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Life in the god realm was almost akin to retirement for the elderly.
However, every year, the Divine Council held a meeting to address accumulated trivial matters and discuss future plans—though for decades now, it had been stagnant, with no new initiatives proposed.
"What does the Destruction God King want by suddenly convening this council early?"
Ye Wen sat lazily on his throne, waiting for the others to arrive.
When the Destruction God King first notified him, Ye Wen thought his plan to attack the god realm had been exposed. After all, he had just finished giving orders to prepare for battle when the Destruction God King summoned him—what an odd coincidence.
But coincidences like this did happen.
After some careful thought, Ye Wen realized that he was still a newly ascended God King, weak, pitiful, and helpless compared to the veteran peak God Kings of Destruction and Life.
If they wanted to take down someone as insignificant as him, it would be simple—they'd just charge in instead of notifying him.
Moreover, Ye Wen had his own confidence.
After all, he was the fastest being in the god realm.
At any moment, Ye Wen was prepared to activate his teleportation divine skill. If anyone showed even the slightest ill intent, he'd escape first.
A short while later, the other four God Kings also took their seats.
Seeing the slightly confused expressions of the Goodness and Evil God Kings, Ye Wen knew things were stable.
At least these two God Kings, like him, had no idea what the Destruction God intended.
As soon as the Destruction God sat in the central seat, he got straight to the point.
"Everyone, the way the god realm is going isn't sustainable."
At this, Ji Dong, the Evil God, raised his hand and said, "Destruction Big Brother, what exactly about the god realm are you referring to?"
The Destruction God gestured slightly, signaling Ji Dong to wait until he finished speaking.
"Compared to the former glory of the god realm, its current functionality is less than ten percent. Moreover, over the years, the foundation of this god realm has been slowly eroding. If we remain idle, in a hundred years, this god realm will be on the brink of collapse."
By this point, Ye Wen already knew what the Destruction God King was getting at.
It was nothing more than cutting costs and finding new sources of growth.
Although Ye Wen was now the fifth in rank among the god realm's hierarchy, such occasions clearly didn't allow a newcomer like him to speak. Shrugging, he settled in to watch the show.
As expected, the Evil God immediately opposed.
"Destruction Big Brother, your points make sense, but you know how battered the god realm is now. It's not suitable for drastic changes. One wrong move, and this god realm could collapse entirely.
I suggest we take our time and plan carefully. For instance, we should wait until one of us—ahem, I mean, one of the five of us—breaks through to the next level before taking action."
The Evil God clearly noticed Ye Wen's resentful gaze and quickly corrected himself.
He had forgotten about the usually unassuming Vast Sea God King—it was awkward.
"Wait, wait, wait—
Do you think we don't know how difficult the next level is? My wife and I have no confidence in breaking through within a hundred years, or even two hundred. Do you think your wives can do better?"
Watching the two couples clash, Ye Wen remained unmoved, even suppressing a yawn.
This was the downside of a divided power structure. Whenever someone wanted to take action, there would always be others opposing and throwing obstacles in the way.
However, Ye Wen was more interested in what they referred to as the "next level."
Though he had long suspected that the God King realm wasn't the ultimate limit of this universe, the information passed down from Poseidon contained no description of anything beyond the God King realm. After all, Poseidon himself hadn't fully mastered the Dao of the Sea God.
The two sides continued bickering, citing various scriptures and doctrines, making Ye Wen cringe internally.
During the argument, the Evil God tried to pull Ye Wen onto their side to oppose the Destruction God together.
After some thought, Ye Wen decided to intervene and stop the Destruction God's plans to expand or strengthen the god realm.
How?
Simple. He told the Destruction God to present a concrete plan instead of spouting nonsense. How could someone who didn't even understand the mechanisms of the god realm propose expanding it? Wasn't that just wishful thinking?
These words indeed had an effect, cooling the overheated Destruction God, who had been eager to accomplish great feats.
Though the five God Kings were powerful, none of their abilities were suited for creation.
The Life God King, the closest to this domain, excelled in nurturing life but lacked the ability to expand the god realm.
Watching the Destruction God fall silent after being shot down by his own words, Ye Wen thought to himself, "Is this all?"
"Han Hai {T/N: Vast Sea}, you're right. This time, I was rash. I only thought about restoring the god realm but forgot we lack the necessary expertise.
The Dragon God once possessed a divine core capable of creation, which made him particularly adept at constructing the god realm."
Ye Wen looked at the Destruction God King in exasperation. Why had he drifted off into reminiscence again? What a waste of time.
Ye Wen had already been informed about the Dragon God after becoming a God King, as the highest decision-makers in the god realm needed to know at least a bit about its history.
He even knew where the Golden Dragon King was imprisoned.
But that wasn't urgent. If he could conveniently deal with it later, so be it.
Suddenly, an idea struck Ye Wen. Hadn't he always wanted to turn the tables and free Douluo Star from the god realm's control?
Over the years, Ye Wen had been studying the structure of the god realm, but he had never found its core. At one point, he even considered the idea of wiping out most of the god realm's forces and destroying it outright. But now, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
"Destruction Big Brother."
Ye Wen suddenly interrupted the Destruction God's reminiscing, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"My divine position is highly inclusive. I'd like to try studying the structure of the god realm. Perhaps I could visit the core of the god realm and deduce a way to reinforce it."
Ye Wen's words enlightened the Destruction God.
The Destruction God vaguely remembered the soul-guiding civilization of Douluo Star—it wasn't as powerful as divine energy, but it was quite ingenious and seemed to align with the technological needs of the current god realm.
Moreover, Ye Wen had a history of independently developing soul-guiding tools. Now, he could even forge divine artifacts, and thanks to him, soul-guiding technology had once again flourished on Douluo Star.
"I almost forgot you had this talent," the Destruction God praised.
Then, the Destruction God released a surge of divine energy.
The screen that had previously hovered in the center of the Divine Council, surrounded by the five God Kings, instantly vanished, revealing a deep, mysterious passageway.
With a sigh, the Destruction God remarked, "Ever since the Dragon God fell and no new planets joined, it's been a long time since we've visited the core of the god realm. Let's all go down and take a look.
As the highest authority in the god realm, it's unacceptable for us to remain ignorant of its structure."
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