Chapter 228: Tang San's Shock; Is Liu Yuan's Luck Even Stronger Than Huo Yuhao's?
Tang San's gaze remained locked onto the youth projected within the floating Water Mirror.
Deep within the Divine Realm, the atmosphere was tranquil, yet the God King's attention was entirely consumed by the scene unfolding in the Lower Realm. Liu Yuan stood at the edge of a jagged precipice. His Double Pupils slightly opened and closed, revealing a captivating purple-gold radiance that flowed like liquid starlight within his eyes. His build was not particularly burly. In fact, he looked somewhat thin and unassuming. Yet, merely standing there, the youth gave off a sense of deep, unshakable stability. It was not a forced composure masked by arrogance, but a natural, absolute calm that radiated from his very bones.
The more Tang San watched the projection, the tighter his brow furrowed.
As a God King, he possessed the supreme authority to see through the intangible threads of Luck. This was a divine ability he had obtained only after ascending to godhood, and it served as his most critical tool for laying out his grand schemes across the Lower Realm. Through the observation of Luck, he could accurately judge who was destined to be the protagonist of the era, and consequently, who was truly worth his investment of divine resources and energy.
Huo Yuhao was the exact piece he had chosen through this very ability.
From the exact moment Huo Yuhao was born into the mortal world, Tang San had seen the infant shrouded in a thick, suffocating layer of golden Luck. That was no ordinary fortune. It was a direct, obvious blessing from the entire Douluo Continent plane. This singular phenomenon meant that Huo Yuhao was the person chosen by the plane for this specific era. He was the undisputed protagonist of the continent.
It was precisely for this reason that Tang San had invested such a staggering amount of effort into manipulating Huo Yuhao's destiny. He deliberately allowed Huo Yuhao's mother to suffer and die. He stood by and watched as the boy tasted the absolute bitterness of cold disdain and familial abuse, all while subtly guiding him step-by-step onto the path of becoming stronger. Every hardship, every tragedy, and every miraculous encounter was carefully orchestrated. All of this was designed so that when it was finally time to pull in the net, Huo Yuhao would willingly and gratefully become his most loyal chess piece.
But at this moment, Tang San saw something entirely unexpected reflected in the rippling surface of the Water Mirror.
The Luck surrounding Liu Yuan's body was actually not a single bit weaker than Huo Yuhao's.
It was not the kind of blinding, golden Luck that came from the plane's external blessing. Instead, it was a much more restrained, deeper, and ancient radiance. That light was not bestowed upon him from the outside world or the heavens. It emanated entirely from Liu Yuan himself. It was not as ostentatious or flashy as Huo Yuhao's destiny, but that immense sense of weightiness and self-forged destiny caused even a God King like Tang San to feel a genuine flicker of surprise.
"This is impossible," Tang San whispered, his voice echoing faintly in the grand hall.
He raised a hand and once again activated his divine force, pulling the image in the Water Mirror closer. The water rippled as Liu Yuan's image magnified in the center of the mirror, making the radiance of the Luck on his body clearly visible. The sheer density and purity of that inner light truly did not lose out to Huo Yuhao in the slightest.
Tang San fell silent for a long time. His mind began to calculate at lightning speed.
As a God King, he could not only see the current state of Luck but also trace back the currents of the past. Although it was impossible for him to know every minute, mundane detail of the vast Lower Realm, through the backtracking of his divine force, he could clearly see the general timeline of major events.
The images in the Water Mirror began to shift and blur, rapidly showing Liu Yuan's experiences over the past few years. Every major event flashed through Tang San's mind. The God King's brow went from tightly furrowed to relaxed, and then from relaxed to deeply solemn.
He had missed an incredibly important figure.
This youth's rise, starting from the exact moment he was driven out of Shrek Academy until now, had taken only a few short years at most. In just a few years, he had gone from a level nine waste that everyone despised to a level sixty-two Spirit Emperor. He had successfully condensed his First Soul Core, obtained a legendary hundred-thousand-year Soul Spirit, and completed a flawless Gold-grade Secondary Awakening.
This kind of terrifying growth speed was something even the plane's chosen protagonist, Huo Yuhao, could not compare to.
Tang San's index finger tapped twice on the armrest of his divine throne. The rhythm was noticeably slower than before.
"Interesting," he said.
His tone no longer held that previous, absolute composure of a deity controlling everything from above. It now contained a heavy hint of scrutiny and cold deliberation.
Tai Tan stood quietly behind the throne, having remained entirely silent up until now. Seeing Liu Yuan's image displayed so prominently in the Water Mirror and then observing the shifting expressions on Tang San's face, the hulking man asked tentatively, "Lord Tang San, this youth... does he need to be dealt with?"
Tang San did not answer immediately. He was thinking deeply.
Deal with Liu Yuan? He was a God King. It was absolutely impossible for him to personally descend to the Lower Realm just to assassinate a Mortal. That would completely violate the foundational rules of the Divine Realm and would instantly attract the unwanted attention of the other God Kings. also, even if he truly wanted to make a move, the restrictive Laws of the world in the Lower Realm simply would not allow a being of his power to interfere directly.
But if he did not deal with him and allowed this unpredictable youth to continue growing at such a monstrous pace, who knew what kind of chaos he would cause in the future?
Tang San was silent for a long moment, then slowly shook his head.
"No rush for now," he said, his tone returning to a placid calm. "I need more time to observe him. His Luck is very special. It doesn't seem to be bestowed by the plane, but rather something he earned entirely by himself. For this kind of person, it's best to find a way to tame him."
Tai Tan nodded as if he understood the deeper meaning, choosing not to ask any further questions.
Tang San continued, "Besides, our main target right now is still Huo Yuhao. Once I've handled things on Huo Yuhao's side and secured his path, I'll have the free hands required to deal with him."
Tai Tan responded respectfully, "Understood."
Tang San's gaze fell back onto the rippling surface of the Water Mirror. In the projected image, Liu Yuan and Du Busi were still observing the dense, poisonous mist lingering by the cliff, while Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiuer stood on the opposite side. The two groups were separated by a mere dozen steps, and neither side moved first.
"However..." Tang San pondered for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This Liu Yuan is indeed a dangerous variable. In the future, I must specifically devise a method to subdue him."
When he said this, his tone was incredibly flat, as if he were speaking of a very ordinary, mundane matter like plucking a weed from a garden. But Tai Tan and Niu Tian, who stood nearby, both knew perfectly well that anyone who could make Tang San use the word 'subdue' was no ordinary person.
Niu Tian stepped forward, his tall frame casting a shadow, and asked in a low, rumbling voice, "Lord Tang San, do you want me to make a trip to the Lower Realm? I could take this opportunity to test that youth's background and measure his true strength."
Tang San glanced at him and shook his head dismissively. "No need. Your descent would cause far too much of a stir and easily attract unnecessary attention from the others. Besides, Du Busi is standing right there beside him. You wouldn't gain any real advantage even if you went down."
Hearing the absolute finality in his voice, Niu Tian did not persist and stepped back into his position.
Tang San withdrew his gaze from the projection and leaned back against the high back of his chair. His finger tapped twice more on the armrest and then stopped completely.
"Let's watch for now," he said quietly. "Let's see just how far this Liu Yuan can go before he hits a wall."
The images in the Water Mirror continued to flow, displaying the tense standoff in the mortal world.
And at this exact moment, deep within the treacherous environment of the Sunset Forest.
The dense, colorful miasma swirling through the ancient trees parted slightly. Liu Yuan's group and Huo Yuhao's group had finally succeeded in meeting once again.
After both parties had ventured deeper into the perilous Sunset Forest, handling the toxic fog and uneven terrain, they successfully encountered each other right at the bend of a rocky corner. The damp earth squelched slightly under their boots as the two factions locked eyes.
Liu Yuan, Long Aotian, and Du Busi were slightly stunned when they saw Huo Yuhao and the golden-haired Wang Qiuer emerging from the mist.
However, for seasoned powerhouses like Long Aotian and Du Busi, most of their immediate attention was entirely focused on Huo Yuhao's body. He was the famed prodigy of Shrek Academy, after all. As for the girl beside him, Wang Qiuer was the Imperial Auspicious Beast in human form. Although her actual human cultivation base was not particularly high, because of the absolute uniqueness of her ancient species, even a supreme expert like Du Busi could not see through to her true form in such a short amount of time. To them, she just seemed like a talented companion.
But Liu Yuan was completely different.
Liu Yuan recognized exactly who Wang Qiuer was at a single glance. After all, her facial features looked exactly like Wang Donger's, just carrying a vastly different, wilder temperament. The golden hair and the fierce, untamed aura gave her away instantly. If it wasn't the Imperial Auspicious Beast, Wang Qiuer, who else could it possibly be?
His Double Pupils shifted slightly as he remained perfectly still, his mind already spinning. He began to rapidly weigh the pros and cons of this sudden encounter, calculating the potential benefits and risks of engaging them here in the heart of the Sunset Forest.
As for the other side, Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiuer were equally shocked upon seeing Liu Yuan's group blocking their path.
However, Huo Yuhao did not harbor much overt hostility toward Liu Yuan just yet. He only gave the former Shrek student a somewhat surprised look, his expression highly complex. He remembered the rumors of Liu Yuan's terrifying rise to power, contrasting sharply with the waste he was once known as.
Wang Qiuer's reaction was entirely different. The very moment her golden eyes locked onto Liu Yuan, a sharp, instinctual trace of killing intent flared up in her heart. Her beast instincts screamed at the sheer, unnatural weight of his presence. But she quickly noticed her current situation, glancing at the towering, oppressive figure of Du Busi standing right beside him. Knowing she was completely outmatched, she gritted her teeth and could only forcibly suppress the surging killing intent, forcing her aura to remain calm.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]