"Poseidon, what exactly happened?"
Now even the Angel God and the Rakshasa God were curious. Neither of them had heard this part of the story.
"Back then, I had just subdued the seas surrounding Douluo. Brimming with confidence, I was ready to expand farther afield, gather stronger faith power, and forge a supreme divine position."
Poseidon sighed softly, then sank into his memories.
"At the time, I had already reached the demigod realm. My strength made me all but invincible on the Douluo Continent, so, Trident in hand, I rode a sea soul beast to survey Douluo Star, intending to conquer all its seas.
But just then, I discovered that drifting new continent near the Douluo Continent.
At the time, I thought my strength had reached its peak. Filled with confidence, I immediately headed toward the continent. When I saw a nation called the Northern Underworld Empire, I declared outright that I would conquer it."
"And then?"
The Angel God beside him looked curious. "With the strength you had back then, conquering an empire should have been as easy as turning over your hand, shouldn't it?"
"Quite the opposite. I failed."
Poseidon gave a bitter laugh. "After I made that bold declaration, a man who looked like an emperor rose into the air to confront me."
"At first, I thought nothing of him. But then I witnessed his power."
At this point, a trace of fear actually crept into Poseidon's voice. "That man's martial soul was a giant fish with wings.
I didn't know what it was, but I could feel that its power surpassed my martial soul's, because mine was completely suppressed!"
"How is that possible?"
The God of Space's eyes widened. "You're the God of the Ocean! Everything in the ocean falls under your control. That fish should have been within your authority too!"
A bitter smile tugged at Poseidon's lips. "That's true, but I still lost."
"That giant fish was far too powerful. A mere sweep of its tail shattered my soul skills. Not only that, it could also change forms."
"Change forms?"
Those words immediately piqued the gods' curiosity. Even Asura and Destruction turned their gazes toward him.
This was crucial intelligence, something that could reveal their enemy's strengths and weaknesses ahead of time.
"I don't know what it was. All I saw was that giant fish soaring into the sky and turning into a giant bird. Then I was defeated in a single blow."
After saying this, Poseidon shuddered slightly, as though unwilling to recall the scene.
"The giant bird's wings slammed into me. Instinctively, I raised the Trident in my hands to block them, but it snapped in a single strike.
With my weapon shattered, I immediately suffered a backlash. I wanted to flee at once, but something even stranger happened.
With a swipe of his claw, he actually struck my divine soul core directly!"
"My Divine Core shattered instantly, leaving me gravely wounded!"
By this point, disbelief covered Poseidon's face. "He could actually strike my vital point directly!"
"If I hadn't mustered every last scrap of strength and escaped using ocean power, I would probably have died."
"And I could sense that the figure beneath the continent had never paid me any attention from beginning to end. Otherwise, a single glance would have wiped me out long ago!"
After recounting everything, Poseidon let out a soft breath and leaned back in his chair. "Even with all my efforts, it took a thousand years to heal that injury completely. Afterward, I ascended to the Divine Realm and never dared think about that continent again."
After hearing Poseidon's account, some of the gods looked thoughtful, while others were filled with disbelief.
The Angel God frowned as well. The Northern Underworld Continent was actually this powerful. Her descendants probably had no way of standing against it.
In that case, why not try making contact?
The Angel God cast a discreet glance at the Asura God and the others. These God Kings seemed deeply wary of soul beasts becoming gods.
After she ascended, they had repeatedly issued strict orders forbidding soul beasts from ever becoming gods.
But what does that have to do with me?
The Angel God thought little of it. She had never lived through the era of the Dragon Kings or the Dragon God, nor did she understand the danger posed by soul beasts.
She had long since grown tired of being the Angel God. There was already a child in the lower realm capable of inheriting her power, and she had planned everything out: leave behind her divine position and divine artifact, then make her getaway.
Now a slight complication had arisen. That child might very well get caught up in it, and she could not let the child die. Otherwise, she would be trapped in the angel godhood again.
While each of the gods harbored their own hidden agenda, the Asura God and the others at their head suddenly spoke.
"Poseidon, are you certain you aren't lying?"
"Of course!"
Poseidon nodded. "Surely I wouldn't make up such a disgraceful story just to belittle myself?"
"That much is true."
Destruction nodded in agreement. Gods were proud; no god would demean themselves like this.
"If Poseidon's account is true, then this is an extremely serious problem."
The Asura God knitted his brows tightly. "It means this mutant beast has not only exceeded the limits the lower realm can sustain, but also has no fear of the heavenly rules and can act as it pleases!"
"If that's the case..."
The God of Life suddenly stood, a look of recollection flashing through her eyes. "Then this mutant beast might well be a creature from the Dragon God's era."
"How is that possible!"
Evil immediately rejected Life's conjecture. "Back then, the Dragon God's strength had already surpassed that of a God King. He could tear space apart with a wave of his hand, and the Divine Realm of that time ruled countless planes.
If something like that existed on Douluo Star, how could the Dragon God have left it alone? He would never have allowed such a creature to exist in this world!"
Despite Evil's rebuttal, Life continued pursuing that line of thought. "Have you forgotten? Back then, the Dragon God wasn't the only dominant power among the Beast Tribe."
"You mean that Three-Way War?"
Destruction seemed to recall something, and his grip on the Destruction Scepter tightened. A red gleam flashed through the Asura God's eyes, as though he too remembered the events of that time.
"Yes."
Life nodded. "That battle took place in the primordial era. Back then, there were neither divine positions for the gods nor a Divine Realm."
"That era belonged to the Beast Tribe. All manner of mutant beasts emerged, and the three strongest clans were the Dragon God Clan, the Phoenix God Clan, and the Qilin Clan."
"The Phoenix God?"
"Qilin?"
Those two unfamiliar terms left the gods utterly bewildered. They had never even heard of these two races.
"Back then, we humans didn't even have any gods. We could only cling to life beneath the lingering might of those clans."
Life seemed to sink into her memories. "At the time, the Dragon God and the Phoenix God were immensely powerful, each with their own clan. One possessed the power of ultimate elements, while the other possessed mighty nirvana and creation power."
"As for the Qilin, they relied on their auspicious power to command the Beast Clan and hold dominion over their own territory."
Before you continue