Barking like a dog? Anyone who insults the Immortal Lord dies-a single palm strike kills the God of Destruction!

Though the Snow Empress beside her wasn't nearly as over-the-top, an unusual gleam shone in those cool, clear eyes of hers all the same.

Admiring the strong was instinctive for all living things.

Especially for overlords of Soul Beasts like them, who had clawed their way to power through bloodshed in the Far North. Only absolute strength could win their hearts.

And that scene just now—Jiang Chen's enormous hand reaching across endless space, facing two enemies alone and meeting the two Immortal Kings head-on with an invincible bearing—had undoubtedly struck a chord deep in both women's hearts.

"That's true..."

The Snow Empress gave a soft sigh, her voice ethereal and distant.

"By comparison, the so-called God Kings of our world really are as childish as little children."

"Especially that God of Destruction. He usually struts around throwing his weight about, but once he got over there, wasn't he caught and tossed into an Alms Bowl like a bug?"

At that, the Ice Empress suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hehe, Sister Snow, don't you think the God of Destruction was actually pretty lucky?"

"Lucky?" The Snow Empress blinked, not quite understanding.

"Of course!"

The Ice Empress counted off on her fingers, analyzing the matter with a perfectly serious expression.

"Think about it. Sure, he was captured, which was embarrassing."

"But who captured him? Ye Qingyu!"

"And who's Ye Qingyu? The Immortal Lord's disciple!"

"And if he was taken into the Alms Bowl, doesn't that mean he'll be brought back to the Primordial Immortal Court?"

"That's the Primordial Immortal Court!"

The Ice Empress's eyes filled with envy as she thought about it.

"A place where even the servants eat Spirit Crystal Rice, where even the pets get to play with dragon tendons, and where even pigs can become gods!"

"Sure, the God of Destruction is a prisoner, but even if he's locked in a cage, just breathing a couple of breaths of the air there every day and eating a couple of mouthfuls of their leftover slop would be an enormous opportunity!"

"Who knows? Maybe after a few years, when they let him out of the cage, he'll be able to kill us with a single finger!"

The Snow Empress was taken aback by the Ice Empress's unorthodox line of reasoning. Then, to her surprise, she fell into thought.

After a long while, she nodded with utmost seriousness.

"Bing'er, you're right."

"Rather than wait to die in this world, where Spiritual Energy has run dry, waiting for that Tribulation that's sure to kill us..."

"We might as well gamble on that world."

"At least..."

The Snow Empress raised her head and gazed at the Chaos Qi gradually fading from the Sky Screen, a hint of longing in her eyes.

"There are true immortals there."

"And everything we've ever sought."

"If the Sky Screen chooses me..."

The Snow Empress suddenly smiled. Her smile was like ice and snow melting at the first breath of spring, bringing all things back to life.

"Even if it meant becoming a maid who poured tea and water for the Immortal Lord, or warming his bed and folding his quilts..."

"I'd do so willingly."

"After all, being conquered by such a powerful being is an honor beyond compare, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, at the Primordial Immortal Court.

Outside the divine palace.

Clouds and rosy light drifted through the air, and immortal aura filled the land. Compared with the Border Wasteland of the Foreign Realm, which had been brimming with killing intent, this place was its polar opposite.

"Thump."

Ye Qingyu was drenched in blood. His once-snow-white hair had now been stained red by True Immortal blood.

He didn't even bother tending to the terrifying hole in his chest. Instead, he dropped heavily to his knees before the tightly shut doors of the divine palace.

Then he raised both hands, presenting the Purple Gold Alms Bowl in his palms, and bowed his head deeply in utmost reverence.

"Your disciple Ye Qingyu has not failed you!"

"The foreign being has been brought back!"

Silence reigned within the divine palace.

Deep inside, Jiang Chen lounged against a soft couch as a pleasant notification rang out in his mind.

[ Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully enslaved and imprisoned the great fortune bearer of the Douluo Plane: the God of Destruction! ]

[ Mission complete! ]

[ Congratulations, host! You have received the reward: the Quasi-Immortal Emperor weapon from the Era of Emperor Fall, the Chaos Boundless Bell! ]

[ Congratulations, host! You have received the reward: one complete True Dragon Undying Medicine! ]

[ Congratulations, host! You have received 10,000 fortune points! ]

[ Devouring the fortune of the Douluo Plane... Devouring successful! The growth progress of the Primordial Immortal Court's Luck Golden Dragon has increased by 10%! ]

Hearing the string of rewards, Jiang Chen gave a slight nod. The True Dragon Undying Medicine in particular would be perfect for healing Ye Qingyu's wounds.

As for that so-called God of Destruction...

At the thought, Jiang Chen casually swept his divine sense across the Alms Bowl. He looked at the purple figure inside, already scared out of his wits and lying there like a puddle of mud, and a hint of boredom and disgust flickered in his eyes.

Now that the mission was complete and the rewards were in hand, the insect had lost the last shred of its value.

"Throw him out."

Jiang Chen's voice was utterly calm, as if he were disposing of a piece of useless trash.

"An insect like that would only pollute the air if it stayed in the Immortal Court."

"Yes!"

At the entrance to the divine palace, a gatekeeping Daoist boy who looked only seven or eight years old, with his hair tied into a pair of upward-pointing tufts, hurriedly replied with respect.

Then the boy took small steps toward Ye Qingyu and reached out to take the Purple Gold Alms Bowl.

Inside the Alms Bowl.

The God of Destruction had been in utter despair, but when he heard the words "brought back to the Immortal Court," a glimmer of inexplicable hope rose in his heart.

"They didn't kill me. That terrifying Immortal Lord didn't kill me!"

"Could it be that he sees my potential as a God King? Or does he intend to recruit me?"

"That's it. It must be!"

The God of Destruction frantically tried to reassure himself.

"After all, I control the Law of Destruction. If not for the difference in plane dimensions, I'd be a rare talent even in that world!"

"They went to all this trouble to capture me. They must intend to cultivate me!"

"As long as I can cling to the Immortal Lord's coattails, what does a little humiliation matter?"

At that moment, the God of Destruction was already imagining the Immortal Lord bestowing peerless techniques upon him, changing his fate and letting him defy the heavens, trample Anlan underfoot, and beat Yutuo senseless.

But in the next instant, the world spun around him.

The mouth of the Purple Gold Alms Bowl opened. Then a chubby little hand reached inside, pinched him by the neck like a stinkbug, and pulled him straight out!

"Off you go!"

Without even looking at him, the boy gave a casual flick of his hand. A tremendous force swept the God of Destruction up and hurled him away, smashing him into the foot of the mountain...

"Bang!"

A muffled impact rang out. The God of Destruction's already-shattered bones were crushed even further, and his whole body turned into a puddle of mud. Only a wisp of his divine sense remained.

But he couldn't spare a thought for the pain. The gulf between his hopes and reality was simply too vast!

The humiliation of being tossed out like garbage after imagining he'd rise to greatness was even worse than being killed!

"Bastards! You bastards!"

Lying face-down in the dirt, the God of Destruction stared at the lofty mountain gate of the Immortal Court. The resentment pent up in his heart finally erupted.

"This Seat is, after all, a God King of the Douluo World! How dare you humiliate This Seat like this!"

"If you look down on This Seat, why capture This Seat in the first place?"

"Damn the Immortal Court! Damn the Immortal Lord! You blind fools..."

His voice was weak, but in the quiet at the foot of the mountain, it sounded especially grating.

But the instant he spat out the last half of his curse, the Daoist boy—who had just turned to leave—suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The boy's delicate, rosy face instantly filled with anger.

"Silence! How dare you bark like a dog before the mountain gate!"

"Anyone who insults the Immortal Lord dies!"

Before the words had even faded, the wind and clouds changed!

A giant hand of Spiritual Energy appeared out of thin air, blotting out the sky. Then, under the horrified gaze of everyone across the Douluo Continent, it crashed down on the God of Destruction like a hand swatting an ant!

"No!"

Before the God of Destruction could react, the boy slapped him into oblivion.

His divine soul and Godhood of Destruction were wiped out along with every trace that he had ever existed!

Not even a scrap was left!

After killing the God of Destruction with a single slap, the boy patted his little hands together as if nothing had happened.

"This is the Primordial Immortal Court. It's no place for every Tom, Dick, and stray dog to bark."

"Ptooey."

With that, the boy turned and left, leaving the petrified people of the Douluo Continent staring at the Sky Screen.

A God King...

Was just gone?

A mere gatekeeper had casually slapped him out of existence like a fly?

Meanwhile, outside the divine palace.

Ye Qingyu remained kneeling. He didn't even turn his head toward the commotion behind him.

In his eyes, that so-called God of Destruction had been nothing more than a mission item from beginning to end.

But now his aura was also fading to the absolute limit.

He had forcibly fused with a Dao Weapon, severed his own path to immortality, and endured a True Immortal's attack head-on. The flame of his life was now like a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.

Yet he felt not the slightest regret—only sorrow that he had failed to kill An Cangtian.

"Your disciple was incompetent and failed to kill the enemy leader. I beg Your Eminence to punish me."

Ye Qingyu's voice was weak as he bowed his head to the ground.

"Creak—"

But just then, the doors of the divine palace, shut for countless ages, slowly began to open.