"You have awakened before me and come into my slumbering palace."
Without a doubt, anyone who could say such a thing to He Li was undoubtedly... a god.
Just as when he confronted Huo Si on the rooftop, the god in the Ice Palace had once again affirmed He Li's identity.
Of course, this was also He Li's preconceived notion, as only a god after reincarnation would say "awakened before me."
Was this a form of... mutual affirmation?
He Li couldn't help but ponder, then found it somewhat amusing. He seemed to have accepted the fact that he was a god.
He Li remained silent. He glanced at Xiao Yue, who nodded and waved his hand gently. Kuer, whom He Li had been carrying on his shoulder, slowly floated up the steps and into the barrier.
After Kuer was sent away by Xiao Yue.
Crack... crack... crack...
Several sounds of ice cracking echoed from the palace. Immediately after, icy white mist billowed from the dark doorway, and within the mist, a massive dark shadow slowly emerged.
The Mother of Poplars!
The colossal poplar tree, like an upright octopus, supported by its tentacles, walked out of the palace. Ice crystals hung from its branches, and its roots, like tendrils, held the Mother of Poplars suspended in mid-air.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
Eagle cries echoed from beneath the glacier, but these sounds were no longer filled with power and violence, but rather with a desolate sorrow.
Whoosh... whoosh...
A powerful gust of wind erupted from beneath the glacier, and then, the Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle soared up from below the ice.
"Caw!!!"
The Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle was over 200 meters long, with a wingspan of seven to eight hundred meters. Yet, even such a colossal creature did not reach a third of the height of the Ice Palace.
The Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle spread its wings before the Ice Palace, tilted its head back, and let out a long cry. Its sharp eagle screeches reverberated throughout the area beneath the glacier.
He Li looked up. He had seen the Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle in this posture of spreading its wings and crying out many times before, in movies and television shows. Many tribes or ancient families who worshipped eagles, or certain self-proclaimed ancient lineages, featured such eagle emblems on their insignia or badges.
It was a spirit, a belief, and even more so, a mark of heritage.
This top-tier demon, the Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle, was showcasing its might and bearing as the overlord of the sky to its heart's content.
Just as He Li anticipated a battle between the Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle and the Mother of Poplars.
The Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle... committed suicide.
"Caw!!"
The Azure-Eyed Divine Eagle flew directly above the Mother of Poplars, its wings spread wide, its head held high in pride.
Then,
With a bang, it transformed into a rain of blood.
Blood splattered onto the trunk, branches, and roots of the Mother of Poplars, as well as the Ice Palace behind it.
It was exactly the same scene as when they had chased that eagle, and the eagle had sacrificed its blood rain to nourish the Mother of Poplars. Only, this eagle was larger and stronger.
Thump... thump! Thump... thump!
Thump... thump! Thump... thump! Thump... thump!
A dull, rhythmic thudding sounded from within the trunk of the Mother of Poplars, like a beating heart.
Crack... crack...
The trunk of the Mother of Poplars... cracked open.
Then,
A fair hand emerged from the split bark, followed by another hand. Like a chick about to hatch, it struggled to break through and push aside the eggshell.
He Li watched everything that unfolded and whispered to Xiao Yue, "Should we take him down while he's just awakened? At least, we'll have one less opponent in the battle of gods."
Xiao Yue shook his head and said, "You don't have the memories of a god's reincarnation, but you have us. Do you think this god, who has just awakened, has beings like 'us' by his side?"
"You mean, he also has a trump card?"
"You don't think so? Or do you think that Mother of Poplars is just for show?"
He Li fell silent. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly unclenched his fist. Xiao Yue was right; he couldn't act rashly. He Jun's mental energy was severely depleted, and he couldn't casually use He Jun's power.
He Li nudged Xiao Lan. "Good brother, if things get tough later, you go first. When I become awesome, I'll avenge you."
Xiao Lan let out a low whimper and stood in front of He Li. It was resigned; when they weren't busy, he called it a silly dog, made it do chores, carry luggage, and now, when there was trouble, it was a good brother?
Its previous master was much more impressive, even though he often ignored it...
Crack!!!
The hands finally pried open the bark. Inside the heart of the Mother of Poplars was a person with pale, withered skin, as if only a layer of skin covered a skeleton. The heart beating in its chest was clearly visible.
He opened his sunken eyelids and looked at his body. His once shriveled body gradually filled with color and vitality, and the trunk of the Mother of Poplars transformed into a wooden throne.
The man sat on the throne suspended in mid-air.
He Li couldn't help but think that he was also a god, but an orphan. Looking at the other's imposing presence, awakening on a throne.
Where did he awaken? On a dirt mound in front of the orphanage?
"We meet again. I didn't expect that the first companion I would see after awakening would be you.
So,
Has the killing begun?"
He Li frowned slightly, a sense of displeasure, or perhaps anger, rising within him for no reason. It was the anger of being provoked.
He looked at the god sitting on the throne, with brown eyes, black hair, and a typical Eastern face. He hadn't thought much of it initially, but the other person was sitting on a throne, looking down at him.
If he were a beast, he would submit, even prostrate himself, in the face of immense power.
As a human, he would choose to endure, and then, seek an opportunity to kill the other.
But,
At this moment,
He was a god!
He Li looked at the god on the throne,
And said,
"Get down."
Clang!
The moment He Li uttered these words, Chen Sui appeared directly above the man's right side and slashed down diagonally at the man's head. Yes, the man's head. The blade's trajectory was from above the right ear, then the corner of the eye, the bridge of the nose, the corner of the mouth, and finally reaching the left jaw. At this point, the man's head would have a smooth, diagonal cut.
But unfortunately,
Chen Sui's blade was blocked.
The man raised a finger and placed it by his ear, blocking Chen Sui's strike. However, the residual force of the heavy blade still cut through the glacier opposite them, causing it to crash down.
The man's middle finger paused, gently colliding with the blade. Chen Sui was instantly sent flying and disappeared into the air, reappearing behind He Li. He sneered,
"It takes two fingers to block me now. Gods are truly quite weak."
"Hahaha... your mental energy is still so strong." The man laughed heartily and slowly landed on the opposite side of the glacier, facing He Li across the ice crevice.
...