Su Chen helps Yin recount her original intentions, and the truth behind the divine inheritance is revealed.

The cheers on the battlefield gradually subsided, and the afterglow of the setting sun stained the scattered weapon fragments golden. Su Chen saw off the jubilant Nishen Legion soldiers, then turned and saw Ah Yin standing at the edge of the battlefield.

Her silver-white long hair fluttered gently in the evening breeze, and the blue silver emperor vines of her true form entwined her body, yet she still appeared somewhat weak—the essence consumed by the white-haired sacrificial array could not be recovered in a short time. Her gaze fell upon the nishen bond divine shield suspended in mid-air. The light of the fifteen gems was slowly receding, yet it still exuded a warm Power of Bonds. A trace of relief flashed in her eyes, mixed with a hint of melancholy spanning a thousand years.

Su Chen quickly walked forward, carefully supporting her arm. His fingertips touched her cool skin, and his voice held unconcealed concern: “Ah Yin, your body...”

A scene from the deep abyss beneath the Star Dou Great Forest instantly flashed through his mind: the deep blue Spring of Life surged, Ah Yin's blue silver emperor vines entwined him, black nishen markings intertwined with blue meridians. She had looked up at him then, her eyes gentle yet firm, saying, “My life is bound to yours, we share life and death.” Now, seeing her slightly pale face, a wave of guilt washed over him.

Ah Yin shook her head, raised her hand to point at the divine shield, and a faint smile touched her lips: “Don't worry. Seeing this divine shield, I know that the long-cherished wish of the past God Defiers will finally be realized in your generation.”

Su Chen's gaze followed her fingertips to the divine shield. The fifteen gems each shone with the exclusive light of The women—Xiao Wu's pink-black Soft Bone Light, Zhu Zhuqing's black Shadow Light, Ning Rongrong's golden Glazed Light, Qian Renxue's golden Angel Light... Each gem represented a profound bond, a stubborn determination to protect unto death. He recalled the talent humiliation in Suotuo City, the resource plunder in the Star Dou Secret Realm, the trampling of dignity at Shrek Academy, and The women's repeated acts of self-sacrifice for him. His doubts grew even stronger.

“Ah Yin, what exactly is this God Defier legacy you speak of?” Su Chen's voice held a hint of urgency, and a trace of confusion he hadn't even noticed himself. He had always thought that the God-Defying Power was his opportunity from rebirth, his unique trump card, but he had never imagined that behind it lay a thousand-year destiny, and the will of the entire Douluo Continent.

Ah Yin sighed softly, her gaze drifting towards the distant Star Dou Great Forest, her roots and the source of the God-Defying Power. Her eyes seemed to pierce through the barriers of time and space, seeing scenes from a thousand years ago. Her voice, carrying the vicissitudes of ages, slowly began: “A thousand years ago, the God Realm already regarded the Douluo Continent as its possession. They treated Spirit Beasts as captive spirit ring reserves, wantonly hunting them to cultivate God Position inheritors who met their desires. They treated human Spirit Masters as chess pieces, manipulating the destinies of major Sects and Empires. Any resistance would be met with ruthless annihilation.”

Her voice paused, as if recalling those dusty past events, and her tone became heavy: “The First Generation Nishen Inheritor was an ordinary Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master. He had no prominent family background, no heaven-defying talent; he was just an ordinary Blue Silver Grass rooted in the soil. He personally witnessed his people being hunted by Spirit Masters, saw the entire forest burned by war, and watched countless beings displaced under the God Realm's control. He was unwilling to see living beings arbitrarily manipulated, unwilling to see this continent become a vassal of the God Realm. Thus, in despair, he awakened the initial God-Defying Power—that power did not come from the God Realm's bestowal, but from the Douluo Continent's own will, from the resistance of every inch of land, from every being's yearning for freedom.”

Su Chen's pupils constricted slightly, and a storm raged in his heart. He recalled the scene when he awakened the God-Defying Power: black spirit power soared into the sky, carrying an overbearing aura that looked down on the world. At that time, he only thought it was a benefit of rebirth, but now he understood that it was the will of the entire continent, awakened within him.

“That senior led the resisting beings and fought bloody battles against the God Realm Enforcers for three years.” Ah Yin's voice deepened slightly, a trace of compassion flashing in her eyes. “During those three years, he experienced countless battles. His companions fell one by one; some Spirit Beasts self-destructed their spirit cores, some human Spirit Masters burned out their spirit power, but they never retreated. Finally, his spirit power was exhausted, and he transformed into a Blue Silver Grass, taking root in the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, leaving behind the seed of the God-Defying Power. From then on, every hundred years, a God Defier would appear on the Douluo Continent, continuing his will and inheriting his power.”

She turned to look at Su Chen, her eyes shining with a resolute light. In that light, there was anticipation, trust, and a heavy sense of responsibility: “I was not born a Blue Silver Emperor, but rather the inheritor of the previous generation's God Defier. The white-haired sacrificial array is not about sacrificing life, but about awakening the dormant will of resistance in this continent—to gather the power of past God Defiers onto you. And you, Su Chen, are this generation's God Defier, the core connecting all forces of resistance.”

“As for The women...” Ah Yin's gaze fell upon The women supporting each other nearby, her smile growing softer. “They were not coerced by you, but willingly forged bonds with you as God Defier Guardians. You helped Xiao Wu unravel the Soul Locking Curse, helped Zhu Zhuqing repel the Star Luo assassins, helped Ning Rongrong break the Seven Treasure shackles, helped Qian Renxue escape the Angel illusion, helped Hinata repair her God-Defying Byakugan... Each act of assistance was the forging of a bond. Every bit of their power carries the will of the Douluo Continent; every act of their protection is adding bricks to the Nishen War.”

Su Chen's heart trembled violently, and a warm current surged from deep within, instantly sweeping through his entire body. He recalled Xiao Wu leaning on his shoulder in the Black Forest treehouse, recounting her loneliness, the moonlight filtering through the leaves onto them both, pink and black spirit power intertwining into a cocoon; he remembered Zhuqing lowering her head to kiss his wound in the cave, the bonfire light illuminating her flushed cheeks; he remembered Ning Rongrong holding his hand atop the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School tower, the light of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda intertwining with the God-Defying Power as she vowed, “I'll always be your support”; he remembered Qian Renxue in the Angel God Temple illusion, beneath the weeping angel statue, her eyes firm as she said, “I want to be your Nishen Angel”; he remembered Hinata shyly massaging his shoulders in the tent, the nishen markings swirling in her Byakugan, as she softly said, “I will always protect you”... So, from the moment he met them, the gears of destiny had already begun to turn. It turned out he was never fighting alone.

“Ah Yin, have all the past God Defiers... silently protected this continent like you?” Su Chen's voice was choked with emotion, his eyes slightly red. He finally understood why Ah Yin was willing to consume her essence to activate the white-haired sacrificial array, and why all past God Defiers were willing to give everything for this continent. It was a responsibility etched in their blood, a faith integrated into their souls.

Ah Yin nodded, then shook her head, her gaze drifting towards the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. Her tone carried a hint of melancholy, yet also a touch of pride: “Some died on the battlefield, transforming into boundless spirit power, nourishing this land; some lived in seclusion, silently cultivating the forces of resistance; some exhausted their essence, becoming part of the earth, guarding the seeds of the God-Defying Power. But their will has never dissipated. It hides in the meridians of the Blue Silver Grass, in the bloodlines of Spirit Beasts, and in the hearts of every living being unwilling to be manipulated.”

She raised her hand and gently patted Su Chen's shoulder, her tone solemn, every word seeming to convey a thousand years of legacy: “Su Chen, you are not fighting alone. Behind you is the will of past God Defiers, the bonds of The women, and all the beings of the Douluo Continent. This Nishen War is not for you alone, but for the freedom of this continent. To ensure Spirit Beasts are no longer wantonly hunted, to ensure human Spirit Masters are no longer treated as chess pieces, to ensure every living being can live according to their own will.”

Su Chen looked at the determination in Ah Yin's eyes, then at the figures of The women not far away. Xiao Wu was leaning on Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder, the two whispering something, gentle smiles on their faces; Ning Rongrong and Hinata were together, checking the status of the nishen bond divine shield; Qian Renxue, Yun Yun, Xiao Xun Er, and others were gathered, discussing subsequent defensive deployments. The afterglow of the setting sun fell upon them, coating them in a golden halo, beautiful as a painting.

At that moment, all the confusion in Su Chen's heart dissipated, replaced by an unprecedented resolve. He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, yet he felt no pain. His voice was firm and powerful, resounding across the battlefield and deep within his heart: “Ah Yin, rest assured, I will carry everyone's will, carry the long-cherished wishes of the past God Defiers, break the shackles of the God Realm, and truly usher in freedom for the Douluo Continent!”

The evening breeze blew, rustling their clothes and Ah Yin's silver-white long hair. The light of the nishen bond divine shield grew even more brilliant in the afterglow of the setting sun. Fifteen gems sparkled, as if responding to Su Chen's vow.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, behind a collapsed ruin, a disheveled figure was curled in a corner, having overheard their entire conversation.

It was Xiao Ling.

His clothes were already stained with blood, and fragments of his Sea God Divine Armor hung on him, making him look exceptionally pathetic. Traces of the God-Defying Soul Power burns still remained on his chest. Every breath tugged at the wounds, making him tremble with pain. But he ignored the pain, just tightly clenching his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping between his fingers, staining the soil beneath him.

“God Defier legacy... the will of the Douluo Continent...” Xiao Ling's lips curled into a twisted smile, his eyes filled with disbelief, but more so with deep-seated jealousy and unwillingness. In his mind, the scene of Suotuo City being crushed replayed again and again—his Blue Silver Grass severed by Kushina's chakra blade, his Clear Sky Hammer entangled by Qing Lin's snake swarm, himself slammed to the ground by Xiao Wu's Eight Stage Drop, Su Chen stepping on his Clear Sky Hammer, mocking him as a “low-quality chess piece manipulated by the God Realm”; the humiliation in the Star Dou Secret Realm flashed—his Blue Silver Grass scorched black by the Nishen Poison Mist, his Tang Sect Hidden Weapons cut by Yun Yun's Wind Blade, his ancient spirit ring seized by Su Chen, Su Chen turning to him and saying, “Anything you want, I can easily take away”; the despair at Shrek Academy flashed—his Sea God Blue Silver Grass shattered by Su Chen's God-Defying Scepter, himself pressed against the school gate, Su Chen saying, “Your justice is vulnerable before me.”

Three crushing defeats, three humiliations, like three poisonous thorns, deeply embedded in his heart.

He had always believed himself to be the Son of Destiny of the Douluo Continent, a dual God Position inheritor, destined to stand at the peak. But now, Ah Yin's words were like a basin of cold water, completely extinguishing his pride. It turned out that Su Chen was never some lucky individual, but a God Defier burdened with a thousand-year destiny! And his own proud dual God Positions of Sea God and Asura God were merely chess pieces for the God Realm to manipulate this continent!

“Why?” Xiao Ling's teeth gnashed, a flicker of mad ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. “Why does Su Chen get all of this? Why can he have so many powerful women? Why can he become a God Defier? I am the Son of Destiny of the Douluo Continent! I am!”

He abruptly raised his hand and pulled out a black token from his Huai. The token was engraved with complex God Realm runes, exuding a faint pressure—this was the token bestowed upon him by the three main gods when he pledged allegiance to the God Realm. With this token, he could mobilize the remaining forces the God Realm had left on the Douluo Continent.

“Su Chen... The women...” Xiao Ling's gaze swept towards Su Chen's direction, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes, and a cruel smile played on his lips. “I won't just give up like this! The old era hasn't ended yet! The remaining forces of the God Realm, the remnants of the Spirit Hall, the ambitions of the two Empires... As long as I unite these powers, I can definitely crush you completely!”

He abruptly stood up, ignoring the pain of his wounds, and sprinted towards the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest. His figure in the afterglow of the setting sun appeared exceptionally pathetic, yet also carried a chilling madness.

Night, gradually descended.

A new conspiracy, in the darkness, quietly began to brew.

Meanwhile, in the camp, Su Chen was walking towards The women. The afterglow of the setting sun fell upon him, his black robes fluttering in the wind, his figure tall and resolute.