The Dragon God and Self-Created Godhood

"Mm."

"My head hurts a little."

Tang Wulin felt something strange at the back of his head and could not help reaching up to touch it.

"Huh? Why am I sleeping on the floor?"

Tang Wulin felt the hard ground and abruptly sat up. Only then did he realize he had fallen asleep right on the floor. No wonder the back of his head hurt.

"Wulin, how do you feel?"

Mu En's concerned voice sounded beside him. Tang Wulin noticed that Mu En had been keeping watch nearby, though he had no idea for how long.

"Hehe, I feel great all over."

Tang Wulin stood. His bones and joints crackled, and strength filled every limb. He threw a few casual punches, his fists slicing through the air with a series of whooshes.

"Thank you for watching over me, Elder Mu."

Only after he felt at home in his body again did Tang Wulin bow to Mu En, thanking him for looking after him all this time.

"Wulin, what are you doing? You're making this old man feel unworthy."

Mu En sighed, though warmth spread through his heart. Everyone hoped the people they met would not turn out to be ungrateful wretches. For a child of Tang Wulin's status to be polite and grateful at his age was already remarkable. Plenty of children that age were still picking their noses and wiping the results on tables.

"Hehe."

A brilliant smile lit Tang Wulin's face. He had survived that agony and gained new strength on his journey to find his mom and dad.

Thank you, Father!

Thank you, Mom and Dad!

Tang Wulin repeated the words silently. He knew who mattered most and who cared about him most.

"Wulin."

The moment the thought arose, Tang San drew Tang Wulin's consciousness into the mental space and looked at him with satisfaction.

"You did very well. That's my son."

"You absorbed the power behind the first two seals perfectly. Although the Life Divine Power triggered the seals I placed, that pure and exalted life force also washed through your body, allowing it to absorb the power more thoroughly. A blessing in disguise, you could say. Your body will gradually grow stronger, and your ability to heal itself has improved tremendously."

Tang San still had no idea where that Life Divine Power had come from. It was not as though he had forgotten what happened before. The Goddess of Life had left Tang Wulin her blessing, but that power had already merged into his body. It should never have loosened the seals once he reached the Douluo Continent. Otherwise, Tang San would never have allowed the Goddess of Life to bless him. He could puzzle over it a hundred times and still find no answer.

(Goddess of Life: I don't know where my mark came from either—)

"That power is called the Golden Dragon King, one half of the legendary Dragon God. As the seals are released, you will gradually merge with the Golden Dragon King's power. Once all eighteen seals are broken, you will become a new Golden Dragon King."

"Can the Golden Dragon King travel through time and space?"

Tang Wulin could not help asking.

"I'm afraid he can't."

Tang San smiled bitterly. The Golden Dragon King's talents simply did not extend to time and space. If he had not seen Tang Wulin arrive ten thousand years in the past, he would never have believed anyone could travel through time and return to the past.

"Then could I travel through time and space if I create my own Divine Position?"

Tang Wulin asked another question. Tang San had spoken to him about the Divine Position before.

"I'm not sure. And although Dad believes you can create your own godhood, creating a top-tier godhood is no easy task. Even I, who hold both a top-tier First-Level Godhood and a God King's Godhood, cannot return to the past."

"But the Dragon God has another half called the Silver Dragon King. She and the Golden Dragon King can devour each other and become a new Dragon God. The Dragon God's power surpasses that of a God King. Perhaps it could make your wish come true, Wulin."

Before disappointment could show on Tang Wulin's face, Tang San hurried to share what he knew, steering the conversation toward the silver dragon fish that was recovering from her injuries.

"Okay!"

"Then I'll work hard to become the new Dragon God and try to create my own Divine Position, too. One day, I'll make it back to the future."

Tang Wulin raised a fist to cheer himself on, determination shining on his soft, fair little face.

And so his journey to find his mom and dad began.

Tang San gave Tang Wulin and Mu En a few more instructions before finally falling into slumber. Unable to contact the Divine Realm, he had to conserve the power he had left until he reached a place where he could replenish it.

With Tang San asleep, Mu En and Tang Wulin could only look at each other.

"Wulin, a group of Shrek's senior members is waiting outside. Would you be willing to meet them now?"

After a moment's thought, Mu En decided to let them meet Tang Wulin. He could not make himself the boy's only channel of contact with the outside world.

"Huh? They're still waiting? But hasn't it been days?"

Tang Wulin's eyes widened. Had they really been waiting outside all this time?

Tang Wulin had yet to grasp what it meant for the Child of the Sea God to descend into the mortal world.

"That's right. They've been looking forward to meeting you."

Mu En smiled. He understood what those people had in mind. He had even found time to go out and tell them to deal with the situation at Shrek Academy before coming back.

They could hardly ignore the commotion from earlier.

"All right, then."

Tang Wulin quietly rubbed his growling stomach and forced himself to smile as he agreed. He could not bring himself to disappoint people who were waiting for him.

Mu En noticed the small gesture and silently cursed himself for being a muddle-headed old fool. How had he failed to think of that?

He said nothing, however. Instead, he planned to have a table of food prepared and take Tang Wulin straight to it.

"Wow!"

"It smells so good!"

Tang Wulin wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and gazed in delight at the steaming dishes before him. Their rich aroma curled around his nose, making his stomach rumble without pause.

"Go on, Wulin, eat. All of this was prepared for you."

Mu En turned the fish head toward Tang Wulin and spoke with a kindly smile.

"Thank you, Elder Mu."

Tang Wulin pressed his palms together and bowed to Mu En in thanks. Only then did he happily pick up his chopsticks and reach for the food.

"Come, have plenty."

"This is braised thousand-year Earth Dragon tendon, this is stir-fried hundred-year spirit-patterned pork, this is white jade mengflower soup, and the rice comes from ten-year jade millet vines."

Mu En introduced the dishes one by one. When Tang Wulin heard that the food before him was Soul Beast meat, his eyes went wide. In his era, Soul Beasts were nearly extinct. Even the Sea Soul Beasts near shore had almost all been caught. On the rare occasion one turned up, his family could not afford even a pound of its meat.

Tang Wulin kept stuffing food into his mouth, his heart brimming with delight.

The food seemed to turn into warm currents that flowed through every part of his body, replenishing the new strength within him.

After who knew how long, Tang Wulin set down his chopsticks in satisfaction and gently rubbed his now-rounded belly.

He had always eaten a lot at home. Now he knew it was because of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.

After absorbing the power behind two seals, his appetite had grown enormously. Today was one of the rare times he had eaten his fill.

I'm sorry. To find Mom and Dad, I'll make it up to you someday.

A trace of guilt flashed through his bright eyes as Tang Wulin thought to himself.

He had received all this because of his biological father, Tang San. Even so, his upbringing left him feeling a little guilty about accepting it.

"I'm full, Elder Mu. Let's go meet them."

Tang Wulin felt he should take the initiative and grant them their wish.