Reform and Conservatism, the Flip Side of Wealth

Whoosh!

Golden lightning erupted from Indra, transforming into a beam of light that split the sky and clouds, charging straight towards the Heavenly Realm.

Almost simultaneously.

The throats of gods like Vayu, Agni, Varuna, and Surya all began to shimmer. Pillars of wind, fire, water, and light followed the pillar of lightning, piercing directly into the Heavenly Realm.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Beams of light, imbued with the power of the Sovereign, shot towards the Heavenly Realm.

Indra's lightning beam arrived first, exploding within the Heavenly Realm.

The lightning writhed like dragons and snakes, striking down from the very center of the Heavenly Realm.

An indescribably colossal city materialized within the lightning.

This city, two thousand five hundred yojanas on each of its four sides and one and a half yojanas high, was vast and flat. Golden walls glittered, and a thousand city gates stood facing the four directions, adorned with pearls, conch shells, and green coral trees. White clouds drifted on the ground, feeling like silk to the touch.

Sudarshana City!

The place where Indra resided.

Immediately after, the cities and palaces of Vayu, Agni, Varuna, and Surya also boomed into existence in the Heavenly Realm.

Various divine powers of wind, fire, and water surged, spreading throughout the Heavenly Realm and empowering the gods.

"My power is surging!"

Indra felt the surge of power within him, his heart pounding and blood boiling. He couldn't help but murmur.

The Heavenly Realm was the realm of all gods, but more importantly, it was the Devraj's realm.

While the gods of the Heavenly Realm, such as Vayu, Agni, Varuna, and Surya, had carved out their own Divine Realms, the entire Heavenly Realm was Indra's Divine Realm.

Indra's eyes flashed with lightning, and he felt his brain trembling.

Power!

The power of the entire Heavenly Realm flowed into him!

So powerful! So incredibly powerful!

Just as Indra was experiencing his own power.

Golden-Eyed's eyes suddenly snapped open, the corners of his beard curling up in excitement, his body trembling slightly.

His power had also fully recovered. As the Asura King, the power of the Earth was now bolstering him, restoring him to his peak strength.

This power was enough to support the earth, and with the blessings...

"I am invincible!"

Golden-Eyed Asura King's gaze swept across, instantly landing on Indra. His mouth split into a wide grin, and he laughed with excitement.

"Hahaha!"

"Let me see the power of the Heavenly Realm and test the mettle of you, the Lord of the Heavenly Realm!"

Golden-Eyed roared with laughter. He took a step forward, his massive body crossing ten thousand miles. His colossal golden hammer descended from the sky, smashing towards the Devraj.

A terrifying aura washed over him. Indra instinctively reached out, his five fingers spread wide.

Golden light flashed, and a vajra materialized.

Fierce lightning converged on the vajra, crackling and exploding like the fires of the void, smashing down with a roar.

Rumble!

As the two collided, immense waves of energy erupted, and even space itself seemed to tear apart.

After a single exchange where both sides stood their ground.

The powerful aftershock left Indra's wrist numb, and his mind instantly cleared.

Hiss!

Indra couldn't help but gasp.

With the power of the Heavenly Realm coursing through him, he had just felt invincible and had charged straight into battle with Golden-Eyed Asura.

The Heavenly Realm is toxic!

As Indra's mind cleared, he immediately retreated, feigning defeat and withdrawing among the gods.

Golden-Eyed's gaze was arrogant. He pointed a finger at the retreating Indra, sneering.

"Is this all the power the Lord of the Heavenly Realm possesses?" Golden-Eyed shook his head and chuckled. "After we churn the Ocean of Milk, I will attack the Heavenly Realm. You all just wait!"

With that, he turned and left.

"It's just that Soma hasn't returned yet. Once Soma emerges from the Ocean of Milk, we'll drink Soma wine together, and these Asuras will be no match for us!"

Surya, radiant with golden light, walked over with a slight lift of his left hand, striking a pose.

His darkness had completely receded, and he had regained his brilliant, resplendent appearance. He was handsome, clad entirely in golden armor, exuding an air of subtle arrogance with every movement.

"Indeed, with Soma present and after drinking Soma wine, our divine power will become even stronger!"

Vayu, the God of Wind, wore a golden circlet and light armor, appearing as a warrior. He nodded and spoke.

Agni, the God of Fire, and Varuna, the God of Water, had also regained their former radiance. They were adorned with golden armor and ornaments, their brilliance continuously surging.

Indra remained silent for a moment.

Soma was the god of wine, and also the moon god.

His name was also the name of the wine.

After drinking his Soma wine, the gods would experience a significant increase in power, their divine energy would surge, and their combat effectiveness would easily double.

However…

Compared to blessings, the power gained after drinking Soma was rather weak.

Simply put, drinking Soma wine was outdated; the new generation no longer had vessels to contain Soma wine.

Blessings were the answer for the current meta!

"Looking at it this way, the gods are all traditionalists, and the Asuras are the reformers!"

Indra couldn't help but get lost in thought.

At this moment, beams of heavenly light suddenly descended from the sky. Vishnu, with a loving smile, appeared in his transformed state beside the goddess Lakshmi. They exchanged a smile and vanished from the scene with a flash.

Witnessing this, Golden-Eyed let out a cold snort, his expression stiff and displeased.

He had come to the Ocean of Milk specifically to take the goddess Lakshmi away, but his plans were disrupted. Just as he had finally managed to draw Lakshmi out, Vishnu had taken her away again.

He clenched his fists, his anger surging within him.

Just then, the Asura general, Vipralambha, suddenly appeared beside Golden-Eyed.

"My King, what was churned out just now was not only the goddess Lakshmi, but another goddess was also brought forth."

"We've already inquired!"

"This goddess was just born. There wasn't much commotion when she emerged, and we found her."

Vipralambha whispered.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Asuras' eyes lit up.

With the goddess Lakshmi gone with Vishnu, the gods had essentially gained nothing. Instead, they had obtained a goddess first.

What good fortune!

Sukra the sage frowned, feeling a sense of strangeness.

Golden-Eyed was instantly overjoyed and quickly said, "Hurry and bring her here!"

"Yes!"

Vipralambha moved with extreme speed.

Before long, he returned with another goddess.

Huh?!

Golden-Eyed frowned, leaning forward and squinting, examining this goddess up and down with confusion.

This goddess was clad in tattered clothes, her hair disheveled, with antelope feet, goldfish eyes, thick lips, and cow teeth – her appearance was extremely grotesque. If not for the divine power surging around her, one would hardly recognize her as a deity.

The goddess Lakshmi was radiant and brilliant, but why was this one so ugly and shabby?

"Goddess, what is your name?"

Golden-Eyed asked after a moment of silence.

This grotesque goddess slowly spoke, her voice a hoarse rasp, like a pot being scraped.

"Yashoda!"

The ugly goddess said slowly.

Golden-Eyed crossed his arms and thought, This goddess Yashoda might be a bit ugly, but having been born alongside the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, she must be related to her. This is definitely a good thing. I mustn't let the gods know. I need to send her back to the netherworld first.

With this thought, he waved his hand and immediately summoned the Asura, Holika.

"Holika, you will escort this goddess back to the netherworld now!"