In the Star Dou Great Forest, a hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor was on the brink of death after being jointly hunted by two Title Douluo.
"Saintess, please proceed," said Yue Guan.
Bibi Dong activated her Martial Soul True Body, and eight soul rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red—circled around her.
She was even stronger than in the original timeline. With her current physical condition, she could absorb soul beasts up to 200,000 years old.
However, the compatibility of a soul ring mattered more than its age—unless the age gap was so huge that it created a qualitative difference.
For Bibi Dong, there was no soul beast more suitable as her ninth ring than the hundred-thousand-year Death Spider Emperor.
She activated Martial Soul Possession and began a spiritual communication with the soul beast, following the method provided by Qian Renxue—
—to sign a Soul Spirit Contract.
Facing death, the Death Spider Emperor finally agreed to become her soul spirit. Once the contract was complete and the absorption finished, her soul ring configuration became:
One yellow, two purple, three black, three red.
Her soul power level soared to Rank 93, and in addition, the Death Spider Emperor also gifted her two hundred-thousand-year spirit bones—left and right arm bones.
"Congratulations, Saintess. Your fortune is truly overwhelming," said Ghost Douluo, presenting the two soul bones in admiration. "To think you could obtain two hundred-thousand-year soul bones from a single beast."
"It was all thanks to the help of both elders," Bibi Dong replied gratefully.
"We are merely fulfilling our duty," Yue Guan said modestly.
With her ninth ring, Bibi Dong officially stepped into the realm of Title Douluo.
However, in this generation, Bibi Dong was not the youngest to reach that rank. The youngest Title Douluo had come from the Body Sect's three Body Douluo.
After returning to Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong had an audience with Qian Daoliu.
"Bibi Dong greets…" she bowed.
Her relationship with Qian Daoliu was awkward. Her master had been Qian Xuanji, which technically made Qian Daoliu her grandmaster. But the strange part was, she and Qian Xuanji had a daughter—despite never having had any relationship whatsoever.
That made things… complicated.
Qian Daoliu turned around and said, "You may call me Grandfather. You were Jier's disciple, and nothing ever truly happened between you and Jier."
"…Then, what about Xue'er and me?" she asked hesitantly.
"Handle each situation as it comes," Qian Daoliu replied.
"Yes, Grandfather."
"The position of Pope has remained vacant for a while now. Since you've now entered the realm of Title Douluo, it's time to prepare for your coronation."
"Yes, Grandfather. I, Dong'er, will not disappoint Spirit Hall's trust and training."
In Heaven Dou City's royal hunting grounds, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was riding high, galloping on horseback and hunting beasts in the forest.
Suddenly spotting his target, he nocked an arrow and loosed it toward a ten-year soul beast—a Wind Deer.
But the deer was fast. It dodged and bolted off in another direction.
Intrigued, Xue Qinghe chased after it, firing arrow after arrow at its back.
Each time, he nearly hit it, but it managed to escape. Unwilling to give up, he pressed on, cornering it into a dead end surrounded on four sides.
"Haha! Now you've got nowhere to run!" he laughed, drawing his bow again and aiming at the deer.
This time, the deer didn't flee—it simply stood there and let the arrow fly.
The arrow struck the deer, which collapsed… only to turn into a pile of stones. The arrowhead had lodged itself neatly into a crevice between the rocks.
Xue Qinghe rubbed his eyes, realizing he hadn't been mistaken, and walked over to inspect the scene.
"That's Xue Qinghe?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Yes," Qian Renxue replied.
"What an unlucky kid. What kind of person is he?" Huo Yuhao asked curiously.
"He's someone with no ambition, who prefers comfort and ease, and doesn't care to compete with the world," Qian Renxue replied.
"Well, at least he's better than Xue Beng," said Huo Yuhao. "Though history glorifies Xue Beng, who was Tang San's disciple, the scattered records make it clear he was quite the debauched man."
Qian Renxue sneered, "That traitor Hu Liena was eventually captured by Xue Beng… and then vanished."
"Who are you—?" Xue Qinghe suddenly heard her muttering and looked toward the source of the voice.
There stood a beauty. She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. Their eyes locked, and Xue Qinghe was stunned.
What… what a beautiful woman…
His heart was instantly and completely captivated.
"Hello."
Qian Renxue smiled as she replied, "Hello, it's been a long time."
"Do we know each other?" Xue Qinghe asked, puzzled.
"Of course we do," Qian Renxue thought to herself. It's been twenty thousand years since we last met.
A flicker of curiosity passed through Xue Qinghe's mind. "My name is Xue Qinghe. May I ask what yours is, young lady?"
"You don't need to know my name. Last time, I took your life and assumed your identity. This time, I don't plan to do that—I need the original, genuine version of you," Qian Renxue said.
Xue Qinghe froze. "You... What are you talking about?"
A glow of spiritual light flashed from the angelic soul bone on Qian Renxue's forehead.
Immediately, Xue Qinghe sensed danger. He tried to flee, but he was quickly enveloped in the angel's radiance.
Qian Renxue had taken control of him.
"In the past, I always wanted to complain," Huo Yuhao remarked. "If your father could use the angelic skull soul bone to influence your mother and Yu Xiaogang, why did you have to personally intervene and impersonate Xue Qinghe for that foolish plan to manipulate the kingdom?"
"That was her decision..." Qian Renxue sighed. "With my talent, one day of cultivation is like a thousand miles of progress. If I were allowed to train in peace, I could easily become the youngest Titled Douluo just like Tang San did in his previous life. But she didn't want me to inherit the position of Angel God too early, so she used that plan to hinder me."
"I should remind you—Divine King Tang San has regained his past life memories. I made a vow, to both soul beasts and the world itself: from the moment Tang San was born, the world would undergo a massive upheaval. Is your Spirit Hall ready to face the coming storm?"
"Of course."
(Huo Yuhao's Timeline before the story)
Meanwhile, in the Divine Realm...
Due to the war between the Sea God and the God of Destruction, an imminent crisis had been neglected. The Divine Realm now faced the threat of chaotic space-time turbulence.
Both the Gods of Destruction and Life paid a huge price, using their powers of creation to shield the realm. However, in the midst of the chaos—the Golden Dragon King emerged.
Tang San's master plan was finally ready to unfold.
He had known about the space-time instability, yet he said nothing—keeping it as a secret until the God of Destruction launched the Divine Realm War. The war diverted attention away from the true crisis.
In the end, the Gods of Life and Destruction bore the responsibility. After entrusting two divine seeds to Tang San, they departed, saying they would return in a few thousand years.
As he received the divine seeds, a triumphant smile crept across Tang San's lips.
Heh, after scheming for so long, how could I let Life and Destruction return? With these seeds in my hands, they belong to the Tang Clan now.
Twenty thousand years ago, upon ascending to godhood, Tang San had directly inherited the status and authority of the Asura God. A mere newcomer had ended up standing above the old God King of Destruction. Then the twin gods of Good and Evil conveniently stepped down, going off to experience reincarnation.
Thus, Tang San became a true powerhouse in the Divine Realm—but he wasn't content with that. His plotting had begun long before his ascension.
Before rising, Tang San had taken the Core of Life from the Star Dou Great Forest and planted it within Shrek Academy. He also left his parents behind in the Douluo Continent, allowing them to gradually overtake the positions of Plane Master and Life Core.
To counter the God of Destruction in the Divine Realm, Tang San orchestrated a long-term plan on Douluo Continent. He carefully nurtured the next generation's fated ones, making them into obedient tools loyal to him.
Now that his political rival, the God of Destruction, was removed, Tang San turned his eyes to the Golden Dragon King. He secretly weakened the seal and released the Golden Dragon King.
According to his plan, he would then battle the Golden Dragon King, then join Ji Dong and Lie Yan to unleash the Three Realms Judgment Sword to slay the beast. At the crucial moment, he would influence the Golden Dragon King's consciousness and have him fuse his essence into Tang Wulin—Tang San's beloved son.
That way, Tang Wulin would become the perfect bait to lure the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, from her slumber. With Tang San's parents now ruling as Plane Master and Life Core, they would influence Gu Yuena together. Under the laws of the plane and the pull of bloodline attraction, they would turn Gu Yuena into a devoted romantic obsessed with his son.
Once Gu Yuena and Tang Wulin united, they would produce a descendant with both Golden and Silver Dragon bloodlines. With that, Tang San could begin scheming for the Dragon God's divine position.
As for his son and daughter-in-law? They would take over the god seats of Life and Destruction, ensuring the original gods would never reincarnate.
In this way, the Tang Clan would gain three divine king seats—including one supreme god throne. Not only would the Douluo Continent become their backyard, but even the Divine Realm—and eventually the universe—would fall under Tang Clan's control.
Smiling smugly at the destruction caused by the Golden Dragon King, Tang San stepped forward and declared heroically:
"Golden Dragon King! With me, the Asura God Tang San, here—do not act recklessly!"
Then he raised the Asura Sword and charged into battle.
"It's the Asura God! We're saved!" a lower-tier deity shouted in relief.
That was Tang San's plan—he'd show up to fight the Golden Dragon King first, draw Ji Dong and Lie Yan into the fray, and then the three of them would execute the Three Realms Judgment Sword. But as the fight dragged on, both allies were nowhere to be seen.
Tang San and the Golden Dragon King were covered in wounds—Tang San with scars from the dragon's destructive aura, the Golden Dragon King with gashes left by the Asura Sword.
Tang San realized something was wrong.
Ji Dong, Lie Yan—where the hell are you? Don't tell me you're just watching from the sidelines?! Damn it, and I trusted you!
He wanted to call for help, but in divine battles, even the slightest distraction was fatal. The Golden Dragon King didn't give him a chance to speak—Tang San had no choice but to grit his teeth and fight in close quarters.
If this were the old Asura God, the current fresh out of seal Golden Dragon King would be no match. But Tang San wasn't the real deal—his god seat had been muddled due to interference from the Sea God. He never underwent the Asura God Trials, and his compatibility with the Asura throne was limited. He could only unleash the strength of an average God King.
The Golden Dragon King, on the other hand, possessed true God King-level power and even surpassed Tang San slightly.
So Tang San held on as long as he could until—finally—reinforcements arrived.
"Father-in-law, don't panic—your son-in-law is here to lend a hand!" Huo Yuhao arrived just in time, calling out to Tang San.
His Eight Spider Lances had been broken, and his divine armor was riddled with cracks, but even so, the battered Tang San was moved to tears.
"My dear son-in-law, you finally made it! Quickly, help me subdue this beast!"
At that moment, Tang San looked at Huo Yuhao with unrestrained admiration.
The arrival of Huo Yuhao brought Tang San a great sigh of relief. He was glad that, after falling behind in his previous battle against the God of Destruction, he had relaxed his suppression of Huo Yuhao, allowing him to smoothly ascend to the level of a God King.
Now, with two God Kings on their side, and the Golden Dragon King being just a half-crippled God King, they basically had him in the bag.
"As you wish, let's take down this beast together," Huo Yuhao said, stepping behind Tang San. He drew his divine weapon, the Ghost Carving Divine Blade, and activated its Eternal Artifact state.
With pride, Tang San looked at the weakened Golden Dragon King and declared, "Golden Dragon King, receive your judgment!" Gripping the Asura Demon Sword, he prepared to charge alongside Huo Yuhao.
But then, something unexpected happened.
A frigid, bone-chilling blade pierced through his already-damaged divine armor from behind, stabbing deep into his body and puncturing his divine heart.
This was the second time Tang San had felt the imminence of death—the first being twenty thousand years ago on the Douluo Continent during his battle with Bibi Dong.
"You... Huo Yuhao, why are you betraying me...?" Tang San was utterly shocked. He never imagined that the once-obedient Huo Yuhao would strike him at such a critical moment.
"A real man, born into this world, how can he remain forever beneath another?" Huo Yuhao sneered. "Tang San, you old traitor—I've had enough of you. Say goodbye to your grand ambitions."
He pulled out the divine blade, reached into the wound, and grasped Tang San's divine heart. Without further words, Huo Yuhao crushed it in his hand, instantly shattering it. He then absorbed both the divine seeds of Life and Destruction.
To ensure Tang San could never rise again, Huo Yuhao shattered the Sea God and Asura God divine seeds as well, destroying the vessels that held Tang San's soul.
However, with the ever-watchful Golden Dragon King and the two God Kings Ji Dong and Lie Yan rapidly approaching, Huo Yuhao failed to notice one thing: in the final moment before her death, the sword sheath of the Asura Divine Sword—Xiao Wu—used her soul's origin power to sever Tang San's residual soul from the divine seeds, sending it away.
The cost of doing this was the complete annihilation of Xiao Wu's soul along with the shattered Asura divine seed.
For gods, death is not the end. As long as the soul remains, resurrection is possible. But once the soul is gone...
Then even the foundation for revival no longer exists.
"San-ge, go! Don't worry about me. You must survive... and avenge us..." With resolve, Xiao Wu launched Tang San's soul fragment into the chaotic currents of space-time.
"No! Xiao Wu…" Tang San's residual soul could only watch in agony as Xiao Wu's soul perished in Huo Yuhao's demonic grasp.
With endless hatred toward Huo Yuhao, Tang San fled into the turbulent space-time currents.
Within the endless flow of time and space, Tang San's soul, red-eyed and breathing heavily like an enraged bull, glared back at the distant God Realm:
"Xiao Wu, wait for me. I will avenge you. As I've always promised, I won't let anyone who hurts you get away with it!"
"Huo Yuhao, you ungrateful bastard. When you were still nothing, I made you the child of fate for the Douluo plane, gave you opportunities to grow, mentored you, and even married my daughter to you. I helped you become a first-class god. Is this how you repay my kindness? You've chosen the path to your own death! Just wait—when I, Tang San, rise again, I will tear you to pieces!"
By the end, Tang San's voice had risen to a furious roar.
Then, he caught a whiff of strong body odor—the musky stench from under a man's armpit. The stench made him instinctively want to push the man away, but when he looked up, he saw a familiar face.
Despite the man's haggard appearance, unshaven face, and depressed spirit—Tang San recognized him.
It was his father.
The scent of his father's armpits suddenly didn't feel so unbearable.
But… why had his father fallen into such a sorry state?
In his memory, ever since Tang Hao became a plane master, he had always appeared proud and heroic when communicating across realms. Could it be… after I died, Huo Yuhao...
Tang San opened his mouth to ask, but all that came out was the cry of an infant.
Panicking, Tang Hao immediately grabbed a warm bottle of goat milk and stuffed it into Tang San's mouth.
The scalding milk burned Tang San's mouth, making him cry out loudly from the pain. The hot milk even made bubbles come out of his mouth.
In response to the baby's cries, Tang Hao was at a loss, fumbling clumsily, unsure what to do.
At that moment, an old man burst in, saw the crying infant in Tang Hao's arms, placed a hand on the bottle, and instantly frowned.
"Tang Hao, do you even know how to take care of a child? How could you feed him milk this hot?" the old man scolded.
He took the baby from Tang Hao and continued to lecture him.
In the old man's arms, Tang San felt annoyed. Who was this geezer daring to scold his father? Fine—you've earned yourself a spot on my kill list.
Though irritated, Tang Hao didn't say anything in return. Instead, he took the opportunity to offload the responsibility.
"Old Jack, I don't have experience with raising children. Before Tang San turns one, I'll leave him in your care," Tang Hao said.
And just like that, the task of raising Tang San was smoothly passed on to Old Jack.
Indeed, in his past life, this was how Tang San's childhood began. And so began the rearing of this little demon child. In a way, Old Jack was also one of the eternal sinners of the Douluo Continent.
Old Jack?
The name rang a bell, but Tang San couldn't quite place it. That is, until he heard the village name—Holy Soul Village. Then it all clicked. Wasn't that the very village he was born in during his previous life? Holy Soul Village… Old Jack… Holy Soul Village… Old Jack…
Finally, Tang San retrieved all the memories about Old Jack from the corners of his mind.
He remembered being cared for by Old Jack for a time, then later being taken back by his father.
Then came spirit awakening, led by Old Jack, and going to Nuoding Academy. After meeting Xiao Wu, he returned to Holy Soul Village a few times, but never again after that.
Later, when he became a god, he heard that the villagers took pride in him and even renamed the village to "Divine Soul Village." Thinking of that made Tang San feel quite pleased. He thought, I've truly brought blessings to my hometown. Across the entire Douluo Continent, who has done more for their village than me?
(Author's awkward note: In reality, when a soul master emerges from a village, there are many perks for the village—such as work-study quotas, tax breaks, and so on. So, a village is proud to have produced a soul master. But here's the problem—Tang San destroyed the Spirit Hall. Without it, who would awaken the next generation's martial souls? Without awakening, how could new soul masters arise? So sure, in the short term, the villagers gained from Tang San becoming a god—but long-term? How much did they truly gain, and how much did they lose?)
Unfortunately, that same Divine Soul Village was slaughtered five hundred years later during a calamity caused by evil soul masters. Tang San, in the God Realm, was momentarily saddened when he heard the news. He issued a divine decree, asking the then-rising Shrek Academy to handle the aftermath.
That should count as an explanation to my hometown's innocent dead… right? Tang San thought.
In other words... I've been reborn into the past!
After repeatedly confirming it, Tang San reached a conclusion—he had been reincarnated.
Once this was confirmed, in a moment unnoticed by Old Jack, Tang San's innocent childlike face twisted into a sinister expression.
Hahaha! I can't believe fate still favors me, Tang San, even at this time—it's given me a chance to start over!
Tang San thought back to his past life. He was incredibly intelligent. All his enemies, even the old Divine Kings of the God Realm—Destruction and Life—were within the grasp of his schemes. If there hadn't been any unexpected variables, then under his careful planning, the Tang Family would have eventually acquired three Divine King positions—including that of the Dragon God.
At that time, the God Realm and Douluo Continent would have become the Tang Family's private backyard, and he could have reincarnated with peace of mind to rebuild his foundation.
But he had miscalculated one thing—Huo Yuhao, that ungrateful traitor.
The thought of Huo Yuhao caused a sharp glint of hatred to flash in the young demon's eyes.
Huo Yuhao! You damn ingrate. It was me—me—who allowed you to become the Child of Destiny of Douluo Continent. I supported you, gave you trials, helped you grow, let you rise from nothing to become a Divine King. And this is how you repay me, Tang San? Very well—you've already found your path to destruction.
Heaven has blessed me. When I become a god again, we'll see how I deal with you in ten thousand years.
Then, Tang San remembered that in the moment his soul was about to be completely annihilated, it was Xiao Wu who used the last of her life force to sever his lingering soul from the Asura God Seed and send him into the chaotic space-time flow. Meanwhile, he had watched helplessly as Xiao Wu's soul was crushed along with the Asura God Position by Huo Yuhao. His heart ached deeply at the memory.
He had sworn to never let Xiao Wu be harmed again, yet it happened a second time.
Xiao Wu... Heaven has not abandoned me. It gave me another chance. I will make it right. I will never let you be harmed again—not even the slightest bit...
Just as he was about to make this vow, Tang San suddenly froze. He realized that many of the opportunities he had in his previous life came about because Xiao Wu was hurt.
For example, the Man-Faced Demon Spider set:
The first one he encountered while saving Xiao Wu.
The second one, he obtained when Xiao Wu was threatened by another spider while he was acquiring a Soul Sect ring.
The third appeared when the Man-Faced Demon Spider blocked their escape, ultimately leading to Xiao Wu's sacrifice—which in turn gave him a powerful soul ring.
But that didn't matter much. These evil soul beasts had known spawn points. He could just find them again. After all, he was the true Child of Destiny.
But Xiao Wu's situation was awkward. If she hadn't sacrificed herself to give him a 100,000-year soul ring as a foundation, he wouldn't have even had a 100,000-year ring during the Sea God Trials. That ring laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
It was also through her sacrifice that he later acquired Da Ming and Er Ming's soul rings and bones.
And without her sacrifice, how could he have revived her later? And if he hadn't revived her, how would he have replaced those garbage soul rings from earlier?
When Tang San tearfully accepted Xiao Wu's soul ring and bone, he had been heartbroken. But thinking about it carefully... he had gained quite a lot, hadn't he?
So in this life... should Xiao Wu sacrifice herself again for him?
A conflicted expression appeared on the young boy's face. Finally, he made his decision...
Maybe... I'll just let Xiao Wu suffer a bit again.
After all, if I, Tang San, could avenge her once—I can do it again.
Since he had been reborn—and returned to his childhood—Tang San knew the Asura God was still watching him. He would inevitably become a god again. But he wasn't content with just becoming a god.
Things like immortal herbs were everywhere in the God Realm. The Singular Velvet Chrysanthemum was even used to make tea. To a god, these things were useless. But to someone who hadn't become a god yet, they were treasures that could completely change one's fate.
It was thanks to such herbs that people like Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun managed to attain godhood.
This brought up a core principle: Your foundation determines your path to godhood—and its strength.
For instance, Qian Renxue, despite inheriting the top-tier Angel God position, chose a cautious path. Every soul ring she acquired met the ideal specifications for a soul master. In the end, she became the weakest god of the Three Gods Era.
Now that Tang San had the chance to start over, he naturally wanted to build a foundation far superior to his previous life.
Years of experience had broadened his perspective. In his young mind, he began beautifully planning his future.
First on the list of foundational divine items was—whale glue.
This was a true treasure. Tang San desperately wanted to obtain it. But thinking back to the situation in his past life, it was awkward.
People 20,000 years ago didn't understand the value of whale glue.
The coastal areas were sealed off by sea soul masters.
No one hunted powerful beasts like Evil Demon Orcas or Deep Sea Demon Whales.
So whale glue had become a rare commodity on the mainland.
Which meant he had only two options:
Return to the Clear Sky Sect and use its connections to request whale glue from Sea God Island, or
Wait until much later in his journey to obtain it personally from Sea God Island.
But knowing the Clear Sky Sect's attitude... Even after becoming a Titled Douluo and showcasing a soul ring configuration never seen before, the elders still made things difficult for him.
Now, as a mere child, would they really help him get whale glue from Sea God Island? Not realistic.
So he could only scheme for it in the later stages. But by then, his soul rings would already be ten-thousand-year or hundred-thousand-year quality, and whale glue wouldn't make much difference.
Tang San thought again. Since he could replace trash soul rings with a single move after reviving Xiao Wu, whale glue wasn't that necessary.
So he decided to abandon that plan.
Next came the soul tools that flourished four thousand years later—almost replacing the Tang Sect—and the mecha-like battle armor (Dou Kai) that developed over twenty thousand years.
These things, if created now in this primitive age, would be overwhelming weapons of dimensional superiority.
However...
Tang San was embarrassed to realize—because he disliked soul tools and battle armor, and because Huo Yuhao in the God Realm was a master of these crafts—he had never bothered to learn how to make them himself. He just asked Huo Yuhao for them when needed.
A look of disappointment appeared on the little devil's face.
Forget it. Even hidden weapons are enough in this era.
And it's not that hidden weapons are inferior to soul tools—
It's just that future generations were useless.
Take my hidden weapons—Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, Buddha Fury Tang Lotus—which of these are inferior to soul tools?
If future generations had anyone capable of replicating such weapons, would the Tang Sect have almost been replaced by soul tools? Would we have needed Huo Yuhao, that ungrateful traitor, to revive us?