"Where is the Goddess of Flowers…"
Li Zhexian's calm voice echoed throughout the divine hall.
The hearts of the assembled gods tightened as their gazes shifted back and forth between the white-robed youth and the solemn-faced God of Destruction.
The atmosphere, already solemn, grew so heavy that even the starlight seemed to stagnate.
Among the seats of the second-class gods,
the Goddess of Flowers—surrounded by drifting blossoms—clenched the hand hidden within the sleeve.
Originally, the Goddess of Flowers had intended to privately seek an audience and explain matters.
Never did she expect the newly ascended God King to strike so directly.
As an ancient deity,
dignity was more precious than mountains.
Otherwise,
she would never have imposed such a harsh punishment upon the Nine-Hearted Begonia.
Now, under the gaze of all the gods,
she could not allow her divine bearing to crumble.
"The Goddess of Flowers greets the Sword Lord God King."
The Goddess of Flowers rose gracefully and bowed toward the throne,
a perfectly measured smile blooming upon her elegant face.
"You rule over all flowers under heaven," Li Zhexian said evenly.
"Where does the curse of the Nine-Heart Begonia come from?"
The Goddess of Flowers fell silent for a moment.
Then spoke in a voice clear as jade striking stone.
"I govern the flourishing and withering of all flowers in the world. All blossoms rise and fall by my will."
"On the day of my divine birth, I issued a decree: all flowers were to bloom simultaneously at the midnight hour of the winter solstice."
"I wished the snow-clad world to erupt with the most resplendent vitality, as an offering of praise to me."
"When all flowers bloomed amid the cold winds, forming a magnificent haze of color, only the Nine-Hearted Begonia delayed—saving a mere mortal, and thus missing the appointed time."
The Goddess of Flowers lifted their chin slightly.
"A god's birthday comes but once each cycle."
"The Nine-Hearted Begonia openly offended divine authority. Punishment was only fitting, to set an example."
"Does the Sword Lord God King disagree?"
As these words fell,
most gods in the hall nodded faintly.
Across countless ages,
they had witnessed innumerable mortal affairs.
Their divinity had long since hardened like eternal, unmelting ice.
To them, those who defied divine will deserved punishment as a matter of course.
The reactions of the five God Kings varied…
The God of Destruction remained impassive as a still pond; the Asura God appeared half-asleep with eyes closed; the Goddess of Life faintly furrowed her brow; while Ji Dong and Lie Yan watched the white-robed youth with smiling interest.
Under the gaze of three thousand gods,
Li Zhexian spoke calmly:
"Goddess of Flowers."
"You are revered as the lord of all flowers. You should embody the virtue of nurturing growth, and show compassion for the struggles of all living beings."
"Yet within your heart there is no mercy—only arrogance that tolerates no defiance."
"Such conduct stains the name of divinity. You are unworthy of continuing to wield the authority of flowers."
"Thus, I hereby judge you—"
"To be stripped of the title of Goddess of Flowers."
"To be cast into the Heavenly Punishment Thunder Prison, there to suffer punishment for a thousand years, as a warning to others."
"What?!"
The Goddess of Flowers's beautiful eyes flew wide open. All trace of composure vanished, replaced by sheer disbelief.
Stripped of godhood?
Cast into the Thunder Prison?
What had she done?
She had merely punished a clan that offended divine authority—
for a few thousand years, nothing more!
"I refuse to accept this!" She ground their teeth, petals swirling chaotically around their body.
"What wrong have I committed?!"
"To defy a god is to deserve punishment!"
"Sword Lord—by what right do you judge me so?!"
Not all gods were like the Asura God, who longed for successors. Many deities wished to remain eternally in the Divine Realm, enjoying the worship of countless worlds.
At this moment,
the gods exchanged looks of shock.
No one had expected that this newly ascended God King would dare impose such severe punishment upon an ancient deity the very moment he took office.
"Sword Lord God King, please calm your anger!"
From the seats of the second-class gods,
the Butterfly God, Moonlight God, and Forest God rose one after another.
"The Goddess of Flowers merely acted on impulse. Please show some leniency!"
The Wind God, Light God, and other first-class Gods, after a long silence, also spoke in heavy tones:
"Sword Lord God King—this judgment is too severe."
Within the divine hall,
the air congealed like primordial black ice.
The auras of the gods intertwined silently.
The pressure was so immense that even the stars in motion trembled and dimmed.
The gods watched coldly from the sidelines, each harboring their own calculations.
The very first judgment issued by this newly ascended God King—who also served as an Enforcement God—had already been openly challenged by multiple deities.
How, then, would he bring this to a close?
The Goddess of Flowers still wore a resentful, teeth-gritting expression, yet deep within those beautiful eyes flickered a trace of smug satisfaction.
The gods who had spoken up—
most of their divine authorities were tied to flowers, nature, or elemental forces, all intricately connected to the Goddess of Flowers's own domain.
The Goddess of Flowers sneered inwardly.
So what if he's a God King? His foundation is still shallow!
Could he possibly judge all of these gods as well?
Among them are even first-class deities like the Wind God and the LightGod!
"I wield the authority to maintain the connection between the Divine Realm and the mortal world, and to pass judgment upon gods." Li Zhexian's voice carried no anger.
Its calmness was chilling.
His gaze swept across the gods who had stepped forward.
"What is the crime for questioning a verdict and interfering with enforcement?"
Silence followed for several breaths.
After a few heartbeats of silence, Ji Dong spat out two words.
"Severe punishment."
"Calamity Rebirth. Blessing of Bai Ze."
There was no warning, no gathering of power.
That forbidden force which had once slain a god in the mortal realm—
now erupted brazenly within the divine hall of the Divine Realm Committee.
When the terrifying fluctuations of law spread outward, the Sea God's expression changed drastically. In an instant, he flashed outside the divine hall.
"Mad—"
The word escaped him before he hastily corrected himself.
"Decisive!"
"Far too decisive!"
"Wind God, Light God—how dare you provoke the Sword Lord!"
At this very moment,
the Qinglian Sword in Li Zhexian's hand transformed into a streak of blood-red light, its blade erupting with annihilating power that made the stars wail.
"Insolence!"
"How dare you fight within the divine hall!"
"Sword Lord—you've gone too far!"
The Light God, Wind God, and several second-class gods changed color instantly.
Divine radiance flared around them,
interweaving into a barrier of flowing seven-colored light.
Chi—!
A blood-red sword light sliced through the air like a crimson thread.
The barrier, forged from the combined power of multiple gods, was cut apart as easily as paper.
The sword momentum did not diminish.
It swept across the outer star paths of the divine hall.
Several stars were lightly grazed by the stray sword qi—and silently split in two, drifting apart in the void.
"Pff!"
The Wind God, Light God, and several second-class gods spat out divine blood in unison. The radiance around them dimmed sharply, their auras collapsing into weakness.
Everything happened too fast!
With a single sword strike, several gods were utterly defeated!
Li Zhexian used the most direct method possible
to answer the doubts of the gods—
and to shatter the Goddess of Flowers's last hope that "the law does not punish the many."
The divine hall fell into dead silence, broken only by hurried breathing and the suppressed groans of the injured gods.
The Goddess of Flowers trembled as she looked toward the youth upon the throne, hurriedly trying to speak.
But the flat side of the Qinglian Sword had already lashed across her dignified face.
She were sent crashing into the wall of the divine hall, cracks spreading like spiderwebs as her body slid slowly downward.
Li Zhexian's eyes narrowed slightly, sword marks flowing within them.
The power of time and space enveloped the Goddess of Flowers, causing all the surrounding flowers to lose control—blooming and withering wildly at his will.
"With such base authority over flowers,
you dare make noise before me?"
Li Zhexian swept his gaze across the hall. Wherever his eyes passed, the gods lowered their heads.
"The mortals of the world do not deserve mercy?"
"I became a god only moments ago. The warmth of humanity has yet to fade from me."
"From this day forward—"
"Any god who dares again to look down upon the mortal world…"
"Should first ask whether they can withstand this sword of mine."
After he finished speaking,
long silence followed.
No god dared respond.
Li Zhexian turned toward the God of Destruction.
"Destruction, what were you going to say?"
...
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