Chapter 249: Surrender and Judgment
The cosmic void outside the boundary walls remained as deathly silent as ever.
The God of Destruction's faint groans, suppressed with endless pain, and the Goddess of Life's tearful cries were the only sounds against the icy background. They echoed through this region where Laws were disordered and energy ran rampant due to the battle of God Kings, adding a layer of misery and despair.
In the distance, Gu Yuena still stood quietly, the radiance of Chaos flowing around her, her silver-gold long hair fluttering slightly in the silent aftershocks of energy. Her eyes, reflecting the creation and destruction of the Universe, calmly swept over the heavily injured and dying God of Destruction, the distraught Goddess of Life, and the distant Tang San, God of Goodness, and God of Evil—whose auras were erratic, faces pale, and eyes filled with shock, fury, and disbelief. Her exquisite face held neither sorrow nor joy, only the supreme majesty and indifference of the Dragon God.
Lei Chen withdrew his halberd and sheathed his sword, clad in the Life Guardian Divine Armor. As his profound aura slowly settled, he did not continue the pursuit. He simply looked indifferently at the God of Destruction in the Goddess of Life's arms, then turned to Goodness and Evil, before finally fixing his gaze on Tang San's face, which was distorted by hatred and fear.
The situation had completely tilted.
The massive wound on the God of Destruction's chest continued to leak a strange energy intertwined with destructive divine force and chaotic lightning. His aura was as weak as a candle in the wind. Had the Goddess of Life not desperately injected her vast Life Origin into him to forcibly sustain his last spark of life, this ancient God King who governed destruction would likely have had his God Position shattered and fallen on the spot.
Tear stains remained on the Goddess of Life's beautiful face, and her emerald eyes were filled with grief, anxiety, and a hint of... confusion and struggle.
She was doing her utmost to heal the God of Destruction, but she could feel her husband's Soul slowly but irreversibly dissolving under the erosion of that terrifying lightning and destructive power.
Continue the fight? With her, Goodness, Evil, and the heavily injured Tang San facing a nearly perfectly intact Lei Chen and the unfathomable Gu Yuena, the chances of winning were microscopic. It might even accelerate Destruction's death. But if they didn't fight...
The God of Goodness, Ji Dong, and the Goddess of Evil, Lie Yan, exchanged a look. Both saw deep exhaustion, helplessness, and a faint, hard-to-detect... desire to retreat in each other's eyes.
Unlike Destruction and Life, they were not the original God Kings. Their inheritance of their God Positions was more a result of coincidence, even carrying a hint of forced reluctance.
During their long lives in the God Realm, power and responsibility were heavy, but deep down, what they cherished most was the time spent accompanying each other. Having drifted through the hardships of the Space-Time Turbulence and witnessed the terrifying strength shown by Lei Chen and Gu Yuena—easily crushing the Three Realms Judgment Sword and nearly killing the God of Destruction in a short time—their determination to fight to the death for the glory of the God Realm and so-called 'justice' had wavered before the cruel reality.
Especially seeing Destruction's wretched state, and thinking that if he and Lie Yan fell into such a predicament or even both perished... Ji Dong's heart suddenly twitched. He tightly gripped Lie Yan's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm.
The position of God King was indeed honorable, but compared to staying with Lie Yan forever, which was more important was self-evident.
Tang San clearly noticed the subtle shift in the Divine Thoughts of Goodness and Evil. Enduring the dual pain of his divine soul and divine body, a flash of panic and rage crossed his blood-red eyes. He roared hoarsely, "Destruction! Life! Goodness! Evil! What are you still hesitating for?! Do you really intend to bow your heads to these two rebels and live ignobly?! How can the majesty of the God Realm and our dignity be..."
"Shut up, Tang San!" A weak but freezing cold reprimand interrupted Tang San's roar.
Everyone looked toward the source and saw the God of Destruction in the Goddess of Life's arms had somehow managed to open his eyes. Those deep purple eyes were now dim and lusterless, filled with pain and... a profound exhaustion. He looked at the Goddess of Life's tear-stained and anxious face, then with difficulty turned his eyes to sweep over Ji Dong and Lie Yan's tightly held hands, finally casting his gaze toward Lei Chen and Gu Yuena, whose auras were as deep as an abyss, looking as if they could deliver a fatal blow at any moment.
"Cough... Little Green..." The God of Destruction's voice was weak and raspy, every word seeming to cost him immense effort. However, the violence and unwillingness in his eyes slowly melted under the Goddess of Life's sorrowful gaze, finally turning into a long sigh full of endless desolation and resignation. "Forget it... forget it..."
He struggled, looking at Lei Chen. Though his voice was low, it clearly reached everyone's ears: "Lord of the Douluo Plane... we... admit defeat."
"Little Purple! You..." The Goddess of Life's delicate body shook, and tears fell even faster. It wasn't opposition, but a complex emotion mixed with heartache, helplessness, and finally making a choice.
The God of Destruction shook his head with effort, his lips curling into a bitter arc. "We can't win... fighting on... besides throwing away our lives for nothing... and dragging you all down with me... what's the point?" His gaze turned back to the Goddess of Life, filled with guilt and reluctance. "I... don't want... to see you die..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the God of Goodness, Ji Dong, and the Goddess of Evil, Lie Yan, breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously. Their tightly held hands relaxed slightly. Ji Dong stepped forward, nodding slightly to Lei Chen and Gu Yuena, his voice low but clear: "Plane Master, Your Excellency Dragon God. We... are willing to surrender."
Lie Yan followed immediately, her beautiful face carrying a hint of calmness. "The position of God King was never our desire. If we can exchange it for staying with Ji Dong forever and avoiding the disaster of death, we... have no objections." Her gaze swept over Tang San, a hint of complexity in her eyes, but mostly a sense of relief. She never had much affection for Tang San and was now even less willing to be buried with him.
"You... how dare you! Betraying the God Realm! Betraying this Seat!!" Seeing this, Tang San's eyes nearly split from rage. He shook all over with anger, the fragments of his damaged asura god armor clinking. His blood-red eyes were full of madness and disbelief. He hadn't expected that at this final moment, his allies would be the first to defect!
Lei Chen watched this scene quietly. He wasn't surprised by the surrender of the four God Kings. Just as he expected, these four God Kings each had their own bonds. Destruction and Life shared deep affection, while Goodness and Evil valued each other even more. Faced with an absolute gap in strength and the threat of death, making the choice to preserve themselves and their loved ones was logical.
Especially Ji Dong and Lie Yan; they had inherited their God Positions passively and their desire for power was far inferior to their cherish for each other.
What he cared about more was that the active surrender of these four God Kings meant their God King God Positions could be extracted intact, rather than being shattered and difficult to recast through killing. For his future plans to further strengthen the Douluo God Realm and cultivate new God King-level combatants, this was undoubtedly the best outcome.
As for Tang San...
Lei Chen's gaze turned toward the figure still screaming hysterically, his eyes as cold as ten-thousand-year-old black ice.
This person must die.
Not only because of old grudges, but because he acted without a bottom line, was selfish and cold, and would use any means to achieve his goals, even sacrificing his 'brothers.' Leaving him alive would surely be a major hidden danger.
"Good," Lei Chen finally spoke, his voice calm but carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. "Since the four of you are willing to surrender, this Seat can accept. Relinquish your God Positions and hand over the core authority imprints of the God Realm. This Seat can guarantee your lives will be safe and you can stay with your loved ones forever."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four. "However, you must swear a Supreme God Oath never to be an enemy of the Douluo God Realm."
The God of Destruction closed his eyes and nodded with difficulty. The Goddess of Life, with teary eyes, also had no objection. Ji Dong and Lie Yan looked at each other and nodded together. "Agreed."
"No! I don't agree! You cowards! Traitors!!" Tang San roared frantically, attempting to rouse the last of his divine force as an Asura God to make a final desperate struggle. "This Seat is the Asura God King! Governing judgment and slaughter! How can I bow my head to you! If you want to fight, then fight! I..."
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Because a condensed light of chaotic color, seemingly containing the birth and death of the Universe, and a purple-gold lightning sword qi carrying the will of final judgment, had already silently sealed off all his space for evasion from the left and right. With bone-chilling killing intent, they locked him firmly in place.
Gu Yuena and Lei Chen had somehow surrounded him, one in front and one behind.
Gu Yuena's eyes were cold and piercing. Her left hand held creation and her right held destruction, the light of Chaos flowing as she locked down all of Tang San's possibilities of life. Lei Chen held the Nine Heavens Thunderstrike Sword, the tip pointing from afar, while the faint blue cold light of the Heavenly Saint Abyss-Splitting Halberd loomed beside him, completely cutting off any possibility of Tang San breaking out or self-detonating.
"Tang San," Lei Chen's voice sounded like it came from the depths of the Yellow Springs, cold and devoid of any emotion. "From the very beginning, you had no choice. Today is the time your God Position shatters and your divine soul is extinguished."
"For your parents, for your 'brothers,' and for everything you have done, atone for your sins."
As the words fell, Lei Chen and Gu Yuena struck simultaneously.
There was no world-shaking commotion, only two rays of light condensed to the extreme, representing the Peak power of this plane. From left and right, with an irresistible will, they submerged Tang San's roar of unwillingness, resentment, and final despair.
The Asura God Sword let out a final wail and snapped inch by inch.
The dark red divine armor shattered and was annihilated like paper.
Tang San's divine body, within the chaotic light of creation and destruction and the judgment sword qi of the lightning's end, melted and disintegrated rapidly like ice under a scorching sun. Even the last bit of his remnant Soul was completely crushed and purified by the ruthless power of the Laws, leaving no trace behind in the world.
The Enforcer of the Old God Realm, Asura God King Tang San, fell at this moment.
In the distance, the four God Kings—Destruction, Life, Goodness, and Evil—who had just decided to surrender, watched this scene silently. Their hearts were filled with mixed emotions, which finally turned into a sigh as they slowly lowered their heads.
The cosmic void returned to coldness and deathly silence.
Only the distant outline of the broken Old God Realm and the seven-colored dawn light flowing from the Douluo Plane quietly reflected the end of this God King war.