After an intense bout of lovemaking with Xiao Wu, Tang San's head had cleared considerably.
He even felt that everything had become somewhat dull and meaningless.
He'd nearly started pondering the meaning of life.
But that wasn't the point.
The point was what Xiao Wu had just said to him.
Her words had left Tang San tossing and turning with unease.
Although he considered his arrangements flawless, he wasn't a hundred percent certain.
Could something really happen that slipped out of his control?
But he was already a God King, and even possessed Dual Godhood. He had reached the very pinnacle of what the Divine Realm could offer. What could possibly slip out of his control?
Could God of Destruction have discovered what he'd done?
Tang San's heart jolted. If it was God of Destruction, another God King, then it was hard to say.
As one of the Divine Realm's veteran God Kings, God of Destruction's strength was unfathomable.
Tang San had always been deeply wary of him.
If God of Destruction was truly determined to ruin his plans, there was nothing Tang San could do about it.
But then he thought it over and decided it was unlikely.
To ensure the plan went smoothly and keep God of Destruction and the others from discovering it, Tang San had even kept it from the person closest to him, not letting a single detail slip.
Even now, Xiao Wu still thought their daughter was just as she'd always been—that she'd gone off to play somewhere for a couple of days and would be bouncing back soon.
If Xiao Wu found out he'd tampered with Xiao Qi's soul for the sake of the lower realm's fate, she'd probably break with him.
Thinking of this, Tang San rubbed his brow, which had unconsciously furrowed.
He absolutely couldn't let Xiao Wu find out. At least, not now.
Once the plan succeeded and everything unfolded as he'd predicted, he could tell her then.
After turning it over in his mind, Tang San still couldn't quite relax. He decided to check on the situation in Douluo Continent.
There was a chance God of Destruction and the others might notice something was amiss, but he couldn't worry about that now.
He was suspicious by nature, and now that the seed of doubt had been planted, he had to confirm whether his plan was proceeding as intended.
Once he'd made up his mind, Tang San didn't hesitate.
He quietly got up and left Asura Mansion without waking Xiao Wu, heading straight for the God Realm Hub.
Only with the Hub's power could he clearly observe the situation in Douluo Continent and interfere if necessary.
The God Realm Hub.
Unlike a lower plane like Douluo Continent, the Divine Realm was a magnificent world suspended in the vast cosmos, made up of countless floating continents and brilliant nebulae condensed from energy.
Mountains and rivers shimmered with divine light. Between the clouds floated palaces built from fragments of stars. Each building corresponded to a cultivation law, from which the gods drew power and enhanced their cultivation.
The God Realm Hub stood at the very center of the Divine Realm, like a golden heart, maintaining the balance of the entire plane with the power of chaos.
Tang San had already reached the Hub's outer perimeter.
Though the God Realm Hub was of great importance, no God King usually stood guard there.
The Five Great God Kings were generally busy handling other affairs.
They only came here for meetings.
No one worried that someone with ill intentions might exploit or damage the God Realm Hub.
As the main source of power for the entire Divine Realm, it wasn't as fragile as one might imagine.
Weaker gods couldn't even get close to it.
Tang San didn't hesitate. He strode into the Hub and found the viewing window that overlooked Douluo Continent.
He immediately channeled his divine power and began searching for the child of fate.
With the Hub's help, he pinpointed Huo Yuhao's location in less than a second.
What surprised Tang San was that the boy seemed to be beside one of his own statues.
What was he doing?
Curious, Tang San channeled more divine power and projected the scene around Huo Yuhao before him.
When he saw what was happening, Tang San was dumbfounded.
Douluo Continent, Shrek Academy, before the Sea God Statue.
Huo Yuhao was lighting his third batch of incense for the day.
That was right—the third batch.
After doing this for so many days, Huo Yuhao was no longer satisfied with offering just three sticks each time.
He felt that three sticks showed too little sincerity.
After all, this was a God King. He needed to make a grand impression.
Maybe the reason he hadn't received a response before was that his offerings hadn't been generous enough, so Huo Yuhao had decisively increased the amount.
At that moment, the ground before the Sea God Statue was covered in piles of burnt incense ash. It looked like a full-blown shrine.
He'd kept this up for many days. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao always cleaned up afterward; otherwise, he would probably have been banned from going near the Sea God Statue long ago.
"Why hasn't that old bastard reacted yet?"
As the third batch of incense was about to burn out, Huo Yuhao couldn't help sighing.
To be honest, incense was pretty expensive.
That was why, when Tang Ya had come to ask him that afternoon if he wanted to sell grilled fish with her that evening, he hadn't turned her down. He'd agreed right away.
His only condition was that he finish his daily check-in task first.
Still, he hadn't expected to catch the God King's attention so quickly.
One or two failures wouldn't discourage him.
Huo Yuhao knew what he had to do was simple: just keep at it.
Keep acting out this charade.
Who knew when that bastard might be watching him?
So although he'd cursed the God King's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, Huo Yuyao remained utterly respectful on the surface.
He closed his eyes and pressed his palms together, looking devout, as if he were truly praying with all his heart.
In reality, he was figuring out where to meet Tang Ya to sell grilled fish after finishing his check-in.
Inside the God Realm Hub, in the Divine Realm.
Tang San was stunned. On the way here, he'd considered all sorts of possibilities, but he'd never imagined this.
Could this kid... actually be one of his followers?
Was he?
Wasn't he?
Wait, did this make any sense?
Huo Yuyao's actions had left Tang San confused.
This wasn't part of the plan he'd made, was it?
But perhaps it didn't matter?
Tang San wasn't sure.
If this child of fate really was his follower, then everything that came next would be much simpler.
In that case, what was the point of all those steps he'd deliberately arranged to tame him?
Tang San fell into deep self-doubt.
"Looks like there's nothing wrong after all."
In any case, seeing Huo Yuhao act this way finally put Tang San at ease.
Everything hinged on this child of fate. As long as he was fine, the entire plan would go off without a hitch.
Tang San's anxiety eased considerably. There was no problem. Everything was still under his control.
But to be safe, he channeled even more divine power and checked whether the advantages he'd originally arranged for the child of fate were still there.
"His Martial Soul, Spirit Eye, is fine."
"His Sea of Consciousness, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, million-year-old spiritual Soul Beast—fine."
"Demigod Electrolux, no proble..."
"Hmm?"
As he looked at the unfamiliar Black Cyclone in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness, Tang San suddenly froze.
"What is that? Where's the demigod's soul fragment I deliberately left there?"
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Tang San's heart.
He sensed that something within the Black Cyclone had noticed his gaze.
Then it raised its head, and its eyes seemed to pierce the thick barrier between Douluo Continent and the Divine Realm, settling on him.
Tang San thought he heard a scornful snicker.
The next moment, the image before him cut out, and the entire God Realm Hub fell into utter silence.
"..."
Tang San's face had turned frighteningly dark.
He realized his plan had gone wrong.
And very badly.
After drawing a deep breath, Tang San didn't stop to think. He once again poured Asura Divine Power into the God Realm Hub, immediately calling upon more authority, ready to erase that thing outright.
He couldn't worry about anything else now.
Whatever that thing was, it couldn't be allowed to interfere with the plan he'd spent so long preparing!
But in the next instant, a cold voice sounded behind him.
"Sea God."
"What are you doing?"
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