Above the seas of Douluo Star.
Dark clouds churned. Beneath the massive golden crown of the Ancient Life Tree, thunderclouds stretched nearly a hundred kilometers, over a thousand meters thick.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
Thunder roared without pause.
Below stood the colossal trunk of the Ancient Life Tree, like a pillar propping up the heavens. At its base, the sea surged with violent waves.
Within the crown, crack crack crack—a golden cocoon woven of branches and leaves split open, revealing scales glimmering with draconic light.
Roar!
A low, resonant dragon's cry echoed as a fierce, coiled dragon head slowly lifted. Its vast wings spread wide.
Roar, roar, roar!
One cry after another shook the air, scattering huge swathes of the thunderclouds below.
In the next instant, eight dragons of colossal size—red, blue, black, and more—each nearly a kilometer long, burst into the sky. They soared above the crown, basking in the golden sunlight.
The eight Dragon Kings, excluding the Mountain Dragon King, had finally been resurrected.
"I'm finally back!" After their jubilant roars, light shimmered, and the massive dragon forms vanished, replaced by human figures. They descended in streams of light, landing before the Silver Dragon King and bowing in unison.
"Greetings, Lord."
As a fragment of the Dragon God who had now merged with the Dragon God's Heart and risen to the peak of the God King realm, the Silver Dragon King had been crucial in their revival. In identity, in strength, in bond—she deserved their respect.
Moreover, with the Dragon Clan returning to the world, they needed a leader. The Silver Dragon King was the perfect choice.
"Thanks to the Lord." They lowered their gazes once more, this time toward the Ancient Life Tree below, bowing again.
As the core of the Douluo plane, the Life God King, and future Creation God—the one who had resurrected them, given the soul beast race a chance to rise and ascend—Yang Yunhai's position left them no choice but respect.
"No need for such formality," Yang Yunhai's voice rang through their minds. "Your strength has not yet recovered. Focus now on consolidating it."
"Yes." The eight Dragon Kings responded together.
Their new bodies had not reached God-King level. Even if they had, integrating soul, body, and divine power required time. For now, they were only 1st Class Gods.
But their divine souls and comprehension of the elements were truly at God King level.
And with the vast battle experience they had gained fighting alongside the Dragon God across the cosmos, though their rank had dropped, their combat strength rivaled Half-Step God Kings.
Breaking through to God King again would take far longer. It would likely only be possible after Yang Yunhai elevated the Douluo plane into a true God Realm. The plane now lacked resources. The Silver Dragon King had only managed through what lingered inside the Dragon God's Heart.
'If we can help Douluo Star devour the God Realm, the pace will skyrocket,' they thought together.
This was their greatest wish now.
Sharing glances, they each found a place to sit and cultivate. Time was short—they needed to adapt to their new bodies and restore their strength quickly.
'Now, I finally have the power to wrestle with the God Realm,' Yang Yunhai thought, sweeping the land with his divine sense.
The Silver Dragon King, restored and fused with the Dragon God's Heart, was stronger than at her split from the Dragon God. Now, as a peak God King, she was no weaker than the Golden Dragon King, capable of holding her own against any God King—or even stalling two.
The eight Dragon Kings, though not yet fully recovered, far outmatched any 1st Class God of the God Realm. They were the first Dragon Kings, each a pinnacle of elemental mastery, veterans of countless cosmic wars. For them, defeating a 1st Class God was trivial; four together could restrain a God King.
With this, Yang Yunhai had real leverage.
This was home turf.
As a native god, he could freely draw on Douluo Star's energies, with an endless supply.
The gods of the God Realm, however, were outsiders. Their cultivation systems clashed with Douluo Star's rules. Fighting here, their powers would be blunted. And with Douluo Star severed from the God Realm, outsiders would face rejection—their elemental affinity sinking to near zero. Recovery of divine power would become painfully slow.
True, Douluo Star hadn't yet ascended to God Realm status, so the suppression was lighter against 1st Class Gods and God Kings.
But it was enough.
After all, Yang Yunhai knew the God Realm had very few 1st Class Gods.
And as for those below 1st Class? Within the scope of his divine sense as the plane's core, whether dragon or insect, they'd all be crushed flat.
Under plane suppression, they'd fall by whole realms of power. Then, his followers would have plenty to do.
And Yang Yunhai himself was no pushover.
After years of preparation, he had to show the bearing of Douluo Star's Supreme God King.
He resumed drawing on the elements to cultivate.
Time passed swiftly. Another year slipped by.
According to the revived Dragon Kings, the gods of the God Realm should arrive soon.
Thus, the defenses of the Ancient Life Tree were laid.
Under the stars, above the crown—the main battlefield. Here, Yang Yunhai, fused with the Ancient Life Tree, stood with the Silver Dragon King. Together, they led the first layer of defense: the eight Dragon Kings, Qian Renxue, Qian Muxue, Dugu Yan, Zhu Zhuqing, and Di Tian.
Di Tian, true bearer of draconic blood, had accumulated for many years. Upon ascending to godhood, his foundation erupted, his life force soaring, his cultivation shooting into the 1st Class God realm. Though newly entered, his power was formidable.
The crown was the battlefield of gods, especially God Kings. After discussion, they decreed only 1st Class Gods and above could fight here. Any weaker risked death from stray aftershocks.
Below the crown, eighty-eight dragon souls, joined by the newly risen 2nd Class Gods Tianmeng Iceworm and the Evil Emperor, wove a spiritual network. Their role: harry foes, disrupt the battlefield, and block any who tried to dive down to attack the trunk.
Further down stretched the thundercloud belt, hundreds of kilometers wide and over a thousand meters thick. Any who entered would be struck.
This was Yang Yunhai's work of years, anchored by the Thunder Hell Prison Vine he had raised since childhood.
Below that, a web of interceptors: 2nd Class Gods Ye Lingling, Ning Rongrong, Snow Empress, Yang Qingchuan, Yang Xiyue, and many newly ascended God Officers. Their purpose: to counter swarms of 2nd and 3rd Class Gods the God Realm might send. Should it devolve into a melee, their support abilities would tip the scales.
Yang Qingchuan and Yang Xiyue, as his children, had risen swiftly under his guidance, now both 2nd Class Gods.
Alongside them: the Yin sisters Yiner and Yin Hua, Lan Hao, the Myriad Demon King, the Ant Brothers, Blood Vine Hong Hai'er, Dugu Bo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, Bone Douluo, Sword Douluo, Ming Hongchen, Golden Crocodile, Azure Luan, Lion King, Lightwing, Qian Jun, Jiang Mo, Titan Snow Demon King, Bi Ji, Zi Ji, Xiong Jun, Scarlet King, Xiao Bai, and more.
As precaution, Yiner, Yin Hua, Lan Hao, and the Myriad Demon King had merged into golden trees stationed across the continent. Each was linked to a teleportation array, ready to retreat if the worst came.
Below still—the seas and coastal lands. Here, nearly a hundred human Titled Douluo with heavy soul tools stood ready alongside many 100,000 year soul beasts. The Sea God's territory was guarded by the 2nd Class Deep Sea Demon Whale King and his wife, the Demon Queen—focused on finishing blows.
Any god that fell from above but lived—would be swarmed and slain on the spot.
Yang Yunhai, as plane core, was the only one able to gather and transform planetary energy to support all others. Thus, he had to remain as the Ancient Life Tree, anchoring the net.
So long as he endured, the flow of energy would not stop—the battle could continue endlessly.
Even if they fell, resurrection was possible. They only had to fight.
'Destruction, you'd better not target civilians or soul beast forests to cut off my faith and life sources,' Yang Yunhai thought coldly. 'If you do, I won't hesitate to raze the God Realm itself.'
If the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life played ruthless—self-destructing their realm—he might not be able to stop it. Then, the hundred lower worlds under their control would sever. Finding them again in the cosmos could take eons.
So to him, the best path was to defeat and then persuade—to "cooperate."
That was, if things went smoothly.
If not—then there was no choice left.
As he thought this, far away in the cosmos, a silver skiff flickered, vanishing. When it reappeared, it was already in another region of space.
(End of Chapter)
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