Chapter 60: Judgment of the Gods, Collapse of the Capital
Qin Chuan reacted instantly. Just before the prince's mansion was about to collapse, he soared into the sky with Qian Renxue in his arms, dodging the falling wreckage by mere seconds.
Ye Lingling, who had been sitting quietly atop the stone tablet in the courtyard, stared in stunned silence as the entire mansion crumbled before her eyes.
A massive chunk of the stone tablet rolled her way, threatening to crush her beneath it. She froze, unable to react.
At the critical moment, Qin Chuan, still holding Qian Renxue, dove down like a streak of lightning. With one powerful swoop, he reached her, yanked her away from danger, and once again soared into the sky, now holding both girls in his arms.
Suspended mid-air, the trio finally saw the full picture.
It was like the end of the world.
The ground trembled violently. Houses collapsed one after another, their remains vanishing into billowing clouds of dust. Cracks ran through the streets like monstrous veins, and flames began to rise from the destruction.
Civilians screamed in despair. The streets were filled with heartbroken cries and wails. Men and women knelt on the ground, pounding it with their fists, tears flowing uncontrollably.
Their families were buried beneath the ruins.
"Is this… a dragon turning over?" Ye Lingling whispered, her voice full of shock and disbelief as she watched the chaos below.
"No," Qin Chuan muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes burning with fury. "This isn't a natural disaster. It's a man-made one."
His eyes turned bloodshot, and a seething rage erupted in his chest like wildfire.
"It's the work of the Asura God… This massacre—this sin—was born of divine hatred!"
"Achuan, what do you mean?" Qian Renxue trembled in his arms, unable to hide the fear in her voice.
In her previous life, she had only reached the Soul Douluo realm before dying during the beast tide. She had never witnessed such a devastating, apocalyptic power. This was far beyond anything she could comprehend.
Qin Chuan clenched his fists tightly.
Memories of his childhood from his previous life flooded his mind—faces, laughter, blood, fire—and then he suddenly looked skyward.
Up above, beyond the visible clouds, an overwhelming energy surged and clashed, making the air tremble with its force.
And then—voices boomed from the sky.
"Xura, have you forgotten the laws of the God Realm?" A thunderous voice roared across the heavens. "How dare you unleash such a monstrous slaughter!"
A figure stepped out from the rippling space.
It was the God King of Kindness. His voice was righteous and filled with fury.
The figure opposite him—clad in crimson armor, with wild red hair fluttering in the air—was none other than the Asura God King.
He sneered in disdain. "Goodness, keep your hypocritical righteousness to yourself. I have no need to explain my actions to you."
Another figure appeared beside them.
A woman with a mesmerizing, seductive figure, though her face was hidden beneath a translucent veil. Her presence exuded a mysterious divine aura.
"Xura," she said, her voice like flowing water, "you must return to the God Realm with us."
"Life, even you stand against me?" the Asura God King growled coldly.
The Asura Demon Sword in his hand gleamed ominously.
"You all know about the hatred between me and the Human King. We are irreconcilable. If he had stayed hidden, it would've ended there. But now that he dares to resurface, I will hunt him down!"
His murderous aura surged, eyes blazing with violence.
Despite the destruction he had wrought, he could sense it—the Human King's aura had reappeared on the Douluo Continent.
It wasn't strong. In fact, it felt… weakened.
Injured or in the middle of a transformation.
Whatever the case, this was the perfect moment to kill him.
He wasn't going to waste it.
Suddenly, two more godly figures emerged from the warping space—the God Kings of Evil and Destruction.
They hovered beside Asura, their expressions grim.
Though usually aligned with him, even they were shaken by the carnage below.
This wasn't a battle—it was a massacre of epic proportions.
Hundreds of thousands were already dead.
"The time-space balance of the God Realm is already unstable," the God King of Kindness warned. "If you and the Human King fight here, not only will the Douluo Continent collapse, but even the God Realm could be sucked into the chaos."
"That's your concern," the Asura God King said with a sneer. "Not mine."
The other four God Kings exchanged glances.
"Then don't blame us," said the God King of Destruction, "for taking you back by force."
In an instant, the four God Kings moved. Each took a corner around Asura, forming a divine encirclement.
Power surged from all four directions.
A god-level battle was about to erupt in the skies above the broken world.
The Asura God King's face darkened, his expression twisted with fury.
But in the end, he snorted coldly and said—
"Fine. Return to the God Realm."
The confrontation ended.
The storm subsided.
But Tiandou City remained in ruin.
The buildings had fallen. Flames raged. The screams of the survivors echoed across the ruins.
Countless nobles and civilians had perished. Those who survived were left displaced, wandering aimlessly through the rubble, their eyes hollow.
"I want to go to the palace," Qian Renxue said, her expression dark and full of dread. Her gaze was locked on the ruins where Tiandou Imperial City once stood in glory.
Now it was nothing but dust and rubble.
Qin Chuan nodded. "I'll go with you."
"I'll go too!" Ye Lingling added quickly.
Qin Chuan and Qian Renxue turned to look at her. She blushed under their gaze.
"I'm a healing spirit master… maybe I can help."
They exchanged a glance.
They didn't need healing right now—they needed answers. Most of all, they needed to confirm one thing:
Was Emperor Xue Ye dead or alive?
If he died in this disaster… that might actually save them a lot of trouble.
Qin Chuan finally said, "Let's go together."
Qian Renxue did not object. Ever since her past memories returned, she had trusted him completely.
Qin Chuan took them both in his arms and descended to the ruined grounds of the imperial city.
As soon as they landed, Qian Renxue's form shimmered. In moments, she had transformed back into Xue Qinghe.
Her face turned anxious.
"Quick… follow me!"
She hurried toward what remained of the palace.
This time, the path was nothing like before.
The palace guards and servants they passed no longer bowed or greeted her. Their faces were blank, eyes red from crying, steps dragging through ash and stone.
"Where is my father?" Qian Renxue asked one of the passing attendants.
"T-The… Imperial Study…" the attendant stammered.
When they reached the once-grand building, now reduced to a shattered pile of stone, dozens of imperial guards and palace staff had gathered around.
Some desperately dug through the rubble.
Others collapsed in grief, wailing into their hands.
A guard noticed Xue Qinghe's arrival and rushed over, face smudged with soot and dust.
"Your Highness, it's too dangerous! You can't go in!"
Qian Renxue's face was pale.
"Where is my father?!"
The guard hesitated, his lips trembling.
"He… he was in the Imperial Study when… when the disaster struck…"
"I'm afraid… I'm afraid…" he couldn't finish the sentence.
"Impossible!" Qian Renxue snapped.
She shoved the guard aside and stormed toward the rubble.
"My father is the Emperor. He can't have died like this. Someone—anyone—go save him!"
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