Of course, Ye Xishui was no fool.
She knew that even a half-disabled god, once awakened, might not be someone she could contend with. Thus, she and Long Xiaoyao remained cautious in researching the divine power within the woman, probing only lightly and never crossing the line.
Provoking a god could turn gratitude into deadly enmity—a risk too great to bear.
Soon, the soul beast was drained to a pile of bones. The black-haired woman on the stone platform opened her eyes.
Her brown eyes were blank and lost, drifting, as if she'd lost all sense of self. She slowly looked around, fear and confusion in her gaze, before finally settling on Yuhao, Ye Xishui, and Long Xiaoyao.
"Where am I? Who am I? Who are you?" she asked, voice trembling.
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao exchanged shocked glances.
"You don't remember who you are?" Yuhao asked, equally surprised.
Holding her forehead, the woman muttered, "I don't know. I can't remember anything. Do you know who I am?"
Ye Xishui's eyes narrowed, and, ignoring the startled looks from Long Xiaoyao and Yuhao, she quickly decided to test her luck: "Your name is Xiao Mei, he's your husband Huo Yuhao, and we're your teachers. You were badly injured and lost your memory."
"My name is Xiao Mei? I lost my memory? You're really my husband?" The woman stared at Yuhao in confusion, lost and helpless, like a lamb in the dark seeking support.
"I…" Yuhao's mouth twitched helplessly. But under Ye Xishui's icy gaze, he could only nod.
Ye Xishui clearly intended to take advantage of the god's amnesia for the Cult's benefit.
Long Xiaoyao, seeing this, also twitched but remained silent, supporting Ye Xishui unconditionally—even if it meant deceiving a god and risking their wrath.
Ye Xishui was daring to the extreme, gambling with everyone's lives—but this time, her gamble paid off.
The amnesiac black-haired woman believed her, accepting that she was Xiao Mei and Yuhao was her husband.
Ye Xishui's plan was to keep Xiao Mei in the Holy Spirit Cult. Forcing her would have backfired, but amnesia played right into her hands.
Seeing Xiao Mei trust her and snuggle into Yuhao's arms, Ye Xishui's eyes narrowed with new plans. It was now imperative to cure Yuhao's physical issue. If the god could bear Yuhao's child, that would be ideal. With Yuhao's talent and the god's bloodline, their offspring would surely be extraordinary.
This could finally allow the Holy Spirit Cult to rule Douluo Continent. And if they had a child, even if the god regained her memory, the rice would be cooked and, as the saying goes, even a tiger won't eat its own cub. As a mother herself, Ye Xishui was confident of this.
With Xiao Mei deceived, further study of the god's mysteries became possible. As long as one of them achieved godhood before Xiao Mei recovered her memory, they'd never have to fear her revenge.
And so, Huo Yuhao, not even twenty, unexpectedly ended up with a goddess wife.
…
"Pfft!"
Lu Jingming couldn't help but spit out his tea.
Herta calmly raised a finger, a gentle light blocking the tea spray.
They were watching the scene unfold in Herta's magic mirror, hearing every word.
Lu Jingming couldn't take it anymore. With Herta's artifact, no spatial change escaped her notice. She'd detected the brief spatial rift on Douluo Continent and quickly recognized the falling person as Xiao Wu—who'd shielded Tang San from Ma Hongjun's sneak attack in the God Realm and fell into a black hole.
Herta had thought Xiao Wu would be obliterated, as only god-kings could survive in a black hole, and Xiao Wu didn't have that power. But as luck would have it, Xiao Wu was swept to Douluo Continent instead.
Herta notified Lu Jingming, who watched Yuhao pick up Xiao Wu and bring her to the Holy Spirit Cult. He also witnessed Ye Xishui's outrageous move of convincing Xiao Wu she was Yuhao's wife.
What a twist—mother-in-law turned wife, son-in-law turned husband. Lu Jingming didn't know where to start complaining. It almost felt like Aha had come to stir up trouble for fun.
"Herta, I didn't summon Mourning Actors, nor any other Masked Fool. Aha can't possibly sneak in through the internet, right?" Lu Jingming joked.
Herta replied calmly, "You know best. Besides, you love this kind of drama."
"True, this is just hilarious!"
Lu Jingming grinned, thinking of the day when Tang San, after the God Realm stabilized, would search for Xiao Wu—only to find her married to Yuhao, maybe even with a child. That would be a sight to see, especially since Yuhao was his chosen son-in-law.
Too bad about Yuhao's problem. Now, it was up to Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao to fix it.
"Well, the fun is over, are you ready?"
Herta rolled her eyes, uninterested in the drama. With a wave, the mirror's image disappeared.
"Ready whenever you are!" Lu Jingming became serious, taking out the Holy Grail he'd modified with the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, and handed it to Herta.
Only Herta could integrate the rules of the Holy Grail War and implant the Grail into the planet, officially starting a Grail War on Douluo Star.
This Holy Grail War would not only select a new Sea God, but also purify negative energy from the planet.
As Herta worked, the planet's will seemed to awaken. The rules of the Grail War wove invisibly into the world, and the Grail was embedded within the planet.
At the same time, a flood of information reached the mind of every Titled Douluo on Douluo Continent—details of the Grail War.
…
At Shrek Academy, Xuan Zi's face became grave as he received the information. He immediately called a Sea God Pavilion meeting.
"You've all received the message, right? Holy Grail War—the winner will inherit the Sea God's position."
At the head of the pavilion, Xuan Zi spoke solemnly.
"Elder Xuan, what's going on? Is the Sea God passing down his position?" Yan Shaozhe's eyes sparkled with hope. It had been ten thousand years since anyone became a god.
A sudden Grail War, with the winner inheriting Sea God, reminded him of the legendary God Trials.
"Could this Grail War be a test arranged by the Sea God himself?"
"I don't know. The Golden Tree hasn't reacted, and the academy received no oracle," Xuan Zi shook his head in confusion.
By rights, Shrek Academy, as the Sea God's most devout followers, shouldn't have been left out—but they'd had no warning.