Oscar never imagined such a fierce battle would bring this much destruction.
"Boss Dai... Zhuqing..."
Ning Rongrong's face was pale as she stared at the giant crater, her beautiful eyes filled with fear and anxiety. She sensed that the tragic aura of the Netherworld White Tiger had finally faded here. She didn't dare think deeply about what that meant.
"Rongrong, don't worry,"
Oscar tried to calm himself, gripping her hand tightly.
"Their presence is gone, but that doesn't mean... Let's go down and have a look—maybe we'll find a clue."
The two slowly descended, stepping onto the new grasslands.
The instant their feet touched the ground, a surge of massive, pure, creative life energy poured into their bodies. This energy was gentle and vast; just a little was enough to nourish their divine bodies, restoring the god power they had consumed during their rushed journey in just a few breaths.
"Incredible... what vitality!"
Oscar exclaimed.
"This feeling is even stronger than the Forest of Life in the God Realm... No, all the plants here were born in a very short time."
Ning Rongrong said nothing. She reached out and gently stroked a dandelion swaying in the wind. She could feel the vitality stored within was enough to extend a human's lifespan.
This land had become a prototype of a field of life.
As they marveled at this strange sight, two powerful auras approached: black and blue divine lights split the sky, and in a flash, the anxious Tang Hao and Ah Yin appeared beside them.
"Mubai and Zhuqing's presence disappeared here."
The moment Tang Hao landed, his eyes swept the battlefield like a hawk, instantly recognizing the extraordinary mix of energies here.
"Yes... at least five gods fought here. One of them briefly reached the peak of a first-level god."
His voice was low and grave, each word weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.
But Ah Yin's attention was not on the destructive aura.
Barefoot, the moment her feet touched the grass, her entire body froze as if struck by lightning. She closed her eyes; her long silver hair floated though there was no wind, as if her whole being resonated with the earth beneath her.
"This breath of life..."
Ah Yin muttered to herself, her tone filled with unprecedented shock and confusion.
"So vast, so pure... In essence, it's not any weaker than the God Realm's... Could it be... Is the Goddess of Life also here in the lower realm?"
"Goddess of Life?!"
Tang Hao, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar were all shocked.
"Impossible."
Ning Rongrong almost blurted out, shaking her head repeatedly.
"Absolutely impossible, Auntie. You must be mistaken. When we left the God Realm, the war with the God Kings was at its fiercest. To maintain the core's stability and repair the rules damaged in battle, the Goddess of Life devoted nearly all her strength to the Tree of Life.
More importantly, the rules set by the Five God Kings at the start forbid gods from interfering in the lower realms at the moment between life and death. The God of Destruction always uses this rule to restrain Third Brother. The Goddess of Life is the God of Destruction's wife; she's the least likely to break that rule, let alone descend in person. In the present situation, not even a divine avatar could be sent down—it's impossible!"
Oscar nodded in agreement.
"That's right, if the Goddess of Life could descend at will, Third Brother wouldn't have had to struggle so much."
After hearing Ning Rongrong's analysis, the surprise faded from Ah Yin's eyes, replaced by confusion. She closed her eyes again to sense the vast divine power of life, carefully. After a while, she opened her eyes and affirmed Ning Rongrong's deduction.
"You're right, Rongrong. It shouldn't be her,"
Ah Yin's voice was a bit uneasy.
"I was unsettled just now and misjudged. This breath of life is very similar to the Goddess of Life's in terms of rhythm, but in essence, it is different."
"How is it different?"
Tang Hao asked.
"It's..."
Ah Yin struggled to put the feeling into words.
"The Goddess of Life's power is to protect, nourish, and heal. She's like a mother, making existing life better. But this power here... creates, defines, and bestows.
It doesn't just nourish grass—
It tells it to grow this way from the start, to have this kind of life.
Not a mother, but more like... a creator."
Creator.
The instant these three words left her lips, a chill ran down the spines of the three present.
This was even more terrifying than the Netherworld of the Goddess of Life—did a mysterious god with the authority of creation exist in the lower realm?!
"It seems the world has changed beyond recognition,"
Tang Hao's voice was hoarse, his fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Ah Yin didn't pursue the unsettling topic. No matter how much they speculated, it was not as valuable as seeing the truth with their own eyes.
As the Blue Silver Empress, this land was her home.
She slowly crouched down, pressing her pale, slender palm gently against the emerald grass.
"Children, tell me... what happened here?"
Her voice was as gentle as a spring breeze. The pure divine power in her body turned into soft blue threads, spreading from her palm into the earth, building the deepest soul connection with all the new grass of this meadow.
In an instant, countless chaotic, ignorant consciousnesses flooded into Ah Yin's spiritual sea like a tide.
Most of these grasses were born after the battle, their minds as blank as newborn babies, only longing for sunlight, moisture, and the familiar vitality in Ah Yin's palm. They knew nothing.
Unwilling to give up, Ah Yin spread her consciousness wider, searching every corner of the earth like an invisible net, seeking any old life that might have survived the gods' battle.
Finally, on the edge of the crater, hidden under lava and new soil, she found a small clump of thorns, roots badly scorched. Most of the thorns had been destroyed by the gods' battle, only the core root barely surviving, taking root again with the last nourishment of divine power.
Their consciousness was battered and chaotic, memories fragmented, leaving only the strongest sensory impressions etched in their origins.
Carefully, Ah Yin used her divine power to comfort and guide them, struggling to interpret a few vague images and feelings from the chaotic fragments.
After a while, Ah Yin slowly opened her eyes; her face was a bit pale. Interpreting the chaotic consciousness across species was no small feat.
"How is it?"
Tang Hao immediately stepped forward to support her, asking with concern.
Ah Yin took a breath and spoke solemnly,
"I saw... fragments from the surviving children's consciousness."
She organized her thoughts, putting broken images into words.
"First, it was cold."
"Then, there was thunder."
"Then, death."
"And finally..."
Ah Yin paused, gazing at the verdant grassland.
"After all the destruction, a white light appeared. It was so warm and gentle. After it appeared, all the destruction stopped, and the land began to grow again—everything was given life."
After hearing Ah Yin's account, the four fell into a long silence.
The wild wind blew between them, carrying a slight chill.
"It seems..."
It was Tang Hao who finally broke the heavy silence. He frowned, his eyes sharp and his voice cold.
"Mubai and Zhuqing were surrounded."
He raised his fingers, counting in the air as if tallying the enemies.
"A god who commands ice and snow, one of thunder and lightning, one of death, and finally a god of life—the one who left their aura here. Plus Mubai and Zhuqing, that's at least five."
"And the result..."
Tang Hao's voice grew heavy as he looked from the massive crater to the new grassland.
"It's bad.
The life force that appeared at the end may not have come to save people, but more likely to clean up the battlefield and erase traces after victory."
"No..."
Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Boss Dai, Zhuqing, and the others... they can't have..."
"Rongrong, it's not time to grieve yet,"
Tang Hao said sharply, his voice tinged with sternness.
"Their presence is gone, but we haven't found their bodies. That means their status is still unknown—they might be alive, or captured."
Like a jolt, Ning Rongrong, who was on the verge of collapse, suddenly lifted her head.
Yes, it's not the worst yet.
"We have to find them as soon as possible."
Ning Rongrong and Oscar both showed determined expressions.
As Tang Hao and the others analyzed the clues left on the battlefield, trying to unravel the truth of Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing's encounter with powerful foes amid this strange interplay of deathly silence and new life, suddenly, a faint voice echoed in their ears, as if piercing through the void.
"How interesting. When the high gods of the God Realm descend to this world, they end up falling in the sand."
The first time this voice sounded, it was like the smoothest wine—chillingly seductive, carrying a dangerous charm that could freeze to the bone. Yet beneath its sophisticated taste lurked a magic that unsettled the mind and drowned reason, as if listening to another word would draw in your soul.
"Isn't this an amusing joke?"
"Who is it?!"
Tang Hao reacted the fastest. The instant the voice rang out, his robust body tensed, and his dark red Deathgod Domain exploded into being, enveloping a hundred-meter radius.
But—there was no one there.
Ah Yin, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar also changed expressions dramatically.
None of the four gods detected anyone approaching—utterly unbelievable.
If the other party had attacked with malice, none of the four would have been able to respond in time; the consequences would be unimaginable.
A chill ran down their spines, cold sweat breaking out on their backs.
"Hehehe..."
That seductive laughter rang out again, this time directly before them. The air in front of them rippled like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, visible waves spreading out.
Right after, an elegant and enchanting figure slowly stepped out from the distorted void, as if she had always been part of this space and was merely lifting an invisible curtain.
The visitor was a stunningly beautiful woman, tall and curvaceous, her every step swaying with soul-stirring allure.
She held a delicate fan, perfectly covering the lower half of her face, only her slightly upturned eyes visible—eyes brimming with endless fascination.
Her gaze swept playfully over Tang Hao and the others, like a cat toying with cornered mice.
"I am but a mirage. I have seen all the honored guests of the divine domain,"
she said, bowing slightly in a gesture of perfect etiquette, though her tone could not hide its teasing.
"There's no need to be so tense. We could be enemies, but perhaps we might even become friends~"
Friends?
Tang Hao's eyes flashed with killing intent. As he was about to speak, Ah Yin suddenly stepped forward. The eyes that were always as gentle as water now stared at this mirage with a hint of shock and barely suppressed rage.
"...You,"
Ah Yin's voice trembled with emotion.
"You carry the breath of the Golden Tree. It's very strong. The destruction of Shrek Academy, the disappearance of the Golden Tree... it was you."