"What the fuck...?"
Huo Yuhao expected many things to find when entering the underground world of the Ancient Golden Tree.
An avatar of Tang San perhaps? Xuan Zi perhaps or even the other elders. Possibly even Tang San's mother, whom he heard was the Blue Silver Emperor.
But a woman hanging upside down with roots? That, he didn't expect.
Suspended in the center of a vast underground cavern filled with glowing golden veins, a breathtakingly beautiful woman hung upside down. Countless thick golden roots pierced through her body and wrapping around her slender waist, arms, and legs. All connecting her directly to the massive root system of the Ancient Golden Tree.
Her long, radiant golden hair cascaded downward like a river of liquid sunlight, nearly touching the floor. Her skin was flawless and pale with a soft luminous glow, and despite her precarious position, she radiated an ancient, gentle, yet incredibly powerful light and life aura.
Her purple colored were half-lidded in exhaustion, yet they lit up with hope the moment they landed on him.
(Image Here)
'This woman... She slightly resembles Ye Guyi. Could she be a member of the Holy Angel Clan? But why would a member of theirs be here now? Unless she's...' Huo Yuhao tensed. He'd been throughout almost of the underground area of the Ancient Golden Tree.
This was the first time he ever saw this place. Huo Yuhao made a quick scan with his eyes in the entire structure; even without his spiritual power his innate observation skill was nothing to scoff at.
'It's a subrealm. It's completely seperate to the underground of the Ancient Golden Tree, yet stays connected to it at the same time. I never noticed this before...'
But what was more important right now was the identity of the woman in front of him.
"Who are you?"
The woman let out a weak, pained chuckle. "Peace....my child. I can sense... the suspicion from within you. You've already deduced a bit of my identity, do you not?"
Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows and hesitantly said, "Are you Qian Renxue?"
If anyone from the outside world heard that name they would be shocked! For that name carried a weight that was no less than Tang San.
Ten thousand years ago, there was an organization in the original Douluo Continent that reigned supreme amongst the empires and the elite sects.
That was Spirit Hall.
A powerful organization that had numerous branches set across the continent and housed the most number of Titled Douluos, with many of them being Transcendent Douluos and even Limit Douluos. Moreover, at their peak, they had even produced two Gods!
The Rakshasa God and the Angel God.
And coincidentally, they were a mother and daughter pair. They were Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
Qian Renxue was the Angel God.
Historically speaking, she was the first God that appeared ten thousand years ago.
And the first thing she did when becoming a God was to chase after Tang San with the intent to kill him to prevent his rise to ascension of Godhood. Unfortunately for her, she failed and suffered severe injuries.
The following was that she recovered, tried to take over the world, but failed alongside her mother at the hands of Tang San who ascended as the Sea God.(1 - I have a note about this down below)
The records that told about their ending was scarce.
Some say that Tang San had spared them and let them live a quiet mortal life till they died of old age.
Others said he killed them.
And more told how they were imprisoned by the Heaven Dou empire and Star Luo Empire till their gruesome end by torturers.
There was never a clear answer.
And now, it looks as if Tang San had spared her and imprisoned her in the Ancient Golden Tree to act as its guardian spirit?!
The woman hanging upside down smiled faintly, her golden eyes carrying a trace of ancient melancholy.
"No, not entirely.... I am merely borrowing her body after she had passed away long ago and entered cycle of reincarnation. When the time comes that her soul comes to me, I will relinquish this body back to her."
Huo Yuhao silently listened. As a necromancer, he could easily tell that the woman was made of flesh, bone, and blood. So this was truly a human body.
However, she was radiating extreme amounts of Light and Light energies that no ordinary human would be able to handle in their body.
'I could guess the reason why she took possession of Qian Renxue's body.'
She sighed and continued, "She was a sweet child. Despite the difficulties she faced in her life, the failures, and the contempt of her fellows... she still kept on helping others till her natural end. She had truly lived up to her mantle as the former Angel God, a person of justice and compassion."
Her eyes was filled with sadness as she recalled that original owner of the body. "It was unfortunate, truly unfortunate. She had a bright future as the Lightbringer. Look, even when her divine position was shattered and she had died of old age, she still looks as radiant as she was at her prime."
"But alas, she had fallen to the schemes of Gods and her own emotions...."
"Cut the crap and tell it to me straight," Huo Yuhao sharply cut her off, glaring at her coldly.
He had asked her for her identity and this...thing in a human's body has been dodging answer to his question.
No. He did not have time to listen to some ancient hag's life story. Heck, Qian Renxue has no connection to him! Why would he be interested?
In his current situation, he had zero patience for riddles and sentimental stories.
"Who are you?"
'Qian Renxue' slowly blinked and softly smiled.
"I'm sure you've realized my true identity, you are quite smart. That's right. I am the incarnation of the Life Core of this planet. I essentially represent the entire vitality of the entire planet."
"I am a consciousness born from the world's origin energy and the numerous wills of all living beings, I embody all that light and life within this planet."
"Normally, I would just be a disembodied voice speaking to you in a bright golden light, or a green light. It depends on the occasion. And for a long time, I had no need of a physical body."
Her eyes narrowed, anger and bitterness appeared."But that all changed ten thousand years ago when Tang San planted the Ancient Golden Tree within this area, his so-called Shrek Academy, and robed its spirit for his own purpose."
"So that's it..."
Huo Yuhao murmured in understanding.
Tang San was after the Life Core, specifically, its authority over the fate and destiny over all the living beings in the planet! The power to control everything in the mortal world.
It shouldn't be surprising for those without knowledge of the Divine Realm. After all, shouldn't a God have complete dominion over mortals?
Yes, they should. But not completely.
From what Huo Yuhao could recall from the Dragon Kings' memories, the Gods were bound by strict rules created by the God Kings of Old. They could influence, guide, and even punish cultivators, but they could not arbitrarily rewrite the fate of every living soul on the mortal planet.
The reason for this was simply because it would cause strife among the Gods.
Normally a mortal world didn't simply consists of one or two Divine Trials for God succession, but at least a dozen or so.
But then what happens when one God suddenly gains the ability to control the fate of all souls on the planet?
The other Gods would never accept it.
Wars in the Divine Realm would erupt instantly, and the mortal world would become nothing more than collateral damage in their power struggles.
But the allure of the possession of the Life Core was simply too tempting.
For one could chose whomever they wished to be the Child of Destiny!
A Child of Destiny holds the greatest luck and fortune in the entire world, for the Life Core secretly guides the flow of fate, bestowing invisible blessings and opportunities upon the chosen one while subtly suppressing their enemies.
With full control over the Life Core, a God like Tang San could crown his own descendants and pawns so that when they reached their full potential, the entire Divine Realm would bend to their will without resistance.
After all, Tang San was a former Child of Destiny. And now, he was one of the Five Great God Kings! He was a great example to show just how terrifying that position could become once fully realized.
Huo Yuhao knew he was the current Child of Destiny so he quickly connected the pieces.
"No wonder Tang San is hunting me down so desperately. He already knows that if I reach my full potential, I would at least become his equal. Heh."
The woman blinked, confused, and asked, "You are... laughing?"
Huo Yuhao burst out laughing, his eyes gleaming with a certain madness.
"Hahaha! Of course I'm laughing! That guy.... he's afraid. Afraid of me! A mere mortal! This...This changes everything!"
"I thought my chances of breaking through this blockade that is Tang San was only 30% but now..."
He slowly stopped laughing and looked at the woman's eyes.
The Life Core felt a chill ran down her spine. This child of hers....
How terrifying!
"You can do many things to a man who fears you. For fear breeds mistakes. And mistakes....can be exploited."
Huo Yuhao stepped closer, his Sharingan spinning slowly before fully transforming into the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan as he examined the golden roots piercing her body. A dangerous, confident smile spread across his face.
"Alright, Life Core. I'll help you."
The Life Core was startled. She hasn't explain to him about it yet!
"I—"
"You want my help to severe the parasite within the Ancient Golden Tree that's trying to usurp your identity as the Life Core."
"?!!"
"Please, I might just be a clone. But I'm more than enough to handle something like this."
Huo Yuhao chuckled as his EMS began to spin as he also entered Sage Mode.
Within the most naturally charged location of the planet, entering Sage Mode was as easy as breathing.
Paired with the natural abilities of his Sharingan and Spiritual Detection that could see through almost everything in the world, he immediately locked onto the old man meditating on top of a large root.
With his gaze, he also saw hundreds of souls sealed in the roots.
They were the souls of the former Pavilion Masters in the last thousands of years!
His eyes flashed coldly.
"Nothing can hide from my eyes."
"Burn. Etānaruekō - Amaterasu!"
A moment later, pitch-black flames that could burn anything in existence erupted silently upon the parasitic old man. The inextinguishable flames of Amaterasu instantly engulfed him, devouring both body and soul without mercy.
"KAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
A painful, agonizing howl suddenly erupted from the Ancient Golden Tree itself. The ear-piercing cry echoed violently across the entire Sea God Island and spread throughout Shrek Academy, shaking the hearts of every student, teacher, and elder present.
Many stopped what they were doing, looking up in shock and confusion toward the Golden Tree.
"What was that sound?!"
"Is the Golden Tree....crying out in pain?!"
"Quick! Head to the Golden Tree!"
Xuan Zi appeared in the air before the Ancient Golden Tree. He looked almost the same as ever except for his golden blue eyes and the golden trident in between his eyebrows.
"Junior Huo Yuhao....so you've finally made a move!"
"So, my unruly descendant is here."
Standing beside Xuan Zi in a flash was a tall and handsome man, crossing his arms. His long golden hair fluttered freely in the wind. His eyes appeared different, one was of sharp blue while the other gleamed with blood-red. A strange, mysterious and superior power seem radiate from his body.
This was a man known almost everywhere in the continent.
The White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao!
But something was different about him...
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AN: (1) I don't know if it's because my memory is shite, but the retelling of Tang San in the following series(DD2,3, and 4) of becoming a God was always about him being the Sea God. There was little mention of him holding the title of Asura. Hmm. Ah. Of course, how could the benevolent, kind, Buddha Tang San have any relation to the God of Slaughter, Asura? Lol!