After receiving Huo Yuhao's blessing, the four women's potential and strength all rose significantly. The most obvious changes appeared in Hu Xinyue and Little pearl — their martial souls had evolved.
Hu Xinyue had originally been a level 95 Super Douluo. Her martial soul was the "Helm of the Nether King," with special abilities such as disguise, invisibility, blocking, defense, amplification of spiritual power, and the ability to control souls — without a doubt, a super-grade martial soul.
Now, Hu Xinyue had directly broken through to level 98, only one step away from reaching the Ultimate Douluo realm.
She merely needed to fully digest Huo Yuhao's blessing, and she would officially step into that domain.
Hu Xinyue did not need to accumulate any further foundation, nor worry about instability.
Her martial soul, the "Helm of the Nether King," had evolved into the "Helm of the Nether God." It awakened the "Domain of the Netherworld," able to corrode the environment into a land of the dead, suited for ghostly combat. All her other abilities were also enhanced.
Little pearl, meanwhile, had leapt in one go to the rank of Titled Douluo. Compared to her teacher, she knelt much faster — and much more thoroughly.
She declared she had fallen completely in love with this kind of rapid growth, and warned others not to pity her just because she was a delicate flower.
As a reward, Huo Yuhao stuffed her with a few Sacred Universe-Transforming Snow Cigars. Don't ask where he stuffed them.
Her original martial soul was the Green Skull, a green skeletal soul spirit. Its power was not low, counted as top-tier, and carried poison.
This reminded Huo Yuhao of the Ghost Emperor of the Holy Spirit Sect thousands of years later — whose martial soul was also a green skull. But its exact name had never been introduced, nor were many of its skills displayed.
Huo Yuhao suspected that the Ghost Emperor might be Little pearl's descendant.
After enhancement, Little pearl's martial soul metamorphosed into a super martial soul: the Specter Skull King. It possessed immense offensive power and the special ability to control soul-force.
In addition, Little pearl awakened a second martial soul — the Withering Banshee.
Her two martial souls each came from her parents.
Little pearl was born in the Holy Spirit Sect. In such a place, promiscuity between men and women was common. But expecting them to sincerely raise children was almost impossible. More often than not, children became commodities to be traded.
Luckily, she had not been used up as a disposable resource, but was instead abandoned by her parents and then raised collectively by the Sect.
When her martial soul awakened, she revealed the Green Skull — with innate full soul power.
Thus, Hu Xinyue accepted her as a disciple.
Later, through Hu Xinyue's connections, Little pearl found her biological parents. Her father's martial soul was the Poison Skull, while her mother's was the Resentful Spirit of Withering. She herself was simply their illegitimate byproduct.
Little pearl had no intention of recognizing them emotionally. She sought them only to obtain detailed training methods for skeletal martial souls, allowing her to avoid many detours.
Her mother's status was actually quite high. Previously, Zhongli Wu, when filling the gap among the elders, forcibly promoted a new elder whose martial soul was exactly Resentful Spirit of Withering.
By blood, that elder was Little pearl's grandfather.
Her second martial soul, the Withering Banshee, was a mutated form of the Resentful Spirit, with even greater power.
As for her father, he was once a talented core member of the Holy Spirit Sect, but after Little pearl acquired cultivation methods from him, she never bothered with him again.
The method her father passed down was this: a skeletal martial soul must fuse with the soul master's own skeleton. After breaking through to Soul Sage, one must then feed one's flesh and blood to the bones to fully unleash the martial soul's power.
The price: the soul master would become a terrifying skin-and-bones figure, nearly indistinguishable from an actual skeleton.
Most bone-type martial soul cultivators practiced in this way.
For Little pearl, discarding useless beauty and flesh in exchange for power was not unacceptable.
However, with Huo Yuhao's intervention, she broke through smoothly to Titled Douluo, and her martial soul evolved. She no longer needed to resort to such self-devouring methods.
Lie down, spread your legs, open your mind, accept the guidance.
Little pearl had never imagined cultivation could be this simple.
As for the Demon Empress and Lan Fozi, their martial souls did not evolve — their bloodlines were already extremely powerful. But their strengths still improved.
The Demon Empress' internal deficiencies were filled, and within the Divine Kingdom she even glimpsed the hope of godhood.
Lan Fozi excavated her bloodline talents early, reaching the level of a fierce beast.
That day—
The Main Body Avatar returned to the Divine Kingdom.
Huo Yuhao inspected it, squeezing its muscles.
"Hmm, your body's quite sturdy~."
Main Body Avatar: "..."
"But this body's potential has already been exhausted. Its cultivation has reached the limit. To go further, only bloodline strengthening remains."
"So — let's remake it."
Huo Yuhao grabbed the Avatar and instantly refined it, transforming it into a great human-shaped medicinal pill — a round golden core, like those of his fourth junior sister and Madam Yin.
When Huo Yuhao handed the pill to the Demon Empress, she immediately recognized the bloodline within.
"There's the aura of the Ancestral Whale of the Vast Sea inside… How could such a being still exist in this age?" she exclaimed.
"The Ancestral Whale of the Vast Sea? Tell me more." Huo Yuhao grew interested.
The Demon Empress wanted to refuse, but now she had no way to reject him.
"Legend says that in ancient times, the oceans were not as they are now. In the deepest region, called the Vast Sea, dwelled the ancestors of all whales — known as the Ancestral Whale."
"I've never seen it myself, but when I sensed this golden core, the inheritance of my Deep Sea Demon Whale bloodline stirred, reminding me of our progenitor's identity."
"That's interesting." Huo Yuhao asked further, "Did your bloodline tell you what special power the Ancestral Whale had?"
"No," she shook her head.
"What a pity." Huo Yuhao sighed, then handed her the golden core. "It's yours. Eat it."
The Demon Empress froze, staring blankly.
"For me?"
"Don't talk nonsense, swallow it!"
Huo Yuhao rudely shoved the core into her mouth.
It melted instantly, transforming into pure energy that coursed into her body, warming her from within.
She involuntarily entered a cultivation state, digesting the core's power.
Huo Yuhao observed her carefully. He found that the Ancestral Whale's bloodline did not cause her to regress, but instead strengthened her own bloodline.
As her bloodline rose, her power also grew. At last, she reached the threshold of level 100 — only one step away from becoming a god without a divine position.
"So this must be the Ancestral Whale's uniqueness: ancient doesn't mean stronger, but it can push its descendants to grow."
Finally, Huo Yuhao's gaze fell on the Demon Empress' lower abdomen. A brand-new life was forming there.
It was the Main Body Avatar.
Unlike Feng Ling's pregnancy of Feng Wudu, the Demon Empress did not need to exhaust her entire potential to shape this child. The Main Body Avatar would naturally synchronize with Huo Yuhao's power; she only needed to provide a strong bloodline body to host it.
To the side, Lan Fozi, weary and curious, watched her mother's transformation.
Little pearl savored her new power.
Hu Xinyue lay on the ground like a corpse, her eyes full of despair.
Hu Xinyue: I'm not clean anymore… the Demon Empress isn't clean anymore either…
Within the Divine Kingdom, with Huo Yuhao's assistance, the Demon Empress's transformation was completed swiftly.
A membranous sac, like that of an egg, wrapped around the Demon Empress.
When the membrane shattered and the Demon Empress was reborn, a wave of godly aura radiated outward.
Even Hu Xinyue, who had been lying motionless, was startled awake. Light returned to her eyes, and when she looked at the reborn Demon Empress, amazement and pure love welled in her gaze.
The Demon Empress was unclothed, her flawless figure and beauty laid bare. Moreover, she now carried the divine radiance that only gods possessed.
The sight was so breathtaking that Hu Xinyue nearly drooled.
But within the Demon Empress's arms lay a tender infant, emanating an aura even stronger than hers.
It was the aura of a First-Rank God!
Lan Fozi stared in shock, murmuring, "I… have a little brother? Already? How is it so fast?"
The Demon Empress slowly opened her eyes, consciousness returning. Her expression grew complicated as she looked down at the infant in her arms.
For a moment she couldn't even tell whether this was truly her child, or something else altogether.
But then her gaze shifted toward Huo Yuhao, and the flicker in her eyes clearly betrayed dark suspicions.
Huo Yuhao ignored her thoughts completely. His attention was fixed solely on the infant.
Just as the Demon Empress was about to act, golden Buddhist radiance and purple demonic aura flashed in her pupils, crossing and colliding, erasing her will to resist.
In the end, she sighed and stilled.
The infant finally opened its eyes. Within them flickered a detached indifference unbefitting any human.
The child floated from her embrace. The Demon Empress instinctively reached out to hold him back, yet her hand passed through his body.
Anxiousness instinctively showed on her face, as though she truly were his mother—but in truth, that wasn't entirely wrong.
Golden divine light spilled from the infant's body. Before their very eyes, he grew—first from baby to six-year-old child, then his Martial Soul awakened.
He awakened only one Martial Soul—the Deep Sea Demon Whale King—but at a god-level.
The Demon Whale King's bloodline had always carried the potential to break through into godhood. Now, merged with the Demon Empress's awakened bloodline, its full potential was unleashed.
Huo Yuhao sensed it. This god-level Martial Soul, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, bore the ultimate attribute of water—yet this Ultimate Water carried with it the power of devouring, inheriting the innate gift of the whale king.
With the Martial Soul's awakening, his innate Domain also unfolded. A heavy pressure, like the weight of the abyssal sea, spread across everyone present.
Even Huo Yuhao felt the suppression. Quickly, he raised his hand to shield the others, or else even the god-level Demon Empress would be crushed to pulp by the force.
"How terrifying," Huo Yuhao remarked with a smile, clearly pleased with the outcome.
The child continued to grow—into a youth, and then into a young man.
At this point, everyone finally realized, staring in disbelief.
The youth looked exactly like Huo Yuhao—only the aura was different.
Once his incarnation's growth was complete, he instantly withdrew all divine radiance and power. He stood before them like an ordinary man, having reached the state of returning to simplicity.
"What… is that?" Xiao Little pearl muttered in shock.
Lan Fozi was dumbstruck.
This—this couldn't be right!
Even the well-traveled Demon Empress and Hu Xinyue couldn't understand it, and their incomprehension only deepened their fear.
An opponent beyond comprehension was far more frightening than one merely stronger.
Huo Yuhao clapped, smiling. "Not bad. Without the shackles of bloodline and body, your strength can finally be unleashed. With the Demon Whale King's bloodline augmenting you, your combat power will rise even higher."
The incarnation nodded, evidently satisfied with his new form.
The reason his aura was only that of a First-Rank God was because one crucial step still remained before reaching the realm of God King—
Comprehending the Laws.
The incarnation wasted no time. He left the Divine Kingdom at once, heading into the cosmos to seek the power of Laws.
Like Feng Wudu before him, he showed no interest in the Demon Empress at all.
The Demon Empress?
Merely a breeding vessel.
After arranging the Demon Empress and her companions, Huo Yuhao departed the Divine Kingdom.
For now, he didn't need them. All they had to do was cultivate diligently. Perhaps in the future, when storming the God Realm, they could unleash a few soul skills, letting them feel involved.
Once Huo Yuhao had gone—
The Demon Empress sighed and tended to the three other women.
But soon, two more divine auras descended upon Coral Island.
The Demon Empress's eyes turned wary as she looked at the newcomers.
Bibi Dong sneered, "So you're the wife of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King? I hear you also bear hatred toward the Sea God? Perfect—I do too!"
Qian Renxue only sighed softly without speaking. She was merely here to observe.
If not for Huo Yuhao's presence, and for the sake of the Angel Clan's legacy, she would never have chosen to oppose Tang San.
Thankfully, with her current strength, she need not confront Tang San directly.
But should Huo Yuhao truly require her, Qian Renxue would not refuse. On one hand, he held the Angel Clan in his grasp; on the other, he had long since shattered her bottom line, taking both her body and heart.
The Demon Empress regarded Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue in silence, then chose to meet them.
…
After leaving the Divine Kingdom, Huo Yuhao returned to the open sea.
He gazed over the calm waves, his thoughts turning to another married woman—the leader of the Devil Spirit Great White Shark clan, Xiaobai. She had once been the Sea God's mount, even helping Tang San ascend to godhood.
From the Demon Empress's mouth, Huo Yuhao had learned of the Devil Spirit Shark clan's condition. Surprisingly, they were faring better than expected.
Though constantly hunted by the Evil Demon Orca clan, under Xiaobai's protection the Devil Spirit Sharks were not overly fearful.
Moreover, they were well-hidden.
Ten thousand years later, Xiaobai's daughter Bai XiuXiu had reached ninety thousand years of cultivation. Yet their species was not one of extraordinary talent; without special bloodlines, it should have been impossible to cultivate that far in so few millennia.
This meant that Xiaobai had already been a mother long ago. Bai XiuXiu was born over ten thousand years earlier.
And not only had the Evil Orcas failed to exterminate them, but even Huo Yuhao's many offspring had never found their traces in the northern, eastern, or western seas.
"Could the Devil Spirit Sharks live in the southern seas? But that's where Tang Hao and Ah Yin are. And with Tang San likely to intervene on the continent, Xiaobai would make an excellent chess piece."
"I'll test the waters first."
Having made up his mind, Huo Yuhao stopped wasting thought and turned toward the Sun-Moon Empire.
He wanted to check in on Jiang Nannan's divine trial.
With the four empires soon to clash with the Holy Spirit Cult, if Jiang Nannan ascended to godhood, the coming battle could rival—or even surpass—the God War of ten thousand years ago.
And the greater the storm, the greater the harvest.
Huo Yuhao intended to stir the waves even higher.
Besides, Jiang Nannan—this future First-Rank God—was someone he absolutely had to bring under his control.
Cai Meier, Hua Yao, Wu Ming, and Jiang Nannan moved cautiously within the borders of the Sun Moon Empire, evading the Holy Spirit Sect's eyes and ears.
Compared to the other three empires, the Holy Spirit Sect's surveillance within the Sun Moon Empire was far more extensive.
However, by now most of those spies had been eliminated by the empire, and with the help of the Sect's newly appointed elders, these "minor disturbances" did not alarm Tang Ya.
At present, the primary goal of Jiang Nannan and the other three was to help her find the artifact of the Goddess of Love and complete her divine trial.
According to Jiang Nannan's sense, the four once again arrived in the region where the Valley of Love and Fate was located.
Once elusive and shifting in place, the Valley of Love and Fate seemed to have finally taken root, thanks to the appearance of the successor to the Goddess of Love's godhood.
When Jiang Nannan followed her sensing and reached the valley, it appeared from the void bathed in gold and silver radiance, descending once again onto the Douluo Continent.
The four women exchanged glances and, without hesitation, decided to enter together.
The valley was not vast or majestic, but it resembled a celestial paradise, wondrously beautiful—befitting its reputation as a place of divine inheritance.
Strictly speaking, the Valley of Love and Fate could be considered the secret domain of the Goddess of Love. Yet because of her fall, this secret domain had merged with the natural environment of the Douluo Continent, giving rise to such a mysterious treasure ground.
"A place of divine inheritance—beautiful, yet dangerous."
The Evil Emperor's voice echoed in Huo Yuhao's mind. Every time he recalled his past encounter with the valley, his heart still trembled. Yet now, the Evil Emperor no longer feared.
He had broken through to the God level with his primordial spirit. He was confident he could escape even the valley's deadliest traps.
That's right—Huo Yuhao was here as well. Though he had set out later, with his current power, he could arrive at any place on the continent whenever he wished. No barrier in Douluo could hinder him—not even a divine inheritance ground.
Regrettably, this only confirmed for him that no other divine inheritances remained on the continent.
Perhaps there once were, but Tang Laodeng would never again allow outside forces to interfere in Douluo's destiny.
Returning to the Valley of Love and Fate, Huo Yuhao's expression was calm. Under his divine sense, nothing within the valley could hide from his Holy Eyes.
He already knew precisely where the artifact—the Sun of Love—was hidden.
What disappointed him, however, was that the valley held no remnants of a god's soul. The Goddess of Love was truly and completely dead.
Still, her inheritance trial continued to operate normally.
The Evil Emperor spoke again:
"I don't understand. A place that kills intruders at the slightest mismatch—does that truly count as a treasure ground? Simply because someone doesn't fit the criteria of her trial, she wipes them out. Is this Goddess of Love really a righteous god? Could she not have been a wicked god instead?"
For soul beasts like the Evil Emperor, especially those of the orthodox banners, the valley's trial conditions were hell itself.
After all—what soul beast truly concerned itself with love?
Wasn't it simpler and more direct to just satisfy the need for reproduction?
Even for his first wife, the Evil Emperor only felt a stronger attachment than usual. Beyond that, he maintained a vast harem, through which the Evil-Eyed clan flourished into an entire forest.
Of course, there were indeed a few soul beasts who had played out "tragically touching" love stories—but those poor beasts suffered immensely for it.
"Exactly. Anyone with a love-struck brain isn't normal. Either they're being exploited, or they're worthless even for exploitation."
The Golden Xuanwu chimed in.
Among the beast souls, Tianmeng Iceworm was closest emotionally to Huo Yuhao, but Golden Xuanwu's thinking was most aligned with his.
Ever since his days as the Golden Tortoise, he had followed Yuhao's teachings to the letter, shaping his entire mindset after him—until now he was almost a mirror of Huo Yuhao himself.
Ah Hui also agreed with Golden Xuanwu:
"I don't get those love-sick dragons. We all know what dragons are like by nature. Asking them to engage in 'pure love' is more absurd than asking a lust demon to abandon worldly desires."
"And what if some of the higher-blooded dragons don't share those flaws? True Dragons differ among themselves."
The Titan Snow Demon King offered a counterpoint.
He had grounds to speak—like Ah Hui, he was a male beast known for being indulgent. Both had noble bloodlines, but neither was truly pure.
The Holy Feathered Serpent confirmed Ah Tai's point:
"The nobler a race's bloodline, the fewer its inherited flaws, and the closer it comes to perfection. Yet even so, I've never seen a truly perfect species. It seems imperfection is a law of the world itself."
The Blue Silver Emperor also spoke:
"I never thought much about love. As Blue Silver Grass, reproduction was just scattering seeds. But now that I've taken human form as a woman, I can clearly feel new things within me—desires, affections that never existed before."
"What are you all even talking about?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion popped up with a big fish in her mouth.
"This is grown-up talk. Children shouldn't interrupt. Go play."
Tianmeng Iceworm shoved her back underwater.
The lioness pouted—if she weren't weaker than Tianmeng now, she would've swallowed him whole on the spot!
"Let's end the debate on love here." Huo Yuhao cut in. "Whether the Goddess of Love was righteous or evil, one fact remains—her inheritance will serve me.
A god who so easily swings to extremes—such a piece is the easiest to use.
And besides… today the Valley of Love and Fate is quite lively."
He looked upward. Divine radiance bathed the valley from above—not in sea-blue light this time, but in nine-colored brilliance.
"The Nine-Colored Goddess?"
In the original tale, it was Ning Rongrong who interfered here, creating chaos that nearly cost lives.
Now that the Nine-Colored Goddess appeared again, who knew what she intended?
One thing was certain—Jiang Nannan's divine inheritance would not proceed smoothly.
Huo Yuhao quietly drew out the Moon's Will, concealing its aura, and tossed it back into the valley as a hidden trump card.
Inside the valley, Jiang Nannan and the others once more faced their trials.
The moment she entered, Nannan sensed the presence of the Moon Goddess's artifact. But just as any treasure required defeating a guardian beast, she would have to clear the valley's trial to claim the Sun of Love.
And it wasn't only her—the other three would be tested as well. Though they couldn't obtain an artifact, they could still gain rewards such as god-bestowed spirit rings or soul power increases!
In a sense, the valley was a treasure land—since its rewards could be "farmed," provided one could pass its trials.
Their test was the same: each had to defeat the projection of the one they loved most.
Theoretically, if one had no lover, the trial would be a trivial pass.
Yet, in front of all four women, projections appeared.
In Cai Meier's case, her projection emerged more slowly, wavering as though torn between two figures before finally settling into the form of the one she loved more deeply.
And then—an awkward scene unfolded.
Standing before each of the four women…
Were four projections of Huo Yuhao.
The other matters could wait, but Jiang Nannan, Wu Ming, and Hua Yao all turned their gazes in unison toward Cai Mei'er. Their faces were full of unconcealed shock and disbelief.
There were indeed people who knew about Cai Mei'er's connection with Huo Yuhao, but those present were not among them.
"Dean Cai, you too? You and Dean Yan…" Wu Ming blurted out without thinking, but quickly realized what she'd said and shut her mouth in a hurry.
Cai Mei'er only felt as if a loud bang had gone off in her head, her mind about to explode. Her ears buzzed, her body swayed, and she nearly lost her footing.
At last, Cai Mei'er closed her eyes. Her face turned deathly pale, as if unwilling to face such a cruel reality.
Even she herself hadn't realized that, in her heart, Huo Yuhao's place had already surpassed Yan Shaozhe's. She was no longer worthy of being called a wife, let alone a role model for her students.
A single clear tear slid down the corner of Cai Mei'er's eye—whether from shame, sorrow, or both, even she did not know.
Jiang Nannan's emotions were the most complicated. She already knew many women liked Huo Yuhao, that she had many rivals in love. But for the sake of her feelings, she was willing to yield.
After all, she was no longer "pure," while Huo Yuhao was so outstanding.
But having the truth laid bare right before her eyes still left her heart in turmoil.
Hua Yao and Wu Ming, however, were far calmer.
Their choice of Huo Yuhao had been for his strength and usefulness. They didn't dislike him, but neither were they deeply concerned about him having other women.
From the beginning, they had accepted Huo Yuhao with ulterior motives. It was just that now, they had been utterly conquered by him in bed.
Besides, from Cai Mei'er's earlier surge in power, they had already suspected something, even if they hadn't dared to believe or confirm it.
Wu Ming, ever carefree, laughed and said, "Hahaha, so we're all sisters now, huh?"
She was clearly trying to play it off to ease the awkwardness.
But Cai Mei'er and Jiang Nannan's expressions only grew harder to describe.
Hua Yao tugged at Wu Ming, who quickly shut her mouth.
The trial, however, would not stop just because of their awkward atmosphere.
Four illusions of Huo Yuhao charged at them simultaneously, each picking its own opponent.
The four women were startled and hastily activated their martial souls to resist.
Fortunately, the illusions weren't at Ultimate Douluo level—only equal to the women's own strength. The strongest among them was merely a Super Douluo.
Yet the illusions could wield the power of Ultimate Ice, suppressing the women's abilities, especially Wu Ming's, forcing them into steady retreat.
Secretly observing, Huo Yuhao saw through everything.
"This trial isn't about defeating my illusions. It's about overcoming the illusions within their hearts.
The power of Ultimate Ice those illusions wield is fake. What truly restrains them is their subconscious mind.
Only by facing their hearts directly, discerning real from false, will the illusions collapse on their own. If they can succeed, it will be an excellent tempering of their states of mind.
But where this trial goes depends entirely on the one pulling the strings behind it all."
Huo Yuhao looked up at the nine-colored divine light shining in the air above.
There was one saying he liked very much—When you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes back at you.
As the Nine-Colored Goddess of the God Realm crossed boundaries to manipulate the Valley of Questioning Love, wasn't she also exposing her own location? Wasn't she also showing flaws, giving Huo Yuhao an opportunity?
Activating his Spirit Eyes martial soul, Huo Yuhao extended his divine sense across time and space, probing quietly toward the divine consciousness the Nine-Colored Goddess had sent down to Douluo Continent.
Thanks to the "Heaven–Man Induction" technique he had learned from Ah Yin, and the gap in cultivation level, Huo Yuhao's movements went completely unnoticed by the goddess.
God Realm
From afar, the Nine-Colored Goddess manipulated the Valley of Questioning Love, using her power to influence its operations.
She could achieve this mainly because the valley wasn't fully part of the Douluo plane, but rather a special half-plane space.
The Nine-Colored Goddess, Ning Rongrong, together with her husband, the God of Food, Oscar, watched what unfolded within the valley.
Yet their expressions were very different.
Oscar's expression was peculiar. He hadn't expected that the successor of the Goddess of Love would end up falling for the same man as several other women. Such a love-battlefield scene— even Dai Mubai back in the day hadn't encountered something like this!
Back then, both Dai Mubai and Oscar, thanks to their looks and wealth, had indeed dated many girlfriends, sometimes even juggling several at once. But the women they toyed with had all been weak, even ordinary mortals, easy to manipulate.
Whereas the four women in the Valley of Questioning Love now were anything but simple. Not to mention Jiang Nannan, a successor of a godly seat—two of the others were near Titled Douluo, and one was a Super Douluo!
Oscar couldn't help but think to himself:
"Man, he's eating way too well…"
Of course, that was something he only dared to mutter inwardly. Out loud, he put on a righteous face and scolded, "That man is a beast! Toying with so many women's feelings—if I ever meet him, I'll teach him a good lesson!"
Ning Rongrong just rolled her eyes. After so many years of marriage, she could tell what Oscar was about to do as soon as he moved.
"You weren't much better yourself back then!"
After snapping at him, she ignored Oscar's sheepish grin. Her eyes turned thoughtful, a mischievous glint appearing.
"Third Brother said he's busy lately and asked us to watch over the successor of the Goddess of Love. But we can't just sit here and watch."
Oscar blinked. "Rongrong, you mean…?"
Ning Rongrong smirked slyly. "Since they all like the same man, why not test their sincerity? After all, this is a trial of the heart. One way or another, it's still training."
"Huh? Rongrong, that doesn't sound good…" Oscar knew his wife's mischievous streak and felt uneasy.
"Hmph, what? You got a problem?" Rongrong tilted her chin proudly. "Among them, only one is even a godly successor. None has truly inherited a godly seat yet. Whether she passes or not is uncertain anyway. If she fails, well, tough luck."
"…Fine. Just a little indulgence, then." Oscar chuckled and shook his head. Looking into Rongrong's peach-blossom eyes, his gaze was full of affection.
But neither of them noticed that a pitch-black divine sense had already crept along the power they used to control the Valley of Questioning Love, slipping through the cracks of time and space into the Nine-Colored Goddess's divine palace.
It split into two small centipede-like spirit forms, winding their way forward…
Inside the Valley of Questioning Love
Suddenly, a change occurred.
The four illusions of Huo Yuhao froze for a moment. In the next instant, under the radiance of the seven-colored divine light, they fused into one. The aura it released had already reached the level of an Ultimate Douluo!
Cai Mei'er, Hua Yao, Wu Ming, and Jiang Nannan's faces all changed drastically.
Then, the illusion of Huo Yuhao actually spoke:
"Trial rules updated: Only one of you four will live. The rest will lose everything!"
"Prove your love—survive under my attacks!"
"Only when a single one of you remains will I stop."
The God of Food and the Nine-Colored Goddess—Oscar and Ning Rongrong—after becoming gods, were actually not very famous in the Douluo Divine Realm.
On one hand, it was because the couple lived a reclusive, quiet life of their own, without children. The only thing the gods knew about them was that this couple had once been Tang San's friends in the mortal world.
On the other hand, it was because the God of Food and the Nine-Colored Goddess were among the rare auxiliary-type deities in the Divine Realm, not very powerful. In a world where strength was everything, they had no seat at the table.
Of course, thanks to their fused divine martial soul technique, no one dared provoke them either.
Right after Ning Rongrong's small display of willfulness, she and Oscar both focused intently on the situation unfolding in the Valley of Love and Trials. It was obvious that Ning Rongrong greatly enjoyed this kind of melodramatic plot.
Meanwhile, two centipede spirit bodies silently crept up from behind them.
Suddenly, their divine senses flared a warning—danger enveloped the couple.
In their own divine palace, the two had been relaxed. While focusing on the valley's happenings, they had neglected their surroundings.
Thus, when they sensed the danger, it was already too late.
The two centipede spirit bodies leapt onto their calves, then quickly burrowed into their bodies, even piercing through their protective divine power.
"Ah! What is this? Who's attacking us?" Ning Rongrong cried out in alarm, hastily channeling her divine power to try and expel the invasive force.
Oscar did the same, but at the same time stepped in front of Ning Rongrong, shielding her behind him.
However, their resistance was futile.
Their divine power could not drive out the centipede spirits. To their shock, they discovered that the spirit bodies contained the power of a God King, as well as a terrifying, domineering will.
Once inside, the centipede spirits climbed upward from their legs, heading straight for their brains.
The two immediately sensed disaster, their pupils contracting sharply.
"Which God King is targeting us?!" Oscar exclaimed in horror.
Ning Rongrong, however, quickly calmed herself. "Quick, call Third Brother!"
Only a God King could counter a God King!
But it was already too late to reach Tang San directly. They could only summon him.
Ning Rongrong gathered her divine power and sent it outward from the palace, eyes full of hope.
"Third Brother, save us!"
The Nine-Colored Goddess's divine power burst out in the Divine Realm, immediately drawing the attention of many gods.
Among them, the God of War Dai Mubai, the Goddess of Speed Zhu Zhuqing, and the God of the Phoenix Ma Hongjun all noticed the disturbance and rushed toward the Nine-Colored Goddess's palace.
Yet, just as they arrived outside, before they could even speak, Ning Rongrong's angry roar rang out from within.
"Oscar! Do you want to die? Where were you fooling around just now?!"
"Rongrong, hear my—uh, not excuses—my explanation…"
"Oh? You dare to argue? I'll beat you to death today!"
"I was wrong! I won't ever dare again! Wuuu…"
After that came dull thudding sounds, Oscar's screams of pain, and bursts of nine-colored divine light shooting out through the unlatched door cracks.
Clearly, things were… heated.
Dai Mubai awkwardly withdrew the hand he had raised to knock, and casually pushed the slightly ajar door shut again.
Turning to Zhu Zhuqing and Ma Hongjun, he shrugged. "Seems like some husband-and-wife fun. Best not to disturb them."
Zhu Zhuqing relaxed, said nothing, but cast Dai Mubai a glare before coldly walking off.
"Boss Dai, what's with Zhuqing?" Ma Hongjun asked in confusion.
"Women… sometimes they just get in a bad mood, you know~" Dai Mubai chuckled, discreetly rubbing his waist.
These years, he and Zhu Zhuqing had been busy trying for children, leaving him utterly exhausted. But since they were both gods, conceiving wasn't so easy.
Tang San and Xiao Wu had been far more fertile because Xiao Wu was not a true god—her divine position and power came from sharing Tang San's Asura Godhood.
Besides, Xiao Wu's ability to bear children was a racial talent.
"Even gods have mortal troubles?" Ma Hongjun muttered. Then his eyes dropped, catching Dai Mubai's unconscious gesture, and he broke into a wicked grin. "So you can't… perform, huh?"
Dai Mubai's face instantly flushed crimson. He roared, "Fatty, you looking for a fight?!"
"Scared of you? Come on! Let's see if you're weak or not!" Ma Hongjun didn't back down.
Enraged, Dai Mubai lunged, and the two brothers began bickering and sparring noisily.
In the Sea God Palace.
After confirming there was no problem, Tang San retracted his divine sense and shook his head helplessly.
"Rongrong's temper hasn't changed a bit—no, it's actually worse now."
"My Xiao Wu is still the best: gentle, caring, and adorable."
"Hopefully Rongrong can keep watch over that inheritor of the God of Love, and nothing goes wrong."
Inside the Nine-Colored Goddess's palace.
Once they confirmed all the other gods had dispersed and none were paying attention anymore, Ning Rongrong and Oscar stopped their act.
At this moment, they were no longer themselves.
The centipede spirits had entered their seas of consciousness and seized control. Now, the two were puppets of Huo Yuhao.
Still, from time to time, their faces would twitch with expressions of struggle, making the sight eerie.
"For a God King, seizing control of second-rank gods really is child's play," Oscar said with a smile.
"Tsk, they still have some resistance left. Until we completely dominate them, we'd best avoid showing ourselves before other gods," Ning Rongrong replied.
"They're just extensions of divine will anyway. Reaching this level is already enough," Oscar said, smiling unchanged.
Now, their eyes carried a trace of evil intent, unlike righteous gods.
But in the next instant, they both reverted to their usual expressions, leaving no sign of abnormality.
The two sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and began cultivating, steadily deepening their control of their new vessels.
Douluo Plane, Valley of Love and Trials.
Even without Ning Rongrong interfering, the trial had not ended—in fact, it was spiraling out of control.
Huo Yuhao's phantom was now holding nothing back.
The four women immediately sensed something was wrong. Rather than growing hostile to one another, they united, fighting side by side against the phantom.
Yet, they were no match for an Ultimate Douluo.
Boom—
A single strike from the phantom shattered Cai Mei'er's defenses, hitting the other three as well. All four were blasted away, seriously injured. Cai Mei'er, who had stood at the front, suffered worst of all.
The insurmountable gap in power drove them to despair.
Resolve flickered in Cai Mei'er's eyes. Bracing herself on her Dragon-Slaying Spear, she stood tall against the phantom. Without looking back, she said, "Cough… Hua Yao, Wu Ming, take Nan Nan and leave. I'll hold them off! Go!"
"Dean!"
"Teacher!"
"No—!"
Naturally, the other three refused.
But the phantom didn't give them time to argue. It raised its spear and thrust at them, surging with unstoppable power.
The shadow of death fell upon them.
Though unwilling, they were powerless to resist. And in that final moment, the same figure appeared in all their minds—
Huo Yuhao.
In the end, they had failed to overcome the illusion. Instead, Huo Yuhao himself had become their heart demon, their tribulation.
"Goodbye, Yuhao… sorry…"
Just then, a thunderous shout descended from the skies above the valley.
"A mere phantom, and you dare act rampant?!"
An icy spear plummeted from the heavens, exudingUltimate Ice, piercing the phantom from crown to base.
The phantom shattered.
A handsome man clad in ice armor descended from the sky like a god, unparalleled in bearing.