Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Seeing the unsettling fluctuations emanating from Han Li, Qian Daoliu looked toward him. Han Li didn't immediately answer but instead sat down, filling the room with a heavy silence.

Han Li was carefully analyzing the scenes he had witnessed, piecing together the information he knew. The so-called "sacrifice" was actually the final step in unlocking the inheritance—a process designed to channel immortal energy and confirm the connection to the divine position. During this process, the High Priest acted more as a catalyst, using their divine power to open the channel. The soul would even be guided to the Divine Realm.

Thus, the sacrifice wasn't strictly necessary. As long as divine powers from the same source could attract and pull each other, the process could be completed. Of course, this was also a test of the High Priest's loyalty. Once this step was crossed, they would gain the qualification to become a divine official.

It all made sense—perfectly reasonable. They had even accounted for human nature. After all, divine officials in the Divine Realm were meant to assist the gods. If loyalty wasn't absolute, it was considered disloyalty. If they passed the test, they would be granted immortality—no problem.

As for the inheritors of the god's mantle, they naturally didn't need to go through the test. After all, how could you be loyal to yourself? So, the final step could be entirely controlled subjectively. No wonder the Sea God had paid it no attention.

He understood now—truly, he had figured it out.

"Grand Uncle, you don't have to die. I mean it."

Han Li looked up at Qian Daoliu, patting his chest confidently.

"Of course, if possible, it would be best if you let me enter the Angel Shrine to take a look."

Qian Daoliu looked at him, hesitating to speak.

"I'm a devout believer of the Angel God, I swear. With the Angel as my witness, I, Han Li, vow that I have the utmost reverence for the Angel God."

Without a second thought, Han Li raised three fingers on his right hand. Yes, his reverence was directed at the future Angel God, Qian Renxue. No issue there, right? Moreover, on the Douluo Continent, oaths were under his control. He was serious—who could doubt him?

At this moment, Han Li's expression was radiantly pious, with a hint of holy light glowing behind him. Joking aside, although he hadn't yet touched divine power, he had seen Gu Yue demonstrate the Law of Light. While he hadn't mastered it, he could still manage a modest display. If he wanted, he could even manifest an angelic shadow behind him, but there was no need to show off in front of Qian Daoliu. If it weren't to give him a graceful way out, Han Li wouldn't even bother faking the holy light.

Qian Daoliu remained silent, torn between his faith and reason.

"Grand Uncle, the Angel God is righteous, but not inflexible. Xiao Xue has already suffered enough in the first half of her life. You don't want her to be lonely even after she becomes a god, do you?"

Seeing that Qian Daoliu was wavering, Han Li delivered the final blow.

Qian Daoliu's so-called persistence came from two things: his faith in the Angel God and his love for his granddaughter. Spirit Hall mattered to him, but ultimately, Spirit Hall was merely the product of the Qian family's worship of the Angel God. He valued it, yes, but it wasn't his top priority. Besides, with the Angel God's return, would Spirit Hall's legacy even be a problem anymore?

Qian Daoliu's right eyelid twitched. For some reason, he didn't like what Han Li had just said, even though he knew Han Li was trying to persuade him.

"As the Holy Son of Spirit Hall, do I need a reason to pay homage to Spirit Hall's faith? Grand Uncle, you are the High Priest. Xiao Xue will be the new Angel God; she will forgive my actions."

Han Li's persuasive words continued to pour into Qian Daoliu's ears, making him feel increasingly agitated.

"Enough. Stop talking. I agree. But you must wear appropriate attire and show the proper reverence."

Qian Daoliu finally relented. Nobody wanted to die, especially after learning the truth about the Angel God's condition. Yet he silently repented in his heart, feeling guilty.

"Of course, Grand Uncle, no problem."

The holy light behind Han Li quickly dissipated, and he grinned in satisfaction. Truthfully, his greatest fear had been that the High Priest might refuse outright. If that happened, he'd have had no choice but to break into the space on his own. Negotiating with his people was always preferable to resorting to force.

Under Qian Daoliu's gaze, Han Li quickly changed into the ceremonial robes of Spirit Hall's Holy Son, and then looked directly at him. After mentally notifying Ye Lingling, Han Li followed Qian Daoliu into the Angel Shrine, despite his reluctant expression.

The energy inside was incredibly dense, filtered by the power of rules to perfectly suit the Angel Spirit's elemental needs. The space barrier was thin—it seemed to be a small, incomplete demi-plane. Han Li glanced around the Angel Shrine, quickly assessing the surroundings.

"Xiao Xue will be here to cultivate in an hour," Qian Daoliu spoke up behind him.

"Got it, Grand Uncle. It shouldn't take long. I just need a quick look," Han Li replied, understanding the unspoken message. Qian Daoliu didn't want Qian Renxue to know too much before completing the divine trial, to avoid hindering her progress.

Luckily, Han Li was on the same page. The two walked over to the Angel Statue, where Han Li observed the Angelic Holy Sword embedded before it. A genuine divine artifact, its dense power of rules proved its authenticity. Sensing the divine power fluctuations from Han Li, the Angelic Holy Sword emitted a pure, radiant glow.

If I were to pull it out, Grand Uncle would probably lose his mind, Han Li thought instinctively. He glanced sideways, meeting Qian Daoliu's scrutinizing gaze. Han Li chuckled awkwardly. He wasn't going to pull it out; he could forcefully remove it, but that would destroy the inheritance grounds, which wouldn't be ideal.

Following Spirit Hall etiquette, Han Li bowed to the Angel Statue and then touched the base of the statue. This was something only a devout believer could do, but with Qian Daoliu's permission, Han Li was allowed. Besides, he was technically a god, even if not yet officially recognized. There was no disrespect in this.

Activating the relevant rules of power, Han Li quickly deciphered the patterns on the statue's base and finally reached the core. He opened his eyes and smiled. Just as he had suspected, the core mechanism of the Angel Statue was a link to the Divine Realm. At full power, it would temporarily open a passage between the two, allowing divine energy to flow down. And it was within the rules set by the Divine God Realm.

The only downside was that it would cause a commotion. Once activated, the Divine Realm would undoubtedly notice. Otherwise, Han Li wouldn't mind exploiting this loophole to siphon off some energy from the Divine Realm. What a pity.

"When the final step comes, I can take over and channel the power to open the passage. It won't have any negative effects," Han Li assured Qian Daoliu confidently.

He had already sensed that, though imbued with the Angel God's characteristics, the divine energy was processed and essentially ownerless. It didn't have any advanced identification protocols, which made sense—it was meant for the High Priest and the inheritor. Without the Angel God's direct control, it was easy to bypass. Otherwise, how had the Sea God managed to tamper with things in the original timeline?

A glimmer of hope appeared in Qian Daoliu's eyes. If there were another option, who would willingly choose death? He then looked at Han Li.

"I can help you convince Xiao Xue, but I can't guarantee success."

Though he didn't explicitly side with Han Li, he had already made his decision in his heart.

"Alright, Grand Uncle. Let's head out. This might not even be the final plan."

Han Li tore open the space, pulling Qian Daoliu back into the room. A trace of discomfort flickered across Qian Daoliu's face. This kid didn't even bother pretending once he got what he wanted. Given his current abilities, Han Li probably didn't even need permission to enter the Angel Shrine anymore.

"Grand Uncle, you should consider harnessing the power of faith. Letting it flow freely into the Divine Realm is a waste. That excess faith energy could be quite beneficial for you," Han Li suggested. Unlike Sea God Island, which actively collected faith energy, the Angel God wasn't doing so. If Qian Daoliu casually absorbed a bit, no one would notice. Han Li had used this method to secretly enhance himself over the years.

Honestly, if Han Li were in Qian Daoliu's place, after a hundred years, even with average talent, he'd have reached the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's level of physical transformation—though, of course, that was in body transformation alone, not overall power. The whale's age and size were beyond comparison.

Naturally, with the Angel God's trials being mostly automated, even with Han Li's devotion, he probably wouldn't have become the High Priest.

Qian Daoliu glanced at him but didn't respond. Han Li didn't mind; he was simply offering advice. The first step had been taken—the rules had been broken. Even if Qian Daoliu didn't want to, there was no turning back now.

Still, Han Li thought that with Qian Daoliu's character, he would continue to uphold his duties—a rather contradictory thought.

I do have a villain's mindset, Han Li thought with a chuckle.

"I think your actions are more like a caretaker's than mine," Qian Daoliu remarked after a long pause, looking at Han Li.

"Do you? I think so too," Han Li replied, his smile unchanged. He was simply accustomed to planning.

In a way, Qian Daoliu wasn't wrong. As his strength and circumstances evolved, Han Li's original plans were revised countless times. At first, Spirit Hall and the future Angel God, Qian Renxue, were targets he had intended to bind to himself by force. But as his power grew and he interacted more with the soul beasts, his thoughts had become more nuanced.

His current strategy was to get several people, including the Worship Hall elders, through their divine trials as soon as possible, while trying to keep Qian Renxue out of the final battle. Some of his actions weren't the best choices for the situation. Han Li knew this well—his mind was scattered, and many of his decisions were made instinctively rather than being fully thought out.

When the day of reckoning arrived, he wasn't certain if he'd have to sever ties with them either. The promise he'd made to the soul beast clan—at least five first-class gods—might end up being fulfilled by him alone. After all, the soul beasts had the strongest motivation to fight in the war.

In the end, everything would depend on his final strength after ascending. This was probably like asking a supercomputer for advice and getting the option to use superpowers, Han Li mused to himself.