They returned to the Divine Realm at sunset. Tomorrow Chen Feng would face the True Gods. Tonight was for preparation. And goodbyes.Zhang Wei helped Chen Feng test the Power Core. They set it up in a secure chamber. Its rainbow light pulsed steadily."The Core amplifies power a thousand times. More than the smaller ones." Zhang Wei explained. "But channeling that much energy will destroy your body. You get maybe one use. One massive attack. Then you burn out.""How long would I have?""Thirty seconds of peak power. After that, your body fails. You die." Zhang Wei met Chen Feng's eyes. "This is truly a last resort. Only use it if there is no other option.""Understood." Chen Feng touched the Core. Felt the power within. Vast. Terrible. Beautiful. "Can Ling help channel it like before?""No. This one is too powerful. It would kill her instantly. You channel alone or not at all." Zhang Wei's voice was heavy. "Promise me you will try diplomacy first. Try reason. Try everything before usi

One month after the trial with the True Gods, Chen Feng stood in a meeting hall filled with representatives. Gods, mortals, demons, and others. All gathered to build the new government."Order! Please!" Shen Wu banged a gavel. The noise died down. "We need structure. Rules. Otherwise this is just chaos.""Structure is what the Divine Council used to oppress us!" A mortal representative shouted. "We do not want more rules!""Rules and oppression are not the same thing." Mei Lin stood. "Rules protect the weak. Oppression protects the powerful. We need to understand the difference."Arguments erupted again. Chen Feng watched from the back. This was the third meeting this week. Progress was slow. Painful. Messy.But it was progress."Let them argue." Seraphine appeared beside him. Back in her old woman form. "Democracy is loud. Inefficient. Frustrating. That is how you know it is working.""At this rate we will spend all hundred years just deciding how to vote.""Then you better speed thi

Twelve enemies attacked from all sides. Chen Feng moved to intercept the first wave. His sword deflected three strikes simultaneously. But a fourth got through. Cut his arm. Blood flowed.Ling created a barrier of divine energy. Protected their backs. Two enemies bounced off. Frustrated. Angry."Focus the girl!" Darius commanded. "She is the weak point!"Five Shadow Council members converged on Ling. She was strong for her age. Trained well. But these were ancient beings. Masters of combat.Chen Feng tried to reach her. But seven enemies blocked his path. Coordinated. Practiced. They had planned this."Ling! Hold on!" Chen Feng fought desperately. Cut down one enemy. Wounded another. But too many. Too strong.Ling faced five attackers alone. She dodged. Parried. Used techniques Seraphine taught her. Dragon style. Fluid. Adaptive. But she was tiring. Fast.A blade cut her shoulder. She gasped. Her barrier flickered."I have her!" A demon lord grabbed Ling's arm. Lifted her off the grou

The emergency council chamber was packed. Two hundred representatives filled every seat. Gods sat beside mortals. Demons stood with angels. Everyone came to decide one question.Should a Primordial be allowed to live among them?Null stood in the center. Divine chains wrapped around its void form. Not to restrain it. Just to show respect for the process.Chen Feng presented his case. "Null gave us vital information. The True Gods are working against us. The Shadow Council was just their first attack. Without Null's warning, we would be unprepared for what comes next."A mortal representative stood up. His name was Marcus. He owned a small shop in the lower realm. "But it is a Primordial! My grandmother told stories. How they consumed entire cities. How nothing could stop them. How can we trust something like that?""We do not trust blindly. We test. We monitor. We verify." Chen Feng gestured to Null. "This being had chances to attack. To consume. Instead it chose to talk. To cooperate

Shen Wu's investigation teams returned after five days. They gathered in a private chamber. Chen Feng, Mei Lin, and Zhang Wei waited for the report."We found two of the three missing Shadow Council members." The lead investigator said. She was a mortal named Sara. Sharp eyes. No nonsense attitude. "Both are dead.""Dead? How?" Chen Feng leaned forward."Suicide. But not normal suicide. They drained themselves completely. Used every drop of divine power they had. Left nothing but husks." Sara showed them sketches. "We found void residue at both sites. The Primordial fragments consumed them from inside.""The fragments killed their hosts?" Mei Lin looked disturbed."No. The hosts killed themselves to stop the fragments from escaping." Sara pointed to marks on the sketches. "They carved sealing runes into their own flesh. Used their deaths to trap the fragments inside their corpses. Very deliberate. Very painful."Zhang Wei shook his head. "They died to protect others from what they unl