"Oh, not a single one left." The little angel understood, and for her, who was born with immense power, it seemed that her very nature carried a destructive character. She felt no repulsion toward the killings she had yet to experience.
Suddenly, she became puzzled. "What is a taboo?"
"You'll know when the time comes. Soon, other beings will appear in the divine realm. Remember the rules of the game. If you do well, there will be rewards," Fang Yuan said with a smile.
"What rewards?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
Fang Yuan smiled faintly, and his figure vanished into thin air, leaving the divine realm.
"Creator..."
The little angel grew anxious.
After calling out for a long while and confirming that the "Creator" had really left, the little angel's expression shifted, and she turned toward the World Tree, reaching out to pluck a leaf.
"Thunder..."
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down from the World Tree.
"Ah..."
The little angel was struck and became charred, her eyes filled with tears and a face full of grievance. "Liar! The Creator lied..."
Having already entered the mortal realm, Fang Yuan wore a strange smile. If anyone could just pluck a leaf from the World Tree, could it still be called the World Tree?
At least with the little angel's current strength, it was almost impossible for her to pluck a leaf from the World Tree.
After absorbing countless world sources, the World Tree had developed a trace of consciousness. Any being, except for the Creator, attempting to harm it would be attacked.
Of course, if one could withstand the attack, they might be able to pluck a few leaves or branches.
But if someone wanted to destroy the World Tree, they would be suppressed by the will of the world.
After all, the World Tree connected the mortal realm and the divine realm. If the World Tree were gone, divine beings could potentially enter the mortal realm through the space node and cause destruction, which was something Fang Yuan didn't want to see.
"It's time to let those uneasy law gods ascend. Though the mortal realm is vast, it can't withstand too much turmoil."
Fang Yuan made a mental command to the World Will and then left the Steel Ball World.
As soon as Fang Yuan left, the World Will transmitted a message to all the surviving law gods from the recent divine battle.
All over the world, every law god simultaneously received a message in their mind.
This message wasn't words or sound, but a feeling from the void, much like how an amnesiac might suddenly recall a forgotten memory.
At the same time, all law gods felt an invisible call—a summons from a higher world.
"Ascend?"
An old man with a graying beard blinked in uncertainty, glancing at an elderly woman across from him.
"Husband, did you feel it too?" the elderly woman asked.
The two old people exchanged a glance, both with incredulous expressions in their eyes.
Meanwhile, a law god flying high in the air suddenly paused, eyes shining brightly. "Ascend? To another world? Why should we go to another world? Can that world continue to improve?"
"Who is calling me?"
A middle-aged law god, who was recuperating in a cave, murmured in surprise.
However, the mysterious call grew stronger as it went from weak to intense. If one was willing to release their resistance, they could ascend immediately.
If they weren't willing, they could continue resisting the call until it became overwhelming.
With their strength, these law gods could only remain in the mortal realm for a limited time—at most, ten days.
Thus, many law gods hesitated, suspecting it might be some kind of conspiracy, so they didn't immediately choose to ascend.
Moreover, these law gods had subordinates and organizations, so they would need to make arrangements before ascending.
While all the law gods were still uncertain, deep beneath the endless seas, there was darkness. Massive fish, hundreds of meters long, swam back and forth.
At the ocean floor, a staff-like object was emitting a faint purple light.
When the World Will transmitted the ascension order to all the law gods, the previously silent staff suddenly emitted a faint yellow glow.
The yellow glow gathered, eventually forming a translucent, noble-looking middle-aged woman.
"Where am I? Who am I?" the middle-aged woman asked in confusion.
After a while, she finally recalled: "I am Queen Nia, the second law god of the Cloud Continent..."
At the same time, she realized the ascension was happening. Without hesitation, she let go of her resistance, allowing the summons to envelop her.
A black hole appeared above her, slowly pulling her inside.
"Wait, the God's Staff..." Nia suddenly cried out, but it was too late. The black hole had completely absorbed her, and the God's Staff was left forgotten at the bottom of the dark sea, waiting for a future reunion.
"Spirit? Or a ghost?"
Having left the Steel Ball World and preparing to continue his search for world sources, Fang Yuan sensed Nia's ascension and his face took on a strange expression.
Previously, he had sensed Nia's aura on the God's Staff, but he assumed it was merely because the staff had been with Nia for a long time and had absorbed her aura. He hadn't paid much attention.
Now, it seemed that it wasn't as he had thought. After Nia's body was destroyed, she had turned into a kind of ghostly existence.
"Could it be that ghosts are a kind of 'life'?"
"Or maybe ghosts aren't considered life at all?"
Fang Yuan couldn't understand. Normally, after life forms died, their essence returned to the source of the world, and the energy they absorbed during their lifetime would return to the earth.
But Nia hadn't fully died and had turned into a ghost-like existence.
"Could it be that the spiritual power of law gods is so strong that after their bodies die, their souls can still exist independently?"
Fang Yuan quickly extended his consciousness to the entire Steel Ball World to investigate other deceased law gods, but found no cases similar to Nia's.
"It seems that Nia's case is an accident. Still, it's worth checking out!"
Fang Yuan immediately returned to his world, appearing above the divine realm.
Since the divine realm had just been created, it was barren, with no plants in sight. All that could be seen were mountains and hills—no rivers or lakes.
In a barren basin, space suddenly twisted, and Nia's figure appeared as though squeezed out from the fabric of space.
Before Nia could take in her surroundings, the divine energy from the divine realm surged toward her, flooding into her body and purifying her from the inside out.
A few faint impurities were washed away, and Nia felt her body growing stronger, her mental power becoming more solid.
Fang Yuan noticed that although Nia's body appeared human, it was completely composed of energy. Her spirit, after being washed by the divine energy, underwent a profound transformation, becoming solid.
At this point, Nia could no longer be considered human. She had become another form of life.
Fang Yuan was both surprised and intrigued. He speculated that ghosts might truly exist and could be created to enrich the Steel Ball World.
Finally, after several moments, Nia's transformation came to a halt. She opened her eyes, feeling her strength was now more than ten times greater than it had ever been.
Yet the surrounding space was incredibly stable. Even with her current power, she couldn't lift off the ground.
Nia tried taking a few steps, only to find herself moving like a mortal, her speed not increasing. If not for the energy still within her, she might have even believed she had turned into a mortal.
"This is where you summoned me? The magical essence here is so dense, and the magical level seems so high. What kind of place is this?"
Nia cautiously surveyed her surroundings, selecting a direction and moving forward carefully.