Chapter 421: Chapter 421: Li Zhexian’s One-Vote Veto — Sword Lord vs. God King of Destruction

The God of Destruction showed no change in expression upon hearing this.

He raised his hand and pointed toward the towering transparent pillars outside the divine hall—each one piercing heaven and earth, flowing with inner streams of golden light.

"Only through destruction can there be rebirth."

"These one hundred and eight Spiritual Energy Pillars condense the primordial energy accumulated by the Divine Realm over hundreds of millions of years."

"Expanding the Divine Realm is no simple matter. The Sword Lord once spoke recklessly to me, claiming that one day he could cleave a brand-new Divine Realm with a single sword strike..."

Purple light swirled in the depths of his eyes.

"My method is to destroy these Spiritual Energy Pillars and release the vast primordial energy sealed within them. That alone would be enough to expand the Divine Realm’s territory by more than threefold!"

The God of Destruction suddenly clenched his five fingers,

as if grasping the fate of the entire Divine Realm in his palm.

"At that time, the Divine Realm could accommodate more gods and construct an even stronger defensive barrier."

"This catastrophe would be resolved with ease."

A long, deathly silence fell over the hall.

Only the God of Destruction’s words echoed beneath the star-studded dome.

The first-class gods stared at him in shock.

Destroying the Spiritual Energy Pillars was tantamount to destroying the very foundation of the Divine Realm—such madness sent chills down their spines.

Even the fervor in the eyes of many second-class gods gradually cooled.

This plan sounded perilous beyond measure.

If it caused the existing defensive system to collapse, the Divine Realm would face utter annihilation.

"Zhexian..." Qian Renxue, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others looked toward the white-robed figure’s back.

At this moment,

they finally understood

why Li Zhexian had nearly come to blows with the God of Destruction, and what he meant by turmoil in the Divine Realm.

"I oppose it."

A clear, ringing voice shattered the silence.

Under the gaze of all the gods, Li Zhexian slowly stood up, grasped the golden hammer symbolizing a God King’s authority, and brought it down heavily upon the desk.

He looked straight at the God of Destruction, his gaze as sharp as a drawn azure blade.

"Destruction, my position has never changed."

"I support expanding the Divine Realm—but absolutely not by such extreme means."

"Leaving aside the danger of shaking the Divine Realm’s foundation, once all the primordial energy is extracted, the seals maintaining the Forbidden Lands will inevitably weaken."

"If the Golden Dragon King—born of the Dragon God’s malevolent will—breaks free..."

"Can you, God of Destruction, bear the consequences?"

Though he carried karmic ties to Spirit Beasts and was willing to open a path forward for them,

that did not include monstrosities like the Golden Dragon King, which knew only destruction.

The Golden Dragon King—who inherited the Dragon God’s physical body and the godhead of annihilation—possessed combat power far beyond that of ordinary God Kings.

"I support the Sword Lord’s words."

Ji Dong followed by striking his hammer; the God of Kindness nodded in agreement.

"Destruction, the Spiritual Energy Pillars uphold the Divine Realm’s foundation. Exhausting its accumulated reserves to expand territory would amount to nothing more than a castle in the air."

The Asura God slightly opened his blood-red eyes. With a light sweep of his sleeve, his golden hammer struck the veto position.

Four of the six God Kings had now clearly opposed the proposal—the outcome was sealed.

Many gods secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Those who had harbored hopes felt unwilling, yet under the pressure of four God Kings, none dared reveal it.

The God of Destruction stood silently.

The aura of destruction around him surged like a dark undercurrent, growing ever deeper.

He cast one final glance at Li Zhexian, then turned and left the hall with the Seven Original Sin Gods in tow.

As they watched the God of Destruction depart,

the tension weighing on the gods’ hearts finally eased.

Just moments ago,

they had nearly believed they would witness another clash between God Kings.

Thus ended the meeting—anticlimactically—and the gods departed one after another.

However,

the heaviness between Li Zhexian’s brows did not ease in the slightest.

...

The blazing sun sank into the sea of clouds, and night arrived as promised.

Above the firmament, the river of stars flowed, bathing the vast Divine Realm in tranquil, silvery radiance.

"Life is asleep."

The God of Destruction merged with the night itself, only the purple light in his eyes flickering.

"All of this was set in motion by my own hands. Let all sins and blame fall upon me alone."

"As for merit and fault—future generations will judge."

Behind him, the Seven Original Sin Gods knelt on one knee. The God of Pride, at their head, reported in a deep voice:

"Recently, the Sword Lord has often been patrolling the vicinity of the Spiritual Energy Pillars."

The God of Destruction remained silent for a long while before finally speaking:

"The Sword Lord bears the Divine Realm in his heart."

"He is worthy of the title of God King."

He raised his head to gaze at the stars revolving deep within the firmament. In his grasp, the Scepter of Destruction condensed a dim, shadowy radiance.

"Clinging to old rules will never accomplish great things."

"I will prove to the Divine Realm that my decision is the correct one."

"The Sword Lord may be powerful, but he is, after all, a new god. The authority over these one hundred and eight Spiritual Energy Pillars has not yet fallen into his hands."

From the God of Destruction’s fingertips escaped seven strands of destructive divine power.

"Take my decree. The patrol divine generals will withdraw."

"I have already embedded my origin divine power deep within the cores of the pillars. With the slightest trigger, the pillars will collapse."

"When that happens, the expansion of the Divine Realm will be unstoppable."

The Seven Original Sin Gods bowed and accepted the command.

The God of Destruction looked upon these subordinates who had followed him for tens of thousands of years, and for once, a trace of emotion rippled through his voice.

"This act may burden us with infamy for eternity. You..."

"God King, say no more!"

Seven voices rang out with unwavering resolve.

"We are the embodiments of Original Sin—never have we been treated with reverence by the world!"

"Only you, God King, have never looked down upon us. For this grace and bond, even if we must die ten thousand times, we will still follow you!"

"Then simply execute the plan."

"The Immortal Nectar newly brewed by Evil has already been delivered to the Eastern God Region. At this moment, Evil and Kindness should be lying drunk in the Northern Region."

"Asura is in secluded cultivation in the southern frontier, farthest from the Divine Realm’s core."

The God of Destruction’s gaze sharpened suddenly, like two bolts of purple lightning piercing the night.

"As for the one who requires the greatest vigilance—the Sword Lord..."

"I will personally hold him back."

Dark purple divine flames blazed atop the scepter, illuminating the battle intent gradually boiling in his eyes.

"I truly wish to experience for myself just how sharp the Sword Lord’s sword really is."

...

Li Zhexian quietly rose from the bed.

He looked at the peaceful sleeping faces of Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing beside him, yet a persistent restlessness clouded his brow.

Sleep was impossible.

A nameless agitation unsettled his mind.

With the vast providence he carried, such a premonition could never arise without cause.

White robes flowed over his body like liquid mercury. Li Zhexian transformed into a streak of sword light, preparing to head straight for the God Realm’s core.

However—

The moment he left the Eastern God Region—

The western horizon was abruptly dyed in dark purple.

The God of Destruction stepped out of the void, blocking the only path forward.

The God of Destruction’s lips moved slightly, as if about to speak.

"Hmph!" Li Zhexian snorted coldly, showing no intention of engaging in verbal sparring.

The Qinglian Sword was drawn directly from its sheath.

A dazzling sword light that spanned the galaxy tore through the heavens, cleaving straight toward the God of Destruction.

The God of Destruction’s pupils shrank.

He had not expected—

Li Zhexian to be this overbearing.

Not even sparing a single word.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Scepter of Destruction rose hurriedly to meet the strike.

At its head, a dark annihilation vortex bloomed, capable of devouring all things, crashing head-on into the peerless sword qi.

At the instant of collision,

the surrounding space shattered inch by inch like glass.

The overflowing energy torrents ripped a vacuum trench tens of thousands of miles long through the cloud sea below.

The God of Destruction’s body shook violently, retreating three steps before stabilizing himself.

Even the residual sword qi that grazed his cheek brought a faint, stinging pain.

He stared at the white-robed youth standing with sword in hand before him, his expression growing unprecedentedly grave.

"Sword Lord—when you meet a fellow god, do you draw your blade immediately?"

Li Zhexian sneered.

"Destruction, do you think I don’t know you’re stalling for time?"

"Since you dare block my path—"

"I’ll cut you down."