Chapter 115: The God of Destruction
The night was deep.
The dormitory district of Shrek Academy lay steeped in silence. Most of the students had ended their day of cultivation or recreation and had already drifted into slumber. Only a handful of windows still glowed with the light of lamps—those especially diligent students still meditating or studying hard.
Furina sat cross-legged on the single bed in her private dormitory room. Her eyes were lightly shut, her breathing long and deep. She had entered a state of profound meditation. Her spiritual power, like a hidden current beneath the surface of a still lake, circulated slowly, perceiving the sparse water elements in the surrounding air, drawing them in thread by thread, refining and transforming them into her own soul power.
At the same time, her cultivation of the Taiyi Spirit-Refining Art had never slackened for a single moment. This spiritual tempering technique, originating from the system, had demonstrated astonishing adaptability in this world. It made her spiritual power grow at a speed that far outstripped the rise of her soul power. Soul power had to be raised, but spiritual power had to be raised as well. This would bring tremendous benefits for her later development.
After who knew how long, a familiar, gentle yet vast wave of consciousness rippled outward through the spiritual realm she had constructed in her meditation, like a pebble cast into the lake of her heart.
"Are you there? Are you there? Little Furina?" A distinctly amused, lively-sounding female voice rang out directly within her consciousness. Its tone was light and brisk, even carrying a hint of... teasing.
It was the Water God.
Furina did not open her eyes. Her spirit was highly focused. She answered inwardly, "I'm here, Lord Water God. Contacting me so late—are there results? Is it good news or... bad news? Is that Lord God of Destruction willing to speak with me?"
"Aiya, it's good news, of course!" The Water God's voice sounded exceedingly pleased with herself. "When I, the Water God, personally step in, I'm worth at least two of anyone else! Besides, that guy Destruction—sure, his temper's a bit foul. He goes around with a scowl all day, like everyone owes him money. But he's no stubborn, inflexible, unreasonable old fossil. He just... mm, doesn't much care for all the twisting, turning social games up here in the Divine Realm. Thinks it's a waste of time."
She paused, and her tone grew a bit more serious. "I told him about your situation, and some of what you mentioned... regarding the matter of his wife's divine seat, the Goddess of Life. He was quite interested. He agreed to speak with you. I've already set up the connection for you. His divine consciousness will be here any moment. I'll withdraw first. Take your time chatting~"
"Thank you, Lord Water God." Furina offered her sincere gratitude, then added a playful note. "Or perhaps... thank you, Sister Water God?"
"Heehee, you little girl, such a sweet tongue! I like the title 'Sister'!" The Water God was clearly delighted by this form of address. The delighted emotion transmitted through her divine consciousness practically overflowed. "Alright, I won't disturb your serious talk. Remember—that guy Destruction can be coaxed but not coerced. Being direct is best. Good luck~"
As her words faded, the Water God's gentle, vast divine consciousness receded like the tide, vanishing without a trace.
Furina's spirit jolted. She knew the real main event was about to begin.
Almost the very instant after the Water God's divine consciousness disappeared, a completely different kind of consciousness—immeasurably vast, crushingly heavy, suffused with the very essence of destruction and finality—descended upon her spiritual world with a thunderous roar!
This consciousness was thick with an indescribable sense of majesty and oppressive force. Fortunately, the other party had it well under control and bore no hostility toward Furina. Otherwise, the sheer weight of his divine consciousness alone would have been enough to kill.
"Hello, young lady."
A low, deep, resonant voice—rich with the accumulated weight of countless ages—sounded in the depths of Furina's consciousness. Every word seemed to come from the ancient vault of the stars, carrying an undeniable, irresistible authority.
"I am the God of Destruction, one of the three great Enforcers of the Divine Realm, and also one of the five God Kings."
The God of Destruction's divine consciousness was far more condensed and solid than the Water God's, far heavier, and carried far less in the way of "human warmth." It was closer to the manifestation of some fundamental law. But he was clearly controlling his power with deliberate care, causing no tangible oppression to Furina. It was more like a formal declaration of identity.
"I hear from the Water God that you wish to speak with me. It concerns... the inheritance of the Goddess of Life's divine seat?" The God of Destruction came straight to the point, without the slightest pleasantry or small talk. He didn't like playing those empty games. Although Tang San excelled at that sort of thing and had won the trust of quite a few gods through it, he himself had no talent for it—nor any desire to learn.
Furina steadied her spirit and responded with a clear, calm stream of spiritual consciousness. "Lord God of Destruction, greetings. It is my honor to speak with you directly. Regarding the inheritance of the Goddess of Life's divine seat and its divine trial, I am indeed very willing to accept. After all, it is a God-King-level divine seat, accompanied by a super-divine artifact... who would refuse such an opportunity?"
Her tone was perfectly frank, without the slightest attempt to conceal her desire for the divine seat and for power. Before an existence of this level, false modesty was likely to provoke only distaste.
"Heh." The God of Destruction seemed to let out a low chuckle, his divine consciousness carrying a note of understanding. "It seems that Water God girl really has told you everything."
In his view, for Furina—a mere mortal of the lower realm—to know the specifics of the Goddess of Life's divine seat, and even to know about the existence of the super-divine artifact, the Water God must have been the one to tell her. He didn't suspect any other channel, because information about the Divine Realm was, to the lower realm, an absolute secret. Although Furina called herself the "Water God" and walked the unique path of faith-based godhood, the God of Destruction could sense that she was, in essence, still a mortal. She was absolutely not a reincarnation from the Divine Realm, nor an outside deity. As for how she'd come to know the method of achieving godhood through faith—perhaps she'd had some karmic encounter, or perhaps some other god was involved. But it wasn't important.
Furina offered no explanation, letting the God of Destruction maintain his misconception. She followed his lead and said, "Sister Water God did indeed tell me a great deal. However, what I wish to speak with you about today is not merely the matter of the Goddess of Life's divine seat."
"Oh?" The God of Destruction's divine consciousness rippled faintly, revealing a trace of interest. "Then what do you wish to speak about?"
Furina drew a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Lord God of Destruction, you must surely be aware... of the Sea God Tang San?"
At the mention of this name, the God of Destruction's divine consciousness noticeably froze for a single instant before recovering. But that inherently heavy aura of destruction seemed to have unconsciously thickened by a hair.
"Naturally, I know of him." The God of Destruction's voice betrayed no emotion, but Furina keenly caught a ripple beneath that calm surface.
"He is a deity who ascended from your Douluo Continent. He inherited the dual divine seats of Sea God and Asura God. Now, he is also one of the three great Enforcers of the Divine Realm. What's more... the previous God of Kindness and God of Evil—those two God Kings—before they left the Divine Realm and reincarnated into the mortal world, they entrusted the authority of the Divine Realm to him. I have no idea what those two God Kings were thinking..."
At this point, the God of Destruction paused briefly before continuing. "Why do you bring him up? This would seem to have no direct connection to your inheritance of my wife's divine seat."