As they watched the youth set foot in the Divine Realm,
an indistinct sense of pressure rose within the hearts of the assembled gods.
Before this—
they had been unable to spy on him through the divine light screen.
And now—
with the youth's true body standing before them,
that unobservable quality had transformed into tangible divine pressure.
An eleven-colored sword-intent azure lotus bore his form; golden clouds and purple radiance coiled about him; a sword and a wine gourd hung at his waist…
Such an exalted bearing
made even several ancient first-class gods feel their divine power circulate with slight difficulty.
God King! He was indeed a God King!
Though they had long anticipated that this youth would create a God King position of his own,
it still caused the hearts of the gods to tremble.
Among the vast sea of gods, the Sea God's face was pale, his smile frozen stiff.
With his stern temperament, he truly did not wish to smile, yet he forced himself to do so—afraid that the white-robed youth might mistake him for harboring dissatisfaction.
And within the indistinct ranks of divine silhouettes,
the Goddess of Flowers hid behind the others.
Sensing the divine might far exceeding expectations, the Goddess of Flowers clenched her teeth and looked toward several gods with whom she were usually close.
Yet those former companions, once so free and easy in conversation, now avoided the Goddess of Flowers' gaze one after another.
"Li Zhexian, congratulations on ascending to the Divine Realm." Ji Dong stepped forward through the ranks.
A mellow fragrance of wine spread through the divine light with each step he took.
That voice was identical to the guidance that had once sounded within Li Zhexian's sea of consciousness.
Li Zhexian immediately cupped his hands with solemn respect, his tone carrying sincere gratitude:
"Many thanks for Senior's guidance in the past."
Seeing that the youth still upheld proper etiquette, Ji Dong's smile deepened.
"I have a collection of aged wine. If you have leisure in the future, we shall share a drink and discuss the Dao of wine."
"Certainly."
As his words fell,
the Asura God stepped forward.
Those eyes, containing an ocean of blood, gazed upon Li Zhexian—admiration and regret interwoven.
"According to the customs of the Divine Realm, a newly ascended god must be informed of this realm's regulations."
Divine light swirled in his palm.
A transparent crystal, condensed with vast amounts of information, slowly emerged.
Li Zhexian reached out to receive it. The moment he touched it, the crystal dissolved and flowed into his sea of consciousness.
In an instant,
thirty-six thousand volumes of the Divine Realm's records unfolded within his mind:
the registers of the gods, territorial maps, the authority and responsibilities of the committee, and even ancient forbidden lands so deep that not even starlight could penetrate them…
Just as his divine sense skimmed the record of the deepest and most obscure forbidden land,
it seemed to stir some ancient existence slumbering within.
A pair of violent crimson eyes pierced through layers of seals and suddenly opened within the fragments of information.
Where that gaze reached, even the sea of divine consciousness churned violently.
Li Zhexian's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Primordial Sword Intent flowed naturally, severing that gaze outright.
Crack!
The fragment bearing the forbidden-land record shattered into nothingness.
Only a frenzied howl echoed faintly through the rifts of space and time before fading away.
After fully absorbing all the information,
no more than an instant had passed.
Ji Dong and the Asura God appeared unaware of the undercurrent just now and calmly led him onward through the myriad divine domains.
Wherever they passed,
the gods lowered their heads and stood respectfully.
At last,
they arrived at the core of power within the Divine Realm—the Divine Realm Committee.
A towering divine hall stood before them, endless divine light cascading like waterfalls, billions of stars circling the pillars and moving along heavenly trajectories.
For this meeting—
All three thousand gods had descended.
The five God Kings still sat high upon the central divine thrones,
with First-Class Gods, Second-Class Gods, and others arrayed in order around them.
And unlike in the past…
there was now an additional seat in the central area.
Li Zhexian sat there calmly and composedly.
"This convocation of the gods is convened to congratulate Li Zhexian and the Angel God on ascending to the Divine Realm, and to establish Li Zhexian's divine title, delineate his authority, and clarify his divine office."
As Ji Dong's words fell,
the divine hall sank into utter silence.
Only the faint sound of stars revolving beyond the hall echoed softly.
"Li Zhexian." Ji Dong looked toward the youth.
"How about the East Divine Region falling under your jurisdiction starting today?"
Li Zhexian's gaze shifted slightly.
When his divine sense had swept through earlier, he had already learned that among the Five Regions, the Eastern Divine Region possessed the most beautiful scenery.
He smiled and inclined his head toward Ji Dong.
Ji Dong looked around at the other four God Kings and, seeing no objections, took the small gavel from the table and tapped it lightly.
Clang!
A clear chime rang out.
The entire divine hall trembled in response.
Outside the hall, a star that had been orbiting a divine pillar broke free from its trajectory,
transforming into a meteor that streaked across the Divine Realm sky,
its starlight pouring into the Eastern Region.
Mysterious patterns condensed into text:
[The Eastern Territory is hereby designated as the divine territory of Li Zhexian, witnessed by all gods.]
Ji Dong nodded in satisfaction, though a hint of helplessness appeared in his gaze toward Li Zhexian.
"Throughout history, newly ascended gods have inherited existing god positions. Your case truly is unprecedented."
"As for your divine title…"
"It is most appropriate that you decide it yourself."
"Everyone, let us begin."
The five God Kings—Evil, Kindness , Asura, Destruction, and Life—together with eighteen first-class gods, raised their hands and pointed into the void.
Twenty-three rays of divine light, each containing a different primordial law, converged at the center of the hall.
As the lights interwove,
the void seemed to be traced by an invisible brush.
A divine atlas carrying the Divine Realm's eternal legacy slowly emerged—the Atlas of the Gods.
"Zhexian,"
"Inject your source power into the atlas."
"The laws of the Divine Realm will naturally sense your strength and assign you the most suitable authority and divine office."
Li Zhexian nodded slowly, curiosity rising within his heart.
What kind of authority would the Divine Realm's laws grant him?
The gods, too, showed subtle shifts in expression.
This youth—
his strength had already reached the level of a God King, but he must also possess authority befitting such power.
Just as Evil and Kindness held supreme decision-making authority, while Asura, Destruction, and Life served as both God Kings and enforcers of divine law.
Under the varied gazes of the assembled gods,
Li Zhexian formed his fingers into a sword gesture.
Eleven kinds of sword intent transformed into a river of stars and poured into the Atlas of the Gods.
The atlas suddenly blazed with brilliance. Its pages flipped rapidly without wind.
To the shock of the gods,
more than half of the three thousand divine names that had long shone steadily upon its pages began to stir.
From the names of the gods, wisps of divine radiance—each containing its corresponding authority's source—split off.
They streamed into Li Zhexian's torrent of eleven sword intents.
This scene
signified that the laws of the Divine Realm had completed a redistribution of authority, based on the fundamental nature of Li Zhexian's power.
Vast streams of information finally gathered at the top of the atlas,
condensing into lines of radiant divine script infused with the laws of the Divine Realm:
[Divine Title: Sword Lord/ Venerable of Wine]
[Authority: Myriad Weapons, Primordial Origin, Faith of All Living Beings]
[Office: God King and Enforcement God]
[Divine Powers:]
[Maintain the connection between the Divine Realm and the Mortal Realm.]
[Monitor and eliminate anomalous existences that may destabilize the foundations of the Divine Realm.]
[Hold final judgment and execution authority over Fallen Gods and God-Defiers.]
...
Divine light illuminated the frozen faces of the gods.
As the radiance slowly receded,
new laws were irrevocably engraved into the very foundation of the Divine Realm.
Li Zhexian—
perhaps now to be called the Sword Lord God King or the Wine Venerable God King—
calmly withdrew his fingers.
He had not only become the sixth God King of the Divine Realm, but also gained composite authority encompassing all weapons, the mysterious Primordial Origin, and the faith of all living beings.
Moreover, he possessed law-enforcement power, his status transcendent.
The God of Destruction stared at the three lines of "divine authority," his brows knitting.
"Sword Lord…"
Li Zhexian raised his hand.
"Destruction, speak later."
"Where is the Goddess of Flowers?"