The God Realm existed as an infinite, ethereal expanse of swirling, luminescent clouds and majestic, floating continents, a place entirely separated from the mundane constraints of time and mortal suffering. At the very apex of this divine dimension stood the God Realm Central Palace, a towering architectural marvel composed of pure, condensed divine energy. It was the absolute seat of authority, the nexus from which the laws of the universe were maintained and observed.
Deep within the grand, vaulted halls of the Central Palace, the Asura God sat upon his dark, imposing throne. The supreme enforcer of divine law gripped the heavy, metallic armrests of his seat, his knuckles turning white under the sheer pressure he exerted. His piercing, crimson eyes stared blankly into the swirling cosmic viewing pool floating before him, though he had just forcefully, bitterly withdrawn his divine sense from the Douluo Realm.
His chest heaved slightly. The forced severance of his connection to Tang Hao had caused a minor, irritating backlash within his divine core, but it was the profound sting to his pride that truly burned. He, the Asura God, one of the three supreme enforcers of the God Realm, had been forced to retreat by a mere warning from a peer.
Before he could even begin to formulate his next calculated move to guide his chosen inheritor through the shadows, the serene, timeless atmosphere of the Central Palace was violently shattered.
An overwhelming, apocalyptic pressure crashed against the heavy golden doors of the palace. The divine clouds outside darkened instantly, swirling into a tempest of violet and black energy that crackled with raw, unadulterated annihilative force. Accompanying this terrifying storm was a contrasting aura—a gentle, infinitely vast emerald light that carried the profound, undeniable weight of supreme vitality.
The heavy doors were blown open, dissolving into harmless light under the sheer, forceful entry of the two Godkings.
The God of Destruction strode into the central hall, his entire form wreathed in a terrifying, erratic purple-black aura. His eyes burned beneath his dark cowl, radiating a furious, absolute intent to shatter whatever stood in his path. Walking calmly but firmly beside him was his wife, the Goddess of Life. She wore an elegant, flowing dress of vibrant green, her beautiful, gentle face currently set into a rare expression of deep, unyielding sternness.
"Asura!" the God of Destruction's voice boomed, echoing like rolling thunder against the vaulted ceilings, causing the very foundation of the Central Palace to tremble. "Explain your actions immediately!"
The sudden, explosive arrival of the two Godkings sent a massive shockwave throughout the surrounding divine territories. In the distant, floating pavilions and submerged palaces, numerous First Rank Gods paused their eternal meditations.
The Rakshasa God, cloaked in her sickly green and purple miasma, stood upon a jagged floating rock, her malicious eyes gleaming with intense, sadistic amusement as she stared toward the Central Palace. The Sea God, resting within his magnificent azure temple, frowned deeply, his grip tightening on his golden trident as he sensed the hostile collision of the Godkings. The seven Elemental Gods—Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, and Space—all manifested on the borders of their respective domains, their expressions tense.
Yet, absolutely none of them dared to approach the Central Palace. They merely observed from afar, their divine senses carefully monitoring the unfolding drama. They all intimately understood that getting caught in the crossfire of a furious confrontation between three Godkings was a surefire way to suffer catastrophic, permanent damage to their divine foundations.
Asura God slowly rose from his throne, smoothing the dark fabric of his heavy robes. He adopted his usual, flawless facade of cold, righteous impartiality, projecting an aura of pure, unsullied justice as if he had never committed a single misdeed in his eternal existence.
"Destruction. Life," Asura God greeted them, his tone perfectly even, betraying none of his internal frustration. "To what do I owe this violent, unannounced intrusion into the Central Palace? You disrupt the harmony of the God Realm."
"Do not play your pathetic games with me, Asura," the God of Destruction sneered, taking a heavy step forward, the marble floor cracking beneath his boots. The purple-black destructive energy flared violently around his shoulders. "We are here because you have blatantly, shamelessly violated the oldest, most foundational law of our existence. You actively, directly interfered in the matters of the lower plane!"
The Goddess of Life stepped beside her husband, her emerald eyes locking onto the Asura God with a chilling, disappointed clarity. "You bypassed the natural order. You deliberately channeled your pure Divine Energy across the dimensional barrier to actively strengthen a particular mortal individual engaged in a worldly conflict. If you had not recklessly attempted to suppress the mortal who carries my Seed of Life, we would have remained entirely oblivious to your arrogant transgression."
Asura God maintained his cool, imposing composure. He raised a hand, gesturing calmly as he attempted to use his legendary eloquence to weave a narrative of righteous necessity.
"You are both allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment," Asura God stated smoothly, his voice carrying the practiced cadence of a supreme judge. "You both know full well that I have grown weary of my eternal duties. I actively seek to pass down my God Position so that I may finally roam the wider universe unburdened. The human youth who was fighting against your chosen inheritor, Life, is one of my most promising candidates. He has successfully, miraculously passed two grueling trials of my God Position."
He took a slow, deliberate step down from the dais, his crimson eyes projecting a feigned, sorrowful burden.
"That human child, my rightful inheritor, was about to be brutally slaughtered at the hands of the anomaly who carries your inheritance," Asura God continued, spinning the truth with masterful precision. "As the overseer of his trials, I had a vested, divine obligation to ensure my successor was not unjustly eradicated before his destiny could be fulfilled. I merely provided a minor, necessary support to him to ensure his survival in a hopelessly unbalanced skirmish."
He paused, looking directly at the Goddess of Life with an expression of polite innocence. "Moreover, I had absolutely no prior knowledge that the mortal fighting against my chosen was your prospective inheritor. That human has not yet officially activated his God Trials for the Life Godking position. I acted blindly, guided only by the duty to my own inheritor."
"A beautiful, touching tale of divine responsibility," a new, casually amused voice echoed through the grand hall.
The shadows near the shattered entrance warped and twisted, giving way to the arrival of two more supreme entities. The Evil Godking, dressed in immaculate, flowing black robes, strolled into the Central Palace with his hands clasped casually behind his back. A faint, knowing smile danced upon his lips, his eyes sparkling with the distinct thrill of incoming chaos. Walking gracefully beside him was his wife, the Goodness Godking, her radiant white aura providing a stark, soothing contrast to the heavy, oppressive energies filling the room.
They had arrived, wondering what colossal event could have possibly driven the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction to openly, violently confront the Asura God in his own seat of power.
"But it is a tale full of holes, Asura," the God of Destruction snarled, entirely ignoring the arrival of his peers as he focused his absolute, crushing anger on the enforcer. "You are really just frantically digging for excuses to justify your own hypocrisy. The God Realm has laws and we all gods have sworn to follow it! We cannot just casually inject our power to help our inheritors survive their private, mortal conflicts in the lower realm, no matter what the circumstances are! Their survival is the trial!"
The God of Destruction pointed a finger coated in dark lightning directly at Asura's chest. "If you had merely been guiding your inheritor through the structured, isolated phases of his God Trials, I wouldn't waste my breath saying a single word. But that was absolutely not the case today. You actively, directly intervened when there wasn't even a God Trial! You funneled your divine energy into a mortal who holds absolutely just a small connection to your God Trial, solely to use him as a weapon to kill your inheritor's enemy!"
Asura God's jaw tightened slightly, a microscopic fracture in his perfect facade. The God of Destruction's logic was brutal and entirely accurate, stripping away the polished veneer of his excuses.
Asura God countered coldly, "My inheritor was facing an anomaly that disrupts the natural flow of destiny. I merely balanced the scales."
"You tipped the scales to favor your own selfish desires," the Goddess of Life interjected. Her usually gentle, soothing voice had grown remarkably firm and uncompromising. She was fundamentally protective of her own chosen inheritor, and she despised those who abused their supreme power to bully the vulnerable.
She stepped forward, her emerald aura expanding to push back the oppressive red light of Asura's killing intent.
"Your justifications are empty, Asura," the Goddess of Life declared, issuing a binding decree that carried the absolute authority of a Godking. "Because you have proven that you cannot be trusted to act impartially regarding this mortal, a new boundary must be set. From this exact moment onwards, you are absolutely restricted. You will be able to use your Divine Energy only for the strict, automated dispersion of God Trial rewards."
Her emerald eyes flared with divine law. "You can no longer actively help your inheritors in combat. You cannot funnel power to them, nor can you even help your High Priest by lending them your divine energy, even if they are standing on the very precipice of death. Your hands must remain tied."
The Asura God's eyes flared with intense, furious crimson light. He opened his mouth, fully prepared to fiercely respond back and reject such a humiliating, restricting condition placed upon his own divine authority.
But the God of Destruction immediately stepped up, his massive, imposing figure entirely backing up his wife. The violent, purple-black energy of absolute annihilation flared around his fists, a silent, terrifying promise that if Asura rejected the decree, they would tear the Central Palace down around him.
"You will accept her terms, Asura," the God of Destruction growled, his voice carrying the finality of a collapsing star. "Or we will bring this entire matter before the full divine committee and strip you of your enforcement rights pending a full investigation into your corruption."
The Asura God stared at the two unified Godkings. He calculated the odds. A physical battle against Destruction and Life combined was a losing proposition, and a political trial would expose his subtle manipulations of destiny to the entire realm.
He slowly, deliberately unclenched his fists.
"Very well," Asura God agreed, his voice a frigid, emotionless whisper. "I accept this condition. I will restrict my energy strictly to the parameters of the trials."
Though he projected calm compliance, internally, the Asura God's mind was a whirlwind of dark, rapid calculations. He realized that this restriction severely crippled his ability to ensure Tang San's immediate survival against the overwhelming, anomalous threat of Zhang Tian.
'I have to put my backup plan to work immediately,' Asura God thought, his crimson eyes narrowing imperceptibly. 'If I cannot directly intervene or supply him with my energy to overcome his enemies, I must find another source of divine power that is not bound by this specific restriction. The Sea God.'
He formulated the unprecedented scheme. 'I will need to be very careful and get the Sea God to accept my inheritor as his primary inheritor while using Divine Force to make my inheritor stronger. I will force the boy to accept the unprecedented, historically impossible burden of Dual God Positions. The Sea God can shield him while he grows.'
However, the Asura God knew the physical limitations of a mortal body. 'A mortal frame cannot simultaneously hold the pure, crushing weight of my killing intent and the vastness of the ocean. I would need to find a sheath. A living vessel for my Asura God position that can temporarily tolerate and store the burden of my power until the final fusion.'
His thoughts drifted to the lingering, soulful connections surrounding his inheritor. 'It shouldn't be hard to find a suitable, devoted soul willing to sacrifice itself for him.'
As the tense, crushing atmosphere in the Central Palace slowly began to recede, the Evil Godking and his wife, the Goodness Godking, remained silently observing the resolution.
The Evil Godking had a faint, highly amused smile playing on his lips. He thrived on the chaotic, unpredictable friction between rigid laws and selfish desires. He planned to seek out the Asura Godking privately once the dust settled to learn the exact, filthy details of what this whole thing was truly about, wondering if he could extract some entertaining leverage or amusement out of this rare incident of divine vulnerability.
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life did not linger. Having secured their binding restriction, they turned and departed the Central Palace, their respective auras of annihilation and vitality fading into the divine clouds.
Later, when the immediate commotion had entirely dispersed, the Evil Godking and the Goodness Godking casually approached the Asura God, who was standing quietly near the shattered entrance of his palace.
"That was quite the dramatic display, Asura," the Evil Godking remarked casually, crossing his arms. "What exactly provoked Destruction to bare his fangs so aggressively?"
The Asura God turned to them, naturally adopting his polished, martyred persona. He told them only his heavily curated, sympathetic side of the story.
"It was a gross overreaction to a minor necessity," Asura God sighed, shaking his head. "My chosen inheritor, a boy of immense talent and destiny, was brutally cornered and about to be mercilessly killed by a vastly superior, anomalous force. I simply extended a fraction of my awareness to help my inheritor survive a fatal blow. The Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction are jumping at my throat, threatening war, simply for ensuring my lineage is not unfairly extinguished before the trials are complete."
The Goodness Godking, whose nature inherently leaned toward compassion and fairness, frowned slightly at the perceived injustice of Life's strict decree. "That does seem excessively harsh. The survival of a promising inheritor should be a priority for the stability of our realm."
The Evil Godking chuckled softly, enjoying the spin. "Destruction has always been a blunt instrument. He sees a minor fracture in the law and wants to shatter the whole pane of glass."
"Indeed," Asura God agreed solemnly.
The Evil Godking offered a reassuring, conspiratorial nod. "If something like this happens again, Asura, and they attempt to overstep their bounds, you have our word. We will definitely support you in the committee. We will not let the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life act rashly and monopolize the enforcement of the lower realms."
"I appreciate your understanding," Asura God replied, bowing his head slightly, successfully securing the political backing he needed to continue his subtle, deadly game of chess.
Meanwhile, far below the ethereal clouds of the God Realm, down on the blood-soaked, pulverized earth of the Douluo Realm, the brutal reality of mortal conflict had reached its agonizing conclusion at Seven Treasure City.
The battlefield was a haunting portrait of absolute, unmitigated defeat for the southern alliance.
Tang Hao lay crumpled amidst the shattered masonry, unconscious and bleeding heavily from the horrific, tearing backlash of his exploded spirit rings. Tang Xiao, the mighty Sect Leader, was slumped against a broken pillar, his chest completely caved in, gasping weakly for air after being ruthlessly beaten by Zhang Tian's bare hands. Even Tang San, the prodigy of the new generation, was pinned to the earth, his bones fractured and his hidden weapons rendered utterly useless by the overwhelming, dark suppression of Zhu Zhuqing.
In the eastern quadrant of the courtyard, the holy fires had finally begun to recede. Qian Renxue stood tall, her golden wings glowing softly as she looked down at the smoking, incinerated ashes of four elite Clear Sky elders who had died screaming at her hands. The remaining four elders of the Clear Sky Sect stood trembling, their massive hammers lowered in absolute, terrifying submission as they realized their absolute inability to breach her divine defenses.
At this exact, devastating moment, the sky above the courtyard trembled violently.
An oppressive, mountainous pressure suddenly descended over everyone present, carrying a dense, palpable wave of pure, unadulterated rage and profound, bitter disappointment.
Tang Chen descended from the clouds, his dark robes whipping fiercely in the wind generated by his own furious aura. He landed heavily in the center of the courtyard, his boots cracking the stone. He was in a state of absolute, boiling rage at the total, humiliating defeat of his forces, but as his dark eyes swept over the broken, bleeding bodies of his grandsons, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, that rage was heavily tempered by a profound, agonizing disappointment. They had lost completely, overwhelmingly, against a single youth and his companions.
Following closely behind the Clear Sky ancestor was Qian Daoliu. The High Priest descended with a serene, golden grace, his six wings folding neatly behind his back as he took his place near his granddaughter, Qian Renxue, offering her a warm, proud smile before turning his stern gaze upon Tang Chen.
Tang Chen stood rigidly, his massive hammer materializing in his grasp. He was fiercely wary of Zhang Tian. As he descended, Tang Chen had extended his supreme spiritual senses, only to find that Zhang Tian's mental force was actually as dense, as boundless, and as powerful as his own Limit Douluo-level spiritual sea. It was a terrifying, impossible reality that forced Tang Chen to suppress his immediate desire to strike the youth down.
Tang Chen made his intentions known instantly. He looked at the bruised, dying members of his lineage and knew the war was over before it had truly begun. He wanted to take his fractured faction and leave this cursed city right now.
"We admit defeat," Tang Chen's voice echoed across the silent courtyard, the words tasting like ash in his mouth. He glared at Zhang Tian and the gathered defenders. "You have broken our vanguard. We will take our leave now."
He hefted his hammer slightly, his dark aura flaring with a desperate, suicidal threat. He locked his eyes onto Zhang Tian, delivering a cold, absolute ultimatum.
"But hear me well, boy," Tang Chen warned, his voice a low, vibrating growl of pure menace. "I am leaving. But if you insist on being stubborn... if you attempt to pursue us, or if you dare to take a single step forward to harm or execute my Grandsons, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, or my Great-Grandson, Tang San... then I will show you the true meaning of destruction. I would like to see if even Qian Daoliu and his holy light can protect you all from the resulting blast when I burn my soul to ash."
Zhang Tian stood perfectly still, his hands resting casually behind his back. He stared calmly at Tang Chen, his icy blue eyes completely unbothered by the Limit Douluo's desperate threat, while his brilliant mind rapidly processed the tactical variables, trying to wonder what he should do.
He knew with absolute certainty that if he did actively, openly antagonize this cornered beast by ordering the execution of Tang Hao, Tang San, or Tang Xiao right here and now... then this man, who had already lost half his sect's elders, will undoubtedly, violently go crazy. And if a peak Level 99 Limit Douluo decided to completely abandon his own life, using his Ring Explosion along with his Clear Sky Hammer, and potentially even drawing upon the hidden, volatile divine energy of the Asura Demon Sword hidden within his soul... it would be a catastrophic, mutually assured destruction scenario for everyone present in the city.
Moreover, Zhang Tian possessed a deep, penetrating understanding of the world's hidden destiny. He could perfectly guess exactly what Tang Chen would do after returning to the Star Luo Empire in defeat. Tang Chen, realizing his mortal limits, would inevitably seek the ultimate, divine assistance from the legendary Sea God Island.
Well, this desperate retreat actually worked perfectly for Zhang Tian's overarching, long-term strategic timeline. If Tang Chen fled and wasted his remaining years attempting to navigate the treacherous waters of the Sea God Island, it would ensure that the Lord of the North would have a few more crucial, uninterrupted years to focus on his own cultivation and finally break through to become a Titled Douluo. And once he officially becomes a Titled Douluo, wielding his supreme, mutated spirits and limitless elemental mastery, Zhang Tian was absolutely, supremely confident in resolving Tang Chen and whatever divine tricks he brought back with him effortlessly.
"You may take your bloodline and go, Tang Chen," Zhang Tian finally spoke, his voice smooth, casual, and dripping with an aloof, aristocratic authority.
He took a slow step forward, his gaze sweeping over the distant, peripheral passes where the sounds of battle were still echoing faintly.
"I can generously allow you to take the surviving members of your Clear Sky Sect," Zhang Tian continued, stating his absolute, non-negotiable condition. "But as for all the others... the elite experts of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the brutish forces of the Strength Clan, and the remaining stragglers of your southern alliance... they must all be left behind. They belong to us now."
He offered a cold, chilling smile. "Otherwise... at worst, we will simply ignore your threats and we will just fight to the bitter, bloody end right here. I am quite eager to see your soul burn."
Tang Chen's face darkened instantly. He had a somber, deeply conflicted look as he processed this incredibly grave, humiliating condition. Zhang Tian was explicitly forcing him to betray his sworn allies, to abandon the very forces that had bled for his cause, in exchange for his own family's survival.
Tang Chen looked around the ruined courtyard. He looked at his proud, unbroken clan members. Among his most trusted, elite vanguard, four of his brothers had been effortlessly killed, reduced to ash by the golden angel. Now, there were only four trembling, exhausted elders remaining. Then he looked at his Great-Grandson, bleeding into the dirt, and his two proud grandsons, broken and unconscious.
The arithmetic of survival was brutal, but simple.
Tang Chen closed his eyes for a brief second, swallowing his legendary pride and his honor. He nodded once, a sharp, rigid motion. He was about to turn around, gather his crippled family in a spatial sweep, and take them away, abandoning the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to the slaughter.
"Wait," Zhang Tian commanded, his voice cutting through the tension like a physical blade.
Tang Chen halted, his shoulders tensing. "You gave your word, boy. Do not push me."
"I am merely collecting a small, personal toll for the damage to my Father-in-Law's courtyard," Zhang Tian replied casually.
Without moving a single muscle, Zhang Tian simply used a fraction of his intent. He utilized his supreme Blood Silver God spirit to seamlessly, silently create a single, incredibly fast, razor-sharp crimson vine that shot out from the pulverized ground directly beneath Tang San's prone, battered body.
SHLUCK!
The sharp vine violently stabbed directly into Tang San's thigh, bypassing his weakened spirit defenses.
"AGHHH!" Tang San screamed, his eyes flying wide open in sudden, excruciating agony.
The crimson vine didn't just pierce flesh; it acted as a horrific, parasitic conduit. In a matter of seconds, it rapidly began to devour a significant portion of Tang San's vital essence blood, forcefully extracting the deep, foundational vitality from the youth's meridians before ripping itself out of his leg and retracting back into the earth, carrying the stolen, rich blood back to Zhang Tian.
Tang Chen was immediately, violently furious as he saw exactly what Zhang Tian was doing to his defenseless great-grandson. His dark aura erupted, his hammer glowing with a lethal, bloody light.
"You bastard!" Tang Chen roared, taking a threatening step forward, ready to shatter the agreement.
In response, Zhang Tian didn't even blink. He stared down the Limit Douluo with absolute, freezing contempt.
"This is a remarkably small, insignificant price to pay for today's absolute defeat of your lowly, arrogant Clear Sky Sect," Zhang Tian told him, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy whisper. "Take your broken heir and get lost now, Tang Chen. And if you truly want to throw your life away and fight over a few drops of blood... then come."
Those cold, dismissive words made Tang Chen unspeakably, violently angry. The insult burned his soul. But as his dark eyes flicked over the bleeding leg of Tang San, the unconscious form of Tang Hao, and the hovering, ever-present threat of Qian Daoliu's holy light, he found himself paralyzed by cold logic.
He didn't dare to fight against Zhang Tian. Not today. Not due to the incredibly fragile, dying condition of his family members. He had to swallow the poison of this humiliation to ensure the Clear Sky lineage did not end in this courtyard.
With a bitter, echoing roar of pure frustration, Tang Chen swept his massive sleeves. A dark, tearing spatial rift enveloped the unconscious forms of Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, the screaming Tang San, and the four surviving, trembling elders. In a flash of displaced air, the legendary remnants of the Clear Sky Sect vanished from the battlefield, fleeing in absolute disgrace and abandoning their vast, Star Luo Empire's alliance to the merciless, coordinated slaughter of the Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect and the Spirit Hall.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/c/evildragon04