"As long as we raise Wulin well, he can still inherit Xiao San's godhood. Try to look on the bright side... Maybe, after dealing with that fake Dragon God, we'll finally have a way to contact Xiao San." Ah Yin consoled softly.
"Besides, now that the Abyssal Plane has been severely damaged, he's wary of us too. That's at least some stable time for us to develop."
"No matter how powerful he is, he's still human—he hasn't even crossed the threshold into godhood. Time will prove everything..."
"Hopefully..." Tang Hao sighed lightly.
Within Shrek City
Inside a quiet blacksmith shop.
Su Wen lounged lazily on a bench, quietly observing the passersby. The shop sat in a bustling district—people flowed constantly, most of them Soul Masters. Several recent events had thrown the whole continent into chaos.
First, there was the transformation of the Spirit Pagoda—it stopped accepting soul spirit businesses and shifted toward artificial souls. The Federal Headquarters had been researching artificial souls for years, but the initiative was sparked by that mysterious Beastmaster.
Second, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy had faced a series of sanctions by the Federation.
It was as if they'd been completely shackled—restrained in every way. Adding on, the Tang Sect Master, Cao Dezhi, was branded a traitor and arrested by the federal government. Not long ago, the Federation's top brass convened and voted to list the Tang Sect as a traitorous organization.
They were now lumped in with the Holy Spirit Cult. Although not yet hunted to extinction, the various halls within the Tang Sect had scattered among the populace, hiding like rats. Their missions had ceased entirely.
The once intricate and grand machinery of the sect was reduced to scrap—gradually falling into ruin.
Of course, in half a month, Cao Dezhi would be executed. Who knew if Cang Xin and the others would attempt a rescue? If they did... that would certainly be something worth seeing.
Su Wen's lips curled slightly.
He looked back at the bustling crowd outside. He'd been in this world for so long, yet barely enjoyed a moment of peace.
In the original series, this world contained a God Realm, exclusively ruled by Tang San. Good and evil interweaved, life and destruction offered up as sacrifices, godhoods left vacant, and he held supreme authority. He was the very definition of high-spirited.
Yet now... the God Realm had been swept up by temporal turbulence, drawn near a black hole, severing all contact with its subsidiary worlds.
If nothing unexpected happened, it would be at least ten thousand years before the God Realm found the coordinates of Douluo Star and made its way over.
Though surprises might happen. For example, if he interfered and caused Tang Hao to deliver Douluo Star's coordinates to Tang San much earlier using the Boundless Universe Shield...
Who could say?
What if Tang San really pulled the God Realm here—how would they face that?
Gu Yuena certainly wasn't his match.
Even at its peak, the Dragon God struggled against the God Realm. As for the current half-baked Gu Yuena, the Dragon God's Heart had withered over countless years. Although she could momentarily reach the Divine King level, it was only a one-off tool.
"So then..."
"Would we have to move the entire God Realm over here?"
Su Wen's narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
It… wasn't impossible.
Once he reached godhood in the timeline ten thousand years ago, nearly every soul beast had a rightful place amongst the gods—ascending to divinity. By using Poké Balls, he could draw those deity positions from ten thousand years ago into this world.
Could he, by leveraging Douluo Star, its former subsidiary worlds—including the Abyssal Plane—create a whole new God Realm?
Hiss...
Su Wen blinked, slowly sat up, and mulled over the possibility.
Interconnecting two timelines? No need to complicate things.
He just needed to bug the system: use the older timeline's deity position as proof for the new timeline's godhood. That would mean dual god positions—no, dual godhood amplification.
He could absorb the faith power of both "timelines," merging it all into himself.
Even more broken...
But the problem was, even with Douluo Star plus the Abyssal Plane, it wasn't enough to support Su Wen's team alone—three Divine Kings, more than ten first-class gods maintaining their divine power.
So... the Crimson Mother!
Su Wen grinned.
It's you!
Since she wouldn't leave—and even tried gambling—let her stay for good.
With the Crimson Plane—the matriarchal master plane of the Abyss—everything should be sufficient.
Hopefully, when Tang San finds Douluo Star (whether in the distant future or even earlier), he won't be too stunned at this world.
"…"
"Hey, mister, are you taking apprentices here?"
A weak voice called out.
Su Wen's thinking was interrupted. He looked over with interest to see a thin red-haired girl, her short hair concealing her face. All he could see was fair skin.
The fish has bitten...
Su Wen smiled, "You want to learn blacksmithing?"
"I can't afford it, and I have no talent. But I'm a level two mecha repairer. I can help you tidy up parts, handle odd jobs, or process some small things." The red-haired girl hesitated, her voice timid.
The poorer your background, the more self-conscious you become.
Even though she was a Shrek Academy student, her mother, by accident, once connected to the Demon Plane, causing devastating losses to the Yuanen clan. Since then, her clan shunned her, dumping her at Shrek Academy to fend for herself.
Now she could barely afford to eat. In front of a shop like this, she naturally humbled herself.
She'd already been turned away by over a dozen smiths—at best, they didn't roll their eyes at her; many wanted to kick her out on hearing her request.
She knew she was asking for the impossible.
To exchange labor for refined (even spiritual) metals was nearly unheard of.
Never mind, she was only a level 2 mecha repairer—not worth much.
So, coming to Su Wen, she didn't even bother mentioning it, choosing instead to save up and eventually pay the Shrek City Blacksmith Association to forge her future battle armor metals.
Honestly, most shops here were a mixed bag—backing and connections were everything.
After all, this was Shrek City's busiest core district. Renting a spacious two-storey shop took more than just money—you needed powerful backers...
So, upon seeing Su Wen, Yuanen Yehui was stunned. So young…
"Tsk, I'm a Divine Smith; regular folks can't even assist me." Su Wen smiled.
Yuanen Yehui: "…"
People these days…do you think I'm uneducated?
She was at least a second-year at Shrek—there could only be one Divine Smith alive, didn't he know? Her face darkened as she thought he was teasing her. She turned to leave.
But Su Wen called her back again.
While still lying back, he said, "I've seen you asking all the way here, hoping to work for the metal to forge your battle armor. Why didn't you ask me?"
"You…can?" Yuanen Yehui was stunned, joy flashing across her face.
"Nope..." Su Wen shook his head with a mischievous smile.
Like a prank achieved.
...