The Dragon Tomb—burial ground of the dragon race—contained an immense trove of treasures.
In the future, the Dragon Tomb would appear on another continent within the Douluo Plane. That continent would eventually be occupied by the Star Luo Empire, and once the tomb was discovered by its people, it would be named Dragon Valley.
Within Dragon Valley lay countless dragon corpses and dragon souls, carrying with them the heritage of the dragon race and the remaining resources from their fall.
Among them, the most unique item was the very core of the Dragon Tomb—the Dragon God's Heart!
However, the Dragon God's Heart wasn't an actual heart. It was the essence of everything the Dragon God had left behind. It required both the power of the Silver Dragon King and the Golden Dragon King to be fully absorbed and utilized.
Still, with Huo Yuhao's abilities and his luck, there might be a new way to make use of both the Dragon Tomb and the Dragon God's Heart.
Previously, Huo Yuhao hadn't considered the Dragon Tomb simply because it wasn't truly on Douluo Continent. It existed in an independent sub-dimension.
Whether it had now intersected with the Douluo Plane was still unknown. Searching for it might waste precious time better spent on cultivation.
But now, Huo Yuhao was strong enough to seek out the Dragon Tomb.
"You're saying the Dragon Tomb has already appeared on Douluo Continent?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Xu Tianchen gave a confident smile. "That I'm not sure of. But I can sense the residual power of the Dragon God near the Douluo Plane. If I'm right, that power should point to the Dragon Tomb's location. With your Rank One God strength, and with me as a guide, you might be able to reach it."
"Is this because of the Ancestral Sub-Dragon's sense?"
"Exactly. The Ancestral Sub-Dragon was born alongside the Dragon God and has an extremely strong connection to anything related to the Dragon God. The reverse is true as well."
Huo Yuhao smiled.
"As expected—destiny favors me! No—I am Destiny!"
He had just been lamenting the lack of resources and considering diving into the sea, when suddenly Xu Tianchen sensed the Dragon Tomb's location!
…
Flight had always been one of humanity's dreams.
On Douluo Continent, achieving it was no easy feat.
Soul Masters on the continent could only fly if they possessed a flying ability or reached Rank 90, where they could then hover off the ground.
Many avian-type Martial Soul users, even with wings, couldn't fly. Some Soul Masters would go so far as to absorb spirit rings with flying abilities just to gain the power of flight early.
Before becoming a Title Douluo, flying offered a considerable advantage in combat.
In this modern era, Soul Tools had begun to spread, and flight-capable Soul Tools were developed—but these were often expensive.
This all highlighted just how difficult flight really was.
Yet what Huo Yuhao was about to do now would be even more challenging than flight.
He was about to traverse the universe.
Led by the Six-Winged Angel, Huo Yuhao had reached a height no Soul Master had ever touched. He wore the Frost Centipede Armor, even activating its true form and bloodline power, turning it into a golden armor. On top of that, a thick barrier of soul power surrounded him for protection.
He was fully armed—to face the perils of space.
As for Xu Tianchen, now serving as a locator, he had been placed within Huo Yuhao's God Domain.
The moment Huo Yuhao broke through the atmosphere, he suddenly felt like he had entered an entirely new world.
Silence surrounded him, and before him stretched the boundless starry cosmos. The environment was completely different from the Douluo Continent, sparking both curiosity and caution in him.
"If Earth's scientists saw me right now, they'd probably go insane," Huo Yuhao joked, loosening his nerves a bit.
At the same time, his spiritual sense scanned his body for any anomalies.
To his relief, he wasn't experiencing any radiation damage—not because the Douluo World's universe was devoid of radiation, but because his strength was sufficient to resist it.
Before venturing into space, Huo Yuhao had consulted the Sacred Feathered Serpent to learn about the universe.
This brought up the division between the universe and the planes.
All planes, small worlds, and even the God Realm, existed within a grand universe.
The separation of energy within this universe gave birth to countless planes. Some had only a single planet, others had entire star systems, and some were pure energy realms. The God Realm was also considered a plane.
The stars visible from the Douluo Plane were actually light projected from other planes.
Due to this structure, cosmic disasters became more diverse and dangerous—like spatial-temporal turbulence or black hole devourings.
Planes were divided into two main categories:
Material Planes, like Douluo Continent.
Energy Planes, such as the future Abyssal Plane. These energy-based planes depended on material planes to survive—otherwise, they would eventually fade away.
If a material plane encountered or discovered an energy plane—or if a powerful being did—then the energy plane was at risk of destruction. These energy planes were often viewed as parasitic and unwelcome.
The ones who typically destroyed them were the masters of material planes.
Planes were also ranked, with the potential to evolve.
Only planes that birthed intelligent life could be considered high-level planes.
Only high-level planes qualified to have a Plane Master. These could arise naturally or ascend later. Some Plane Masters were sentient; others functioned like a "program" sustaining the plane's existence.
Only those who controlled at least three high-level planes could create a higher-dimensional realm known as the God Realm.
The Douluo God Realm, for instance, was evolved from the Dragon God's domain and wasn't the only one in existence.
The Douluo Plane, where Douluo Continent resided, consisted of a single planet—Douluo Star.
During this era, Douluo Star possessed a rudimentary plane consciousness, akin to a program—without self-awareness.
Nonetheless, the Plane Master of Douluo Star was still instinctively driving its evolution, having spent countless years to bring it to its current state.
All naturally born "Children of Destiny" were part of this evolution attempt. If no external force interfered, one among them would eventually succeed and inherit the mantle of the Plane's Chosen One.
However, external interference did occur.
After Douluo Star came under control of the Douluo God Realm, its Children of Destiny gained a new path: to become gods—like the Angel God and the Sea God.
Tang San was once a Child of Destiny too, though he had long since become a god.
Now comes a crucial point: A plane's materials are finite, and its recycling system is poor—more is consumed than replenished. Eventually, a plane will run out of resources.
This is where plane devouring comes into play—devouring another plane to replenish your own, and possibly evolve.
In the future, Tang San's thousand-year plan would involve Douluo Plane devouring the Abyssal Plane to escape depletion.
Now, regarding the plane itself.
Take the Douluo Plane as an example: it comprises the planet (Douluo Star) and the space surrounding it (the universe).
Within the planet, heaven and earth essence energy exists, nourishing life and cultivation.
The outer universe, however, contains no such energy. Instead, it's filled with something called cosmic energy—more violent, more abundant, and harder to control.
Yet cosmic energy is what every powerful being must learn to absorb and comprehend.
Because hidden within this energy… are the Laws of the Universe!
The elemental insights Huo Yuhao had acquired were all derived from these very cosmic laws!
Now floating beyond Douluo Star, bathed in cosmic energy, Huo Yuhao slowly closed his eyes, releasing his spirit and power. A natural resonance formed between him and the cosmic energy.
It wasn't a conscious action.
It was instinctual.
Because, the first time… always comes with instinct and impulsiveness.
The cosmic energy surged around Huo Yuhao, swiftly absorbed into his being to replenish and elevate his cultivation realm.
Hidden within the cosmic energy were the universal laws, which Huo Yuhao captured and comprehended.
The Six-Winged Angel also returned to Huo Yuhao's body, for she was a part of him—and her presence was indispensable to his epiphany.
Clad in golden armor, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged in the cosmos. Behind him, the illusion of a golden ancient tree manifested. At this moment, Huo Yuhao entered a state of profound enlightenment.
As the cosmic laws continuously washed over him, his body began to transform. His flesh and blood gradually became crystalline, as though sculpted from ice. His innate Ice Lotus Spirit Body began a new metamorphosis.
Though only a brief amount of time passed, it felt as though eons had gone by. His mind and awareness seemed infinitely stretched.
At last, the golden armor disintegrated on its own, transforming into the form of his mutant Variant Ice Jade Centipede martial soul.
The projections of his other three martial souls appeared in turn, encircling Huo Yuhao from all directions:
First Martial Soul: Holy Eyes!
Second Martial Soul: Variant Frost Centipede!
Third Martial Soul: Hao Emperor Banner!
Fourth Martial Soul: Six-Winged Angel!
The four martial souls resonated with one another and finally merged into the divine kingdom within Huo Yuhao's palm, initiating his ultimate transformation.
His body, once crystallized, reverted to human form—but now it radiated an even greater divinity.
From his brow, a third eye emerged, signifying the White Tiger bloodline. Divine light shimmered within it, and the Evil God Spear lay hidden inside, transformed into a vertical, blood-red pupil.
From his collar, a Guardian Black Serpent, tied to his Black Tortoise bloodline, poked its head out—almost lifelike in form.
Dragon scale patterns linked to the Heavenly Dragon bloodline spread across his hands, creating intricate markings across the backs of his palms.
The undying heart tied to the Phoenix bloodline pulsed at his chest, emitting blazing radiance.
Visualizations of the White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Heaven Dragon, and Phoenix appeared, freely soaring through the cosmos.
A new suit of armor manifested on Huo Yuhao—his divine armor, Hao Divine Armor—which gradually transformed into a brilliant golden hue.
Behind him floated thirteen orbs of light, representing different elemental attributes:
Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, Darkness, Space, Time, Stability, Goodness, Evil, Destruction, Life.
The orbs rapidly spun, merging into a ring of light. The ring then solidified into a radiant halo, suspended behind Huo Yuhao's head.
Below him, a lotus platform faintly took shape—but ultimately failed to materialize, for his cultivation realm still lacked a crucial step.
When all the celestial visions faded, only Huo Yuhao remained, clad in divine armor and meditating in the cosmos. Though no fluctuations of energy emanated from him, one could still feel his overwhelming power.
Like a statue of an emotionless deity, or an ancient terror birthed from the dawn of time.
Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. No strange phenomena followed—everything had returned to its most authentic state.
And now, he could traverse the cosmos using only his physical body.
This indicated not just an increase in strength, but a fundamental transformation of his bodily essence.
Yet, the greatest gain from this enlightenment was the integration of all his insights, achieving harmony and completeness.
The glowing halo behind his head was proof of that.
"The Arhat Realm is now within reach," he murmured. "Only one final insight into the Dao Fruit remains. Once I fill that with power, I can manifest the lotus platform beneath me and sit upon it—attaining true realization."
"At that point, I shall also achieve the Divine King Realm!"
In essence, what he lacked was a deeper understanding of his own path—and now, he had direction.
Back within his divine kingdom, Huo Yuhao's companions sensed the shift in him, as the entire divine realm underwent transformation.
Within the palm-sized divine kingdom, the golden ancient tree had become the World Tree, holding up heaven and earth.
The White Tiger, Heavenly Dragon, Black Tortoise, and Phoenix turned into four celestial totems, appearing as starry constellations within the realm.
The Hao Emperor Banner became the core of the divine kingdom, hanging high in its skies.
Holy Eyes integrated with the realm's laws, hidden in the void.
The Six-Winged Angel bathed in radiant light, soaring through the divine kingdom, spreading illumination.
The Mutant Variant Frost Centipede became a divine beast, coiled beneath the World Tree as guardian of the realm.
The previously chaotic skies now contained a sun and constellations—the sun being none other than the radiant halo behind Huo Yuhao's head.
The divine kingdom had now taken its next step, forming the embryonic structure of a complete domain.
All of its worshippers basked in the realm's transformation and received immense benefits.
Many who had hovered near the hundredth rank used this opportunity to break through.
Sky Dream Iceworm was one such case. As a million-year soul beast who had later cultivated the path of the Primordial Spirit, his accumulated foundation was formidable, and the breakthrough was no surprise.
Had it not been for his muddled cultivation during his first million years, with guidance from the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent, he would've reached Rank 100 long ago.
Besides him, Electrolux, the Evil Emperor, the Ice Empress, and the Snow Empress also successfully advanced to the divine level.
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent advanced as well—and more easily than the others, as it was essentially undergoing a second cultivation.
When Huo Yuhao cast his gaze into the divine kingdom, he saw the girls of the Huo Alliance had also received great benefits—especially the Seven Jades, who all consecutively broke through to Rank 100.
Among the cauldrons (dual cultivation partners) taken from the Douling Empire and the Star Luo Empire, many also reached the hundredth rank—some of them had already been Titled Douluo, after all.
This "bestowal" was an immense opportunity for everyone in the divine kingdom. But it also came with a price: their paths of cultivation would now be influenced by Huo Yuhao. In the future, they could only follow him, never forging their own roads.
Of course, not everyone was subjected to this. For intimate companions like Sky Dream Iceworm, Electrolux, and the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent, Huo Yuhao erased his own Dao from the bestowed power—leaving only pure energy for them to absorb.
Because they were Dao companions, not followers.
Huo Yuhao ignored the exultant worshippers and instead turned to his closest companions. Only after confirming their successful breakthroughs did he nod in satisfaction.
Perched atop the Temple of Wisdom, the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent looked up and asked,
"Yuhao, did you comprehend a law?"
"I did," Huo Yuhao replied, not withholding anything.
It was normal for deities to comprehend laws from cosmic energy. With Huo Yuhao's talent and destiny, it would've been strange if he hadn't.
"I comprehended the Law of Fate."
As he spoke, Huo Yuhao manifested the fruits of his enlightenment.
A phantom of a giant millstone appeared within the divine kingdom. With each slow turn, specks of starlight scattered from it—shards of fate.
"As of now, my comprehension of the law is still shallow. I can only produce this illusion. I cannot yet wield the power of fate," he added.
Possessing the trait of Heaven's Mandate, it made sense that he would comprehend the Law of Fate.
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent pondered for a moment before speaking:
"It's said that in ancient times, the Dragon God comprehended the cosmic laws and grasped Creation and Destruction, two opposing principles."
"If our speculation is correct, the Dragon God used these two opposing laws to attain the realm of Supreme Divine King."
"If you want to emulate that path, then the Law of Fate isn't enough. You'll need to derive two opposing law forces from among the attributes you already command."
To someone like Huo Yuhao, reaching the level of a Supreme God King was still a long road ahead—and not something he needed to worry about for now.
However, comprehending the Law of Fate meant he had already obtained the key to knock on the door of the God King realm.
The Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent understood this clearly. It only reminded Huo Yuhao not to neglect comprehending the powers of other elemental attributes.
Under Xu Tiancheng's guidance, Huo Yuhao quickly located the Dragon Tomb.
The Dragon Tomb existed as a small independent world, drifting outside the plane. However, it didn't drift aimlessly; rather, it was drawn toward sources related to its core.
With both the Silver Dragon King and the Ancestor of Sub-Dragons present on Douluo Planet, it was no surprise that the Dragon Tomb was drawn toward it.
Given more time, the Dragon Tomb would have eventually connected to the Douluo Plane, opening a portal on another continent—just like in the original storyline.
Without any special sensory abilities, probably only the Douluo Divine Realm would have the means to access the Dragon Tomb.
But now, before the Dragon Tomb could descend upon Douluo Planet, Huo Yuhao intercepted it.
Perhaps sensing the aura of the Sub-Dragon Ancestor, the Dragon Tomb opened an entrance of its own accord as Huo Yuhao approached.
Huo Yuhao and Xu Tiancheng stepped into the Dragon Tomb together.
Though it was a graveyard for dragons, the Dragon Tomb wasn't entirely lifeless. Dragon souls still roamed inside, acting both as guardians and trials.
The cloud layer above the Dragon Tomb was a manifestation of these dragon souls. As soon as Huo Yuhao and Xu Tiancheng entered, numerous powerful dragon souls materialized from the clouds and launched an attack.
After all, although the two had obtained permission to enter the Dragon Tomb, they were not dragons themselves—naturally triggering the guardian forces within.
"Dragon souls? Perfect—my Hao Emperor Banner still lacks dragon spirits!" Huo Yuhao grinned, raised his left hand, and unleashed his Palm World Divine Kingdom, forcibly absorbing the incoming dragon souls.
Within his divine kingdom, the Hao Emperor Banner trembled, pulling in the dragon souls, then absorbing and refining them, turning them into Huo Yuhao's subordinates.
Seeing Huo Yuhao fully occupied, Xu Tiancheng chose to explore alone. "I'm going deeper into the tomb to find dragon materials and enhance myself. That way I'll be better prepared to obtain the Fire God's legacy. Otherwise, when you fully control the core of the Dragon Tomb and swallow it whole, there won't be much left for me."
Huo Yuhao casually waved him off, urging him to hurry. In the end, the dragon bones and soul bones in the Dragon Tomb would all become nutrients for his Divine Kingdom anyway.
There were just too many treasures inside the Dragon Tomb.
Most of these treasures were highly valuable to soul masters below the divine realm—Xu Tiancheng included.
First were the nine categories of dragon remains corresponding to the Nine Dragon Kings.
Then there were powerful sub-dragon soul bones, such as those from the Tyrannosaurus and the Purple Destruction Sky Dragon.
Next were true dragon remains not among the Nine Dragon Clans, such as Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons and Abyssal Demon Dragons.
Within the Divine Kingdom—
The Tyrannosaurus, which had been frolicking in a forest, was now drawn toward the influx of dragon souls. Out of curiosity, it approached and spotted a particularly unique dragon soul among them: a winged Tyrannosaurus!
Though this winged Tyrannosaurus soul was also in a fragmented state with limited intelligence, like the others, it still stood out.
If nurtured in the Hao Emperor Banner, it might eventually regain completeness.
But the Tyrannosaurus didn't want to wait. With a leap and two quick chomps, it swallowed the winged version of itself and began refining it immediately.
Huo Yuhao noticed the Tyrannosaurus's actions but said nothing. Several main souls and bone spirits were also picking through the dragon souls like they were on a zero-cost shopping spree.
The Tyrannosaurus was just one of many.
Ah Hui also devoured several water-attribute dragon souls.
Cai Tou took interest in a Purple Destruction Sky Dragon soul.
Even Snow Empress and Ice Empress found two ice-element true dragon souls, which they took back to their inner spaces for absorption.
Many of these dragon souls had been gods in life. While devouring their remnants might not yield full inheritances, even a single technique or skill from them would provide huge benefits for the newly advanced companions.
Suddenly, Huo Yuhao recalled something from the original novel—how a Tyrannosaurus soul had devoured the remains of a winged counterpart and gained a physical form, even evolving wings in the process.
"Turns out these dragon soul remnants aren't the only treasures. The skeletal remains are equally precious."
While absorbing dragon souls, Huo Yuhao searched for the Dragon God's Heart—and indeed, he found it.
He activated the newly acquired yet still-immature power of the Fate Law, manifesting it as a grindstone of destiny to suppress the Dragon God's Heart.
It offered no resistance and was directly suppressed, then taken into Huo Yuhao's Divine Kingdom.
Once the Dragon God's Heart was secured, Huo Yuhao began devouring the Dragon Tomb itself. He intended to merge the entire small world into his Divine Kingdom.
The Dragon Tomb wasn't just a minor realm—it was practically a full-fledged dimension, worthy of being called the Dragon Realm.
If Huo Yuhao could devour it entirely, his Divine Kingdom would expand significantly, and the refinement of the Dragon God's Heart would proceed far more smoothly.
Without the bloodline powers of the Silver and Gold Dragon Kings, Huo Yuhao chose a different method: starting with the small world and working backward to refine the Dragon God's Heart.
The level of his Divine Kingdom reflected his own cultivation. Once he devoured the Dragon Tomb and refined the Dragon God's Heart, he would have the resources and potential to break into the God King realm!
As for the details and methods of refinement—he wasn't concerned. Destiny would show the way!
From the moment of his transmigration to now, Huo Yuhao had cultivated for ten years.
And already, he had the potential to break through to God King level!
"As expected, the Empress Ruthless's devouring path is truly the ultimate way to defy fate," Huo Yuhao thought with awe.
Good or evil—history is written by the victors. For Huo Yuhao, any path that allowed him to overthrow Tang San was the righteous one!
Soon, Xu Tiancheng returned—clearly pleased with his harvest, the smile on his face never fading.
His strength had also increased further. Huo Yuhao sensed that Xu Tiancheng had acquired a full set of fire-attribute true dragon soul bones, which had merged with his original set.
Standing beside Huo Yuhao, Xu Tiancheng said mysteriously, "Boss, I've got something awesome to show you!"
He raised his hand, revealing a cluster of unique flames burning in his palm.
"What's this?" Huo Yuhao asked in surprise.
Xu Tiancheng's main flame was the True Sun Fire, but this clearly wasn't it—yet it felt equally powerful.
"This is the Crimson-Gold Profound Flame—the natal flame of the Fire Dragon Clan. After I fused the complete set of their soul bones, I obtained this flame. I'm not sure how it compares to the original, though."
"I heard there are still Fire Dragon survivors in the universe, right? Including some gorgeous dragon ladies…"
Seeing the expression on Xu Tiancheng's face, Huo Yuhao looked at him with disdain.
"Can you be serious for once?" he said irritably.
Xu Tiancheng pouted. "Tch, you sure act righteous once your pants are back on!"
Huo Yuhao: "…"
Actually, the valuable loot Xu Tiancheng acquired wasn't limited to the set of Fire Dragon soul bones he wore.
He had also brought back five sets of soul bone suits of different elemental attributes for the five women he had chosen as the seeds to inherit elemental godhood, along with five True Dragon souls matching those attributes.
To ensure he could obtain the other elemental god thrones, Xu Tiancheng had put serious effort into this endeavor.
He individually sought out and secured full sets of True Dragon soul bones and corresponding True Dragon souls for the attributes of Water, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness.
Once these five women finished absorbing these resources, Xu Tiancheng planned to lead them in formally attempting to inherit the divine thrones of the respective elemental gods.
Even if the attempts failed, they were guaranteed to secure at least the Water Elemental God's position. The other four women, once nurtured, would see their potential greatly boosted and likely break through the hundred-level bottleneck in the future.
At that point, even if they couldn't claim the divine thrones through proper inheritance, they could storm the Divine Realm and seize them by force.
After all, breaking into the capital was often easier than earning a spot there.
Once Huo Yuhao broke through to the Divine King realm, that phrase would become a reality.
The Seven Elemental God Thrones were directly tied to Xu Tiancheng's ambition of becoming the Elemental God King—he couldn't afford to be careless.
Currently, only the Space Elemental God throne lacked a suitable candidate. However, Xu Tiancheng considered the likelihood of obtaining that godhood low and thus didn't focus much on it.
As for the Space Elemental God's position, perhaps it could be approached through its original bearer—her own sister.
That sister was now drifting somewhere in the vast cosmos.
If she couldn't be found, then the only path left was blatant robbery.
In fact, Xu Tiancheng had already collected a set of space-attributed soul bones and a space dragon soul—the Emerald Dragon set from the Emerald Dragon King.
As for the Time Dragon King's lineage, Xu Tiancheng hadn't uncovered any trace. But then, he hadn't deliberately gone searching—he had only explored part of the Dragon Tomb.
…
The devouring between small worlds wasn't a simple task. For Huo Yuhao, it was his first time attempting it, and it would require some time.
While Huo Yuhao was busy devouring the Dragon Tomb's micro-world, Xu Tiancheng returned to his Divine Kingdom and found the five women he had been nurturing, guiding them to absorb their soul bone sets and dragon souls.
When leaving the land of the Sub-Dragon Ancestor's inheritance, Xu Tiancheng took these five women with him just in case.
As for his other playthings? He left them behind in the inheritance grounds. The difference in treatment was obvious.
Furthermore—
When Xu Tiancheng approached the five women, they all gathered around him with concern and care.
It was clear that they weren't merely controlled—much of their affection toward Xu Tiancheng was genuine. Each had her own distinct personality and thoughts.
Perhaps in the past, manipulation and guiding techniques were necessary, but now, they no longer were.
For emotionally driven women, Xu Tiancheng could easily win their "love" whenever he desired.
After all, his looks and strength were undeniable.
And if he did come across someone truly immune to his charm, it wasn't a big deal—he didn't need her. Xu Tiancheng only needed someone with the appropriate elemental affinity. As the ruler of the vast Sun-Moon Empire, finding suitable candidates was easy.
In fact, his "bride selection" wasn't limited to the Sun-Moon Empire.
Among the five women he eventually chose, one was from the Star Luo Empire—a captured prisoner of war, no less.
Again, looks and strength matter. Add a little "genuine emotion," and it was nearly impossible not to win someone over.
A powerful emperor, at the peak of the Limit Douluo stage, wanting to court a woman—how many could truly resist?
Xu Tiancheng hadn't even made a move, and the women were already infatuated.
With the aid of some subtle methods, the five women were now deeply in love with him.
How much of Xu Tiancheng's affection was real? Only he knew. At the very least, he didn't mind letting Huo Yuhao "borrow" them if needed.
From the women's eyes, all they could see was Xu Tiancheng's deep favor and love for them.
What? Xu Tiancheng keeps a harem?
What's wrong with an emperor having a harem?
At least, the five women didn't see anything wrong with it.
Seeing them eagerly crowding him, Xu Tiancheng decided to put off business for now.
"Since things have come to this point, let's enjoy ourselves first."
…
Secretly watching, Huo Yuhao was speechless. He had originally wanted to observe how the five women would change after absorbing the soul bones and dragon souls—but this? This was what Xu Tiancheng chose to show him?
As if he didn't know how that went already!
"Xu Tiancheng's going to die from this kind of thing one day," Huo Yuhao muttered under his breath.
Several hours later—
The five women lay contentedly on the grass, clearly satisfied. Xu Tiancheng looked equally pleased. Once they had recovered, Xu Tiancheng remembered the original purpose and finally handed over the soul bone sets and dragon souls for them to absorb.
The five women were deeply moved again. Had they not already exhausted all their strength, they would've surely shown Xu Tiancheng more of their "gratitude."
After several more hours—
The five finally completed the absorption and fusion of their soul bone sets and dragon souls. This was only possible in such a short time thanks to the Divine Kingdom's power; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to assimilate a full set of dragon bones and a dragon soul.
Originally, they had just recently broken through to the Title Douluo level—but now, all five leapt forward to the Super Douluo realm.
The dragon souls boosted their power significantly, and their secondary martial souls also evolved to display dragon-related changes.
To be precise, they stopped at Level 95.
Considering how much they had absorbed, only reaching the Super Douluo stage was clearly insufficient. But Xu Tiancheng had deliberately suppressed their absorption of soul power to avoid unstable foundations.
At the Super Douluo level, it was no longer just about raw power accumulation. Insight into one's own strength was essential—something they would need to discover on their own, with occasional guidance.
Blindly chasing power would only lead to future problems.
Huo Yuhao quietly tallied the resources spent on these five: each had used a Saint Cigar of Creation and Fate, practiced cultivation techniques tailored to them, and now received full soul bone sets and dragon souls—not to mention the countless regular cultivation resources.
"If these five don't become gods, it'd be a waste of all this," Huo Yuhao finally said.
If they really failed… then they'd have to be refined into human pills to recoup the loss.
As for their potential and strength—truthfully, they didn't offer much help to Huo Yuhao.
More pressing was the overwhelming dragon aura they now carried, which would need to be suppressed. Otherwise, it could cause misunderstandings in the Divine Realm.
Even Jin Daxian almost mistook them for dragons—he had sniffed them out, only to leave disappointed after confirming they were human.
Let's not forget: Jin Daxian was a pure-blooded Behemoth—he ate dragons.
The dragon souls Huo Yuhao had absorbed this time had already delighted Jin Daxian, but it was still no substitute for raw dragon flesh.
Unfortunately, there wasn't any available to eat.
That said, by consuming dragon souls, Jin Daxian had still seen a considerable boost in power.
…
Over ten hours passed, and Huo Yuhao was nearly done devouring the Dragon Tomb. The speed was impressive.
With the Dragon God's Heart under his control, absorbing the Dragon Tomb went smoothly and quickly.
But just as he was about to complete the devouring, Huo Yuhao suddenly sensed a warning in his heart—a strong sense of danger.
He halted his actions immediately—but the warning only grew more intense.
"If I stopped and there's still danger, then screw it—no point in holding back!"
Huo Yuhao went all out, swiftly devouring the last of the Dragon Tomb.
As the Dragon Tomb shattered completely, somewhere in the universe, space collapsed and elemental forces surged chaotically.
Clad in divine gear, Huo Yuhao withstood the spatial collapse and elemental turbulence, then turned and fled without hesitation—racing back toward Douluo Star.
Meanwhile—
A warning alert was triggered at the Divine Realm's core.
The Dragon Tomb was indeed connected to the Divine Realm. Its destruction had been detected by the Divine Core, triggering the alarm.
The five Divine Kings immediately gathered to assess the situation.
"This is… the Dragon Tomb has vanished?!"
"Who did this? Was it a hidden move from the Dragon Race?"
"Or… did someone else discover the Dragon Tomb?"
Huo Yuhao's plundering of the Dragon Tomb had indeed stirred the Divine Realm.
However, the gods of the Divine Realm didn't think of the Douluo Plane as the culprit.
To them, since Tang San was overseeing the Douluo Plane, if anything had truly gone wrong, Tang San would have spoken up long ago.
So, the gods mostly suspected that a dragon race entity had found the Dragon Tomb—or perhaps a failsafe left by the Dragon God had activated, causing the disturbance.
Only a very small probability was attributed to someone outside the dragon race seizing the Dragon Tomb.
After all, the Dragon God had left behind various safeguards in the Dragon Tomb. Non-dragons might gain some minor benefits from it, but to completely seize and relocate the entire tomb? That was unthinkable.
Huo Yuhao's method—using the laws of fortune and destiny to seize the Dragon God's Heart—was beyond the gods' understanding.
Although the gods of the Douluo Divine Realm had some grasp of fortune and destiny and could utilize them, they couldn't wield these forces as regular, reliable powers the way Huo Yuhao could.
More importantly, when the laws of fortune were fused with destiny, the resulting power was drastically different—almost unreasonably overwhelming.
Regardless of the cause, the gods needed to first locate clues related to the Dragon Tomb's disappearance.
Even they didn't know whether its vanishing was a good or bad thing.
Additionally, they had increased security around the seal of the Golden Dragon King.
As a result, the gods of the Douluo Divine Realm were now busy investigating their subordinate planes for any unusual occurrences.
In theory, any plane near the isolated mini-world that housed the Dragon Tomb could have made contact with it.
The Douluo Plane was just one of the adjacent planes.
Naturally, the task of investigating the Douluo Plane was assigned to Tang San.
Tang San, however, detected nothing out of the ordinary.
At present, the Douluo Continent was entirely peaceful.
Huo Yuhao had already merged the Dragon Tomb into his divine kingdom. With the protection of fortune around him, unless he revealed it himself, Tang San couldn't detect a thing.
Moreover, all Tang San could sense was the existence of Huo Yuhao, the "Son of Fortune."
To keep a constant watch over Huo Yuhao, Tang San lacked the necessary capability—unless he used the core of the Divine Realm to monitor him, which he couldn't currently do.
The control the Douluo gods had over their subordinate planes was far from perfect. After all, they weren't the true owners of the Divine Realm anymore.
To monitor the Douluo Continent, Tang San needed anchors he had left behind—such as the Clear Sky Fortress, or figures like Jin Qiu'er and Wang Dong'er. These could help him oversee certain regions, but not in exhaustive detail.
This gave Huo Yuhao the perfect opportunity to act unnoticed.
In truth, Tang San had been quite preoccupied recently.
The emergence of powerhouse-level individuals like the Corpse God and the inheritor of the Rakshasa God—both far beyond normal parameters—made Tang San realize that if he didn't act soon, his millennia-long plan might fail before it even began.
He was especially wary of the Rakshasa inheritor. Tang San had a strong premonition that he must not allow a new Rakshasa God to emerge!
After the fall of Shrek Academy, Tang San became acutely aware that with the existence of such beyond-the-norm powerhouses, the future "Children of Fortune" might not even survive, let alone be controlled or groomed.
And this wasn't even the final showdown yet! If they were already burning through their life force now, how would they survive when the real battle came?
He wanted to call Huo Yuhao useless—but ultimately, he refrained.
Because when he compared himself fairly, Tang San realized that at the same age, he actually wasn't better than Huo Yuhao.
Tang San was proud, but not stupid. He wasn't blindly arrogant.
As long as Xiao Wu was safe, Tang San remained relatively calm and rational.
As a former God-King, he wasn't so petty as to lose sleep over these developments.
Even though many upheavals had occurred on the Douluo Continent, he, Tang the God-King, still had tricks up his sleeve!
What if the Child of Fortune was excellent? As long as he could bring them to his side, wouldn't that make him, the one who controlled such talents, even greater?
So lately, Tang San had been busy distributing "opportunities" across the Douluo Continent—intended to strengthen Shrek's surviving members, who could in turn support the Child of Fortune in the future. He was even willing to grant a few divine inheritance trials.
A single Child of Fortune was valuable, but a group of divine inheritors was even better. As long as they could be gathered under his banner, it was a net gain.
As for the source of these divine positions, it wasn't hard. Many gods in the Divine Realm still wanted to pass on their godhood. If Tang San personally asked, quite a few would be willing to give him face.
That said, Tang San only sought out second-rank gods, not first-rank ones.
As for the idea of using Tang Wutong to "bait" the Child of Fortune—Tang San had moved that plan to the back burner. There simply wasn't a good opportunity at the moment.
In the Sea God Palace, Tang San sat solemnly on his divine throne, pondering his next move.
"Now that Shrek has suffered a great calamity, and the Child of Fortune has been humiliated… If I offer support at this moment, I can win him over more easily."
"I can't let him continue training on his own. Maybe… it's time to find him a guide…"
Meanwhile...
Huo Yuhao had returned to the Douluo Continent.
However, he did not reveal himself openly. Instead, under the guise of training, he remained hidden.
Xu Tianchen took his cauldrons (furnaces) and left to receive the inheritance of the Fire God.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao was on high alert for any repercussions that might follow his move against the Dragon Tomb.
But ultimately, he ended up playing a game of cat-and-mouse with thin air.
After some time passed and no unexpected events occurred, Huo Yuhao finally relaxed—though he still didn't return to Shrek.
The joint operation against the Holy Spirit Cult was still a ways off. He decided to use this time to explore the other continents of Douluo Star.
Perhaps there would be some worthwhile discoveries.
So far, Huo Yuhao had only managed to fully grasp the layout of the Douluo Continent. The other continents remained a mystery to him.
Coincidentally, the Silver Dragon King had recently taught him a method to sense divine inheritances—perfect for exploring these unknown lands.
And while traveling over the sea, he could also check in on how his demon descendants were progressing with their ocean conquest.
Huo Yuhao's main body usually remained behind the demon descendants, offering backup as they pushed across the oceans.
But after leaving the North Sea, the demons had changed tactics. After all, wiping out every sea soul beast was unrealistic and time-consuming.
So they adopted a new three-step plan: invite, behead, and enslave.
In short, when entering a new sea zone, they would first ask the local overlord to "host a banquet." If the overlord refused—they'd be decapitated. If they complied—they'd be taken in as loyal dogs.
Those who could take on human form and were attractive would be sent directly to the Ancestor (Huo Yuhao).
For example, the mermaid tribe that Li Ya and Li Jing sisters wanted to join had already been subdued and sent to the North Sea, awaiting Huo Yuhao's inspection.
The rest were shared among the demon offspring—some eaten, others taken as concubines.
They even began breeding hybrid soul beasts between centipede demons and sea soul beasts.
With this new method, the conquest of the seas progressed rapidly, and the demon descendants' forces grew stronger than ever.
Naturally, Huo Yuhao's first stop was the North Sea, to collect the "tributes" offered by his demon descendants.
Previously, this had been managed by the Princess of the Rakshasa Sea.
The offerings included: mermaids, sea dragon girls, seductive sea demons, humanoid soul beast girls, fierce beast elder sisters… and more.
With all his experience, Huo Yuhao could practically write a "Gourmet Guide to Sea Soul Beast Girls."
To accommodate them, Huo Yuhao even opened up a special sea region within his divine kingdom, where they could live and cultivate.