Chapter 376: Asura's True Intentions and the Secrets of the Dragon God
Han Li truly hadn't expected Asura to intervene at such a critical moment.
Where was the so called Divine Realm Committee?
Where was Destruction? What about the other God Kings?
This was beyond ridiculous. Before, he had to be extremely cautious with every little thing he did, but now, after demonstrating his ability to create his own god position, they suddenly decided to slack off?
Did that even make sense?
Among the five known God Kings, only Asura was single in every sense of the word. Were the other two pairs too busy indulging in their romance to handle their responsibilities?
Honestly, as someone who had thoroughly read the original work and countless fan adaptations, Han Li could easily guess what Asura was trying to do.
He was most likely using the Killing God Domain embedded in those three women as a means to pass on his god position. The rabbit girl's sword sheath situation was one thing, but now, was Asura trying to pull the same trick on him, spreading the risk?
Strictly speaking, Han Li didn't actually reject this approach. If those three could share the god position, they'd be stealing Asura's divine authority from the Divine Realm, which could weaken him to some extent.
For the women involved, this was a significant boost to their potential. Becoming a First Class God was easy, but ascending to a God King was an entirely different challenge. Even Han Li couldn't guarantee that they would always be able to keep up with him.
Even dual cultivation had its limits. Even Gu Yue, despite her profound foundation, could barely handle more than two supreme laws.
Thinking about it, Asura really had it rough. Among the five God Kings, he was the only one directly affected by divine power. While the others simply struggled with having descendants, Asura's very mental state was at risk.
To be honest, if the Angel God hadn't fallen, she might have actually been the ideal partner for him.
But why now, of all times? Asura's intervention at this particular moment was clearly disrupting Han Li's original plans, adding an unpredictable variable and unpredictability was the thing Han Li hated most.
After a thorough inspection, he confirmed that there were no anomalies on the three women, and the Killing God Domain hadn't been tampered with. After all, their domains weren't the original versions; they had already been refined through the laws. Unless Asura forcibly invaded them, all he could do was subtly influence them through law manipulation.
The accelerated god trials and the anomalies on the three women seemed more like Asura giving Han Li a heads up, preparing him mentally. It was just that this particular "warning" had scared the hell out of him.
What I do is none of your damn business.
Perhaps in Asura's eyes, even giving Han Li a hint was already a sign of recognition acknowledging his potential as a future successor.
Was he holding back because the women weren't yet strong enough to bear Asura's power?
After all, unlike the rabbit girl in the original story, these three were pure humans, fully capable of godhood. More importantly, Han Li had grown under their watchful eyes, so Asura and the others were well aware of his temperament.
"You'd better be telling the truth," Han Li muttered under his breath as he handed a roasted skewer to his master.
"Hmm? Who are you plotting against this time?"
Guang Ling took the skewer and, hearing his disciple's murmurs, teased him with interest.
"Master, it's a god."
Han Li grinned. He never specified which one, after all.
Guang Ling froze mid bite, then mumbled through a mouthful of food, "A god, huh? Well, count me in. Soon enough, I'll be one too."
"Alright, then I'll be waiting for your good news, Master."
Han Li didn't reject his master's sentiment. Of course, when the time came, he would absolutely not let his old man risk his life.
He wasn't planning on dying anytime soon, so there was no need for unnecessary sacrifices.
After informing the others that everything was fine and advising them to focus on absorbing their newfound insights, Han Li stayed with his master for a long chat. Before leaving, he left behind a large supply of faith energy infused jade for him, then finally departed.
Watching the three women successfully start their eighth trials with his own eyes, Han Li finally felt at ease and returned to his personal training space.
But the moment he appeared before Gu Yue again, he found her secretly spying on the group chat through a life sized jade figurine.
Han Li had given her this communication tool, complete with high level permissions. Though she couldn't send messages, she could freely observe the chat content.
"What exactly happened?"
As soon as Han Li stopped moving, she asked the question.
"Nothing much just Asura pulling some tricks. Consider it a 'gift.' Based on my guess, he probably wants to give me his god position by splitting his authority."
Faced with this future main battle force, Han Li didn't hide anything. After all, her situation was essentially the same as the Golden Dragon King's, so she wouldn't have trouble understanding it.
"He can't hold on anymore?"
Gu Yue was momentarily surprised before falling into thought. Among the God King level powerhouses, Asura being affected by divine power erosion was no secret.
Perhaps the other gods distanced themselves from him partly because of this?
Now that she thought about it… Asura really was a lone wolf.
In truth, aside from the Dragon God, Asura was probably the biggest instability factor in the Divine Realm.
In that sense, Destruction keeping such a close eye on him actually made a lot of sense.
"He's probably not in that bad of a state yet, but I think he genuinely wants to escape from it."
Han Li's eyes flickered ultimately, his perspective was still too limited. His way of thinking had instinctively overlooked this possibility.
"Heh, if you had been born ten thousand years later, you might have been able to witness quite the show. What a shame."
Gu Yue sneered, as if she had thought of something amusing.
"If I were born ten thousand years later, I doubt I'd even have a chance at godhood."
Han Li chuckled in response. Being active in this era was like playing on easy mode for him. If he had been born ten thousand years later, his cheat ability might not have been able to withstand the God Kings' millennia long schemes at that point, only some protagonist with a system could have saved him.
He was very self aware. He wasn't some heaven defying genius he was just a pig that caught the wind at the right time and enjoyed the benefits that came with it.
"You don't need to undervalue yourself. Asura is just lucky," Gu Yue said, sounding somewhat indignant on his behalf.
"You don't seem to hold much hostility toward Asura?"
Han Li looked at her with curiosity. After all, she was someone who had been cut down by his sword.
"He's just an enforcer. I despise all the gods of the Divine Realm equally. Compared to the others, he's not the most repulsive one. The rest of them are just a bunch of short sighted fools, content with their stagnant ways."
Gu Yue's response was indifferent anyone who didn't know better might have thought she was Dragon God incarnate.
Han Li chose not to comment. He only partially agreed. After all, those so called "fools" were still standing above them. He didn't like tempting fate. If they were to speak such words, it would be best to do so after defeating the enemy.
However, Gu Yue's attitude did serve as indirect proof that his initial approach had been correct the gods of the Divine Realm were indeed stubborn.
On one hand, they pursued power. But on the other hand, they also pursued stability, unwilling to take risks. Perhaps only when pushed to the brink would they finally be forced to act.
Could it be that Asura's little maneuver wasn't entirely unnoticed? Maybe it had already been tacitly approved?
If a new Asura God were to emerge, wouldn't that at least buy the Divine Realm more time?
Had they simply assumed that he would inevitably bow to pressure and hand over control of the plane?
With a new Asura God in place, the Divine Realm could take another step forward everyone wins. The only one whose interests would be compromised seemed to be him, a newly born god. And then, as compensation, they'd probably offer him the position of Law Enforcement God.
Han Li silently speculated, finding this scenario increasingly plausible.
A god position granted, protection ensured integrating into their ranks seemed like a logical choice.
Tsk, tsk, sounded pretty nice.
Too bad he was born rebellious.
A real man, standing between heaven and earth, should never resign himself to being beneath others!
What he really wanted… was to devour them instead.
A bright, cheerful smile spread across Han Li's face.
"If that's the case, you'd best wait until the last possible moment before accepting Asura's god position."
Gu Yue didn't know what he was planning, but she instinctively guessed that it wasn't anything good. Every time he smiled like that, it was never for anything pleasant.
"Mm."
Han Li nodded. Truthfully, the moment he deduced their intentions, he had already made up his mind. And in his long term plans, Tang Chen's side had always been part of the equation.
"I'm really looking forward to seeing the Divine Realm's reaction once you've fully established yourself."
There was undisguised schadenfreude in Gu Yue's voice.
"Those fools only focus on immediate benefits. They'll regret ever letting you loose."
Han Li gave her a sidelong glance.
Gu Yue was feeling particularly aggressive today.
"But this was inevitable. Even if it wasn't you, sooner or later, someone would have taken this step."
Gu Yue suddenly seemed a little indifferent.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Han Li became interested. If she was speaking like this, it likely reflected Dragon God's past thoughts. And Dragon God… had been undeniably powerful.
"In Dragon God's own words, the first generation of the Five God Kings was inherently flawed. They could be strong, but they would never be the strongest."
"Their physical forms and the laws they wielded inherently limited their growth. Even their god positions were restrictions in themselves. Otherwise, do you really think that after countless eons, they would still be relying on the same divine authorities? That their only path to power was through the expansion and evolution of the Divine Realm itself?"
"Apart from the supreme laws, no other rules could bring them significant improvement. For them, the peak of a God King is their absolute limit. As long as they remain in their positions, the other supreme laws will continue to reject them. And, quite frankly, they lack the talent to break through."
"Asura's choice to abandon his god position and leave the Divine Realm might not necessarily be a bad move. If he's lucky, he might even reach Dragon God's level. The chances are slim, but it's still better than the stagnation of the other God Kings."
"As for those who blindly follow their example… they're not even worth discussing."
"Of course, this is just Dragon God's personal opinion. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
Though she spoke indifferently, there was a hint of pride in Gu Yue's expression. Given what she had told Han Li before about Dragon God's cultivation methods, it was clear that these words also reflected her own beliefs.
(End of Chapter)
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