Huo Yuhao descended from the heavens like a god.
He had saved Cai Mei'er, Hua Yao, Wu Ming, and Jiang Nannan.
At this moment, in the eyes and hearts of the four women, there was nothing else but Huo Yuhao.
The awkward atmosphere from before also seemed to vanish into smoke in that instant.
After going through the brush with death, what the four women needed was not gentle comfort, but unrestrained release.
And so… the five of them indulged to their heart's content.
Three days and three nights passed.
Only then did Huo Yuhao leave the Valley of Love Trials with the four women, and they obtained the two divine artifacts required for the Love God's assessment. Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan respectively received recognition from Sun Passion and Moon Affection.
It wasn't that Huo Yuhao didn't want to claim both artifacts.
Rather, these two divine artifacts were special.
One yin, one yang, corresponding to male and female; only in the hands of their respective gender could their true power be unleashed.
Previously, the Wheel of Moon Affection in Huo Yuhao's hands only possessed the strength of a half-artifact. But when it fell into Jiang Nannan's hands, it revealed its true divine power.
The same was true for the Wheel of Sun Passion.
Moreover, once the two of them obtained the artifacts, under the blessing of the Love God's power, the artifacts directly bound to them, fusing into their bodies like martial souls, closely linked with their essence.
It was equivalent to Jiang Nannan obtaining a second martial soul, while Huo Yuhao gained a fifth.
After receiving full recognition from the artifacts, they also inherited the legacies sealed within.
The Sacred Spirit Serpent had once said that the two artifacts could merge into a complete artifact—the Wheel of Sun and Moon Passion.
But the truth was not so simple.
The two artifacts could achieve a state similar to a martial soul fusion skill, fusing into the Wheel of Sun and Moon Passion, also known as "Eternal Love." After merging, its power could even reach the level of a super divine artifact.
When two first-tier gods wielded the artifacts together, their power would rival the Seven Element Gods' Elemental God Punishment Array—of course, referring to the ordinary array without the God Realm's central core.
Theoretically, Eternal Love could also channel the God Realm's central core.
This knowledge came from the inherited memories within the artifacts—the Love God and her lover had once secretly competed against the Seven Element Gods.
"Unfortunately, during the peak of the Dragon God's domain, the Love God and her lover were not active. In the end, the Love God perished due to her lover's betrayal, and this Eternal Love was buried in obscurity until its reappearance today." The Sacred Spirit Serpent couldn't help but sigh.
It truly didn't understand. With such overwhelming power, how could it have been hidden away?
And weren't there plenty of husband-and-wife deities in the God Realm? Why was it the God of Love in particular, devoted to love, who was betrayed by her own partner?
Sadly, the Love God had left behind no clues about what had happened.
Just like whether the First Angel God was alive or dead, it had become yet another unsolved mystery.
Perhaps the God Kings of the realm knew something about it.
Apart from Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan, the others also received rewards—divine-bestowed spirit rings and boosts in spirit power.
Although the phantoms had been defeated by Huo Yuhao, it still counted as the group passing the trial, so they were rewarded.
Wu Ming and Hua Yao both obtained their ninth spirit rings—divine-bestowed 100,000-year rings.
Cai Mei'er's spirit power rose by one level.
Jiang Nannan also completed her Eighth Trial!
She only needed to break through to level 90 to directly unlock her Ninth Trial, which was also the final one—the Love God's inheritance!
At that point, she wouldn't need to return to the Valley of Love Trials, because the inheritance was hidden within the two artifacts. When the time came, it would automatically activate.
What puzzled Huo Yuhao was this: since the Love God had left no high priest, then who would initiate Jiang Nannan's god trials? Or perhaps… there was some hidden mechanism behind it?
Either way, they would find out in due time.
This time, everyone had gained immensely.
When leaving, all wore smiles on their faces.
As for their feelings toward Huo Yuhao, perhaps, there was never any need to resist them.
After Huo Yuhao left with the four women, the Valley of Love Trials once again faded into the void. Yet, a pitch-black giant hand reached into the valley.
"This valley has fulfilled its purpose, but it still contains a great deal of the Love God's divine power. I can't let that go to waste."
"I've always been the type to lick even a single grain of rice clean from the bowl."
The Huo Yuhao who had supposedly left reappeared in the valley.
The one who had left with the four women was merely one of his clones. The inheritance of Universal Compassion naturally included such a useful ability, and Huo Yuhao had studied it well.
The most precious thing left in the Valley was the residual divine power of the Love God. The hidden treasures were in fact nothing but crystallizations formed by that divine power.
However, since Huo Yuhao did not possess the Love God's position, he could not directly refine this divine power. If he forcibly converted it into his own godforce, it would cause loss and dilution.
The best way was to use the divine power as a material—refining it into a weapon.
Among all of Huo Yuhao's weapons and equipment, the strongest was undoubtedly the Hao Emperor Banner—his natal artifact. No, by now, it should be called his natal spiritual treasure.
As Huo Yuhao's cultivation surged, the banner's might had also grown, now stepping into the level of a super artifact, even without yet reaching perfection.
A natal treasure and its master grew together; when one advanced, so too did the other.
Next strongest were the Stele of Wisdom and the Wheel of Sun Passion.
The Stele, a top-tier divine artifact from the Wisdom God's inheritance, was unrivaled in defense and support, though not suited for offense.
The Wheel of Sun Passion was also top-tier among divine artifacts—balanced in attack and defense, with the potential to merge with the Wheel of Moon Affection into a super artifact.
Then came the Evil God Spear and the Ice Sword—both at divine artifact level.
The Evil God Spear, influenced by the Spirit Eye martial soul, was now considered an upper-grade artifact.
The Ice Sword—Ultimate Ice Peerless Sword—originally an external spirit bone, had fused into divine equipment. Once only at half-artifact level, it had now grown into an upper-grade artifact.
Then there was the Frost Centipede Dragon Spear, derived from the mutant Frost Centipede. As the creature advanced into the realm of Wisdom God, the spear had risen to mid-grade artifact level.
Two newly ascended artifacts also joined the ranks: the Blood Slaughter Pearl and the Duke's White Tiger Mansion, both evolving into artifacts as their spirit-keepers, Eunuch Gao and the Duchess, became gods. But they were merely lower-grade, with limited effectiveness.
Finally, there were two more.
One: the Treasure-Gathering Immortal Gourd, refined from Old Lin and his martial soul, at half-artifact level.
Two: the Bewitching Beauty Bone, a hybrid of soul tool and magical implement, still only at ninth rank.
After consideration, Huo Yuhao chose the Treasure-Gathering Immortal Gourd.
Although infusing Love God's divine power into a lower-grade artifact could strengthen it, compatibility mattered most. Fusing with a suitable artifact allowed for far greater potential.
Other artifacts already had fixed alignments of power.
But the Immortal Gourd was different—its very nature was to refine all forms of power and grow stronger from them.
The gourd appeared in Huo Yuhao's hand, floating into the air. Its artifact spirit, Hu Baobao, emerged—looking vacant and dazed. Refined from Old Lin's soul, it lacked true self-awareness.
Under Huo Yuhao's guidance, the residual divine power in the valley was drawn out and injected into the gourd to be refined.
Golden and silver energy entwined around the gourd, tempering its inside and out.
The gourd's surface gained new golden and silver patterns, engraved with the marks of sun and moon.
In the end, the Valley of Love Trials collapsed entirely, becoming just an ordinary scenic gorge.
Meanwhile, the Immortal Gourd trembled violently, its aura soaring—ascending into a true divine artifact.
Though only lower-grade, it was a genuine artifact. Moreover, it now had a self-aware artifact spirit!
Hu Baobao transformed into the image of an adorable little girl, with two buns of hair and big blinking eyes, staring innocently at Huo Yuhao.
"This is… the artifact spirit awakening self-awareness?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised by the unexpected gift.
The Treasure-Gathering Immortal Gourd was officially promoted to a divine artifact. Although its grade was still considered low-tier, it was extraordinarily rare in that it carried a spirit of the artifact. By this fact alone, the Immortal Gourd could contend with even high-tier or top-tier divine artifacts.
Moreover, the gourd possessed the ability to continue growing—someday, it might even advance into a super divine artifact.
Looking at the gourd in his hand, Huo Yuhao thought of the Healing Angel Puppet. The similarity was that both had been refined from soul masters.
"As expected, soul masters make quite good materials."
On the continents beyond Douluo, the development of the soul master system was not as prosperous as on Douluo itself. Because of this, many rare bloodlines of soul beasts had been preserved—many of which had already gone extinct on Douluo.
In addition to soul beasts, the inheritance of martial souls outside was also very primitive—they had not mutated into the myriad forms seen on Douluo. Thus, many powerful martial souls were passed down in their original form.
Among these were some unique martial soul inheritances.
For instance—the Seven Kill Sword martial soul!
On Douluo, this line had already died out. But on other continents, it still existed, even giving rise to sword sects.
"A pity. But I no longer have any need to deliberately cultivate these special martial souls. For me now, what truly matters is comprehending the laws, and breaking through to the Supreme God King realm."
His comprehension of the Law of Destiny had not yet reached the level needed to step into that realm, and he still lacked the resources required for the breakthrough.
However, he had already discussed some possibilities with the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent.
To break through to Supreme God King, he could not rely solely on the Law of Destiny.
But what if he used the Law of Destiny as the foundation, and integrated other opposing laws into it?
That would not only ease the fusion of opposite laws, but also harmonize with his own most compatible attribute. The foundation could then keep expanding, embracing more and more laws and powers.
If that failed, Huo Yuhao had another plan—
Were there not still two pairs of God Kings in the God Realm who held opposing laws?
If he devoured their godhoods, he might also succeed!
Even if a single pair was insufficient, he could sweep away all five God Kings together. The fusion of the Five God Kings' powers was indeed enough to reach beyond the God King realm.
And if even that was not enough, there was still the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King…
He deliberately left them for last, because fusing them would inevitably lead to inheriting the Dragon God's godhood. That would attract the remnant consciousness of the Dragon God and might also restrict his future growth.
"If a man does not plan ahead, he will surely face immediate worries. I must prepare early for the Supreme God King breakthrough."
So he wrapped the Immortal Gourd in divine power, placed the Enchanting Beauty Bone into it as well, then hurled the two items into the cosmos.
They were sent to his true body avatar, who was comprehending the laws of the universe.
Now that his avatar had a body, it could act independently, far from Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao's plan was to have it roam the cosmos, gathering resources in preparation for his future breakthrough.
Accumulation would be slow, but devouring would allow faster growth.
"If this helps me step into the Supreme God King realm, then all the heavens and worlds under the Douluo God Realm will have contributed. In the future, the name of the myriad worlds shall resound within my divine kingdom."
By then, the myriad worlds might only remain as a name.
Huo Yuhao returned to his team without anyone noticing.
In the following days, he traveled with the four women throughout the Sun-Moon Empire, under the guise of "training" and "investigating the Holy Spirit Cult."
In truth, it was because the women did not want to return so soon.
Among the four empires, the Sun-Moon Empire was the most thoroughly developed. This was due to Xu Tiancheng, who had long been excavating its potential and resources.
The cauldron in the Sun-Moon Imperial Palace, which Huo Yuhao had once left there, was already absorbed into his divine kingdom.
Now, the palace had essentially become Xu Tiancheng's dojo.
Though Xu Tiancheng did not involve himself in administration, every major and minor affair of the empire was still laid before him daily for review.
Currently, the one serving as regent was Juzi, and she was doing quite well.
With Xu Tiancheng suppressing all dissent at home and manipulating all key external figures, Juzi was basically playing the empire like a game on easy mode.
Xu Tiancheng had completed the Fire God's trial and was now waiting for the others to finish theirs. Most of his time was spent within the Fire God's secret realm, comprehending the Law of Fire, awaiting the day of godhood inheritance.
Still, he occasionally reviewed the empire's reports—because within the Sun-Moon Empire were individuals who concerned Huo Yuhao.
Namely—Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
Bei Bei, as an evil soul master, could not return to the circle of normal soul masters, nor did he wish to join the Holy Spirit Cult. Thus, he had become a solitary wanderer.
Normally, he prowled near the Cult's territory, hunting lone evil soul masters.
Recently, Xu Sanshi had also entered the Sun-Moon Empire, seeking intelligence on the Cult and trying to track down the Demoness Cihang.
By chance, the two met.
Glancing over today's reports, Xu Tiancheng said:
"Oh? They plan to establish an organization to oppose the evil soul masters?"
"Recruiting those who were forced into becoming evil soul masters, or who lost loved ones to them…"
"Interesting."
Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi might think they had hidden themselves well, but in fact, their every move was under surveillance.
This intelligence was also shared with Huo Yuhao.
After discarding the less important reports, Xu Tiancheng returned to the Fire God's secret realm to continue comprehending the Law of Fire.
"With the Fire God personally guiding me, my comprehension of the law already surpasses my true body's. Among the three bodies, mine is the most advanced. As soon as I obtain the corresponding godhood and resources, I will soar to the heavens."
Every day of cultivation felt like leaving the others behind, which delighted him so much that he even forgot his old favorite pastimes.
He did not have to wait long.
That day—
The Fire God's voice suddenly resounded within the secret realm:
"Heir, the time has come!"
Xu Tiancheng's eyes snapped open, breaking his meditation, joy flooding his face.
"Everyone else has met the requirements? We can begin the godhood inheritance?" he asked excitedly.
"Indeed!" said the Fire God. "The last one—the inheritor of the Space God's seat—has extraordinary talent and comprehension. She reached the condition faster than anyone else. The Space God is very satisfied with her."
The one spoken of was Lan Yin.
The Fire God then asked again:
"Heir, are you ready?"
Xu Tiancheng drew a deep breath, suppressed his smile, and replied with solemn seriousness:
"I am ready!"
"Hahaha, good—"
The Fire God had waited too long for this day.
Missed ten thousand years ago, now the godhood inheritance would be flawless!
Xu Tiancheng stepped out of the Fire God's realm.
Lan Yin and the other five women likewise emerged from their respective divine domains.
Then, under the direction of the Seven Elemental Gods, the seven of them assembled upon an open plain, taking their positions within the Seven Elemental Descent Array.
Together, they began the inheritance of godhood!
Xu Tiancheng, inheritor of the Fire God's divine seat, Level 100.
Long Yushuang, inheritor of the Water God's divine seat, Level 98.
Maya, inheritor of the Earth God's divine seat, Level 98.
Jemia, inheritor of the Wind God's divine seat, Level 98.
Candice, inheritor of the God of Light's divine seat, Level 98.
Qigus, inheritor of the God of Darkness' divine seat, Level 98.
Lanyin, inheritor of the God of Space's divine seat, Level 96.
After undergoing three rounds of assessments and gaining profound insights into the elemental powers, the strength of the six women had all grown tremendously.
The group of seven arranged themselves according to the formation of the Elemental Gods' Divine Punishment Array, standing in an open field outside Mingdu.
Around them, Kong Deming and other Title Douluo-level powerhouses formed a protective guard.
The many experts who knew what was about to happen were all visibly excited, honored to be witnesses.
Because today, in the Sun Moon Empire, gods would be born!
And not just one—but seven gods!
The next moment, the sky seemed to split apart.
The oppressive might belonging to gods blanketed the world. In an instant, everything fell silent.
The gathered experts felt as if space and time themselves had frozen. Only their consciousness could still function, but their bodies were powerless to resist.
Then, fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and space—seven elemental powers tore through the spatial rift, descending from beyond the world. Each fell precisely upon Xu Tiancheng and the others.
The divine inheritance had officially begun!
At the same time, Ultimate Douluo across the continent sensed it.
Deep within the core of Star Dou Forest, the Silver Dragon King lifted her head warily, concealing herself even more completely with her power.
"God-seat inheritance? And this feeling…is it the inheritance of the Elemental Gods' divine thrones? Which one could it be?" The Silver Dragon King's heart was both shocked and curious.
And deep within, there was also greed and desire.
If she could obtain one of the Elemental Gods' inheritances, she could extract its elemental essence to hasten her recovery. She might even split off an avatar to inherit the god-seat and infiltrate the God Realm.
But alas, all she could do was imagine.
"After ten thousand years, will this land once again give birth to gods? … Well, no matter. When the inheritor of the Love God begins their inheritance, I may still have a chance…"
The Silver Dragon King still clung to her hope.
Meanwhile, outside Mingdu, where the inheritance was taking place—
The world seemed to fall into darkness. Only the seven elemental beams remained, illuminating everything.
From far within Mingdu, countless citizens saw the majestic spectacle. They poured from their homes, kneeling in worship and praying for the gods' blessings.
Xu Tiancheng and the others were engulfed in elemental radiance. Except for him, the six women devoted all their strength to receiving the inheritance.
Xu Tiancheng alone had the leisure to carefully comprehend.
A god-seat inheritance was not simply the passing of a position. It was also an immense opportunity.
Within the pillar of fire, he could feel the Law of Fire pouring into him, raising his comprehension by leaps and bounds.
"So that's it—the inheritance doesn't just grant the god-seat itself. It also passes down insights into the corresponding laws, along with the experiences of past gods. That's why the new god can swiftly adapt, ensuring they can quickly accumulate power."
"And as for the offerings used by the seven Elemental Gods to initiate this inheritance…"
At the top of the fiery pillar, Xu Tiancheng sensed a familiar aura—that of the Hellfire Beast he had defeated.
The seven Elemental Gods had directly used the seven god-beasts that were defeated in the assessment as offerings, aiding their successors' inheritances.
It made sense.
Those beasts, while divine-beast level, were not true gods. Naturally, the Elemental Gods cared little for them.
Moreover, the God Realm had always rejected beastkind.
Xu Tiancheng had already learned that the seven beasts used in the trials were not raised by the Elemental Gods, but sealed away by them—ferocious creatures with strong bloodlines. Their strength had been sealed for the trials.
Now, with their essence extracted, they had been used to the fullest and utterly destroyed.
As the inheritance progressed, the beasts' essences were absorbed into the seven successors' bodies, boosting their strength and potential.
The six women's auras surged, breaking through to Level 99 Limit Douluo. After a brief pause, they shattered the bottleneck and stepped into godhood, divine aura radiating from them.
Divine rings appeared one by one.
Even Xu Tiancheng felt his own strength increase.
Additionally, the bloodlines and inheritances of the beasts were fused into their full-body soul bone sets. Their sets were reforged into true divine equipment, their powers further strengthened.
Xu Tiancheng's divine set, fused with the Hellfire Beast's power and the Fire Dragon Clan's heritage, was now worthy of the name—Hellfire Dragon God Set!
Or, based on his position—Fire God's Divine Set.
The Fire God's Divine Set bore draconic traits, complete with wings. Its surface glowed with streams of molten magma, exuding a scorching aura as if to incinerate all things.
With divine rings formed, divine sets forged, divine bodies transformed, and primordial spirits condensed—the inheritance neared completion.
The seven elemental pillars faded, the rift above vanished as though it had never been.
Only the seven figures floating in the air remained, proclaiming to the world that the Elemental Gods' thrones had changed hands!
At this moment, Xu Tiancheng and his companions all wore divine sets, floating midair. Each bore ten soul rings, their tenth without a doubt a golden divine ring!
Elemental power radiated from them, as though they were the masters of their respective elements. Subtle links bound their powers together.
"At last—I have inherited the Fire God's throne!" Xu Tiancheng clenched his fist in joy.
From now on, before ascending to a higher-tier god, there would be no more bottlenecks.
All he needed was to accumulate divine power.
His five women, now goddesses, gathered joyfully around him, eyes full of love.
Yet the inheritance had not freed them. Xu Tiancheng had long since reshaped them completely—their original selves destroyed. The personalities within them now were those Xu Tiancheng himself had crafted.
The methods provided by the Holy Spirit Feathered Serpent were flawless.
Even Lanyin was no exception.
Not even the former Elemental Gods could detect anything amiss.
After all, this was not mere control, but complete remolding.
The former Fire God's voice sounded once more in Xu Tiancheng's ears.
"Inheritor—no, New Fire God. This will be our final conversation."
"We seven are leaving the God Realm, venturing into the cosmos to seek higher realms."
"From now on, the duties of the Elemental Gods are yours!"
"If someday you tire of this role, then find a worthy candidate to inherit the throne. I know you have your own ways of shaping talent, but remember—temperament matters more than talent."
"And one more thing—Douluo Continent is the Sea God's homeland. Do not disrupt its balance, or you may find that fellow causing you trouble."
"Hahaha—"
"And with that, I go!"
From his tone, the former Fire God was clearly delighted.
The Sun Moon Empire gave birth to seven deities!
This news swept across the entire continent like a storm.
Some rejoiced, while others despaired.
Naturally, those rejoicing were people of the Sun Moon Empire, while those despairing were everyone else—
including the other three empires, Shrek Academy, and the Holy Spirit Cult.
The four empires had only been able to form an alliance because of their common enemy—the Holy Spirit Cult.
Moreover, the combined strength of the other three empires and Shrek was enough to hold the Sun Moon Empire in check.
But now, this balance had been broken.
The other three empires slowed down their offensive against the Holy Spirit Cult and instead diverted more strength to guard against the Sun Moon Empire.
As they expected, the appearance of seven deities made the Sun Moon Empire restless.
Led by Kong Deming, the worship hall powerhouses, and the full court of civil and military officials—Tang Zi included—were all eager, repeatedly hinting at Xu Tiancheng to launch a war and rule the entire continent.
What could Xu Tiancheng do?
Of course—prepare for war!
However, the pressure he felt wasn't directed toward the other three empires or the Holy Spirit Cult.
It was toward Tang San!
Hands clasped behind his back, Xu Tiancheng gazed into the sky, as though his eyes pierced into the Divine Realm.
"Heh… with such pressure, will that man drop a few more god positions down to the Douluo Continent?"
After becoming a god, they could still remain in the mortal realm for a while—even if only for a year, that would be enough for Xu Tiancheng to unify the continent.
He hadn't rushed to devour the other elemental gods' positions yet, because he first needed to reach the level of a first-rank god, fully prepared, before attempting such a devouring—or rather, a fusion.
But Xu Tiancheng only planned to devour the positions; he wouldn't fully merge with the six women.
After all, his essence was Huo Yuhao's corpse-body. To preserve his purity, he wouldn't fuse strange things—especially those related to the soul.
Bloodlines, however, could be fused.
According to the laws of this universe, merging bloodlines indeed led to strength. The most iconic example was Tang San himself.
In other universes, such fusion might be called "messing around."
But in the Douluo universe, this was known as the "Bloodline Path to Godhood."
Actually, this method was recorded in the techniques of cultivation as well.
In short, don't overthink it—if it makes you stronger, then it works.
When someone had already laid out a feasible path in front of you, why stubbornly try to prove your uniqueness by gambling on other possibilities? That would just be foolish.
It was like having the answer sheet in front of you, yet insisting on working everything out yourself—just laughable.
Besides, the inheritance Huo Yuhao received from Pudu Cihang cut off at the God King realm, because Pudu Cihang himself hadn't broken through. In fact, back then, Pudu Cihang hadn't gone as far as Huo Yuhao had already gone.
The road ahead would have to be realized by Huo Yuhao himself.
But that didn't stop him from referencing others' answers, imitating their paths, and ultimately making sure others had no road left to walk.
Not only would they imitate, they would go further!
If others used one hundred bloodlines to reach supremacy, they would use one thousand, ten thousand!
In cultivation, what mattered wasn't the risk of a wrong path, but the tragedy of having no path to walk.
In any case, in this universe, Huo Yuhao's bottom line was already God King.
As for the position of Plane Master? Just something to take in passing.
And indeed, things went just as Xu Tiancheng predicted.
Tang San grew anxious.
In Tang San's view, aside from the people of Shrek, everyone else was an enemy, illegitimate to the Douluo Continent.
Even the split Heaven Dou Empire and Dou Ling Empire shouldn't exist. They ought to be restored to the Heaven Dou Empire—because it had been his disciple's nation, which meant, by extension, it was once his own.
Now, with the Sun Moon Empire suddenly producing seven deities, the balance of the continent had collapsed. Tang San could already foresee what would come next—
Inevitable war, with countless lives lost.
What he most wanted was to force the new generation of the Seven Elemental Gods to ascend to the Divine Realm immediately, forbidding them from remaining in the mortal realm.
But if the old generation had just left and he immediately oppressed the new one, it would look ugly, tarnishing his dignity as a God King.
Besides, letting them ascend quickly would only allow them to recover their strength and possibly stab him in the back later.
In the Divine Realm, gods couldn't act freely against each other. Even as the Asura God with divine enforcement authority, Tang San couldn't strike without cause, otherwise the other four God Kings would challenge him.
Thus, only one answer remained—
strengthen other powers, so that Shrek too had seven deities, restoring balance.
Ideally, he would defeat the newborn Seven Elemental Gods in the mortal realm—just like he once defeated Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
That way, if the Divine Realm lacked the Elemental Seven to threaten him, his own power would face one fewer risk.
The old generation of Elemental Seven had been Tang San's allies. The new generation was not—and might even become enemies because of Shrek.
"It's just your misfortune of birth."
"For the balance of the continent, and the stability of the Divine Realm, I must control you."
After murmuring this, Tang San calculated silently. On the continent, those with the potential to become gods were: his daughter, Jiang Nannan, and Huo Yuhao.
"Still short four people."
"But I can't only prepare four. Aside from the new Elemental Seven, there's also the new Rakshasa God and that so-called Corpse God… I wonder if Da Ming and Er Ming can deal with them."
"It seems I'll have to unseal those beast-god positions."
The human gods of the Divine Realm might not be willing to pass down their positions, and replacing too many gods at once risked destabilizing the Divine Realm.
Thus, the best option was to activate the sealed beast-god positions.
Beast-god positions could also be inherited by humans, but only if their martial souls were suitable. They would need to be carefully chosen—and they needed to include first-rank gods, otherwise they might not be able to defeat the Elemental Seven.
Thinking this, Tang San felt regret gnawing at him. He had miscalculated.
He hadn't expected Xu Tiancheng's group to inherit their godhoods so quickly. Nor had he expected their talents to far exceed his predictions. Least of all did he expect Xu Tiancheng to find so many suitable inheritors for the Seven Elemental God positions.
Back when the Shrek Seven Devils managed to gather seven godhoods, it had only been thanks to countless coincidences and special circumstances.
"Could it be that fate itself is at work here?"
For now, Tang San couldn't control destiny.
All he could do was arrange god positions for Shrek. Only Shrek disciples were worthy of godhood—the three great empires had neither the qualification nor the talent.
Meanwhile—
Huo Yuhao led Cai Meier, Jiang Nannan, and the other women into the Sun Moon Empire, near a city under the shadow of the Holy Spirit Cult.
The Holy Spirit Cult was panicking, retracting its forces. The four empires' alliance was finally pressing harder against them.
But Yuhao's true reason for coming wasn't just to purge the cult.
It was because Beibei and Xu Sanshi were hiding nearby.
Since reuniting, Beibei and Xu Sanshi had reformed their Twin Star team, fighting against the Holy Spirit Cult while also building a force of their own. Their power had already grown considerably.
This city was under their control.
Now, with both Beibei and Xu Sanshi breaking through to Titled Douluo, their faction's rise was unstoppable.
Huo Yuhao's group didn't deliberately conceal their aura. So, the moment they stepped into the city, both Beibei and Xu Sanshi immediately sensed their arrival.
Beibei: "That's Little Brother Huo's aura…"
Xu Sanshi: "That's Nannan's aura…"
The two stood up excitedly at the same time.
However, for various reasons, neither of them went out to meet the group.
They only gave strict orders to their subordinates: no one was allowed to disturb those people. If they needed anything, they were to be provided every convenience.
Beibei and Xu Sanshi were living in a small courtyard on the edge of the town. Sitting back down on the stone chairs, they continued drinking in the courtyard, but the atmosphere was heavy.
By now, Beibei had fully grown into a young man. His hair was black, his eyes blood-red, and an aura of unrestrained evil clung to him.
On the other side, Xu Sanshi's condition seemed abnormal too. One of his eyes had also turned scarlet, with flickers of madness and malice surfacing within. He had to constantly suppress that malice with his own strength. His appearance was unkempt—stubbled face, messy hair—as if he hadn't cared for himself in a long time.
"Sanshi, how are you feeling lately?" Beibei asked with concern.
Cough, cough. Xu Sanshi coughed twice, then waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing serious. I can handle it."
He downed his strong liquor again, using the alcohol to numb his inner torment. His old drinking habit had returned—and worse than before.
Looking at him, Beibei's heart filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. If it weren't for you helping me, you wouldn't have been injured by an evil soul master… and ended up like this."
But Xu Sanshi just smiled and shook his head carefreely. "Beibei, when did you become so sentimental? I came to fight evil soul masters of my own will. If anyone's to blame, it's their sinister methods. Besides, didn't I end up lucky in the end?"
"Heh, I gained a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone and a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. So what if I suffered a bit?"
Back then, after leaving Star Dou Forest, Xu Sanshi encountered Beibei during his investigation into the Holy Spirit Sect, and the two were reunited.
Years had passed, and Beibei had grown stronger. But more importantly, his mental state had stabilized.
That was because, in order to gain the power to avenge Shrek, Beibei had fully accepted his Evil Dragon martial soul. This choice hadn't caused him to sink into madness—instead, his mind became even clearer, and the Evil Dragon no longer disturbed his reason.
The pain of Shrek Academy's destruction had awakened his potential. Through accepting himself, Beibei had become flawless.
The price: he had fallen into the path of an evil-attribute soul master.
By definition, such a soul master in this era was undoubtedly an "evil soul master."
Yet Beibei discovered that after becoming an evil-attribute soul master, he wasn't like the others—he didn't lose his sanity. He could still cultivate as normal; only his methods appeared sinister.
Of course, he could also use the Holy Spirit Sect's practices, but he avoided them, since they would harm his true nature.
At last, Beibei realized: attributes don't define whether a soul master is good or evil. What truly decides is their heart.
Sometimes, when he dreamed of Shrek's fallen friends and mentors, he would sigh—the seniors of Shrek had been wrong.
He often wondered: if, when he had returned to Shrek, he hadn't sealed away his strength but instead accepted his whole self, would he have been stronger? Would he have been able to help when disaster struck?
But his words would never reach Shrek's late seniors, nor could the past ever be changed.
After reuniting, Beibei and Xu Sanshi teamed up as a duo—their old "Twin Stars" combination reborn as the fearsome "Twin Fiends." Together, they ceaselessly hunted down the Holy Spirit Sect's members.
It felt like the old days in Shrek's Outer Court, when they shone together.
Until, one day, they encountered a secret operation of the Sect's new Elders.
Two Titled Douluo elders of the Sect performed a vile ritual, sacrificing countless spirit beasts to force a ninety-thousand-year beast into becoming a hundred-thousand-year evil spirit beast.
And Beibei and Xu Sanshi happened to stumble upon it.
There was no way they could allow the Sect to succeed.
They joined forces, destroyed the scheme, and though the two Titled Douluo elders escaped gravely wounded, all other evil soul masters there were annihilated.
After the battle, that forcibly evolved hundred-thousand-year beast, using its last shred of consciousness, sacrificed itself to Xu Sanshi.
Perhaps it was repayment for saving it, or perhaps it hoped Xu Sanshi could carry its power to continue avenging the Sect.
But then came the problem.
Xu Sanshi indeed gained a hundred-thousand-year ninth spirit ring and a hundred-thousand-year torso bone.
Yet, perhaps because of the beast's lingering evil aura—or some trick left behind by the Holy Spirit Sect—when Xu Sanshi broke through, a dark energy emerged within him.
That evil aura kept growing, until now it had become visible, staining one of his eyes crimson. Fortunately, Xu Sanshi could still suppress it.
But it forced him back into drinking, to dull the pain and pressure.
"Maybe you should find Little Brother Huo. Now that he's bonded with the Golden Ancient Tree, he might be able to drive out the evil within you," Beibei suggested.
Xu Sanshi's hand froze mid-drink. Then he nodded calmly. "Alright. I'll go to him privately later… but not now. I don't want Nan Nan to see me like this, hahaha…"
He laughed at the end, as though to lighten the mood.
Beibei also chuckled, not sensing anything amiss.
In truth, Xu Sanshi wasn't very eager to rid himself of this power.
Yes, it caused pain, but it wasn't fatal—and it was making him stronger.
By now, he had already reached level 94, not far from becoming a Super Douluo.
He had caught up to Beibei, who had broken through earlier with his ultimate attribute.
This four-level leap wasn't just thanks to the hundred-thousand-year ring and bone—the evil aura itself was continuously boosting him.
After all, no artificially forced hundred-thousand-year beast could have granted him such a huge increase alone.
And Xu Sanshi, who craved the strength to avenge Shrek, couldn't afford to give it up. Not yet.
But not wanting Beibei to worry, he agreed outwardly, planning to secretly meet Huo Yuhao at night, and also ask about the Academy and Jiang Nannan.
From afar, across the city, Huo Yuhao had already seen Beibei and Xu Sanshi's condition. He nodded with satisfaction.
"Big Brother Beibei's ultimate evil attribute is finally exerting itself. As he continues cultivating, the purest evil will purge the impurities in his power, freeing him from the Holy Spirit Sect's tricks. His future is bright."
"And Big Brother Xu too. The medicine I gave him has taken effect—his body's Rakshasa Stone Milk is activating. Once he fully absorbs its power, his Xuanwu martial soul will completely awaken. His future is bright as well."
Indeed, that hundred-thousand-year beast the Sect had artificially evolved—was prepared by Huo Yuhao for Xu Sanshi.
Inside the Holy Spirit Sect, Huo Yuhao's commands were far more effective than Tang Ya's.
Perhaps because both Tang Ya and Beibei, as the Sect's Saintess and Saint Son, still carried the restraints Huo Yuhao had planted back then.
Thus, the Sect now lay entirely within Huo Yuhao's palm—no chance of accidents.
As for Beibei, the one person who could have become an accident—he would never return to the Sect again.