The City Lord Mansion in Nuoding City was festooned with lanterns and decorations, while gongs and drums thundered.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the City Lord Mansion was celebrating some great occasion today—in a sense, that was exactly what was happening.
"Hahaha! My son Xiao Chenyu has the makings of a Soul Master!"
A middle-aged man excitedly circled a "werewolf" covered from head to toe in fur.
He looked at him as if he were a priceless treasure.
At that moment, Xiao Chenyu had awakened a Beast Martial Soul and undergone Martial Soul Possession, turning into a werewolf. Yet his face was full of utter despair.
He lowered his head and stared at his furry claws, while his inner monologue went into overdrive.
"I've transmigrated."
"I actually transmigrated!"
"And I've transmigrated into a minor cannon-fodder character from early in Douluo Continent who shares my name—the son of the City Lord of Nuoding City, Xiao Chenyu!"
The very same "Boss Xiao" who would be beaten to his knees and forced to admit defeat by six-year-old Tang San using a move called "Mother's Entanglement" at Nuoding Academy.
Transmigration wasn't scary. Transmigrating as a useless nobody was!
An ordinary wolf Martial Soul.
Innate Soul Power of three.
In the world of Douluo Continent, those two things together basically meant: "This starting character is already trash. Recommend deleting it and starting over."
Xiao Chenyu wanted to curse.
With this build, he was absolutely a bottom-tier cannon-fodder combat unit in Douluo Continent.
"Hahaha, Yuer, don't look so glum. Becoming a Soul Master is a joyous occasion!"
The middle-aged man clapped Xiao Chenyu firmly on the shoulder.
This was Xiao Chengkun, Xiao Chenyu's father, the City Lord of Nuoding City, and a fifty-five-level Soul King.
He was obviously genuinely delighted.
After all, in a remote little city like this, having a child with Soul Master talent was enough to make the ancestors' graves glow.
Xiao Chenyu forced a smile more painful than a cry.
Dear old dad, you're celebrating too soon.
Time would prove everything.
Or rather, time would slap you right in the face.
Time flew, and the years passed in a blink.
In the blink of an eye, four years had gone by.
In the rear courtyard of the City Lord Mansion.
"Ha!"
Ten-year-old Xiao Chenyu punched a wooden stake, leaving several cracks across its surface.
Xiao Chenyu stared at those cracks and fell silent.
Soul Power Level: ten.
That was all he had to show for four years of hard cultivation.
"Seven Soul Power levels in four years..."
The corner of Xiao Chenyu's mouth twitched.
At this rate, he'd probably need... He did the math, then decided not to.
The upside of being bad at math was that at least he wouldn't have a breakdown on the spot!
His ominous premonition from four years ago had come true.
Xiao Chenyu's talent really was so pathetic it took your breath away.
"So... what was even the point of me transmigrating here?"
Xiao Chenyu gazed up at the sky and let out a despairing sigh.
He could feel the world's deep malice.
The crushing force of the novel's setup!
The fate of a cannon-fodder supporting character!
Four years of hard cultivation, struggle, and unwillingness... At this moment, it all became one profound sense of helplessness.
"Maybe I should just stay away from Nuoding Academy and settle down as the City Lord's son, eating and waiting to die?"
Xiao Chenyu muttered to himself.
If he couldn't afford to provoke Tang San, surely he could at least avoid him?
How was he supposed to fight against someone with cheats like that?
Just as Xiao Chenyu was about to accept his fate completely—
[ Ding! The host is on the verge of losing the courage to face Tang San, the most evil Child of Destiny in the history of Douluo Continent. Binding the host to the "Avengers Chat Group"! ]
A translucent virtual screen suddenly appeared before his eyes, displaying a chat group interface.
Group name: [Avengers Chat Group]
Xiao Chenyu: "..."
He blinked.
Then rubbed his eyes.
Finally, he simply raised his hand and slapped himself.
"Smack!"
The sound rang out, crisp and loud.
"Ow! That hurts!"
It wasn't a dream!
"No way! A chat group! A cheat!"
Xiao Chenyu nearly leapt into the air.
He'd read so many Douluo fanfics. How could he not know what a chat group was?
This was one of the top-tier cheats for transmigrators, like starting a game with an SSR reward!
"I'm a transmigrator with a cheat too!"
Xiao Chenyu's voice was trembling.
Soon, he noticed the member list in the chat group.
Group member list:
[Group Owner · Will of the God Realm] (offline)
[God of Destruction] (online)
[Goddess of Life] (online)
[Man Faced Demon Spider] (online)
[Will of Douluo Planet] (online)
Seeing those four familiar names, Xiao Chenyu sucked in a breath.
"Hiss!"
He sucked in so much air that he could've cleared all the PM2.5 out of Nuoding City.
"These group members... aren't they a little too much?"
Setting the others aside,
the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life were two big shots at the God King level in the Divine Realm.
The screen suddenly flickered, and a message popped up.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: @Xiao Chenyu, we've finally been waiting for you. Oh yeah, an Avenger! (◦˙▽˙◦)
[Man Faced Demon Spider]: Tang San! Revenge! Kill! Kill! Kill! (▼皿▼#)
[God of Destruction]: Kid, do you want to change your fate?
[Goddess of Life]: Xiao Zi, don't scare the child. @Xiao Chenyu, welcome to the Avengers.
Xiao Chenyu stared at the messages in the group, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"The Will of Douluo Planet, the God of Destruction, the Goddess of Life... What a godly lineup. How did a little good-for-nothing with three Innate Soul Power end up in a group like this?"
It was like a level-one slime from the starting village suddenly getting added to a world-boss raid team.
Absurdity had opened the door for absurdity. This was absurdity taken to the extreme.
Xiao Chenyu took a deep breath and typed with trembling fingers.
[Xiao Chenyu]: Um... big shots, what's this chat group all about? And what's an Avenger? (ºOº)
[Will of Douluo Planet]: It's a long story, so let this little cutie explain. •͈ᴗ⁃͈✧
[Will of Douluo Planet]: The Avengers Chat Group actually originated with the Will of the God Realm from the end of time—the group owner.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: As for us, we're just a bunch of... kindred echoes, dredged out of the river of time by the group owner, who were all abandoned because of our grudges. ╥﹏╥
[Will of Douluo Planet]: For example, this little cutie is the Will of Douluo Planet, which Tang San screwed over.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: We've come together for one purpose: revenge! (≧▽≦)
[Man Faced Demon Spider]: Revenge! Revenge! Kill Tang San! Kill!
Xiao Chenyu: "..."
His CPU was starting to overload.
"Wait, let me sort this out."
The Will of the God Realm?
It was one thing for Douluo Planet to have a planetary will, but the Divine Realm had one too?
The Avengers Chat Group's goal was revenge. He could understand that much.
But the target of that revenge...
[Xiao Chenyu]: So, the target of revenge is Tang San?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Boohoo... That's right. (⋟﹏⋞)
[Will of Douluo Planet]: This little cutie poured all its resources into raising Tang San and helping him become a god, but he repaid my kindness with betrayal and wanted to take three thousand years of my life! (⩌⤚⩌)
[Will of Douluo Planet]: In the future, to turn Douluo Planet completely into his own backyard, he even planned to have his father, Tang Hao, possess me and take my place!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: I'm not the only one. @Man Faced Demon Spider, Little Spider had it rough too. It's an embodiment of the resentment of the Man Faced Demon Spider species, which Tang San will wipe out in the future.
[Man Faced Demon Spider]: Aaaah! Tang San! Die! Die! Die! Our species wiped out! Revenge!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Sorry, Little Spider is a special case. Its ability to express its thoughts is rather limited.
"..."
Xiao Chenyu understood.
In short, its brain wasn't all there, but its hatred was real.
Xiao Chenyu's scalp prickled.
"Even the collective will of the Man Faced Demon Spider species, wiped out as a race, showed up!"
He remembered that in the original story, because of Xiao Wu, Tang San had nearly killed every Man Faced Demon Spider, leaving none to carry on the species.
No wonder its resentment was heavier than a vengeful ghost's. Its entire species had been wiped out!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: And then there are Destruction and Life. They...
[God of Destruction]: No need for you to introduce us.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Oh, okay! ₍ᵔ･•･ᵔ₎ (obediently shuts up.jpg)
[God of Destruction]: I am the God Realm Enforcer, the God of Destruction.
[God of Destruction]: Tang San is my enemy.
[God of Destruction]: Little Green couldn't be reborn because of him. It was all my fault for trusting him! That despicable Tang San!
[Goddess of Life]: Sigh, Xiao Zi, it wasn't your fault.
[Goddess of Life]: We simply misjudged him... Sea God Tang San wore many faces. He was too good at hiding how deeply he'd concealed the truth.
Xiao Chenyu's eyes widened.
He remembered that part of the story.
In the future, after a coup instigated by the God of Destruction failed, the Divine Realm would be caught in a spacetime turbulence.
The God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life would burn everything they had and fuse their powers into the power of creation to save the Divine Realm, leaving behind only the seed of the origin of the Law of Life as a glimmer of hope.
As long as their godhoods and the origins of their laws remained, they would eventually be reborn.
But what happened?
Tang San gave the God of Destruction's godhood and the Goddess of Life's godhood to his son, Tang Wulin, and his daughter-in-law, Gu Yuena.
From then on, three of the five seats of the God Realm Enforcers had the surname Tang.
The Divine Realm had completely become the Tang family's backyard.
Xiao Chenyu could only describe this operation as "turning the Divine Realm into a family business."
[Goddess of Life]: @Xiao Chenyu, you're the one chosen by the Will of the God Realm—the only person who can change all this... the one and only Avenger.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Sigh, creating this chat group across the river of time exhausted the group owner's last remaining strength. Now it has fallen asleep.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: From here on, we can only rely on you, Avenger! (≧▽≦)
"Rely on me?"
All the pressure instantly converged on Xiao Chenyu.
"You want me to deal with Tang San?"
He muttered to himself, four huge words written all over his face: "Are you kidding me?"
What kind of person was Tang San?
He was the author's darling son, possibly even a stand-in for the author himself!
And what about Xiao Chenyu?
A purebred weakling with three Innate Soul Power who'd reached only level ten after four years of cultivation.
The gap was so huge he couldn't even bear to look.
"Is this really the Avengers? It sounds more like the League of People Who Get Themselves Killed!"
[Xiao Chenyu]: I deeply sympathize with all of you and your tragic experiences, big shots.
[Xiao Chenyu]: But you're not asking a ten-level Soul Scholar like me to physically send the future Sea God and Asura God to the afterlife, are you?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: It won't come to that. After all, at the point in time you're in, Tang San is still a Son of Destiny under "my" protection. You can't kill him~ Ehe! (｡-.•)
[Xiao Chenyu]: ???
Xiao Chenyu was even more bewildered.
Can't kill him?
Then what's the point of getting revenge?
Was I supposed to win him over with love?
[Goddess of Life]: Child, fate is real.
[Goddess of Life]: Though you can't kill him, you can weaken his destiny.
[Goddess of Life]: Suffering is the best way to make his fortune drain away.
[God of Destruction]: Exactly. Make him suffer, feel miserable, and have everything go wrong, until he loses his destiny completely!
Xiao Chenyu blinked.
Weaken his destiny?
Make Tang San suffer?
"A bag of rice, carry it up how many floors..."
Just then, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared on the Chat Group panel, and a new message emerged.
[Chat Group Core Rule: Carry out revenge against a group member's revenge target and make them suffer to weaken their destiny.]
[Newbie Perk: You can request one beginner-level permission red packet from each group member! Feel free to fleece the big shots!]
Xiao Chenyu's eyes lit up in an instant.
They were as bright as a two-thousand-watt Soul Guidance Lamp.
Make Tang San suffer?
He knew this line of work like the back of his hand!
Put simply, it was what netizens called—bullying San!
He was practically made for the job.
[Xiao Chenyu]: Got it!
[Xiao Chenyu]: But, big shots, let's be real here. Even if I want to bully San, I'm all ambition and no ability right now!
[Xiao Chenyu]: Besides, Tang San's father, Tang Hao, is the Clear Sky Douluo.
[Xiao Chenyu]: He's petty and fiercely protective. If I target Tang San, there's a very high chance Tang Hao will come looking for a heart-to-heart with his Clear Sky Hammer in hand. One swing, and I'll be a two-dimensional paper cutout.
[Xiao Chenyu]: So, big shots, do you have anything that could give me a hand?
Xiao Chenyu rubbed his hands together, a hopeful smile spreading across his face. He looked just like a nestling waiting to be fed.
The Chat Group fell silent for a second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then—
[Ding! The Will of Douluo Planet sent you a red packet: "Concealment Mark"!]
[Ding! God of Destruction sent you a red packet: "Wisp of Destruction Power"!]
[Ding! Goddess of Life sent you a red packet: "Wisp of Life Power"!]
[Ding! The Man Faced Demon Spider sent you a red packet: "Human-Faced Demon Spider Origin"!]