(???, ???)
It was a pale, white room, almost devoid of color. At its centre stood a rather simple desk and two figures on either side. It made for a rather comical sight as both figures towered over the comparatively miniature object.
The first figure was an all too familiar form of a galaxy given shape, with tens of hundreds of stars flying randomly, crisscrossing across its constantly shifting body. The second figure could only be described as flames given form. Taking on the physical characteristics of a fiery avian creature, resembling that of the legendary phoenix.
Choosing to break the silence between them. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. S.E., though I cannot fathom why a being of your stature would deign to visit me?" The avian creature stated curiously, half-expecting the powerful being to ignore it.
She, for that was the gender it was favored, remained unfazed by the potential danger it faced, having felt no hostility from the mysterious entity.
Gazing at the legendary force of nature in front of him with undisguised scrutiny, S.E. decided to be blunt. "I am here to offer you the opportunity for a new host, one who I am quite confident you'll find pleasing."
"Jean Grey has already proven to be the most suitable host. It seems redundant for me to seek another..."
"Yet, you would be rejected, dispersed, or enthralled. Perhaps even a combination of all, in that oh so familiar song and dance. Your connection with Miss Grey, while admirable, leaves you helpless in the face of the fear of the unknown, fear of losing control, and fear of constantly being consumed by your host's emotions." Pausing for a second, S.E. looked squarely at a vacant spot, where one's eyes usually resided, before finishing off. "The X-Men and their absurdly dangerous adversaries certainly don't help at all."
Silence reigned once more between the two overwhelming entities.
Between them, they could lay waste to whole universes on command, yet here they stood as if two acquaintances were having a pleasant lunch after a long, grueling day at work.
Stubbornly clinging to the connection she held. "I will not abandon Jean Grey." She said resolutely.
Shrugging helplessly, the starry humanoid rolled his eyes. Coincidentally, two stars collided with one another in the process, laying waste to countless civilizations in the process.
The phoenix was surprised to feel life being snuffed out at that moment. It wasn't just anesthetics then. She had been able to sense an absurd amount of life force on the being, yet this seemed to overshadow those upon his universal body so much that it took trillions of death just for her to feel them.
"I'm not asking you to abandon the girl, but merely to aid me in the process of creating another host. Who you decide on in the future remains up to you. Hell, you're not a child, no one said you couldn't have both."
This finally managed to rouse genuine interest in the cosmic entity. It wasn't as if she had never had any hosts before Jean. It wouldn't hurt to try. Wouldn't it?
As for S.E., he was pleased with the change in the Phoenix's mentality. He had no interest in conversing with any more Phoenix Forces; they could be quite the stubborn avians.
This was the seven hundredth and thirty-eight attempt to reason with one, much to his frustration.
He couldn't go around forcing the being into agreeing. That was against the terms he made. No matter how much he would've loved to.
Bah, he shouldn't have taken that bet with his sister. These birds were far too clingy for his taste. The poor schmuck wouldn't know what hit him!
...
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... wait, no wrong universe.
S.E. was back at it again, this time convincing another entity to go along with this little scheme of his. Though this time, he happened to scare the absolute shit out of the divine pantheon nominally in charge of it.
He said nominally, mainly because their control was a bit of oversight here and there, with little actual authority. It would take the rise of a certain pure and innocent Buddha before the pantheon would gain a strong grip over it.
One only needs to look at the negligence of the Shura God, allowing his rival to steal a suitable heir right under his nose, and rendering the incumbent one useless.
Sensing his undisguised probing, another humanoid materialized in front of him. His body resembled that of a humanoid galaxy or universe. This being was significantly impressive in scale.
Representing a mere humanoid star, compared to his truly massive frame.
'It's hard being this perfect sometimes, S.E. thought to himself narcissistically.
Back to reality, she, for no doubt it was a she, as proven by the massive continents emphasizing their gravitational pull quite clearly to him.
"Sorry, lass. Not interested. Still, a decent enough attempt at not getting obliterated, I'll give ya a B for effort."
Pouting at him, the humanoid planet bowed her head respectfully. No longer daring to tempt the being in front of her.
Placing his hands on his head, S.E. transmitted the relevant information to the humanoid plane. Unlike with the phoenix, there would be no need to cajole the being in front of him.
After all, no sane intelligent being would take kindly to being suppressed and subsumed by someone it had supported so fervently. Truly, he had seen shameless protagonists before, but this little third master took the cake.
'I S.E., declare that you are the most shameless of them all'
Even Xiao Yan and his questionable warming of the meridians of a girl, probably young enough to be his daughter, could not come close to the legendary Buddha.
…
Tang San: ╭( ๐_๐)╮
Xiao Yan: d(>_< )
…
Back to reality, S.E. observed the humanoid planet shaking visibly, overwhelmed by a torrent of anger and fury.
Not only would it eventually be hollowed out by one of its chosen, its next destined ones would not be spared, reduced to nothing more than running dogs, slaves with no will of their own, and shackled by a puppet and a chimera of souls.
Ouch, that has got to sting.
Before it could get going, to save the lives of the Douluo Star's population, who were now facing a natural crisis that threatened to send them back to the Stone Age.
SNAP!
A loud snap echoed through the space, defying the laws of physics through sheer power.
"Get a hold of yourself, girl. This is not the time to lose control." He reprimanded.
Mortified at being slapped by this mysterious senior, the mute plane bowed its head, the gesture signifying her unconditional agreement to deal with the future threat to her free will.
Taking out a gorgeous golden chick and a molten gold soul from somewhere, S.E. unceremoniously chucked both of them towards the planet, who gently cradled them onto her arms.
To her surprise, upon touching the chick, she felt a burning sensation on her palms, nearly dropping the flame chick on the spot.
"As long as you play your cards right, consider the lizard god's restrictions a temporary restriction. These two little fellows are the key to your rise, treat 'em right." With those parting words, S.E. disappeared, off to commit unspeakable acts against his foes.
The still silent planetary will gazed cautiously at the two new factors. There was no doubt that today marked the start of a new era.
She could only hope it wouldn't be too destructive.
…
A bright golden light spread across the night sky, illuminating the continent for all to see.
Many great powers sought out the source of this light, hoping to find treasures beyond their understanding. Whether it be Spirit Hall, the Two Empire, or the Three Heavenly Sects, none stood by as they sought the root of this mysterious phenomenon.
At the center of it all, perhaps by coincidence or design, stood two figures who were left stunned at the unexpected event.
The older figure was a slender man, looking like a javelin. His hair and beard were dark green, with eyes that shimmered like emeralds. The man's whole presence felt illusory, like a phantom. Wearing only simple and unadorned grey robes with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
Beryl eyes, green fingernails, and eyes as ice-cold and vicious as a viper. The man looked curiously at the cause of this phenomenon.
It was a child. Not a transformed spirit beast as far as he could discern, but a genuine human baby, looking no older than a few months old. One who would struggle to open his eyes at the bright lights that he emitted.
Next to the older man, holding onto his sleeves nervously, stood a little girl, her short purple hair and toxic green eyes peering nervously at the miracle child that had appeared in front of the pair.
"Grandpa, we can't leave him here!" Pulling at his sleeves a bit harder, the girl insisted.
The pity and compassion she felt for this child overflowed, as she was mesmerized by his otherworldly temperament and likely orphan status.
She felt sure that he was an orphan. According to the books her mother had gifted her, all heavenly heroes started as orphans! This was the same situation.
Dugu Bo, the infamous Jade Phosphar Douluo, had a completely different reaction from his granddaughter, his focus not on the boy's temperament, but rather on the extremely rich life and destruction attribute practically flowing from the child.
His instincts as Titled Douluo were practically screaming at him to take this child and hide him as far away as possible.
'Chance, this is a chance for the Dugu family to rise!'
Unable to help himself, he let loose a loud, villainous laugh.
Dugu Yan, feeling that her grandfather was acting like a second-rate villain, immediately stamped on his foot and turned his laugh into a wheeze. "Grampa, stop acting evil. We have to get out of here." She insisted.
Even as young as she was, she knew that staying here too long would be too dangerous. This phenomenon would attract the coveting eyes of many powers.
"Hiss… Of course, Yanyan, you're right as always."
Without hesitation, grabbing both his granddaughter and the mysterious child, he immediately made for a hasty retreat. His embarrassment was in the hands of old Chrysanthemum, having perfected the valuable skill of running away.
…
(???, ???)
Dugu Feng was a peculiar child. At least in his small family, he could be considered an outlier.
His flowing crimson red locks were a far cry from his older sister's purple hair or his grandfather's dark green hair. Perhaps, one could argue that his emerald green eyes held some resemblance, if not for the fact that he looked nothing like either of the pair. Furthermore, there was no denying that the duo shared the same sinister temperament, whereas Dugu Feng leaned towards that of a gentle healer.
It was safe to say that he was a Dugu by choice, rather than by blood.
Of course, that wasn't the real peculiarity, no, it was the fact that his grandfather, the former 'Weakest Douluo', was a bona fide level 94 Titled strongman.
If that wasn't shocking enough, the fact that the duo's respective martial spirits showed signs of advancing was more than enough to surpass that revelation. Though he felt that something was holding their spirits back, a last chain, so to speak, before they could truly blossom.
Interestingly enough, after solidifying his level, this petty old monster didn't hesitate to attack his old rival, Yue Guan, a Super Douluo who was ranked 95.
Dugu Feng was left speechless by his grandfather's childish behavior. At least this fight had revealed to the rest of the world that Dugu Bo was no longer someone everyone could look down on.
Having gone from being known as the weakest to one of the most formidable, being able to fight two Super Douluos and not die a miserable death.
Don't look at Tang Hao's plot armor-powered combat level, reality dictated that a normal titled, those who were ranked 91st - 94th, would be crushed by one who was 95th or above.
His grandfather was now a bona fide plot armored titled!
Of course, since plot armor no longer held sway over this world, it was likely that Tang Hao's outrageous combat power would either be nerfed or he would have to sacrifice his life force and probably something equally important to keep his deeds high.
On a more personal note, the old man's deeds inadvertently sent that yellow-haired Yu Tianheng running for the hills. While the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan was interested in subduing Dugu Bo, it was only under the premise that they could control him.
A strong Poison Douluo was not something they wanted to let into their sect. Even if the chances of him taking control weren't strong, it was still high enough that they weren't willing to risk it. Not to mention Dugu Yan's remarkable cultivation speed that left their two twin stars in the dust.
In this case, Dugu Feng could only mock those Elders. It was obvious that the clan's elders didn't want to give up their powers to an outsider. This was also the same clan that held heavy prejudices against outsiders after all, even those that shared blood with them.
Otherwise, with Liu Erlong's talent and with the support of the clan, she could have easily achieved Contra. Something they refused to provide, despite the pleas from her cheap father.
Hell, if it wasn't for the so-called 'Master', achieving Titled was not a dream for someone like the crazy dragon girl. Of course, this was under the premise that she got over her love-brain.
Truly, this continent was filled with morons and love-brains. Otherwise, someone like Tang San would never have risen so fast and so high.
Granted, he was pleased with the existence of such love-brains, especially in Spirit Hall, whose relationship with his family was somewhat hostile.
Now on to more serious matters, Dugu Feng would never claim to be a genius, but it was painfully obvious that the peculiarity that had so drastically changed his family's fate was none other than himself.
He'd have to be blind not see how his environment seemed to just come alive at his mere presence, and if that wasn't enough, the fact that he was able to so easily move within the Ice and Fire Hot Spring so easily and stay there indefinitely without being attacked by extremely potent heavenly spiritual influences, and having his body burst was a big fat slap to the face.
In conclusion, his physique was one worthy of the heavens!
One that appeared to buff the cultivation of those around him, as well as grant a body to die for, quite literally in some cases.
Hell, he felt that if he was picked up by that old fox Ning Fengzhi instead, that conniving bastard would likely now be wielding an Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
That didn't mean Ning Fengzhi's martial spirit was worse than Dugu Bo's, just that it needed to jump through more hoops to advance into level nine, due to its inherent flaws.
…
Ning Fengzhi: It should've been me! ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·
Dugu Bo & Dugu Yan: (>▽<)
…
"Xiao Feng, come quickly, Grandpa has a gift for you." A booming voice roared out. Jolting Dugu Feng from his inner monologue.
The little ancestor of the Dugu family rushed towards his grandfather, knowing full well how unique his old man's gifts can be. Hiss, it might be another snake. If so, he had to make sure another wasn't let loose and scared their poor old butler to death.
Sigh, it said a lot about how outrageous his family could be if they were able to nearly scare a respected Contra to death.
As Dugu Feng found his grandfather, he found him holding not a snake, but rather 6 black stones.
Alongside him was Dugu Yan and her best friend Ye Lingling, a graceful figure, with long blue hair draped across her shoulders and back like a waterfall.
Her eyes were the same colour as her hair, showing uncharacteristic warmth in her usually emotionless gaze.
Not giving his grandson time to ponder the presence of the healer. Dugu Bo quickly ensured that Dugu Feng was in place before immediately starting the ceremony.
'Ah, Shit. I completely forgot that I was awakening my spirit today!'
…
A few moments later.
Gazing at the massive, fiery avian creature that had seemingly dragged him into his mental space. Dugu Feng was left speechless.
"..."
'Motherfucker, isn't this Douluo? How did I become the Jinchūriki of the fucking Phoenix Force?'
Of course, this being his mental space, his thoughts were loudly broadcast to the second inhabitant of his body.
"You are mistaken, child. I am not a prisoner within you. Rather, it's more apt to say that we share a bond that transcends space and time itself!" It's, or rather, her melodious voice rang within his mind.
Her voice had a hint of reproach in it, clearly disliking the thought of their 'bond' being cheapened by the assumption that she was an inmate. She was very much a willing participant, thank you very much.
Awkwardly waving his hands at the giant flaming phoenix in front of him, Dugu Feng finally understood the source of all the changes that had been happening to this world.
Good guy, he thought he held gold in his hands, turns out it was vibranium this whole time.
Well, the good news, at least he didn't have to worry about a well-meaning but misguided bald man trying to alter his mind. That was something to be pleased about.
"Indeed. Charles Xavier was a mortal playing games with forces far beyond his comprehension."
"Does that mean I'm a genderbent Jean Grey?"
Hiss, was there a female Cyclops nearby? Or even worse, a genderbent Emma Frost? It would be a crime against humanity to lose those heavenly thighs.
Looking dryly at him, as dry as a flame avian could look. "You are not a genderbent Jean. You are a unique existence. One whose body was shaped by the very world we stand upon, perfected to the point that would allow you to wield my powers without limitations and even go beyond should you desire." She explained.
Cultivation universes were ones that 'defied' the heavens in their pursuit of power. Gaining a physique that complemented her wasn't difficult, as long as she actively influenced the process, much to the surprise of the Douluo Star.
"I am but a portion of a greater whole, Felix. Cut off to facilitate the rise of a new, truer bond. One not plagued by fear and rejection."
Freezing at the mention of his old name, Felix, no Dugu Feng was left gobsmacked by the revelation. The hell?
This felt a bit too much for the young reincarnation, but also oddly right. He was genuinely afraid that the cosmic entity was afflicted with Stockholm syndrome.
"As for why your martial spirit appears so young, it's because you are still young, and the powers you wield are currently at the infant stage. It's meant to grow alongside you."
Deciding that was enough for today, the Phoenix Force gently patted his head with its massive wings. "Don't think too much about it, Xiao Feng. I know you'll achieve much. It is only a matter of time." She reassured him.
Giving him no time to respond, Dugu Feng found himself returning to the physical plane, under the worried gaze of his grandfather.
The rest of the occupants were staring blankly at the admittedly adorable chick on his shoulders, who just happened to be on fire at the moment and was preening at the attention it was receiving.
Considering it was just him, but in avian form, Dugu Feng wasn't sure how to feel about that. Should he give it a mohawk?
It would be interesting to see a chick with a mohawk.
Wanting to ease the tension. "So… That happened, I guess." Dugu Feng said nervously.
Dugu Bo, rightfully concerned about his grandson's martial spirit, began probing the golden chick, checking for any signs of malignant mutation. Fearing it might have resulted in a negative mutation.
After all, the so-called 'Master' had a unique martial spirit, one whose current status was left wanting. His grandson's spirit seemed to be just as unique, and he feared something had gone wrong.
Realizing his grandfather's unnecessary concerns. "It's not what you're thinking, old man. My martial spirit is merely in its infant stage. It will take time to grow and probably just needs a few more spirit rings."
"Anyways, I'm not as useless as Trashgang, I would never pull my martial spirit into the abyss."
Feeling a nudge from the chick on his shoulders, Dugu Feng turned his head towards it curiously.
'You don't need spirit rings to advance this spirit, merely sufficient energy that I can easily provide. As for the rings, they act as catalysts to awaken the sealed abilities within your body, seeing as you are far too young to withstand my full power.'
Of course, the legendary cosmic entity can take control of his martial spirit. For that cheek, he received a weak mental smack to his head.
'Seals?' Hmm, wouldn't that mean that…
'Yes. As you've guessed, you'll be able to condense your spirit rings using my energy. It would also be more harmful to your body if you rashly absorb a soul beast's subpar spirit ring, since they would simply increase the impurity in your body.'
Well damn, that's one way to say they were trash.
"Holy shit, I can condense my spirit rings!" Dugu Feng deliberately blurted out loud.
"WHAT???"
Dugu Yan gaped at her younger brother's words. "Eh?"
"This has to be cheating..." Ye Lingling muttered to herself.
It might seem stupid to deliberately reveal this news, but Dugu Feng was already an innate full soul power. It would be retarded to try and hide this information from the people closest to him in this world.
Putting his hands behind his back, Dugu Bo proudly raised his head, as if he were an expert. "As expected of my grandson, his talent has caught the attention of the gods." The old man proclaimed dramatically.
Dugu Feng was left speechless by the sheer smugness rolling off the old man.
Even Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling subtly moved away from the old man, afraid they would catch his chuunibyou tendencies.
Deciding to play along, he stared at the old man curiously. "How did you know it was related to the gods?" Dugu Feng asked.
"Cough. Wait, I was right? Cough. I mean, of course I was right, how could I be wrong!"
"Never mind." Too embarrassed to continue this charade, Dugu Feng made for a hasty escape.
…
Back in his room, with the chick nibbling at his fingers, Dugu Feng stared dazedly at his room.
Of course, inwardly, he was discussing his next actions with the phoenix inside him.
'Your grandfather is quite the interesting fellow. Though I advise you to quickly have him digest a suitable immortal herb if you want him to ascend to godhood.'
"Isn't he too old?"
'Nonsense, with how desperate some of these petty gods are to leave the god realm, they'll easily overlook his age as long as you increase his talent and suitability to their godhood.'
That made sense. Otherwise, the Shura God wouldn't have made Xiao Wu his sheath just to get around Tang San's incompatibility with his godhood.
"By the way, do I have to worry about the God-Kings coming after me?" He was worried these gods would follow the fandom's bias.
It was just unnecessary conflict for the sake of conflict as far as he was concerned. Also, essentially lazy writing.
'Would the Shura God choose a piece of shit, if there was gold right next to it?' The cosmic entity stated bemusedly. 'If you were to provide a more suitable heir, he wouldn't hesitate to discard Tang San. The same with the Sea God, really.'
"Huh, what a conveniently simple solution." If there was one thing Dugu Feng, then it was to create geniuses en masse with the help of the immortal herbs.
Hell, as long as he gave one of the Shui sisters an immortal herb, he was afraid the Sea God would come running to hand over his throne.
As for Bo Saixi, while she was undeniably beautiful, she was undoubtedly a white eyed wolf. If it wasn't for the Sea God, her achievements would have never been so high, and yet she hesitated in completing the single most important duty to her god, despite her so-called devotion.
Still not as bad as someone like Bibi Dong, but still an unreliable potential ally.
For the Shura God, it would be a bit difficult. Considering Xiao Wu's talent, she didn't seem a bad candidate for the throne, and she was notoriously firmly loyal to whoever won her heart, which was a plus in his books.
As for saying she was ungrateful to the Soul Beasts, Dugu Feng wanted to check some people's brains.
If she had been any weaker or didn't have the support of her parents and younger brothers, he was afraid her grave would already have ten thousand-year-old plant beasts on top of it.
While her background consistently changed. Dugu Feng believed her parents' death had something to do with ferocious beasts deep within the lake of life.
Even if her mother's spirit ring ended up with Bibi Dong, the question of how was up in the air. Perhaps it had to do with Er Ming and Da Ming's failure to protect her mother.
He could only maliciously speculate, since he truthfully had no idea what iteration he was in.
Too bad, her talent was rendered useless and reduced to a plot device for the sake of glazing Tang San to kingdom come. Truly, no matter your talent, if you're not the author's self-insert, you can kiss your talent goodbye.
Put this into perspective, the number of people with full innate soul power did not exceed the double digits, and those that did could reach Contra with just a bit of effort.
For someone like Dugu Feng, having a near-guaranteed Titled Douluo and a potential godling was far more useful than a hundred thousand ring and bone. Plus, it was a buy one get two free deal. Er Ming and Da Ming certainly couldn't escape. They were useful thugs after all.
In fact, with those two's help, alongside his grandfather, even Tang Hao had a lower chance of escaping unscathed. At least he'd have to sacrifice an arm and a leg to live.
As for the ferocious beasts, he was too lazy to complain about them.
They were by far some of the worst leaders for a race he'd ever read about. That was saying something, considering the state of politics in his old world. This wasn't even taking into account the Dragon God or the Silver Dragon King.
There was too much bullshit going on about what was happening to the soul beasts as a whole, so Dugu Feng felt that unless they were his allies and friends, he had no interest in dealing with them.
As for the divine realm supposedly suppressing soul beasts, he honestly had no clue whether it was true or not.
Still, he couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction of the Golden Dragon King to such pig teammates.
'That's quite the impressive tangent you've gone into.'
"There's just too much to complain about the original material."
'Indeed.'
------
Glancing warily at the ruins of the village around him. He stumbled his way onto the remains of his home.
Anger coursed through his veins, unwilling to accept the fate that befell him.
A thought struck him, one that filled his mind with nothing but horror.
'His father! Where was his father?'
------
The two figures standing high above the sky looked at each other warily.
Contempt in his eyes, "You have some nerve ordering me around, Lizard!" The green figure spoke, breaking the silence between them.
"Dugu Bo, you have gone too far!" Snarled the second figure, his veins bulging in anger.
------
Gazing at the bright, resplendent Phoenix high atop the world sky, forming a second sun. Something in her festered. Yearning for the light she could never reach.
The desire to take hold of this second sun and make it hers.
No… If she cannot reach it, then she will bring it down to her level!
He. Would. Be. HERS!
======
[Big Note:]
So… Phoenix Redheads go brr. Cringe aside, aesthetically speaking, I prefer a phoenix over a dragon, so I decided, why not chuck an overpowered one into the infamous fantasy sewer and see how it goes from there? Will the Phoenix Force become attached? You bet your ass it will. It shall be a slow and gradual descent to possessiveness.
To be clear, I'm not throwing shade on Dragons. I just prefer Phoenix's because they look better in my eyes, plus the whole Dragon bloodline has been milked to death. The same with the Phoenix, really, but in terms of appearance, it's a narrow win. Plus, there's always the potential to snag Jean down the line. So Redhead+ buff.
I mean, aside from Liu Erlong and Huo Wu, there isn't any notable redhead I can think of in the current timeline, and both of them are mentally retarded. Might replace Ma Hongjun with Ma Xiaotao, who's also an idiot. Can Bibi Dong even be regarded as a redhead? Her younger self, maybe, but her older self probably not.
To be clear, the MC might dislike Tang San, but he won't go out of his way to antagonize him. He has no real reason to at the moment, and by intercepting his two major opportunities, the Ice and Fire Hot Springs, and Xiao Wu and her two brothers, Tang San automatically loses his threat value. Plus, he and his father are useful in attracting Spirit Hall's attention in the early stages.
Honestly, I find this whole franchise confusing and irritating, but it's easier and more fun to write, so cheers!
------
Side-Note: Expect more irregular updates here as I try to explore ideas for the next project. I will also look into the three ASOIAF ideas sooner rather than later, those I mentioned in LoN.