The God Realm and a Surprise
As soon as he finished speaking, the God of Destruction raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and a vast and boundless Destruction Divine Power erupted!
In an instant, the dome above the entire Judgment Sanctuary seemed to vanish, replaced by churning, surging, apocalyptic purple-black thunderclouds!
The laws of destruction roared and coalesced within, and a terrifying pressure, like a tangible mountain, weighed heavily on the hearts of every deity.
Some of the weaker priests turned pale and couldn't help but back away, unable to bear the fear of facing ultimate destruction.
The God of Destruction's eyes were sharp as he locked onto the target on the judgment platform. His raised right hand, like the scepter of divine punishment, suddenly swung down!
"Boom--!!!"
The world paled in comparison! A massive, incredibly condensed, purplish-black Destruction Divine Lightning tore through the rolling thunderclouds, carrying a terrifying aura of annihilation and a deafening roar, as it slammed down upon the imprisoned figure on the judgment platform!
Before the lightning even arrived, the destructive aura had already caused the Order Divine Crystal surrounding the Judgment Platform to groan under the strain!
Execution, commence!
The Life Goddess, illuminated by the earth-shattering lightning, had his knuckles white as he clenched his fist in his sleeve.
Her pupils reflected the purplish-black that was about to devour everything, and the Asura God beneath the lightning.
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Time seemed to stretch out infinitely at the moment the Destruction Divine Lightning struck.
The purplish-black light, symbolizing ultimate annihilation, was about to fall upon the Asura God.
However, in that critical, one-in-a-billionth of a second—
A gentle yet incredibly resilient emerald-green divine light blocked the path of the Destruction Divine Lightning!
Buzz--!!!
Emerald green and purplish black, life and destruction—two diametrically opposed yet fundamental forces—collided violently above the judgment seat! There was no earth-shattering explosion, but a silent ripple of law, shaking the very souls of all the gods, suddenly spread out! The Judgment Sanctuary shook violently, and even the walls made of Order Divine Crystal showed fine cracks!
The momentum of the Destruction Divine Lightning was forcibly stopped, deflected, and partially dissolved. The remaining power grazed the body of the Asura God and struck the judgment platform, blasting a huge, scorched crater in that area, with debris and annihilation energy flying everywhere!
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure stood firmly in front of the Asura God.
Her emerald green dress fluttered without wind, exuding a rich life force, like an ancient tree rooted in chaos, guarding the last pure land.
It is the Life Goddess!
She ultimately chose to take action!
She stood there, her face still pale, her eyes filled with a complex light of pain and determination, but her hand, which was blocking the Asura God, remained steady without trembling.
She demonstrated her stance through her actions.
Inside the Judgment Sanctuary, all was deathly silent.
Almost all the gods were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Qian Renxue gripped the sword hilt tightly, her purple eyes blazing with fury that seemed about to burst forth.
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However, at this extremely tense moment—
"Boom!!!"
A muffled yet exceptionally clear explosion did not originate from inside the temple, but rather from the distant edge of the Divine Realm, from the direction of the boundary wall!
The explosion carried distinct fluctuations of divine power from different deities, and... a tremor as if space was being forcibly torn apart and shaken!
Almost simultaneously, several streams of divine power, varying in strength but with a clear objective, soared into the air from all parts of the Divine Realm, like birds breaking free from their cages, taking advantage of the moment when all attention in the temple was drawn to the execution by the Asura God and the intervention of the Life Goddess. They rushed towards the boundary wall where the explosion had occurred!
These are the "retired" or "semi-retired" deities who have already found successors in the lower realms, completed their inheritance, and wish to leave the constraints of the Divine Realm!
They had been waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to distract the God Realm Committee, especially top-tier powerhouses like the God of Destruction!
What better time than a chaotic moment when the God of Law Enforcement in the Divine Realm is publicly tried, executed, and even triggers intervention from the Life Goddess?
Compared to the escape of these "insignificant" and weak deities, the primary goal of the God of Destruction must be to deal with the internal crisis caused by the Asura God and the Life Goddess!
Their chances of successfully escaping will increase significantly!
This sudden turn of events made the already tense atmosphere in the temple even more chaotic.
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The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.
At the center of the judgment platform, the Life Goddess stood protectively before the Asura God. The Asura God, having survived the ordeal, had a fleeting glint of barely perceptible elation and the gleam of a successful scheme in his eyes.
However, the God of Destruction, sitting in the main seat, did not show the same shock or surprise as the other gods due to the Life Goddess's intervention and the commotion at the boundary.
There wasn't much surprise on his face.
Those dark purple eyes, deep and cold, pierced through the swirling smoke and chaos, locking firmly onto that emerald green figure.
He simply and quietly tightened his grip on the purplish-black scepter that symbolized the power of destruction. At the top of the scepter, the Destruction Gem began to emit an even more dangerous light, silently accumulating the next wave of even more terrifying power.
He did not look at the fleeing figures, nor did he rebuke or question the Life Goddess.
That eerily calm expression was all the more terrifying.
The Life Goddess's actions this time have clearly drawn a line. She has chosen to stand on the opposite side of... her husband, the God of Destruction.
Since that's the case, there's no need to say anything more.
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"Life, you've chosen the wrong path."
A calm declaration was made, accompanied by the Destruction Scepter falling from the hand of the God of Destruction.
That attack sent the Life Goddess Ancient Tree of Life of Life, flying and severely injured him.
The emerald light emanating from the Life Goddess dimmed and dissipated at a visible speed.
The Life Goddess lost all color from her beautiful face. She groaned and staggered backward, trying to steady herself and mobilize more of her life force to heal her injuries. However, the Destruction Divine Power was like a leech, eroding her divine power domain.
The second blow followed immediately.
This time, the purplish-black light condensed into a sharp blade that pierced through heaven and earth, directly striking the body of the Life Goddess.
Click--
A wisp of pale golden divine blood spilled from the mouth of the Life Goddess, and the emerald green divine light surrounding him completely dissipated.
She was never a god skilled in combat, and after Godhood Inheritance and having her divine artifact taken away, her combat power plummeted, making her no match for the God of Destruction.
The Life Goddess collapsed to his knees, the last glimmer of light in his eyes fading rapidly, leaving only endless exhaustion, pain, and a trace of... bewilderment at the outcome of his "choice."
She has completely lost the ability to continue fighting.
The God of Destruction put away his scepter. He glanced at the heavily wounded Life Goddess, but there was no joy of victory in his eyes. The subordinate gods beside him were about to step forward to handle her aftercare.
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Almost simultaneously with the defeat of the Life Goddess, another pursuit also came to an end.
As the God of Destruction and the Life Goddess clashed, drawing everyone's attention, the Asura God, who was severely injured but miraculously survived due to the intervention of the Life Goddess, took advantage of the chaos to forcefully burn the last bit of his original divine power, breaking some of the weaker chains binding him. He transformed into a faint streak of blood-red light, attempting to rush out of the temple and escape into the vast void of the Divine Realm to seek a slim chance of survival.
However, a golden streak of light was even faster than him!
"God of Sin, where do you think you're going!"
Qian Renxue's voice rang out, and the angel's six wings spread out at full speed, surpassing the speed of the fleeing Asura God. She arrived late but arrived first, instantly blocking the Asura God's path!
"Angel Sacred Flame!"
Without any frills, the purest and most unadulterated Judgment Flame transformed into a dazzling golden pillar of light, completely engulfing the frantically fleeing blood-red figure!
The Asura God let out a final, unwilling roar, a roar filled with fear and resentment. In the supremely yang Angel Sacred Flame, his divine body disintegrated, and his divine soul, like ice and snow encountering the scorching sun, rapidly melted and vaporized.
The ancient god-king who once held sway over slaughter and judgment was ultimately purified and erased by a force representing the other extreme of justice and light.
As the holy flames slowly dissipated, only a few wisps of black smoke remained, along with a patch of ground scorched and vitrified by the intense heat.
The dust has settled.
The newly appointed Asura God —Armor—arrived at the edge of this ravaged land.
He silently stepped forward, gathering divine power in his hands to collect the remaining wisps of black smoke and ashes.
This was the last thing he could do for the Asura God as the successor.
As for those old gods who took advantage of the chaos to try and break through the boundary to escape the Divine Realm...
Chapter 358 The Divine Realm and Surprises
The God of Destruction didn't even glance in the direction they fled.
With the Asura God defeated, the Life Goddess defeated, and the greatest threat within the Divine Realm eliminated, the escape of these weak-willed deities is no longer important to the God of Destruction.
No one stopped them.
The streams of light that the gods had transformed into successfully broke through the temporary gap in the boundary they had created themselves, and disappeared into the vast Cosmic Sea.
They thought they had gained freedom, escaping the constraints of the Divine Realm and the potential reckoning.
However, what they didn't know was --
From the moment they decided to abandon the Divine Realm and escape alone, the already weakened connection between them and the world consciousness that the Divine Realm had bestowed upon them with divinity was completely severed.
Divinity is not merely a simple symbol of a divine position; it is a certificate deeply bound to the laws of the world, bearing responsibilities and authority.
In the eyes of a nascent world consciousness, such abandonment under such perilous circumstances is tantamount to betrayal.
The moment they broke free of the Divine Realm and were bathed in cosmic energy, an invisible sense of "detachment" descended upon each of them as "gods".
There was no pain, only a clear sense of emptiness, as if some important part of me had been taken away out of thin air.
The divine light that originally surrounded them, symbolizing different divine positions and containing the power of laws, quickly dimmed and dissipated, eventually returning them to ordinariness.
The primordial divine power within them, originating from their divine nature, began to flow away uncontrollably, returning to the heavens and earth.
The oppressive aura of a deity, the absolute control over specific laws... all the qualities associated with the status of "god" receded like the tide.
Those gods who became gods by comprehending the rules are alright, but those gods who directly condensed their divine status through faith experienced the greatest changes in power.
In just a short while, these "former gods" who had broken out of the Divine Realm were horrified to discover that, apart from their souls being more resilient than mortals due to the long years and the presence of some ordinary divine power accumulated through cultivation, they were no different from ordinary priests, except that they possessed more divine power.
They lost the blessing of divinity.