"Lord, according to your agreement with Qin Xiao, human soul masters have re-entered the Great Star Dou Forest."

  "After observing them for some time, their behavior has been retively restrained. They haven't sughtered soul beasts indiscriminately or strayed beyond designated areas."

  "This time, the humans have kept their promise."

  In the depths of the Great Star Dou Forest, Di Tian respectfully reported to Gu Yue Na.

  However, Gu Yue Na was lost in thought, entirely unaware of what Di Tian was saying.

  "My Lord, My Lord?"

  After waiting a while without receiving further instructions, Di Tian finally couldn’t help but gently call out.

  “What did you just say?” Gu Yue Na asked in a low voice, frowning slightly.

  "It’s about the human soul masters..." Di Tian started to repeat but was cut off by Gu Yue Na.

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Keep an eye on the situation. There’s no need to report it to me.

  "Aside from this, I’ll be leaving for some time. Handle all matters concerning the Great Star Dou Forest yourself.”

  Di Tian’s heart sank at her words, realizing immediately where she intended to go.

  "My Lord, please reconsider. The Divine Realm is a pit of dangers, and entering alone is incredibly risky.

  "Besides, I’m not certain that Qin Xiao is trustworthy. What if he’s luring you into the Divine Realm to attract the attention of the gods?”

  Di Tian couldn’t hold back his concern, his distrust for Qin Xiao evident.

  However, Gu Yue Na, as the supreme being she was, would hardly accept interference in her decisions.

  "Enough."

  Her voice was icy. “I have my own ways. Just do what’s within your duties.”

  She understood that Di Tian’s intentions were well-meaning.

  But as the leader of the soul beasts, how could she not have her own judgment?

  Moments ago, her mind had drifted because she sensed a sudden disturbance in the world.

  She was certain that Qin Xiao had now ascended to the level of a God King.

  And he was battling a formidable opponent, one no less powerful than a God King.

  The aura of this opponent was all too familiar to Gu Yue Na: one of the highest God Kings in the Divine Realm, the God of Destruction.

  This confirmed Qin Xiao’s previous statements—he truly stood against the Divine Realm.

  This strengthened Gu Yue Na’s resolve to ally with him.

  She also knew that, if she missed this opportunity, it might be impossible to find another ally.

  All these factors compelled her to take a gamble.

  Moreover, after three years of healing, her injuries were fully recovered. Entering the Divine Realm now was not entirely without defense, and she could fight if necessary.

  Di Tian lowered his head in silence.

  Seeing this, Gu Yue Na’s expression softened slightly. “I understand your concern, but my goal is immense, and there’s no way to be entirely certain of success.

  "Remember, if I don’t return, and Qin Xiao also falls, when the gods descend, avoid conflict with them as much as possible. Preserve the st bloodline of the soul beasts.”

  Her words struck Di Tian like a thundercp.

  His heart trembled as he clenched his teeth, struggling to suppress his grief, though tears began to form at the corners of his eyes.

  He bowed his head further to hide his expression from her.

  However—

  Unbeknownst to him, the moment Gu Yue Na finished speaking, her figure quietly vanished.

  …

  Meanwhile—

  In Thunder City.

  Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu both looked in the same direction at the same time.

  Their gaze seemed to pierce through the distance, observing Qin Xiao battling the God of Destruction on a distant shore.

  The inevitable has come.

  Let’s hope this ends safely.

  …

  “Boom!”

  A fierce csh sent a dark crack, stretching dozens of miles, splitting through the void.

  At the center of the rift, a figure fell.

  It was the God of Destruction.

  He looked extremely disheveled, his robes torn, hair disordered and wildly flying in the wind.

  Blood stained the front of his clothes.

  In contrast, Qin Xiao, though showing some signs of battle-weariness, was less battered, with a few wounds and fresh blood trickling down. However, his aura was leagues above the God of Destruction’s.

  He stood atop a giant thunder dragon, holding the divine spear “Celestial Abyss Halberd,” swooping down with fierce momentum.

  The God of Destruction was stunned.

  Is this man really a newly ascended God King?

  Right now, he could easily overpower him.

  Or is it that God Kings who rely solely on their insight rather than merging with a divine position are just that formidable?

  At this moment, the God of Destruction understood Qin Xiao’s strength clearly; he knew that a single God King would not suffice to defeat him—at least two would be needed to match his power.

  This is absolutely absurd.

  ‘No, I can’t keep cshing head-on with him. Or I might truly end up defeated here.’

  Realizing Qin Xiao’s formidable power, the God of Destruction had no intention of recklessly fighting to the end.

  However, with Qin Xiao’s powerful strike coming at him, he had to make a defensive move.

  ‘A regur attack won’t be enough to fend this off. I guess I’ll have to pay a price!’

  The God of Destruction gritted his teeth, channeling his divine power and ws into his Destruction Scepter.

  After pouring everything into it, he hurled the scepter forward.

  A wild roar echoed in the void.

  The Destructive God King’s scepter, once released from his grasp, transformed instantly into a massive, pitch-bck dragon.

  Its scales were defined, vivid and lifelike.

  If Qin Xiao hadn’t witnessed the transformation with his own eyes, he might have mistaken it for a real creature.

  However, the God King of Destruction did not even gnce back to see the outcome of this move. Instead, he turned, tore open the space, and slipped through.

  The almighty God King was fleeing!

  And to save his own life, he had resorted to a tactic of sacrificing the pawn to protect the king.

  “Hmph, your master has abandoned you, yet you still dare funt yourself in front of me?”

  Qin Xiao let out a cold snort, fiercely sshing down with the Celestial Abyss Halberd.

  A sharp beam of light sliced through, instantly severing the dragon’s head.

  With a thunderous crash, the dragon’s body exploded, revealing the bck Destruction Scepter within.

  Qin Xiao noticed that the scepter was about to tear open space and escape.

  “Since you’re here, you should leave something behind,” he said, a glint of frost in his eyes as he reached out to seize the Destruction Scepter.

  Being gripped by an outsider, and especially an enemy of its master, the Destruction Scepter naturally refused to submit.

  It struggled desperately, trying to break free from Qin Xiao’s hold.

  “So ungrateful, huh?”

  Qin Xiao frowned, his voice cold. With a thought, purple runes began to light up on the scepter, and waves of violet lightning surged, enveloping it.

  “Crackle!”

  The lightning bombardment continued for a full half-hour before Qin Xiao finally stopped.

  Now, the Destruction Scepter no longer exhibited any defiance.

  After all, Qin Xiao hadn’t held back at all.

  It had been a hair’s breadth away from having its remaining shred of consciousness obliterated.

  “Surrendered, have you?”

  Qin Xiao sneered, putting the scepter away before looking toward a spot in the void.

  “After watching the show for so long, isn’t it about time you showed yourself?”

  There was no immediate response to his words.

  Seeing this, Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow, his voice chilling. “What’s the matter? Don’t believe me, or are you just that confident? Or would you like a taste of my electric therapy too?”

  This time, his words elicited a response.

  “Hmph.”

  With a displeased snort, Gu Yue Na, dressed in a white gown, emerged from the void.

  Seeing that Qin Xiao was waiting in silence, Gu Yue Na broke the ice. “I never expected you’d force even the God King of Destruction to flee, abandoning his supreme artifact to buy himself time to escape.”

  As she spoke, her earlier irritation faded, her tone now filled with admiration.

  Qin Xiao, newly ascended as a God King, had already managed to leave the God King of Destruction in shambles—an astonishing feat.

  After all, though the strength of the Divine Realm’s God Kings varied, the differences weren’t vast.

  If they truly fought, it was often a battle of attrition. The fact that Qin Xiao had so quickly gained the upper hand against the God King of Destruction spoke volumes of his power.

  Gu Yue Na even thought that given a bit more time, Qin Xiao could very well match her former self.

  In response to her praise, Qin Xiao simply smiled, brushing it off. “It’s nothing.”

  In truth—

  Had he fought with his full power and donned the Thunder Emperor Armor, what would the God King of Destruction have amounted to?

  He was at least eighty percent certain he could have kept him there.

  But if he exposed all his cards now, how could he ter lure out all the God Kings in the Divine Realm in one fell swoop?

  He was confident that the God King of Destruction would rush back to convene with the other God Kings and prepare for war.

  Gu Yue Na felt a surge of annoyance at Qin Xiao’s casual attitude.

  Nothing, really?

  The opponent you defeated was one of the God Kings of the Divine Realm, revered by countless beings across dimensions.

  Yet Qin Xiao acted as if he had merely defeated some inconsequential figure.

  “I admit your strength is formidable, but my advice is not to be overly confident.”

  “The gods of the Divine Realm are far from simple, as you might imagine. With the God King of Destruction having fled, more God Kings will soon arrive.”

  “It may not be what you want to hear, but at this moment, I feel someone needs to remind you of this.”

  Gu Yue Na’s voice was cold.

  Though her words seemed icy, Qin Xiao could sense warmth in her intentions.

  It was, in fact, sound advice, and Qin Xiao wasn’t one to disregard well-meant counsel. With a smile, he replied, “Thank you for your concern. I do have my own pns to deal with the gods.”

  “All you need to remember is to seize the right moment to enter the Divine Realm. Once you’ve fully merged with the other half of your soul from the Divine Realm, that will be the time for us to strike back.”

  Gu Yue Na paused in silence, then nodded solemnly. “Understood.”

  On the other side—

  In the ethereal Divine Realm.

  Within the Temple of Destruction.

  Suddenly, a dark-patterned magic array lit up on the floor.

  The array was massive, spanning almost half of the grand hall.

  "What... is this?"

  Poseidon’s eyes widened.

  The sheer destructive godly power emanating from the array sent chills through him.

  It couldn’t be helped.

  Once a top-level god, he had fallen to the rank of a mere cleric after losing his divine position. So, any disturbance in the Temple of Destruction now pced immense pressure on him.

  "This array is no ordinary one; it seems to be a long-range, inter-dimensional teleportation array?"

  Unlike Poseidon, the old Asura God was seasoned and well-versed.

  He instantly recognized the array’s significance in the Temple of Destruction.

  "As expected of a former God King—your insight truly is unmatched," Poseidon praised quickly upon hearing his words.

  However, his fttery only hit a sore spot.

  “If only I were still one…”

  The old Asura God sighed.

  Had he not been so blind, choosing a successor with a rebellious streak, he could have long since traveled the dimensions freely.

  Even if he hadn’t inherited the godly title, staying as the Divine Realm’s enforcer would have been better.

  Better than his current state, pleading to others to hunt down traitors and recim his godly position.

  Having lived countless years, he, a prideful Asura God, had fought for most of his life; yet in his old age, all his dignity had vanished.

  Tang San…

  That name would forever be his stain.

  “Everyone, could you please step aside? You’re standing right at the array’s focal point and blocking Destruction’s return position…”

  At that moment, the Goddess of Life’s exasperated voice interrupted.

  Even with her gentle nature, she couldn’t hold back a hint of irritation. These two truly cked awareness.

  “Huh?”

  The old Asura God and Poseidon froze, then awkwardly stepped aside.

  “Apologies, my diminished power has dulled my mind. I forgot the importance of the array’s focal point…” the old Asura God muttered sheepishly.

  “No harm done.” The Goddess of Life gave a small shake of her head. “I’m sure Destruction won’t mind such a small thing.”

  As she spoke, the destructive godly power within the array intensified.

  In a fsh of darkness, a familiar figure appeared before the Goddess of Life, the old Asura God, and Poseidon.

  It was a pale-faced man draped in a bck cloak.

  “Destruction?!”

  “God King of Destruction!”

  The old Asura God and Poseidon both called out in excitement.

  Now that the God King of Destruction had returned, did this mean he’d completed the task they’d requested of him?

  The thought filled them with excitement.

  “After all this time, you’ve finally returned.”

  Even the Goddess of Life seemed delighted.

  However, there was one person in the temple who was not happy.

  That person was the God King of Destruction, who had brought joy to everyone else.

  The Goddess of Life looked at him and felt her heart sink.

  From their close bond, she could tell that his mission hadn’t gone smoothly.

  But—

  The old Asura God and Poseidon, standing beside her, failed to notice the change in his expression.

  Poseidon, filled with excitement, said, “As expected of the most lethal of the five God Kings, the God King of Destruction.

  “To think you resolved the Douluo Star issue so swiftly! I can only imagine the fate of those traitors…”

  The God King of Destruction stood with his back to Poseidon, silent.

  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak but that he didn’t know what to say.

  The traitors’ fate…

  Thinking of it brought him nothing but frustration.

  Despite getting personally involved, he had been overpowered by a newly ascended God King, sustaining significant injuries in the process.

  Even worse, he’d lost his Destruction Scepter…

  To save his life in a critical moment, he had no choice but to sacrifice it.

  Now, that scepter was likely in Qin Xiao’s possession.

  Thinking of this made his heart ache even more.

  In short, this mission had not only failed but had also left him thoroughly humiliated.

  (End of chapter)

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