The Divine Realm, Sea God Temple.
The once-sacred and solemn hall was now filled with an oppressive presence that made one's heart tremble.
Tang San sat in the seat of honor. His usually calm, unruffled face, always seeming to have everything under control, was now so grim it looked as though water might drip from it.
Just moments ago, he had clearly sensed that the fortune of the Soul Beasts on Douluo Continent had surged more than tenfold. The overwhelming power of destiny rising into the sky had even left him secretly shaken.
Back when he had ascended to the Douluo Divine Realm, the Soul Beasts' fortune on Douluo Continent had already weakened considerably. After ten thousand years, their living space had been further squeezed. In Tang San's calculations, by the time the Child of Destiny ascended, the Soul Beast Race's fortune would have completely faded. Another ten thousand years after that, the Soul Beasts would probably end up being raised in captivity.
"Damn it!"
Tang San slammed his hand against the armrest, icy light glinting in his eyes.
According to his meticulous plan, the decline of the Soul Beast Race was inevitable—and necessary.
He had long since calculated everything. He would use Huo Yuhao, the Child of Destiny, along with his own daughter, whose memories he had sealed before sending her to the lower realm, to gradually consume and plunder the Soul Beasts' fortune.
That would ensure the Soul Beasts gave up all hope of ascending to the Divine Realm, while further weakening the consciousness of the Douluo Continent plane. His parents could then become its plane masters and help him gain complete control of Douluo Continent!
But now, everything had gone awry!
The appearance of three Imperial Auspicious Beasts had disrupted his entire plan—and given the Soul Beast Race hope of turning the tables!
Tang San closed his eyes, an image involuntarily surfacing in his mind.
Countless Soul Beasts with terrifying cultivation charging out of the Star Dou Great Forest. Human cities reduced to ruins beneath the stampede, with wails of misery everywhere and rivers of blood...
"No! Absolutely not!"
Tang San's eyes snapped open, murderous intent surging within them.
"The Soul Beasts must decline, and humanity must rule the continent! This is the inevitable course of events, and the foundation of my efforts to maintain peace on Douluo Continent!"
Tang San had originally planned to have Da Ming and Er Ming guard that Small River, making it his own little piece of territory where only the variables he permitted could appear.
But... even though Da Ming and Er Ming were powerful, they were no match for Di Tian of the Star Dou Great Forest. What a pair of useless idiots—they couldn't even manage something like this!
If Destruction God King hadn't been chairing meetings about the expansion of the Divine Realm lately, Tang San would have gone down himself long ago and recruited the creature in that Small River.
Just like the Qiankun Valley of Asking Emotions he had planned out, with those two helping him, no one could stand in the way of his designs!
And if the creature in that Small River became his ally, he could bring a new future to Douluo Continent!
Both humanity and the Soul Beasts could have a bright future!
But... he still couldn't confirm whether the creature in that Small River had joined forces with Destruction God King.
Lately, Destruction God King had been convening meetings of the God Realm Committee with increasing frequency. He claimed it was to strengthen the administration of the Divine Realm, but in reality, he was targeting Tang San at every turn, leaving him too stretched to keep a constant watch on the lower realm.
Perhaps this was all Destruction God King's doing, meant to cover for that creature as he stirred up trouble in the lower realm and raised the Soul Beast forces to oppose him...
The more Tang San thought about it, the more it made sense. Destruction God King had entered the Divine Realm before him and must have had plenty of schemes of his own. He had never expected Destruction to reach his claws into his beloved Douluo Continent. He had chosen the Path to Death!
"Hmph! Destruction, do you think this means you can beat me?"
Tang San's lips curled into a cold smile, a glint flashing in his eyes.
"Since you've brought out three Auspicious Beasts and want to turn the tables, I'll show you what it means when the righteous gain an inch and the wicked gain a yard!"
Fortunately, Tang San had always been meticulous in his work. He never acted without keeping a backup plan.
As soon as he discovered that there were three Children of Destiny on Douluo Continent and that something was amiss with Small River, he had acted decisively.
He'd had Da Ming and Er Ming toss Xiao Qi into that Small River. Of course, he had his reasons for doing so. Everyone in the Divine Realm knew Xiao Qi was his daughter, after all.
A mere god living in the lower realm wouldn't dare lay a hand on his daughter. And look—they had dutifully turned his daughter into three!
All he needed to do was arrange for the three daughters to approach the three Auspicious Beasts separately and form bonds with the three Children of Destiny.
He would have them endure hardships and face life and death together, forging deep feelings between them.
The method was simple as ever: first, have his three daughters fall in love with the three Children of Destiny. Then let the Children of Destiny meet the three Imperial Auspicious Beasts. The Imperial Auspicious Beasts would surely grow curious about the human world.
After that, they could go through a few more things together with the Children of Destiny, and in the end, all three would choose to sacrifice themselves. Then the Soul Beast Race's fortune would be completely drained.
He would then merge his daughters' souls with the Auspicious Beasts' souls, pretending they had always been the same person. After all, by then, he would have already placed a portion of his daughter's soul in each Imperial Auspicious Beast, so there would be nothing wrong with saying they were one.
However... there was still a problem to consider. He had only one God of Emotion divine position and one Butterfly God divine position—two in total.
Even if he merged his three daughters with the three Auspicious Beasts, that would still make three, and there were also three Children of Destiny.
It was simply too many!
So... he would have to merge the three Children of Destiny's souls, then merge the six portions of his daughters' souls as well.
In short, three-in-one and six-in-one.
That way, they would fit perfectly with the divine positions of the God of Emotion and the Butterfly God.
Of course, he absolutely couldn't let Xiao Wu know about this plan. She would surely be unable to bear it. But... there was no other choice if he wanted to save Douluo Continent. He himself found it hard to bear, too.
Tang San sighed, moved by his own noble feelings, then composed himself.
His most urgent task was to contact Da Ming and Er Ming in the lower realm and have them carry out his plan.
He had to make sure they didn't raise the three split-off daughters to be too powerful.
They only needed to be about as strong as the Children of Destiny. It wouldn't matter if they were merely ornamental companions; the Children of Destiny and Tang San himself would protect them anyway.
If they became too powerful, then even he would have trouble arranging a crisis that could bring the two sides closer and deepen their feelings.
Only the weak were easy to control.
Just as Tang San was about to use his divine sense to contact Da Ming and Er Ming,
the aura of Destruction God King suddenly appeared outside the Sea God Temple.
That damned man again!
Tang San had no choice but to give up contacting Da Ming and Er Ming in the lower realm for the moment and go out to greet Destruction God King.
"Destruction, what brings you to this god's Sea God Temple today?"
Tang San wore a confident, composed smile, looking every bit like a reasonable and learned man.
"Tang San, as a Law Enforcement God of the Divine Realm, you're not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the lower realm without authorization. I believe... you know that."
Destruction God King's voice was low and cold.
"Of course. As a Law Enforcement God of the Divine Realm, from the moment I ascended, I had nothing more to do with Douluo Continent. Naturally, I wouldn't interfere in its development."
Tang San spoke righteously.
"Hmph, spare me the act. There's a report against you. Come with me to the Council Hall!"
Destruction God King took out a letter.
Tang San's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.
An upright man has nothing to fear from his own shadow. So what if someone had reported him? He had never left any evidence behind.
Whether it was the Tang Sect or his daughter's trials in the lower realm, he had a perfectly good excuse for everything.
That alone wasn't enough to get him into trouble.
Before you continue