It was not that Ji Dong was ignorant.
Although he held the honored position of God King, his ascension to the Divine Realm had been relatively recent. Aside from brewing wine and accompanying his beloved wife, he rarely involved himself in the hidden secrets of the Divine Realm.
The matter concerning this divine blood and wondrous flower clearly involved ancient, forbidden history. It was understandable that he did not know.
Hearing Ji Dong's question, the Asura God fell silent for a long while, gazing toward the endless billowing mists of the Divine Realm.
"Evil," he finally spoke,
"do you know why Spirit Beasts cannot become gods?"
Ji Dong pondered briefly.
"Because the Divine Realm Committee, led by human gods, established a prohibition permanently forbidding Spirit Beasts from becoming gods."
"You know only one part, not the other."
Asura God spoke slowly:
"Beyond the prohibition, it is because beast-type gods have essentially all perished."
"In today's Divine Realm, there are no longer any god positions that Spirit Beasts may inherit."
"Unless…"
"Unless a Supreme God were to arise, one who possesses the authority to grant divine titles."
"Or unless a Spirit Beast were to possess talent as monstrous as Li Zhexian's—and create a god position of its own."
"But even if a Spirit Beast truly succeeded in creating its own godhood, the gods of the Divine Realm would never allow it."
Ji Dong's expression shifted slightly.
"And why is that?"
Asura God did not answer directly.
Instead, abandoning his usual indifference, he posed another question.
"In your view, who is the strongest god in the Divine Realm?"
Ji Dong thought for a moment.
"You, Asura God, wield authority over killing and judgment. The Asura Blood Sword is the strongest super–divine weapon in the Divine Realm."
"The strongest god would naturally be you."
"You are mistaken."
Asura God's voice seemed to carry the dust of ages.
"In the distant past, there once existed a Dragon God whose divine power was so vast that he could battle five God Kings at once."
"Later, due to flaws within himself, coupled with long-accumulated internal class conflicts within the Divine Realm, a great divine war erupted."
"And the result of that war…"
"The First Asura God split the Dragon God in two with the Asura Blood Sword."
"His malevolent will and physical might became the Golden Dragon King, eternally sealed by the gods within the Divine Realm's forbidden land."
"His benevolent will and mastery over the elements transformed into the Silver Dragon King, which fled to the lower realm of Douluo Continent, entering a long slumber to heal."
His tone grew heavy.
With a single thought, blood-red waves surged through the clouds for thousands of miles.
"After the Dragon God's defeat, its divine power scattered across Douluo Continent, causing ordinary beasts to transform into Spirit Beasts."
"One drop of his heart's essence blood was obtained by an eagle-type beast. After millions of years of nurturing and inheritance, it eventually became the Dragon-Headed Sword Falcon."
"Another strand of primordial divine power slumbered deep beneath the continent. Its leaked energy turned wastelands into forests, and in this era condensed into that wondrous flower—meant to fuse with the Dragon-Headed Sword Falcon and return to unity."
"The Silver Dragon King, who lay dormant while recovering, had originally intended to use this blood and this power to heal herself—but unexpectedly…"
"Li Zhexian intercepted it midway and seized this great fortune."
"Li Zhexian carries the Dragon God's legacy, and also bears the destinies of numerous extraordinary Spirit Beasts."
"Evil, tell me…"
"How heavy do you think this karma is?"
What the Asura God said today was likely more than he had spoken in the past tens of thousands of years combined.
And the earth-shattering secrets contained within these words left Ji Dong unable to regain his composure for a long time.
How heavy was this karma?
Even as a God King,
a sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.
...
Star Dou Forest
The Lake of Life churned into waves.
Da Ming and Er Ming looked at each other, both seeing shock and uncertainty in the other's eyes.
Deep beneath the earth.
Within the underground palace.
Five peerless ferocious beasts jolted awake from deep cultivation. The palace trembled under the impact of violent Spirit Power, stone fragments raining down.
A pair of dark-golden dragon eyes snapped open.
"Why…?"
A low voice echoed through the underground palace, unable to conceal a trace of restlessness.
"Why do I feel this sudden unease?"
"This feeling…"
"It comes from the north!"
"What exactly has happened?!"
"ROAR—!"
A dragon's roar overwhelmed the oppressive might of the five ferocious beasts.
In a corner,
the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger clung tightly to the wall, staring in terror at those five towering beastly phantoms. Even its blood-red pupils had begun to lose focus from sheer fear.
It found itself missing Li Zhexian.
"Di Tian."
At that moment,
a voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation sounded.
Though the voice was light—
Yet, strangely, it drowned out all the clamor within the underground palace.
Under the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's twitching gaze, the five ferocious beasts all prostrated themselves at once. Even from the deepest reaches of the underground palace came the dull sound of bodies kneeling and bowing.
Before it could recover its senses,
five massive hands of differing forms had already slammed down, pinning it firmly to the ground, leaving it completely unable to move.
Then, that soft yet unquestionable voice rang out once more:
"Bring him to see me."
"Yes, my lord."
...
Clear Sky Clan (Haotian Sect)
Council Hall
Sect Master Tang Xiao sat at the head of the hall alongside a burly man.
The man's right arm and left leg had been severed at the roots, replaced by crimson prosthetics formed from Spirit Power and the Killing God Domain to support his movement.
Below them,
Third Elder Tang Cang, Fourth Elder Tang Yuan, and Fifth Elder Tang Gang stood solemnly.
"Sect Master, we have already clashed several times with the Titled Douluo of the Heaven Dou Empire,"
Tang Gang said through clenched fists, his voice harsh.
"Heaven Dou absolutely refuses to dismantle that man's statue!"
"This wretch took advantage of our ancestor's clouded mind and committed murder. This hatred is greater than the heavens and must be repaid!"
For the Clear Sky Clan, the reason it could still confidently proclaim itself the 'Number One Sect under Heaven' amid the turbulent times of the continent
was not only because of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao's fearsome reputation,
but also because of their ancestor Tang Chen, hailed as 'Invincible on Land.'
In the past, Tang Chen had merely been missing.
As long as he was not confirmed dead,
there was always hope.
But now,
he had truly been slain by that man.
And with his fall, the prestige of the Clear Sky Clan had been cut down by three parts.
"The continent has been thrown into countless storms because of him. The Second Elder and Seventh Elder also fell because of him!"
Tang Yuan rubbed his rough palms, his expression dark.
"Such a calamity incarnate—by what right does he have to erect a statue and receive worship?!"
"The so-called 'one-year promise' circulating among the people has only one month left,"
he continued.
"In my view…"
"On that very day, we should publicly smash his divine statue!"
Tang Cang nodded heavily.
"Feasible!"
"That phenomenon of downfall—clearly visible even from ten thousand miles away!"
"Can one who has fallen truly return?"
"Our Clear Sky Clan can use this to shatter such pointless illusions and restore the sect's former glory!"
"Li Zhe—"
At the instant that forbidden name was about to leave his lips—
He abruptly cut himself off. His hand clenched pale-white within his sleeve as he forced himself to calm down.
"My Clear Sky Clan has the Sect Master and Clear Sky Douluo holding the fort nearby, and Tang San inheriting a god position in the deep sea!"
"Not to mention that man has already fallen—even if he were still alive…"
"What would my Clear Sky Sect have to fear?!"
—
—
The hall fell into a long silence.
Even among the sect, no one dared echo the Third Elder's bold declaration.
They resented the youth.
They hated the youth.
Yet they could not deny…
the invincible bearing he once displayed.
Tang Xiao turned to the disabled, burly man beside him.
"Second Brother Hao, what is your opinion…?"
Tang Hao slowly raised his head,
revealing a weathered yet resolute face.
Gazing at the Clear Sky Clan before him—so different from the one in his memories—he remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
"I leave everything to Big Brother's decision."
Tang Xiao closed his eyes.
When he opened them again,
the light within the grand hall seemed to dim for an instant.
"On the day of the one-year promiese,"
"all elders of the Clear Sky Clan shall accompany Second Brother Hao and me to destroy Li Zhexian's divine statue."
"Now that the wars across the continent have subsided, our sect can take this opportunity to assist the Heaven Dou Empire in its reconstruction."
"And let the world see..."
"...that our Clear Sky Clan also possesses the heart to protect our nation and people!"
..
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