False God

Eastsea City, behind Rain Spirit Grilled Fish Shop. The dishes and cups from last night's gathering had already been cleared away, but the cheerful, relaxed atmosphere seemed not to have fully faded. Morning light filtered over the courtyard wall, bringing a trace of warmth.

"Hey! Thanks for supporting me, everyone! The more I thought about yesterday's proposal, the more feasible it seemed!" Dark Gold said to the few core members who had yet to leave, his face glowing with satisfaction and excitement. After a night of consideration, he had become even more confident in his new plan. "Food, clothing, entertainment, healthcare, heavy machinery... our businesses have already covered or penetrated nearly every sector. I was thinking, shouldn't we expand into transportation?"

His eyes gleamed as he gestured. "Think about it. The human world is getting bigger, and the connections between cities are growing closer. Demand for soul-guided trains, ocean liners, aircraft, and things like that will only keep increasing! And the mainstream means of transportation still have plenty of room for improvement in comfort, speed, and safety, especially for the high-end market and long-distance travel."

He paused, his tone becoming more businesslike. "I can use some of the... well, ancient methods of material processing and energy conduction from the Dragonkin inheritance that I've mastered, combined with the best current soul-guided technology, to forge hulls, vehicle frames, and fuselages that are tougher, lighter, and more energy-efficient! At the beginning, we won't compete with the ordinary civilian market. We'll focus on top-tier luxury customization! We'll tailor vehicles specifically for merchants rich enough to rival nations, nobles with ancient bloodlines, and upper echelons of major powers!"

"Just imagine it," Dark Gold said, growing more animated. "A private soul-guided cruise liner that never sinks, with an interior like a moving palace; a private train carriage so quiet it is nearly silent, as smooth as a mirror, and decorated even more extravagantly than an imperial palace; or an exclusive aircraft far faster than comparable models, with astonishing defenses and interior space expanded through spatial folding technology... How tempting would those be to people at the very top who cared about prestige, security, and ultimate enjoyment? As long as we establish a name among aristocrats and top tycoons and build a reputation for being 'irreplaceable' and a 'symbol of status,' it will be much easier to release the technology later and introduce mid-range, high-end, and even mass-market products. People will trust us more, too!"

Huo Yuhao was gathering the last few empty wine bottles when he looked up, approval in his eyes. "That is an excellent point of entry, Dark Gold. Transportation is a lifeline, and it is also the perfect stage for demonstrating comprehensive technological strength. Starting with high-end customization will let us avoid direct competition with established manufacturers while quickly building a brand image and securing the highest profits. Once we earn recognition among the upper circles, expanding downward will indeed yield twice the result with half the effort. And by serving influential people like them, we can indirectly weave a broader, higher-level network of connections." He gave Dark Gold's idea high praise.

Encouraged by the approval, Dark Gold was even more delighted, but then he scratched his head, showing a rare look of "trouble." "I have the idea, and I'm confident in my technical foundation. But... I really don't understand all those human-world subtleties of 'ultimate luxury,' 'aristocratic taste,' and 'top-tier decoration.' I can't exactly make the vehicle look like a metal lump. No matter how good its performance is, those picky noble lords probably won't appreciate it."

He looked toward the "professionals" present. "I'm afraid I'll need plenty of guidance from all of you in this area. Especially Brother Crimson King's Three-Headed Spirit Scent—he has seen all kinds of top-grade spices and rare materials. And Sister Bi Ji's Emerald Court and Sister Zi Ji's Violet Dragon Pavilion must know the most about extravagant decorations, fashion trends, and the preferences of elite clients."

Crimson King, who had taken the form of a sharp, capable middle-aged man, was called out. His three heads flashed as phantoms behind him, and all nodded at once. "Mm, that's simple. Whenever I release a limited-edition fragrance or material, the soul-guided cars those top tycoons send people in to snatch them up, the clothes they wear, and the entourages they bring are all ready-made observation samples. Later, I'll take you to a few top private exhibitions and custom design workshops. Then you'll understand what 'the art of burning money' means."

Bi Ji smiled gently. "The choice of materials, the coordination of colors, the use of light and shadow, even the details in every stitch and thread—all of them determine one's taste. Emerald Court has accumulated plenty of relevant data and customer feedback. We can share it with you."

Zi Ji curved her red lips, revealing a smile that was both seductive and shrewd. "Luxury is not merely piling up expensive materials. It is about creating a unique atmosphere and experience, a sense of 'exclusivity.' How to make a customer feel that the money was well spent, and spent in a way no one else can replicate—that is a profound field of study. Little Dark Gold, if you are interested, come sit at Violet Dragon Pavilion sometime. We have some 'special' client cases that might inspire you."

Dark Gold nodded repeatedly, humbly accepting their instruction.

The next day, the brief gathering came to an end, and the transformed ferocious beasts returned one after another to the industries under their control. Dark Gold eagerly left with Crimson King, ready to begin his research and entrepreneurial journey toward a "luxury transportation empire."

Rain Spirit Grilled Fish Shop returned to its usual quiet. Huo Yuhao tied on his apron and began cleaning the shop, wiping down tables and chairs, and preparing ingredients. The shop had been closed for several days, and quite a few messages had piled up on the soul-guided communicator from regular customers asking when it would reopen.

The Golden Dragon King, Jin, lay lazily on the long sofa in the shop. Watching Huo Yuhao bustle around, then glancing at Demon Spirit as she efficiently helped inventory the stock nearby, he suddenly sighed. "Sigh, Huo Yuhao, Demon Spirit is running the shop with you and has her own game studio. Di Tian and the others all have enormous businesses of their own. Even Dark Gold has found something interesting to do. So I'm the only 'unemployed wandering dragon' left?"

Without looking up, Huo Yuhao skillfully sprinkled a special seasoning over marinated fish fillets. "Didn't you just help 'educate' the Silver Dragon King? That counts as accomplishing something major."

"That was temporary work!" Jin rolled over. "Now Dark Gold has even claimed transportation. What can I do? Healthcare? That old tree spirit, Myriad Demon King, has practically turned Forest Life Chronicle into the continent's number-one life sciences group. Entertainment? Zi Ji's movies and television dramas are thriving. Even that fool Bear Lord occasionally gets high-end custom orders through Dark-Gold Heavy Peak... I can't exactly open another grilled fish shop and compete with you, can I?"

He rubbed his chin, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "Hey! How about this? What if I help you establish the foundational framework of the Divine Realm? That's definitely high-end, technically demanding, and suited to my status!"

"Establish the Divine Realm's foundation?" Huo Yuhao's hands paused as he looked at Jin in surprise. "You can do that?"

"It's easy!" Jin sat up, wearing an expression that said, What's so difficult about that? "The principle isn't complicated. It mainly requires two things. First, a vast amount of high-quality power of faith as the 'adhesive' and 'energy source.' Second, at least two or three stable 'plane fragments' or 'demiplane cores' with compatible or non-conflicting attributes to serve as the 'foundation' and 'vessels for the laws.' With those, my understanding of spatial laws and laws of power, plus your Divine Realm Core keys as guidance and templates, would be enough to build the framework. Of course, for it to truly grow into a mature Divine Realm, it would require long years and further investment."

After listening, Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes irritably. "Do you hear yourself? Is that even human language? Plane fragments? And two or three of them? How many stable lesser planes or demiplanes would have to be destroyed or stripped apart to get those? Forget whether we can do it—can we bear the temporal-spatial turmoil and karmic backlash that such an act would cause?"

"I'm a dragon, so of course I speak dragon language!" Jin retorted with complete confidence, though he knew Huo Yuhao had a point. He lay back down sulkily. "Fine, forget it... Hey, how about I guide that kid Tang Wulin? I'm the Golden Dragon King's true body, after all. No one in this world understands power better than I do, especially the power of the Golden Dragon! Guiding him in safely absorbing power and cultivating his body would definitely yield twice the result with half the effort!"

Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment. He placed a prepared fish into the soul-guided grill, set the program, wiped his hands, and walked over to sit in the chair opposite Jin. His expression turned serious. "Guiding Wulin... there is no hurry. His growth needs to proceed step by step. Exposing him to the essence of excessively high-level power too early may not be a good thing. There is another matter I would like to ask you to investigate."

"Oh? What is it? Let's hear it—provided I'm interested." Jin crossed one leg over the other and shifted into a more comfortable pose, putting on an arrogant expression that said, I'm very busy, but I might hear you out.

Huo Yuhao considered his words before speaking slowly. "It concerns Tang San's parents, Tang Hao and... Senior A Yin." His tone carried respect when he mentioned A Yin. "After I inherited my divine position, Tang San vaguely mentioned that his parents had not gone to the Divine Realm for certain reasons, but had remained on Douluo Continent in some special form. I originally thought that I could neither contact nor sense them because my Divine Godhood had shattered and my perception was limited. But..."

His brows furrowed slightly. "But as my injuries have recovered somewhat and my perception of life and energy on Douluo Star has become sharp again, I still cannot detect any aura fluctuations belonging to them, any trace of divinity. That is highly unusual. Even if they were living in seclusion, given the life level and energy characteristics of Second-Level Gods, I should not be completely unaware of them at such a close range."

After hearing this, the Golden Dragon King dropped his carefree demeanor. A thoughtful glint flashed through his golden pupils. "Huo Yuhao, let me ask you something. You must answer truthfully." He rarely became so serious. "Tang San's parents—did they achieve Second-Level Godhood on Douluo Continent with clearly defined divine positions and divine duties, or did they merely possess the strength and life essence of the Second-Level God tier without obtaining corresponding divine positions?"

Huo Yuhao was taken aback. He carefully recalled his few conversations with Tang San in the Divine Realm and said hesitantly, "Specifically... I can't remember whether Tang San ever clearly stated what divine positions they possessed. I only remember him mentioning that both of his parents had reached the Second-Level God tier... Is there a difference?"

"The difference is enormous!" The Golden Dragon King straightened up, his tone decisive. "In an environment where the Divine Realm is whole, divine power is abundant, and the laws are complete, gods with divine positions and 'false gods' who possess only the strength of the corresponding tier without divine positions may not differ much in authority, endurance of power, or use of the laws. Both can enjoy the Divine Realm's benefits. But fundamentally, they are worlds apart!"

He gave an analogy. "Having a divine position is like being the owner of a company or an absolute executive holding original shares. The divine position is your proof of equity and your title. As long as the company—the Divine Realm—exists, you receive an endless stream of dividends, meaning replenished divine power, along with decision-making authority. Even if the company runs into temporary trouble, your foundation—your divine position—remains."

"On the other hand, possessing only the corresponding tier of power without a divine position is like being an exceptionally capable, highly paid star employee in that company. When the company is running well, your compensation may not be much worse than the owner's, and you may enjoy limitless glory. But once the company goes bankrupt—the Divine Realm leaves—or your salary is cut off—you lose the supply of divine power. All that remains is your personal ability, the power you cultivated yourself, while the company's platform and resources are gone."

The Golden Dragon King looked at Huo Yuhao, his gaze sharp. "As far as I know, it is already extremely difficult for plant-type soul beasts to become gods, and those who obtain orthodox divine positions are rarer than phoenix feathers. If Senior A Yin merely relied on Sea God faith and some opportunity to raise her life level to the strength of a Second-Level God, yet never obtained a formal divine position such as Forest God or Life God, then she and Tang Hao, assuming his situation is similar, would have lost their supply of divine power after the Douluo Divine Realm departed from this plane..."

He paused, speaking each word distinctly. "They may very well have regressed in life level and power after losing continuous divine power support, or fallen into an extreme state of self-protective dormancy. Their current strength may have dropped to the Ultimate Douluo tier, perhaps even lower. And in order to sustain their existence, they may have suppressed their auras to the utmost, like seeds buried deep underground or ancient trees merged into nature. It is normal that you cannot sense the aura of a 'god.' Because they may no longer be gods in the conventional sense—at least not for now."

"False gods... losing their support..." Huo Yuhao murmured, his heart shaken. The explanation was reasonable, and it explained why he could not sense them. If that was truly the case, Tang Hao and A Yin's situation was likely far from optimistic. They might even have fallen into some kind of crisis due to losing the divine power that sustained them. "So, you want me to help find them... With the limits of my current understanding of the life forms in this world, combined with their possible condition, it would indeed be difficult for me to help directly." The Golden Dragon King spread his hands. "Unless they actively release powerful energy fluctuations with obvious characteristics, it would be like looking for a needle in the ocean."

Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, suppressing his concern, and said solemnly to the Golden Dragon King, "No matter what, thank you for clearing this up for me. It is important for sorting out my thoughts."

"Why be so polite?" The Golden Dragon King waved a hand and returned to his lazy manner. "Your help toward soul beasts has been real enough. What a pity. If the Divine Realm were still here, I would really want to take this group and leave Douluo Star directly, search the universe for other planets suitable for survival, and establish a Dragonkin and Soul Beast Autonomous Region. Then we wouldn't need to go through all this trouble with infiltration and integration... Sigh." For once, he revealed a trace of the melancholy belonging to an ancient Dragon God, along with curiosity toward the starry sky.

"Speaking of finding something to do," Huo Yuhao suddenly thought of something. He pointed at a shop diagonally across the street outside the window, where neon lights for the evening were just beginning to be arranged. "What do you think about a bar? Not an ordinary tavern, but the kind of place with... well, more style, one that emphasizes atmosphere and performances and might need some people to 'keep the place in line.' With your appearance and... well, 'temperament,' you would probably be very popular as a head of security or a special guest." Huo Yuhao imagined the Golden Dragon King in a black suit—or leather jacket—wearing sunglasses and standing at the entrance with his arms crossed, or occasionally demonstrating such acts as "opening wine bottles barehanded" and "scaring troublemakers away with a look." It seemed... unexpectedly fitting?

"A bar? A place for drinking and watching the excitement?" After hearing Huo Yuhao's explanation, the Golden Dragon King stroked his sharply defined chin, interest flashing in his eyes. "You mean I'd mainly just stand there, show off some 'muscle' and 'presence,' and occasionally stretch my limbs? That sounds... more interesting than being idle. And I could drink for free and watch the show?"

"More or less. The income should be good, too, and you would meet people from all walks of life. The information would be varied as well." Huo Yuhao nodded.

"Mm... worth considering!" The Golden Dragon King rubbed his chin and began pondering it seriously.

Just then, the wind chime at the shop entrance rang.

"Boss Huo! You're finally open! I've been craving it to death! The usual—three cumin, mildly spicy, one original flavor, all packed to go!" A regular uncle's hearty voice rang out.

"And mine! Boss Huo, where did you go to strike it rich these past few days? And this is... a newly hired worker? Good heavens, look at that build!" Another regular stared at Jin on the sofa in surprise.

Demon Spirit immediately fluttered forward like a light butterfly, her smile sweet and her tone familiar. "Uncle Li, Captain Guang, you're here! Brother Yuhao went out to purchase special spices a few days ago and only returned today. This is Brother Jin, our... um, distant relative. He's here to help out for now." As she greeted them with practiced ease, she gave Huo Yuhao a meaningful look.

Huo Yuhao understood at once and immediately returned to the grill, working with practiced skill while responding to the regulars' greetings. After eight years in business, this small grilled fish shop had long become part of the street. Many old customers came not only to eat, but also to chat and enjoy this familiar warmth of everyday life. Demon Spirit smoothly handled orders, payments, and packaging, teasing customers with harmless jokes. She knew nearly everyone's preferences by heart and would occasionally recommend a newly tried seasoning.

The Golden Dragon King watched the busy yet lively scene, then looked at the neon lights gradually coming on outside. He seemed to feel a little more anticipation for the new career option of "bar security." At the very least, it did not look boring.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Dark Gold followed Crimson King into top private clubs and custom design workshops beyond ordinary people's imagination. He hungrily absorbed every scrap of knowledge about "luxury," while also receiving intensive lessons arranged by Myriad Demon King in aristocratic etiquette, economic and political knowledge, and even art appreciation. He learned quickly. After all, he had a powerful divine soul foundation and a clear goal—what he wanted to build was not merely transportation, but moving "temples of power and wealth." His "Deep Space Transit, provisional name" plan was quietly beginning to sprout.