Snow Emperor had been a loyal partner who fought alongside him throughout his journey; naturally, a deep, unique affection had blossomed between them, leading her to become the Emotion God King's woman. Liya, too, had harbored special feelings for him since their time on the Douluo Continent, and through years of companionship, their relationship had naturally reached its fruition.
As for the Emperor Auspicious Beast whom the Emotion God King constantly yearned for—
Guilt almost threatened to swallow him whole. Even if he now knew the truth of what had happened, what could he possibly do?
After Snow Emperor finished combing his hair and he finished the breakfast made with Liya's love, he dragged his spiritless and weary body to the God Realm Committee—to clock in for the "8 AM shift."
Celestial clouds swirled, and ethereal mist rose.
The boundless Immortal Qi (Divine Essence) was so dense it felt physical, shifting into various forms in the air and shimmering with a magnificent nine-colored halo.
In the very center of this seemingly endless Immortal Qi, a tall tower pierced through the clouds. The tower's style was ancient and simple, its entire body emitting strange, brilliant lights. Every beam seemed to illuminate a different space, radiating infinite majesty.
This was the most exalted place in the God Realm, known as the Tower of the Gods. Only members of the God Realm Committee—the Great God Circle—were qualified to enter. And every member of the Great God Circle was a high-ranking figure at the God King level.
At the highest level of the tower, the Heart of the God Realm glowed like a crystal ball with a soft radiance. Through it, the God Kings could guide and protect the various planes within the mortal realms under their jurisdiction.
"Colleagues! We are about to achieve a magnificent feat!" Sitting in the head seat, Sea God Tang San stood up, his voice passionate and stirring: "With the joining of the God of Heavenly Protection [Austin Griffin], the continuous growth of the [Douluo World], and Xuanyu—the Dragon God—serving as the Universe Enforcer, we have successfully deceived the majority of the Universal Law."
"—No matter how you look at it! We have two Supreme God Kings, fifteen God Kings, hundreds of First-Class Primary Gods, and the protection of the God of Heavenly Protection. Creating a God Star is imperative. The advantage is ours!"
As he spoke, he cast an unfriendly gaze toward the Emotion God King, who sat at the far end of the table with his head half-lowered.
Out of his cautious nature and the unease from his dreams, the Emotion God King had suggested delaying the God Star ritual to wait and observe. Unsurprisingly, he had been rebuked by every other God King in the Great God Circle.
Except for his senior brother, the God of Light and Hope Long Haochen, and the Goddess of Life Gu Yuena.
Oh, and the Emotion God King's master, Rong Nianbing, who had long since taken his family far away from the Great God Circle and was no longer here.
Long Haochen, being his senior brother, wouldn't kick him while he was down. As for Gu Yuena—the Emotion God King didn't understand why this nominal sister-in-law remained silent.
Was it just her personality? Regardless, he couldn't make sense of it.
Tang San's status in the hearts of the God Kings was absurdly high; even these powerhouses who were once his equals were now willing to serve him.
The moment his speech ended, the God Kings broke into thunderous applause. Specifically, the Strength God King Zhou Weiqing and the God of Destruction Tang Wulin clapped the hardest, their eyes filled with blatant admiration for Tang San.
Finally, Sea God Tang San gave a disdainful smile and delivered a concluding remark: "The Great God Circle is in its prime; why does the God of Emotion sing such a funeral dirge?"
"Of course, if the Emotion God King is afraid, he doesn't have to participate in the God Star ritual."
The unspoken words didn't need to be said: If he didn't participate, his time as a member of the God Realm Committee would be over.
If you won't do it, there are plenty of others who will.
The meeting ended on a sour note, with the established tone still set on the expansion and ascension to a God Star.
I must do something— The Emotion God King thought to himself after the meeting adjourned.
...
Great God Circle, Temple of Emotions.
The place was luxurious, befitting a God King's residence, but it was also empty, housing only a few people.
The Seven Deadly Sin Gods had already arrived and taken their seats in the main hall. Their leader, the God of Lust, bowed slightly to the Emotion God King.
"Lord of Emotion."
The Emotion God King exhaled wearily and gestured for them to sit.
After the seven gods were seated, he spoke with some hesitation after a long silence: "—In a moment, I will help you separate your Divine Positions from yourselves. Everyone, leave the Great God Circle as quickly as possible."
"..."
The Seven Deadly Sin Gods, led by the God of Lust, exchanged glances.
The God of Greed asked tentatively, "My Lord, do you mean—"
The Emotion God King smiled and shook his head. "Tang San will likely move against me soon. I am not his match. Once I lose my authority, it's even less likely he will tolerate all of you. You all know exactly what kind of man he is."
He spoke quite frankly, knowing this day would come.
An "in-law" who had outlived his usefulness and spent all day opposing his father-in-law—given Tang San's temper, the fact that he hadn't been killed yet was practically an act of Buddha-like mercy.
Of course, previously it was because Tang San couldn't and dared not kill him.
While Tang San was the undisputed absolute ruler of the God Realm, the Emotion God King had been the one in power, controlling the God Realm for many years while Tang San was reincarnated. He still held significant prestige among the middle and lower-tier deities.
Furthermore, on their primary source of faith—Planet Douluo—even though Tang San used every possible method to weaken his presence, he remained one of the most influential deities to this day, surpassing even the God of Destruction Tang Wulin and the Dragon God Lan Xuanyu. After all, the impact the Emotion God King had on the Douluo Continent was tangible.
Not to mention, he was the father of Huo Zhanji and Dai Ying. If he were truly killed by Tang San, it would spark internal strife within the Tang Family. Such instability was something Tang San didn't want to see.
But once the God Star ascension succeeded—there would be no reason to keep this son-in-law around.
The God of Greed froze, then gave a bitter, sour laugh. "We understand. If it weren't for your protection all these years, Lord, the few of us would have been pushed out by Tang San long ago."
The rulers of the God Realm were deities, but they were also people. Where there are people, there is a society, and where there is a society, there are "cliques."
After the previous God of Destruction and Goddess of Life fell, Tang San's family became the sole dominant power. These Sins had crossed paths with Tang San's family years ago; with Tang San's heart being "smaller than the eye of a needle," how could he possibly make life easy for them now?
They were all dignified First-Class Primary Gods, and powerful ones at that, yet their status in the Great God Circle was lower than the Second-Class Gods of the original Shrek Seven Monsters led by Tang San. Forget progressing further; even maintaining their First-Class cultivation was a struggle.
Even so, the former God of Sloth had already been coerced and enticed by the God King of Light, Long Gongwei, into giving up his Divine Position to his disciple, Ling Yumo. Having nowhere else to go, he remained in the Great God Circle, being mocked and pointed at by the Tang Family.
If they kept waiting, their Divine Positions would be swallowed whole by the Tang Family. Rather than having their positions defiled by Tang San's descendants, they would rather throw them into the street.
Of course, they understood the Emotion God King's meaning. Carrying a Divine Position meant being locked onto by the God Realm's central hub; running away was useless.
To leave the Great God Circle, they had to discard these Divine Positions that had become nothing but burdens.
"Then we shall trouble you, My Lord."