Destruction Castle.
Since the day the Evil God and Good God separated from the cycle of reincarnation, the Destruction God had returned to this place and never left the castle again.
Matters concerning the gods' domain had temporarily been jointly entrusted to the Goddess of Life and the newly ascended Angel God King.
On this day, a streak of purplish-golden light crossed the somewhat gloomy sky and descended before the towering gates of the ruined castle.
As the light faded, Chen Yi's tall and majestic figure emerged.
The God of Pride guarding the castle gate immediately discarded his usual overbearing attitude upon seeing Chen Yi arrive.
"God of Pride pays respects to Lord Thunder God."
Chen Yi smiled and nodded, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed castle gates as he asked.
"How is Senior doing now?"
The God of Pride answered promptly. "Lord Thunder God, the God King has regained considerable calm these past few days, and his aura is gradually stabilizing. He should soon recover his mental state and resume his duties in the God Realm."
The departure of a close friend in such a manner had undoubtedly been a heavy blow to the sentimental yet cold-hearted Destruction God.
However, with his indomitable spirit that had overcome countless hardships, it would only be a matter of time before he recovered from his grief.
Chen Yi nodded and smiled faintly. "That's good."
He walked toward the door without another word. The door opened silently, revealing a deep passage inside.
Upon entering the castle, the lighting suddenly dimmed.
The castle's main hall was extremely spacious with a high ceiling. At the far end stood a massive throne made of unidentified dark red metal and black crystal.
The Destruction God was not seated on the throne. With his back to the entrance, he stood before it, gazing at the magnificent mural behind the throne.
Noticing Chen Yi's arrival, the Destruction God slowly turned around. His usual coldness had softened, and although a faint melancholy lingered in his eyes, his expression when looking at Chen Yi showed unmistakable gentleness.
He took a step forward and instantly descended from the throne to stand before Chen Yi.
"Xiao Yi, you've come." The Destruction God's voice was less cold than usual, carrying the gentleness of an elder.
"Is this the first time you've come to see me of your own accord?"
Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled and replied, "As you say, Senior. By the way, this is indeed the first time I have formally visited your divine domain."
"Hahaha." The Destruction God laughed loudly and lightly patted Chen Yi's shoulder.
"Then take a good look. Before your master and I walked separate paths and established our own divine realms, he often spent time in this castle of mine. Much of our early understanding of thunder was gained here through discussions with him."
"Really?" Chen Yi's eyes sparkled with surprise. Since arriving in the God Realm, he had learned more about the connections between the Seven Great Elemental Gods—specifically the Thunder God, Destruction God, and Goddess of Life.
He knew that when Thunder God was young and had not yet fully grasped his power, he had been taught and protected by the Destruction God for a long time, almost like a father and son.
Many memories from that time seemed closely tied to this ruined castle.
The two chatted and laughed as they headed toward the guest room in the castle's side building. The guest room had simple furnishings, but rare potted plants overflowing with vitality in the corners and a warm tea table made of white jade added a touch of warmth to the space.
A divine servant silently poured divine tea. The two sat facing each other, slowly sipping tea while discussing the current state of the God Realm, interesting stories from the human world, and old legends about the Thunder God.
After chatting and drinking tea for a while, the Destruction God set down his teacup and looked at Chen Yi with his deep purple eyes, asking directly.
"I understand. Just say what you need to say. No need for comforting words. You know I don't need them."
He understood Chen Yi and knew he did not need comfort, which only made him more curious about why Chen Yi had chosen this timing to visit.
Hearing this, Chen Yi smiled lightly but did not answer immediately. Instead, he said, "Regarding this matter... unfortunately, it would be more appropriate to discuss it together once Senior Life is also present."
"Oh?" The Destruction God raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled. What matter would require the Goddess of Life's presence?
However, he trusted that Chen Yi would not speak without reason, so he asked no further questions and simply nodded.
Soon after, the Goddess of Life and Qian Renxue arrived at Destruction Castle. Qian Renxue wore angelic attire, with golden hair and eyes, radiating holiness and dignity. The Goddess of Life wore a simple emerald-green dress, exuding a calm and peaceful aura.
"Greetings, Senior." Chen Yi stood up and respectfully bowed to the Goddess of Life.
The Goddess of Life smiled gently, a hint of concern in her emerald-green eyes as she said, "No need for formalities. By the way, you came all the way here specifically to see me and Xue'er. Is there something important to discuss?"
As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously shifted toward Qian Renxue beside her.
At this moment, the four remaining God Kings in the God Realm had gathered in Destruction Castle. This lineup was comparable to the God Realm's formal supreme council.
Clearly, what Chen Yi wanted to discuss was no trivial matter.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yi's expression turned serious. He sat down again and looked steadily at the Destruction God and Goddess of Life as he spoke in a low voice.
"Indeed, there is an issue that I should discuss with my two Seniors and the Angel God King. During this period, have the Seniors... personally investigated the two successors mentioned by the Evil God King and Good God before they departed?"
The Destruction God raised an eyebrow again, a light flashing in his deep purple eyes. "You mean... Ji Dong and Lie Yan?"
The Destruction God had naturally taken to heart the final entrustment from his old friends, regardless of good or evil.
Not long after, he had personally investigated the situation in the lower world's Five Elements Continent, identified Ji Dong and Lie Yan, and gained some basic understanding of their circumstances.
"Correct." Chen Yi nodded, his expression growing even more serious. "Ji Dong is a genius of the Five Elements Realm. His talent and temperament are first-class, and he harbors two ultimate flames with immeasurable potential. There is no issue with him being the Evil God King's successor candidate."
He paused briefly before changing the topic. "However... that Lie Yan is the manifestation of the red lotus flower from the eighteenth layer of the inner world within the Five Elements Continent."
"Her talent, power, and temperament are all superior to Ji Dong's. However..."
Chen Yi did not finish his sentence, but the three God Kings present instantly understood his meaning.
The Earth Core Red Lotus had taken human form... According to the existing laws of the God Realm, Lie Yan should belong to the category of Beast Gods.
The Destruction God frowned deeply. Since the Dragon God War, strict rules had been established in the God Realm. Beastmen were forbidden from becoming gods.
Even in extremely rare exceptions, they were subject to extremely strict restrictions and supervision. For an existence like Lie Yan, purely formed from the spiritual plants of heaven and earth, her status was extremely delicate—and even taboo—under the God Realm's current rules.
Seeing this, Chen Yi's heart stirred slightly. At this point, Lie Yan had not yet experienced the life-and-death battle with the God of Slaughter as in the original story, nor had she been possessed by having her soul sent into Chen Sixuan's body by the two God Kings of Good and Evil. Instead, she was a genuine Beast God.
Under the current rules of the God Realm, it would be nearly impossible for someone of such status to inherit the Good God's God King position, and it would cause significant controversy.
The Goddess of Life lightly raised her head, glanced at her frowning husband beside her, then turned her gaze back to Chen Yi and said gently.
"Xiao Yi, since you brought this up, you must already have some thoughts. Won't you tell us?"
Hearing this, Chen Yi straightened slightly, his expression serious.
"Senior, you are wise. Before the Goddess of Good departed, she personally designated Lie Yan as her God King successor. Perhaps... this is not merely out of personal affection for Lie Yan."
He observed the expressions of the Destruction God and Goddess of Life before continuing.
"The two God Kings have ruled the God Realm for countless years, so they must have a far deeper understanding of the God Realm's current state and future than we do."
"The reason they chose Lie Yan might be precisely because they saw some flaws in the God Realm's existing structure and wanted to bring about change."
The Destruction God's expression grew even more grave. He stared at Chen Yi and asked, "You mean... they are trying to break the taboo that beastmen cannot become gods?"
"Exactly." Chen Yi nodded firmly, his tone full of conviction.
"In recent years, thanks to faith and the laws of the gods' domain, human gods have risen at a relatively fast pace, and their numbers have steadily increased."
However, it was undeniable that after ascending, many human gods craved freedom or focused solely on their own cultivation. Very few truly remained long in the God Realm to fulfill godly duties, especially dedicating themselves to expanding the God Realm's territory.
Chen Yi picked up the spiritual tea before him, took a sip to moisten his throat, and continued, "On the other hand, Beast Gods are born with stronger wildness and often possess a passion for exploration and combat far beyond that of human gods."
"I believe the two God Kings of Good and Evil recognized this shortcoming in the God Realm and saw the potential value of beast life, which is why they made such an unconventional choice."
"They... probably wanted to inject a fresh, pioneering spirit into the gods' domain."
After finishing, Chen Yi said no more. He simply sipped his tea and waited for the reactions of the Destruction God and Goddess of Life.
In any case, the two God Kings—one evil, one good—had already reincarnated, and no one could fully ascertain their true thoughts.
Moreover, his speculation was reasonable. It not only explained the two God Kings' abnormal choice but also aligned with certain ideologies held by the first-generation gods led by the Destruction God.
After hearing Chen Yi's words, both the Destruction God and Goddess of Life fell silent.
As the gods who had been closest to Good and Evil for the longest time, they deeply understood the thoughts and personalities of their old friends.
The primordial gods of the gods' world were beings transformed from primordial spirits nurtured by heaven and earth. If one traced their lineage strictly, they had some connection to beasts.
They possessed both evil and merciful perspectives along with courage, and coupled with their anxieties about the future of the gods' domain, they might have conceived the idea of breaking conventions and recruiting new talent.
Especially... the Destruction God himself deep down always harbored a strong desire for expansion and longed to lead the gods' domain toward a vaster territory and a more glorious future. He truly felt that the current gods and humans fell far short in their enthusiasm for expansion.
"So," after a long silence, the Destruction God slowly raised his head and stared at Chen Yi with abyss-like deep dark purple eyes.
"What do you want to do?"
Chen Yi set down his teacup, met the Destruction God's gaze without hesitation, and said, "Since the two ancient God Kings have already expressed their intentions and set an example through action, we should follow the flow."
He straightened slightly and spoke in a calm tone. "We should slightly loosen the restriction that beastmen cannot become gods..."
"Establish an entirely new review and promotion system. Give beast beings with great potential and the willingness to follow the God Realm's order the opportunity to become gods, and furthermore... allow the most outstanding among them to inherit appropriate divine positions under certain conditions."
"Of course, the premise is that strict reviews must be ensured to keep it controllable, and a sound regulatory system must be established to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Dragon God era," Chen Yi added.
Upon hearing this, the Destruction God almost instinctively shook his head in refusal.
The uncontrollable nature of the Beast Gods during the Dragon God era and the Dragon God War that nearly destroyed the God Realm... those tragic scenes were still deeply etched in his memory as the most painful lesson in the history of the God Realm!
The gods' domain had established such strict prohibitions precisely to prevent similar tragedies from recurring.
However, just as the words of refusal were about to leave his mouth, he swallowed them.
Chen Yi's words were not entirely without basis. The choice of Good and Evil might truly reflect some dissatisfaction with the human gods existing in the God Realm.
The gods' domain was like a stagnant pool, lacking vitality to spread outward. When it came to conquering new territories and exploring unknown worlds, beastmen held far greater advantages than the many human gods satisfied with the status quo.
His own future goal was to vigorously expand the territory of the gods' domain and spread its glory and order to more dimensions and realms.
This required a powerful, brave, and capable expeditionary force willing to dedicate itself long-term to this great cause. The current gods... seemed insufficient.
On one side were the historical lessons and laws deeply rooted in his heart; on the other were what was needed for the God Realm's future development and what might become the legacy of old friends... Completely different thoughts clashed fiercely in the Destruction God's mind.
Even this God King known for his decisiveness fell into an unusual silence for a moment, and an uneasy light flickered in his dark purple eyes.
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