Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 351 A clear conscience
……

The God of Evil looked at the silent crowd, a hint of mockery flashing in his crimson eyes, but more so a cold and cruel analysis: "Admit it, everyone. The reason we feel angry and uneasy is not because he has touched a taboo, but because he... is beyond our control. He has made us, who consider ourselves supreme god-kings, feel... powerlessness for the first time."

"This feeling is very unpleasant, isn't it?"

He tilted his head slightly, his tone tinged with amusement, “But that’s reality. This kid named Xuanming has shown us in the most direct way that he’s not a pawn to be manipulated at will. He’s an opponent, or rather, a collaborator, whom we must face squarely, and even treat as an equal.”

“Collaborator?” Poseidon repeated in a trembling voice, finding the word utterly absurd when used between gods and mortals.

"Otherwise what?" the evil god retorted. "Killing them is impossible, and even taking action could lead to complete loss of control. Besides trying to cooperate, guide, or even... trade, do we have any better options?"

"But with his current attitude, insisting on standing with the Dragon Clan, he is destined to become an enemy of the God Realm in the future," the Asura God said in a deep voice.

"An enemy?" The evil god raised an eyebrow. "Who decided that? Just because he inherited the Dragon King's power? Don't forget, he's still human at heart! And a human who understands responsibility and duty better than most gods!"

He surveyed the gods, his tone becoming serious: "What is the purpose of establishing the divine examination? Isn't it to select a successor who is outstanding enough to maintain the order of the divine realm and even lead it to a brighter future? Now, a successor far exceeding our expectations has appeared, yet we hesitate because of the source of his power, and even want to stifle him?"

“Don’t forget, power itself is neither good nor evil.” The God of Kindness echoed softly, “The key lies in the heart of the one who wields the power. And judging from Xuanming’s performance so far, he may be obsessive or insane, but his true heart has never been lost.”

The Asura God's icy voice rang out: "You mean you want to continue training him?"

“It’s not about nurturing, it’s about guiding and investing,” the God of Evil corrected. “Turning potential enemies into future allies, or even… new pillars of the guardian realm. Isn’t that far wiser than going to great lengths to eliminate an enemy that may never be killed?”

The Asura God couldn't help but interject: "But what about the turmoil the Dragon God caused back then..."

"The Dragon God is the Dragon God, and Xuanming is Xuanming!" the God of Evil interrupted him. "We cannot deny all possibilities for the future because of the shadows of the past. Besides, do you think that, given this kid's temperament and control, he would allow himself to become a second Dragon God?"

"Everyone, calm down. Actually, we were already thinking about this possibility when he completed the first test set by Shura in a near-self-destructive way. It's just that you all thought that if even the Dragon God failed, this kid would be even more likely to succeed."

"Isn't that what you think?" the Asura God retorted.

The god of evil shrugged. "Of course, but do we have any other choice now?"

The God of Kindness spoke slowly, “He is still willing to stay within the rules, within our rules, and even… he is striving for a win-win situation.”

"Everyone is happy?" The Asura God frowned.

“Isn’t that right?” the God of Kindness countered.

“How risky is it to face us head-on, to face the divine test? Even if he has the means to survive from us, the price will be extremely high. Yet he still chooses to stand in front of us instead of running away and taking the safer path for him to develop in secret.”

"He is not only fighting for the dragon race, but also for coexistence."

“If we take action, it will be tantamount to pushing him to the most extreme path.”

"It's a fight to the death!"

The last four words, "God of Kindness," struck the hearts of every god-king like a heavy hammer.

The atmosphere inside the temple was frozen solid.

The Asura God clenched his fists tightly; he had to admit that the God of Kindness was right.

Xuanming had every opportunity to choose a more covert path—to hide away with the Dragon God's Heart and the Silver Dragon King, secretly accumulating power. With his talent and the dragon race's resources, given time, he might very well become a major threat to the divine realm.

But he didn't.

He chose the most dangerous, yet also the most "upright" path—standing under the gaze of the divine realm, undergoing divine trials, demonstrating his power, and even at the cost of revealing his trump cards.

This is not foolishness; it is a gesture, a willingness to resolve issues within the rules.

If the divine realm chooses to overturn the table now, it would be tantamount to extinguishing the last glimmer of possibility for peaceful coexistence, and completely forcing Xuanming onto the dead end of a fight to the death with the divine realm.

"This kid isn't provoking us; he's...seeking a new order. A new order that allows the remaining bloodline of the dragons, that allows those he cares about, and perhaps even...the divine realm itself to find a way out," said the God of Evil.

"And we, will we choose to become stumbling blocks on his path, forcing him to become an avenger who destroys everything, or will we choose to become guides, or even... future collaborators, to jointly shape a new future?"

The choice seems to have returned to the hands of the Divine Realm Committee once again. But this time, they are no longer passively responding to Xuanming's moves, but have begun to truly consider the long-term implications.

The Asura God slowly sat back on his throne, his cold eyes flashing with complex light.

He had to admit that the analysis of evil and good hit the nail on the head.

Xuanming's actions, seemingly reckless and provocative, were in fact calculated step by step, precisely targeting the weaknesses of the Divine Realm Committee: its internal divisions, its pursuit of stability and order, and its assessment of the potential value of an unprecedented "outlier".

He is indeed... striving for coexistence.

In an extremely tough and dangerous way, yet within the rules!

A deep confusion flashed in the God of Destruction's crimson eyes, and his deep voice broke the silence of the temple: "I still don't understand... why did he take such a risk? Since he already possessed enough power to protect himself, even enough to make us hesitate to act, he could have continued to pretend, secretly accumulating power and waiting for a better opportunity. Why did he choose this... almost self-destructive method, exposing all his trump cards to us?"

This is illogical! A person with such a meticulous mind and far-sighted planning should not make such an "impulsive" and "unwise" choice.

The God of Asura remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"Because he needs a reason."

"Reason?" The God of Destruction frowned, and the other god-kings also cast puzzled glances at him.

“A reason… sufficient to support all his future actions, even sufficient to convince himself to completely oppose the divine realm… and us.” The Asura God’s voice was deep and clear.

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before continuing, "The sacrifice of the Ice and Fire Dragon King, the entrustment of the Silver Dragon King, the remaining hope of the dragon race... these gave him ample reason to stand on the side of the dragon race and fight for it with everything he had. This is what he should do given his current status and position."

“However,” the Asura God’s tone shifted, his blood-red eyes sweeping over the other God-Kings, “to oppose the God Realm? To be an enemy of the entire God Realm’s order? That reason is not enough for him.”

"Not enough?" The god of evil raised an eyebrow, as if he had thought of something.

"Yes, not enough," the Asura God affirmed. "Since he began his divine trials, although each test has been inhumanly harsh, even cruel, there has always been a glimmer of hope. The goal of the trials has never been to drive him to the brink of death. What we really need to see is the attitude of the Dragon Clan, and his attitude."

"The content of the divine test, and the restraint and adherence to rules that we demonstrated during the test, also allowed Xuanming to see the attitude of the divine realm, and to see... our attitude."

“He saw that the divine realm was not monolithic, not entirely cold-blooded, and did not necessarily have to exterminate the dragon race.”

"So... he also used this method to express his attitude."

"He disdains sneaking around, disdains lurking in the shadows, waiting for some future opportunity to jump out and seek revenge. What he wants is a fair and square contest, a competition in the open, a... either coexistence or a complete break to the death!"

"He laid all his chips on the table, forcing us to make a choice. He also forced himself... to make the final choice."

“If we choose to destroy him, that’s fine. He will finally have a reason that is sufficient, tragic, and enough to allow him to oppose the entire divine realm without any psychological burden.”

"For survival, for revenge."

The God of Evil clapped his hands and chuckled, his eyes full of admiration: "Brilliant! Truly brilliant! This kid is not only terrifying in strength and talent, but also extremely arrogant! He is willing to risk being wiped out by us to play his cards fair and square, telling us that we either settle things within the rules or be prepared to face a completely insane enemy!"

Poseidon murmured, "This is truly... an utter madman..."

“A proud, obsessive madman with his own set of rules,” the Goddess of Kindness added softly, her tone tinged with an indescribable emotion. “He chose the most difficult path, just to seek… a clear conscience.”

Silence fell once again in the temple.

The purple light around the God of Destruction subsided, and he fell silent. He finally understood the deeper logic behind Xuanming's seemingly contradictory behavior.

This isn't stupidity; it's the ultimate madness born from extreme pride!
He is not only forcing the divine realm to make a statement, but also looking for a "reason" for himself!
A solid reason to support his future path, whether it be destruction or coexistence!

He disdains compromise; he wants a fair and square duel, a high-stakes gamble with no way out!

"In that case, the divine test..."

"continue!"

(End of this chapter)