Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 179 The Legacy of the God of Death!

The two sudden divine voices left Zhu Ziyang somewhat bewildered, causing him to huddle at the edge of the steps, trembling.

Fortunately, apart from the two divine voices, there were no other unexpected events. Zhu Ziyang hesitated for a few minutes, and only after confirming that there would be no further changes did he slowly stand up, looking up at the unseen temple with a hint of doubt on his face.

The mysterious divine voice seemed oblivious to the earlier commotion, continuing to speak as if it had been interrupted. This made Zhu Ziyang realize the identity of the god who had chosen him.

"Welcome to the Temple of Death, Chosen One. You are about to begin the examination for the succession of the God of Death's divine position. After passing the examination, you will be qualified to inherit the God of Death's divine position. Before starting the examination, you may ask three questions."

God of Death!

Zhu Ziyang was shocked. He had never expected that the god who had chosen him would be the God of Death. He had always thought that he would be favored by the God of Light or the God of Ice, but he never expected that the god who had chosen him would be the God of Death. Could it be that He really was the evil god mentioned by that first strange divine voice?

The moment the idea popped into his head, he chuckled. If being called the God of Death meant being an evil god, then wouldn't someone with the attribute of death be an evil soul master? Heh, an evil soul master inheriting the position of an evil god—that makes perfect sense.

"You mean I can ask three questions? Can you guarantee to answer them all?" Zhu Ziyang shook his head, shaking off those inexplicable thoughts, looked up at the temple above, and said seriously.

"I can only answer you what I know, or what I can answer!" the mysterious voice replied.

"I see!" Zhu Ziyang said thoughtfully, then said, "Alright, my first question is, are you... the God of Death?"

"No!" the mysterious voice answered decisively. "I'm merely a divine thought responsible for the divine appointment assessment. You can call me the assessor, or you can call me Little White!"

"Xiao Bai?" Zhu Ziyang was very surprised to hear the mysterious voice's reply, finding the name strangely amusing. He then said, "You're not the God of Death? Then where is the God of Death? Shouldn't the God of Death be in charge of the Godhood Assessment?"

"Is this the second question?" Xiaobai asked.

"Uh~" Zhu Ziyang was taken aback, not expecting this newbie to be so serious, and could only say helplessly, "If you say it's okay, then it is!"

"The God of Death has fallen; I am a wisp of his divine will left behind within the God of Death's throne," Xiao Bai continued. "Perhaps, when you enter the Temple of Death, you will still see his lingering remnants of soul!"

"I see!" Zhu Ziyang understood, then said, "Alright, the third question: Is the God of Death really an evil god?"

"Heh, gods are neither good nor evil!" Xiaobai said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. "The origins of gods may have a distinction between good and evil, but gods themselves are neither good nor evil. Gods are only divided into pure and corrupt! Corrupted gods will not appear in the starry sky, at least not during periods of confrontation."

"A fallen god?" This was yet another new term, leaving Zhu Ziyang somewhat puzzled. He asked, "What kind of being is that? How is it different from an evil god?"

"Well, I don't know either, after all, I'm just a divine thought!" Xiao Bai said. "Alright, all the questions are asked, we can begin the divine position assessment!"

"Wait, I have another question, it's very important!" Zhu Ziyang waved his hands repeatedly upon hearing this and said, "Just what kind of being is the God of Death?"

"You..." Xiaobai was speechless, and could only suppress her helplessness as she said, "I can only tell you that the God of Death is a primordial deity born at the beginning of the world, a god who controls the rules of death, and one of the rulers of this star system! As for other matters, only those who truly become the God of Death are qualified to know!"

"I see!" Upon hearing Xiaobai's reply, Zhu Ziyang had a general understanding of the God of Death. Although he didn't know the specific meanings of terms like "primordial gods" and "starry sky," someone else did. He could go back and ask Electrolux, believing that Electrolux should know something about these things.

"Can we begin the Godhood Assessment now?" Xiaobai asked.

"It's ready!" Zhu Ziyang nodded, his body stiffening unnaturally as he straightened up, his expression turning serious, and his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Thump thump!" As Zhu Ziyang's voice of agreement rang out, the temple above emitted several loud sounds, followed by a burst of brilliant divine light. A gray beam of light shot out from the temple and landed on Zhu Ziyang. Zhu Ziyang felt a warm sensation all over his body, which was very comfortable.

"The God of Death's Trial begins. Trial participant: Zhu Ziyang." Xiao Bai's voice rang out, this time filled with majesty and solemnity.

Zhu Ziyang felt a tremor run through his soul, followed by a flood of obscure and incomprehensible memories. He was forced to close his eyes and accept the onslaught of these memories. A grayish-white spider lily mark appeared on his forehead, a symbol of the chosen one.

After a long while, Zhu Ziyang opened his eyes, and the place of divine inheritance he saw had changed once again. First, the staircase in front of him had revealed ten steps. On the stone pillars at both ends of the tenth step, the undetectable mist had dissipated, revealing the textures on the stone pillars and a line of text.

Zhu Ziyang didn't look at the inscription on the stone pillar immediately because Xiaobai's voice came again.

"The God of Death's Trial has nine levels. Each level completed increases your affinity with the divine position and unlocks the content of the next level. Only after completing all nine levels and reaching 100% affinity with the divine position can you inherit the divine position," Xiao Bai explained. "Zhu Ziyang, the content of the first trial of the God of Death has been unlocked. Until you complete the first trial, you will not be able to enter the God of Death's Inheritance Grounds again. When you complete the first trial, you can enter the Inheritance Grounds through the spider lily between your eyebrows! You now have half an hour to review the content of the first trial!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ziyang calmed himself down, then looked at the steps in front of him and the stone pillars on both sides. He instinctively took the first step and stepped onto the first step.

As his feet touched the first step, the spider lily between his brows lit up, and Xiaobai's voice came at the opportune moment, "This staircase is called the Path to Godhood. The Path to Godhood has one hundred steps. For every one percent increase in your divine affinity, one step will be illuminated, until all steps are illuminated, only then can you enter the temple and inherit the divine position!"

Zhu Ziyang understood and climbed the steps, reaching the tenth step. Upon reaching the tenth step, his legs could no longer move. The eleventh step remained shrouded in a gray haze. On the stone pillars at both ends of the tenth step, a line of text was inscribed:

"Divine affinity: 10%"

Death's First Test: Death has fallen since time immemorial, and mortals have lost all reverence. As Death's successor, you must shoulder the responsibility of restoring Death's divine power.

Assessment objective: Slay a being who has usurped the name of the Grim Reaper.

Assessment requirements: The creature's strength must not be lower than the sixth ring; the assessment period must not exceed five years!

Performance evaluation reward: Unknown!

Zhu Ziyang looked at the inscription on the stone pillar and finally understood the content of the divine position assessment. He calculated the difficulty level in his mind, and then he heard Xiaobai's voice in his ear: "This is the Yellow Springs Divine Pillar, which is also the God-Locking Pillar. Only by completing the corresponding divine position assessment can you remove the chains of the God-Locking Pillar and unlock the shackles of the God of Death's position."

"I understand!" Zhu Ziyang nodded, a look of understanding on his face, and said.

"Alright, now that you understand the content of the Death Trial, then leave!" Xiao Bai said. "Let me remind you, try your best to protect your life. I finally found such a highly compatible successor to the divine throne, and I don't want him to die like this."

"Hehe, don't worry, even without your reminder, I would protect my life!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "After all, I value my life very much!"

After Zhu Ziyang finished speaking, he was kicked out of the land of divine inheritance. Passing through layers of imperceptible and undetectable mist, his soul returned to his body.

After his soul returned to his body, Zhu Ziyang immediately opened his eyes, his face still savoring the fantastical journey. But then he heard Electrolux's voice: "Ziyang, what happened to you? Why did your soul suddenly disappear, leaving only an empty shell?"

Seeing Electrolux's anxious and confused face, Zhu Ziyang smiled warmly and said, "Teacher, don't worry, it's a good thing!"

(End of this chapter)