"Yes! Please calm down, my lords!"
"Let's talk this out. Whatever you do, don't start fighting!"
"The destructive power of a half-step God King is far too terrifying. If you really fight, none of us will come out ahead!"
The surrounding First-Level Gods all joined in, their faces pale as they tried to talk them down, afraid the two would start fighting at the slightest provocation.
Even the Evil God King, who usually loved nothing more than watching the show, lost his smile. Frowning, he said, "Kid, don't be too impulsive. You've only just reached the half-step God King level, and your foundation is unstable. If you really fight Asura to the death, you won't gain a thing. And you, Asura, stop adding fuel to the fire. If you really wreck the Divine Realm, none of us will let you off."
The Destruction God King stepped forward, the Destruction Divine Power around him slowly spreading into an invisible barrier. In a stern voice, he barked, "Everyone, stop! Private duels are forbidden within the Divine Realm, let alone a God King-level battle! Whoever dares defy the God Realm Covenant and strike first will be declaring war on the entire God Realm Committee!"
But in the face of the gods' entreaties, Qian Chongguang only slowly shook his head. There wasn't the slightest wavering in his eyes.
"This isn't a private duel. This is a battle of faith, a battle for justice."
His voice was icy as he looked over every God King present.
"Some gods wear the mantle of light and righteousness while committing the vile acts of stealing authority and controlling the lives and deaths of mortals. They've crossed my bottom line. This is absolutely unforgivable. No amount of pleading will change that."
His gaze suddenly shifted, passing over Asura and landing on Sea God Poseidon at the back of the crowd. His face had gone pale, and he was trying to shrink away unnoticed.
Qian Chongguang's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Wouldn't you agree, Poseidon?"
Poseidon stiffened all over. His face turned deathly pale, and his feet stopped dead.
He forced himself to stay calm, raised his head, and feigned astonishment. "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever steal your authority? The Angel God Position and my Sea God Position have never had anything to do with each other. Don't make baseless accusations!"
"Never had anything to do with each other? Baseless accusations?"
Qian Chongguang let out a mocking laugh. His twelve wings fluttered lightly, and a vast, luminous pressure instantly descended over Poseidon. His voice carried an unquestionable majesty. "You're a Sea God who controls the laws of the ocean and water. How could you possibly possess a light-type divine skill like 'Sea God's Light,' which purifies souls and dispels evil? That familiar fluctuation of its source is clearly the light authority of my Angel Clan! Did you really think that after the first Angel God died, you could steal some of the light source he left behind, disguise it as your Sea God's Light, and make it truly yours just by letting all these years pass?"
You vile piece of work. Who did you think you were, Agul?
Before his words had even faded, Qian Chongguang raised a hand and uttered two words: "Come back!"
In an instant, Poseidon shuddered violently and let out a pained groan! A brilliant golden light was forcibly torn from his divine core, beyond his control. It transformed into a streak of light, pierced through his protective divine radiance, and flew straight into Qian Chongguang's hand, merging with his source of light!
As this strand of light source returned, the aura around Qian Chongguang grew even stronger!
"No! That's mine! Give it back!"
Poseidon's face was as white as paper. His divine core had been damaged, and his aura immediately dwindled. Eyes bloodshot, he lunged at Qian Chongguang, trying to snatch back that strand of source.
But Qian Chongguang only glanced at him coldly and flicked his hand. A streak of divine power interwoven with light and darkness shot through the air and slammed into Poseidon's chest!
"Get lost!"
A deafening crash rang out. Poseidon flew away like a kite with its string cut, smashing heavily into a white jade pillar of the Angel Temple. A mouthful of deep-blue divine blood sprayed from his mouth. He was gravely injured on the spot and couldn't even stand.
With a single move, he had gravely injured Poseidon, a veteran First-Level God!
The plaza fell utterly silent. Every god held their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.
At last, they realized that this newly ascended Angel God wasn't joking. He really dared to attack a veteran god of the Divine Realm—and truly wasn't afraid of bringing the heavens crashing down!
Qian Chongguang slowly drew back his gaze and looked over the silent gods. His twelve wings of light and darkness spread wide, and the full pressure of a half-step God King swept across the plaza like a tidal wave. His voice boomed like thunder, echoing across the skies of the Divine Realm.
"Your highnesses, all you gods who lord it over the world—and all you pampered deities—the time has come. Prepare to greet your twilight!"
"Though I gained this forbidden power by burning my soul's source, and it can only grant me the strength of a half-step God King for a short while, it's more than enough to deal with you."
Watching the light-and-dark divine power churning wildly around him, radiating an aura of annihilation, the Life Goddess suddenly paled. As if she had thought of something utterly terrifying, she cried out, "Angel! What are you planning to do?! You're burning your source to forcefully transform the power of light and darkness. You can't hold out for long! You... You never intended to survive!"
Qian Chongguang turned to her and suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter held the desperate madness of someone staking everything on one throw, as well as the sorrow of someone who had seen through it all.
"You've finally figured it out?" His gaze swept over every God King present. "From the moment Asura forcibly dragged my clone up to the Divine Realm, from the moment I decided to tear his script to pieces, this struggle was never going to end without someone dying. I never intended to survive in the first place."
Qian Chongguang's declaration, staking everything on one throw, was like a spark tossed into a pan of boiling oil, instantly igniting the tension throughout the plaza.
The four God Kings—Destruction, Life, Goodness, and Evil—all darkened at once.
They had only wanted to calm things down. They neither wanted Asura's scandal to blow up nor wanted to corner this newly ascended half-step God King into a desperate rage. But now they understood perfectly: this man hadn't come to the Divine Realm to demand an explanation or fight for authority. He had come to flip the table, ready to take them, the gods who lorded over all, and the order of the Divine Realm itself down to hell with him.
A half-step God King unleashing his full power was already enough to shake the foundations of the Divine Realm. And what of a half-step God King who had burned his soul, wielded forbidden power, and fought with the resolve to die? Not to mention the power he controlled: light and darkness dwelling in one body, forces as incompatible as fire and water. It was like the union of Evil and Goodness, of Destruction and Life.
Even though this power was nowhere near that of the Dragon God who once swept across the Divine Realm, its strangeness and dominance were enough to make any God King wary.
"Since you refuse to see reason and insist on plunging the Divine Realm into war, don't blame us for outnumbering you."
The Destruction God King took the first step forward. Destruction Divine Power erupted around him, surging black as the space nearby began to fracture inch by inch. He turned to Asura and shouted, "Asura, put your personal grudge aside! This is no time for a temper tantrum. That kid's gone mad. We have to join forces and take him down!"