The high-altitude sky above the fractured earth had become a canvas of suspended devastation. The violent, overlapping spheres of supreme suppression that had threatened to tear the very fabric of the mortal realm asunder were now perfectly, motionlessly frozen. The dense, freezing white mist of pure killing intent hung in the air like spun glass. The raging sea of fresh blood radiating from the crimson swamp of the Asura Domain remained locked in a terrifying mid-surge. The deep purple and emerald shadows of the Rakshasa Domain, which had elegantly wrapped around the brutal killing intent just moments prior, were now static, captured in an ethereal stillness.
Not a single gust of wind moved. The chaotic spiritual energy that had been violently clashing across the heavens was entirely silenced.
The Asura God, currently possessing the heavily scarred, muscular vessel of his High Priest, Tang Chen, maintained a remarkably cold, impassive expression on his borrowed face. The massive Asura Demon Sword rested in his grip, its dark crimson blade frozen mid-hum, unable to absorb the ambient light. Yet, beneath that rigid, terrifying facade of a supreme enforcer, the Asura God felt a profound, undeniable jolt of shock coursing through his divine consciousness.
He stared directly into the blinding, vibrant emerald light that had descended upon the battlefield. From within that boundless, life-giving pillar, the majestic, nurturing figure of the Life Godking emerged. Her presence alone was enough to soothe the apocalyptic tears in the mortal space, her aura radiating a supreme, unquestionable authority that rivaled his own.
"You have strayed far from your halls to this lower realm, Asura," the Goddess of Life spoke, her melodious voice chiming across the frozen expanse, devoid of its usual gentle warmth. Instead, her tone carried a heavy, disappointed weight that struck like a physical blow.
The Asura God narrowed Tang Chen's deep black eyes, his posture stiffening. He knew precisely why she was here, yet his pride as a Godking refused to let him display any weakness.
"I am merely upholding the laws of the divine, Life," the Asura God replied smoothly, his grating, metallic voice echoing through the stilled air. "I felt the unnatural, corruptive surge of the Rakshasa Goddess attempting to slaughter my High Priest. As an enforcer, I could not stand idle while a fellow deity blatantly interfered with the trials of my legacy."
The Goddess of Life did not immediately respond to his justification. Her vibrant emerald eyes shifted away from the imposing crimson warrior, drifting gracefully across the suspended battlefield. She looked upon the elegant, dark form of the Supreme Pontiff, whose body was currently enveloped by the sinister, violet aura of the Rakshasa Goddess. Then, her gaze moved toward the serene, ocean-blue High Priestess, whose vessel was currently heavily occupied by the glowing, golden presence of the Sea God.
"Do not attempt to weave your justifications before me, Asura," the Goddess of Life stated firmly, her voice echoing with the profound resonance of truth. "I have observed this conflict from its very beginning. My gaze has not left this lower realm."
She turned her attention fully back to the Asura God, her expression hardening with righteous clarity.
"I witnessed the exact sequence of events," the Goddess of Life continued, pointing a delicate finger toward the glowing golden figure of the Sea God. "It was the Sea God who initially, recklessly descended into his inheritor's physical vessel. He did not merely observe; he actively utilized his true skills as a God, violently burning Divine Energy in a blatant, aggressive attempt to target and kill the mortal inheritor of the Rakshasa Goddess."
The Sea God, trapped within the frozen temporal field alongside his High Priestess, flared his golden aura indignantly, though he remained physically unable to move his vessel's lips to interrupt the Godking.
"It was entirely due to the Sea God's unprovoked, lethal aggression that the Rakshasa Goddess was forced to manifest," the Goddess of Life lectured, her emerald eyes flashing with reprimand. "She took over her own inheritor's body strictly to deal with the Sea God and defend her legacy. Yet, even in her retaliation, she demonstrated remarkable restraint for a deity of her nature. She did not actively, maliciously inflict great injury upon the Sea God's mortal vessel. Nor did she seek to slaughter the other two mortal humans present on this battlefield—one being your chosen inheritor, and the other being the inheritor of Hypros."
The Goddess of Life took a slow, deliberate step forward upon the invisible air, the emerald light beneath her feet blooming into phantom lotus flowers that instantly dissolved into pure vital essence.
"I can understand your initial instinct, Asura," she said, her tone softening slightly, though her gaze remained sharp. "I can comprehend you occupying the body of your High Priest to resist the Rakshasa Goddess's ultimate attacks, stepping in to ensure your High Priest and your inheritor were not inadvertently destroyed in a clash of divinities. But that is not what you did."
Her voice rose, commanding the silent heavens. "You did not descend to stop the fight between the two deities. You did not descend to restore the balance. You descended with premeditated, concentrated killing intent, actively planning to target and slaughter the mortal inheritor of the Rakshasa Goddess! I ask you, Asura—is this how a supreme Godking should conduct himself? Is this the impartiality of the God Realm's Chief Enforcer?"
The Asura God's grip tightened on the hilt of the Asura Demon Sword. A flash of irritation crossed Tang Chen's scarred features. The Goddess of Life's accusations were flawless, completely tearing through his carefully constructed narrative of righteous intervention.
The Asura God let out a heavy, disdainful snort that vibrated with suppressed rage.
"You speak of restraint and observation, Life, but you do not comprehend the full depth of the situation," the Asura God retorted, forcing a tone of cold dismissal. "I do not know the intricate details of how their petty skirmish began, nor do I care for the squabbles of a water deity and a spiteful shadow. I only descended because my divine perception registered a singular, undeniable truth: this foul Rakshasa Goddess was actively preparing to kill my inheritor. I came to this lower realm to make her pay the ultimate price for daring to strike at my legacy."
"A convenient, selective blindness, Asura," a new, terrifyingly heavy voice boomed across the sky, shattering the lingering echoes of the Asura God's excuse.
The very fabric of the frozen space groaned in agony as a secondary, overwhelming pillar of energy pierced the firmament. This pillar was composed of pure, swirling, chaotic purple lightning and dark, annihilating clouds. The aura it projected was one of complete, unadulterated ruin.
From within the tempest of annihilation, the Destruction Godking stepped forth, his imposing figure draped in a heavy, dark purple cloak that concealed his features in eternal shadow. He moved to stand directly beside his wife, the Goddess of Life, presenting a unified, terrifying front of supreme divine authority.
"Do not insult our intelligence with such pathetic, hollow excuses, Asura," the Destruction Godking sneered, his voice a low, rumbling thunder that caused the frozen spiritual energies of the mortal combatants to tremble violently. "You claim ignorance of the situation? You claim you only reacted in the moment?"
The Destruction Godking raised a heavily armored hand, pointing directly at the crimson warrior.
"I have had my Divine Consciousness actively keeping watch over this lower realm for quite some time, Asura," the Destruction Godking revealed, his tone dripping with dark condemnation. "And I know for a fact that you have been watching this world alongside the Sea God. You have been meticulously plotting and monitoring every variable upon this board."
The Destruction Godking took a heavy step forward, his aura of ruin pressing aggressively against the Asura God's blood-red domain.
"Furthermore," the Destruction Godking continued, his voice growing dangerously sharp, "this is not the first time you have acted in such a shameless, hypocritical manner within this lower realm. We are fully aware of your recent transgressions. Only a single day ago, you were caught attempting to secretly funnel your divine support to that mortal inheritor of Hypros, actively interfering in his worldly conflicts to tip the scales in his favor."
The mention of his previous, covert interference with the Slaughter God's inheritor caused the Asura God's expression to turn remarkably ugly. His deep black eyes narrowed into furious slits, his jaw clenching so tightly that the muscles in Tang Chen's neck bulged against his skin. To have his secretive manipulations exposed so openly, in front of the other deities and his own mortal vessels, was a profound humiliation that burned his supreme pride.
Before the Asura God could formulate a suitable defense, a dark, melodic laugh echoed through the frozen sky.
The Rakshasa Goddess, utilizing the supreme, corruptive authority of her divine energy, managed to forcefully bypass a fraction of the temporal freeze. Through the elegant lips of the Supreme Pontiff, she spoke, her voice a terrifying, harmonic dissonance of mortal beauty and divine malice.
"Oh, the great enforcer finds himself cornered by his own laws," the Rakshasa Goddess mocked, her glowing pink eyes curving into a wicked, highly amused crescent. "I told you, Asura, your hypocrisy is a stench that even the heavens cannot ignore. You preach impartiality, yet you violently bend the rules to coddle your brutes."
She turned her gaze toward the Life Godking and Destruction Godking, offering a shallow, surprisingly respectful nod of her head.
"Respected Life Godking, Destruction Godking," the Rakshasa Goddess acknowledged them. "You are wise to intervene. As the Goddess of Life correctly stated, I only descended to protect my chosen inheritor from the unprovoked, full-powered assault of this overgrown fish."
She gestured elegantly toward the frozen Sea God with her scythe. "He bypassed all mortal constraints and attempted to incinerate my successor using pure Divine Energy. I merely leveled the playing field. I had no intention of shattering this fragile lower realm, unlike these two who seek to crush anything that defies their grand, orchestrated plans."
The Sea God's golden eyes flared with intense, divine anger at the insult. Channeling his vast oceanic willpower, he managed to push through the restrictive pressure of the Godkings just enough to speak through Bo Saixi's mouth.
"You twist the truth, you foul creature of decay!" the Sea God bellowed, his voice a roaring tide. "Your inheritor possesses a mastery over the dark laws that threatens the natural order! She is a festering wound upon this world! I sought to cleanse her before her venom could spread and corrupt my own legacy! It was a necessary purification!"
"Silence, both of you," the Destruction Godking commanded, his voice cracking like a whip of dark lightning.
The sheer, overwhelming pressure of the Destruction Godking instantly crushed the verbal protests of both the Sea God and the Rakshasa Goddess, forcing their borrowed mortal lips firmly shut. The hierarchy of the God Realm was unquestionable; a First Class God did not dare to openly defy the direct command of a Godking.
With the lesser deities silenced, the Destruction Godking turned his full, terrifying attention back to the Asura God.
"The facts are laid bare, Asura," the Destruction Godking stated coldly. "You have repeatedly overstepped your bounds. You have utilized your divine authority to shield your chosen pawns from the consequences of their mortal trials. If you truly wish to enforce the law, you must begin by adhering to it yourself."
The Asura God stood perfectly still amidst the churning, frozen energies. His brilliant, tactical mind raced, calculating the shifting political landscape. He was acutely aware of his precarious position. While he was exceptionally powerful, engaging in a direct, physical confrontation against both the Life Godking and the Destruction Godking simultaneously was an impossible proposition. Their combined, flawless duality of Life and Destruction made them vastly superior in a clash of pure Divine Force.
Furthermore, even if the three of them were to fight to a standstill, the resulting catastrophic release of supreme divine energy would completely shatter the Douluo Continent beneath their feet, instantly eradicating all of their mortal inheritors and plunging the God Realm into an unprecedented civil war.
The Asura God realized he had no choice but to utilize his smooth tongue to handle the situation promptly and salvage what remained of his strategic advantage.
The rigid, aggressive tension in the Asura God's posture slowly relaxed. He lowered the tip of the Asura Demon Sword, letting it point toward the frozen earth below. The intense, murderous red light radiating from his body dimmed slightly, adopting a more composed, diplomatic hue.
"You make a valid argument, Destruction," the Asura God conceded, his voice returning to a smooth, even cadence, expertly hiding the burning frustration within his core. "Perhaps my zeal to protect the integrity of the trials caused me to act with undue haste. I am willing to acknowledge the complexities of this specific encounter."
He looked directly at the Life Godking, offering a shallow, formal inclination of his head.
"I have no desire to initiate a conflict that would rend the heavens and destroy this lower realm," the Asura God proclaimed, projecting an aura of reasonable compromise. "Therefore, I am perfectly willing to take a step back and stop this divine escalation entirely. I propose a complete withdrawal of our direct influence from this battlefield."
The Asura God spread his free hand in a gesture of open negotiation.
"I will give you my word," the Asura God promised smoothly. "I will immediately withdraw my Divine Consciousness from my High Priest. Furthermore, I will ensure that the Sea God vacates his High Priestess. I will also strictly forbid Hypros from attempting to possess or funnel any direct divine aid to his inheritor. We will completely abandon these mortal vessels and return to our designated halls."
He shifted his gaze toward the Rakshasa Goddess, his deep black eyes flashing with a cold, unforgiving light.
"In return," the Asura God stipulated, his voice firm, "the Rakshasa Goddess must also immediately vacate her inheritor. We will leave these humans to their own devices. Let them continue their battles relying entirely on their own mortal strength, their own cultivated spirit power, and their own martial prowess, without the direct, overbearing support of the Divine Realm."
The Life Godking and the Destruction Godking exchanged a brief, silent glance, communicating across their profound, eternal bond. They recognized the Asura God's proposal for what it was: a strategic retreat designed to save face while preserving his legacies in this lower realm.
However, this was the absolute best outcome they could reasonably expect to extract from the proud enforcer. They genuinely did not want to fight him, knowing the catastrophic consequences such a battle would inflict upon the cosmos. Forcing the Asura God to formally agree to non-interference and ensuring all deities vacated the battlefield was a significant victory for the preservation of the natural order.
"Your terms are acceptable, Asura," the Life Godking agreed, her melodious voice ringing with finality. "The mortal realm must be allowed to shape its own destiny through the genuine trials of its inhabitants. The Gods shall not walk among them today."
"See that you strictly adhere to this pact," the Destruction Godking warned, his dark purple cloak billowing despite the lack of wind. "If I sense you or your subordinates attempting to inject your divine essence into this worldly conflict again, there will be no further discussions."
"My word is my bond," the Asura God replied smoothly, bowing his head once more.
However, beneath his polished, compliant exterior, the Asura God's mind was moving with lethal, unparalleled speed. He knew that if he simply retreated, leaving Tang Chen and Tang Hao to face the monstrously powerful Supreme Pontiff and the heavily fortified forces of the Spirit Hall, his legacy would be in grave danger of being entirely eradicated.
He needed to tilt the scales, just one final time, before the Godkings forced his departure.
In the brief, imperceptible microsecond before he began to retract his Divine Consciousness, the Asura God executed a flawless, undetectable transfer of knowledge. He did not pass down raw, volatile divine energy, which would immediately trigger the senses of the watching Godkings. Instead, he passed down the profound, ultimate martial secrets of his lineage directly into Tang Chen's spiritual sea, using the intrinsic, ancient connection of the Asura Demon Sword as a secure, untraceable conduit.
Deep within Tang Chen's mind, a brilliant, blood-red manual unfurled.
The Asura God bestowed upon his High Priest the true, unadulterated comprehension of his ultimate techniques. Foremost among them was the legendary Asura Blood Sword. It was the absolute pinnacle of his martial path, a technique where the God and the Sword united into a single, flawless entity. The knowledge detailed exactly how to liberate all of the latent Asura Power hidden within his bloodline. It required the consumption of a massive, staggering amount of spirit power to ignite the Asura Bloodline to its absolute limit, striking out with full, uncompromising force.
The technique described how the user's physical body would violently change, transforming into a brilliant, bloody red glow that bent and merged with the crimson light of the domain. Following this transformation, the user would literally become the blade itself, slashing down from the heavens toward the opponent with a force that could effortlessly cut through the very fabric of heaven and earth.
Alongside the Asura Blood Sword, which reigned supreme as the strongest technique, the Asura God also imparted the profound insights for three additional, world-ending martial strikes: the Asura's Heaven-Severing Strike, a sweeping horizontal attack designed to cleanly cleave through spatial defenses; the Asura's Void-Shattering Arc, an upward thrust that generated localized black holes to consume incoming energy; and the Asura's Apocalyptic Judgment, a devastating, concentrated downward smash meant to obliterate a target's spiritual sea upon impact.
Simultaneously, the Asura God utilized his supreme authority over his subordinate deities to issue a rapid, silent command to Hypros.
Through the lingering, bloody connection linking the God of Slaughter to his newly chosen inheritor, Tang Hao, profound martial knowledge was instantly downloaded into the raging warrior's mind. Hypros flawlessly passed on the brutal, highly efficient techniques of his own divine path to greatly strengthen Tang Hao's offensive capabilities.
Tang Hao suddenly gained complete comprehension of the Slaughter God's Wrath, a ferocious internal circulation technique that forcefully ignited his blood to boost his raw physical strength and Killing Intent tenfold. He received the Bloodthirsty Demonic Strike, a heavy, life-draining physical blow meant to be channeled through his God-Slaughtering Blood-Cleaver, allowing him to sever and devour the vital essence of his enemies. Finally, he was granted the Annihilation Slaughter Domain, a supreme structural enhancement that guided him on how to perfectly merge his explosive spirit rings with his Deathgod Domain, allowing him to unleash and sustain a vastly greater volume of Divine Energy without shattering his own mortal body.
These instantaneous, profound transfers of martial knowledge were executed flawlessly. They would ensure that Tang Chen and Tang Hao possessed the ultimate tools required to defeat the Rakshasa Goddess's inheritor and overpower the Angel God's High Priest, even without direct divine possession.
With his secret, manipulative preparations complete, the Asura God maintained his serene facade.
"I will withdraw now," the Asura God announced.
The blinding, murderous red light surrounding Tang Chen's body suddenly flared, then rapidly condensed, shooting straight up into the heavens and vanishing into the cosmic void. Tang Chen's muscular body sagged slightly, his deep black eyes blinking rapidly as his own mortal consciousness reasserted control over his physical form.
"I shall depart as well," the Sea God stated bitterly, his golden aura violently retracting from Bo Saixi's elegant figure. The profound, golden radiance faded from her ocean-blue eyes, leaving the High Priestess swaying slightly in the sky, gasping for breath as she regained her mortal senses.
The Rakshasa Goddess let out a final, chilling laugh. "Until we meet again, hypocrites."
The sickening, putrid purple sky that had replaced the blue atmosphere above them rapidly dissolved. The dark, venomous aura of the Rakshasa Goddess pulled back, diving deep into the hidden, sealed recesses of Bibi Dong's spiritual sea. The Supreme Pontiff's eyes returned from glowing, predatory slits to their beautiful, natural pink hue.
Seeing that the lesser deities had successfully vacated the mortal plane, fulfilling the terms of the pact, the Life Godking and the Destruction Godking offered a synchronized nod.
"Let the mortals decide their own fate," the Life Godking murmured.
The vibrant emerald pillar of life and the dark, chaotic tempest of annihilation both instantly collapsed inward, vanishing from the mortal realm without leaving a single trace of their majestic presence.
As the supreme divine consciousnesses vanished from the battlefield, the heavy, suffocating temporal freeze shattered.
Time violently resumed its flow.
The howling winds returned with a deafening roar. The ambient spirit power that had been crystallized in the air exploded outward. The overlapping, apocalyptic spheres of the mortal domains crashed into each other once more, generating massive, rippling shockwaves across the sky.
All six individuals floating high above the fractured earth—Tang Chen, Tang Hao, Bo Saixi, Qian Daoliu, Bibi Dong, and Zhang Tian's Blood Silver Mirage Clone—were instantly aware of the monumental shift that had just occurred. They could feel the distinct, heavy absence of the divine entities that had previously anchored the battlefield. The suffocating pressure of the gods was gone, leaving only the raw, highly potent spirit power of the Limit Douluos and Super Douluos to dictate the outcome.
Hovering calmly on the periphery of the chaotic battlefield, entirely unbothered by the sudden resumption of violence, Zhang Tian's Blood Silver Mirage Clone had a rather wide, highly satisfied grin spread across his handsome face.
His icy blue eyes gleamed with the pure, unadulterated thrill of a master tactician watching his grand design unfold perfectly.
After all, this incredibly tense, divine standoff was exactly what he had meticulously planned for. His overarching goal had been to forcefully draw out the attention of the Godkings, forcing the Sea God, the Asura God, and even that subordinate Slaughter God under Asura, into a political corner.
By utilizing the Life Godking's strict adherence to the rules, Zhang Tian had successfully stripped away the enemy's greatest trump card: he had ensured that the enemy deities would absolutely not be able to take over their High Priest or their inheritor's body to save them in this critical battle.
The board had been flawlessly cleansed of direct divine interference. It was now a pure clash of mortal strength, strategy, and the hidden legacies they wielded.
Without wasting a single second to gloat, Zhang Tian's Blood Silver Mirage Clone immediately sprang into action.
He did not manifest a weapon, nor did he launch a direct, physical assault against the men of the Clear Sky Sect. Instead, the clone raised his arms, his deep black Ninth Spirit Ring flaring with an intense, blinding radiance.
"Ninth Spirit Ring Ability: Primal Genesis Infusion!" the clone chanted softly.
He drew upon every single drop of the vast, unfathomable Primal Genesis Energy stored within his constructed form. He didn't use it to attack, but rather, he converted the entirety of this supreme, foundational energy into a highly concentrated, brilliant beam of pure empowerment, sending it shooting straight across the battlefield directly into Bibi Dong's back.
The moment the Primal Genesis Energy flooded into her meridians, Bibi Dong gasped, her beautiful pink eyes widening in profound shock. The energy acted as a supreme catalyst, forcefully awakening and amplifying her latent comprehension of the divine. Guided by Zhang Tian's perfect infusion, she felt her spirit instinctively reach out and grasp the absolute, fundamental laws of the elements at the divine level.
Her dark, lethal aura exploded with unprecedented, world-ending intensity, perfectly fusing her newly unlocked elemental mastery with her dense Rakshasa Divine Energy.
Bibi Dong now turned her gaze toward Tang Chen and Tang Hao. She did not know that they had just acquired profound, new divine techniques directly from the Asura God and the God of Slaughter. She only knew that these two men possessed deep, highly dangerous connections with the Asura God, and she recognized that they were currently the most lethal threats on the board, far more dangerous than Bo Saixi, who could no longer rely on the Sea God's Possession to boost her combat power.
"I will end your pathetic lineage today," Bibi Dong declared coldly, her voice echoing with newfound, elemental authority. She gripped her heavy, dark scythe with both hands, her eyes locked onto the two hammer-wielding titans, determined to deal with them quickly and decisively before they could mount a counterattack.
Simultaneously, high above the churning storm of the domains, Qian Daoliu capitalized instantly on the shifting dynamics.
With the Sea God's divine presence completely vacated from her body, Bo Saixi was reduced back to her mortal limits.
While she was undeniably a peerless Limit Douluo, she was currently fighting high in the stratosphere, hundreds of miles inland, entirely disconnected from the vast, empowering depths of her ocean.
Qian Daoliu, the absolute master of the skies, did not hesitate. His six Seraphim wings flared with blinding, holy brilliance, and he launched a relentless, overwhelming aerial assault against the High Priestess. Knowing she could not use her Divine Energy to defend herself, Qian Daoliu's sacred sword danced through the air, rapidly suppressing her aquatic defenses and successfully inflicting the first grievous injuries upon her elegant form.
The true, unbridled battle for the fate of the Douluo Continent had finally begun.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Heavenly Villain: Stealing Fate, Tempting Beauties].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon. [Check Out Art Of Characters On My Patreon. It's Free To View btw.]
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