"Today, we gods will lower our standards and choose inheritors based on compatibility. You will all be judged by your own capabilities…"
The Fire God spoke calmly, his words brisk.
Due to the time-space black hole, the God Realm had become nearly severed from the Douluo Continent.
If they wanted to prevent soul beasts from seizing divine positions, this was the only way.
Naturally, none of the gods felt great about this.
The gathered candidates exchanged looks—some showing joy, others suspicion, and still others silent doubt.
For instance, Yu Yuanzhen—he immediately linked the gods' words to Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong had seemingly been pushed into a god position by the Sea God himself. Was there some unusual reason for that?
And perhaps it was her unique way of interacting with gods that earned her their recognition?
If so, maybe he could also stand out by doing something similar.
Yu Yuanzhen took a deep breath, still torn.
Should he follow Yu Xiaogang's suggestion?
His disappointing son…
"May I ask, Your Divine Highnesses, what prompted such a decision from you?"Ning Fengzhi stepped forward respectfully and bowed.
Others were curious too but dared not ask, fearing it might displease the gods.
"You may not."The Fire God frowned and refused.
"…Fengzhi apologizes for his offense."Ning Fengzhi immediately retreated.
Everyone else abandoned their urge to inquire further.
No matter the reason, it was like meat pies were falling from the sky. All they needed to do was open their mouths to catch them.
Just as the Fire God was about to speak again—
Yu Yuanzhen suddenly stepped forward, his face conflicted, and asked tentatively:
"This isn't right. Even if you are gods, how can you expect us to blindly accept godhood without any explanation?"
"???"
Ning Fengzhi and the others turned to Yu Yuanzhen.
Everyone looked utterly shocked.
They instinctively backed away, terrified of being dragged down with him.
"Is this guy insane? He's questioning the gods?"
All of them had the same thought.
The Fire God froze. The other gods did too.
Seriously, what the hell?
First Bibi Dong disrespected them as a new god.
Then their tribulation punishment for the soul beasts failed.
And now a mere mortal dares to defy them?
Was the world going crazy?!
They were so dumbfounded they forgot to punish Yu Yuanzhen.
Yu Yuanzhen pressed on:"Are gods so noble that our opinions mean nothing? Are we, just because we're human, inherently inferior?"
He hesitated a bit, his expression shifting.
He had prepared himself mentally, but still couldn't bring himself to curse like Liu Erlong had.
But now that the words were out—and Yu Xiaogang's theory was ringing truer by the second…
The gods were actually stunned?!
Clearly, they'd never been treated this way before!
Yu Yuanzhen took the initiative, looking up, and continued:"You stay high up in the God Realm, looking down on us, thinking your decisions are gifts we should grovel to receive? Spare us the nonsense! Don't think that—"
He was about to go on—
When the Poison Douluo suddenly rushed over and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Even though this was all in spirit form, their bodies still followed physical laws.
Everyone else snapped out of it, and their expressions showed they wanted to kill Yu Yuanzhen.
This bastard was ruining everything for all of them!
Yu Yuanzhen broke free and shouted again:"Then I refuse the godhood trial altogether!!"
"..."
Everyone's faces changed.
What?! He was serious?
Godhood—the dream of every Soul Master—he just threw it away?!
And he had to drag them into it?
They were ready to murder him on the spot.
The Fire God waved his hand and looked at Yu Yuanzhen with curiosity.
This guy was so out of line, it actually piqued his interest.
The others let go of Yu Yuanzhen, but their glares burned with rage.
Please, don't cause any more trouble!
Yu Yuanzhen was starting to panic too.He wasn't as gutsy as Liu Erlong and looked toward the gods.
They were watching him—no hostility in their eyes.
That gave Yu Yuanzhen a shred of confidence.
The Fire God asked,"You refuse godhood trials and question us? Mortal, where is your reverence for the divine?"
The other gods stared at him with interest.
Yu Yuanzhen relaxed a little.
The gods hadn't punished him immediately. That meant Yu Xiaogang's speculation might be right!
They were intrigued by his defiance!
Yu Yuanzhen boldly replied:"Reverence? What have the gods ever done for us to deserve our reverence? In all the tens of thousands of years on the Douluo Continent, there's been no record of divine miracles…"
"You became gods only to benefit yourselves—what does that have to do with mortals?"
"Frankly, you're just stronger beings. That's all."
He let it all out.
And it felt great.
He was starting to understand the joy Liu Erlong felt.
If this could earn him favor, he'd absolutely double down!
The Fire God's face darkened—Yu Yuanzhen had hit a nerve!
The truth was, the gods were just more powerful entities with near-infinite lifespans.
Their divine authority came from their divine positions—but those positions didn't really "empower" them fully.
Take the Fire God for instance: he could better control fire-element spiritual energy, but he couldn't command it outright.
In truth, they were more like "custodians" of the divine positions—not true owners.
The gods' faces all turned dark, glaring at Yu Yuanzhen.
Their aura turned dangerously intense.
They didn't strike only because they had divine restraint.
But even so, the divine might now flooded the spiritual space, causing it to tremble.
Everyone inside grew disoriented—on the verge of being mentally wiped out.
"Please calm your anger, Divine Ones…"
The others began to plead, scared half to death.
Who knew if they'd survive if the space collapsed?
Yu Yuanzhen had doomed them all!
Yu Yuanzhen panicked.This didn't seem like special favor at all…Was Yu Xiaogang full of crap?!
Now he was really in trouble!
"I… I…"
He looked up, meeting the furious eyes of the gods, their gaze almost devouring him alive.
The Fire God took a deep breath and raised his hand. A red flame appeared, warping the space around it.
The Water God held him back, shaking her head gently,"Don't do this."
The Fire God glared at Yu Yuanzhen coldly.
His temper was about to explode.
"Get lost!" the War God snapped.
The next instant, Yu Yuanzhen was expelled from the spiritual space.
The realm stabilized, and everyone inside sighed in relief.
Thankfully, the gods hadn't punished them all because of Yu Yuanzhen.
But still, their fury toward him burned strong.
He had just made enemies of the gods.
Yu Yuanzhen would surely regret this.
BANG!
Yu Yuanzhen's consciousness snapped back to his body.
He was physically ejected from the Sea God's Tower.
The gods had tolerated his "insults" and spared his life—that was already merciful.
He hit the ground outside, tumbled several times, then staggered to his feet, looking lost.
Why did it end this way?
He had followed Yu Xiaogang's advice…And he hadn't even been as rude as Liu Erlong…
So why was he the one tossed out?
People outside saw Yu Yuanzhen and were stunned.
"Isn't that the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? Why is he out so soon? Did he experience some divine revelation?"
"Something's definitely happening inside. I felt a divine aura just now."
"Master Yu! What happened inside?"
"..."
A crowd gathered around, all curiously asking questions.
Yu Yuanzhen ignored everyone, got up, and quickly rushed toward the main gate again.
But he couldn't get in—he was blocked from entering.
At this point, he started to panic.
After all that effort, not only did he fail to win the gods' favor, now he couldn't even get back in?
The divine inheritance had been right before his eyes, and now he had lost it?
Just thinking about it made Yu Yuanzhen's mind buzz and go blank.
At that moment, a voice called out:
"Father, why are you out here?"
Yu Xiaogang walked over, puzzled.
Yu Yuanzhen turned to look at Yu Xiaogang. His bloodshot eyes practically screamed that he wanted to devour the young man alive.
He had made that outrageous move solely based on Yu Xiaogang's theory.
And now Yu Xiaogang was casually walking over to him…
"You… you…"
Yu Yuanzhen pointed at him, gritting his teeth, his whole body trembling.
Yu Xiaogang hadn't yet noticed Yu Yuanzhen's fury and said excitedly, "Father! I have a theory. The gods must have descended inside! If you go in right now and follow my plan, you'll definitely earn the gods'…"
"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!"
Yu Yuanzhen roared.
That one line from Yu Xiaogang had completely broken him.
He had been holding it together, but now—just as his emotional wound was laid bare—he lost it.
Yu Yuanzhen grabbed Yu Xiaogang by the collar, teeth clenched like a starving wolf.
"F-Father, w-what's wrong? You're scaring me…" Yu Xiaogang kicked and flailed in panic, staring at Yu Yuanzhen in fear.
"What's wrong? You're asking me what's wrong?! Yu Xiaogang, I must have been blind to let you return to the clan!"
"You're a walking disaster!!!"
Yu Yuanzhen threw Yu Xiaogang to the ground in rage.
Then, unable to contain himself, he pinned Yu Xiaogang down with his knee and began slapping him repeatedly.
Everyone around was stunned.
What the heck was going on with this father and son duo?
Still, seeing Yu Yuanzhen that furious, they couldn't help but be curious: What on earth had happened?
The next morning.
Zi Ji returned. Though Gu Yuena didn't consider it something to celebrate, she still had Dan Heng cook a meal.
Zi Ji was thrilled and even eagerly helped with housework for a while.
She made an absolute mess, and Zhu Zhuyun had to step in and take over.
With her, the little dragoness, around, the house was certainly lively.
Meng Yiran watched it all, feeling deeply envious.
In Dan Heng's household, besides everyone being ridiculously good-looking, what she envied most was the warmth and sense of family.
In her own home, the hierarchy was strict and formal.
Even though her grandparents adored her, rules and etiquette still had to be followed.
But in Dan Heng's home, while Zhu Zhuqing and the others respected Dan Heng and Gu Yuena, it was more like familial respect.
Even Zi Ji, who logically should fear Gu Yuena, seemed to enjoy provoking her in subtle ways.
"What are you staring at me for?" Zi Ji, sitting at the table, shot a sideways glance at Meng Yiran and asked bluntly.
"..." Meng Yiran twitched at the corner of her mouth. Ah, now she understood why Zhu Zhuqing told her not to argue with Zi Ji.
She was too infuriating!
If it weren't for the fact that she was staying in Dan Heng's house, Meng Yiran would've taught her a lesson already.
"What? You don't like it, do you?" Zi Ji raised an eyebrow.
Her foxy face was full of challenge and provocation.
She was clearly the type who couldn't sit still.
Meng Yiran's expression stiffened slightly. She shook her head. "No, I'm just curious, that's all."
Inwardly, she thought: Be glad this isn't somewhere else, or I'd have you crying in a corner.
Zi Ji snorted. "You'd better behave and stay in line in this house. Otherwise, I won't go easy on you."
"..."
Meng Yiran said nothing.
She forced a peaceful smile onto her face.
Just then—
The courtyard gate suddenly opened.
A figure ran in.
Everyone immediately turned to look.
It was Bi Ji—and she was carrying a woman on her back.
Zi Ji instantly appeared in front of her, blocking the way and shouting angrily, "Bi Ji! Why are you back? Weren't you supposed to go home? You have to go—two years… no, four years! You're not allowed back!"
"..." Bi Ji's mouth twitched. Was this… fake sisterhood?
Zhu Zhuqing and the others gathered around and noticed the woman Bi Ji was carrying.
Bi Ji looked toward Gu Yuena at the doorway and said:
"Sis, she was injured saving us. I couldn't heal her, so I brought her here to see you…"
As she spoke, Bi Ji laid the woman down on the stone table in the courtyard.
With long purple hair, stunning beauty, and a curvy figure—she was the very picture of a national beauty!
Everyone was stunned.
This was clearly the Pope of the Spirit Hall—Bibi Dong!
Zi Ji clenched her teeth. She still held a grudge from the last time Bibi Dong had taught her a lesson.
And now Bi Ji had brought her back?
"Why didn't you just let her die out there?! Bi Ji, I know what's going on. You're just making excuses because you wanted to come back! You're too sneaky! Sis, Bi Ji is cheating!"
Zi Ji pointed at Bi Ji with a surprisingly aggrieved expression.
She had spent two whole years in the Fèngdān Empire!
And Bi Ji had only been gone a few days before running back?
Gu Yuena asked, "She ended up like this because she saved you?"
She stepped forward and took Bibi Dong's wrist. In an instant, she understood the situation.
Bi Ji nodded. "Yes, Sister…"
"Alright. In that case, we can't owe her a favor. I'll save her," Gu Yuena replied.
Bi Ji let out a sigh of relief. "That's great…"
"Alright, alright, you've brought her over, now go back. Your family must be worried!"
Zi Ji immediately stepped forward, trying to push Bi Ji out.
Bi Ji awkwardly stumbled to the door.
"Zi Ji…"
Gu Yuena's voice turned cold.
"!!!" Zi Ji froze immediately and stopped moving.
(End of chapter)