Chapter 393: Divine Punishment

This aura was overwhelmingly powerful, sending swarms of cultivators tumbling like ants cast into a turbulent sea, tossed by towering waves, utterly insignificant. It was a chilling and helpless reality—when these mighty cultivators realized they were nothing here, their despair was palpable.

Above the vast heavens, a formidable will awakened, resonating with thunderous echoes. Its spiritual power swept across all existence, boundless and unstoppable. The only relief was that it did not slaughter indiscriminately—merely toppling everyone, leaving them shaken to their core.

“What is this?” Even the revered ones felt their hair stand on end. Such power undoubtedly surpassed the restrictions of this realm, breaking free from the shackles of natural laws.

“A Domain Lord! It must be the awakening of a Domain Lord!” someone quickly deduced, their mind sharp. With the Domain Enforcer slain, a higher existence had been provoked.

The will of the Void God Realm had hierarchies—above the Domain Enforcers stood the Domain Lords, true sovereigns of their territories, omnipotent and godlike within their domains.

The sky darkened, and a streak of order-law tore through the void, descending from the heavens. Its radiance was blinding, transforming into a divine ribbon that slashed toward a distant point.

“Huh?!” The crowd didn’t know whether to be shocked or relieved. The law was devastating, yet it did not strike them—instead, it pursued the mysterious man who had fled.

“Though formidable, he is likely doomed. In this world, the Domain Lord is akin to the will of the gods—omnipresent, omnipotent. There is no escape.”

The ribbon gleamed like an immortal sword, its metallic clang deafening. Just sensing its fluctuations was enough to terrify, let alone enduring it firsthand.

The revered ones trembled. Such power was unbearable even in the outside world, let alone the Void God Realm, where their cultivation was suppressed. This was divine retribution—the gods’ will punishing those who dared disrupt order.

Once invoked, such calamity was near-impossible to survive.

*Clang!*

Yet, the expected bloodshed did not occur. The fragment of the divine disk rose, blocking the strike. This time, it did not glow with runes—its surface remained calm, yet it withstood the divine ribbon.

A collective sigh arose. Only a Chaos Artifact could resist divine retribution.

The heavens rumbled as the will stirred again, its aura intensifying like a blazing furnace above the clouds. From the dazzling radiance, chains descended—shackles forged of divine metal, meant to bind and drag away the guilty.

“Divine Shackles! They truly exist!” someone gasped.

Legends spoke of ancient beings who defied the Void God Realm, only to be seized by such chains and imprisoned in its depths, forced to battle horrors until their demise.

“Look! It blocked them again!”

The divine disk shimmered, Chaos mist swirling as mysterious symbols formed a single character: *Pardon.*

Was it communicating with the Domain Enforcer? The crowd was stunned. This artifact defied the heavens, boldly negotiating with divine will.

“Does it seek clemency for that man?” someone speculated.

But the Domain Enforcer was merciless—less a will than an unyielding rule, bound by ancient covenants.

True to form, the chains persisted, lunging for the mysterious man.

“Ah! We’re being expelled!”

Those who thought themselves bystanders screamed as black mist rose from their heads. They were forcibly ejected from the Void God Realm, barred from re-entry for months or even years.

“Run!”

The rest scattered in terror. Some had already fled—Shi Hao, the Witch, and the Lunar Grace Goddess among them. Only the unlucky mysterious man remained, intercepted despite not being deemed the true culprit.

*Boom!*

The chains clashed with the divine disk, erupting in blinding radiance. This artifact was truly transcendent—unbound by this realm’s restrictions, its divine might unsealed.

Chaos light scattered, repelling the chains. The heavenly will seethed, its wrath manifesting as a colossal hand descending from the skies.

“I must leave! Defying the Domain Lord means exile from the Void God Realm entirely!”

The mysterious man panicked, slashing his chest in sacrifice. Blood spilled as the Chaos Artifact whisked him away.

A beam pierced the void, carving an escape route. He vanished within, the disk sealing the passage behind him.

Silence followed, leaving only ripples of awe.

This was divine spectacle.

Shi Hao fled like the wind, faster than anyone, racing back to the ruins—his entry and exit point.

Yet disaster loomed. The heavenly will surged toward him like a tsunami, intent on suppression.

Divine retribution sought his end.

“What did I do? I just picked up some marks!” he grumbled, sprinting as he pleaded with the little pagoda for aid.

“Assistance requires treasures,” it replied coolly.

Shi Hao winced. The pagoda’s price was always exorbitant—divine materials, rare beyond measure.

“Fine, do it!”

“Payment must be immediate. Your prior chances are spent.”

“What?! I had one and a half left!”

“The half was consumed when I shielded you from the Chaos Disk.”

“That counts?!”

“Opposing that artifact would normally cost you a hundred treasures. Consider yourself fortunate.”

“You’re robbing me!”

“The world balances gain and sacrifice. That disk aids its wielder only for past debts or future payment.”

“Then help me now, and I’ll owe you!”

A chill ran through Shi Hao, as if the cosmos itself had died. He quickly refused—such bargains with the pagoda always carried unbearable weight.

The Domain Lord’s hand descended.

“Willow Deity! This isn’t training anymore—I’ll die!”

Silently, space split. Jade-green willow branches, wreathed in Chaos mist, pierced the heavens, intercepting the divine will.

A cataclysm erupted, unseen by the fleeing masses.

The willow branches gleamed with radiant symbols, ascending like an edict into the firmament.

Then—calm.

The storm ceased. The chains vanished. Peace returned.

The crowd fled, minds reeling. Today’s events would echo through the ages.

Half an hour later, the Void God Realm was silent.

But the outside world erupted.

News spread like wildfire—a battle had begun at Demon Spirit Lake.

“The supreme experts are clashing… over the corpse of the Dual-Pupiled One?!”

The Void God Realm’s upheaval was shocking enough, but now this?

The Dual-Pupiled One’s body—a treasure beyond measure.

For those at the pinnacle, possessing it meant the potential to dominate the world.

And so, the hunt began.