The Destined Huo Gua

The gears of fate began to turn slowly. Even though Lin Wan'er had achieved fairly ideal results for her clan over the years.

The future of the soul beast clan—and their eventual march upon the God Realm to declare war on Tang God King—still depended on the choices that young man would make in the future.

The Child of Destiny could not be shaken. One could only alter the predetermined fate through indirect means.

It was a heavy shackle, but also a safeguard the World Consciousness had placed upon all life on the continent.

A solemn palace occupying an area greater than an ordinary manor stood fifty li northwest of Star Luo City, the capital of the Star Luo Empire.

This showed just how exalted the estate's owner was within the Star Luo Empire, to be worthy of such a luxurious residence.

The blazing sun hung high overhead. Noon light reflected off the interwoven golden roof tiles, shrouding the entire White Tiger Duke's Mansion in a distinctive radiance.

Unfortunately, such brilliant light could not conceal the darkness within the duke's mansion. The tragedy that countless fans of the original work had lamented still could not escape the gears of fate, and was once again unfolding.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of kowtowing, an inconspicuous side gate at the rear of the duke's mansion silently opened, and a small, frail figure stumbled out.

He was a boy who looked no more than eleven or twelve. He was somewhat thin, and his worn gray clothes had been carefully patched by a woman, giving them a rather rustic look.

Malnutrition acquired later in life had left the boy's little face excessively pale and his lips slightly chapped. Only those deep blue eyes, like deep-sea jewels fit for imperial consorts, lent his entire person some vitality.

The mist in those beautiful eyes gradually dispersed, replaced by intense hatred.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I truly don't want to bear the surname Dai anymore. From today onward, I will be called Huo Yuhao. The man you loved so deeply is not worthy of being my father, and neither are any of the people in this family. One day, I will definitely return."

After saying this, Huo Yuhao could not stop his tears from falling. He wiped them away with his sleeve, then looked once more at the small tree that had borne miraculous fruit through countless days and nights, easing much of the damage to his mother's body, before heavily knocking his head against the ground.

If not for that miraculous fruit tree, perhaps on the night he awakened his martial soul, his mother would have left him first, unable to endure the cold stares and mockery of others.

With that thought, Huo Yuhao rose to his feet and touched the tree's trunk, which was less than half a meter wide. Half wistful and half regretful, he said, "After I leave, no one will water you anymore. I hope those carpenters won't cut you down. Take care of yourself..."

After speaking, he gave a self-mocking smile, hoisted his small bundle onto his back, and continued toward the distance. He did not look back as he departed, not giving anyone even a trace of weakness or helplessness.

Little did he know that after Huo Yuhao had gone far away, soul beasts of every size hidden in the trees, underground, and outside the duke's mansion emitted a strange ripple. As the Soul Guidance Array appeared, a black hole large enough to accommodate an adult opened up.

A jade-white hand, brimming with the aura of life and nature, emerged first from that immensely mysterious black hole.

It was followed by grass boots designed with hollowed-out rope netting, woven from the vines of plant soul beasts, stepping onto the ground.

Then, before the eyes of the many soul beasts, appeared a peerless beauty of around twelve or thirteen years old—the master behind the Heaven Dou Empire, possessed of supreme status, wisdom, and decisiveness: Saintess Lin Wan'er.

After living for Ten Thousand Years, her lifespan already as long as that of soul beasts, Saintess Lin Wan'er had arrived at the rear gate of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Upon seeing the Saintess of Nature, soul beasts of all sizes could not help lowering their heads in respect.

Aside from a very few Ferocious Beasts, only Lin Wan'er was worthy of such ceremonial treatment.

Narrowing her emerald eyes against the blazing sunlight, Lin Wan'er lazily leaned against the inconspicuous Scarlet Fruit Soul Tree beside her, which was in fact a Ten Thousand Year soul beast.

Feeling the dependence conveyed by the soul tree, Lin Wan'er's soft and gentle voice carried a note of apology. She was exceptionally patient, as though soothing a pet kitten.

"Alright, alright, I know you liked Huo Yuhao's mother and didn't want to see her leave this world. But human fate is sometimes destined to be this strange. You still have a long road ahead of you."

Lin Wan'er was speaking the truth, without the slightest falsehood.

Before Huo Gua had been born, before Huo Yun'er had fallen in love with the current White Tiger Duke, she had tried to stop it midway.

That included, but was not limited to, sending male fox soul beasts to seduce her, arranging chance meetings, companionship, and contact with exceptionally handsome young men from the Four Sects.

But Huo Yun'er was like someone who had been fed a love potion. She fell in love with the White Tiger Duke at first sight and was willing to become a woman he had not formally married. What could Lin Wan'er do? It was not as if she could just kill the duke beforehand. What if the plot underwent a massive deviation and the White Tiger Duke became the Nether Cat Duke instead? Would she still survive then...?

So Lin Wan'er simply entered full slacker mode. She let Huo Yun'er enjoy her honeymoon with the White Tiger Duke, and only began arranging a few insignificant things after she successfully gave birth to Huo Gua.

For example, she had Huo Yun'er's Love Brain wake up a little sooner, left Huo Gua enough money for ordinary expenses, and stationed soul beasts that replenished vitality outside the rear courtyard, so the mother and son could feel just a tiny bit better.

The reason Lin Wan'er did all this was not because she had developed fatherly or motherly love for Huo Gua.

Rather, after observing him over these years, she had discovered that Huo Yuhao's character was so good that there was simply nothing to criticize.

In her previous life, Lin Wan'er had seen ordinary people sink into depravity, seen illnesses that came with births people had no choice in. Especially after becoming the hope of the soul beast clan in this life, she had witnessed even more of the schemes and plots born from the collision between the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent.

Had it not been for the soul beast clan's arrangements, which gradually gave them a certain degree of influence across both continents, she might have witnessed countless more revolting events unfold.

All of this prompted Lin Wan'er, at the moment Huo Yun'er kicked the bucket, to take away her soul after death as well, preventing Tang God King, who had plotted and arranged for so long in the God Realm, from succeeding.

One point should be noted here: the Douluo Continent also had the custom of the first seven days after death from Lin Wan'er's previous world.

Thus, Huo Yuhao deliberately kept vigil over his mother's remains until the seventh day. Only after kowtowing and offering incense was he willing to leave the duke's mansion and seek another way forward.

As a result, the message the Goddess of Life later transmitted from the God Realm to the lower realm nearly made the Ferocious Beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest—and Gu Yuena—laugh so hard they could not straighten their backs.

Sea God Tang San, having failed to steal Huo Yun'er's soul, instantly found his residence engulfed in a torrential downpour. It nearly flooded the homes of the weaker gods living nearby into ruin.

The other enforcer who had easily found leverage against Tang San—his sworn enemy, the God of Destruction, husband of the Goddess of Life—was extremely pleased. For several days in a row, he even removed the hood over his head during meetings, revealing a face full of smiles.

At the same time, he consciously or unconsciously conveyed a message: Lin Wan'er could, to some extent, consider attempting to attain a divine position that most gods in the God Realm did not even dare imagine.

The God of Creation, born from the fusion of life and destruction, was the ruler of countless worlds and the true authority of the God Realm.