Chapter 367: What, Bai Fu Isn’t the God of the Ethereal Realm？
【Divine Fire Germination Progress 80.0%……】
【［Transcendence Peak +3］ advanced to ［Transcendence Peak +4］】
【［Divinity Metamorphosis +3］ advanced to ［Divinity Metamorphosis +4］】
【［Nurture Divine Messenger +3］ advanced to ［Nurture Divine Messenger +4］】
【［Void Spirit · Sunken Sea］ advanced to ［Void Spirit · Primordial Eruption］】
【You have gained a new bonus ［Primordial Purification］】
A flood of system notifications burst forth.
Along with those messages came a surge of power so vast and profound that even Bai Fu herself — the controller — felt her own body tremble.
That power was immense and deep…
“ This is— ”
Bai Fu quickly opened the game log and checked each prompt line by line.
Among them, the advancements of Transcendence Peak and Nurture Divine Messenger were as usual — nothing special. The former further boosted her Prayer Cards’ power; the latter allowed her to command one more Divine Messenger.
The advancement of Divinity Metamorphosis was similarly standard — only that its amplification rate was as exaggerated as her third metamorphosis.
It rose from the former 【Base Inspiration +27%, Base Power and other Stats +22%】 to 【Base Inspiration +42%, Base Power and other Stats +37%】.
“ I see — that’s because I’ve mastered all nine Psionic Attributes. ”
Bai Fu smiled and scrolled further down.
The skill that had evolved at her third metamorphosis — 【Void Spirit Torrent】 — advanced again this time, becoming 【Void Spirit · Primordial Eruption】.
The Sunken Sea released a fusion of Psionic and Dark Energy, while Primordial Eruption unleashed a tide of Primordial Void Energy formed from mixed Ethereal Realm Particles.
Although the skill now consumed three times as much energy, its power had increased fivefold!
The only problem was that 【Void Spirit · Primordial Eruption】 could not be used too frequently, as synthesizing Ethereal Realm Particles placed a great strain on a Psionic Priest’s body.
However ——
“ Eh？ Seems like I don’t have that restriction. ”
Bai Fu looked at her new bonus with delight.
【Primordial Purification】: You have been acknowledged by the Ethereal Realm. This Primordial Purification allows you to use Ethereal Realm Particles without limit, without fear of being assimilated by the Void.
Damn——that’s awesome！
With this buff, Bai Fu could not only spam 【Void Spirit · Primordial Eruption】 infinitely, but also upgrade a whole range of her other skills and Prayer Cards.
This boosted her offensive capability by a factor of one or two instantly.
“ One or two times？ No — this still isn’t the limit of my advancement！ ”
Give me level ups and stat points！
+1、+1、+1……
Within seconds, her Dark Emperor class level shot from Lv. 30 to Lv. 41, and her total single-class level rose from 260 to 271.
Just as Bai Fu was about to allocate her new points, a new notification sounded.
Ding！
【You have triggered a special class advancement. ［Dark Emperor］ has advanced to its upper-tier replacement class ［Lord of Primordials］.】
【Class change complete. You gain stat corrections ——
Strength +271、Agility +271、Constitution +542、Intelligence +542、Spirit +542、Inspiration +1355、Stat Points +1355】
“ There’s a perk like this too？ ”
Bai Fu hurriedly dumped all stat points into Inspiration.
At that moment, her attribute panel underwent an earth-shattering change.
【HP】：17813880 / 17813880
【Psionic Value】：33147030 / 33147030
【Stats】：Strength 15160、Agility 16689、Constitution 23060、Intelligence 15383、Spirit 21594、Inspiration 38100
Compared to before her fourth metamorphosis, each attribute had soared immensely — Inspiration especially, leaping from nearly 30 k to 38 100 in one breath.
Judging by the raw figures alone, she was no longer inferior to the Supreme God’s Disciples.
The difference was that the Supreme God’s Disciple had already half-fused with the Double Helix Tree and absorbed a vast number of followers, members of the Apostolic Holy City, and its fleet — causing his real-time Inspiration to skyrocket to absurd levels.
“ Doesn’t matter — at least I’m no longer completely helpless！ And more importantly—— ”
Bai Fu realized that the Void dimension summoned by the Supreme God’s Disciple could no longer contain her. She could shatter its shackles and contact the other body she had left outside.
Since that was so, her first priority was naturally to stop more Apostolic Holy City forces from rushing in to get themselves killed — lest the Supreme God’s Disciple grow even stronger by absorbing them.
As Bai Fu remotely controlled her other body to act, everyone around her suddenly stopped fighting, their eyes turning toward her in unison.
“ What’s going on？ ”
Even Angus, who was notoriously insensitive to Psionic fluctuations, sensed the change.
He noticed that in the few dozen seconds since he’d revealed the secret Bai Fu wanted to hear, her aura had surged twice — each time without warning and with immense magnitude.
Angus felt as if he was looking at a colossal sun vast enough to devour entire galaxies.
Such terrifying life intensity — this was no weaker than the Supreme God’s Disciple, was it？
Could it be that Bai Fu had truly completed her fourth Divine Metamorphosis after hearing his secret, just as she claimed？
No——
That made no sense！
Even if she could trigger the fourth metamorphosis that way, it shouldn’t be so fast — nor should her aura rise in such bizarre, step-like bursts.
Could she have activated two explosive-power secret techniques in succession？
Angus couldn’t figure it out for the moment, but Aetheron, the Supreme God’s Disciple opposite them, saw through it instantly.
“ What is she doing？ ”
Originally, most of his attention had been on the Fourth Apostle, but now he was forced to lock onto Bai Fu completely.
Because she had grown stronger！
And it was a metamorphic strengthening！
She stood there, hand grasping the shooting branches of the Double Helix Tree, like a towering mountain.
That mountainous pressure made ordinary beings unable to breathe — and set off blaring alarms in Aetheron’s mind.
Right now, he had not yet devoured the Fourth Apostle nor fully merged with the Double Helix Tree. If Bai Fu recovered her status as the God of the Ethereal Realm at this moment, his path to godhood would be cut off.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
“ I don’t know what means you used to make your power soar, but it doesn’t matter. No matter how much you increase, you cannot surpass me — the one fused with the Double Helix Tree. My meticulous plans, my sweat, my extraordinary talent, my superb luck — everything I am will never allow me to lose to you！ Things of the Old Days should remain in the Old Days！ ”
In that instant, Aetheron withdrew all his extended branches.
Like a strategic retraction of the battle line.
But everyone knew that this withdrawal was merely to strike better.
His next target was Bai Fu！
“ Bai Fu， dodge ！ ”
The first to shout was Yulia.
Then Scarlet Leaf, Jin Lu, Shadow Foxtail, Angus — all in turn.
Even the Fourth Apostle and Lufas — who both bore grudges against Bai Fu — were no exceptions.
If she died here by Aetheron’s hand, they’d stand no chance afterward.
Unfortunately, their warning came too late.
Aetheron had already finished charging his attack.
Fast！
Fast！
Fast！
In the descended Ethereal dimension, Aetheron was god.
With a single thought, countless branches and Void Particles merged into “Ten Thousand Branches Return to Origin” and lunged straight for Bai Fu.
Die！
Boom —— Boom —— Boom ——
Even the Dark Energy leaking out accidentally from the explosion caused a chain reaction among the surrounding ships — a million-bang string of firecrackers.
The particle shockwaves from the collision refraction obliterated nearby stars one by one, and the ensuing tidal force swept across the supercluster containing Holy Land Star at an unbelievable speed.
Without question, this was the greatest catastrophe the Apostolic Holy City had faced in millennia.
When the tremors subsided, it was foreseeable that the entire supercluster might collapse.
And the culprit behind it all — was none other than the Supreme God’s Disciple, the very one who was supposed to protect the Apostolic Holy City！
Facing this calamity, Aetheron showed not the slightest trace of regret — instead, he laughed madly.
He won！
Honestly, if Bai Fu hadn’t been the God of the Ethereal Realm, this battle might not have gone his way — because the aura Bai Fu had released earlier was already almost on par with his. If Bai Fu had dragged the fight out longer and waited for the people from the 【Original Pact】 or the 【Three Universal Civilizations】 to arrive, the situation would’ve turned very unfavorable for him.
But—who told Bai Fu to be the God of the Ethereal Realm?
To deal with the God of the Ethereal Realm, he had been preparing ever since the day he reached a deal with the Fourth Apostle.
Just now, in that terrifying tide of annihilating Ethereal Realm Particles, he had secretly hidden a special anti–God-of-the-Ethereal-Realm weapon——
The Death Factor of the God of the Ethereal Realm, peeled from the Fourth Apostle’s body and perfected by him and the Double Helix Tree！
This Death Factor had two effects: one, it could prevent the God of the Ethereal Realm from communicating with the Ethereal Realm; and two, it could erode the “existence” of the God of the Ethereal Realm, deleting it from the Realm — killing the god in this very way.
Bai Fu’s focus had been entirely on the particle tide, so she hadn’t noticed that he was hiding such a move. Sure enough, she took the hit.
Considering that Bai Fu still had another body, Aetheron didn’t think this trick could completely kill her.
But he didn’t need to. As long as he could kill this troublesome Bai Fu in front of him, he could capture the Fourth Apostle. Once he devoured the Fourth Apostle, whatever Bai Fu did afterward would no longer matter.
“ Aetheron, you—— ”
The Fourth Apostle’s face changed drastically. It had seen through Aetheron’s plan, its whole being trembling in shock.
Aetheron sneered darkly: “Fourth Apostle, this is all thanks to you. If not for your help, I couldn’t have created the Death Factor of the God of the Ethereal Realm. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to kill Bai Fu here. It’s you — who personally directed your own road to death！”
The Fourth Apostle shook all over with rage.
Those around them, who didn’t know the full story and could only understand by listening to their conversation, were nearly furious enough to faint.
Damn it, Fourth Apostle, you—you—you really screwed us all！
Angus and Lufas wished they could rush up right then and give the Fourth Apostle a few hard slaps.
When they saw Bai Fu’s strength suddenly soar, they thought they were saved — but now, it was over. Everything was ruined, all because of that idiot Fourth Apostle.
Aetheron ignored Lufas and the others.
The branches crawled and bit into the void as his tree-like body rapidly closed in on Bai Fu. It was time to reap her life.
嗖嗖嗖——
Space was ruthlessly crushed.
Amid the tangled turbulence of interdimensional space, a small fist suddenly pierced through the thick cloud of energy.
That was Bai Fu’s fist.
A Death Factor specifically designed to kill the God of the Ethereal Realm？
Oh, impressive！
The problem was——she, Bai Fu, wasn’t the God of the Ethereal Realm at all; her species name just happened to be 【God of the Ethereal Realm】.
You bastard—eat my 【Void Spirit · Primordial Eruption】 stacked with true damage！
Bai Fu had originally imagined battling the Supreme God’s Disciple all the way to the end of the universe, but she hadn’t expected him to play dirty and hide a “killing move.”
Fine then.
Since the Supreme God’s Disciple had used a “killing move,” wouldn’t it be rude if she didn’t respond with one？
“ Impossible——！ ”
When Aetheron saw Bai Fu’s fist emerge, he already sensed something was wrong; and when that fist overflowed with Primordial Power of the Ethereal Realm, he shouted in shock.
Why wasn’t Bai Fu affected by the Death Factor？
He had no time to think about it.
Bai Fu’s punch landed squarely on his face. A torrent of Ethereal Realm Particles poured into him through that blow, mercilessly devouring his body.
轰轰轰！
Under the explosion’s shockwave, his entire body shattered and was blown away.
Pain — searing, soul-ripping pain！
Amid that pain, a wave of weakness pierced through Aetheron’s very soul.
Ever since his fusion with the Double Helix Tree, it was the first time he had felt the threat of death.
No.
He couldn’t possibly die here.
He had toyed with the Apostles like playthings. He had found the Double Helix Tree, something even the God of the Ethereal Realm hadn’t known existed. Every step he took had been calculated — he had left himself every possible retreat. How could he fall now, on the brink of success？
There was only one explanation for why he had fallen into Bai Fu’s hands just now.
“ You’re not the God of the Ethereal Realm at all！ ”
Yes — other than that, Aetheron couldn’t explain why Bai Fu, who had been struck by the Death Factor, was completely fine.
Bai Fu neither confirmed nor denied it.
Everyone else — except a few who already knew the truth — was dumbfounded.
Bai Fu wasn’t the God of the Ethereal Realm？
But hadn’t Bai Fu herself publicly confirmed that she was？
If she truly wasn’t, that meant she had been lying all along？
Damn！
Who would’ve thought that someone with such righteous looks could be out there scamming people！
Angus felt like his mind was splitting apart.
He had once believed in the goodness of the world because someone as pure and kind as Bai Fu existed in it — but now…
“ I’ll kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you, kill you！！ ”
Aetheron, consumed by fury, launched a stormlike barrage of attacks at Bai Fu.
He’d figured it out — the fact that Bai Fu wasn’t the God of the Ethereal Realm wasn’t bad at all.
Since she wasn’t, then her strength must be far weaker than he’d assumed, and she could no longer block his ascension.
So kill — kill them all, leave no one alive！
Tch.
Bai Fu curled her lips in disdain.
You think you’re safe now that you’ve discovered I’m not the God of the Ethereal Realm？
I’m not — but my “daughter” is！
At the same moment, Bai Fu’s other body descended before the real God of the Ethereal Realm — Élisée.
This was an opportunity — a chance to defeat Aetheron while also clearing her name, ensuring Élisée wouldn’t chase her down in the future.
“ Mother？ ”
Élisée looked at the suddenly appeared Bai Fu in surprise.
Her condition wasn’t great at the moment — not long ago, she had felt a sudden heart tremor, as if a powerful being had awakened somewhere in the Star Sea. It gave her a strong sense that something catastrophic was about to happen.
And now Bai Fu had appeared — proving that her intuition hadn’t been wrong.
Bai Fu stepped forward and placed her hand on Élisée’s shoulder.
“ Élisée, at this point, I must tell you the truth！ ”
“ What truth？ ”
Bai Fu said with utter sincerity: “Actually, I’m not your mother — I’m your younger sister！”
“ ”
Élisée was petrified on the spot.