Inside a room, Clara Vale was cultivating when she suddenly woke in alarm. She had just grown wary when Wu Ling stepped out of the void.
"Teacher!"
Clara cried out in delight, then leapt into Wu Ling's arms.
"Whoa. Years apart, and you have gotten heavier?" Wu Ling caught Clara and teased her with a smile.
Clara looked up, lightly hit him, and protested, "Teacher, it is very rude to talk about a girl's weight."
Wu Ling habitually pinched Clara's cheeks while chatting with her. At the same time, he spread his senses to confirm the current time.
Inside Clara's spiritual sea, the stunned Tian Meng Iceworm and the equally stunned Teal Ice Empress huddled together and started whispering.
"Hey, hey, Nevi, if I sensed that right, this guy has already become a god, right?"
"He should have. He tore through space to arrive just now. He did not use that teleportation formation from before."
As the two spoke, their alarm turned into excitement. With a true god watching over Clara, how could she fail to become a god?
"No. He is not a god. Or rather, he is not only a god."
Electrolux, who had been silent to the side, suddenly spoke.
Tian Meng Iceworm and the Teal Ice Empress did not doubt him. When it came to becoming a god, even Electrolux with only a remnant soul knew more than the two of them. They immediately turned and listened to his explanation.
"He carries divinity, yet some human nature still remains in him. There are only two possible situations for that state. The first is similar to what I once did: he could become a god, but refused to do so. In your terms, he is a level one hundred Spirit Master without a divine position.
"The second possibility is that he has already surpassed gods and no longer needs a divine position to stabilize or display his power.
"I lean toward the second possibility, because in the dark, I seem to see the vengeful souls of gods upon him."
After hearing Electrolux's explanation, Tian Meng Iceworm and the Teal Ice Empress looked at each other. After struggling for a while, Tian Meng Iceworm made a decision.
"Forget it. No point thinking too hard. No matter what, he is Clara's teacher. That means he will only help her."
Wu Ling heard every word of the three souls inside Clara's spiritual sea. He smiled faintly and said, "I came this time to help you remove future trouble."
Clara tilted her head in confusion.
"Future trouble? What future trouble?"
Wu Ling did not explain. He changed the topic.
"Nothing for you to worry about. Your task right now is to focus on cultivation. Speaking of which, I have not seen you in years. How has the Sun Moon Empire developed? Clara, show me around."
"Okay. Russell and the others will definitely be happy to see you back, Teacher."
With that, Clara led Wu Ling out.
For the next few days, Wu Ling stayed with Clara and wandered through the Sun Moon capital. A small incident occurred during that time. A boy who was pursuing Clara saw Wu Ling, came over to question him, then investigated him in secret. The result was simple: that boy's entire household would not see the next sunrise.
After that, Wu Ling refilled the pendant he had given Clara with new power. Not much, only enough to casually kill a few Rulers. He did not tell Clara about it. He had already done enough. She still needed some difficulties to overcome on her own.
After spending time with Clara, Wu Ling arrived in the Divine Realm once more. The moment he appeared, he released his aura without restraint. At once, every gaze in the Divine Realm turned toward him.
The five god kings sensed Wu Ling's vast power with grave expressions. Each of them felt wary. But as god kings, they had to stand at the front when a powerful enemy appeared. They flew toward Wu Ling without hesitation.
Wu Ling, the source of the disturbance across the Divine Realm, slowly floated upward while sensing the gods constantly approaching him.
"It is said that God created the world in six days. On the first day, God was dissatisfied with endless darkness, so he created light. On the second day, God disliked the empty scene before him, so he created the stars in the sky. On the third day, God saw chaos across the land and gathered the waters together. On the fourth day, God set the cycle of day and night. On the fifth day, God created fish and birds of every kind. On the sixth day, God created mankind in his own image."
For some reason, although Wu Ling's voice was quiet, it rang beside every god's ear.
In the distance, the five swift god kings had drawn close enough to see Wu Ling floating in the air. At the same time, their unease grew stronger.
Then a pair of blue horns, curved downward, appeared behind Wu Ling's head. His voice gradually became hollow and ethereal. Even without opening his mouth, his words reached the other gods.
"The original seventh day was called a day of rest because all things in heaven and earth had been completed. But in truth, the seventh day was left for destruction. It exists to destroy worlds that have gone wrong, worlds that have reached the end of the wrong road. And now, the time has come.
"Witness it. The sea of life that created all things."
A small black point condensed beneath Wu Ling. In only a few seconds, that point expanded again and again. Soon, thick black liquid carrying an ominous aura poured from the black hole.
Tang San and the others, who had just arrived halfway, changed expression when they saw that black liquid. They all stopped. Whatever else it might be, that thing truly had the power to end the world. Even touching it with divine soul senses gave them a sticky pull that drew them in.
"What exactly is that thing?"
In that brief moment, the black mud surged toward them like a raging tide. Tang San and the others did not even dare touch it. They hurriedly rose higher. During that time, the God of Destruction condensed a ball of destructive energy and fired it at the black mud as a test. The result was worse than a stone sinking into the ocean. A stone would at least make a splash. That energy ball vanished without even that.
Tang San then shifted into his Asura God state. But the Asura Sword, carrying judgment power, still could not affect the spreading black mud.
Tang San's eyes changed several times. Then he looked at Wu Ling, still floating in place.
"Then we can only capture the king first."
The other four god kings agreed. But before they could move, five figures surged from the black mud and rushed toward them at tremendous speed.
Tang San's expression changed. The other four god kings also sensed the attack and each took out their super divine artifact to counter and defend.
"Hmph."
Tang San snorted. In pure strength, he was actually inferior to that black figure. Only then did they see what had attacked them.
Sharp limbs. Strange wings. A twisted body covered in teeth and eyes, as if it violated the principles of life itself. It was an existence created from the mud of god after Wu Ling's adjustments: a Lahmu.
Chaotic sounds with no clear meaning rang from the Lahmu's many mouths. Even Tang San felt dazed for a moment.
During that brief opening, the Lahmu's other three spear-like limbs stabbed toward Tang San. At the last possible moment, Tang San's mind returned. He barely dodged the attack and hurriedly retreated. The other four god kings also threw off the four Lahmu and regrouped.
"Each of those five creatures has god-king-level strength. They should be that man's guards. One for each of us. After we solve them, we go after the culprit."
Tang San analyzed the situation and assigned the tasks. The God of Destruction was unhappy that Tang San was giving orders, but with a major enemy in front of them, he said nothing.
Before they could act, the Lahmu's sharp, laughter-like sound drew their attention.
Then more laughter rang through the clouds. It came from the black mud that had already spread beneath them.
A terrible premonition settled over them. Then, as dozens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of Lahmu emerged, that feeling slowly became despair.
What they had mistaken for elite guards were only foot soldiers.
In Tang San and the other god kings' minds, those dense tens of thousands of Lahmu were tens of thousands of god kings.
Tang San smiled bitterly.
"So even a god king is only a soldier."
The slaughter began. Wu Ling did not even need twenty-four hours to expand the sea of life. The several hundred thousand Lahmu produced in only a few hours swept through the entire Divine Realm.
At the end, Wu Ling looked at the empty Divine Realm and nodded in satisfaction. The positions were now open. Whether others could become gods afterward would depend on them.
Looking down, Wu Ling seemed to see his hardworking disciple again. In the Soul Land world, Clara Vale immediately stopped cultivating and lifted her head in confusion.
"Teacher..."
In the end, Wu Ling did not descend again. After a faint smile, he turned and left this world completely, leaving behind the Soul Land he had once lived in for twenty years.