In the God Realm, the gods did not all live in the same kind of dwelling. There were palaces like the Sea God's, castles like the God of Destruction's, and even places with no architecture at all, consisting only of a lake of dark red lava.
On the surface of that lake, a slightly corpulent man lay on his back atop the lava, which churned endlessly beneath him without causing any harm.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the man abruptly sat up and turned his head. In the distance, he saw a tall, golden-haired man walking slowly toward him.
"Boss Dai? What brings you here?"
The man was none other than Ma Hongjun, the Phoenix God. Upon spotting Dai Mubai, a streak of golden-red light flashed across the sky, and he landed steadily in front of him.
Dai Mubai looked at his old brother. There was still a trace of nostalgia and sorrow lingering in Ma Hongjun's eyes.
"It's been a long time since we last met. I came to see you."
Previously, when Dai Mubai went to question the Sea God about the matter, the God of Destruction had not made things difficult for him. On the contrary, he had told Dai Mubai many things about the God Realm and Tang San.
Dai Mubai did not know how much of it was true or false. Although he still trusted his old friend in his heart, it inevitably left an impact. Without realizing it, he suddenly wanted to see the brothers he had once fought alongside.
"There's nothing much to see here," Ma Hongjun said casually.
Dai Mubai looked around. Indeed, aside from the lake of dark red lava, there was nothing else in sight.
The Phoenix God had not built a grand residence like other deities. Seeing the sorrow in his eyes, Dai Mubai understood that even if a palace were built, it would never truly be home.
That home had been left behind forever on the Douluo Continent.
"There have been many rumors circulating in the God Realm recently," Dai Mubai said. "Have you heard them?"
"It's about Third Brother, isn't it?" Ma Hongjun replied calmly.
"You already know?"
"Yes. Even though I rarely leave this place, news of the God Realm Enforcer entering seclusion still reached me."
Seeing Ma Hongjun's expression, Dai Mubai wanted to say something, but for a moment, he did not know where to begin.
Whether human or god, it seemed everyone changed.
After collecting his thoughts, Dai Mubai suddenly smiled. "It's been a long time since we've talked properly. Let's take this chance to reminisce."
There was no distinction between day and night in the God Realm. The two gods immersed themselves in memories, sometimes reminiscing quietly, sometimes laughing heartily. Before they realized it, a full day had passed.
Yet with the rising and setting of the sun, time flowed differently. While the two deities spent only one day conversing in the God Realm, an entire year passed on the Douluo Continent.
Law, a power belonging to the gods, was still far too distant for mortals.
Even with the guidance of the power of creation, Wang Nan only now dared to say that he had truly glimpsed a sliver of the mystery of "God," relying on his own comprehension.
In that ethereal state, he seemed to grasp something, yet upon closer inspection, it was empty, leaving nothing tangible behind.
He searched meticulously without success, yet when he looked back, he discovered that what he sought appeared to be standing there all along, as though it had existed since ancient times.
Wang Nan did not know how other gods comprehended Law. Perhaps their talent far surpassed his own, or perhaps the understanding came naturally upon inheriting a God Position.
He gradually understood why the Silver Dragon King had not explicitly told him, back in the Dragon Tomb, that he needed to comprehend the power of creation to fully unleash his ninth Spirit Ability.
That was because matters involving "God" could not be clearly explained.
The power of Law was incomparably complex, profound, and mysterious. It could not be recorded, nor could it be described. Only those who had already touched it and comprehended it could truly perceive its existence.
Wang Nan could not clearly articulate what he had comprehended during this year of deep meditation. He only knew that the World no longer felt so vast to him.
His mental force spread outward continuously, as if the entire World lay within his perception.
Of course, for a Spirit Master, no matter how powerful their mental force, it was impossible to encompass the entire Douluo Continent through mental force alone. To achieve such a feat, one had to rely on the omnipresent Law of the continent.
He now understood why the God of Love's power could permeate the entire Douluo Continent, and why anything related to "love" that occurred there could be sensed by her.
He also understood how the Silver Dragon King Gu Yue, though residing on a distant overseas continent, could casually open a spatial rift connecting that place to the Star Dou Great Forest.
None of this relied on mental force alone. It relied on the Law that already existed within the World.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, Wang Nan had remained unmoving for a long time, yet little dust had accumulated on him. Even the occasional falling leaf would be subtly deflected by other forces before reaching him.
His body already contained the power of life gold, and combined with the dense life aura of this place, the passage of a year left few traces on him. On the contrary, his complexion carried a faint glow.
As usual, Wang Nan's chest rose and fell gently. The Coiling Dragon Staff in his palm pulsed in rhythm with his breathing.
Yet the space around him had quietly undergone subtle changes.
Soon, those changes spread outward from Wang Nan as the center, rapidly enveloping heaven and earth. The originally cold world seemed to gain a hint of warmth.
Water splashed across the surface of the Life Lake as the Silver Dragon King Gu Yue emerged, her gaze fixed firmly on Wang Nan. She knew in her heart that he had crossed the most critical step.
Wang Nan's breathing shifted slightly. He had awakened from deep meditation. Without opening his eyes, he already grasped everything happening around him.
Yet he did not open them.
At this moment, he was in his optimal state. He had already stepped into the realm of Law, and now it was time to condense his third Spirit Core.
Taking a deep breath, the surrounding heaven and earth elemental energy instantly emptied, surging toward Wang Nan's body.
Absorbing such an immense amount of elemental energy in a single breath was something even other Titled Douluo would never attempt lightly. Yet for Wang Nan's physique, this was still far from his limit.
His spirit power circulated, and a vortex gradually formed before him, interwoven with spirit power and spatial power. The surrounding elemental energy was continuously devoured, causing the elemental energy in the core area of the forest to noticeably thin.
Many Spirit Beasts were disturbed, lifting their heads in confusion. But once they sensed that the change originated from the forest's core, they quietly withdrew their gazes.