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Although Tang San had expressed his intention to surrender, Ye Wen didn't even spare him a glance.
To Ye Wen, allowing someone with such duplicity and a problematic track record to serve under him would be sheer folly. Did Tang San expect Ye Wen to wait until he grew strong enough—or until Ye Wen was weakened—to betray him? Ye Wen wasn't that naive.
The feeling of being ignored was unpleasant, and Tang San's expression grew even darker.
Tang San had considered using the Guanyin's Tear technique to launch a surprise attack, but within this spatial barrier, he was acutely aware that every move he made—even the slightest fluctuation of divine energy—was under Ye Wen's watchful eye.
At this moment, a deep sense of helplessness washed over Tang San.
The last time he felt this way was when he, as a mere Soul Elder cultivator, had recklessly tried to rescue Xiao Wu after she was taken by the Titan Ape.
Unfortunately, this time, there would be no one to bail him out for various reasons.
At this moment, Ye Wen's voice rang out.
"Have you all made your decision?"
The God of Destruction and the others exchanged glances. Though they were reluctant to relinquish their supreme authority, they dreaded the thought of being exiled to the vast, unknown void of the universe even more.
Seeing the four bow in submission, Ye Wen nodded in satisfaction.
Though he already had several God King-level subordinates in his own timeline, Ye Wen never considered having too many. Moreover, these four were married couples, making them even more trustworthy—none of them treated their partners as mere tools.
The bonds of family, regardless of social standing, were among the most effective means of control for those who valued loyalty and honor.
With the controls lifted on the four, Ye Wen wasn't worried about them triggering any hidden mechanisms in the Douluo God Realm to summon back the two former Supreme Gods. Doing so would only bring about their doom.
Besides, aside from certain two-faced individuals, every God King-level expert had their own principles—or "Dao"—and wouldn't easily betray their word once given.
Tang San, still bound and unable to move, clearly realized what was happening. His expression darkened as he stared at Ye Wen.
Rejected despite his surrender, yet not killed outright—there could only be one possibility. Tang San inwardly concluded:
"Lord Wisdom God King, you must intend to use me as a whetstone for your disciple."
Ye Wen gave an indifferent nod and added:
"My divine title is not 'Wisdom.' You may address me as the Vast Ocean God King. By the way, my original divine position was the Sea God, but after breaking through the constraints of the God King level, I developed this entirely new divine title.
In a way, we truly are connected, which is also why I've singled you out."
Upon hearing Ye Wen's words, Tang San let out a bitter smile.
Beneath the Douluo God Realm were 108 planes. Setting aside the myriad peculiar divine positions, basic elemental divine positions or other roles typically followed a rule after ascending to the God Realm: either change their divine name or defeat their predecessors and force them to rename themselves. This was an unspoken agreement.
The reason behind this custom lay in the power inherent in names. While identical divine positions on different planets might not interfere with each other's absorption of faith energy, a mysterious force—often referred to as "fate" or "karma"—subtly influenced them.
Over time, this unwritten rule became entrenched.
Even the former Asura God, Rakshasa God, and Angel God encountered this rule.
Take the Asura God and Rakshasa God, for instance. Both were gods of slaughter and malice, clearly overlapping with the ancient Evil God. However, in the face of overwhelming strength, they had no choice but to name their divine positions after themselves. From then on, their divine titles were no longer pure but carried specific connotations.
Though they could still achieve the rank of God King, they took many detours in the process.
The Angel God's case was even clearer. Its light attribute directly clashed with the God of Light among the Seven Elemental Gods.
Perhaps the Angel God was exceptionally talented, but facing the united front of the Seven Elemental Gods, it had no choice but to compromise. It merged various divine authorities to create the Angel God position.
Ye Wen had once studied this issue. However, after pioneering the shared divine position system, this problem ceased to exist.
The reason two highly similar divine positions couldn't coexist in the same God Realm stemmed from the abstract nature of the Law World.
If two divine positions were too similar, they would conflict within the same God Realm system, interfering with each other's development. This prevented both from advancing deeper into the Laws. Thus, one party had to complicate and distort their divine position, creating a superficially unique title to resolve the conflict.
In essence, this was a clash of Great Dao.
Under normal circumstances, such clashes often ended in life-or-death struggles. However, under the rules of the God Realm, compromise was enforced, forcing the loser to change their divine title.
But ultimately, rules were made by people.
Now, Ye Wen himself—possessing absolute might—was the rule. Coupled with his clear disdain for Tang San and the broader conflict of Great Dao, it came as no surprise that Ye Wen intended to deal with him.
Still, being sentenced to death by sheer force left Tang San inwardly seething, convinced Ye Wen was courting disaster. Yet, he made one final attempt at resistance.
Straightening his spine, Tang San's face hardened with determination. "Lord Vast Ocean God King, I, Tang San, have lived my life with integrity. Whether you kill me or punish me, I leave it to your discretion."
Ye Wen gave him a strange look. Was Tang San putting on another act?
For someone like Tang San, whose inner thoughts were far from noble, Ye Wen firmly believed that anyone pretending to be righteous was either scheming or stealing.
Sure enough, Tang San continued:
"If you're going to use me as a whetstone for your disciple, then I ask you to agree to one condition. If you do, I will fight with everything I have when the time comes.
Otherwise, even if your disciple wins in the end, I will denounce her as despicable and shameless with my dying breath, leaving her with a lifelong mental scar."
Ye Wen already guessed what Tang San was going to say but still asked mockingly:
"Oh? Interesting. What's your condition? Let's hear it."
Tang San declared solemnly: "No matter what, as your disciple's whetstone, I am destined to die. But I beg you to spare my wife's life. After my death, exile her to the outer reaches of the cosmos and let her fend for herself."
With these final words, Tang San closed his eyes in anguish, feigning deep affection.
But watching Tang San's theatrics, Ye Wen couldn't help but feel Tang San was treating him like a fool.
Hmm…
"Does he really think I don't know about the resurrection failsafe he planted in Xiao Wu's body?"
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