Unnamed Star Region.
Looking at the scene before him, Rong Nianbing felt a headache coming on.
After passing on his divine seat, he naturally didn't stay long in the Divine Realm. He left the Douluo Divine Realm's jurisdiction and came to star regions he had never seen before, enjoying the scenery of various planets and searching for traces of other divine realms along the way.
This was something Rong Nianbing had wanted to do for a long time. (Mentioned in Peerless Tang Sect)
Staying in the Divine Realm, while having everything one could want and many benefits, was also boring and full of rules. That kind of bland life wasn't to his liking. The current life was what he truly wanted.
So, after laying down his responsibilities as the Emotion God, he began wandering this vast universe.
As for his boys, after he left the Divine Realm, they each went to the Divine Realm's plane subordinates for training. His wives stayed by his side.
With his strength, even without a divine seat, he naturally had few rivals in the mortal world. His life was carefree.
However, as he traveled, even going to other universes, he found no trace of other divine realms anywhere. This gave him an uneasy feeling, so he began heading back toward the star region where the Douluo Divine Realm was located.
Until today.
Looking at the plane devouring a planet in the distance, one of Rong Nianbing's wives, Xi Yun, furrowed her brow.
"Nianbing, that plane is very dangerous."
"Yeah."
Rong Nianbing sighed. "That plane's energy level is already at the semi-divine realm level. There are likely quite a few divine-level beings accumulated within it."
Although the plane before them hadn't sent many experts to invade that planet—only a single super-divine level being leading the attack—Rong Nianbing's experience allowed him to see that the plane's true strength was far greater than that.
After all, that plane made even him felt threatened, and a super-divine level being couldn't do that.
"It's likely the Crimson Domain, which in nearby star region legends is known for devouring planes." Feng Nü said solemnly. "Nianbing, what do you plan to do?"
"Since I've encountered it, I can't just pretend I didn't notice." Rong Nianbing said to his wives beside him. "Wait here, be careful. I'll go meet them."
Xi Yun frowned. "Nianbing..."
"Don't worry." Rong Nianbing smiled. "Even without a divine seat, a super-divine level can't hurt me."
As his voice faded, his figure flickered and vanished.
The next moment, Rong Nianbing appeared above the invaded planet.
Below, countless beings were waiting, fleeing, and dying in despair.
This plane was just an ordinary one. Aside from the Plane Lord being at the divine level, the beings within could at most unleash an attack at the divine level.
Against the Abyss Plane, they might have had a chance to resist. But against the Crimson Domain, which was many times stronger than the Abyss Plane, they clearly couldn't.
Several divine-level experts leading the charge were enough to dismantle all resistance.
As for the Plane Lord, he had already been suppressed by the super-divine level expert sent by the Crimson Domain.
That super-divine level expert stood in midair, crimson light swirling around him, continuously devouring the planet's origin.
Rong Nianbing's appearance immediately caught his attention.
"Hm?"
The super-divine level expert turned his head, revealing a pale face. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes as he spoke in the common language of this star region. "Crossing the stars? A divine-level expert? Who are you?"
Rong Nianbing didn't answer. He simply said flatly, "Stop what you're doing. Then go back and tell the one behind you that I'm protecting the people of this planet."
The super-divine level expert paused, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! You alone want to stop us?"
His laughter ceased, and his gaze turned cold.
"Delusional!"
As his voice fell, the self-proclaimed Demon King's crimson light surged. A world-destroying aura erupted violently.
The space within ten thousand li began to tremble violently. Countless cracks spread through the void, as if the entire world was about to collapse before him.
"Since you like meddling, then die here. Remember, the one who killed you is Demon King, the sixty-first under Mother's command!"
His voice rolled through the void like thunder.
But Rong Nianbing's expression didn't change.
He simply raised the Morning Dew Blade in his hand and, against the sky-filling crimson tentacles and the world-destroying aura, swung casually.
A blade light flashed.
The countless crimson tentacles in midair were all severed at once. The space cracks instantly healed. The planet's trembling ceased abruptly. And the Demon King himself stood frozen in place, looking down at his chest.
There, a thin blade mark pierced through his body.
"You..."
He opened his mouth to speak, but his body had already completely dissolved into energy. Until the moment of h
is death, he couldn't understand why his full-powered eruption had been like paper before that single blade.
Rong Nianbing was about to look away and deal with the remaining invaders when he suddenly noticed that the energy left behind after the Demon King's death hadn't disappeared. Instead, it was recondensing into the Demon King's form under the Crimson Domain's power.
"Undying characteristic? Can continuously revive by drawing on the Crimson Domain?"
The recovering Demon King noticed Rong Nianbing's gaze, a hint of fear and mockery in his eyes.
As Rong Nianbing had thought, as the origin of the Abyss Plane, the Crimson Domain's experts also had resurrection abilities.
Of course, as a super-divine level expert, his resurrection wasn't without cost. His strength had dropped a level and wouldn't recover to super-divine level anytime soon.
Even so, Rong Nianbing still couldn't help frowning.
During the earlier battle, when this super-divine level expert had claimed to rank only sixty-first in the Crimson Domain, he had actually been somewhat alarmed.
After all, if the sixty-first was a super-divine level expert, that meant the Crimson Domain had at least sixty-one super-divine level beings. Even in the Divine Realm, a super-divine level could serve as a second-class deity. That the Crimson Domain had so many showed its depth.
(Note: At its peak in Soul Land IV, the Crimson Domain had over a hundred super-divine level beings, three half-step God King level experts, and countless other divine-level existences. However, this is still ten thousand years before Soul Land IV, and without having devoured Tianhe and Xing, its accumulation isn't as great. But some say the Crimson Mother was mostly dormant during the ten thousand years between Soul Land III and IV, so even if super-divine level experts are fewer, they wouldn't be much fewer.)
In Rong Nianbing's view, with so many divine-level experts and this undying characteristic, in a star region without a Divine Realm, they wouldn't be invincible, but they would be nearly unstoppable.
If left to rampage, many star regions would become dead zones.
Thinking this, Rong Nianbing stopped his train of thought. Ignoring the enemy's taunting smile, he looked down at the planet below, which had already been stripped of most of its origin.
Better to deal with the problem here first.
With a thought, Rong Nianbing stopped hiding his aura.
Boom!
His terrifying aura, along with his divine consciousness, swept across the entire battlefield like an invisible tsunami.
Under this pressure, the mockery in the Demon King's eyes vanished, replaced by shock and fear.
This was on the same level as Mother. A half-step God King?! (The Tang Clan Heroes' Legend settings are a bit messy, and Rong Nianbing came down before the space-time turbulence, so following the Divine Realm Legend setting—without a divine seat, he still has first-class deity level strength.)
No one on the planet could remain calm either. The chaos on the planet instantly ceased. The natives subconsciously lowered their heads.
And those Crimson Domain experts wreaking havoc across the planet—the dozens of divine-level followers the Demon King had brought, hundreds of semi-divine level beings, and the dense masses of lower-level invaders—all froze at the same moment.
The expressions on their faces still held the ferocity and greed of a moment ago, but their bodies had already begun to disintegrate.
The beings on the planet below stared blankly at this scene, then erupted in thunderous cheers.
Some wept with joy. Others knelt directly, prostrating themselves before Rong Nianbing.
"Thank you, Lord Deity! Thank you, Lord Deity, for saving us..."
In the distance, watching This, the Demon King's expression was unpleasant, but he dared not speak.
That was an existence on the same level as Mother. Not someone he could provoke.
Even with the undying characteristic, with a half-step God King's means, there was definitely a way to kill him permanently—it would just take some effort. And even if Mother could create an identical being, it wouldn't be him.
Rong Nianbing didn't look at the Demon King frozen in place. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the Crimson Domain.
He sensed a gaze.
It came from the distant Crimson Domain.
Cold, sinister, with a hint of scrutiny and interest.
Across the endless void, two gazes seemed to meet in that moment.
"Heh, interesting."
A woman's light laugh broke the dead silence.
A figure quietly materialized in the void.
It was a woman. Her red hair cascaded like a waterfall, moving in the void without wind. She wore a dark red gown, its hem seemingly woven from flowing blood-light, exuding an enchanting beauty.
Most striking were the deep crimson magic patterns on both sides of her cheeks, adding a touch of mystery and danger to her already stunning features.
She was clearly the master of the Crimson Domain—the Crimson Mother!
Seeing her appear, the Demon King was overjoyed and was about to speak, but a cold look from the Crimson Mother silenced him.
"Go back."
"Yes!"
The Demon King dared not disobey and left the place.
Only then did the Crimson Mother look at Rong Nianbing with interest. "I didn't expect to encounter such a figure in this backwater. What should I call you?"
"Rong Nianbing."
Rong Nianbing's voice was calm, but his attitude was noticeably more cautious.
The other's strength was certainly no less than a first-class deity of the Divine Realm. In mortal terms, she was a half-step God King.
And with his discernment, he had already seen the relationship between the Crimson Mother and the Crimson Domain. The entire Crimson Domain, including the divine-level experts within, were strictly speaking all part of the Crimson Mother.
If she could harness all that power, what level of strength could she reach?
Rong Nianbing frowned inwardly.
If they truly fought, he might not win.
The Crimson Mother seemed to read his thoughts and smiled. "You clearly understand. You can't stop us. You're alone. How can you resist our forces? As long as I hold you back, this planet is still mine for the taking. However, I'm willing to abandon this planet and make your acquaintance. Would you be interested?"
Rong Nianbing didn't answer, instead saying coldly, "Planes like yours are the best nutrients for a Divine Realm. Aren't you afraid of attracting the Divine Realm's attention by devouring planes so recklessly?"
"The Divine Realm?"
The Crimson Mother paused, then couldn't stop laughing. "Everyone knows by now that the nearest Divine Realm to this star region has already disappeared. If not, would I dare to devour planes so recklessly? Surely Lord Rong Nianbing is aware of this?"
Hearing this, even though he had already suspected, Rong Nianbing's heart sank.
The nearest Divine Realm to this star region was the Douluo Divine Realm. It seemed something had indeed happened there too.
"What do you say, Lord?"
The Crimson Mother glanced at the distant stars and smiled. "Earlier, I sensed several people watching from over there. They must be your companions. They're probably getting anxious."
"You're courting death!" Rong Nianbing said coldly at the implicit threat.
Seven divine weapons appeared around him, his aura reaching its peak.
When he had passed on his divine seat, like the first Sea God, he had generously handed over the Ghost Carving Divine Blade—a super-divine artifact—to the second Emotion God.
Now he was left with seven top-tier divine weapons representing the seven elemental attributes. But their combined power surpassed even a single super-divine artifact.
Seeing this, the Crimson Mother's smile gradually faded. Twelve divine artifacts appeared around her, combining in groups of six to form two objects.
One was the Crimson Scepter. The other was the Crimson Moon Blade.
These were the Crimson Mother's accumulations over countless years—two super-divine artifacts!
"I'm merely stating objective facts. Since you're unwilling to cooperate, let's settle this through strength."
When words failed, it was time for action.
Rong Nianbing said no more. With a thought, his divine power formed a small world that absorbed all the surviving beings on the planet, carrying them with him.
Then, the seven divine weapons spun around him, transforming into a stream of seven-colored light that shot toward the Crimson Mother.
The Crimson Mother lightly tapped her Crimson Scepter, and a blood-colored barrier unfolded before her.
Boom!
The two terrifying forces collided. The void within ten thousand li instantly collapsed, countless space fragments scattering in all directions. The planet, already stripped of most of its origin, trembled violently under the impact. If not for Rong Nianbing's careful protection, it would have been reduced to dust.
In this remote star region, two half-step God Kings fought to the edge of the universe.
Seven-colored divine light and crimson blood-light intertwined and clashed, sweeping past one uninhabited asteroid after another, reducing them to cosmic dust.
After a long time, when everything had settled, the once brilliant starfield was now nothing but a dead emptiness.
Countless asteroids had been reduced to dust. The few larger planets were scarred and battered, their surfaces covered in deep, bottomless cracks. Traces of seven-colored divine light and crimson blood-light lingered in the void like restless spirits, silently recounting the epic battle that had just taken place.
Rong Nianbing stood with his blade sheathed. His robes were torn in several places, but his aura remained relatively steady.
He watched the Crimson Domain slowly retreating into the distance, his expression heavy, lost in thought.
It was then that Feng Nü and the others approached.
"Nianbing, did you win?"
Hearing this, Rong Nianbing snapped back to the present, his expression complicated.
"I won, and I lost."
His body and divine weapons had both been baptized by immortal energy, making him superior to the Crimson Mother in all aspects.
However, the Crimson Mother had her own advantages. Backed by the Crimson Domain, even injured, she could recover quickly and replenish her divine power rapidly. He could only absorb external energy to recover, which was much slower.
Overall, his strength was still superior. Without a fight to the death, he would be the victor.
However...
"While I was fighting the Crimson Mother, her subordinates—dozens of super-divine level experts—took the opportunity to invade the planet again and devour the remaining origin."
Rong Nianbing frowned. "I won the battle, but I couldn't save the planet. I only saved the survivors."
As the Crimson Mother had said, he was alone and couldn't be everywhere at once.
If he hadn't first protected the planet's inhabitants with his power, even those survivors would have been lost.
Rong Nianbing waved his hand, and a small world unfolded before them. Through its barrier, they could see the densely packed beings within. They were the survivors he had taken with his divine power before the battle, the last embers of that planet.
"They..."
Xi Yun asked softly.
"Temporarily settled here." Rong Nianbing put away the small world, his gaze complex. "When I find a suitable planet, I'll let them start over."
Feng Nü nodded, then considered. "The Crimson Domain's foundation is so terrifying. Nianbing, you alone probably can't handle it. What do you plan to do?"
Rong Nianbing thought of how the super-divine level expert had bypassed him to attack the planet, and how the Crimson Mother had implicitly threatened him with Feng Nü and the others. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What do you think?"
"This star region isn't far from our homeland. We can't ignore the Crimson Domain's threat."
"But we don't have to fight alone. What if we form an alliance in the nearby star regions, gathering divine-level experts to oppose the Crimson Domain?"
Rong Nianbing's expression shifted as he pondered.
"Maybe that's feasible."
With the Divine Realm gone, some powerful planes would no longer be suppressed. They would eventually break through their level limits and give birth to divine-level experts. Perhaps there weren't many yet, but over time, they would accumulate a considerable number.
Moreover, some star regions in the vicinity had never been under the Douluo Divine Realm's jurisdiction and already had divine-level experts.
He alone truly couldn't handle the Crimson Domain. A few more half-step God Kings would make a difference.
But...
He had already retired from the Divine Realm. Why did he still have to worry about matters that the Divine Realm should be handling?
Rong Nianbing, forced into overtime, was filled with resentment.
***
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