The God of Destruction looked at Li Zhexian.
"According to the laws of the Divine Realm, Spirit Beasts are forbidden from becoming gods."
"Those three Spirit Beasts of yours should, by statute, be sent back to the lower realm."
Within the Sea of Consciousness—
"Brother Zhexian!"
The Skydream Ice Worm rolled about anxiously.
"Use Calamity Rebirth on him!"
The Ice Empress and Snow Empress clenched their slender hands, helplessness welling up in their deep blue eyes.
Was it still impossible to escape the iron law that Spirit Beasts could never ascend to godhood?
"Zhexian…"
"We can return to the Extreme North first…"
"No need to worry." Li Zhexian's calm voice brushed gently through the Sea of Consciousness.
Inside the divine hall—
Li Zhexian raised his eyes to meet the gaze of the God of Destruction.
"What if I say no?"
Those five casual words
sent a chill down the spines of the gods.
The Sea God, who had only just returned to his seat, almost instinctively rose again.
The other gods secretly circulated their divine power as well, ready to tear space apart and flee at any moment.
Ever since the Calamity of the Dragon God,
the Divine Realm had gone far too long without a god-king–level divine war.
On one side stood the ancient God King who wielded the authority of Destruction.
On the other stood a newly ascended God King, sharp and resplendent, in command of multiple authorities.
Li Zhexian and the God of Destruction faced each other across the hall.
Sword intent and destructive aura collided violently in the void.
Zzzzt!
Zzzzt!
Space was torn apart like tattered cloth. Spatial turbulence surged like raging rivers, sword intent and destructive force evenly matched.
Just as the Primordial Sword Intent was about to erupt from Li Zhexian's fingertips—
two gentle powers intervened. The God of Kindness and the Goddess of Life stepped in, softly separating the two.
"That's enough," Ji Dong said with a smile.
"If you two God Kings truly clash, this divine hall will need to be rebuilt."
The God of Destruction remained indifferent.
"Spirit Beasts cannot become gods. That is an iron law."
"If it is truly an iron law," Li Zhexian replied, "then why was I able to bring them into the Divine Realm? Could this not be tacit approval by the laws themselves?"
This counterquestion left the God of Destruction momentarily speechless.
Ji Dong spoke at just the right moment: "The Sword Lord speaks reasonably."
"Once you reshape divine bodies for them, it will no longer violate the laws."
"Besides, a God King's territory still requires subordinate deities."
The God of Destruction fell silent for a long while before finally nodding with a furrowed brow.
"Since we are on this topic... it just so happens I wish to ask as well," Li Zhexian interrupted him. "Why is it that Spirit Beasts cannot become gods?"
He flicked his finger lightly.
A vast scroll of space and time slowly unfurled at the center of the divine hall.
It depicted the predetermined future of the Douluo Continent over tens of thousands of years…
Even with the method of Spirit Souls,
Spirit Beasts still marched toward extinction under the expansion of human civilization.
Forests burned, the Extreme North melted, the seas dried up…
Even the Dragon body of the Beast God Di Tian was forged into a warship.
Spirit Beasts were utterly erased within the long river of history.
Skydream, the Ice Empress, and the Snow Empress stared blankly at the scenes within the scroll, endless bitterness churning in their hearts.
"Ten thousand years of time, to gods, is but the blink of an eye,"
Li Zhexian's low voice echoed through the hall.
"The calamity of survival facing the Spirit Beast race lies within this seemingly near future."
"I know that even gods cannot resolve the fundamental conflict between humans and Spirit Beasts."
"Today, I do not seek to solve this ancient dilemma."
He swept his gaze across the gods, each word weighing a thousand catties:
"I seek only to win the Spirit Beast race a chance to ascend to godhood."
The echo lingered.
The gods fell silent.
Even Ji Dong's expression turned solemn.
Upon the throne, the Asura God opened his eyes, crimson pupils churning like a sea of blood.
At that moment of silence—
An elderly man in gray robes abruptly rose to his feet, ignoring the anxious tugging of the divine attendants beside him, and shouted in a deep voice:
"Those who are not of our kind will inevitably harbor alien hearts!"
He stared straight at Li Zhexian, his voice ringing like a great bell:
"Sword Lord God King, since you have already merged with the divine crystal, you must surely know the ancient history of the Divine Realm."
"Including the divine catastrophe ignited by the Dragon God?"
The old man stepped forward, scripture in hand.
"This humble servant asks but one question…"
"If today's decision by the Sword Lord God King were to rekindle a war among the gods, causing the Divine Realm to collapse…"
"Would you be able to bear this heaven-shaking karmic sin?!"
He was not, in the strictest sense, a god.
Rather, he stood beneath the divine ranks—
a Keeper-of-the-Flame, a divine functionary tasked with recording the changing epochs of the Divine Realm.
The old man had already prepared himself to be slain by a single sword strike from this newly ascended God King.
He lifted his head and closed his eyes.
Yet what he heard was—
"I can bear it." Li Zhexian's reply was clear and calm.
He bent a finger and lightly tapped the void. Starlight from all directions gathered, condensing into a resplendent divine decree inscribed in the heavens—one of the authorities he commanded:
[To oversee and eliminate anomalous existences that may shake the foundations of the Divine Realm.]
"This is my duty. I can bear it."
"If that day truly comes, I will shoulder it alone."
The divine hall remained silent.
Yet something subtle had changed.
Even those gods who harbored misgivings toward the sharp edge of this newly ascended God King could not help but feel a trace of admiration in their hearts for such near-arrogant resolve and bearing.
The Keeper-of-the-Flame studied Li Zhexian deeply, then finally shook his head and sat down.
At that moment—
the God of Destruction spoke:
"Sword Lord, give it up."
Purple destructive aura flowed quietly around him.
"Even if your blade is enough to cow the gods; even if today you could persuade every god present; even if… we were all to agree that Spirit Beasts may become gods."
He raised his eyes, gazing at the white-robed youth with a cold indifference forged over countless eons.
"It would still be meaningless."
Ji Dong let out a soft sigh and nodded helplessly. "That is indeed the case."
Li Zhexian frowned.
The Asura God, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke:
"Sword Lord, you do not possess the authority to alter the laws of the Divine Realm."
He paused slightly before continuing:
"To be precise…"
"Since the birth of the Divine Realm, not a single deity has ever been granted such authority."
"On the contrary, all authorities wielded by the gods are bestowed by the laws of the Divine Realm themselves."
The Asura God's gaze pierced toward Li Zhexian.
"If you wish to change the laws that sustain the very existence of the Divine Realm, you must possess power that stands above those laws."
"In other words…"
"You must, by your own strength alone…"
"Defeat the combined might of the three thousand gods…"
"including the five of us God Kings."
The expressions in the gods' eyes grew inscrutable.
Among the seats of the first-class gods—
Qian Renxue gazed at the white-robed youth, a trace of pain flickering across her exquisite face.
Her trust in him was as unshakable as bedrock.
Even before the gods,
that faith had never wavered in the slightest.
Today's ascent to the Divine Realm was precisely the moment Li Zhexian needed to establish his authority, which was why she had restrained herself from acting several times earlier.
However—
to defeat three thousand gods alone…
That was something even the Dragon God could never have accomplished.
The karmic burden of the Spirit Beasts was far greater than anyone had imagined.
"Sword Lord, what say you?"
The Asura God spread his palm.
A sea of blood rose and fell within it, slowly condensing into the Asura Sword.
"Leaving aside the matter of one man facing three thousand gods."
"Your authority of judgment already divides my own authority."
"So why not…"
"You and I test our blades?"