In the Divine Realm, the dense aura of heavenly essence constantly churns, and a towering palace that glows with golden light stands at the top of the sea of clouds, overlooking the entire Divine Realm.
This is the seat of the highest governing body of the Divine Realm: the Divine Realm Council.
The hall of the palace is octagonal, with no decorations on the walls, but shimmering, illusory images that change constantly.
These illusory images change so rapidly that even gods of somewhat lower power may feel dizzy if they stare at them for too long.
Looking upward, the five-colored mist on the high ceiling seems endless, and the height of the roof is hard to determine.
In the center of the hall, a round table sits, and its surface ripples like water, reflecting a dense forest.
The three highest gods of the Divine Realm are intently watching the water mirror on the table.
They are the Ashura God, and the two God Kings of Good and Evil.
Although the Divine Realm can monitor countless planes in the lower world, due to the vast distance and different flow rates of time, unless there is a medium serving as their ears and eyes—such as a divine artifact left in the lower world or a divine examiner—they can only observe the general direction of the lower world without precise details.
For a thorough search of the lower world, the three God Kings must use the central power of the Divine Realm and jointly perform the secret technique, the Divine Eye.
However, the Divine Eye consumes a great deal of energy. Usually, its activation requires a vote by the Divine Realm Council. But in this case, three votes had already agreed, and they tacitly ignored the remaining two votes.
"The one who just flew by is the leader of the Black Dragon Clan, the most loyal servant of the Dragon God from back then," said the God of Evil, raising an eyebrow. "Should we send someone to eliminate him?"
"A pure-blooded giant dragon is no threat to the Divine Realm," the God of Kindness said in a soft voice. "After the heavenly punishment all those years ago, very few pure-blooded dragons remain in the Douluo World. They cannot cause much harm, so just let him be."
She was the God of Kindness in the Divine Realm, and naturally, she didn't want to engage in such evil deeds.
The God of Shura sneered, his smile tinged with sarcasm.
"It's a pity we couldn't find that silver..." The Evil God suddenly paused.
"What are the three of you looking at?"
A young man in a purple robe silently walked to the entrance of the hall.
Clearly, he had intentionally concealed his presence. The three God Kings, deeply engrossed in their secret techniques, didn't notice his arrival until he appeared at the door.
"A few days ago, Good and I found suitable heirs in the lower world," the Evil God said without changing his expression, lying. "But unfortunately, when we went to find them, those two humans were already dead... Human lives are truly so short."
Then he turned to the God of Destruction, raising an eyebrow. "But why are you here suddenly? Didn't even knock on the door. How rude."
"You three were too focused," the God of Destruction said coldly. Beneath his deep purple hood, two flickers of red light danced.
No one could see the face of the God of Destruction, nor did anyone know if he believed the Evil God's words.
But the few highest gods present all knew that, even if the God of Destruction had doubts, he still had to give the Evil God face.
"Just a clueless heir shouldn't warrant such a grand effort to activate the central power of the Divine Realm," the God of Destruction said coldly.
"Since you and Life don't want to find successors, you have no place to interfere with this matter," Shura God replied, his tone forceful.
He had intentionally chosen a time when the God of Destruction and the God of Life were absent, wanting to avoid their interruption.
"Someone in the lower world tried to ascend to godhood, but failed. The Mind Power Pillar experienced some fluctuations," the God of Destruction said coldly.
"Such a trivial matter, the God of Destruction could have handled it. Why bring it up in the Divine Realm Council?" the Evil God said lazily. "You're not failing to fix it, are you?"
"The purpose of the Divine Realm Council is to maintain the stability of the Divine Realm. Even the smallest matters need to be discussed... after all, it concerns the Divine Realm," the God of Kindness said with a smile.
The God of Destruction snorted.
The God of Kindness seemed to be trying to smooth things over, but in reality, her words were laced with hidden digs.
If he disagreed, it would imply admitting his incompetence.
If he agreed, the next time he tried to make a decision without the Council's approval, the God of Kindness would use this statement against him.
... The God of Good and the God of Evil—while the Evil God measures everything by Interests, the God of Kindness.. she prefers to use her "Kindness" to constrain everything.
"Then I wish you both success in finding your successors soon," the God of Destruction said indifferently.
He turned and left the Council Hall, his robes trailing behind him like a mass of purple clouds.
After the God of Destruction left the Divine Realm Council, he headed straight for the Forest of Life.
With each step, the grass and trees beneath his feet withered, but as his foot rose, the yellowed plants would revert to lush green, as though nothing had happened.
Life and Destruction are such—birth and death, cycling endlessly.
Soon, the God of Destruction arrived at a beautiful valley brimming with countless flowers.
In the center of the valley stood a massive tree so large that it would take a hundred people to encircle it.
He gently lifted his feet and flew towards a small house hidden in the tree's canopy.
"Xiao Zi, you're back!"
A beautiful woman in a water-green dress was sitting at a slightly simple table, focused on creating something.
When the God of Destruction approached, he saw that the Goddess of Life was carefully assembling a bird made of tree branches and leaves, attaching a leaf as a feather to the bird's wings.
... She could easily use divine power to do this.
The God of Destruction felt a little neglected, but he said nothing, leaning forward and quietly watching his wife create the delicate bird.
As soon as the last leaf was attached, a green glow emerged, and the little bird suddenly came to life, hopping around on the table, wagging its tail and spinning.
The man under the hood chuckled softly. With a casual flick of his finger, a purple light flashed, and the bird turned yellow and withered into a pile of dry leaves.
Soon, a pinkish glow flickered from the center of the leaves.
Suddenly, a golden, fluffy chick popped its head out of the pile of withered leaves, chirping at the Goddess of Life.
The bird, supported by the Goddess of Life's divine power, had become a living, breathing creature.
The combined forces of Life and Destruction created new life, but they couldn't bring the two gods a child... perhaps it was their eternal regret.
"You..." The Goddess of Life smiled and shook her head. She lifted her delicate hand, gently removing the God of Destruction's hood, revealing his handsome but pale face.
Her tender fingers ran through his cool white hair, stopping at his temple, massaging him gently.
The God of Destruction closed his purple eyes, his pale face showing a weariness that only appeared in front of his beloved.
"Did you meet with the God of Shura and the others?" the Goddess of Life asked softly. "Did you bring up the idea of expanding the Divine Realm?"
"No," the God of Destruction replied, catching her hand and placing it on his face. "Those three are guarding against us... When I went to the Council Hall, I just happened to catch them using the Divine Eye."
"Using the Divine Eye?" the Goddess of Life said in surprise. "Such a big matter, and they didn't inform you or me?"
The God of Destruction shook his head. "I asked the Evil God. He said... he and Kindness found potential successors, so they used the Divine Eye to check. Hmph, not a word of truth."
"The God Kings who existed when the Divine Realm was first created are now down to just five of us. Shura and the others were cultivated from humans, while you and I were born from the Divine Realm's own power. They must think that we want to expand the Divine Realm to evolve along with it," the God of Destruction said sarcastically, but his words to his wife were heartfelt. "They constantly fight to maintain their positions, so they assume everyone else does the same."
"... It's a pity for those talented ones who can't ascend to the Divine Realm," the Goddess of Life said after a moment of silence, agreeing.
The God of Destruction lay on the table, not noticing the complex look that flashed in his wife's eyes.
End of Chapter 11