Looking at the familiar face before him, the memories long sealed deep in his heart resurfaced. The God of Destruction, who always prided himself on his ironclad demeanor, finally revealed a side unimaginable to outsiders.
"It's me, Brother."
The person before him was none other than the Thunder God who had dissipated in Chen Yi's sea of consciousness. At this moment, he gazed at the resolute man, his heart filled with mixed emotions, as if there were countless words he wanted to pour out, yet they stuck in his throat, unable to be voiced. After a long while, he finally said, "I'm back!"
"That's good," these words stuck in the God of Destruction's mouth, hard to utter. With his realm, how could he not see that the Thunder God before him was merely a remnant thought, not even a remnant soul, incapable of reincarnation? The divine consciousness of the God King realm, which he once took pride in, now turned into the sharpest dagger, stabbing ruthlessly into his heart.
"Little Thunder, where did you go back then? The God Realm's center transmitted news of your fall. Little Purple and I used the God Realm's center to search for your traces, but we couldn't find you no matter what."
The always sentimental Goddess of Life looked at this man she had raised from childhood and cried uncontrollably.
The man before her had grown under their couple's protection even before he took form, and they had personally taught him. Named brother and sister-in-law, but in reality like parents. Now, seeing the once spirited younger brother who wielded dual maces and fought across the heavens reduced to just a remnant thought, it tore at their hearts like knives, making it hard to breathe.
"Sister-in-law!" Seeing the Goddess of Life crying like a tear-streaked person, the Thunder God's voice choked up, and the thunder light around him dimmed a bit. Now separated by yin and yang, how could he not be heartbroken?
Back then, he was just a dying man. How could he have taken the Thunder God position and left? It was because his brother and sister-in-law stood up against the pressure from the God Realm Committee and even split off a portion of their life origin, allowing him to roam the starry skies with quasi-God King strength.
When he learned of his brother and sister-in-law's fate, he didn't hesitate to burn everything and return, abandoning his chance at life, all because they were his only two family members.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, after I left the God Realm back then, I wandered in the starry skies..."
"So you don't need to be sad. Though your little brother is gone, I ultimately saw the scenery of a higher realm. You should be happy for me!"
After hearing the Thunder God's experiences, the Goddess of Life's eyes turned red, and her repeated "Poor little brother" brought tears to those who heard it. Her whole body trembled as she reached out, but her fingertips only touched a faint, cool halo. The remnant thought was too fragile, like a candle flame in the wind, swaying gently, making her afraid to touch it too forcefully.
The God of Destruction raised his hand and gently pulled his trembling wife into his embrace. His usually tightly clenched fists loosened slightly, but his knuckles turned white from the force.
Looking at the Thunder God's remnant thought, his gaze lost its usual majesty, leaving only undisguised pain and regret:
"You foolish guy, what higher realm scenery? In our eyes, nothing compares to you living well."
Hearing this, the Thunder God grinned and said, "I know, but I was so close to that step. If I didn't try, I wouldn't be content!"
Seeing this guy who would grin foolishly in front of him whenever he made a mistake, trying to muddle through, the God of Destruction didn't scold him harshly as before. He could only let tears well up in his eyes, forcing them not to fall, while regret surged in his heart like a tide.
"If, back then, I had been more resolute and kept you in the God Realm, perhaps..."
The Thunder God smiled and interrupted his brother's self-blame: "We all knew the situation back then. Even if I stayed in the God Realm, even with Sister-in-law's help, I would just be lingering on. Better to fight it out. Even if I failed in the end, I have no regrets."
"Besides, facts prove I succeeded, didn't I?"
The God of Destruction was dazed for a moment. Yes, for a true cultivator, especially a pure seeker like Little Thunder, what they pursued in life was never just safe survival, but to personally touch the scenery of higher places. Since he had glimpsed the scenery of the God King realm and seen the wonders at the end of the starry skies, what was there to regret in this life?
"By the way, besides seeing Brother and Sister-in-law to make up for the regrets in my heart, I have one more request." The Thunder God looked at the two God Kings of Life and Destruction, a trace of solemnity in his eyes.
"In the Douluo Plane, I took a disciple with extraordinary talent. I've left the Thunder God position and the super divine artifact in his body. Once his cultivation reaches the point, he can start the divine position assessment and inherit the Thunder God position."
"That little guy is also someone who yearns to pioneer. I believe when he enters the God Realm, he can help you."
The God of Destruction nodded heavily and said solemnly, "Don't worry. Your disciple is like my own nephew. As long as he passes the Thunder God inheritance, I'll definitely help him quickly establish a foothold in the God Realm."
Hearing this, the Thunder God smiled, then looked seriously at the couple:
"This time, in the space-time storm, due to the temporal chaos, I glimpsed a corner of the future. Asura has also found his own successor, and like my disciple, they are both in the Douluo Plane."
Upon hearing this, the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes. As the enforcement god in charge of judgment, though not explicitly stated, he was recognized as the leader of the three enforcement gods. Now, he had a favored inheritor, and they hadn't heard a thing about it.
The Thunder God continued: "As the saying goes, 'One mountain cannot contain two tigers.' With both of them in the Douluo Plane, I'm afraid there will be friction. Moreover, Asura's inheritor is no pushover. From what I've observed, my disciple isn't one to be trifled with either. I have confidence in my disciple—if they clash, Asura's inheritor is no match. At that time, please protect him, Brother and Sister-in-law."
The Goddess of Life nodded without hesitation. In her view, since both were God King inheritors, it was best to avoid conflict if possible.
However, the God of Destruction beside her caught the implication in the Thunder God's words and asked puzzledly, "Little Thunder, from your tone, it seems you look down on Asura's inheritor."
"Yeah, Little Thunder, what do you mean?" The Goddess of Life also realized. From the Thunder God's words, Asura's inheritor was definitely no match for his disciple. But Asura, as the most slaughter-oriented among the five God Kings, had impeccable judgment. Without direct confrontation, how could he claim certain defeat?
The Thunder God looked at his brother and sister-in-law, thinking of their future fate, his heart full of pain. But for his disciple's safety, he still didn't reveal the future.
"It's nothing else. Asura's inheritor is fine in other aspects, but his character is somewhat average."
"What?! Average character!"
The God of Destruction and Goddess of Life were both shocked. The five God Kings of the God Realm had different requirements for inheriting divine positions due to their unique powers. The God of Destruction and Goddess of Life had the highest demands on the inheritor's abilities and compatibility with the divine position—nothing less than ultimate destruction and life, or they wouldn't consider it.
The Gods of Kindness and Evil mainly looked at the inheritor's comprehension of good and evil forces. Of course, this depended on the God King's personal view; it could be high or low, so their divine position inheritances were more casual—as long as it wasn't too bad.
The Asura divine position, as the God King position in charge of judgment authority, was known as the "God Realm's pinnacle of slaughter."
A slight misstep could lead to erosion by slaughter's evil thoughts, so the requirements for the inheritor's character were extremely high—almost no room for error.
But now, the Thunder God said Asura's chosen inheritor had poor character, which shocked them.