"Huh?"
Just then, Baili Du suddenly looked up at the sky, his face full of confusion.
"Teacher's here already? Seems a little early..."
Baili Du tapped his chin thoughtfully. According to the original course of history, Elder Yi would have been drawn over by the enormous spiritual power when Huo Yuhao and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm fused.
But now... Elder Yi must have been drawn here from the void of the universe by the tremendous energy fluctuations when the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon awakened.
That was all for the best. Since Elder Yi had arrived early, Baili Du absolutely couldn't let him burn up his divine consciousness and die in the conspiracy Tang San had prepared especially for him.
A tremendous pressure that made it hard to breathe descended from the sky. A stream of gray air came down as though pulled by an enormous force. In an instant, it landed at the back of Huo Yuhao's head and quietly slipped inside.
A blurry figure appeared behind Huo Yuhao, and an aged voice rang out, carrying an indescribable authority.
"With the sun and moon in my hands, I pluck the stars from the sky. None in this world is my equal! Who would have thought this old man would still have a wisp of remnant soul left?"
At that familiar opening line, Baili Du's eyes lit up. He hurriedly and cautiously sent a little high-quality, ownerless, unconscious soul energy into Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea for Elder Yi to absorb.
This little trick might arouse Elder Yi's suspicions, but the most important thing now was to preserve his wisp of remnant soul.
After all, Baili Du didn't have any Gold of Life on hand, and he couldn't disrupt too much of the normal course of history. Otherwise, the laws of the Douluo Universe might directly step in and erase Huo Yuhao.
So he could only make a few little moves in secret... But it would be best to find Elder Yi a vessel to house his Divine Soul.
After thinking it over, the best option was to make Elder Yi truly become Huo Yuhao's Martial Soul.
Once the giant dragon's phantom faded, Huo Yuhao's small body was revealed.
Little Yuhao looked at his fair, tiny hands and felt the surging power inside him. He murmured, dazed, "Is this my Martial Soul?"
With a thought, his hands transformed into dragon claws, covered in deep-blue scales. Four pairs of magnificent dragon wings—eight in all—unfurled from his back, while a slender, translucent, deep-blue dragon tail swept behind him. He looked extraordinarily fierce and powerful.
Little Yuhao felt that he really could punch Dai Huabin into a crippled tiger now.
"Pretty great, isn't it? Your wish has come true. You and the White Tiger Dai Family really aren't related by blood anymore. Congratulations, Little Yuhao."
Little Yuhao looked up in delight at Baili Du's kindly gaze and cried happily, "Uncle Baili! Look, this is my Martial Soul!"
Baili Du stroked his soft hair and said with satisfaction, "Let's call this Martial Soul the Deep Blue Glazed Dragon! Remember, it's incredibly powerful. Treat it as your trump card, and don't use it lightly unless you're in a critical moment."
Little Yuhao obediently nodded. After hesitating for a while, he finally worked up his courage and looked at Baili Du.
"But, Uncle Baili... why are you so good to me?"
The child was young and honest, saying whatever came to mind.
He couldn't understand why this uncle, who wasn't even related to him, was helping him so much.
He gave him food, clothes, and things to use, and had even awakened his Martial Soul for free.
Could he really be a god who had heard his wish and suddenly appeared by his side?
After Baili Du had remained silent for a long time, Little Yuhao suddenly realized that he might have said something wrong...
Just as he was about to apologize, Baili Du's melancholy voice came to his ears, and he felt a faint ache in his shoulder.
"To stop a natural disaster that should never have happened, and to keep you from becoming Dai Yuhao..."
"And to make sure things turn out the way they were meant to."
"...?"
Little Huo Yuhao looked at him in bewilderment, but his eyes quickly grew resolute. Deep down, he decided that when he grew up, he would repay Uncle Baili properly.
Seeing the determination in Little Huo Yuhao's eyes, Baili Du smiled. How could he not know what he was like?
Precocious people were usually late bloomers, while proud people tended to be impatient.
When it came down to it, Huo Yuhao had just one major problem. He seemed like someone who valued affection, but deep down, he was starved for love.
It all came back to his family, especially Huo Yun'er and that scumbag, Dai Hao. There was a great deal to blame on Huo Yun'er for how easily Tang San later trained Huo Yuhao into a dog.
Actions spoke louder than words. Huo Yun'er herself had been a lovesick fool. How could she not have influenced Huo Yuhao's values?
After his mother died, Shrek and the Tang Sect showed him just a little kindness, and he became loyal to them for life.
Just thinking about how a single "big sister" from Ma Xiaotao could make Huo Yuhao cry his eyes out, or how Princess Tang's incarnation had only treated him well for a few days before he rushed to pour his heart out for her, letting her hit and scold him and willingly becoming her dog...
Being tamed by God King Tang into a dog for the Tang Family was something he really did need to reflect on, at least in part.
So... Huo Yuhao's views had to be corrected now! Otherwise, no matter how much his talent and Martial Soul were strengthened, it would all be for nothing!
As for how to fix this problem, it was simple: give him enough love, so he wouldn't be starved for it!
Baili Du stroked Huo Yuhao's blue hair and was just about to say a few words to comfort him when a strange pain surged through his body. He couldn't help frowning and coughing several times.
His injuries were truly severe. The fact that he had survived crawling out of the three universe-level disasters—the Titan of Finality, the Space-Time Turbulence, and the Samsara Hurricane—and still retained the power of a Second-Level God was already a miracle.
Even so, he had been forcibly weakened from the Half-Step Supreme God King realm to a Second-Level God. He had paid the price of burning up his Emotion God Position and losing most of his Super Divine Artifact, the Eye of Eternity.
It was more accurate to say that surviving until now had been pure luck. This was probably the last bit of good fortune left to a naturally born child of fortune.
It had given him one final chance to turn the tide and set things right!
Baili Du circulated his divine power to calm his injuries, then let out a deep breath.
He had to find a place rich in energy to recuperate as soon as possible. By his estimate, he could suppress the space-time power inside him for four years at most.
Even if he was unwilling, he had to reveal his cultivation and head to the Divine Realm. Otherwise, he would end up like Gu Yuena, falling all the way back to God Official and starting over from scratch with a max-level account.
That meant he could spend no more than four years with Huo Yuhao.
Baili Du took that in stride. The protagonist of this era was Huo Yuhao, not him, a man who had ended up living as Dai Yuhao. His own mission was to go to the Divine Realm and give his dear father-in-law a hard time... No, to bring him some warmth.
The absence of Tang San mattered a lot to him.
Before you continue