The Douluo Divine Realm was currently in unprecedented chaos and turmoil.
Not long ago, an unprecedented spacetime storm had struck without warning.
This should have been a cosmic catastrophe capable of destroying the entire divine realm, but coincidentally, the divine realm was facing an extremely troublesome situation at that very moment. The God of Destruction had seized the central stronghold from the Sea God and was vigorously promoting the expansion of the divine realm. The expansion had made the boundaries of the divine realm unprecedentedly fragile, leaving it unable to effectively resist the impact of the spacetime storm.
In an instant, the laws of the divine realm collapsed, space contracted, and countless gods fell into panic.
The entire divine realm faced an unprecedentedly dangerous situation.
Just moments ago, Sea God Tang San had succeeded in retaking the central stronghold of the divine realm from the God of Destruction. And in this critical moment, inside the main hall of the committee where the central stronghold was located…
"Asura…" A complicated expression appeared in the God of Destruction's eyes. He stepped forward and said in a low voice, "You win."
Tang San was slightly surprised. A flash of doubt crossed his eyes, but a victorious smile quickly appeared—something almost no one noticed.
The God of Destruction ignored his reaction but turned to the Goddess of Life beside him. His gaze softened.
"But I… have not lost to either of you."
Saying this, he took the Goddess of Life's hand. The two exchanged a glance as if reaching a tacit understanding. The next moment, their figures turned into streaks of light and hurriedly departed toward the destroyed castle.
The gods looked at each other in confusion.
But they soon understood.
From deep within the Castle of Destruction, a dazzling pillar of light rose into the sky. It was not merely the power of destruction or life, but a perfect fusion and sublimation of both.
Destruction and Life—the two fundamentally opposite laws—achieved unprecedented unity in this moment!
The light instantly filled the entire divine realm. Wherever it passed, the laws previously thrown into chaos by the spacetime storm gradually calmed, and the shattered space slowly repaired itself!
"This… this…" A god stammered.
"It's the God of Destruction! I never knew he had such a trump card!"
"That was terrifying! If he had used that move just now, we wouldn't have been able to fight back at all!"
The gods on Tang San's side were shocked and still felt lingering fear. They finally realized that if the God of Destruction had acted, they would have been destroyed long ago.
Tang San was also shocked, but unlike the other gods, an uncontrollable greed surged in his heart at this moment.
This power… should belong to me, a God King!
He suppressed the greed and a cold, determined smile appeared in his eyes.
"There's no need to rush… Once those two fools, Destruction and Life, collapse and perish, their divine positions and origins will naturally fall into my hands.
"At that time, the divine realm will be mine, Tang San's alone!"
However, after a while, the smile gradually faded from his face.
The God of Destruction and Goddess of Life, despite supposedly losing their master, did not drift toward the center of the divine realm to await a new master as he had expected.
They… had disappeared?
"What exactly is going on?" Unease flashed through Tang San's heart.
The next moment, all the gods cried out in unison!
Above the divine realm, a gigantic purple lightning hand emerged from the depths of the thunderclouds.
Endless Eight Trigrams illusions flowed across the huge hand. Yin-yang energy reversed the universe, as if containing the supreme laws of the entire cosmos!
The huge hand transcended spacetime and gently swayed.
It rose high into the sky. The pillar of Destruction and Life that had been on the verge of collapse was actually reversed. Light flowed backward, laws reorganized, and two figures condensed once more within the pillar of light—the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life who should have perished!
The two stood dazed in mid-air, as if awakening from a long dream.
"This…" The Goddess of Life looked at the God of Destruction with a puzzled expression. "Little Purple, what exactly is happening?"
The God of Destruction was equally vigilant. He looked up at the depths of the thunderclouds and said in a low voice, "I don't know… but the ability to reverse our power of collapse is something even a God King cannot achieve!"
Tang San's face instantly paled.
"Who?! Who is interfering with my plan?!" He roared silently in his heart, claws digging deep into his palms.
"That was close! That was close! You were on the verge of death!"
The thunderclouds slowly dispersed.
A figure walked out silently.
The man wore purple-gold armor, had a heroic and dignified face, flowing black hair, and faint lightning flickering around him. The moment he appeared, the lightning spirits throughout the universe seemed to cheer and worship him.
"Little Brother?!" The Goddess of Life widened her eyes in disbelief. "You… how could you…"
"It's me, Sister-in-law." Thunder God looked at the Goddess of Life, sighed quietly, and a hint of helplessness appeared in his eyes. "I expected it… but I'm still very disappointed in you."
He had long learned from his disciple Chen Yi's memories about the Goddess of Life's heaven-defying actions in this era's history.
Instead of helping her husband, she chose to trust and support the scheming Tang San.
If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that the once gentlest and most rational Goddess of Life could make such a foolish choice.
"Whose wife are you, exactly?" Thunder God couldn't help complaining.
The Goddess of Life looked completely bewildered, seemingly unable to understand the meaning behind the Thunder God's words.
Thunder God said nothing more. He turned to the God of Destruction, softened his gaze, and said, "Brother, don't worry. I'm still here."
The God of Destruction looked at him blankly, complex light in his eyes. After a while, he nodded lightly.
At that moment, the gods of the divine realm arrived one after another. Tang San stood at the forefront of the crowd, suppressing the shock and anger in his heart as he sharply questioned, "Thunder God! When the divine realm is in crisis, why did you stop us? Do you realize that your actions nearly ruined everything!"
The Seven Elemental Gods looked at their revived eldest brother and the current leader of the divine realm in utter confusion.
They naturally recognized Thunder God. He had once been their brother! But now, the leader of the divine realm was none other than Asura God King, Tang San.
However, Thunder God only gave Tang San an indifferent glance.
That gaze was faint and apathetic. Yet Tang San felt as if struck by lightning!
What kind of expression was that? It was like a proud god looking down at a maggot at his feet. Not even worth a second glance—an abominable insect!
He was a God King! The Asura God! The future ruler of the divine realm! Had he ever been looked down upon like this?!
Thunder God never looked at him again.
He turned around and gazed at the spacetime storm still raging in the distance.
With the divine realm's barrier repaired, the spacetime storm could no longer penetrate deeper, but its massive energy body still loomed outside, like a giant beast ready to strike again at any moment.
A terrifying natural disaster capable of swallowing the entire divine realm made even the gods tremble just by looking at it.
Thunder God slowly reached out his hand.
A gentle touch toward the temporary storm.
It was like brushing away a speck of dust on a table.
The next moment, the spacetime storm that could destroy the divine realm vanished without a trace, as if gently wiped away by an invisible hand. Not even a trace of energy remained, as if it had never existed.
The entire divine realm fell into deathly silence.
"This… this… this!!!"
The gods' eyes nearly popped out! Their pupils dilated, jaws dropped, and their minds went blank!
That was a spacetime storm! A cosmic catastrophe capable of destroying the divine realm… and it just disappeared so easily?!
Tang San's soul trembled with terror! This power far exceeded his understanding! He unconsciously took a step back but realized he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
Thunder God slowly turned around and fixed his gaze on Tang San.
With just one look, Tang San felt as if bound tightly by invisible shackles. His soul was constricted. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! Unprecedented fear instantly seized his heart!
"Tang San," Thunder God said in a voice as indifferent as still water, "your schemes are none of my business."
Tang San felt a moment of relief, but the next words made him feel as if he had fallen into an icy basement!
"But since this involves my brother and sister-in-law…" Thunder God's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Then don't blame me for taking on this karma."
Cause and effect?!
Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted!
How could a resident of the Douluo universe know about the high-dimensional concept of causality!
As if reading his mind, Thunder God said calmly, "You regard this universe as…"
"The spirits are natives of this land, but aren't you just like a frog in a well?"
He really read my thoughts?!
Tang San trembled in fear, his face turning deathly pale!
But he was, after all, Tang San—the unparalleled pure God King who had weathered countless storms. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed his fear, and put on a dignified, righteous demeanor.
"I don't understand what you're saying!" he said in a low voice. "Everything I've done is for the sake of the divine realm. All my plans are to protect this world! I have no selfish motives or greed at all!"
Yet inside his heart, greed spread like wildfire.
"This Thunder God, who should have died years ago, actually possesses such power… He must have encountered some special opportunity!"
"Why should a mere country bumpkin enjoy such a wonderful opportunity? This opportunity belongs to a pure, noble, and destiny-blessed saint like me!"
However, Thunder God simply sighed quietly.
"Hopeless."
The moment he finished speaking, a thought flashed through his mind.
Tang San felt a shock throughout his body! The divine position, godhood, and divine power he had painstakingly cultivated for thousands of years all completely lost their connection with him at the same time!
He looked down at his hand. There was no longer any holy light or world-destroying power. At this moment, he was no different from an ordinary lowly human.
The sensation of falling from the clouds into the abyss drove him to madness more than any torture.
"Thunder God! How dare you touch me!" he screamed hysterically, his eyes filled with rage and madness.
"I am the leader of the gods, personally chosen by both the God of Good and the God of Evil. This is blatant rebellion! The Divine Realm Committee will punish you!"
"Third Brother!"
"Release Poseidon!"
"Lover!"
"Godfather!"
"Father!"
Several figures suddenly stood up and charged toward Thunder God.
The remaining members of the Shrek Seven Devils—husband and wife Dai Yuhao and Tang Wutong, along with Tang San's loyal subordinate, the God of Destruction Zhou Weiqing—joined forces. These nine pillar gods, radiating divine light and overwhelming aura, were determined to rescue Tang San.
Thunder God did not even glance at them.
The nine figures had barely closed to within a hundred feet of him when they instantly vanished without a trace.
They disappeared without a sound, without leaving any trace. It was as if they had never existed.
"Xiao Wu—!!"
Tang San let out a heart-wrenching cry. His eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was ragged.
He suddenly raised his head, stared at Thunder God, and his voice dripped with venomous hatred.
"How dare you touch Xiao Wu! You are committing suicide! I swear I will tear you to pieces one day! I will make you wish you were dead! Everyone you care about—"
Before he could finish, his eyes met Thunder God's.
What kind of eyes were those? Calm like a deep pool, yet reflecting the grand spectacle of the universe's birth and death, the movement of stars, and the transformation of all things.
In that instant, Tang San finally realized—he was facing someone he could never contend with.
He had to endure the humiliation and carry the heavy burden, because as long as he lived, there was always hope!
"Lord Thunder God, I…"
But Thunder God had no interest in listening to his nonsense.
In the blink of an eye, Tang San's God King body, cultivated over ten thousand years, turned to dust, leaving only a faint trace of divine soul. It was captured by an invisible force and fell into the Thunder God's palm.
Thunder God reached out with his other hand into the void.
The next moment, he forcibly "dragged" two figures out from a hidden place on the Douluo Plain—it was Tang Hao and Ah Yin, who had been trying to become local tyrants!
"This…" The God of Destruction's pupils contracted. "The Sea God's parents? Why are they on the Douluo Continent?"
He immediately realized something was wrong!
Thunder God said calmly, "Because all of this was originally the result of the 'pure and innocent' Tang God King's scheme plotted over ten thousand years."
He stared at the God of Destruction. "Brother, don't you find it strange? Tang San foresaw the great catastrophe in the divine realm ten thousand years ago, yet he took no action?"
Who was the God of Destruction? He had dominated the divine realm for thousands of years, and his intellect was as deep as an abyss. In an instant, he understood the truth.
"You selfless Asura!" The God of Destruction's crimson eyes emitted cold light. He snatched Tang San's soul from Thunder God's hand and stared at the trembling light.
"How dare you plot such a conspiracy against me!"
Tang San's soul trembled violently. "Destruction! What are you going to do?!"
"Hmph." The God of Destruction sneered with murderous eyes. "Don't worry. I won't kill you."
He slowly turned around, looked down at the Seven Deadly Sins gods who were glaring at him threateningly, and casually tossed Tang San's soul to them.
"I want him to live… and live happily."
Hearing this, the Seven Deadly Sins revealed sinister smiles.
The God of Pride licked his lips, the God of Greed's eyes sparkled, the God of Wrath clenched his fists…
"Understood!" the seven answered in unison.
Tang San's soul trembled violently as he looked at the seven malicious pillar sin gods. These sin gods were all masters of soul manipulation.
If I fall into their hands, I won't be able to live or die!
"No—!!!"
A heart-wrenching, sacred cry echoed through the heavens for a long time.
But no one paid any attention.
Thunder God glanced at them, then looked away. He walked over to the God of Destruction and Goddess of Life and gently patted his brother's shoulder.
"Brother, Sister-in-law." He smiled lightly. "Long time no see."
The God of Destruction looked at his revived younger brother. A smile finally appeared on his cold, hard face. He gave Thunder God's arm a strong pat.
"Good to have you back."
The Goddess of Life nodded quietly, her eyes slightly reddened.
In the distance, the chaos in the divine realm gradually subsided. The gods watched the scene with complicated emotions.
Thus, the catastrophe that nearly destroyed the divine world was averted.
…