Location: Sky Above the Star Dou Forest – Dimensional Rift
The rift pulsed with energy that even Spirit Hall's oldest records couldn't name. The very air trembled as time and space bent unnaturally. From the base of his fortress, Ren stood before the breach, his cloak trailing behind him like an endless void.
The Pocket Hunting Dimension had reacted strangely over the last week—evolving, calling. Its connection to the world above was no longer passive.
He had done the impossible.
He was about to enter the realm of gods—without dying first.
He turned to his wives and followers gathered behind him—Xiao Wu, once hunted, now clad in divine-stitched armor; Lin, the commoner-turned-Shadow Phoenix, radiating black flame; and Hu Liena, who now stood among his elite shadow queens.
"You've seen what this world has to offer," he said, voice calm, sharp. "Now you'll see the next one kneel."
They knelt in return, willingly.
Ren stepped into the rift.
Location: Edge of the God Realm – Ethereal Stairway
Unlike anything in the mortal world, the sky here shimmered with stardust and auroras. Floating islands drifted across oceans of clouds, each home to divine temples and celestial beasts.
And then the sky darkened.
His arrival was not quiet.
Shadow poured into the realm like an ink spill through crystal. Ren's presence—foreign and absolute—sent tremors through the divine threads binding this plane.
The Goddess of Destruction, Valeria, a crimson-armored war goddess, looked up from her blade-forging altar. "He's come," she muttered.
The Goddess of Life, Elaris, standing amidst blooming forests that never wilted, turned pale.
They'd never sensed such unnatural hunger from a mortal before.
Location: First Divine Encounter – Moonlit Garden
A figure descended from the sky—light feet, silver gown, crescent circlet upon her brow.
It was Selena, the Goddess of the Moon—serene, distant, untainted by mortal concerns.
And yet… as her eyes locked with Ren's, something shifted.
"You don't belong here," she said, soft but firm.
"I didn't ask for permission," Ren replied, smirking.
"You threaten the balance of the heavens."
He stepped closer. "I am the new balance."
Her moonlight tried to push him back.
But his shadow didn't move—it enveloped the light, coiled around it, twisted it gently.
"I'm not here to destroy," he said. "I'm here to take."
Selena's divine aura faltered for the first time in eons. "You… dare?"
"I always do."
And then he left—leaving her flustered, confused… and intrigued.
Location: Council of Gods – Crisis Meeting
The divine thrones shuddered with unrest.
The God of Kindness was the first to speak. "We can't allow this to continue. He's corrupting the balance."
The God of Judgment slammed his gavel. "He is mortal. We erase mortals."
But not all were in agreement.
The Goddess of Time, who had seen all paths unfold, remained silent. Her violet gaze stared not at Ren's destruction… but at a path yet unseen.
"He doesn't want destruction," she whispered. "He wants dominion."
Final Scene: Floating Garden – Ren's Base in the God Realm
The shadows had found purchase in the realm of light.
Ren stood atop a floating temple now twisted into his first fortress. His aura reached further each hour.
He turned to Xiao Wu and Lin. "Start scouting the outer temples. I want their names, their powers…"
He paused.
"And I want every goddess who thought herself untouchable."
His eyes shimmered with endless ambition.
"This isn't conquest. This is destiny."
End of Chapter 43