The God of Destruction shook his head. "No."
"We'll still be discovered. It's just that if Tang San doesn't direct his attention downward, we won't be spotted."
"So we won't trigger the restriction Tang San placed at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well right away, but we'll still leave traces?" Lin Yuan asked.
The God of Destruction nodded to confirm.
"What do you say, kid? Care to take a gamble?" The God of Destruction's tone turned playful.
"Although I can confuse Tang San's detection and keep him from finding us right away..."
"Afterward, we might suddenly suffer three divine punishments and die by suicide. Or Tang San might not find out until my revenge is completely fulfilled."
Lin Yuan fell into thought. The temptation of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was simply worth taking a risk for.
His original plan had been to wait until Lao Huo made his move in the future, then seize his chance.
But now, an opportunity with both tremendous risks and tremendous rewards lay right before him.
He could strip away every Immortal Herb except those at the source in one fell swoop, and Du Busi could even bundle up all the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Lin Yuan wore a grave expression as he pinched his chin and tapped it with his index finger.
As things stood, not taking the gamble was the sensible choice.
But four years—he only needed four years.
If nothing went wrong for four years, he could make a play for Electrolux's remnant soul.
Then he could take the people of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect and lie low in the Undead Demi-plane. They might even be able to stay inside for a long time without ever venturing out.
As long as Tang San didn't make a move during those four years, they would be absolutely safe.
With the two great gods, Destruction and Life, and Electrolux's remnant soul, creating several spatial passages connecting different parts of the continent would be no problem.
No matter how reckless Tang San was, he wouldn't dare launch a massive purge of the Douluo Continent. That would make it all too easy for the other God Kings to rein him in.
"Then let's take the risk." Lin Yuan's expression was resolute as he spoke to the God of Destruction.
Admittedly, the decision was reckless. But challenging Tang San as a mortal was an incredibly dangerous undertaking to begin with.
For a long time to come, Lin Yuan would be at risk of being crushed by Tang San at any moment.
"Er Ming, that decision of yours was still far too rash." Da Ming, Niu Tian, said helplessly to the Titan Giant Ape as they sped through the air.
Even they, divine-level powerhouses, had been badly injured on this risky trip. That showed just how terrifying the trace of Tang San's divine sense left behind at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had been.
After all, it was Tang San's private garden. Touching it was like Uncle Bu Le secretly defiling Tang San in a cave where no one would ever find out.
"What else could I do? What did you expect me to do? Just watch Xiao Dong writhe in agony?" Er Ming, Tai Tan, cried to Da Ming, tears glimmering in his eyes.
In just these few days, Tai Tan had grown genuinely attached to Wang Dong'er.
She was the child of Sister Xiao Wu, whom he hadn't seen in ages. Even if she was a divided soul that could vanish at any moment, he still found her unbelievably adorable.
But one morning, Wang Dong'er had suddenly begun crying out in pain on the bed, for no apparent reason.
They'd tried every treasure and used up every medicinal herb. Even Tang San in the Divine Realm had suddenly gone out of contact, and they couldn't reach him.
So, in his desperation, Tai Tan had dragged Da Ming to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to look for an Eight-Petal Purple Mushroom to treat Wang Dong'er.
"You know that she'll eventually..."
"So what? All I know is that she's Sister Xiao Wu's daughter. She calls me Second Dad and you First Dad. Now that she calls us her fathers, how could you just stand by and watch something happen to her?"
Da Ming had no answer. He, too, had only half-heartedly agreed to Er Ming's plan to force their way into the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
If the Trident Seal Tang San had left in Wang Dong'er's Sea of Consciousness hadn't been such a hassle, he would've used Spiritual Detection to find out what was wrong long ago.
Now they had the medicinal herb. All that remained was to see if it would help Xiao Dong once they got back.
Da Ming's gaze grew firm. Unlike Er Ming, he had a much clearer idea of how Tang San would react afterward.
Whatever happened, he was ready to face Tang San's wrath. He was prepared to bear it all for his brother and Xiao Dong.
They returned to Haotian Castle with trepidation...
"Xiao Dong, you're all right?" Da Ming stared in disbelief at Wang Dong'er, who was seated at the dining table, wolfing down food.
Wang Dong'er kept stuffing all kinds of roasted meat and delicacies into her mouth as she nodded repeatedly at them.
She even choked, and Er Ming immediately handed her a drink.
"Mm. When I woke up, the pain was gone. And for some reason, my Martial Soul has changed in a strange way."
As she spoke, Wang Dong'er unfurled the dazzling wings of her Light Goddess Butterfly.
The wings, which had once seemed rather fragile, had become much tougher. The membranes between them even had the texture of dragon scales.
A pure Dragon Might pressed down on Da Ming, a Soul Beast with dragon blood in his veins, making him feel an urge to submit.
"That's wonderful, Xiao Dong! You're all right!" Er Ming wept with joy. He lifted Wang Dong'er, who was chewing on a chicken leg with narrowed eyes, and spun her around in midair.
Da Ming recalled the strange feeling he'd just experienced. In the end, he could only shake his head and chalk it up to one of Tang San's cheats.
Just as Er Ming was lifting Wang Dong'er in celebration, an utterly sinister voice entered his Sea of Consciousness.
"You've sealed your own doom."
The voice made Er Ming shudder from head to toe.
He glanced around but couldn't find where it had come from. At last, he looked at Wang Dong'er, who was watching him in confusion.
"Xiao Dong, did you just say something?"
"No." Wang Dong'er tilted her head at Er Ming, chicken legs clasped in both hands.
Er Ming shivered and shook his head. That voice had sounded far too much like Tang San's.
He'd probably imagined it. Tang San had been oppressing him ever since becoming a god, after all.
He'd better stop thinking about it. Too much of that would only muddle his mind.
The one who had spoken was naturally Tang San. It was his divine sense, rooted deep within Wang Dong'er's Sea of Consciousness.
He looked at Tai Tan's loathsome face with undisguised disgust. That foolish grin made him feel sick.
If he hadn't activated the means he'd left in Haotian Castle to freeze communications with the Divine Realm, that damn version of himself would've come looking during the fusion and killed him.
Useless fools, the lot of them. After this little fiasco, he'd have to fall into a deep sleep at once.
"Old Tang, didn't you say your existence was a secret between us? Why did you come out and speak without asking?" Wang Dong'er frowned at Tang San's spirit within her Sea of Consciousness.
This strange uncle had caused her so much pain, but it was also true that she'd grown much stronger after some Golden Dragon King seal was undone.
She still had to keep her pinky promise to him, because he gave her a familiar feeling.
"I couldn't hold it in. I'm going to sleep now. I'll call you again when it's time to break the second seal."
"Old Tang" spoke much more gently to Wang Dong'er.