"Looks like I was worried for nothing." Chuckling wryly, Wulin gazed at the abyss of universal judgment brewing before him. Hundreds of thousands nine colored streaks of light struck the spatial anomaly, the pure white maelstrom quickly turning into a tapestry of numerous colors.
The universe may not have reacted to the merging of universes as it was an entirely 'fair' exchange. The universe rules over all so it was more fitting to call it a multiversal order that didn't roll off the tongue quite as well. Regardless, the universal order didn't care for two of its domains merging together. To it, the merger was no different than a company buying another.
But that same indifference didn't apply to a god trying to extend its reach prematurely, especially a god such as the Phoenix God. Its divine throne didn't extend to this realm as the synchronization between the two universes was too small. As a result of the god's rash actions, it had enraged the universal order and pushed its descent even further into the future.
"My god!" Seto was the first to approach him after sensing his presence, his usual impeccable attire torn and dirtied. Glancing at him for a moment, Wulin gently tapped him on the shoulder before returning his gaze to the maelstrom of nine colors.
"You've done well. A building can be rebuilt and money can be rearmed but lives cannot." It was meaningless praise, all of it well known to Seto, but Wulin had the feeling some positive reinforcement would be required anyway. Seto held himself to a high standard, higher than he should really, so even a small thing like this would affect him greatly.
"…I am undeserving of your praise." Hanging his head low, Seto didn't want to see his God's current expression. That gentle smile… was far worse than any insult at the moment. Seto had failed and allowed the task given to him to burn to the ground.
Gazing at the rubble and ash that once made up the flourishing FUG headquarters, Wulin didn't care nearly as much as one would expect. Yes, they had spent billions building it but that was nothing more than pocket change. Worrying about that much money had as much worth to him as counting pennies.
The people huddling in the metallic hut Imort hurriedly set up was far more important. With Seto bearing the brunt of the Phoenix God's aura and Imort swiftly building a shelter, very few lives e were lost. Wulin couldn't revive those who died nor could he restore the building that had encapsulated FUG's hopes but he could protect his people.
The powerful thump of his heart echoed through his spiritual sea, divinity washing over the entirety of the land he claimed as his domain. The black sands, untouched by technology, would welcome any who had been forsaken. That was the start of their contingent, the Black Shores.
Clasping his hands together, a glob of crimson blood squeezed itself out of his fingertip before the wound healed itself instantly. As the Golden Dragon Emperor, Wulin's blood was annihilated personified. However, it was also death personified.
Wulin couldn't repair anything nor could he revive the dead. But he could at least do something for those who couldn't live to see another tomorrow. To those whose sunrise would be their last, Wulin would offer them a requiem born from his soul.
Glittering gold specs floated from corpses and ash alike, the souls of the deceased swiftly piecing themselves together. In a matter of seconds, a dozen or so golden ghosts stood before the stunned FUG members, both sides looking at one another in disbelief.
"Send them off but do not say goodbye." Suddenly behind Imort, Luslec the God of Devils moved through the crowd as silent as a specter, and yet his voice reached all of them. His every step caused the earth to quake and stillness surrounded them as he pointed his finger toward the heavens.
A beam of darkness struck the raging abyss, the first rays of sunlight in what felt like an eternity finally reigning down on them. The rumble of the Heavenly Tribulation ceased as silence consumed them all. They had all long since heard of their founder's divine status but to see it with their own eyes…!
"When FUG rules both the heavens and the earth, you shall have your chance to meet again, not as mortals but as gods." Lowering his finger, Luslec watched on impassively as the humans and golden ghosts chattered away and gushed about what had just happened. His divinity helped immensely but he had used a large amount of blood essence to do this.
'I'll have to focus on recovery for a while. That'll help Yun Ming too.' Absentmindedly pondering the repercussions of his battle lust, Wulin turned his attention to the spatial anomaly. Though momentary frozen in time, ultimately it wouldn't last. The Phoenix God was stopped for the time being due to the Universal Order but he'd return. That wasn't his current problem though.
The Phoenix God's actions were eerily familiar, entirely logical in nature. As soon as they found the two halves of their eternal enemy through Dai'er, it used her body as a medium to kill them right then and there. It was a logical plan, one fully intent on uprooting them before they could grow any further.
'He's either reckless or a robot.' Humming to himself, Luslec didn't even try to stop the small smirk that graced his features. The reckless were easy to take advantage of and though robots were a bit harder to work around, they were all too familiar to Wulin.
Through this one meeting, Wulin could roughly tell how this war between universes would play out. In both situations, Wulin could see his side winning. The only problem was that for that to happen, both he and Gu Yuena at least would die.
[I know what you're thinking and I'd like to warn you, it is suicide.] Sighing heavily, Tang San knew that his efforts would never bear fruit. Seeing his eyes staring at the now nine color maelstrom, Tang San would have to be a fool not to notice.
"I've lost track of how many times you've said that yet I'm still standing." Snorting disinterestedly, Wulin stepped through space and approached the spatial anomaly. He'd have to make some preparations to take advantage of this chance.
Finally, after millions of years, the Hidden Dragon Method would resurface.
****
Hey there, hope you liked the chapter.
For a while, I was actually tempted to rewrite everything from the tournament onward. It had its highs and the Phoenix God reveal was important, but I felt like I threw the powerscaling out the window. But then I thought about it a bit more from the perspective of Yun Ming. It would be pretty easy for him to claim it was a secret technique that Wulin and Yuena used that weakened them, wouldn't it? Besides, a hyper douluo level attack doesn't make them equal to a hyper douluo.
If you want more chapters, head to patre*on.com/TrapOverlord for up to 25 extra chapters. It isn't required but it'd be much appreciated.