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

Chapter 364 The Choice Between Destruction and Life
……

The Asura God's cold gaze swept over Bibi Dong, who had achieved a balance between the Asura and Rakshasa God powers on the mirror, and he remained silent for a moment.

The chilling aura of killing intent emanating from him seemed to have softened slightly compared to usual. Clearly, the madness, decisiveness, and ultimate control that Xuanming and Bibi Dong displayed in this trial met, to some extent, his extremely demanding implicit requirements for the successor's character.

However, a new and rather tricky choice lay before him—to whom should he pass on his position as the Asura God who held the power of judgment and slaughter?
From the perspective of pure compatibility and potential, Xuanming is undoubtedly the better choice. His ruthlessness in splitting his soul to reshape his martial spirit, his profound understanding of the essence of killing, and his madness in doing anything to achieve his goals are all perfectly aligned with the core laws of the Asura Godhood.

But Bibi Dong is no less remarkable. She successfully fused the opposing divine powers of Rakshasa and Asura, forging her own path. Her mutated killing domain is both unpredictable and domineering, possessing immense potential. More importantly, she also possesses the unwavering will to rise from the ashes in dire circumstances.

However, the God of Asura had to consider a deeper issue—the complex and unbreakable relationship between Xuanming and Bibi Dong.

If the position of Asura God were to be passed on to Bibi Dong… given that the fates of these two are now almost intertwined, what choice would Bibi Dong make if the God Realm were to experience major disagreements in the future due to issues left over from the Dragon Clan or other matters?

The answer is almost without a doubt—she will undoubtedly stand on Xuanming's side, regardless of right or wrong.

If it were an ordinary matter, the Asura God might not care.

However, when it comes to an old problem like the Dragon God, which is enough to shake the foundation of the divine realm, the fact that a law enforcement god in charge of judgment and killing so clearly favors one side will undoubtedly bring great uncertainty and may even trigger serious conflict within the divine realm.

Passing the divine position to Xuanming? This might seem to avoid the aforementioned problems, but Xuanming's entanglement with the dragon race is much deeper. The sacrifice of the Ice and Fire Dragon King, the binding with the Silver Dragon King, and his own bizarre logic of "fearing comfort and seeking his own destruction" all make his future full of greater uncertainties.

Just as the God of Asura was weighing his options, the God of Evil seemed to see through his concerns, stroked his chin, and said with a playful smile, "Asura, are you having trouble deciding who to pass the divine position to? Actually... you don't necessarily need to make a decision now."

"Their journey is far from over. The Nine Trials of Poseidon... or rather, this test we've jointly set up is far from finished. Why not take another look?"

The God of Asura remained silent for a moment, then asked, "So... what's the reward for this test?"

"Who will give it to us?"

This question brought a brief silence to the temple. This assessment had far-reaching implications, and the distribution of rewards also needed to be considered.

Just then, a flash of purple lightning appeared around the God of Destruction, and a divinely bestowed soul ring, exuding pure destructive aura and dark purple in color, was formed. He casually sent it out, and it transformed into a stream of light that pierced through the barrier of the divine realm and fell towards the direction of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye in the lower realm.

"The process was a bit crazy, but the result... I'm very satisfied! This kind of courage to seek a way out of a desperate situation, even at the cost of destruction to bring about new life, is very much to my liking!" the God of Destruction said calmly.

"Even if things go wrong with the dragon clan later, I will find a way to protect him. I think this position of God of Destruction is quite suitable for him."

Upon hearing this, even the Goddess of Life beside him glanced at him slightly, then smiled gently and replied, "Since Xiao Zi already has this intention, then Gu Yuena is quite compatible with my position as the God of Life. If the two of them can inherit our positions, even if the old problems of the Dragon God are difficult to resolve, the supreme authority that combines destruction and life will be enough to protect the Soul Beast race and allow them to be reborn and revived."

Destruction and life, the two supreme god-kings in the Divine Realm Council, at this moment, almost clearly expressed their intention to pass on their divine positions to Xuanming and Guyuena!
This means that no matter how the Dragon Clan issue is resolved in the future, and no matter what the relationship is between Xuanming and other forces in the God Realm, as long as the two of them do not do anything to betray the fundamental interests of the God Realm, the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life will become their strongest support!
Having the status of two God-Kings is enough to give the Soul Beast race a great deal of say and living space within the rules of the God Realm!

Although the other god-kings in the temple were somewhat surprised by the decisiveness of the god of destruction and the statement of the goddess of life, they did not voice any objections.

A subtle balance was in the air.

The God of Kindness's gentle gaze swept over the assembled god-kings, and he said softly, "Destruction and life have their own reasons for their intentions. The nature and potential of these two individuals have indeed been sufficiently demonstrated."

Her words carried a profound meaning, revealing the common concern in the hearts of all the god-kings.

After all, the dragon clan's affairs have escalated to this point, becoming a deep-seated problem that must be addressed.

Even if Xuanming ultimately fails in this "Nine Trials of the Sea God" set up by them, would he give up?

Obviously impossible!
Regardless of whether Xuanming has any other hidden methods, Gu Yuena's current possession of the Dragon God's Heart is enough to allow her to escape with Xuanming and break free from the control of the God Realm.

As a super artifact left behind by the Dragon God, the Heart of the Dragon God possesses unfathomable power. Even a God-King might not be entirely confident that he could capture them without causing a huge upheaval.

Every god-king present knew perfectly well what it meant once things reached that point.

The universe is vast and boundless, and there exists more than just their realm of gods. A prodigy like Xuanming, with terrifying potential, coupled with Gu Yuena burdened by the karma of the Dragon God, if they were to escape their sight and wander into the sphere of influence of another realm of gods…

Other divine realms do not share the same millennia-long entanglement and fear of the dragon race and dragon gods. To those realms, Xuanming and Gu Yuena are not trouble, but rather invaluable treasures with boundless potential, worthy of strong support! If they could be nurtured and become new pillars of their divine realm's fighting force, their value would be immeasurable.

At that time, they will lose not only a possible option for solving the problems left by the Dragon God, but also two powerful rivals with unlimited potential in the future divine realm! This is undoubtedly a situation that no god-king would want to see.

Rather than pushing such a potential threat into an uncontrollable future, it is better to give it sufficient attention and "investment" while it is still under control and within the rules, guiding it in a direction that is beneficial to our side.

The decisive statements of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life were based on this profound consideration. They saw the immeasurable potential of Xuanming and Guyuena, and also foresaw the greater risks that might arise from letting things go unchecked.

A knowing glint flashed in the evil god's crimson eyes. He chuckled softly, tacitly acknowledging the decision of destruction versus life.

Although the God of Asura remained silent, the sharp light in his cold, blood-red eyes dimmed somewhat. He understood that, on a larger strategic level, the decision of destruction over life was correct. His personal choice regarding inheritance needed to be compromised and adjusted in the face of the overall interests of the divine realm.

The atmosphere within the temple quietly reached a certain consensus due to the clear stances of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life, as well as deeper considerations of the cosmic landscape.

The divine realm's "test" of Xuanming and Guyuena will continue, but the tone has changed.

The initial scrutiny, apprehension, and even repressive tests have begun to shift towards a more inclusive and even supportive approach to observation and guidance.

……

Just as the various god-kings of the divine realm reached a subtle consensus, in the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire in the lower realm, Xuanming's consciousness finally slowly awoke from a deep slumber.

He opened his heavy eyelids, and the first thing he saw was Bibi Dong's pair of purple eyes, filled with concern and weariness. She was still holding him in her arms, radiating a stable and powerful divine energy, clearly indicating that her condition had stabilized.

"You're awake?" Bibi Dong breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Xuanming nodded slightly, sensing his own condition.

His soul power and spiritual power were still depleted. The two consecutive Dragon Emperor Devouring Realm attacks had severely depleted his body, and even the domineering recovery power of the Abyss Dragon Emperor Body could not withstand it.

He struggled to sit up, but Bibi Dong gently pressed him down.

"Don't move, you've used up too much energy," she whispered, while continuously channeling gentle soul power into his body.

Just then, two completely different yet equally vast and powerful energies descended without warning, precisely striking Xuanming and Gu Yuena!
[The third of the Nine Trials of the Sea God: Slaying Evil and Pacifying Souls. Completed.]

[Rewards: Soul Power level increased by two levels. One divinely bestowed Soul Ring. All Soul Rings' age increased by 10,000 years.]

[Silver Dragon King Gu Yuena, for assisting in the completion of the third of the Nine Trials of the Sea God, is rewarded with 10% recovery of her primordial injuries.]

As the reward arrived, the healing light of the Goddess of Life also shone on Xuanming, and his originally weak body was rapidly restored.

The Blood Spear's six black and two red rings, along with its eight spirit rings, simultaneously appeared, especially the first six colors, which deepened and transformed at a visible speed!
Immediately afterwards, another portion of golden light condensed in front of Xuanming, transforming into a brand new, dark purple sphere of light with destructive lightning patterns flowing across its surface. It was the divine soul ring bestowed by the God of Destruction.

On the other side, under the nourishment of the emerald green life essence, Gu Yuena's face, which had been somewhat pale due to maintaining the power of creation for a long time, quickly regained its rosy color. Her aura became more harmonious and profound, and nine-colored halos flowed in her silver-purple eyes, clearly indicating that she had benefited greatly.

"The God of Destruction?"

Gu Yuena was somewhat surprised to see the divinely bestowed soul ring before her, which contained an aura of extreme destruction.

She thought the God of Destruction wouldn't get involved in this matter, since that guy had never paid much attention to matters concerning the dragon race; such things were usually handled by evil, good, and the Asuras.

However, it makes sense, since the Goddess of Life is involved in this matter, it's impossible for the God of Destruction to remain uninvolved.

Moreover, neither the previous Killing Ring nor the Evil Ring were ordinary divine-given soul rings. They both contained a portion of divine power and had the potential to grow into a million-year soul ring, that is, a divine ring.

(End of this chapter)