Tang Ya and Bei Bei exchanged a glance, then followed.
Huo Yuhao walked at the very back, staring down at the Colorless Soul Ring beneath his feet, his heart filled with confusion.
His master said it had no drawbacks, so it should have no drawbacks.
But...
Why did it look so much like his master's Golden Soul Ring?
God Realm, Asura God Temple.
Deep within the mist-shrouded Divine Palace, a pair of golden eyes suddenly opened.
Those eyes contained endless majesty and sharpness, as though they could see through everything in the world.
Their owner sat upon the divine throne at the highest point of the Divine Palace, clad in blood-red divine armor, with a scarlet Asura Blood Sword floating behind him.
He was none other than Asura, one of the five great God Kings of the God Realm—Tang San.
At that moment, his brows were deeply furrowed. The fingers of his right hand lightly tapped against the divine throne, producing rhythmic dull thuds.
"Strange..."
Tang San muttered under his breath. His divine sense surged from the Divine Palace like a tide, passing through layer upon layer of barriers in the God Realm and spreading toward that familiar lower realm.
Douluo Continent.
The continent where he had been born, grown up, and become a god—the land where he had left behind countless legends.
For ten thousand years, he had watched over that continent with his divine sense, observing every change that took place there.
Although the laws of the God Realm stipulated that gods could not casually interfere with the affairs of lower realms, that was his homeland, his root.
He was merely "watching." That did not count as interference.
Besides, he had left behind far too many contingencies on that continent.
The Tang Sect's legacy, Sea God Island's faith, and...
That child.
The child of destiny who carried the plans of him, Rong Nianbing, and the others—Huo Yuhao.
According to the course of fate, Huo Yuhao should have awakened his Spirit Eye Martial Soul by now and be about to encounter the first, and most important, opportunity of his life.
The Million-Year Soul Beast, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
This was the gift he had prepared for Huo Yuhao.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's Million-Year Soul Ring would be Huo Yuhao's first step toward rising to prominence, as well as the most crucial link in the entire plan.
However...
The instant Tang San's divine sense passed through the barriers of the God Realm and touched Douluo Continent, his expression abruptly changed.
"What is going on?!"
His divine sense seemed to have struck an invisible wall. The wall was soft yet resilient, reducing the power of his observation by more than half.
He could only vaguely sense the general situation on Douluo Continent, unable to clearly see every detail as he usually could.
Someone... had obscured his senses?!
Tang San's pupils contracted slightly, and his fingers suddenly clenched against the divine throne.
Impossible.
He was a God King, one of the five supreme gods of the God Realm, possessing both the Asura God and Sea God divine positions.
How could anyone in this world possibly obscure his senses?
Even the other God Kings could not have done such a thing without him noticing.
Unless...
Tang San closed his eyes, condensing his divine sense into a needle as he attempted to pierce through that barrier.
This time, he succeeded.
But it was not that he had broken through the barrier. Rather, the barrier had voluntarily released its hold on his senses.
It was as though... someone was toying with him, telling him: I can let you see, and I can also keep you from seeing.
His divine sense finally reached Douluo Continent.
Star Luo Empire, White Tiger City.
To the east of White Tiger Duke Mansion, a towering academy rose from the ground, with white jade steps and golden-tiled roofs.
Yet he could never clearly make out the academy's name.
He continued probing deeper.
The academy's interior was even more astonishing than its exterior—a passage lined with spirit plants, a Martial Arts Arena covered in ancient formation patterns, simulated Cultivation Rooms, a Soul Tool Workshop, and a lake emitting strange fluctuations...
As well as the seven-story tower at the center of the lake.
The instant Tang San's divine sense touched that tower, a powerful sense of discomfort rose within him.
That tower... did not belong to this era.
No, it did not belong to any era.
It was something he had never seen before, containing a power that even he could not fully comprehend.
Then, he saw someone.
It was a young man in his early twenties, handsome in appearance and refined in temperament.
He stood before the academy's main gate, accompanied by a boy and a silver-white Slender Dog.
That boy was Huo Yuhao.
Tang San's divine sense lingered on Huo Yuhao for a moment before turning toward the young man.
Who... was this young man?
Tang San had no information about this person in his memories.
His divine sense swept toward him, yet it was like a stone sinking into the sea. He could discern nothing at all.
The young man seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist that blocked all attempts at observation.
No, it was not merely mist.
Tang San suddenly realized that the power obscuring his senses was emanating from this very young man!
The immense terror surrounding this young man was the culprit that had blocked him!
Tang San's frown deepened as his divine sense continued probing, attempting to see through the young man's true nature.
Then, he saw the Soul Rings beneath the young man's feet.
One yellow, two purple, four black, and two red.
Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings.
The corners of Tang San's lips lifted slightly in disdain.
Two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings?
In his era, while Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Rings were precious, they were hardly anything extraordinary.
He himself possessed several.
Yet in the next instant, his smile froze on his face.
Besides those nine Soul Rings, there was another one beneath the young man's feet...
A golden Soul Ring.
No, it was not gold. It was pale gold, like condensed ice crystals, refracting a rainbow halo beneath the sunlight.
A Million-Year Soul Ring.
Tang San's divine sense fluctuated violently.
A Million-Year Soul Ring?!
That was impossible!
How could anyone on Douluo Continent possess a Million-Year Soul Ring?
Even in his era, the strongest Soul Beasts were merely at the million-year level, yet no one had ever successfully absorbed a Million-Year Soul Ring.
Moreover, he recognized the fluctuations of that Million-Year Soul Ring...
It was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
It was the gift he had left for Huo Yuhao!
This young man who had appeared from nowhere had stolen the opportunity he had prepared for Huo Yuhao!
Tang San's palm slammed against the divine throne, making the entire Asura God Temple tremble.
"Insolence!"
His voice was low and icy, filled with suppressed fury.
Not only had that young man stolen the opportunity he had spent a thousand years arranging, but this nameless nobody had even obscured his senses, leaving him unaware of everything until now!
This was a provocation against him, a trampling upon the majesty of a God King!
"Lord Tang San's emotions seem rather unstable."
A gentle voice came from outside the Divine Palace.
Tang San looked up and saw a figure in white slowly enter the Divine Palace.
The man wore white robes and had a gentle face. He was none other than the God of Kindness.
"What is it?"
Tang San suppressed his anger, and his voice returned to calmness.
"I sensed intense fluctuations from your divine sense and came to inspect the matter."
The God of Kindness walked before the divine throne and looked at Tang San. "What happened?"
Tang San fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"A minor situation has arisen in the lower realm."
"What situation?"
"Someone has done something improper on Douluo Continent."
Tang San's voice was calm, but the God of Kindness could hear the chill in his tone. "And they stole the opportunity I left for Huo Yuhao."
The God of Kindness frowned slightly.
"Oh?
This is merely an ordinary faction.
As for opportunities... matters of the lower realm should develop according to the lower realm's own course.
As a God King, you should not interfere excessively."
Before you continue