There was no doubt about it—this was an interrogation,
and one backed by evidence!
Tang San's expression darkened, but he spoke directly:
"Those two Soul Beasts were indeed Divine Officials under my command, but I knew nothing about what they did!"
Yes, without the slightest hesitation, Tang San instinctively chose to abandon Da Ming and Er Ming, distancing himself from them and shirking responsibility.
"...I never gave them any order to kill the Child of Fortune. Besides, I am a God King, and the Douluo Plane is under my jurisdiction to begin with. Why would I target the Child of Fortune?!"
"Yes... You are already a God King, so why would you target the Child of Fortune?"
The God of Destruction looked at Tang San indifferently, then rose to his feet without hesitation and spoke solemnly:
"Open a God Realm Committee vote!
"Divine Officials Niu Tian and Tai Tan under the Sea God attempted to kill the Child of Fortune of the Douluo Plane. Their conduct was improper. I propose stripping them of their Divine Official status and demoting them to slaves.
"The Sea God indulged his subordinates and intended to interfere with the lower realm. I propose suspending the Sea God's direct observation and jurisdiction over the Douluo Plane, and temporarily sealing his authority as a 'God Realm Enforcer'!"
"Destruction!" Tang San's eyes nearly split with rage as he tried to stop him, but the God Realm Core had already begun operating under the God of Destruction's authority.
Light flickered as the virtual projections of the God Realm Committee descended.
"Vote. I vote in favor."
The God of Destruction spoke first. The very next moment, the gentle yet resolute voice of the Goddess of Life rang out.
"Seconded."
Ji Dong and Lie Yan, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, widened their eyes slightly, unable to make sense of the situation.
Wait... was this time for real?
Ji Dong and Lie Yan exchanged a glance, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.
After all, this was not the first time the God of Destruction had called for a vote to punish the Sea God.
Though the previous incidents had not been as dramatic as today's, the outcome had usually been the same. The three gods—Ji Dong, Lie Yan, and the Goddess of Life—would abstain, while the God of Destruction and the Sea God would vote against each other.
After that, the vote would be invalidated, and the matter would simply be dropped.
But this time... the Goddess of Life had directly taken the God of Destruction's side?
After a moment of silence and exchanged looks, Ji Dong and Lie Yan decisively raised their hands.
"Abstain." *2
Tang San's expression instantly turned incomparably grim.
Two votes in favor, two abstentions. Whatever he thought no longer mattered.
At that moment, he could clearly feel that, through the God Realm Core, his direct observation and interference authority over Douluo Continent—something he had once wielded as easily as an arm—had been completely sealed!
Though the connection had not been severed in the absolute sense, he could no longer observe the Douluo Plane through conventional means. Even taking a few extra looks would bring punishment from the rules of the God Realm.
As for sending down a divine decree or Divine Sense, that was entirely impossible.
The God of Destruction gave Tang San an indifferent glance, then withdrew his gaze and vanished from the meeting hall alongside the Goddess of Life.
Ji Dong and Lie Yan fled without the slightest hesitation, disappearing even faster than Destruction and Life.
For a time, Tang San was left alone in the meeting hall, seated in his place.
Bang!
Tang San slammed his fist onto the meeting hall table, his eyes filled with resentment and fury.
Trash!
Utterly useless trash that could never accomplish anything without ruining it!
They could not even kill a brat who was not even a Soul Grandmaster. What the hell were they good for?!
Crimson veins crawled across his eyes as his emotions surged. Tang San grew increasingly agitated, and a faint Dark Red Blood Mist began rising uncontrollably around him...
Buzz—!
Blue-gold Sea God power abruptly surged forth, dispersing the faint Dark Red Blood Mist around Tang San with some difficulty and restoring a brief moment of clarity to his eyes.
Tang San's expression calmed, but a trace of darkness appeared in his gaze.
The Asura God Seat was beginning to lose control again. He still could not completely master it...
If this continued...
Tang San fell silent for a moment. Seizing this hard-won clarity, he frantically considered possible solutions. Then, at a certain moment, he suddenly remembered something.
It seemed... he still had a Divine Sense he could use at the Clear Sky Sect?
And what Destruction had said earlier...
Tang San's eyes immediately lit up as a plan naturally took shape in his heart.
Hmph... every last one of them was useless. In the end, he would have to do it himself!
Tang San sneered, his eyes gleaming with world-shaking wisdom!
While Tang San was still reveling in his own world-shaking wisdom, the Plane Will of the Douluo Plane silently began adjusting the distribution of fortune once more.
Outside Star Luo City, at the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
A blue-haired little boy lay beside the bed of his sick mother, praying in his heart that she would recover.
The great hand of the Plane Will silently brushed over his head, gently taking three quarters of the remaining forty percent of his fortune.
In turn, the great hand of the Plane Will began clearly writing out the little boy's future fate.
—A few days later, when the boy went out to buy medicine for his mother, he would accidentally reveal his "Spiritual Eye" Martial Soul. He would then happen to be discovered by an Elder of the Body Sect passing by.
This Elder would heal the little boy's mother and take both mother and son away from the White Tiger Duke's Mansion to the Body Sect, where they would begin a new life.
Compared to his original fate, the little boy would experience less and have fewer friends. However, he would also suffer less, bear fewer responsibilities that had never belonged to him, and live a happier life.
Of course... the hatred would still remain. But this time, behind the little boy would stand the Body Sect, the most protective of its own and the most hot-tempered of all.
Having settled all that, the great hand of the Plane Will reached toward the Star Dou Great Forest once more.
In the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, beside Life Lake.
Golden Big Cat, who had just finished a late-night snack of brain and was contentedly preparing to sleep soundly, suddenly opened her eyes and instantly bristled!
"Auspicious Beast?"
The Black-Robed Middle-Aged Man and the Green-Skirted Woman noticed Golden Big Cat's abnormality almost at the same time and turned their gazes toward her.
"Uncle Di Tian... the fortune on my body was... was stripped away..."
Golden Big Cat spoke helplessly, her voice even carrying a faint sob.
"What?"
The Black-Robed Middle-Aged Man could no longer sit still. The fortune carried by the Imperial Auspicious Beast represented their entire Soul Beast race! If that fortune was lost, it would affect the Soul Beasts as well!
This was absolutely not good news!
"What exactly happened? Why did the fortune on your body suddenly start slipping away?"
"I... I don't know..."
She had not done anything these past few days... At most, she had eaten a bit too much brain... Could eating too much brain really bring down heavenly punishment?
No, please... I'll stop eating brain later, okay?!
The Black-Robed Middle-Aged Man frowned and was about to speak when a dignified yet cold voice suddenly rang out:
"It was the Plane Will."