatisfaction began to bloom—
A voice echoed once more inside his mind.
Seductive. Alluring. Twisting like a serpent through his thoughts.
A voice that fed on the broken pieces of his sanity.
"Do you want more…?"
"I can give it to you…"
"Open your soul to me."
The voice of the Vein of Great Rage echoed with irresistible authority.
"Do this, and you will become greater than your father ever was."
Without a moment of hesitation, Dian Jiuzhi obeyed.
He threw open the depths of his soul—completely, utterly—surrendering himself to the Vein.
And in that instant, infinite rage and boundless madness surged forth.
There was no turning back.
From this day forward, Dian Jiuzhi no longer stood alone.
He had become the living vessel of the Vein of Great Rage.
Its influence would be etched into his soul, his body, his very breath—until the day he died.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
His roar tore through the hall like a thunderclap, but it no longer sounded human.
Scales—gleaming and dark—began to spread across his body, growing rapidly.
His eyes twisted into vertical, snake-like slits, burning with unnatural fury.
Behind him, a monstrous image materialized—
The spectral form of the Divine Vein of Great Rage itself.
A massive, serpent-dragon hybrid of pure wrath, it opened its colossal maw.
With a terrifying howl, it inhaled—sucking in all the remaining divine power that had yet to be absorbed.
That last portion of the God Source, which had resisted Dian Jiuzhi…
Now vanished into the Vein's jaws.
"What is he planning to do?!"
On the ground, the Star Divine Regent shouted in alarm, eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Dian Jiuzhi's transformation spiral out of control.
"He's not planning to absorb the entire God Source with just his Eight Divine Essences, is he?!"
The Moon Divine Regent cried out, his voice trembling with disbelief.
Shock rippled through the chamber as the other gods turned toward the scene, their expressions darkening with unease. None spoke, but their eyes brimmed with conflicted thoughts and dread.
The High Priests observed in silence as well, but their gazes were calm—unlike the others. Their thoughts ran deeper, shaped by something none of the others knew. Especially in light of the command they had received just moments ago… from their Lord.
Suddenly—
"BOOOOOOMMMM!!!"
"RUMBLEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!"
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!"
The divine hall trembled as the God Source's power collided violently with the Vein of Great Rage. The two forces clashed with earth-shaking might—one ancient and noble, the other primal and furious.
The God Source resisted, refusing to be devoured so easily. It was not a passive gift—it was the lingering divinity of a fallen god, and it fought to remain pure.
But the beastly manifestation of the Vein of Great Rage, now infused with True God Realm power, had no intention of simply destroying it.
It sought something else—
Reunion.
It wanted to consume and reunite the fragmented godly essence. Not just to destroy… but to restore. To make it whole once more—but within itself.
The clash raged on for only a few breaths.
The divine power resisted with brilliance and will—
But in the end… it yielded.
It had no true reason to resist.
The God Source, stripped of its original soul and guidance, found no hatred in the Vein—only a dominant force to cling to.
And so, it surrendered.
The unification was complete.
"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!"
The beast of the Vein of Great Rage bellowed, its voice splitting the heavens, as the final surge of power coursed through Dian Jiuzhi, transforming him utterly.
"BOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!"
His roar erupted like a divine explosion, sending out shockwaves that tore through the grand hall. The sheer force of his voice caused the blood of many to churn violently, their bodies trembling under the weight of his power.
The High Priests moved instantly, stepping forward with divine speed to shield the younger cultivators and Divine Children from the crushing pressure radiating from Dian Jiuzhi. Their barriers shimmered with sacred light, forming a protective wall against the overwhelming divine aura.
He had done it.
Dian Jiuzhi had become a True God—
Not just any True God, but one who now held a Perfect God Source fused into both his profound veins and soul,
All with only Eight Divine Essences.
An impossible feat—
Made possible only through the terrifying might of the Vein of Great Rage.
Golden light burst outward from his body, washing over the chamber like a sun's rebirth. The beastly scales that once covered his flesh rippled, then reversed—disappearing into his skin as his form returned to that of a man.
But he was no longer the same.
Though his body had returned to normal, his eyes told a different story.
In them burned a madness that could never be extinguished—
A wild, eternal flame carved into the depths of his soul.
A madness that would follow him…
Forever.