Location: Sea God Island – Temple of Poseidon
The waters churned. Tidal waves clashed and calmed as a force—foreign yet ancient—brushed against the very edges of the world. Bo Saixi, the high priestess of Sea God Island, sat in meditation beneath the waterfall, her brows knit.
Something was wrong.
Or perhaps… something had changed.
Visions haunted her dreams: shadows bleeding into the ocean, black wings eclipsing the sun, and a man—eyes glowing with abyssal light—standing in defiance of gods.
"The balance is shifting," she whispered.
Behind her, the sea spirit stirred. "The mortal world is no longer mortal alone."
Location: Shadow Fortress – Inner Throne Hall
Ren stood before a map of the continent, eyes flickering with calculation. His empire was stabilizing. The Star Dou Forest was under his rule. Spirit Hall's elite were either dead, defected, or beginning to bend. Tang San's camp had been pushed to the defensive.
But it wasn't enough.
He didn't crave peace.
He sought transcendence.
Not just to dominate a world—but to own it all, even the heavens above.
That night, he sat in meditation, merging deeper with the Shadow Monarch's legacy. The pocket hunting dimension pulsed, reacting to his rising will. And for the first time—
He felt the presence of the God Realm.
Not an illusion. Not prophecy. A real place, tethered just above the veil of mortality.
He smirked. "So the gods think themselves above me?"
He stood.
"I'll correct that soon."
Location: Spirit Hall – Hu Liena's Chambers
She hadn't left the forest the same.
Hu Liena—conflicted and proud—couldn't shake the feeling Ren had left within her. It was more than attraction. It was pull. Something that whispered of destiny… or domination.
She hated him.
She admired him.
And part of her, deep within, feared she might one day follow him willingly.
Location: God Realm – Council of Gods
Within a plane untouched by time, five thrones sat in an eternal circle. The gods of the Douluo Plane had ruled unchallenged for millennia.
Until now.
Cracks appeared in the barrier between realms. Shards of divine essence twisted toward shadow. Even the God of Destruction paused, gripping his crimson halberd with unease.
"Something from below… is reaching upward."
The Goddess of Life—a radiant being of light and nature—shivered.
"There's a presence… a hunger I haven't felt since the realm was forged."
They turned toward the center where the Goddess of Compassion, known for her wisdom and clarity, opened her violet eyes.
"It's not a beast… it's a man. A king. And he is coming."
Location: Shadow Fortress – Final Scene
Ren walked alone to the heart of his throne room. Around him, former spirit beasts kneeled. Warriors from both Spirit Hall and Heaven Dou alike stood with bowed heads. His wives—spirit, beast, and human—stood tall and proud.
A portal shimmered in front of him—his Pocket Hunting Dimension humming in tune with the celestial veil.
And beyond it… he could feel them.
Goddesses of power, time, life, judgment… untouched and eternal.
But not for long.
"Let the divine tremble," Ren whispered.
And then he stepped forward—into legend.
End of Chapter 42