At the same time that Tang San set off for Sea God Island, in the Divine Realm...
The core of the Divine Realm is not located in a temple, but rather on a circular platform suspended at the very center of the sea of clouds.
The tabletop is made of ancient chaotic jade, and the jade surface is engraved with the order rules established at the beginning of the birth of the Divine Realm. The divine rules patterns are like dormant silver snakes, quietly floating with a faint light.
Outside the high platform, an endless sea of clouds surged, and deep within the clouds drifted many fragments of broken stars.
This is the site of the Council of the Divine Realm.
The Asura God arrived first.
He wore a blood-red divine robe, the fabric woven with dark patterns of slaughter. The Asura Demon Sword leaned against his side, its blade hanging down. A wisp of scarlet aura spread to the ancient jade beneath his feet, and a layer of light red Frost Mark slowly condensed on the warm jade surface.
He did not go directly to take his seat, but stood at the edge of the high platform, his gaze piercing through the layers of clouds, looking towards the direction of the Douluo Plane below.
The Asura God gently tapped the sword hilt with his fingertips; the cool metallic touch calmed his chaotic emotions slightly.
He was never afraid of Su Zui alone. What truly made him uneasy was this replicable path.
Once the Soul Spirit Symbiosis spreads, the old order of hunting for rings will not be able to hold up, and the fortune of the Soul Beast race will continue to rise. After some time, the Douluo Continent will continuously give birth to Beast Gods.
By then, the Divine Realm's control over the lower realm will be gradually eroded away.
Adding to this the earlier statement from that mysterious being that a Dark Turmoil was imminent, the whole affair was like a tangled vine of poison, making it impossible to distinguish between the truth and traps designed to lure them into chaos.
Not long after, a soft blue light tore through the sea of clouds.
Sea God arrives riding the waves, his feet resting on a vast, never-drying divine sea, his trident slung across his back, a hint of weariness in his azure eyes.
He spends most of his time guarding his divine abode and managing the laws of the sea, rarely venturing outside.
The moment he stepped onto the high platform, he immediately sensed the murderous aura emanating from the Asura God, and his brows furrowed slightly.
"Asura, why are you urgently summoning all the main gods? What happened?"
The Sea God's voice was calm, tinged with a hint of confusion, "I was just stabilizing the tidal laws of the Sea God Plane when your communication divine light abruptly interrupted me."
"This concerns the order of the lower realm; it cannot be delayed."
The Asura God turned his head, his blood-red gaze falling on the Sea God. "I'll explain everything once everyone is here."
Sea God nodded, asked no further questions, and found a quiet spot to wait.
Following closely behind were the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction.
The God of Destruction was towering, his body Entanglement dark purple light of destruction, his aura flamboyant Berserk.
As soon as he appeared, the sea of clouds surrounding the high platform collapsed inward.
He and the Asura God were already at odds. His footsteps slammed heavily on the ancient jade platform, and a sneer floated out, "It's rare to see you, Asura, lose your composure. What, which little brat from the lower realm has stepped on the red line of the Divine Realm?"
The Goddess of Life walked beside him, dressed in a long emerald green gown, surrounded by a soft, ever-flowing light. She gently tugged at the sleeve of the God of Destruction, signaling him to say less, and then quietly sat down without interrupting.
The Food God and the Nine-Colored Goddess arrived together. These two God, who leaned towards blessing and assistance, exuded a gentle aura. After arriving, they quietly sat to the side, intending to listen to the whole situation before making a statement.
Next came the God of Speed, the God of Greed, the God of Sloth... one after another, the main gods arrived riding on clouds. On the circular platform, divine radiance of various colors intertwined, illuminating the entire sea of clouds.
Everyone's here.
A moment of silence fell over the circular parliament hall.
The Asura God slowly walked to the center of the high platform, raised his hand, and slammed the Asura Demon Sword heavily onto the ancient jade ground.
Zheng--
The sharp clang of a sword reverberated in the Divine Realm Center, instantly silencing the previous murmurs, and all eyes turned to him.
"All the main gods, I have summoned you all today because a new variable has appeared in the Douluo Continent."
The Asura God's voice wasn't particularly loud, but the Slaughter God's voice spread out, and every main god present could hear it clearly.
He raised his hand and released a wisp of blood-red divine thought, projecting a scene from the Lake of Life the Star Dou Great Forest into mid-air.
Su Zui presided over the contract formation, Gu Yuena guarded the barrier outside, and the gray-white phantom of Electrolux's Divine Soul hung silently in mid-air.
The image freezes at the moment the Soul Spirit takes shape.
"This is Soul Spirit Symbiosis."
A low murmur immediately arose from the high platform.
The God of Greed narrowed his eyes, staring with interest at the orange Soul Ring that shimmered in the image. "Interesting. You can get Soul Ring without killing Soul Beast, and the power is shared? I've never heard of such a method before."
The God of Destruction's purple eyes brightened slightly, his tone carrying a hint of casualness. "Breaking the old rules suits my temperament. Ultimately, this is symbiosis, not one-sided plunder, and it doesn't seem to violate the laws of the lower realms we established."
"Back then, when we established rules, we only forbade lower realm beings from becoming gods on their own or recklessly crashing into dimensional barriers, but we didn't stipulate that Soul Masters could only acquire power through hunting."
Upon hearing this, the Asura God gently shook his head and retorted, "The God of Destruction cannot be judged solely by superficial stability. The cycle of reincarnation used to be fixed: Soul Beasts were born, grew, and were hunted; their Soul Rings belonged to Soul Masters; and their remnant Souls returned to the plane, forming a closed loop. The plane's fortune remained at a stable equilibrium point."
"Soul Spirit Symbiosis is different. Soul Beasts don't need to die; their races can continue to reproduce, and their fortune accumulates continuously. Over time, the power of the Soul Beasts in the Douluo Plane will continue to expand, becoming beyond our control."
He paused, then looked at the God of Destruction: "At that time, the power hierarchy of the entire plane will break free from the control of the Divine Realm."
Sea God remained silent for a moment, then spoke. All eyes turned to him.
I have a question.
"Even if the fortunes of Soul Beasts increase, as long as they don't cross boundaries to invade the Divine Realm or forcibly tear apart the dimensional barriers, wouldn't it be too much for us to rashly suppress them?"
The Sea God's azure eyes held a hint of caution. "The Divine Realm, which governs the order of the heavens, did not intend to rigidly suppress the evolutionary paths of all beings in the lower realms. If this path itself is free of killing, but rather one of equality and coexistence, wouldn't our forced erasure violate the original intent of this order?"
"Equality?"
The Asura God raised his eyes, a faint crimson divine light surging within them, his tone turning somber, "Sea God, what you see is merely this fleeting moment of peace. Have you forgotten the great chaos tens of thousands of years ago? Forgetting history is itself a form of betrayal."
The Sea God frowned even more deeply. "The chaos is because the Dragon God went mad. But these Soul Beasts just want a way to survive without having to die. The two shouldn't be confused."
"A way out?"
The Asura God slowly raised his hand and pointed at Qian Renxue and Su Zui in the projection, "Do you think that in the end, this path will only result in the survival of Soul Beasts? Once this great road is laid out, the first thing to be shaken will be the balance between Soul Masters and Soul Beasts that has lasted for countless years."
The Goddess of Life spoke softly, her voice gentle yet clear. "I can sense the life force flowing within the contract, without any intense resentment of death. The symbiotic contract indeed lacks the bloody stench of plunder. But Asura is also right; with unidirectional accumulation of fortune, the balance of the planes will inevitably tip sooner or later."
The God of Sloth yawned and leaned lazily against his throne. "If you ask me, it's better to mind your own business. As long as they don't cause trouble at the gates of the Divine Realm, why bother interfering with the new path in the mortal world?"
The God of Greed shook his head. "That's not how it works. It might be fine in other planes, but Douluo Continent already harbors many hidden dangers. Allowing such a path that can be infinitely replicated to continue is too risky."
On the high platform, the debate slowly subsided.
Some felt that we should wait and see and not rush into action; others agreed with the Asura God's view that potential threats must be nipped in the bud; the God of Destruction simply felt that old rules should be broken in the first place and there was no need to rush to suppress new variables.
The Asura God gripped the hilt of his sword, his blood-red gaze sweeping over the assembled gods.
He knew in his heart that it would be difficult to get everyone to agree.
But he couldn't wait until disaster struck before he took action.
"Gentlemen, I do not intend to immediately unleash divine punishment and erase the two who made the pact."
The Asura God softened his tone.
"But we must set a bottom line. This Soul Spirit Symbiosis Path cannot be allowed to spread unchecked. We need to assign people to keep an eye on the Douluo Continent, on Su Zui, Gu Yuena, and Qian Renxue. Once they begin to spread the Law of Contracts on a large scale, shaking the foundations of the plane, the Divine Realm must intervene."
Sea God sighed softly, "Monitoring is fine, but don't easily harbor thoughts of killing."
"The bottom line will be set by the Divine Realm," the Asura God replied in a deep voice. "Order is not to be gambled with."
"Besides that, there's something even more important."
As he said this, the Asura God's expression turned grim.