"These years, it's been hard on you!"
The Thunder God could naturally imagine that after his departure, the seven elemental gods' lives couldn't have been great, but they could barely maintain.
But later, when Tang San inherited the Asura divine position, and the Gods of Kindness and Evil passed their positions to Lie Yan and Ji Dong, in just a few years, the God Realm's structure underwent massive changes. With three of the five core God Kings resigning, how could they remain neutrally safe in such upheaval?
In the great changes, to maintain their status, the seven elemental gods had to align with a God King. Excluding the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life, among the new factions, the Evil God Ji Dong and Kindness God Lie Yan, as husband and wife, could stand proud in the God Realm even without super divine artifacts, though they could join, but it was far inferior to the isolated Tang San on the other side.
Though Tang San entered the God Realm Committee, due to backdoor reasons, he was suppressed by the God of Destruction, and many gods looked down on him; his status was far from stable. Among the Shrek Six he brought to the God Realm, the rabbit was just a decoration, and the strongest War God Dai Mubai was merely a top second-level god, offering little help.
At that time, the seven elemental gods stood by his side, quickly helping him stabilize in the God Realm. Later schemes all relied on this powerful support, making him even more dependent on the elemental seven gods.
Frankly speaking, Tang San's later ability to challenge the God of Destruction was inseparable from the elemental gods' aid. Though Dai Yuhao was also a first-level god, were the Seven Original Sin Gods weak? As original sin gods similar to the Evil God's power, their divine positions were no less than the God of Emotions.
But all this would change with Chen Yi's arrival. As the future Thunder God, Chen Yi was naturally of the elemental god faction, and the seven elemental gods would do their utmost to protect his growth.
Thinking of this, a flash appeared in the Thunder God's eyes. He steadied the Water God in his arms and looked at them, saying: "I found a disciple in the lower realm. I've left everything of mine to him. In the future, he will inherit the name of Thunder God and return again. However, I've long fallen, and in the end, I have the heart but not the power. I hope you brothers and sisters can protect him when the time comes."
Asura God would be watched by the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life, making it hard for him to interfere, but his brother and sister-in-law were one upright and one merciful, so finding opportunities wasn't difficult. And that sleazy Sea God—according to Chen Yi's memories, he wasn't easy to deal with. Even a slim possibility had to be considered. Thus, a group with direct interests in Chen Yi and who didn't follow rules rigidly was needed to watch—the seven elemental gods were the best choice.
"What?! Thunder God's disciple!"
"Inheriting the Thunder God name and returning again, hiss~, does Thunder God mean..."
In the distance, a crowd of gods had already gathered, awakened by the Thunder God's unmasked thunder might, all wanting to see what happened. But they didn't expect this world-shaking thunder might to come from the ancient Thunder God who had long vanished in history's river. This alone shocked the gods, but the Thunder God's mention of a disciple exploded the pot.
Before disappearing, the Thunder God was only half a step from God King and had once contended with the legendary Dragon God. Such a fierce figure was awe-inspiring just from his records. Paired with the seven elemental gods who could challenge God Kings, it was a force capable of altering the God Realm's current structure.
Moreover, the aura the Thunder God now emitted was clearly God King level, meaning he broke through before falling, elevating the Thunder God position to God King tier. They had wondered why this remnant thought showed no divine position, thinking perhaps he encountered danger and only an obsession escaped, leaving the rest in the outer domains.
But now it seemed, though the Thunder God died, he brought back his divine position, and more importantly, he had found a disciple. This meant the God Realm Committee would soon add another seat.
As fellow elemental gods, the seven elemental gods would firmly stand with the new Thunder God, equivalent to this faction having two God King-level combatants in the future—a powerful lineup that could truly break the God Realm's balance!
"Big Brother!" With this call, the seven elemental gods' sorrow surged even more intensely. The divine position and god were intertwined in life and fate; as long as the divine position existed, there was always a sliver of hope for return. The Thunder God's action undoubtedly declared his complete fall, with no way back.
"No need for sorrow," the Thunder God raised his hand to wipe the tears from the Light God's face. "There's a saying in the outer domains: 'Hear the Dao in the morning, die content in the evening.' As a seeker of the Dao, at life's end, I witnessed the extremity of thunder dao, and now I can bid farewell to family and friends. Heaven has been so kind to me."
Hearing this, the seven elemental gods said no more, but the sorrow on their faces didn't lessen; instead, it condensed like ice, becoming clearer in their eyes and brows. They stood quietly, gazes on the Thunder God's gradually fading figure, memories of shared battles and starry conquests flashing like broken stars in their minds.
His gaze turned to the three God Kings, sweeping over Evil and Kindness, finally landing on Asura God with a slight sigh: "My disciple has excellent talent; inheriting the Thunder God position won't be difficult. I hope you three, for old times' sake, won't make things too hard."
Asura God went without saying—since he did it, there was no turning back; he just hoped he remembered his duty as God Realm enforcer and didn't make it too ugly.
As for the Gods of Evil and Kindness, though he still couldn't understand why, after retiring, they handed the God Realm center to Tang San, a newcomer with no strength, no qualifications, no prestige, instead of the more suitable God of Destruction, it was too late to pursue.
But as the oldest gods, though these two were sometimes unreliable and always thinking of running away, they still valued the God Realm's development highly. They wouldn't be unclear on what a God King divine position meant.
With the words spoken, the divine light around the Thunder God gradually dimmed, and his body began to turn transparent. Seeing this, the Thunder God smiled freely: "Looks like my time is up. As this variable that should have left long ago, it's time to go."
"Big Brother!"
The seven elemental gods roared in sorrow, the Water God collapsing in tears in the Fire God's arms, the Darkness God tightly holding the Light God, eyes bloodshot.
"Little guy, this is all I can help you with." The Thunder God gazed remotely toward the Douluo Continent, sighing inwardly.
The next instant, golden thunder light burst from his body—not the violent rage of battle, but a nearly holy brilliance, like countless tiny thunder crystals exploding in the air, dyeing the entire void a glorious purple-gold.
When the thunder light's intensity peaked, the Thunder God's form had turned into a vast thunder sea. The next instant, all light suddenly retracted, billions of thunderbolts returning to silence in a flash. The Thunder God's figure completely dissipated, leaving only a faint trace of thunder dao aura, slowly diffusing in the vast universe, ultimately merging with heaven and earth.
"Big Brother—"
The gods present looked toward the direction of the Thunder God's dissipation, right fists lightly touching their chests, performing the most ancient divine salute to this God King.
"We respectfully send off the Thunder God!"