Zichuan remained silent for three full breaths.
Then, in his mind, he replied in a calm tone that even carried a hint of speechlessness:
"No, bro, who are you? How did you get into my head? Have you paid rent?"
"..."
The voice had clearly been left speechless.
After a long while, a gentle yet irresistible wave of will swept through Zichuan's entire body—every inch of bone, every drop of blood, especially the two vigorously beating hearts in his chest, their radiance not yet faded.
"This is..."
The indifference in the voice vanished, replaced by incredulous shock, followed by even more violent trembling.
"The aura of the Heart of Destruction... and the Heart of Life from Life itself?!"
"These two powers actually coexist within one body, balancing and sustaining each other... How is that possible? Unless..."
Unless, amid that Space-Time Turbulence that had swept everything away, his divine power and the Goddess of Life's had intertwined and collided, accidentally nurturing a trace of miracle in the endless cracks of time and space, amidst the ultimate contradiction of destruction and rebirth.
Unless this child had been born because of them.
When the voice sounded again, all its wildness and hatred had faded, leaving only an almost clumsy, cautious emotion, like a giant beast trying to touch a fragile snowflake.
"Child, you... what is your name?"
Zichuan narrowed his eyes. "Zichuan. Zi as in purple, chuan as in mountains and rivers."
"Zichuan... good, a good name." The voice paused, as though carefully choosing its words. "I am... the God of Destruction. The god who wields the authority of destruction and governs the end of all things."
Zichuan said, "Oh."
The God of Destruction said, "...That's all the reaction you have?"
Zichuan replied, "What else? Do you want me to kneel and kowtow, saying, 'Greetings, Great God. May the Great God reign for ten thousand generations and unite the martial world'?"
The God of Destruction was choked up again. He suddenly felt that this child... seemed a little different.
"Since you bear both the Heart of Destruction and the Heart of Life, you were born from the convergence of my power and the Goddess of Life's." The God of Destruction's voice lowered, carrying an indescribably complicated emotion. "In other words, you... may be considered the child of Life and me."
Zichuan fell silent for even longer this time.
He recalled the Douluo series he had read in his previous life. He recalled that pair of God King spouses from the legends of the God Realm, who governed creation and destruction, who had loved and fought one another for hundreds of millions of years. He recalled their tragic ending, and Tang San...
No way. He was actually the child of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life.
"Child," the God of Destruction continued, "tell me... what year is it now?"
Zichuan licked his slightly dry lips.
"The era of Spirit Hall ended more than ten thousand years ago. On the continent now, Tianhun, Douling, and Xingluo stand as three rival kingdoms. The Sun Moon Empire eyes them hungrily, while Shrek Academy enjoys tremendous prestige."
Within the Sea of Consciousness, there was deathly silence.
After a long time, the God of Destruction laughed.
His laughter was low and soft, yet it made one's scalp tingle.
"So it is more than ten thousand years after Tang San became a god? I actually reincarnated in this era... If I remember correctly, the child of destiny of this era is a boy named Huo Yuhao... Someone who can pick up treasures wherever he goes..."
As Tang San's opponent, the God of Destruction had naturally studied Tang San's entire life thoroughly.
"Good, very good, Tang San. What a scheme. You sent your own daughter down to the lower realm to approach the child of destiny, bind him through marriage, and forcibly drag the one born in accordance with fate onto your Tang family's war chariot."
"You turned an entire continent into your private backyard. You took the fortune of heaven and earth and made it your personal property to take at will."
"What methods. Truly, what methods!"
His laughter gradually faded. When he spoke again, each word was like a stone dredged from a frozen river—cold and hard as it struck deep into Zichuan's consciousness.
"Child."
"You have inherited my Heart of Destruction, as well as the Heart of Life from the Goddess of Life."
"From the moment you were born, you stood on the opposite side of Tang San."
"Doesn't he want this continent to bear the Tang name? Then this god wants to see..."
"Whether your schemes run deeper, or whether the child raised by me, the God of Destruction, is more ruthless!"
Only after quite some time did the God of Destruction finally calm down.
"Space-Time Turbulence swept us away." In the end, the God of Destruction said only bitterly,
"I had thought we would be annihilated completely. Yet I never expected that a remnant of my soul would remain, falling into this crack in time and space. By a twist of fate, it sensed the destruction and life power of the same origin within you, allowing it to remain temporarily."
"Child," his voice became calm again, but beneath that calm lay ten thousand fathoms of ice,
"When I saw you, when I saw this continent that still sings praises of Tang San's benevolence ten thousand years later, this god understood..."
"Some debts must be settled."
Zichuan did not respond. He walked beneath a crooked tree at the edge of the clearing, leaned against its rough trunk, and slowly sat down.
"How do you intend to settle them?" Zichuan asked, his gaze falling upon the dark Mark of Destruction in his palm.
"Right now, you seem..." He carefully considered his wording. "Not to be in very good shape."
That was putting it tactfully. In truth, the God of Destruction currently felt more like a ghost driven by deep obsession, possessing only the status and memories of a God King. As for his power... it was likely not even one percent of what it had been.
"Hahaha..." The God of Destruction suddenly laughed. This time, there was less fury in his laughter and more arrogance and... the crazed recklessness of someone with nothing left to lose.
"Not in good shape? It is far worse than that! This god is now merely a remnant thought attached to your Sea of Consciousness. If you did not possess the origin power of both of us, I would not even be able to manifest my consciousness!"
"Take revenge on Tang San? With my current state?" His laughter gradually faded, and his tone turned hard and resolute. "That is nothing but a fool's dream."
Zichuan raised an eyebrow. So clear-headed?
"But..." The God of Destruction abruptly changed direction, every word striking with ringing force, "this god may not be able to kill him, but this god's inheritor can!"
"You bear the Heart of Destruction and the Heart of Life. You were formed from the intertwining of our divine powers. You are the person in this world best suited to inherit both our divine positions! There is no second!"
Zichuan's heart suddenly jolted.
Divine positions? Two divine positions?
"That bastard Tang San became a God King relying on nothing more than the divine positions of the Sea God and Asura." The God of Destruction's voice was full of disdain.
"The Sea God? He governs the seas. It sounds impressive, but within the boundless God Realm, it is merely one small domain. Asura? He judges slaughter. His authority seems immense, yet he too is constrained by rules."
"But I, Destruction, wield the authority of the end of all things, the power to return the universe to annihilation!"
"Life governs the creation of all things, the source from which all existence grows!"
"Destruction and Life are the two most fundamental poles that make up the world! They are supreme authorities that stand above the vast majority of rules!"
His voice echoed in Zichuan's mind, carrying the arrogance unique to a god who looked down upon all living beings, along with an almost obsessive certainty:
"Tang San has two divine positions, and you will have two as well! He had to endure countless hardships and undergo trial after trial, but you..."
"Today, this god will pave this road for you!"
Before you continue