Deep within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the energy tides rose and fell like the breathing of some primordial giant. After confirming that the arrival of the Space God was not a provocation, the tense dragon souls of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King finally relaxed slightly.
"So…" the Ice Dragon King spoke first. His tail swayed lazily, stirring up coils of icy mist. "When did those old fogies on the Divine Realm Committee become so easy to talk to?"
The Divine Council forbade interference in the mortal realm. Aside from the aloof God of Good, God of Evil, and the neutral Goddess of Life, the remaining two God-Kings—the God of Destruction and the God of Asura—had always deeply abhorred such matters. The seven elemental gods descending to the mortal realm was practically the same as dancing on a lightning rod.
The Space God stood silently in the void, gray robes fluttering without wind. He did not answer directly. Instead, he slowly raised his shadowed face, as if looking back through the boundless void at the events that had taken place in the Divine Realm Committee.
"Shortly after our eldest brother announced that his successor had appeared and entrusted him to us, we seven gods immediately submitted an application to the God Realm Committee, requesting permission to monitor the Douluo Continent and ensure the successor's smooth growth."
The Fire Dragon King let out a deep dragon roar, laced with sarcasm.
"Since Thunder God's departure, when did you elemental gods grow so bold? To dare challenge the divine realm's ironclad rule that 'gods must not interfere in the operation of the mortal world' right in front of those old relics?"
"Boldness?" The Space God murmured softly, a trace of helplessness in his voice. "Perhaps. But more importantly… we had no other choice."
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings naturally understood what he meant. After Thunder God's departure, the elemental gods had gradually faded from the center of divine politics and now lingered on the periphery of the Divine Realm.
The Space God continued his narration, his voice seeming to re-enact the scene in the gods' council hall.
In the main hall of the Divine Realm Committee, the seven elemental gods had stood side by side. Facing the five God-Kings, the God of Destruction had been the first to express his stance—by unexpectedly choosing to abstain.
In that instant, the entire temple fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
The God of Destruction—known for his impartiality and strictness—remained silent on this matter, one that touched upon the bottom line of the Divine Realm. That, more than anything, had been shocking.
Subsequently, the God of Good and the God of Evil exchanged a glance, then both abstained as well. These two God-Kings, who prided themselves on balancing various factions, unsurprisingly did not make their position explicit this time.
The God of Asura slammed his fist down on the table and stood up, voicing vehement opposition.
"If this precedent is set, what will become of the Divine Realm's order? If the elemental gods can monitor the lower realms today, then the other main gods will follow suit tomorrow! If this continues, the balance of the planes will definitely collapse!"
Just as the seven elemental gods were sinking into despair, the Goddess of Life, who had been sitting in silence, slowly raised her head. Her emerald eyes swept over the gathered gods, finally settling on the God of Asura.
"I agree."
Those simple words shook the entire Divine Realm Committee.
The Goddess of Life—who was always absolutely neutral and never favored any side—cast her first decisive vote at this critical juncture.
…
"Why?" Upon hearing that the Goddess of Life had actually voted in favor, the Ice Dragon King couldn't help but press further, his dragon eyes full of disbelief.
That was the Goddess of Life—a deity who practically always abstained. For her to cast the first affirmative vote of her life at such a moment was nothing short of historic.
The Space God shook his head slightly.
"The Goddess of Life never explained. But it was her vote that forced the Divine Realm Committee to approve our application—though, of course, under a host of sanctimonious conditions: we must not interfere in human affairs, nor interfere with the divine examination of the successor."
The Fire Dragon King suddenly understood.
"So what you call 'oversight' is actually…"
"It's all for the sake of protecting Chen Yi," the Space God replied. "That was our original intention."
"Since the Divine Realm Committee has already granted approval, then why do you still need to descend in your true form?" The Ice Dragon King's gaze was cold and piercing. "With the abilities of you seven elemental gods, you're more than capable of monitoring everything across the dimensional barrier."
The Space God slightly raised his hand, and the laws of space flowed like a galaxy within his palm.
"You're thinking too simply. With the appearance of my elder brother's successor on the Douluo Continent, that world has long become the focus of attention for many gods. Even though this place—the site of your fall—can block the detection of most divine senses, there are still gods at your level investigating… including God-Kings."
The Space God paused, then continued:
"To prevent you from being reduced to ashes by those who come after you, we seven elemental gods decided that someone had to personally come here and… collect your remains."
"As for why it had to be me, the explanation is simple: only I, who wields the power of space, can completely avoid the monitoring of the Divine Realm's central authority with the help of the elemental array."
The complete skeletons of two first-level gods were top-tier treasures even in the Divine Realm. With these two sets of bones, it was not impossible to forge super divine artifacts. Some gods with particularly twisted personalities would certainly be willing to do such a thing.
But upon arriving, he had instead witnessed the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings transforming their last primordial power into an external soul bone—the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings—and gifting it to Chen Yi.
"I must say, this young man is even more cautious than we expected," the Space God said with a trace of admiration. "Faced with such a great opportunity, he was still able to remain clear-headed, insisting that you make a soul oath before he would accept it."
The Ice Dragon King snorted, a hint of pride in his tone.
"This little guy is indeed quite good. If it were those so-called geniuses, they would have already fused with it long ago without a second thought."
The Space God nodded slightly.
"This kind of caution may help him avoid being devoured by power in the future. Back then, we… were too arrogant."
His words plunged the three ancient beings into silence.
Scenes from ten thousand years ago seemed to replay before their eyes. At the height of the elemental pantheon, they had once been a towering presence. Yet in the end, they could only retreat into a half-hidden existence in the Divine Realm, biding their time.
Silence spread through the space where ice and fire intertwined. Only the humming sound of energy flowing as Chen Yi fused with the soul bone remained.
After a long silence, the Space God suddenly spoke, his voice breaking the stillness.
"Do you… still want to live?"
His words struck like thunder in the hearts of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings. Both dragon kings stiffened, disbelief flashing in their eyes.
"Live on?" The Ice Dragon King was the first to regain his composure and let out a bitter laugh. "Old friend, are you joking? We died long ago. Now we're nothing more than wisp-like remnant souls, clinging to existence by relying on the origin power of this place."
The Fire Dragon King followed, his dragon roar carrying a detached indifference toward life and death.
"Just now, in order to fulfill this boy's wishes, we even gave away our last bit of essence. Now we can barely maintain our remnant souls. How can you speak of 'continuing to live'?"
The Space God remained unmoved. His gaze beneath the gray hood did not waver.
"I only ask you this—do you wish to, or not?"
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings exchanged a long look. Within each other's eyes, they saw that longing which had been buried for millennia. As former powerhouses who had once stood at the peak of the world, who would willingly vanish into nothingness?
What's more, as long as they could survive, there would still be hope for the future revival of the soul beast race.
But…
"Even if we wish to, what can be done?" The Ice Dragon King's voice carried the heavy weight of fate. "The cycle of life and death is a universal law that even gods cannot defy."
The Space God stepped forward, and the space around him began to distort. He slowly raised his hand, divine light flashing at his fingertips, then gently pressed Chen Yi's palms together.
"What if I told you… that there is a way for you to continue existing in another form?"
The Fire Dragon King's pupils abruptly contracted.
"You mean…"
"There's no need to answer now," the Space God interrupted him calmly. "Think it over carefully. When you've figured it out…"
As his final word fell, the figure of the Space God began to blur, as if he were merging into the surrounding space. But just before he completely vanished, he took one last look at the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings. His gaze held an indescribable depth.
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings remained where they were, staring at the place where the Space God had disappeared for a long time, speechless.
The choice between life and death had been suddenly thrust before them.
Behind them, Chen Yi's fusion had reached its most critical moment. The ice crystals and lava patterns on the Frost-Ending Heavenly Wings Skywing bone lit up simultaneously, and those two opposing forces were slowly reaching a perfect balance.
The era belonging to this young man was about to begin.
And the fate of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings had reached an unprecedented crossroads…
…