Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Villain Life Simulator

"You wretched beast!"

A deep, resonant voice, one that only the Deep Sea Demon Whale King could hear, seemed to resound from beyond the heavens.

As the voice echoed, the sea surface and clouds that had just been ravaged by the Heavenly Tribulation were instantly wiped clean, as if an invisible hand had swept across them, leaving the sky clear and bright.

Even the Sea God Dragon, which had just ascended to godhood and was unleashing a terrifying aura, was forcibly pushed back into the sea, struggling desperately.

The deep blue divine domain that it had instinctively expanded was instantly dispersed without a trace.

At that moment, the boundless sea was as calm as a mirror, and the sky above was clear and pure, with every inch bathed in radiant sunlight.

Despite the tranquil and magnificent scene, an inexplicable sense of oppression filled the air.

In the next moment, a faint blue light descended.

"Grr—"

The Sea God Dragon let out a low, muffled roar, feeling the immense pressure from an invisible domain.

The seawater it had once controlled suddenly transformed into a terrifying cage, locking down its newly transformed body.

Soon, the blue light in the sky intensified and rapidly expanded.

In the blink of an eye, it formed a towering humanoid figure over a hundred meters tall.

The single eye of the deep blue sea dragon glared with hatred and enmity, but there was also a hint of fear in its gaze.

Its jaws opened wide, and in that moment, it spoke in human language, uttering a roar filled with intense hatred: "Sea God!"

"So, you think just because you survived the Heavenly Tribulation and became a god, you can challenge the dignity of a true god?"

The deep voice reverberated through the sky as the massive blue figure descended to the sea.

At that moment, it seemed as though the entire endless ocean was cheering in excitement at the arrival of this man.

At the center of the gigantic figure was a man dressed in a white robe adorned with golden patterns.

He simply raised his hand, and the entire sea instantly calmed, no longer showing a single ripple.

"You could have lived a little longer, but unfortunately, you lack self-awareness. Daring to challenge godhood... I can't let you live."

"Why?!"

The Sea God Dragon stared intently at the man before it, this ancient foe from millennia ago, and let out a loud, indignant roar.

Over the course of its 300,000 years of cultivation, it had gone through countless hardships and faced many crises to reach its current level of power.

A thousand years ago, it had been surpassed by a human who had only cultivated for a fraction of its time, and it could accept that. But after enduring countless trials and tribulations, it had finally achieved its long-sought goal, crossing the final threshold to become the Sea God Dragon. Yet now, it was once again confronted by its old nemesis. How could it possibly accept this fate?

As it let out its angry question, the once calm sea surface began to ripple again, and faint clouds gathered in the sky.

The two divine domains, similar in nature, clashed and competed against each other.

"Do soul beasts deserve to become gods?"

The Sea God spoke softly, his words dismissive, and then he said no more. He took a single step forward toward the Sea God Dragon.

With that step, everything around him transformed into a radiant golden light.

Even the once tumultuous blue waves and clouds seemed to turn into golden sculptures.

Golden mist filled the air, and the shadow of a trident rose in the Sea God's hand. With a gentle swing, the trident created a dazzling golden ring that enveloped the Sea God Dragon's body, which was nearly a hundred meters long.

Seeing this, the Sea God Dragon's lone eye filled with shock and fury, but it made no attempt to resist.

It seemed to recognize the move and futilely tried to retreat, but its speed was far too slow.

When the two forces met, the massive dragon's body was instantly covered by a layer of golden light. All its movements froze, and its aura was completely suppressed. It couldn't even struggle, leaving only anger in its eye as it stared fiercely at the man across from it.

The Sea God ignored its reaction, his expression as indifferent as ever. He calmly raised the enormous golden trident shadow in his right hand and aimed it directly at the Sea God Dragon…

By this time, Su Cheng and his companions had already retreated a great distance.

From the moment the Sea God's aura had appeared from beyond the heavens, Su Cheng had begun withdrawing.

Whether it was the Deep Sea Demon Whale King or the newly ascended Sea God Dragon, both had been nothing more than bait for Su Cheng. The purpose was to lure down a visitor from the Divine Realm, and by his calculations, the one most likely to descend was the Sea God.

After all, the Douluo Star was the Sea God's homeland, and there was a deep connection between him and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the former form of the Sea God Dragon.

A soul beast ascending to godhood would never go unnoticed by the Divine Realm, especially one that had returned to its ancestral dragon form.

A being of this caliber could cause significant disturbances in the lower realm and potentially trigger changes in the soul beast race. The Divine Realm's past actions showed they had no reason to leave such matters unchecked.

Of course, even if a god from the Divine Realm didn't descend, it wouldn't be a loss. Having an exceptionally talented soul beast that had nearly ascended to godhood would be a great asset for his faction.

On the other hand, if he had killed the Deep Sea Demon Whale King earlier, it would have been the least beneficial option.

Even with Su Cheng's current abilities, slaying a soul beast nearing a million years in strength would have required considerable effort.

It wasn't due to a lack of power, but because the beast's life force was incredibly tenacious, and it would undoubtedly cause a major disturbance before dying.

Su Cheng's true power wasn't extreme; unlike the Shura God, it wasn't capable of an instant kill. Instead, it was balanced. His recent fusion with the power of the earth was also focused on resilience and endurance.

Moreover, he was currently at the third level of godhood, with limited ability to deliver a fatal blow. If he had gotten too entangled with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, it might have drawn the attention of the Divine Realm.

As a potential successor's soul ring, the Sea God would certainly be keeping an eye on this soul beast.

Besides, killing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would have yielded little benefit other than depriving Tang San of his ninth soul ring. The risks and rewards were simply not proportional.

To Su Cheng, Tang San posed minimal threat and was not worth his concern. The Divine Realm, however, was a significant problem.

Given all this, it made more sense to employ a different strategy. After all, he had no use for those celestial herbs, and the cost of a drop of Dragon God's blood was one he could afford.

This fishing plan had been in his mind since he reunited with Ah Yin.

One thing was certain: gods could descend to the lower realm.

Initially, he had only a vague understanding of this until he himself broke through to godhood in the real world. Due to the unique nature of his power, he had gained a deeper understanding of the universe's rules.

Gods descending from the Divine Realm did face dangers, that much was true.

But the danger stemmed from the fact that their power systems were continuously suppressed by the universe's rules outside the Divine Realm, not from immediate death.

Su Cheng speculated that this suppression was likely the very reason the Divine Realm had been created in the first place—to resist the pressure of the universe's rules.

However, enjoying the Divine Realm's protection didn't come without a cost. That cost was the various god positions held by the gods of the Divine Realm.

As for the so-called divine power, Su Cheng had long studied it thoroughly.

Different divine powers, though inherently possessing distinct attributes and each containing its unique spiritual core, share one very prominent commonality: the power of belief.

Whether it's the Sea God, the Angel God, the Rakshasa God, or even the God of Shura, who has reached the level of a God King, they all rely on the beliefs of the world's living beings to coalesce their power.

Some of these divine powers are relatively peaceful and easier to control, while others are violent and extreme, possessing greater destructive power. It can be said that most deities have the potential to reach the level of a God King. Unfortunately, the Divine Realm has limited space, and the highest echelons cannot accommodate too many seats.

Thus, the beings of the Divine Realm are, in essence, gods born from belief, and the Divine Realm itself is a place where faith converges.

It is precisely this immense power of belief that protects the gods of the Divine Realm from being weakened by the rules of the universe.

However, the existence of divine thrones binds these deities to the Divine Realm. Once they leave it, they will face even more severe suppression by the universal laws.

Of course, aside from the constraints of universal laws, ordinary gods face another restriction when they wish to descend to the mortal world: they must obtain permission from the Divine Realm Committee.

Where there are people, there will be conflicts, and the five God Kings of the Divine Realm have differing stances. So even as gods, they cannot act recklessly.

Perhaps the only consensus they share, a clearly established red line, is the prohibition against soul beasts becoming gods, and this is one area where they allow some flexibility.

Su Cheng had long planned to probe the depths of the Divine Realm. Without doing so, he would have no chance of completing his final mission in the future.

But in the past, he had not yet reached the divine level. To dare plot against a god with his previous strength would have been pure suicide. Let alone fighting them, even staying hidden would have been impossible.

Ah Yin's appearance had accelerated his plans, and the unsealing of the Trajectory Demon Eye was an unexpected boon for him.

In truth, Su Cheng had already anticipated some of the abilities of this talent. After all, his True Sight Eye was already extremely powerful. Advancing further from that base would certainly grant him an even deeper ability to peer into the laws of the world.

Yet even so, Su Cheng hadn't expected this ability to reach such an exaggerated level—so much so that even with his current foundation, he found it difficult to maintain full power for long.

"...That is a god?"

Suspended in mid-air, the three-eyed golden lion stared dazedly at the scene far in the distance, its previously clear and melodious voice now sounding much drier.

"Mm," Su Cheng nodded.

"So, any soul beast that wishes to become a god not only has to face the tribulation but also gets targeted by the gods from beyond?" the lion asked.

"That's right," Su Cheng replied casually, downing the last of his mental power recovery potion. "Unless a soul beast transforms into a human and cultivates anew, changing its race at the core, its path will inevitably be full of hardships and disasters. This is the unfortunate reality for weaker groups."

"Transform into a human?" the three-eyed golden lion murmured quietly. "Did the Master make this choice because of this too?"

"Of course not. She has her pride and wouldn't bow to pressure or hardship. Her situation is different—by transforming and cultivating anew, her upper limit becomes higher. In fact, making such a choice wasn't easy for her. It meant giving up a great deal of her past accumulation and choosing an even more difficult path. And even if one truly transforms into a human, it doesn't necessarily mean betraying their original race."

"What if I don't want to transform?" the lion asked softly. "What if I just want to continue cultivating as I am, in my soul beast form?"

"Of course you can. Sticking to your true self is something to be proud of." Su Cheng glanced at the golden-furred soul beast by his side and spoke earnestly.

At this moment, the once prideful and energetic three-eyed golden lion had lost all of its previous vigor.

First, it had been overwhelmed by the vastness of the ocean, then terrified by the power of the tribulation. Finally, after witnessing the mighty Sea Dragon God being easily obliterated by the combined forces of the heavenly tribulation and the Sea God, its heart was filled with fear, leaving it in a state of deep confusion and depression.

Seeing this, Su Cheng shook his head and chose not to offer any words of comfort.

Comfort wouldn't help in situations like this. After some time, it would naturally recover on its own.

After all, it was the auspicious beast of the soul beast race, embodying their fortune and destiny. If it gave up so easily, that would be too pathetic.

In truth, Su Cheng's attention had always been focused on the distant figure clad in a white robe with gold trim, hovering in the air.

He didn't dare to look directly at the figure. Instead, the space between his brows glowed faintly with a glass-like light as he cautiously observed the figure's state through the vision of the Trajectory Demon Eye, continuously gathering information and making deductions.

The three-eyed golden lion and Ah Yin didn't matter; their power was still too weak to pose any threat.

In front of the Sea God, they were no different from ordinary fish or shrimp.

Their fear or hatred wouldn't attract any attention.

But Su Cheng was different.

Even though he concealed his presence with the True Power Domain of a god, meeting the Sea God's gaze could still risk being detected by the god's powerful intuition.

After all, the Sea God had once reigned invincible over the seas for a thousand years, becoming a god from a mere mortal. Su Cheng dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

Moreover, with his current third-level divine power, it would be impossible to defeat the Sea God. He'd only end up exposing himself, creating endless trouble.

After the Sea Dragon God was killed, the Sea God took its soul bone, glanced around briefly, and then turned to look toward Sea God Island, where a figure in red was approaching swiftly.

But the Sea God had no intention of waiting. He sighed lightly before disappearing.

"He's already fallen to the level of a second-level god so quickly?" Su Cheng's expression remained unchanged as he turned and flew away from the sea.

"Did you see anything?"

After landing on the shore and setting down the three-eyed golden lion, Ah Yin looked at Su Cheng and asked softly.

"I saw too much."

Su Cheng exhaled lightly, feeling a sharp pain in his mind.

Even though he hadn't looked too deeply into the Sea God's fate, merely observing a god of this level and gathering information had consumed a massive amount of energy. Not to mention the Dragon God's blood and the two immortal herbs he had used to lure the Sea God.

Yet, despite the cost, the harvest had been immense.

Thanks to Su Cheng's understanding, coupled with the assistance of the Trajectory Demon Eye, he had finally managed to clearly calculate the extent of suppression gods faced when descending from the Divine Realm and their corresponding combat effectiveness.

When two entities are of similar level, or the gap between them is small, the value of intelligence becomes immeasurable.

Through today's observations, Su Cheng had increased his chances of success in future plans by thirty percent.

"The Sea God, a first-level deity, expended so much energy after just three full-power attacks that he almost couldn't replenish it. If the Sea Dragon God had managed to hold out for a bit longer, the Sea God might not have been able to maintain even second-level god power. It's a pity. If he had truly fallen to the third level, I might have been able to keep him here."

This wasn't an exaggeration.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King, having transformed into a dragon and achieved godhood, was extremely powerful and hadn't yet faced suppression on its home turf.

Even if the Sea God personally descended, quickly killing it while being continuously suppressed by the universal laws required him to use his signature technique—the Golden Thirteen Halberds.

"I just wonder what happens to a God King-level being after leaving the Divine Realm. I'll use the further enhanced Trajectory Demon Eye to calculate that in the future."