Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Villain Life Simulator

Blazing golden flames roared to life, illuminating the entire temple.

Yet these flames did not arise from nowhere.

A figure, like a colossal torch, floated in the center of the temple, bathing everything around it in golden light.

"Xiaoxue, to gain something, something must be lost. This is my fate. As the Guardian of the Angel God, my existence is destined to serve the Angelic Divine Legacy. The price to initiate the Ninth Trial must be paid by me..."

The calm voice came from Qian Daoliu, whose soul power, body, spirit, and everything else was consumed by the radiant golden flames that engulfed him.

At the same time, the statue of the Angel God behind him absorbed the energy released by the flames in a frenzy.

"Child, you are my pride. You always have been, from the day you were born... I believe you will succeed..."

After saying this, his consciousness began to fade, and Qian Renxue's cries and struggles grew distant...

Yet after what seemed like an eternity, his consciousness did not dissipate, nor was he met by the endless, eternal darkness he had expected.

"Where is this...?"

Qian Daoliu opened his eyes and looked around at the dense golden mist.

Between himself and the outside, an invisible, transparent barrier separated him from the mist.

He looked down at his current state. No soul power, no body, only a soul remained, though it still held the strength of an Ultimate Douluo.

Although he was once one of the most powerful individuals on the Douluo Continent, the leader of the Spirit Hall—the Angel God's representative on Earth—Qian Daoliu knew little about the divine realm itself. And he certainly did not understand why, as a Guardian of a Divine Position, he was still "alive" after his sacrifice.

Then, a young figure appeared before him.

"It's you?" Qian Daoliu scrutinized the figure with surprise.

Of course, he knew this man.

Even though they had hardly interacted, Qian Daoliu knew he was Bibi Dong's disciple, and in recent years, had seemingly even become her partner.

Qian Daoliu did not hold any particular feelings toward Bibi Dong's choices. He was over a century old, had seen countless people and events, and had let go of many earthly concerns. Besides Qian Renxue, the Spirit Hall, and the Angel God legacy, he cared little about others.

In fact, Bibi Dong's change had even given him some comfort.

He had never approved of Qian Xunji's actions, and Bibi Dong's eventual revenge had caused him pain and regret. Yet with Qian Renxue's appearance, he could only stand by and watch as events unfolded.

After Qian Xunji's death, he had not sought revenge nor reclaimed power for the Qian family within the Spirit Hall. This was partly due to his conscience, but mostly because of his talented granddaughter. He didn't want her, after losing her father, to also lose her mother.

However, he knew that, given Bibi Dong's mentality and her responsibilities as the inheritor of the Rakshasa's power, it was unlikely she would ever truly reconcile with Qian Renxue.

But with the arrival of Su Cheng, Qian Daoliu saw that Bibi Dong had changed dramatically. Perhaps, in the future, she and Qian Renxue could even repair their broken relationship.

But now...

"Who are you really?"

Qian Daoliu looked gravely at Su Cheng, then inspected his surroundings once more. This unexpected shift was clearly due to the young man before him. Yet, even with his lifetime of experience, Qian Daoliu had never heard of anyone with the ability to do such a thing—especially in the midst of the Ninth Divine Trial.

In Qian Daoliu's understanding, only another god would be capable of interfering in a divine trial. Even Bo Saixi, the Sea God's Guardian, would never be able to accomplish such a feat.

Suddenly, his gaze flickered as he detected a faintly familiar sensation from the golden mist around him. His expression grew increasingly astonished. "Is this Xiaoxue's sea of consciousness?!"

"Yes." Su Cheng nodded calmly.

Over the years, the true essence he had embedded in Qian Renxue's mind had matured immensely. With Qian Renxue's divine trials fueling its growth, it had accumulated a great deal of energy. If converted to soul power, it would even reach divine levels. Though it was just over the threshold of a Third-Class God, it was still enough to easily disrupt the divine trial, particularly as the Angel God legacy lacked the presence of a true deity behind it.

"Great Worshiper, there is no need for alarm. I mean no harm. I only intervened for the sake of Qian Renxue's future."

"What do you mean?"

"The Angel God's divine position holds no true value for her. She has a better path ahead."

As he spoke, Su Cheng waved his hand, parting a section of the golden mist to reveal a glowing sphere hidden deep within Qian Renxue's sea of consciousness. "Look here."

Following Su Cheng's gesture, Qian Daoliu looked through the transparent barrier and saw the sphere, glowing like a brilliant sun.

Though it radiated a blazing light, he could not feel any energy from it. It seemed dormant. Even so, with his soul's heightened senses, he instinctively sensed the extraordinary nature of the object.

"What is this?" Qian Daoliu asked with a frown.

He had never known of such a thing within Qian Renxue.

"It's her true essence, containing her truest self."

This was essentially her "core of consciousness." Although Su Cheng could not currently activate its energies, this essence lay deeply rooted in Qian Renxue's mind, only waiting for the right moment to awaken.

"True essence? Her truest self?"

"Yes. That's why I said Qian Renxue's situation is unique. She cannot inherit a divine position."

Qian Daoliu's brows knit tighter. He was about to ask more when he looked down.

Far below, a vast temple platform exuded divine power filled with holiness and majesty.

This was a projection of the Angel God's might.

At the temple's center, a woman's figure knelt.

Qian Renxue's consciousness had completely submerged into her sea of consciousness as her trial continued.

At this moment, she appeared to be in extreme anguish. Her usually exquisite face contorted with pain, and tears rolled down her pale cheeks. Around her body, colorless flames flickered, capable of evoking intense emotional responses from others.

Qian Renxue's delicate face was also twisted with complex emotions: jealousy, hatred, regret, inner conflict, sadness, anger, and reluctance…

"Xiaoxue…"

Qian Daoliu watched the figure below with a complicated expression, momentarily forgetting about Su Cheng in front of him.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically. In his field of vision, cracks spread rapidly through the air, and the vast, majestic platform of the temple below began collapsing inward from the edges.

Yet, immersed in a storm of emotions, Qian Renxue remained completely oblivious to this upheaval.

"What are you doing?" Even with his usual restraint, Qian Daoliu couldn't help but glare at Su Cheng and question him loudly. "This is Xiaoxue's final trial, the Test of Seven Emotions for the inheritance of the godly position! If she cannot pass this, her ascension will be incomplete!"

"You're overthinking this, Grand Worshipper," Su Cheng replied calmly. "This kind of trivial spectacle isn't necessary at all. A so-called 'temperament' developed in such a manner is nothing more than a joke."

In terms of understanding godly trials, Qian Daoliu truly couldn't compare to him.

After all, Su Cheng now held control over a true deity, and he even orchestrated the trial for a first-tier god.

This gave him deeper insight into how these so-called "godly trials" held little actual value for the chosen successors of divine positions.

In essence, this world's divine inheritance ceremonies were nothing more than an extension of the previous god's will.

The real purpose was to ensure that the successor who took on the divine position would be more closely aligned with the original god's intent and ideals.

While there was some merit in training, its effectiveness was minimal. Furthermore, the farther one advanced through the trials, the more these tests became saturated with personal biases, reducing the effectiveness of the actual refinement process.

Compared to others, the inheritance of the Asura God's position seemed more genuine.

After all, this position was unique in that it demanded extremely high levels of control and didn't allow for too many extraneous influences.

Yet the trials of other first-tier gods, like the Sea God, the Angel God, and the Rakshasa God, all seemed rather odd and unnecessary.

As for second-tier gods like the God of Food, their inheritance processes were even simpler and less demanding.

Soon, the temple collapsed entirely, leaving Qian Renxue suspended alone above the vast sea of her mind.

The pain that had twisted her face was gone, replaced by a peaceful and serene expression, as if she were lost in a blissful dream.

"I'm sorry, Grand Worshipper. I've spent more than three years exploring this place and understand everything here like the back of my hand. You can't stop me—I'm practically its second master."

"…" Qian Daoliu looked at his granddaughter's now-calm expression, his thoughts tangled in conflicting emotions.

After a long pause, he finally said in a low voice, "With your abilities, if you intended to be a threat to us, why go to such lengths? Why wait until now to interfere?"

He truly couldn't comprehend it.

Given Su Cheng's strange and unfathomable methods, if he held malicious intentions, there would be no need for such convoluted actions. Who on this continent could oppose him?

And yet, if he claimed to be acting out of goodwill, Qian Daoliu found that equally difficult to accept.

"I already said I bear no ill will, but many details can't be easily explained. Regardless, Qian Renxue cannot inherit this godly position—it would harm her foundational strengths."

Qian Renxue's case was different from Bibi Dong's.

Bibi Dong's strength stemmed from her unique soul qualities, with the power of the Rakshasa God serving as nourishment.

However, Qian Renxue's most distinctive talent lay in her dual soul nature, and even her later development of a radiant, sun-like attribute was based on this foundation.

If she were to directly inherit the Angel God's position like this, it might destabilize her state, potentially preventing her spiritual core from ever awakening.

"Then, what do you plan to do next?"

"I hope you will take on the role of the 'Angel God' instead."

"What… are you saying…?"

Qian Daoliu's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Su Cheng.

Years flew by.

News of the Angel God descending to the mortal world spread across the land.

Under the leadership of Angel God Qian Renxue and many Titled Douluo elders of the Supreme Pontiff Hall, the Spirit Empire's forces advanced rapidly, arriving at the final fortress of the Heaven Dou Empire—Jialing Pass.

This place represented the last obstacle for the Spirit Empire's external expansion.

Once they broke through, the path to the Heaven Dou Imperial City would be wide open.

Had it not been for the fact that the newly established Spirit Empire was dealing with internal conflicts among the ruling kingdoms and duchies, the army's momentum would likely have been even faster.

But when another god appeared within the Heaven Dou Empire's ranks, finally confronting the Angel God in battle, the Spirit Empire's relentless advance, akin to a swarm of locusts, came to a halt.

The Sea God—Tang San.

Yet he wasn't the only god to return to the continent.

While Qian Renxue and Tang San fought in the skies, other Titled Douluo warriors from the Spirit Empire were also held back by the Shrek Academy members and the numerous Titled Douluo warriors from the reemerged Clear Sky Clan.

Now, the Shrek Seven Devils had also become extraordinarily powerful.

However, they were less a team of close-knit friends and more an alliance bound by powerful mutual interests.

For instance, Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai.

Although the aristocracy within the Star Luo Empire was in turmoil, facing the powerful forces of the Spirit Empire forced these noble families into a temporary truce to assist the Heaven Dou Empire.

After all, if the Star Luo Empire ceased to exist, it wouldn't matter whether the Zhu family or the Dai family held power.

Besides Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai, Ning Rongrong, heir of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School, couldn't stay out of this great war either.

The newly formed Seven Great Sects had already revealed the Spirit Empire's ambition.

If Ning Fengzhi and the others wished to preserve their sect's legacy, they had no choice but to enter the fray.

On the battlefield, Zhu Zhuqing, in her True Body of the Hell White Tiger, dashed through the ranks, drawing the attention of multiple Titled Douluo. Her presence alone eased pressure on other parts of the battlefield.

Suddenly, her massive white tiger form came to an abrupt halt.

In contrast to her towering figure, the other spirit avatar forms around her appeared insignificant.

Seeing the once-dominant white tiger freeze, the surrounding enemies hesitated, confused as to why this fearsome soul master had suddenly stopped attacking—until they saw the figure standing atop the white tiger's head.

Su Cheng leaned down, his voice soft. "Zhuqing, come with me. This war will be over soon."

In the next moment, with a flash of light, the white tiger vanished, leaving Zhu Zhuqing in her graceful, poised human form.

Looking at the young man before her with a mixture of complex emotions, she hesitated, "Su Cheng?"

She had been puzzled by his absence on the battlefield. She never expected to see him again at this moment.