"Speaking of which, I still had questions about your Ninth Spirit Ring, but every time I came, you were in seclusion."
"I saw what happened that day." Gu Yue moved with light steps, strolling slowly along the Life Lake.
Wang Nan glanced at her retreating figure and followed.
The mist over the Life Lake thickened until everything around them was swallowed, making it feel as though only the two of them remained.
"How did it feel at the time?"
"There was a very peculiar power, utterly different from mental force or spirit power."
Gu Yue nodded gently. "Do you know how the God Realm came to be?"
"I spoke with the Dragon God before. The original God Realm was created by him."
"That's right." Gu Yue nodded. "Today's God Realm is merely a fragment of the primordial Dragon God Realm."
"People nowadays believe the God Realm is forged from the beliefs of countless worlds. Yet if that were true, where did the original Dragon God Realm come from?"
"So-called belief, some worlds call it faith, is nothing more than an ethereal force. Unlike natural world essence, it is born from the convergence of countless lives."
"Humans can provide it, and so can Spirit Beasts. The stronger the life, the greater the power. The Dragon God wielded creation and destruction, and the first Dragon God Realm was formed when he gathered the belief of the Dragon Clan and fused it with his own might."
At this point, Gu Yue looked up at Wang Nan. "You must have sensed it. The power that awakened the remnant souls in your spirit rings was not pure life force. You did not merely recall departed dragons. You granted them new life."
"I never told you the secret of your Ninth Spirit Ring because I wanted you to grasp this process of creating something from nothing."
"The God Realm works this way, and the same holds true for God Positions. To reach godhood without an inherited position, you must remember this feeling and forge a place of your own."
"Once you understand that process, you will naturally perceive a power beyond this world."
Wang Nan nodded gently.
Back then, Gu Yue had promised to do everything she could to help him become a god. Looking back now, she had indeed devoted great care to it.
Though he could not describe it in words, the wondrous sensation at the instant he released his Ninth Spirit Ability was forever imprinted in his sea of consciousness through his mental force. If his guess was correct, that final miraculous power had been the belief of those dragon souls.
Comprehension differed from cultivation. Some Spirit Masters possess spirit power at rank ninety-nine yet never sense a force transcending this world. Today, though Wang Nan's cultivation still lagged behind, the road ahead of him was already clear and level.
"There is one more thing. You must have noticed the disappearance of the God Realm."
"Yes."
"Within the God Realm resides the Golden Dragon King, the other half of the Dragon God like me, so I can faintly sense its aura. But for those who have never touched the God Realm, without its gaze it becomes almost impossible to locate."
"Your Shrek Academy is special precisely because it possesses the power to perceive the God Realm. Unfortunately, under that deity's scheme, even Shrek Academy has now lost its sense of direction toward it."
As she spoke, Gu Yue lifted her gaze. Wang Nan followed her eyes toward the boundless sky.
More than five years had passed since the Sea God severed the link between the God Realm Central Hub and the Douluo Continent.
Yet in the God Realm, only five short days had passed.
Clouds surged in all directions, shimmering with a faint golden sheen beneath the God Realm's halo. Inside an octagonal palace, five figures sat around a round table.
"Tang San, how do you explain the matter of the Douluo Continent?"
A deep voice rang out from the God of Destruction in his purple robe, his blood-light-flickering eyes fixed on the blue-robed youth opposite him.
"I have already explained. Something related to the Forbidden Land of the Gods has appeared on the Douluo Continent. With the God Realm unstable, if that thing were allowed in, the consequences would be unthinkable." The blue-clad Sea God closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, a trace of reluctance on his face.
"The Douluo Continent is where I ascended to godhood. If no threat to the God Realm had arisen there, how could I have borne to sever the connection?"
The God of Life glanced at him. Somehow, she felt that when he spoke those words, his heart truly stirred and his emotions were not feigned.
"Very well. Setting aside your abuse of authority in sealing the Lower Realm, as the mighty Sea God, what were you doing in the Love God's legacy ground?" The God of Destruction continued coldly. "Deities may not interfere in the Lower Realm except for passing on positions. As the God Realm's enforcer, how do you defend knowingly breaking the law?"
"This matter was born of personal desire. I indeed feel unworthy of the title of God Realm enforcer." The Sea God frowned and sighed softly, his gaze sweeping past the Goodness God and Evil God beside him.
"I intended to find a successor for my Asura God Position on the Douluo Continent. Seeing him in danger, I could not bear it and wished to watch over him for a time. This was truly a breach of the God Realm's rules."
The Goodness God and Evil God appeared quite young. Seeing the Sea God sigh as he spoke, and before the God of Destruction could erupt, they proactively spoke in his defense.
"After all, this concerns the inheritance of the Asura God Position. The Sea God never revealed himself directly. It barely counts as a violation."
Hearing this, the God of Destruction grew furious. Vast divine force surged within him, waves of destructive aura spreading uncontrollably. Outside the octagonal palace, clouds rolled and thunder rumbled.
The Sea God seemed oblivious. "I know you harbor resentment over my control of the God Realm Central Hub, but I can swear to everyone present that every action I have taken since assuming command has been for the safety of the God Realm. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this heart."
The Evil God and Goodness God looked at the mild-mannered Sea God and were already half convinced, both nodding.
Even the God of Life gently tugged at the sleeve of the God of Destruction.
"Fine, fine, fine." The God of Destruction repeated the word three times, then suddenly chuckled. "Tang San, you truly are wholly devoted to the public good. It is I, the God of Destruction, who selfishly disregards the God Realm. In that case, Tang San, could you please have your daughter come out and meet us?"
At those words, the Sea God slammed the table and rose to his feet. His blue robe billowed though no wind stirred, his brows knit tightly, and a sharp light flashed across his eyes.
As his thoughts churned, a single sentence surged into his heart.
God of Destruction, you have already set foot upon the path of death.