Chapter 215: Lei Chen Appears, The Plane Master's Stance
The sea area, after the Demon Emperor's demise, returned to its former tranquility.
Azure divine power flowed out from the Sea Princess's body like warm rain, silently merging into the surrounding seawater, dispelling the last remnants of evil and defilement.
The waters that had been tainted by the Demon Emperor's domain, displaying an eerie mix of dark red and ethereal blue, rapidly shed their impurities under the cleansing of this pure ocean origin power, restoring their clear and transparent true colors.
They were even purer than before the Demon Emperor's rampage.
It was a purity thoroughly baptized by divine power and re-combed by laws, containing vibrant vitality and an aura of peace and serenity. The energy within the seawater became gentle and orderly, as if the entire ocean had shed a heavy burden and resumed its free breathing.
The Sea Princess floated quietly on the once again azure sea surface.
The azure divine light behind her had receded, leaving only a faint, almost substantial glow flowing around her, making her countenance appear even more sacred and flawless. The blue divine dress, condensed from divine power, gently fluttered in the sea breeze, with subtle starlight and wave patterns faintly visible at the hem.
She was silent, her eyes, which had become as boundless as a calm sea, quietly gazed down at the vast and endless ocean beneath her feet.
As far as her eyes could see, there were miles of azure waves shimmering under the sun or starlight, faint silhouettes of sails and island contours on the distant horizon, and the faint, rustling sounds of life beginning to recover from the deeper seabed.
However, in the depths of her gaze, there was not much joy or relief from victory, but rather an indescribable heaviness and complex thoughts.
She recalled how, over the past year, she had traversed most of the ocean in pursuit of the Demon Emperor.
She had personally witnessed the devastation left in the Demon Emperor's wake—prosperous coral reefs turned into desolate gray, vast schools of fish devoured in an instant, leaving only scattered blood mist, and powerful Sea Soul Beast tribes with awakened intelligence and communities massacred, leaving behind shattered bones and soaring resentment...
Those scenes, like the clearest imprints, were carved deep into her memory, and even now that the Demon Emperor's soul had been extinguished, they could not be erased.
Every successful interception was preceded by damage caused by the Demon Emperor elsewhere, a tragedy she ultimately failed to completely prevent.
Those lost lives, those innocent ocean creatures, they should have been swimming in warm currents, playing in coral reefs, and peacefully sleeping in deep-sea trenches, but their existence was abruptly ended by the Demon Emperor.
To become the Sea God, wield the authority of the ocean, and protect all sea creatures—this should have been her supreme glory and mission, but beneath the foundation of this glory, were there not too many lives she failed to protect in time?
She clutched the sea gods tear in her hand. The warm divine artifact conveyed a soothing intention, but it could not completely quell the lingering faint sorrow and... an indescribable doubt in her heart.
The Demon Emperor had rampaged for many years, and its existence had long posed a devastating threat to the marine ecosystem. With the Plane Master's immense power and absolute control over the Douluo Plane, could he truly have been unaware of this? Or rather, why did he stand by and allow this catastrophe to continue for so long, devouring countless sea creatures?
This thought, like a stone cast into a calm sea, rippled through her heart.
Despite holding the deepest reverence for that supreme being, at this moment, a subtle hint of dissatisfaction still irrepressibly and quietly arose.
Just as the Sea Princess was gazing at the sea in silent contemplation, her mind complex and unsettled—
"Buzz."
A faint ripple, as if the law itself had been gently plucked, suddenly emanated from the space in front of her.
There were no violent energy fluctuations, no tearing spatial rifts, and not even a distortion of the surrounding light. It was merely that the "texture" of that space itself underwent an indescribable change, becoming denser, more... akin to the world's origin.
Immediately, a figure stepped out from the subtly rippling void, as if he had always been there, merely walking from behind a curtain to the stage.
The newcomer wore simple robes, as plain as a scholar seen anywhere in the mortal world. His face was serene, and his eyes were so profound they seemed to contain the ultimate truths of star birth and death, and the reincarnation of planes.
He merely stood there, and naturally became the center of heaven and earth. Even the azure divine light flowing around the Sea Princess, originating from the ocean's essence, unconsciously tilted slightly towards him, as if silently expressing respect and closeness.
It was none other than the supreme sovereign of the Douluo Plane, the Plane Master—Lei Chen.
The Sea Princess noticed Lei Chen's appearance the instant he manifested. She immediately reined in all outward emotions, her beautiful face returning to calm and solemnity. She turned slightly to face Lei Chen, the divine light behind her somewhat subdued. With her hands placed in front of her, she bowed gracefully and precisely, exhibiting the proper etiquette of a deity and respect for the Plane Sovereign.
"Sea God, greets the Plane Master," her voice was clear and resonant, echoing over the vast sea.
Lei Chen's gaze fell upon the Sea Princess, taking in her flawless divine body, the Sea God's imprint shimmering on her brow, and the sea gods tear in her hand radiating gentle divine might. A nearly imperceptible hint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
He nodded slightly, his tone peaceful yet carrying an air of knowing everything:
"No need for formalities. Congratulations, Sea God. After ten thousand years, the ocean has finally welcomed its true master."
His words contained absolute recognition of the Sea Princess's authority.
The Sea Princess maintained her slight bow and thanked him softly again, "The Plane Master overpraises me. Protecting the ocean is the Sea God's duty."
However, deep within her downcast eyes, beneath that calm and unruffled exterior, the faint dissatisfaction stemming from past tragedies, regarding the Plane Master's 'inaction,' though strenuously hidden, still flowed like an undercurrent in the subtle fluctuations of her soul.
Lei Chen quietly observed her, his profound eyes seemingly able to penetrate all appearances and gaze directly into the most subtle corners of the heart. The Sea Princess's deeply hidden emotional fluctuation was as clear as a firefly in the dark night to him.
He did not expose it, nor did he show any displeasure. He merely continued in his peaceful tone, as if stating a most natural universal truth, and slowly spoke:
"You seem to have some doubts in your heart, concerning why I allowed the Demon Emperor to rampage in the ocean for many years without intervention."
The Sea Princess's delicate body trembled slightly, and she lifted her head. In her eyes, like a calm sea, a hint of surprise, which she could no longer completely conceal, finally emerged, then transformed into a complex frankness.
She hadn't expected the Plane Master to so directly perceive and articulate her innermost thoughts.
Lei Chen did not wait for her reply, continuing in his detached tone, "The Demon Emperor, though undeniably evil and having devoured countless lives and committed boundless slaughter, have you ever considered that she herself is also a creature born from this vast ocean?"
His gaze drifted towards the distant, boundless horizon, as if tracing a grander trajectory.
"That Demon Emperor underwent countless battles and opportunities, growing step by step into a 900,000 years fierce beast, and later breaking through to a million years... Her existence, her power, her evil, their roots all lie within this ocean, all being one of the 'possibilities' naturally nurtured during the Douluo Plane's long evolution."
"As the Plane Master, I govern the balance, evolution, and advancement of the entire plane. My will needs to transcend, as much as possible, the specific creatures' grievances, loves, hatreds, and the opposition of good and evil within the plane."
"Regarding the natural competition, the rise and fall of species, and even the conflicts between powerful individuals arising from various encounters within the plane, as long as they do not endanger the plane's existence and foundation, I cannot easily interfere forcibly based on personal likes and dislikes, or in the name of so-called 'justice.'"
His voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable sense of law.
"This is not indifference, but necessary 'justice.' The vitality of a plane lies in its endless internal competition and evolution."
"If I, out of aversion to evil, were to eliminate all powerful beings I deemed 'harmful'; or out of preference for good, were to forcibly promote all factions I deemed 'beneficial'... then the plane's own evolutionary laws would be completely destroyed, and living beings would lose the motivation and possibility to grow through competition and break through difficulties."
"Such a plane might briefly appear 'peaceful,' but it would ultimately lose its potential for evolution, becoming a stagnant pool."
"The Demon Emperor's existence was a disaster for sea creatures, but from the macroscopic scale of plane evolution, she was also an extreme 'trial.' Her atrocities fostered an unprecedented sense of crisis and cohesion among sea creatures; her threat indirectly promoted the gathering of faith and the birth of new gods."
Lei Chen's gaze returned to the Sea Princess: "And you, Sea God, that you can stand here today, holding the position of Sea God and protecting the ocean, in a sense, is also part of this 'natural evolution,' the most powerful response and guardian fostered by the ocean when facing extreme threats."
These words, like a clear spring flowing, or morning and evening bells, stirred ripples in the Sea Princess's heart.
She had never considered the problem from this perspective. All along, she had seen the specific harm caused by the Demon Emperor, the tragedy of those lost lives, while the Plane Master had articulated a grander, colder, yet more 'just' perspective—a perspective belonging to the plane's own evolutionary laws, almost 'Heaven's Dao is ruthless.'
From this perspective, individual good and evil, joy and sorrow were diminished, and the overall balance, vitality, and evolutionary potential of the plane were placed in a higher position.
The Demon Emperor was a disaster, but also a catalyst; an embodiment of evil, but also a difficult challenge naturally nurtured by the plane to 'temper' other beings.
The Sea Princess remained silent for a moment. The confusion and dissatisfaction in her eyes gradually diminished significantly, replaced by a deeper understanding and... a trace of helpless heaviness.
She understood the Plane Master's stance and actions, a height and perspective she had not reached before, but understanding did not mean that the sorrow in her heart for the lost lives could simply dissipate.
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