Whoosh!
Golden lightning erupted from Indra's body, transforming into a column of electric light that cleaved the sky and clouds, shooting straight toward the Heavenly Realm.
Almost simultaneously,
The throat chakras of deities such as Wind God Vayu, Fire God Agni, Water God Varuna, and Sun God Surya also flickered. Columns of wind, fire, water, and light followed the pillar of lightning, reaching directly up to the Heavenly Realm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Pillars of light infused with the main gods' power shot toward the Heavenly Realm.
The lightning column from Indra was the first to arrive and exploded within the Heavenly Realm.
The lightning, like dragons and snakes in a wild dance, struck down at the very center of the Heavenly Realm.
An indescribable colossal city emerged within the flashes of lightning.
This city was two thousand five hundred yojanas on each side and one and a half yojanas tall, vast and flat with walls constructed of gold that shimmered dazzlingly. A thousand gates stood erect, facing all directions, adorned with pearls, conches, corals, and emerald trees, while below, clouds like white silk wove and floated, as soft to the touch as silk brocade.
Sudarśana City!
The dwelling place of Indra.
Then followed the cities and palaces of the Wind, Fire, Water, and Sun Gods, all thunderously asserting themselves within the Heavenly Realm.
Wind, fire, water, and other divine forces rose and diffused within the Heavenly Realm, bolstering the power of the gods.
"The power is surging!"
Indra felt the intense increase in his inner strength, his heart pounding and blood boiling as he couldn't help but murmur to himself.
The Heavenly Realm is the realm of all gods, and even more so, it is the realm of the Heavenly Emperor.
The Wind, Fire, Water, and Sun Gods, along with all other deities of the Heavenly Realm, had their own divine domains, but the entire Heavenly Realm was the divine domain of the Heavenly Emperor Indra.
Indra's eyes flickered with electric light, feeling his brain trembling.
Power!
The power of the entire Heavenly Realm was flowing through his body!
Powerful! Incredibly powerful!
As Indra was experiencing the surge in his own strength,
Jinmu's eyes abruptly snapped open, his whiskers excitedly curling up as his body trembled with excitement.
His power had fully recovered. As King of Asura, the Earth Realm Force blessed his body, bringing him back to the pinnacle of his power.
This force was strong enough to uphold the earth, and with the Blessing Force added...
"I am now invincible in all the lands!"
Jinmu, King of Asura, swept his gaze across, instantly fixing it upon Indra, his mouth splitting into an excited laugh.
"Hahaha!"
"Let's see the power of the Heavenly Realm, and test the mettle of its ruler!"
With a boisterous laugh, Jinmu took a step forward. His massive body crossed ten thousand miles with one stride. A tremendous golden hammer descended from the sky, aimed straight at the Heavenly Emperor.
An intimidating presence rushed forth. Instinctively, Indra stretched out his hand with fingers spread wide.
Amidst the flashing golden light, a Vajra Pestle appeared.
Fierce lightning converged on the Vajra Pestle, exploding with a force like the fire of the sky, thunderously crashing down.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Upon impact, dark waves of energy exploded, and even space itself seemed to crack at that moment.
After a stand-off with a single exchange,
The powerful aftershock numbed Indra's wrists, and his mind instantly cleared.
Hiss!
Indra couldn't help but take in a sharp breath.
Empowered by the force of the Heavenly Realm, he had just felt invincible, charging straight at Jinmu to engage in battle.
The Heavenly Realm is a poison!
The moment Indra's mind cleared, he immediately retreated, feigning defeat among the assembly of gods.
Jinmu looked on with arrogance, raising a finger at the retreating Indra and scornfully jeering.
"Is this all the power the ruler of the Heavenly Realm has?" Jinmu shook his head, laughing. "Wait until I churn the Milk Sea; then I'll ascend to the Heavenly Realm. You all just wait!"
With that, he turned and left.
"It's simply because Soma has not returned. Once Soma emerges from the Milk Sea, and we drink our fill of Soma Wine, these Asuras will stand no chance!"
The Sun God Surya was resplendent in his golden radiance; he lifted his left hand slightly and sauntered over with a dignified air.
By this time, the darkness that once shrouded him had completely dissipated, and he had regained his brilliant and splendid aspect—handsome in appearance, clothed in gold from head to toe, extravagant to the extreme, each movement exuding a faint aura of arrogance.
"Hmm, with Soma present and after drinking the Soma Wine, our divine power will indeed be even stronger!"
Wind God Vayu, with a golden hoop atop his head and clad in light armor posing as a warrior, nodded in agreement.
Fire God Agni and Water God Varuna also reclaimed their past luster, adorned in golden armor and jewelry that continuously shone brightly.
Indra fell silent for a moment.
Soma was the God of Wine as well as the Moon God.
His name was also the name of the wine itself.
Once the gods drank his Soma Wine, their strength would greatly increase, their divine power would surge, and their combat abilities could easily double.
However…
Compared to the bestowment of blessings, the power gained from imbibing Soma seemed somewhat inferior.
Simply put, drinking Soma Wine had become outdated, and the new age had no vessel capable of carrying it anymore.
Bestowment is the real answer to the version problem!
"Looking at this, the Devas are truly the conservatives, while the Asuras are the ones advocating for reform!"
Indra couldn't help but let his thoughts run wild.
At that moment, streams of heavenly light suddenly cascaded from the sky, and Vishnu, with an affectionate smile, materialized next to Goddess Lakshmi. The two exchanged smiles and vanished from the spot in a flash.
Witnessing this scene, Jinmu snorted coldly, his face stiffening with displeasure.
He had rushed to the Milk Sea to escort Goddess Lakshmi away, but his plans were disrupted. Now, after so much difficulty in bringing Goddess Lakshmi into the fray, Vishnu had whisked her away again.
Clenching his fists, rage boiled within him.
Just then, Asura General Vibhrajit suddenly approached Jinmu.
"King, it wasn't just Goddess Lakshmi who was stirred up. Another goddess has also emerged."
"We've asked around!"
"This goddess was just born; there wasn't much commotion when she appeared, and we found her."
Vibhrajit whispered.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding Asuras couldn't help but feel their eyes light up.
With Goddess Lakshmi following Vishnu away, it was as if the Devas had obtained nothing, while they, on the other hand, had acquired a goddess first.
A fortunate turn of events, indeed!
Sage Sukhacara furrowed his brows, feeling that something was amiss.
Overjoyed, Jinmu quickly said, "Bring her here at once!"
"As you command!"
Vibhrajit moved swiftly.
Shortly after, he returned with a goddess.
Hmm?!
Jinmu furrowed his brows, craning his neck and squinting his eyes, sizing up the goddess with a puzzled look.
This goddess was disheveled in her dress, with messy hair, antelope legs, fish eyes, bovine teeth, and thick lips—an extreme epitome of ugliness. If it weren't for the divine power emanating from her, one might not even recognize her as a goddess.
While Goddess Lakshmi was radiant and splendid, how could this one be so ugly and shabby?
"What is your name, goddess?"
Jinmu fell silent for a moment before asking.
The grotesque goddess slowly spoke, her voice grating like the scraping of a pot.
"Jyeshta!"
The ugly goddess said softly.
With arms folded across his chest, Jinmu thought, "This Goddess Jyeshta may be unsightly, but being born alongside the Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi, she must be connected to her in some way. Definitely a boon, we must not let the Devas find out. We should send her back to Earth without delay."
With that thought, he waved his hand magnanimously, immediately summoning the Asura Holika.
"Holika, take this goddess back to Earth now!"