"And as for your parents, if this god is not mistaken, they should already have reached godhood by now, correct?"
"Since when were god-level beings allowed to linger in the mortal realm at will?"
"Or did they ignore the rules of the Divine Realm and descend on their own accord?"
"If this god remembers correctly, those who descend without permission are subject to severe punishment."
"Sea God, if you can't discipline them properly, this god doesn't mind helping you teach your ill-mannered parents a lesson."
Just as Tang San was about to argue back, the silent Goddess of Life suddenly stepped forward.
"Ice God, don't be so agitated. Calm down. The Sea God has no malicious intent."
The Goddess of Life exuded a compassionate aura, speaking gently in an attempt to mediate.
The Ice God rolled her eyes, unsure of what to say about this meddlesome goddess.
"What does my issue with the Sea God have to do with you?"
"Why do you love interfering so much?"
With a stern face, the Ice God said in a cold tone, "Goddess, I know you have a kind heart, but this matter has nothing to do with you."
"That guy, the Sea God, always pretends to be righteous, standing on some moral high ground and criticizing others."
"As if he's the only one who cares about the Divine Realm, while everyone else is harming it."
"The two God Kings let him manage the Divine Realm's core, and now he thinks he's the ruler of the Divine Realm? He even dares to tell this god what to do?"
"Who does he think he is?"
"Sea God, let this god tell you clearly—I know exactly what you're planning."
"Stop eyeing my inheritor. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless."
The Ice God looked at Tang San, her tone icy cold.
Faced with the Ice God's direct verbal assault, Tang San could no longer sit still. He responded coldly, "Ice God, don't go too far."
"Su Yu is not only your inheritor but also the Child of the World. As a God King of the Divine Realm, I must oversee his growth and ensure he does not stray from the right path."
"What I'm doing is for the sake of the Divine Realm. Stop making a scene here."
"Are you implying that I can't guide him properly and that he'll go astray under my watch?"
The Ice God was furious, her aura turning dangerously sharp in an instant. "Tang San, say that again if you dare!"
Tang San straightened his chest and declared righteously, "Su Yu is too important. His growth will inevitably affect the Divine Realm. As the one managing the Divine Realm's core and an enforcer of divine law, I must ensure his growth follows the proper procedures."
"You're just eyeing his potential and trying to claim him as your own. Who do you think you're fooling?"
With a wave of her jade-like hand, an ice-blue spear appeared in the Ice God's grasp, its extreme frost aura sweeping through the surroundings.
"I'm not wasting words with you. Su Yu is my inheritor, and he belongs to me alone."
"If you're not convinced, let's settle this right now."
True to her fiery temper, the Ice God was ready to fight at the slightest provocation.
Tang San's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he cursed this crazy woman.
In a debate, he feared no one.
But the Ice God was a terrible debater—whenever she lost an argument, she would resort to violence. This made things very difficult for him.
At his peak, he wouldn't fear the Ice God. While she could contend with a God King, he was one, so naturally, there was no reason to be afraid.
But right now, he was injured, severely impacting his strength.
If they fought, wouldn't he just end up getting beaten?
Tang San was a careful strategist—he wouldn't willingly engage in a fight he was bound to lose.
"Ice God, what are you doing? Put away your weapon immediately."
"Ice God, what is going on here?"
Two voices rang out almost simultaneously. The first was from the Goddess of Life, while the second came from a gentle female figure.
At that moment, two more figures arrived at the Ice God's palace.
Lie Yan looked bewildered, while Ji Dong remained expressionless, though a hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes.
What had he just walked in on?
The moment he stepped inside, he saw the Ice God about to attack the Sea God.
How dramatic was this?
The Goddess of Life turned to look—it was the young couple temporarily standing in for the Good and Evil God Kings.
She was immediately relieved and quickly said, "Ji Dong, Lie Yan, you came at the right time! Help persuade the Ice God—she's about to fight the Sea God!"
Lie Yan's beautiful eyes flickered as she stepped forward to stand beside the Ice God. "What happened?"
Seeing Lie Yan, the anger in the Ice God's eyes subsided slightly.
"Ask him—it's all his fault."
Tang San straightened his chest and said, "Everything I have done is for the safety of the Divine Realm. I have a clear conscience."
"Clear conscience, my ass! I'm going to smash your damn head in today!"
The Ice God swung her spear directly at Tang San's head.
Tang San was startled and quickly stepped back.
The spear missed its target and slammed into the ground, shaking the entire divine palace with a loud boom, causing tremors.
Tang San steadied the slightly unbalanced Xiao Wu, his face darkening.
"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Ice God, do you even follow reason?"
Ji Dong had a strange expression on his face. Reasoning with a woman?
Sea God, are you alright?
Sure enough, the Ice God raised her spear, its icy aura bone-chilling.
"This is my reasoning."
With that, she moved to strike Tang San once more.
The Goddess of Life hurriedly stepped forward to block her, while Lie Yan grabbed the Ice God's other arm.
"Sea God, you should leave for now. I'll come to heal your injuries later."
The Goddess of Life looked at Tang San and spoke.
His face was grim, but he still nodded toward her.
"I'll trouble the goddess, then."
With that, he quickly left with Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong.
Once Tang San was gone, the Goddess of Life finally let go of the Ice God, speaking with helplessness, "Ice God, you were way too reckless just now."
"This habit of yours—resorting to fighting at the slightest provocation—needs to change."
"The Sea God is, after all, the Divine Realm's enforcer. How could you raise your weapon against him?"
"Hmph, not breaking his head open was already mercy. Daring to touch someone who belongs to me? He must be tired of living!"
The Ice God huffed coldly, her face full of icy disdain.
If not for the inconvenient presence of others, preventing her from seriously injuring him, she would never have let Tang San walk away so easily.
That bastard—always putting on a righteous front. Did he think no one dared to put him in his place?
Hearing this, the Goddess of Life shook her head.
The Ice God was still the same as ever.
She would strike without hesitation and never tolerated nonsense.
But this Su Yu—who exactly was he, to make the Ice God so worked up?
She couldn't help but ask.
The Ice God put away her spear, crossed her arms, and declared proudly, "Su Yu is the inheritor I searched so long to find."
"I'm confident that, under my guidance, the Ice God's divine position—currently just a main god—will be elevated to the level of a God King in his hands."
"Maybe then, the Divine Realm will have one more God King."
Ji Dong and Lie Yan exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming.
Well, that explained everything.
Unlike the others, the Goddess of Life seemed deep in thought.
"The Child of the World, huh? He might have that kind of potential. No wonder both you and the Sea God think highly of him."
"But Ice God, don't take it to heart. The Sea God's actions may have been a bit excessive, but they are understandable. After all, he oversees the Divine Realm's core and has to be responsible for it."
"Sigh… If possible, try not to be so head-to-head with him. Your opposition is too strong, and in the end, that's not good for the entire Divine Realm."
The Goddess of Life sighed.
The Ice God curled her lips in disdain, unwilling to say much to this woman.
The Goddess of Life was just too kind, to the point of being a bit naïve.
She even believed the words of that little nobody? That was bold.
She was afraid that in the end, she'd be the one getting betrayed and still helping count the money.
Frowning slightly, she said flatly, "Goddess, if you have nothing else, please leave. I still need to tailor the divine trials for Su Yu."
Seeing that the Ice God was sending her away, the Goddess of Life sighed. "Alright, then I'll take my leave. If anything comes up, you can find me."
With that, she slowly walked out of the great hall.
Seeing the Goddess of Life left, Ji Dong and Lie Yan naturally couldn't stay any longer either.
After exchanging a few words with the Ice God, Lie Yan also left with Ji Dong.
Once again, only the Ice God remained in the vast, empty palace.
"Everyone has their agenda—hypocrites, fence-sitters, each with their schemes."
"And then there's the benevolent one, showing kindness to everyone, even believing that little nobody. The God of Destruction must be shedding tears."
The Ice God curled her lips but soon fell into contemplation.
She hadn't originally planned to tear things up with Tang San so soon, but plans never keep up with changes. Who could have expected such a turn of events?
She was well aware of Tang San's covetous interest in Su Yu.
Her initial plan was to go with the flow, buy time for Su Yu to grow, and let him discover the truth himself—breaking free from Tang San's schemes.
Once Su Yu became strong enough, he naturally wouldn't have to fear Tang San anymore.
But now, that seemed impossible.
She wasn't afraid of Tang San. Even if he were at his peak, while she might not guarantee absolute victory, she definitely wouldn't lose.
Unlike Tang San, she was a true battle god. The number of battles she had experienced was beyond his imagination.
She had created nineteen different Ice God secret techniques for combat alone—covering control, defense, offense, state enhancement, and support, making her extremely well-rounded.
In a direct fight, even the former Sea God—who was said to rival a God-King—was no match for her.
Otherwise, why would she dare to be so blunt, even to the Goddess of Life?
That confidence came from her strength.
But… she was ultimately alone. Though she had a few second- and third-tier gods under her command, they weren't enough.
The Sea God controlled the core of the Divine Realm, had many allies among the gods, and still had the original team of the Asura God.
That was a force she couldn't compete with.
"Maybe I should contact the God of Destruction… The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
The Ice God thought to herself.
She disliked forming factions and disliked unnecessary socializing even more.
But given the current situation, she had no choice.
"Sigh, what a headache."
She sighed, waved her jade-like hand, and the previously vanished mirror screen reappeared.
Looking at the projected image of the young man, her icy blue eyes flickered as she grumbled, "You, you… this is all your fault."
"For you, I've exhausted my brain."
"And yet, you're so dumb, treating that little nobody's daughter like a treasure. Give you a collar, and you just put it on, huh?"
"If you had the skills, you'd completely steal that little nobody's daughter away—let him lose everything. Then, maybe I'd think more highly of you."
"And you even scolded me? Always acting tough with me. Do I owe you something, you little brat?"
The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt.
That little bastard didn't appreciate her kindness.
He even dared to yell at her.
When had she ever been yelled at?
Even back when the original God of Asura still existed, he had never raised his voice at her.
Yet this little brat dared to call her petty? Utterly outrageous.
"Hmph, let me properly rework your Ice God's Nine Trials. This will be tailor-made just for you—you're going to love it."
The Ice God snorted, rested her chin on her hand, and her icy blue eyes gleamed as she began restructuring the trials.
...
Douluo Continent, Ice God's Main Hall.
The spear-shaped imprint on Su Yu's forehead flickered continuously, the ice-blue-golden light rhythmically pulsing.
"What's wrong? The first trial hasn't appeared yet?"
Snow Empress looked at Su Yu with deep concern in her eyes.
Su Yu shook his head. "Maybe someone hasn't made up her mind yet."
As he spoke, he glanced upward.
In the sky, a certain prideful figure let out a soft huff, her jade hand moving so fast it left afterimages.
The ice-blue-golden mark on Su Yu's forehead flickered faster and faster.
A full fifteen minutes passed before the mark suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
A divine and noble aura surged forth, and Su Yu's mind was instantly filled with new information.
As he processed it, the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Little Snow, what was your first trial?"
Without hesitation, Snow Empress replied, "Guardian Eight Trials, First Trial: Climb the Ice God's Stairway and reach the 333rd step within one year."