Eyes in the High Heavens

At this moment, in a realm surrounded by auspicious clouds, a man in a black robe with hair as white as ice and snow was watching a scene within a crystal ball. Every detail of the confrontation between Huo Yuhao and Wang Hong was laid bare before his eyes.

"So, why must we add all these special effects while we're here voyeuristically watching them?" another man with blue hair, dressed in blue royal robes and wearing a golden crown, complained. He reluctantly pushed aside a golden cloud that was pressing against his waist.

"What, doubting your father's aesthetic sense?"

"Bullshit, I'm your father!"

"Shut up, don't let your boring father-son squabble distract us; I can't hear what they're saying down there."

A slightly shorter man wearing a wide purple robe, with only a hint of white hair and blood-red eyes visible beneath his hood, interrupted the bickering pair, refocusing everyone's attention back onto Huo Yuhao and Wang Hong.

"Destruction, the next hour is just for absorbing the spirit ring, there really isn't much to say. Your reasoning doesn't hold much water." The white-haired man shrugged helplessly, though this father-son feud that had lasted over thirty years without a victor... was indeed getting a bit boring.

"...Forget it, Destruction. If there's one thing Creation is good at, it's his sharp tongue. You can't out-talk him."

"Sea God, you shut up too... I haven't heard a single pleasant word from either of you."

Destruction pursed his lips and simply turned his attention back to the crystal ball.

"By the way, Sea God, your Dong'er seems quite interested in this kid Huo Yuhao. Aren't you worried at all?" The man called Destruction suddenly asked.

"Worried? Having the Son of the Plane, specially nurtured on Douluo Planet with Immortal Spirit Qi, become my son-in-law? I couldn't be happier. Besides, it's mutual consent; what do I have to worry about? It's not like they just met a few months ago."

The Sea God's tone sounded somewhat helpless, yet beneath that helplessness, there was a hint of gratification.

"Heh... other fathers are terrified of their cabbages being trampled by pigs, but you? You're practically begging for someone else's pig to come and trample yours. Should I call you broad-minded, or just an unqualified father?"

Creation teased, but the Sea God immediately retorted:

"Sigh, it's not like I was the one who raised this cabbage... forget it. At least I planted the seed myself, so I have to accept it. At the very least, this pig won't tear the cabbage to shreds like 'I' did."

"Hmph, at least you're self-aware."

Destruction glanced in the Sea God's direction, then turned to Creation and asked:

"So, how much Immortal Spirit Qi did you actually send down there? This spirit beast, along with those people possessing divine beast spirits—you couldn't possibly have nurtured them with the amount of Immortal Spirit Qi you reported."

"Hmm... about... a year's worth, I suppose."

"A year's worth? Didn't you report thirty days?! Creation, are you trying to ascend to the heavens!" Destruction rushed in front of Creation and grabbed him by the collar. However, due to the height difference, the sight of Destruction and Creation looked rather comical.

"Hey now... I wasn't finished. Life didn't even notice anything amiss... I actually filled in all the gaps myself, it's fine." Creation maintained his cheeky grin. In reality, with his authority, he could have sent down decades' worth of Immortal Spirit Qi without issue; as long as the deficit was covered, it didn't matter.

It was just that Douluo Planet would certainly explode from being unable to bear the load.

"You..." Destruction wanted to slap him, but he knew that would only make Creation laugh harder, so he had to let it go.

"Calm down, calm down. Don't lower yourself to this guy's level..." Destruction's face was already slightly flushed. They often say blushing is a sign of a young person's heart fluttering, but for Destruction, this was clearly not a pleasant sensation.

"You'd better be careful. There is only one month left until the plan is executed. It would be best if nothing goes wrong."

Leaving those final words, Destruction left the observation room. If he kept talking to these two, his face would surely turn even redder. He might as well go back and find Life for some sweets to soothe his spirit.

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Creation's remark almost made Destruction return with the Destruction Scepter in hand, but the Sea God was quick to shut the observation room door, sparing the equipment from destruction.

"Although Destruction's words were a buzzkill, he wasn't wrong. We—the God Realm—don't have much time left. We have at most one month. Are you sure these thirty years are enough for those geniuses you nurtured with Immortal Spirit Qi to successfully ascend to godhood?"

"Heh... of course. I told you long ago, Sea God, I know many things, including the future before the butterfly flaps its wings and all the past. I know exactly what these geniuses will grow into."

"They are absolutely qualified to become the firewood that supports that plan, just like you, me, and Destruction."

"Besides, I have a premonition that they won't necessarily have to wait until they ascend to the God Realm to face those guys."

"You... sigh, when the time comes, I'll have to beat you to a pulp with my daughter and son-in-law... you who toy with the lives of others."

"Heh, likewise."

Meanwhile, on Huo Yuhao and Wang Hong's side, an hour had passed. The time taken to absorb the spirit skill from a single spirit ring was much faster than either of them had anticipated.

Moreover, what surprised Wang Hong was that during the absorption process, apart from a few beads of cold sweat on his forehead at the very beginning, Huo Yuhao was even more stable than Wang Hong had ever been when absorbing rings himself. Or rather, Wang Hong had never seen such a smooth absorption process.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes. They emitted a purple glow similar to when he used his spirit skills, but within those now-purple eyes, a shimmering silver-gray drop appeared in the pupils.

That was a part of the Soul-Pulling Ghost Vine, representing the gray-white color of its pure and illusory spiritual power.

A purple spirit ring appeared behind Huo Yuhao's head. Furthermore, on the originally smooth ring, four silver-gray quadrangular pyramids appeared at the four corners. At this moment, behind Huo Yuhao, this spirit ring resembled the divine halos behind statues, adding a touch of sanctity to him.

Huo Yuhao looked at his hands. He felt as if his vision hadn't changed, but he clearly sensed that something had been added to his first spirit ring. Yet, after this addition, he felt that the ring had become more complete, as if it were meant to be this way all along.

"It's done, Yuhao, we did it!"

Tian Meng's cheering voice rang out in Huo Yuhao's mind. It knew it hadn't misjudged him; this boy had truly accomplished what seemed like an impossible feat!

At this moment, Huo Yuhao had obtained the fourth spirit skill of his first spirit ring:

Simulated Illusion!