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...The storm in the Asura Gods Divine Residence, after lasting for a full day and night, finally turned into a calm drizzle.
The air was filled with the lingering resonance of divine force that had not yet dissipated, as well as a hint of ambiguous sweetness.
The wide bed, crafted from some unknown rare divine material, was now a complete mess.
Bibi Dong leaned lazily in Xuan Ming's arms. The majesty of an Empress who usually ruled the World had long since vanished, replaced by a tenderness like water. She extended her finger, gently drawing circles on Xuan Ming's chest, her thoughts involuntarily drifting back to the past.
"Do you remember our first meeting?"
Her voice was a bit raspy, yet filled with infinite reminiscence. "Back then at the Supreme Pontiff Palace, you were kidnapped from Heaven Dou City by Yue Guan. You were like a stubborn kid who hadn't grown up yet, all dull and slow. When facing me, you were still as stubborn as a dead duck; clearly scared to death, yet you insisted on pretending to be indifferent."
Saying this, she couldn't help but chuckle, looking up at Xuan Ming's peerlessly handsome profile, her eyes full of doting.
"Even now, your personality hasn't changed much. In matters of emotion, you're still as dull as before."
Xuan Ming looked down at her and didn't respond.
He only held the woman in his arms tighter, his chin resting gently on the top of her head, feeling that familiar warmth.
The past?
For Xuan Ming, it wasn't a beautiful time worth reminiscing about repeatedly.
Whether it was the humiliation of being sold as a slave, the madness of slaughtering lives in the Slaughter City, or the pain of facing Life-and-death trials on Sea God Island... those memories were more like the price that had to be paid to reach this step today.
He didn't want to look back, because that would mean re-examining his former self—weak, helpless, and constantly in fear.
He cared more about the present.
Now, he was strong enough. He stood at the Peak of all living beings, possessing the power to rewrite all rules.
He had obtained everything he wanted and protected the people he wanted to protect.
He no longer needed to look at anyone's face, no longer needed to worry about whether tomorrow's sun would still rise.
This was what was real.
This was what he had fought so hard to grasp.
"Let the past be the past," Xuan Ming said indifferently. "Rather than reminiscing, I prefer to live in the moment."
How clever Bibi Dong was; she instantly sensed that hint of indifference in Xuan Ming's emotions.
Her heart ached slightly, knowing this man had carried too much along the way. She didn't continue the topic, but instead snuggled obediently in his arms, enjoying this rare tranquility.
After a long time, she spoke again, her tone becoming a bit more serious.
"So, what are your plans next?"
"Over at the God Realm Committee, things were a mess a while ago," Bibi Dong said. "The former Asura God and that old fellow Poseidon, the Sea God, during the time you were in seclusion, said the World was so big they wanted to go see it. The two of them agreed to leave the God Realm to explore the unknown Universe. Now the God Realm is missing two pillars. Although we have these new God Kings, there's still some instability."
Xuan Ming raised an eyebrow. "Those two old fellows ran off quite fast. Why? The remaining people can't handle it?"
"It's not that they can't handle it, they mainly want to hear your opinion."
Bibi Dong explained, "The two God Kings, Kindness and Evil, came to see me a few days ago. They stated that the personnel changes in the God Realm are too great now, with so many First-level Gods and even God Kings suddenly appearing. The original Committee rules are no longer applicable. They hope to establish a new set of rules and re-partition the power structure."
"Also, Destruction looked for me." A strange look flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "That guy has no small ambition. He proposed a very grand concept—the Great Realm Initiative."
"Great Realm?" Xuan Ming became somewhat interested.
"Exactly. Destruction wants to use the power of the god realm core to connect other God Realms they control, allowing the energy of multiple God Realms to circulate and construct an even larger, more stable Super God Realm."
Bibi Dong said in detail, "If this plan succeeds, the energy levels of various planes under the jurisdiction of the Douluo God Realm will be greatly enhanced. In the future, not just the Douluo Star, but more and more planes will have environments capable of supporting the birth of Divine Rank experts."
"As the God Realm becomes stronger, the number of Divinities it can accommodate will increase. According to Destruction's calculations, Divine Rank experts from the Mortal Realm will enter a period of explosive growth. How to receive these new gods, how to select talent, how to manage these increasing planes... these are all major issues right in front of us."
At this point, Bibi Dong looked up and gazed seriously at Xuan Ming.
"They also know you're lazy and don't like dealing with these trifles. However, they still hope you can participate. After all..."
"You are currently the most powerful deity in the God Realm and the undisputed Master of the God Realm. Without your nod, no matter what rules they establish, they will be meaningless."
Xuan Ming fell silent for a moment after hearing this.
He really didn't want to deal with these trifles. To him, as long as no one bothered him, the God Realm could do whatever it wanted.
But he also understood Bibi Dong's meaning.
With great power, while responsibility doesn't necessarily have to be greater, if the rules aren't set properly, trouble will surely come knocking on his door incessantly in the future.
"Let me know when the meeting is, I'll go listen,"
Xuan Ming's fingers gently combed through Bibi Dong's loose long hair, his tone casual. "As for how the rules are changed, let them worry about the specific regulations. I'll only be responsible for the final decision. As long as they don't touch my bottom line, everything else is negotiable."
Bibi Dong nodded. She also knew that asking Xuan Ming to scrutinize those boring legal clauses word by word would be more painful than killing him.
"However..."
Bibi Dong changed the subject, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at him playfully. "Since you don't want to manage the trifles of the God Realm, what do you plan to do next? You can't really just stay in the Divine Palace and sleep all day, right? That would be boring to death."
"Bored?" Xuan Ming chuckled, but a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. "I think I probably don't have the fortune to enjoy boredom."
The corner of Bibi Dong's eye twitched slightly, and she gave him an annoyed look. "Indeed, your complicated interpersonal relationships and that pile of unresolved romantic debts are enough to keep you busy for a while."
Mentioning this, the smile on Xuan Ming's face gradually faded, replaced by a rare look of complexity and guilt.
The atmosphere in the room momentarily became silent.
Bibi Dong knew him too well.
Back during the Life-and-death trial on Sea God Island, under that pressure that felt like the end of the World, those girls had all briefly and passionately revealed their hearts to him.
At that time, Xuan Ming was like a prisoner about to head to the execution ground. He had already prepared to go to war with the entire old God Realm to condense his Godhead, and had even prepared for his own fall.
Because he didn't know if there would be a tomorrow, and because it was the "final moment," he didn't refuse.
He accepted everyone's heavy feelings, both to give them an explanation and to find a sliver of solace for his own unknown fate.
But, he survived.
Not only did he survive, but he also became the supreme God King.
This made the situation awkward.
Xuan Ming knew very well that he was a complete bastard emotionally.
He was a person with a very strong desire for possession; if she was his woman, he would never allow her to have someone else in her heart. Yet conversely, he himself had so many female confidantes.
He knew it was unfair.
He knew that when those girls saw someone else standing by his side, how sour and sad their hearts would be.
So, he was afraid, he felt guilty.
This guilt reached its Peak after he revived.
So, at the moment of reshaping the God Realm and expanding the planes, he almost crazily overextended his supreme divine force, regardless of everything, to forcibly pull up their power.
Even if their talent was slightly lacking, they were forcefully piled up to the Peak of a First-level God by him.
To outsiders, this was the blessing of "when one man attains the Dao, even his pets ascend to heaven."
But only Xuan Ming himself knew that this was more like a form of compensation, a nearly humble "toll."
He felt he couldn't give them a complete, single-minded love, so he could only use this most vulgar and direct way—giving them supreme power, eternal Life, and noble status—to make up for the debt in his heart.