Late in the morning, Wu Ling walked out of his room in sleepwear with one hand on his waist. He stretched and embraced the warm sunlight.
"Those two girls really are impressive. Aurelia especially. As the Angel God tests progress, the later tests really do become harder, both for her and for me.
"Blair too. She is only a Spirit Leader, but her endurance is not bad. I originally did not plan to let her enter this stage so early."
After that, Wu Ling walked unhurriedly into the dining room and began his brunch for the day.
While Wu Ling started eating, a mysterious aura gradually gathered inside his room. At the same time, another aura of equal level, opposite in nature, began brewing inside the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
"Oh. Are the Angel God and Rakshasa God inheritances starting? One month is enough time to complete the torture and execution of Ethan Drake and unify the continent. Still, Aurelia speedrunning the nine Angel God tests in one month really does require thanks for my hard work. Any other man would probably fail."
Wu Ling quickly ate a few bites, wiped his mouth, and turned toward the rear courtyard.
"Since both of them are close to becoming gods, I cannot fall too far behind."
After walking through the familiar corridor, Wu Ling reached the deepest part of the laboratory. Medea nodded to him when she saw him arrive. That counted as a greeting.
"Medea, how are Rose and the others?"
Wu Ling looked forward. A row of nine cultivation tanks stood silently in front of him.
Inside the tanks was Spirit Power so dense it had liquefied, along with the nine clones wrapped in that soul fluid: Ember, Azure, and the others.
"I have to say, Master, even among the many magi of the ancient world, you would rank among the maddest few.
"After returning to you and separating again, each of them already contained Spirit Power not much weaker than yours. Then, after one full month of unrestricted Spirit Power infusion, I cannot say each of them now contains twice your Spirit Power, but at least one and a half times is certain.
"And yet afterward, you intend to absorb all of them back into your body. This is like using water to force a cup to swell into a bucket.
"If you absorbed small amounts many times, as usual, then your physical condition would indeed be enough to control it. But the amount this time is too large. Every additional clone you absorb is like jumping back and forth on the edge of an explosion."
Wu Ling did not deny Medea's warning. He had known the drawback long ago. In normal times, he let the clones cultivate freely in the outside world instead of treating them purely as charging batteries precisely because of this problem. But now he had no choice.
A month ago, when Wu Ling had First Hassan kill Tang Chen, he sensed Asura God's gaze. Ibuki had also mentioned that someone was peeping at her after she returned. After repeated simulations and eliminations, Wu Ling had more or less guessed Asura God and Poseidon's plan.
Slaughter City and Sea God Island had now been destroyed. That meant one hand they had stretched into Soul Land had been cut off by Wu Ling. The Angel God and Rakshasa God tests in the Divine Realm had also been modified by him. That was like destroying their second hand reaching into Spirit Hall.
With their open forces and hidden contingencies both gone, and with no confidence that they could kill Wu Ling in one strike, they had no choice left except descending openly. The power Wu Ling used was a very good excuse. Otherwise, Asura God and Poseidon would not have split up to inspect both battlefields.
"One day in the Divine Realm is one year on the ground. If they want to descend openly, they must hold a meeting with the other gods first. Of course, I cannot exclude the possibility that Asura God acts first and asks for permission later.
"But after seeing my strength, he is more likely to hold the meeting first. Once the other gods are watching, he can descend with more confidence.
"After all, some existences fear death more the longer they live. When my strength may threaten him, leaving a fallback is exactly what he should do.
"By my estimate, from calling the meeting, to debating, to deciding the result, it should take one to two hours. In Soul Land, that is half a month to a month. Time is extremely tight now. I need to be ready for Asura God and Poseidon to descend at any time. Before that, the first thing I must do is raise my own Spirit Power level."
After saying that, Wu Ling began absorbing his clones.
A vast amount of Spirit Power surged through the connection between Wu Ling and the clones, rushing into Wu Ling's body like swallows returning to the nest. It filled him to the brim at once.
"Hah..."
Wu Ling let out a long breath. After absorbing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, his level had already reached ninety three. Under the impact of the huge Spirit Power, it rose straight to ninety four.
After that, Wu Ling repeated the process and absorbed every clone. By the final one, cracks had already appeared across his skin. Split flesh released streams of Spirit Power.
When Wu Ling absorbed the ninth clone, he had only absorbed half before his body suddenly began trembling without pause. As soon as he moved slightly, his body burst apart with a bang.
Medea had a few drops of blood splashed onto her face. After one instant of panic, she recovered her calm. In front of her, the existence representing Wu Ling's ninth clone still stood there. That meant Wu Ling was still alive.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, countless cells began dividing from the largest piece of flesh. During that process, all the loose Spirit Power and the ninth clone were absorbed by Wu Ling.
Not long afterward, Wu Ling reappeared intact, aside from having no clothes. The level radiating from him had reached one hundred.
Wu Ling clenched his fist and smiled.
"I did not expect my first death to be from overfilling myself until I burst. But it was worth it. Now I have the assurance to fight a crowd of gods by myself."
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm, the five members of the Divine Realm Committee finally settled on a plan.
At the start of the meeting, the God Kings of Evil and Goodness had remained neutral as usual. The God of Destruction not only opposed the plan, but after seeing Wu Ling's strength, he even had thoughts of passing his divine seat to him.
Aside from Asura God, who agreed, the only variable was the Life Goddess. Although her sympathies leaned toward the God of Destruction, Wu Ling's actions stirred anger in her as a goddess of life. His indulgence of Ibuki Douji's slaughter on Sea God Island especially made her want to go see him and ask, "What do you take life for?"
After more than an hour of argument, the Life Goddess ultimately chose her responsibility and cast her vote in agreement.
When Asura God saw the Life Goddess's choice, his mood improved. This time, he had suppressed Destruction and gained a chance to resolve Wu Ling, the thorn in his side. He could accomplish two goals at once.
"Wait for me, boy. I am coming down to kill you."