On the streets and alleys, no one dared to speak loudly anymore. People exchanged terrified glances, and even their breathing became unconsciously soft.
The fervent fighting spirit that had previously permeated the two great empires, as well as the resentment and discontent that had been surging within the Spirit Hall Empire, vanished at this moment, like embers extinguished by ice water, leaving only cold ashes and a bone-chilling cold.
They didn't even dare to recall their previous resistance to the Spirit Hall Empire's new policies, nor did they dare to dwell on the privileges that had been stripped away.
Because of fear, the most primal and direct kind of fear, their souls have been gripped.
They feared that even the slightest thought of "disrespect" for the new order would cause the Destruction crimson Thunderclap to descend once more, turning them to ashes as well!
Millions were annihilated with pinpoint accuracy! Transcending space! Decided in a single thought! This is beyond human capability! This is a miracle! Or rather... the wrath of the gods!
No one dared to question the new policies of the Spirit Hall Empire anymore, and no one dared to secretly complain about the loss of the privileges of Soul Master.
A more powerful fear overwhelmed all discontent and resentment.
People didn't even dare to harbor any thoughts of rebellion deep within their hearts, fearing that the mysterious "divine punishment" would sense their disrespect and unleash a Destruction bolt of lightning.
Beneath this extreme fear, another emotion begins to quietly emerge—worship!
The worship of absolute power, the awe of the power to decide life and death!
Countless people began to pray spontaneously, offering their most devout faith towards the direction of Spirit City and towards that unknown being who brought "divine punishment."
They prayed for forgiveness, for protection, and for that supreme majesty not to be offended.
A vast Power of Faith, mixed with fear, awe, and supplication, began to flow from every corner of the continent toward Spirit City and toward the direction of Xuan Ming, like rivers flowing into the sea.
The entire landscape of the continent was completely rewritten because of this " Heavenly Execution " that far exceeded everyone's imagination.
The old order, along with its followers, was utterly crushed by blood and thunder.
A new order, built upon absolute fear and awe, is descending upon humanity in an incredibly cruel way.
Chapter 450 I Don't Care Anymore
Spirit City, Pope's Palace.
When the battle report was presented by a trembling servant, Bibi Dong read every word. Even with her composure and having anticipated this, her fingers gripping the scroll tightened slightly involuntarily, and the pupils in her purplish-gold eyes suddenly contracted.
She had considered that Xuan Ming would use Thunderclap methods to intimidate them, and that he might personally go to one or two major battlefields to crush the enemy's main force with unparalleled power...
But she never imagined it would be such a direct, ruthless, and... merciless execution!
Millions of people! In a mere instant, they were wiped from the world as if marks had been erased from a sand table!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart, only to find that even her breathing was trembling slightly.
She ultimately underestimated Xuan Ming's detached indifference, his view of all living beings as mere ants, and the undeniable ruthlessness with which he carried out his will.
He is no longer the hesitant child he once was.
He is... God!
A living god!
A god who disregards Life and holds the power of life and death!
Angel Temple.
The golden divine light flowing around Qian Renxue suddenly froze and dimmed after she finished reading the information transmitted by the divine thought. The color drained from her beautiful face, and her bright golden eyes were filled with disbelief and... a stinging pain.
In her mind, an image uncontrollably surfaced from long ago, in that dark alley, where the young Xuan Ming argued with her over a few abused cats and dogs, his eyes filled with pity and stubbornness for Life weak.
The boy who once argued with her over insignificant Life... and the figure who now effortlessly wipes out millions without even blinking... are they really the same person?
There were clearly other ways to deter them, to capture them, to defeat them... why choose the most extreme and cruel one?
"It was something that could have been avoided..." Qian Renxue murmured to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it, carrying a sense of loss and desolation that even she herself could not understand.
She always knew that Xuan Ming had changed, becoming powerful and cold.
But only now did she realize so clearly that what separated them was no longer a difference in power or position, but an insurmountable chasm in their understanding of the essence of Life.
He was no longer the boy who cared about the life or death of cats and dogs.
He is God.
It is a god who holds the power of life and death, whose rules are determined by his heart, and who regards all things as straw dogs...
The entire continent trembled under his cold divine might, forced to offer up faith nurtured by fear.
Deep within the Soul Tool Research Institute in Spirit City.
In stark contrast to the tumultuous events outside caused by the " Heavenly Execution," the laboratory was still filled only with the faint hum of the Soul Tool's energy flow.
Xuan Ming stood before the nearly completed, dark blue Soul Guidance Mecha, white Divine Power flowing between his fingertips as he made final adjustments. His expression was focused and calm, as if the lives and deaths of millions of people outside were no different from the energy circuit he was adjusting.
The immense Power of Faith from the outside world, surging like a tsunami and mixed with fear, awe, and supplication, crossed space and converged on Spirit City, even faintly surging towards him.
But he didn't even lift his eyelids. With a slight thought, he channeled this power, enough to move any god, into the new " Divine Pillar " in the corner of the laboratory, which had just completed its main structure and was radiating a soft platinum-gold glow, as if guiding a stream.
For God, the Power of Faith is strength, an extension of authority, and the cornerstone for building God's kingdom and performing miracles.
It originates from "belief" and contains the possibility of creating "miracles".
But Xuan Ming had absolutely no interest in this.
He doesn't need anyone's "belief" to prove himself, nor does he need to rely on "miracles" to achieve his goals.
In his eyes, the rules governing the world are clear and cold; wherever his will reaches, that is reality.
So-called "miracles" are nothing more than wishful thinking about uncertainty when one lacks the strength to do so.
He possesses the power to transform will into absolute reality.
Whether it's trust or not, whether it's a miracle or not, it's meaningless to him.
The laboratory door slid open silently.
Gu Yuena's figure appeared quietly at the doorway.
Her long, silvery-purple hair seemed to have lost its former luster, and her exquisite face carried an insurmountable complexity and heaviness.
She looked at Xuan Ming, who had his back to her and was still focused on the Soul Guidance Mecha. His eyes, which seemed to hold the stars, were filled with pain, guilt, and a trace of... bewilderment.
She stood there quietly, without immediately going forward.
The tranquility inside the laboratory contrasted sharply with the storm outside, making her feel even more distressed.
She knew that Xuan Ming wasn't born so indifferent to Life.
He used to be moved by the fate of Soul Beast, and silent at the demise of the weak.
It was that heavy responsibility, the Ice Dragon King's dying wish, the pressure to continue the Soul Beast Clan, and her expectations... that gradually pushed him onto this cold and resolute path.
It was to resolve the almost unsolvable conflict between humans and Soul Beast, and to secure a future for her and the Soul Beast Clan, that he had no choice but to use the most extreme, effective, and cruel method to forcibly reshape the order of the entire world.
It was she, and this cruel reality, that changed him.
" Xuan Ming..." Gu Yuena finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly and choked with emotion, "I'm sorry..."
She walked behind him, reached out, and gently hugged him from behind, burying her face in his broad but cold back.
"If it weren't for me... if it weren't for the burden of the Soul Beast Clan... you wouldn't have... wouldn't have become like this..." Her voice was muffled, filled with self-blame and pain.
She would rather he remained that somewhat awkward boy who held a deep reverence for Life, rather than the deity who could slaughter millions with a wave of his hand and whose eyes were as cold as ancient ice.
Xuan Ming stopped what he was doing.
He could clearly feel the warmth and slight trembling from behind him, and sense the heavy guilt and sorrow in Gu Yuena's heart.
He didn't turn around immediately, but simply let her hold him quietly.
After a moment, he slowly put down the tools in his hand and covered her hands that were wrapped around his waist.
His hands were cold, like jade.
"I haven't changed."
He gently turned around, embraced Gu Yuena, and looked down at her reddened eyes and face filled with self-reproach.
"I just... don't care anymore."
They didn't care about the opinions of the world, nor about moral judgments, nor about the number of people killed, nor about the cruelty of the process.
He only cares about the results, the goals he wants to achieve, and the people he cares about.
For this "concern," he can bear everything, or he can... erase everything.
The so-called change may simply be the condensation of that previously scattered "concern" to its extreme, while everything else is relegated to the category of "indifference".
Gu Yuena stared at him blankly, at the pure, intense indifference and focus in his eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She didn't know whether this was a relief or a deeper sorrow.
But she knew that this was Xuan Ming as he was now.
In order to protect what he believed he "cared about," he was willing to transform into a god or demon who slaughtered millions, and he also disregarded the faith that stemmed from fear.
He embraced her, as if embracing one of the few sources of warmth in his cold world that needed to be "cared for".
All the external events and disturbances are nothing more than insignificant background noise.
Chapter 451 Godhood, Godhead
Deep within the Pope's Palace of Spirit City.
Time has quietly passed, and several months have gone by since that " Heavenly Execution " that shook the continent.
The situation on the mainland underwent a dramatic transformation amidst a strange calm and repression.
The two great empires, Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empire, completely lost the will to resist. Under extreme fear, the remaining troops and noble class chose to surrender unconditionally.
The new policies of the Spirit Hall Empire were rapidly implemented across the entire continent with unstoppable momentum.
The old system of privileges for Soul Master was completely shattered, and a new order was established with near-brutal efficiency amidst the baptism of blood and fire.
Although there were still sporadic resistances and undercurrents during the process, under Xuan Ming's absolute deterrence, which hung over their heads like the Sword of Damocles, any behavior that dared to challenge the new order was quickly suppressed with an iron fist.
The entire continent seemed to have entered an unprecedented period of "peace." However, this peace was forged by absolute fear and obedience.
On that very day, as Bibi Dong finished reviewing the last document concerning the purge of the remaining forces of the two great empires and put down her vermilion pen, an invisible wave transcended the barriers of space and descended upon the consciousness of several key figures in Spirit City.
In Xuan Ming's mind.
That cold, majestic God's Trial will resounded once more:
[ Fifth Trial: Reshaping Order (Completed)]
[Evaluation: Thunderclap measures were taken, yet a compassionate heart was shown. Although the process was brutal, the goal was clear, the will unwavering, and the methods resolute, effectively eradicating the deep-seated problems of the old order and laying an unshakeable foundation for the new order. This aligns with the God's Trial of Kindness, Evil, Destruction, Asura —clear responsibilities, practiced will, not bound by worldly notions of good and evil, but judging heroes solely by results.]
[Assessment Reward: One God-Given Soul Ring (Blessed by the Goddess of Life ).]
A beam of green light, brimming with vitality and gentle warmth, disregarded the distance in space and suddenly descended upon Xuan Ming within the Spirit City Research Institute.
Within the pillar of light, a God-Given Soul Ring, containing immense Life essence and sacred aura, slowly condensed and took shape. Its quality far surpassed that of the past, a gift from the Goddess of Life.
For Xuan Ming, who has already reached the God Level and is still undergoing continuous transformation in all aspects, ordinary Soul Power enhancements or artifact rewards are meaningless.
This God-Given Soul Ring, containing the fundamental laws of Life, is an affirmation of his passing the test and may add a unique quality to his already vast power.
Xuan Ming calmly accepted the reward, paying it little attention, and casually absorbed it into his body, slowly merging it with his own power.
This assessment accurately summarizes the essence of his behavior.
He was not bloodthirsty; he simply chose the most direct and efficient path to achieve his ultimate goal of " Order Reshaping."
The killings during the process are merely a necessary price to pay for clearing obstacles.
The Divine Realm does not recognize his " Kindness," but rather his ruthlessness and efficiency in "using any means to achieve his goals."
This confirms his judgment: the Divine Realm, especially the main Principal God who govern the rules, views problems from a completely different perspective than mortals. They don't care whether the process is bloody, only whether the result conforms to the rules and whether it is conducive to the stability of the Divine Realm's order.
Just like the Divine Realm's attitude towards the Dragon Clan and the Silver Dragon King.
If it weren't for his appearance as an "anomaly," the Divine Realm would never have given Gu Yuena any chance, and would have simply let her fend for herself on Douluo Star, or even secretly pushed for her demise.