[The background of God King Old Huo's transmigration.]
A dream?
It's probably a dream—right?
He walked incessantly across a desolate wilderness that stretched endlessly to the horizon.
Not long ago, this place had been the largest and strongest God Realm in the known universe—the Great God Circle.
Now, however, the former prosperity was gone, leaving only the wasteland.
His entire body was covered in wounds. With every step, a dull pain shot through him. He moved forward by leaning on the ultra-divine artifact, the 『Necromantic Heavenly Calamity Magic Staff』.
Yet, he could not stop.
He was being pursued by the heavy, continuous thundering of tremors behind him.
As he walked, he glanced over his shoulder.
On the other side of the colorless wasteland, a massive entity was moving.
It was a giant wreathed in red-black flames—calling it a giant was simply because it had a humanoid shape; it had no face and no expression. Its appearance was as simple as an oversized stick figure.
But every time it stepped down with its log-like feet or swung its meteor-like fists, a rainbow-colored flash would erupt from the ground, accompanied by the splashing of golden-red divine blood and faint wails of agony.
The God Kings of the Great God Circle, who had been fighting side-by-side just a moment ago, were being trampled by the giant.
As for the deities below the rank of First-Class God—they were likely all dead.
Only the Emotion God King had escaped that battlefield, because from the very beginning, he hadn't thought of fighting; he only thought of running.
[I must go back—]
Despite the thought, his body was honest; his feet didn't stop for a second.
Step by step, he pressed forward into the dry, distant earth.
The relentless sounds of battle reaching his ears grew fainter and fainter until, finally, a total silence arrived.
When he turned around again, everything behind him was completely still.
There was no longer any movement beneath his feet.
The slaughter was over.
On the battlefield from which the Emotion God King had fled, those heroically fighting deities had been wiped out to the last soul—not even a shred of Divine Consciousness remained.
This included the two most powerful Supreme God Kings, the [Sea God] and the [Dragon God].
This was the destined moment of conclusion—the end of the world.
The giant, which had been standing still in the distance, slowly turned its head toward the Emotion God King.
On its faceless head, a white concentric circle appeared, shining like an eye.
"—!!"
With a sudden snap and a shiver running through his body, the Emotion God King woke up.
Lying on his bed, he blinked repeatedly.
Although the Great God Circle had four seasons, a being at the God King level had long since gained perfect control over their body temperature and humidity. Moreover, as the Emotion God King, one of the top five powers in the Great God Circle, it was normally impossible for him to break out in a cold sweat.
Yet, sweat poured down his forehead and chest.
Struggling to sit up, he looked around. It was undoubtedly his own Temple of Emotions.
Waiting for his racing heart to calm, the Emotion God King tried hard to recall what kind of nightmare he'd had, but the fear, despair, and resentment in his mind dissipated like bitter smoke, vanishing instantly.
Ever since the two Supreme God Kings, [Sea God] Tang San and his grandson [Dragon God] Tang Xuanyu, finalized the [God Star Ascension Ritual] six months ago, he had been having this nightmare every few nights.
How many times had it been now? He could no longer remember.
The pillow beside him was empty. The Emotion God King blinked, threw off the covers, and dragged his weary body to the dressing table in the room.
In the mirror, he saw a face that was simultaneously young and ancient.
As a deity and a pinnacle God King, the Emotion God King's appearance had not changed since ascending to the God Realm. He remained extremely handsome, maintaining the look of a 26-year-old youth.
However, the weathered look in his eyes, the fatigue in his brow, and the blue hair—half-turned white at the temples—made him look more like a centenarian who had endured ages of hardship.
In fact, according to God Realm time, he was nearly five hundred years old; by the time of the Douluo Continent, he had existed for over thirty thousand years. Calling him an "old monster" was no exaggeration.
He suddenly remembered that today was the final meeting regarding the merger of the [Great God Circle] and the [Divine Dragon Realm] to strike for the God Star status. As one of the God Kings, he had to attend.
Forcing himself to prepare and wash up—no matter how despondent he felt, he couldn't abandon the dignity of a God King.
Just then, a stunning white-haired woman in a white nightgown pushed the door open and entered. Seeing the Emotion God King awake, she gave a gentle smile.
Walking to his side, she sat submissively on his lap. "You're awake? Liya has already finished cooking. You have the meeting today, right?"
The Emotion God King naturally wrapped his arm around the woman's slender waist, resting his hand on her snowy thigh with a gentle caress. "Mhm. Even though the God Realm Committee is basically Tang San's one-man show now, and the meeting is meaningless, he's a man who values appearances above all else. We still have to follow the procedure."
The woman knew her man's difficult situation. She reached up to smooth the Emotion God King's messy blue hair and whispered, "Let me tidy you up."
She stood up, walked behind him, and skillfully used a comb to arrange his blue-and-white long hair.
The Emotion God King nodded silently, enjoying Snow Emperor's grooming.
Even after being an "old married couple" for so long, he still felt a trace of guilt in his heart.
He had a wife and children, so the current Emotion God King couldn't give Snow Emperor a formal status. She and his other soul spirit partner, Liya, were effectively—his mistresses.
As for the Emotion God King's original wife, the Butterfly God Tang Wutong—ever since her father reincarnated and returned, she had spent every day clinging to him. Despite being hundreds of years old, she behaved like a child who refused to grow up, wishing she could spend every moment with her father, hugging and being lifted high, never returning home.
In the past, the Emotion God King might have been somewhat jealous. Since marrying the Butterfly God, the phrase most often heard from her was "My Daddy." Everything centered around her father, and she showed little concern for her husband. Every family gathering, Tang Wutong would follow the Sea God closely, chatting incessantly while completely ignoring the Emotion God King standing silently by her side.
Back then, this left the Emotion God King jealous and helpless. After all, who would want their wife to be constantly devoted to her maiden family while ignoring her own husband?
But now, centuries later, he had seen through it. That so-called "vow of eternal love" was merely a dream woven for him by the Sea God.
Being a son-in-law who lives with the wife's family isn't easy. Furthermore, he now understood that she wasn't Wang Dong'er, and she wasn't Wang Qiu'er.
She is Tang Wutong, and only Tang Wutong—the little princess of the Tang Family. Within the so-called six God Kings of the Tang Family lineage, she could still use her Second-Class God strength to command more authority than he did as a God King.
Since the children had grown up and started their own families, the couple—who were already estranged—simply separated. The Emotion God King moved into his own Temple of Emotions to live with the soul spirit partners who had always accompanied him.
The only reason they weren't divorced yet was for the sake of appearances, as that "supremely benevolent and kind" father-in-law would never tolerate his daughter being dumped.