"So that was the final contingency Li Zhexian left behind… I almost forgot about it."
A faint, elusive smile appeared on Ji Dong's face.
The Asura God Sword condensed in the Asura God's palm slowly dissipated.
"There exists a rare beast on the Douluo Continent, known as the Myriad Mirage."
"It reincarnates once every hundred thousand years. With each tribulation it survives, its power increases by one measure. Its illusions are neither wholly real nor wholly false—unfathomable and inscrutable."
The God of Destruction observed coldly, remaining silent.
Unlike Asura and Evil, who were single-mindedly searching for successors,
as a god who wielded the primordial force of destruction at the origin of creation, he regarded the laws, balance, and order of the Divine Realm as an iron rule above all else.
Seeing that neither Asura nor Evil had interfered in the mortal world,
his gaze fell upon the light screen before him, watching the mortal youth finally return to heaven and earth. His tone was flat, without ripples:
"This boy is indeed extraordinary."
"Far stronger than the successor chosen by the Sea God."
"However, I do not believe he can recover his true self amid the ten thousand fathoms of mortal dust."
"So many gods have reincarnated into three thousand worlds, experienced a hundred lifetimes—yet ultimately lost themselves."
"If even a divine heart may be sullied, how much more so a mere mortal youth?"
Hearing this, Ji Dong turned his head and smiled slightly.
"Destruction—why not make a wager with me?"
"Hm?"
"If Li Zhexian passes through this mortal tempering of the heart, sheds his mortal shell, and returns to himself—then one day, should he attempt to create a god position, you and the Goddess of Life must not obstruct him."
The creation of a god position was bound by strict rules.
It required approval from a majority of the five God Kings.
Ji Dong was already confident that besides himself and his wife, the Asura God would also agree.
But with only three God Kings' approval, one could at most become a First-Class God.
Only with unanimous approval from all five would there be hope…
—of ascending the Divine Realm as a God King.
"Creating a god position?"
For the first time, a ripple stirred in the God of Destruction's voice.
"Evil… you have such confidence in this boy?"
Ji Dong did not answer, merely waiting.
The purple cloak of the God of Destruction fluttered without wind as he spoke calmly:
"One more god is one more strength for the Divine Realm. I have no reason to refuse."
"I accept this wager."
The Asura God said nothing throughout.
He simply stared at the light screen, where a new scene was gradually taking shape.
Deep within those eyes churning like seas of blood, a trace of anticipation quietly flickered.
He had once said—
Li Zhexian had walked too fast, too urgently.
This trial of the mortal world might very well be the key to shedding his mortal limits.
...
Bibi Dong's god position was severed by Li Zhexian's sword.
She was then captured by Qian Renxue and brought back to the Spirit Hall, stripped of her status as Pope.
Thus—
The great war between the Heaven Dou Empire and the Spirit Empire ended in total defeat for the Spirit Empire.
Not only did Heaven Dou reclaim all lost territory, it also received astronomical war reparations.
After this battle,
the Spirit Empire's vitality was utterly shattered.
It would never again be able to stir chaos upon the continent.
An eight-thousand-mile emergency war report had already reached Heaven Dou two days earlier.
On this day, the sky was dim, and a fine mist silently soaked heaven and earth.
From the city gates outward, along the ten-mile official road, everything was shrouded in heavy black.
Emperor Xue Ye, imperial princes, royal relatives, court ministers, and countless commoners—
all wore mourning white and stood silently in the rain.
This ten-mile stretch of black human tide was originally meant to welcome the victorious army.
Yet now, the air was filled only with an inescapable heaviness and sorrow.
At last—
a faint tremor rippled through the ground in the distance.
Then came the dull clatter of armor rubbing together, mixed with the occasional neigh of warhorses, drawing closer and closer.
At the far end of the winding official road,
a torrent of steel tore through the rain curtain and advanced slowly forward.
The great army drew steadily closer.
At the very front walked Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, Feng Bailong, and the other titled Douluo.
Their expressions were grave, their steps firm as mountains.
An oppressive, iron-heavy aura surrounded them, suffocating to behold.
Following closely behind were Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng, and the other young prodigies.
Their eyes were like dead water, their faces drawn and haggard.
The sharp edge they once carried back from the battlefield was gone, leaving only bone-deep exhaustion and unspeakable grief.
From top to bottom, not a single soldier in the Heaven Dou army bore even the slightest trace of victory's joy.
Their lips were pressed tight, faces pale, moving in silence through the rain—
like a long funeral procession.
"Welcome home, heroes, triumphant in return!"
"Welcome home, heroes, triumphant in return!"
Emperor Xue Ye bowed first, followed by princes, ministers, and the people of the city.
After the salute, they quickly rose, their gazes sweeping inch by inch through the Heaven Dou army, searching. Yet, the white-robed youth remained unseen.
The urgent report had spoken the truth…
Sword Wine Douluo Li Zhexian, the foremost figure of Heaven Dou, had truly fallen.
In that instant, a dazed look passed over many faces in the crowd.
The bun seller, the sugar-figurine woman supporting an elderly man, the Fragrant Pavilion waiter holding a child, the white-bearded storyteller whose hair fluttered in the wind…
Recalling the blood-stained war report—
Which described, word by word through tears, how the youth fought a god for Heaven Dou—
Suppressed sobs rose from the crowd.
No one knew who knelt first.
Like wind rippling through a wheat field, within a few breaths, along the ten-mile road, tens of thousands of people bowed down.
Countless choked voices merged into a single line:
"Lord Sword Wine… welcome home."
...
In Heaven Dou City,
before all under heaven, Emperor Xue Ye proclaimed rewards according to merit.
Chen Xin, Dugu Bo, Feng Bailong, and the other Titled Douluo were all granted the title of Duke of the Empire's Pillar, hereditary and coexisting with the nation.
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng, Feng Buyu, and the other young elites who returned from the bloody battle were granted the title of Marquis Protector of the Empire, enjoying the fortune of the empire to acknowledge their courage.
After the bestowals—
Emperor Xue Ye straightened his robes, faced the heavens, and bowed solemnly.
His voice carried in all directions.
He declared that though he was the mortal emperor, he lacked the authority to bestow titles upon Li Zhexian.
Thus, in the name of the Son of Heaven, he prayed upward to the skies and announced to all people:
At the heart of Heaven Dou City, a hundred-meter gilded divine statue of Li Zhexian would be erected by imperial decree,
to receive the empire's incense offerings for eternity and be revered by all under heaven.
On the day the statue was completed, golden light soared into the heavens like a divine miracle.
The city's people, filled with devotion, carefully gathered the scattered clay fragments and gold dust from the casting process, bringing them home to fashion small golden figures, placing them in their halls and worshiping them morning and evening.
This act spread like wildfire.
Not only within Heaven Dou City—
Across millions of miles of Heaven Dou territory, and even within the Star Luo Empire, countless households spontaneously cast golden statues of Li Zhexian.
Some large, some small.
Some refined, some simple.
Yet the gratitude and reverence they held were one and the same.
On this day—
The storyteller and the Spirit Master once again set out on the road.
Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wushuang, Huo Wu, and the other young prodigies also departed at this time.
As they left the city gates, they looked back at the towering gilded statue and silently thought:
"One year from now, we will meet again."
Zhu Zhuqing moved into an elegant courtyard in the northern part of the city, becoming neighbors with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong,
while Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling settled nearby.
Yu Tianheng, Osler, Yufeng, and the Shi brothers departed to roam the continent in cultivation.
Gazing at the somewhat emptier imperial capital—
Dugu Bo poured fresh tea for Chen Xin and Feng Bailong.
The clear fragrance of tea curled upward. Looking into the distance, he spoke softly:
"May it be that one year from now…"
"Zhexian returns as promised."