Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

The cold, desolate universe is far from the beauty most people imagine when gazing at the starry sky. Instead, it exudes a sense of deathly stillness and somberness. So, when Han Li's golden arrow began to take form, it shone with extraordinary brilliance.

"Is he seriously planning to attack us first?"

Destruction, leading the charge, instinctively slowed down.

"Isn't that obvious?"

Asura's voice was laced with killing intent, his temper flaring. Everything related to Han Li had been orchestrated by him, yet now the plan was unraveling disastrously, delivering a stinging slap to his pride. His already volatile nature, further amplified by the constant influence of Asura's divine power, had reached its boiling point. Without waiting for the others to speak, he accelerated, heading straight for Han Li. A god's dignity cannot be insulted, and Han Li's actions were a blatant provocation. Before firing the arrow, Han Li even deliberately glanced toward the Divine Realm, as if issuing a warning before shooting.

The crux of the matter was the aura of those standing by Han Li's side—a clear violation of a sacred boundary. Despite constant surveillance, Han Li had still managed to align himself with the soul beasts. Who knew what else he might have done unnoticed? As the one primarily responsible for monitoring Han Li, Asura couldn't deny his lapse. Back when the five of them were together, there had been no opportunity for Han Li to contact outsiders. But after they split up, the first one to monitor him was Asura. Wasn't this a clear indication of his failure? Whether as one of the five Supreme God Kings or as an enforcer of divine law, such a result was unacceptable.

Under the gaze of the others, Asura charged forward without hesitation, wielding the Asura Demon Sword. Attempting to gain the upper hand with long-range attacks? A mere arrow could be easily crushed. It was imperative to suppress Han Li's arrogance from the start, to show him that inheriting Asura's divine position didn't give him the right to defy the Divine Realm. Clad in dark red armor, the Asura God's blood-red eyes glowed, and his chilling killing intent enveloped his entire being. With no finesse whatsoever, he swung the Asura Demon Sword directly at the golden arrow.

"Slash!"

As the sword tip met the arrow, he spat the word with force, channeling his momentum to overwhelm Han Li, attempting to subdue him. But to his surprise, Han Li merely smiled, unfazed by the pressure, even with a trace of mockery in his expression.

What?

Asura's expression tightened. He glanced at the arrow he had shattered with his sword, only to find that its energy hadn't dissipated. Instead, it fragmented into numerous smaller arrows, which shot toward the area behind him at an even faster speed. Was his target the Divine Realm? What was going on? Though the arrow's total energy had diminished slightly, its power remained formidable.

Not good!

Without hesitation, Asura turned to pursue the arrows, only to sense another surge of energy behind him. This time, the arrow's power was even greater than the last. Left with no choice, he turned to block the attack. But just as the Asura Demon Sword was about to intercept the arrow, the golden projectile abruptly accelerated, a streak of silver light flashing along its tip. Then, it vanished into thin air, reappearing to merge with the fragmented arrows from the first shot. Together, they struck the energy barrier surrounding the Divine Realm.

Crack!

A crisp sound echoed as cracks spread across the barrier. However, before the arrows' energy could be fully spent, the barrier quickly repaired itself.

"What a pity. I should've used more force," Han Li said, his voice carrying through the cold, dark cosmos as he smiled at the five figures now standing still in front of him. He paid no mind to the other gods rushing to the barrier's edge, alarmed by the disturbance. To Han Li, most of the Divine Realm's gods below the level of God Kings were mere fodder, easily dispatched with a single arrow. Not worth his attention. The fact that the five Supreme God Kings hadn't mobilized their forces confirmed their awareness of this. After all, not every first-tier god was like Rong Nianbing. Or, well... Tang Wulin. Best not to dwell on that.

Asura's body remained stiff. He had been utterly played. Beside him, the other four God Kings looked grim. Han Li had only fired two arrows so far, but the power of those attacks unmistakably reached the level of a God King. Even disregarding other factors, the sheer energy behind his strikes had already surpassed the Life Goddess. And these were merely casual attacks, utilizing soul master-level soul ring skills. That alone made them hesitate to act rashly. What disturbed them even more was that despite Asura's interception and Evil's use of spatial laws to counter the second arrow, Han Li still retained control. That defied reason.

Their gazes shifted to the twelve glowing rings of rules behind Han Li—completely distinct from their divine rings. If divine rings symbolized the manifestation of divine power and divine sense, then Han Li's rings of rules represented the embodiment of fundamental laws. Even without confrontation, they could feel their mastery over certain laws subtly suppressed, especially Destruction and Life. The realization that their supreme laws faltered against Han Li left them deeply shaken. As for Asura, he was faring the worst. The clash of Asura's divine power and its opposing Rakshasa power left him with an ominous feeling: if he were to face Han Li alone, he might very well be slain outright.

At the scene, only Evil and Kindness seemed slightly better off—just slightly. They could sense that Han Li carried a law similar to their own. While it was unlikely Han Li could suppress them outright, using their supreme laws to suppress him also seemed improbable. What made the situation worse was the Silver Dragon King standing by Han Li's side, watching them with a predatory gaze. Her aura was no weaker than any one of them. If the Life Goddess, who shared her mastery of life laws, or the weakened Asura were to face her one-on-one, they likely wouldn't stand a chance.

For a moment, the five Supreme God Kings were frozen in place. Though they had arrived brimming with confidence, they realized that the disparity in strength between the two sides wasn't as large as they had anticipated—far from it. They hadn't yet used their exclusive super divine artifacts, but Han Li's demonstration of his ability to bypass their defenses and directly attack the Divine Realm had left them hesitant. They desired Douluo Planet, yes, but not at the cost of the Divine Realm's destruction—a consequence they could not accept.

"Waren't you saying anything?" Han Li said with a smile, stepping aside to clear a path to Douluo Planet. "Weren't you all eager for the Douluo Plane? Be my guest." Han Li was the type to hold grudges, and nothing delighted him more than putting his enemies in awkward situations. The cosmos fell silent.

"Han Li, don't push us too far!"

Asura tightened his grip on the Asura Demon Sword, itching to charge forward, but the cold killing intent radiating from Han Li froze him in place.

"I am the current Asura God. You're just a retired has-been. Step aside—you're nothing more than a free agent now.

Han Li smirked

"When addressing me, use my title first, then seek permission to speak. Understand? Defying the hierarchy? If I arrest you on the spot, it would be perfectly justified."

Han Li's voice shifted from a harsh rebuke to a chilling tone. His words left both the four Supreme God Kings and Gu Yue momentarily stunned. What he said wasn't entirely wrong. Although his godhood wasn't primarily based on the Asura position, it was indeed part of his divine construct. By the rules, he was technically the current Asura God and one of the five Supreme God-Kings of the Divine Realm.

Across from Han Li, Asura was utterly enraged. Known for his cold demeanor, Asura's face now burned with fury, his eyes bloodshot, and even his neck turning red with humiliation. When had he ever been so insulted? He prepared to charge at Han Li, intent on cutting down this insolent brat, but Evil stepped forward to block him, and Destruction grabbed his arm, shaking his head.

To be honest, Destruction—though technically on Asura's side—couldn't help but find the situation amusing. After years of rivalry with Asura, this was the first time he'd seen him lose his composure so thoroughly.

"So, you're admitting that you're the Asura God of the Divine Realm?" Evil asked, frowning. He didn't fully believe Han Li's claims, but they needed a way to break the impasse. This was a potential opening, though it would come at Asura's expense. Han Li was Evil's plan, after all. From Han Li's perspective, Evil's actions had indeed been underhanded. But if sacrificing Asura's dignity could secure a peaceful takeover of the Douluo Plane and strengthen the Divine Realm, wasn't it worth it? They were all veterans of the Divine Realm. Asura should understand, right? Once the Douluo Plane was secured, Han Li could be dealt with more easily. The Divine Realm had dealt with its fair share of troublemakers, all of whom eventually fell in line.

"Admit it? Why not?" Han Li said with a playful smirk. "Is the Asura God position fake?"

"If you admit it, then—" Evil began, only to be cut off by Han Li once again.

"Hold on, I'm not done talking. Admit it? Sure. But I don't trust you. Godhood inheritance? You lot always keep something up your sleeve. Why should I trust you?" Han Li raised his right hand and wagged a finger in front of his face.

"Then what do you want?" Evil's frown deepened.

"It's simple. As the Asura God, I'll perform my duties as the Divine Realm's Enforcer. You won't object to that, will you?" Han Li made no effort to hide his intentions, staring directly past Evil at Asura. Asura glared back, but Han Li only responded with a sinister smile.