Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

The raging storm at the Asura God's residence, which lasted for a full day and night, finally subsided into a calm drizzle.

The air was filled with the lingering afterglow of divine power, as well as a hint of ambiguous sweetness.

The large bed, crafted from some rare and precious material, was now a complete mess.

Bibi Dong leaned lazily against Xuan Ming's chest, the usual imperial majesty of a ruler who ruled the world completely gone, replaced by a gentle tenderness. She stretched out her finger and gently drew circles on Xuan Ming's chest, her thoughts drifting back to the past.

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

Her voice was a little hoarse, but filled with endless reminiscence. "Back then in the Papal Palace, you were kidnapped from Tian Dou City by Yue Guan. You were like a stubborn kid who hadn't grown up yet, all dumb and clueless. When you were facing me, you were so terrified, but you still pretended to be indifferent."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but chuckle softly, raising her head to look at Xuanming's incomparably handsome profile, her eyes filled with doting affection.

Even now, your personality hasn't changed much. When it comes to matters of the heart, you're still as clueless as ever.

Xuanming glanced down at her but didn't reply.

He simply hugged the woman in his arms tighter, his chin gently resting on the top of her head, feeling that familiar warmth.

past?

For Xuanming, that was not a beautiful time worth reminiscing about.

Whether it was the humiliation of being sold into slavery, the madness of slaughtering lives in the killing city, or the pain of facing life-or-death trials on Poseidon Island... those memories are more like the price that had to be paid to get to where I am today.

He didn't want to look back, because that meant re-examining his former self—a weak, helpless person who was constantly in fear.

He cares more about the present.

Now, he is powerful enough. He stands at the pinnacle of all beings, wielding the power to rewrite all rules.

He got everything he wanted and protected the people he wanted to protect.

He no longer needs to be mindful of anyone's feelings, nor does he need to worry about whether the sun will rise tomorrow.

This is the real thing.

This is what he desperately wanted to grasp.

"Let bygones be bygones," Xuanming said calmly. "I prefer living in the present to dwelling on the past."

Bibi Dong was incredibly intelligent, and she instantly noticed the hint of indifference in Xuan Ming's emotions.

A slight pang of pain shot through her heart; she knew this man had carried too much burdens along the way. She didn't pursue the topic further, but instead nestled obediently in his arms, savoring this rare moment of tranquility.

After a long while, she spoke again, her tone becoming more serious.

"Then what are your plans next?"

“The Divine Realm Committee was in complete chaos recently,” Bibi Dong said. “The former Asura God and that old fellow Poseidon, the Sea God, said during your seclusion that the world was so big and they wanted to see it. So the two of them agreed to leave the Divine Realm to explore the unknown universe. Now the Divine Realm has lost two pillars of support. Although we new God-Kings have been added, there is still some turmoil.”

Xuanming raised an eyebrow: "Those two old guys ran fast. What? Couldn't handle the rest?"

"It's not that I can't handle it, I just want to hear your opinion."

Bibi Dong explained, “The two God-Kings, Good and Evil, came to see me a few days ago. They said that there has been too much personnel change in the God Realm, with so many first-level gods and even God-Kings suddenly appearing, and the original committee rules are no longer applicable. They hope to formulate a new set of rules and redefine the power structure.”

"In addition, Destruction also approached me." A strange light flashed in Bibi Dong's eyes. "That guy has big ambitions. He proposed a very grand idea—the Great Realm Project."

"A Great Realm?" Xuanming became interested.

"That's right. Destruction wants to use the power of the central hub of the divine realm to connect with the other divine realms they control, to circulate the energy of multiple divine realms, and to build a larger and more stable super divine realm."

Bibi Dong explained in detail, "If this plan succeeds, the energy levels of all planes under the Douluo God Realm will be greatly enhanced. In the future, not only Douluo Star, but more and more planes will have an environment sufficient to support the birth of god-level powerhouses."

"As the divine realm grows stronger, it can accommodate more deities. According to the calculations of Destruction, the number of god-level powerhouses in the mortal realm will experience an explosive growth. How to guide these new gods, how to select talent, how to manage these ever-increasing planes... these are all major problems we face."

At this point, Bibi Dong raised her head and looked earnestly at Xuan Ming. "They know you're lazy and don't like getting involved in these trivial matters. However, they still hope you can participate. After all..."

“You are the most powerful deity in the divine realm today, and the undisputed ruler of the divine realm. Without your approval, no matter what rules they set out, they are meaningless.”

Xuanming listened and remained silent for a moment.

He really didn't want to get involved in these messy affairs. As far as he was concerned, as long as no one bothered him, the divine realm could do whatever it wanted.

However, he also understood Bibi Dong's meaning.

With greater ability comes greater responsibility, but if rules aren't set properly, troubles will inevitably keep coming your way.

"Let me know when the meeting starts, and I'll be there to listen."

Xuanming gently ran his fingers through Bibi Dong's loose hair, his tone casual, "As for how to change the rules, let them figure out the specific regulations. I'm only responsible for making the final decision. As long as they don't cross my bottom line, everything else is negotiable."

Bibi Dong nodded. She knew that making Xuanming scrutinize those dry legal provisions word by word was worse than killing him.

"but……"

Bibi Dong changed the subject, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at him with a hint of mockery, "Since you don't want to concern yourself with the trivial matters of the God Realm, what are you planning to do next? You can't just stay in the temple and sleep all day, can you? That would be incredibly boring."

"Boring?" Xuanming chuckled, but a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. "I think I don't have the fortune to enjoy boredom."

Bibi Dong's eyes twitched slightly, and she rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Indeed, your complicated interpersonal relationships and all those unresolved emotional debts will keep you busy for a while."

When this was mentioned, Xuanming's smile gradually faded, replaced by a rare look of complexity and guilt.

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat silent for a moment.

Bibi Dong knew him too well.

During the life-or-death trial on Poseidon Island, under the pressure that felt like the end of the world, those girls briefly and passionately expressed their feelings to him.

At that time, Xuanming was like a prisoner about to be executed. He was prepared to wage war against the entire Old God Realm in order to condense his divine spark, and he was even prepared to perish.

Because he didn't know if there would be a tomorrow, because it was the "final moment," he did not refuse.

He accepted everyone's heavy sentiments, both to give them an explanation and to find some solace for his own unknown fate.

But he survived.

Not only did he survive, but he also became the supreme god-king.

This made the situation awkward.

Xuanming knew very well that he was a complete bastard when it came to relationships.

He is an extremely possessive man; if a woman is his, he will never allow her to have feelings for anyone else. Yet, conversely, he himself has so many female confidantes.

He knew it wasn't fair.

He knew how heartbroken and sad those girls would feel when they saw other people standing next to him.

Therefore, he was afraid and he felt guilty.

This guilt reached its peak after his recovery.

Therefore, at the moment of reshaping the divine realm and expanding the planes, he almost frantically overdrawn his supreme divine power, recklessly forcibly boosting their power.

Even though his talent was slightly lacking, he managed to push himself to the peak of a first-level god.

To outsiders, this is a blessing that brings prosperity to everyone, from the most powerful to the most humble.

But only Xuanming himself knew that this was more like a form of compensation, a kind of almost humble "toll."

He felt he couldn't give them a complete and devoted love, so he could only use this most mundane yet direct method—granting them supreme power, eternal life, and a noble status—to make up for the debt in his heart. (End of Chapter)