Chapter 200: Tang San Ma Hongjun, You Must Consider the Bigger Picture
According to Yan Shaozhe's plans, once Elder Mu passed away, Elder Xuan would take over. Given Elder Xuan's hatred for evil soul masters, Yan Shaozhe knew that his reputation in Elder Xuan's eyes would take a hit. Moreover, this Xiao Yan somehow knew such a well guarded secret and was even able to infiltrate the Sea God's Pavilion as a mere Soul King. This meant that the Soul Hall behind him must be an incredibly powerful force one that Yan Shaozhe, on his own, had no chance of eliminating.
"I must find a way to silence Xiao Yan and the Soul Hall behind him. If necessary, I'll pay for their silence," Yan Shaozhe thought grimly. If his true lineage was exposed, the elders of the Sea God's Pavilion would lose trust in him. Shrek Academy valued bloodlines and heritage immensely, which was why the descendants of the Seven Devils or the Grandmaster's lineage held such high status. Over the past ten thousand years, every Pavilion Master had an unblemished background. Yan Shaozhe's goal was to become Pavilion Master, not the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult.
God Realm
A crimson light flickered before a grand and majestic palace. The temperature rose, and the cry of a phoenix echoed through the air. As the light faded, Ma Hongjun's figure emerged. A golden red glow shimmered between his brows, and five divine rings hovered behind him, shining brilliantly without a doubt, he was a Second Class God.
Taking a deep breath, Ma Hongjun gazed at the towering palace. This was the God Realm Committee. He had come to use its divine surveillance to observe the Douluo Continent. As a Second Class God, his power was limited. Tang San, as a God King, could intervene in many things, but Ma Hongjun could not. His purpose was simple: to see how his descendants were faring, especially those who carried the bloodline of him and Bai Chenxiang.
Years ago, he had wanted to bring Bai Chenxiang into the God Realm, but Tang San had denied him, citing the rule that Second Class Gods could not bring mortals with them. As a result, Bai Chenxiang lived out her days and died on the Douluo Continent. This had always been Ma Hongjun's greatest regret.
If he had the choice, he would have given up his position as the Phoenix God to live a mortal life with Bai Chenxiang until the end of their days.
He stepped forward, entering the palace. Outside of official committee meetings, any deity could use the divine screens to observe the mortal realm, though it required consuming faith energy. Ma Hongjun, as the Phoenix God, had some followers who provided him with faith, but he never sought to amass power. After all, no matter how strong he became, he would never reach the level of a First Class God and gain the ability to bring Bai Chenxiang back.
His understanding of the Phoenix God position was limited he only knew that it had once belonged to a soul beast.
Activating the screen, he felt his faith energy drain as an image of Ma Xiaotao appeared before him.
One day in the God Realm equaled one year in the lower realms. He had spent over ten thousand days here, yet he still felt uncomfortable. Time dragged on endlessly, and without Bai Chenxiang, he finally understood the true meaning of "days passing like years."
"Among my living descendants, Ma Xiaotao is the most promising. She inherited my Evil Fire Phoenix martial soul, but it's still not pure enough. If it were, she might have had a chance to inherit my god position," Ma Hongjun mused.
Suddenly, he noticed Ma Xiaotao reading a book titled The Love Stories of the Shrek Seven Devils. He hesitated, then used the divine screen's abilities to instantly scan through the entire book.
The book, filled with embellishments, greatly glorified the Shrek Seven Devils while demonizing the Spirit Hall. It was utterly biased and far from an objective retelling of history. At first, Ma Hongjun found it embarrassing.
But then he saw the detailed accounts of the Seven Devils' beautiful love stories. His breath hitched. The others were all living happily in the God Realm with their loved ones only he was alone.
Watching his sworn siblings enjoying their lives while he suffered in solitude deepened the bitterness in his heart. He couldn't deny it he was jealous.
Outside the palace, a grotesque looking woman smirked. She was the Goddess of Jealousy. Having noticed Ma Hongjun entering the committee's palace alone, she had subtly provoked his emotions.
Tang San and the God of Destruction were at odds. From the perspective of the Seven Deadly Sins Gods, infiltrating Tang San's closest circle and sowing discord would weaken his position, paving the way for their ultimate goal expanding the God Realm. After much deliberation, they decided Ma Hongjun was the easiest target. That was why the Goddess of Jealousy had chosen to act on him.
"It seems I won't have to visit his residence he came here himself. Well, that makes things easier," she thought to herself.
Inside the Palace
"I must ask Third Brother to help me retrieve Bai Chenxiang's soul from the underworld!" Ma Hongjun's frustration reached its peak. He shot out of the palace, swiftly flying toward Tang San's divine residence.
Upon arrival, he wasted no time, immediately expressing his plea. "Third Brother, I want to bring Bai Chenxiang's soul back from the underworld."
For years, he had refrained from making this request, unwilling to burden his sworn brother. Rescuing a soul from the underworld was a blatant violation of divine law.
But he couldn't hold back any longer.
Tang San sat in his chair, observing Ma Hongjun intently. Then, in a calm yet authoritative tone, he said, "Hongjun, it's not that I don't want to help you. It's that this goes against the God Realm's laws.
"If you were a First Class God, I wouldn't hesitate I'd retrieve Bai Chenxiang myself, even help her ascend as a divine officer. But you are only a Second Class God, and Second Class Gods do not have the right to bring mortals into the God Realm.
"Rules must be followed. As a law enforcement deity, I must set an example for all gods. If every deity tried to bypass the rules for personal reasons, the entire God Realm would descend into chaos. If I help you now, I'd only be harming you in the long run.
"Hongjun, you must think of the bigger picture. Do not entertain such selfish thoughts again!"
Ma Hongjun clenched his fists, suppressing the jealousy bubbling within him as he looked at Tang San's seemingly perfect life. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to say, "I understand, Third Brother. It was my mistake."
Tang San nodded approvingly. Among the Seven Devils, he was most satisfied with his sworn siblings they never opposed him, unlike the scheming and ambitious God of Destruction, who constantly tried to undermine him.
Tang San could have secretly helped Ma Hongjun, but why would he? There was no reason to satisfy Ma Hongjun's desires.
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