Profound Nether Scapegoat

"Is that you?"

Hearing Tang Ya's cry of surprise, Beibei could not help but turn his gaze toward Huo Yuhao beside the grill. The inappropriate scene from a few days ago immediately surfaced in both their minds, and their expressions turned strange.

"Ahem, it has been a while, you two." Huo Yuhao greeted them with an awkward laugh. It was better to keep his distance from these two Tang Sect disasters.

"What, you know each other?" Xu Sanshi perked up. "Perfect! Beibei, hurry and have your Xiao Ya invite Nannan over to join us. Tonight, this young master is treating!"

"Who cares?" Jiang Nannan turned to leave, but Xu Sanshi swiftly stepped in front of her.

"Nannan, do you have to be so heartless? Give me some face!" As he spoke, Xu Sanshi grabbed two skewers of grilled fish from the rack and offered them to her.

Jiang Nannan did not appreciate the gesture at all. Though she was kind to everyone else, she was as cold as winter toward Xu Sanshi. She said frostily, "Xu Sanshi, I've told you before. There is no possibility between us. Please stop bothering me in the future." With that, she turned and walked away.

Xu Sanshi's face turned awkward. He suddenly straightened up and glared at the surrounding spectators. "What are you looking at? Get lost. Beibei, let's sit." With that, he sat down across from Huo Yuhao and stuffed the unsent grilled fish straight into his own mouth.

Beibei and Xu Sanshi were extremely close, so naturally he would not embarrass him at a time like this. He and Tang Ya pulled over two stools and sat down beside Huo Yuhao.

A distinctive fragrance continued to waft from above the grill. It was rich and alluring, carrying a temptation unique to itself. As Huo Yuhao slowly turned them, the black carp gradually turned golden, looking especially enticing alongside that thick aroma.

"Wow, junior, did you grill these fish?" Tang Ya had been drawn over by the scent in the first place. The moment she sat down, she eagerly picked up one of Huo Yuhao's finished fish.

"Senior, go ahead and try it." Huo Yuhao could hardly throw them out now. Xie Huanyue tactfully continued eating his grilled meat. What was supposed to be a nice dinner between brothers had turned into this mess.

The young woman giggled. "Little brother, don't be shy. Then I won't stand on ceremony." As she spoke, she held the grilled fish Huo Yuhao had made and sat off to the side without the slightest concern for her image, crying out, "Hot!" while carefully taking bites.

"It's so delicious!" Tang Ya's beautiful eyes lit up, and her gaze immediately shifted to the fish still grilling on the rack.

Beibei sat close beside Tang Ya. His manner of eating grilled fish was far more refined than hers—at the very least, he did not get grease all over his hands.

He carefully sized up Huo Yuhao and Xie Huanyue, smiling gently. "You two juniors should have started studying at Shrek's Outer Academy already, right? Which class are you in?"

"We're in Cwass Nine. What about you, senyors?" Xie Huanyue did not care about anyone else being present. He kept wolfing down his grilled meat, his words muffled by the food in his mouth.

"Class Nine? Mujin's class, right?" Xu Sanshi tilted his head and thought for a moment. "Her teaching methods are quite good. I was one of her students back then too, though after the freshmen assessment, I was assigned to another class."

"There's a freshmen assessment after enrollment?" Xie Huanyue swallowed the meat in his mouth and asked in surprise.

"You'll find out when the time comes. We can't casually reveal the academy's arrangements." Beibei gave Xu Sanshi a mildly reproachful look. If new students knew too much, it could instead affect their studies.

Huo Yuhao, who had a god's-eye view, did not care. The so-called freshmen assessment was nothing more than team combat. With his and Xie Huanyue's current strength, no matter who joined them, they would slaughter the competition.

The group chatted for a while and got to know one another. In particular, when they heard that Xie Huanyue's Soul Power had already reached Rank 40, shock appeared on both Beibei and Xu Sanshi's faces.

Tang Ya devoured several grilled fish in a row. By the end, she could not eat another bite and simply leaned against Beibei, stretching lazily in satisfaction. Her curves were fully displayed, yet she did not notice in the slightest. Beibei could only scratch his head helplessly at the sight.

"It's too delicious. I've never had grilled fish this good before. Little brother Huo Yuhao, how about I hire you as the chef of our sect? What do you say?" Tang Ya turned her head and smiled at Huo Yuhao.

Big sister, absolutely not. I definitely don't want to get involved with your Tang Sect this early! Huo Yuhao screamed inwardly.

Xu Sanshi, who had also eaten quite a bit, likewise had high praise for the flavor of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

Beibei said irritably, "Don't tell me you want to recruit him just because his grilled fish tastes good?"

Tang Ya's thoughts had been exposed. Her pretty face reddened, and she stuck out her tongue at Beibei.

"Yuhao, watch out!"

At that moment, Bibi Dong's voice suddenly rang out in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Spirit. Rakshasa Divine Power instantly blessed his Spiritual Eye.

Huo Yuhao's heart jolted. In the blink of an eye, he saw a blue-gold ray of light, invisible to the naked eye, rise from the crown of Tang Ya's head. The imposing trident rune upon it made Huo Yuhao's eyes split with rage.

Not good! It's the divine sense Tang Buddha left behind for the Tang Sect on this continent! Don't be fooled by how small this wisp of divine sense is—it can instantly bind a person's future to the Tang Sect, influence the course of their life, and allow the God Realm to observe everything about whoever it binds.

Put bluntly, this thing was Karma under the laws of divine authority. In the original timeline, Huo Yuhao had accepted Tang Ya and Beibei's invitation to join the Tang Sect when he first met them. That was how he had gradually become the loyal hound of the Tang Sect and Tang family, devoted until death!

Huo Yuhao was the Son of Fortune of this era. He was also the central figure who laid the foundation for the Tang Sect's lasting prosperity in the original work. Without him as the one who revived it, when the Sun Moon Empire conquered the entire Douluo Continent through Xu Yunhan's methods decades later, the already declining Tang Sect would have been erased from the continent.

Perhaps sensing the power of fortune Huo Yuhao carried, the blue-gold light circled above Tang Ya's head for a moment before immediately shooting toward Huo Yuhao.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?! Huo Yuhao and Bibi Dong were both horrified. It was not that Bibi Dong could not resist this wisp of divine sense, but if divine powers clashed, that person would notice in an instant. What descended next might very well be the Golden Trident itself.

A wisp of the Sea God's divine sense had indeed been left within the Tang Sect disciples on this continent!

At that most critical moment, Huo Yuhao subconsciously glanced at Xu Sanshi across from him. Spiritual Sharing activated instantly as he hurriedly used Spiritual Power to simulate Jiang Nannan's voice and issue Xu Sanshi a command.

Xu Sanshi, quickly! Fourth soul skill, Profound Nether Swap!

Xu Sanshi had not even processed Huo Yuhao's urgent command, but his instinct toward Jiang Nannan had already made him complete Martial Soul Possession in an instant. His fourth soul ring lit up—it was precisely the soul skill Huo Yuhao had most loved to imitate in the original work: Profound Nether Swap!

Just as that Sea God's Light was one millimeter away from touching Huo Yuhao's body, Xu Sanshi and Huo Yuhao swapped positions.

Pure Sea God divine power entered Xu Sanshi's forehead, leaving him dazed for a moment before he immediately snapped back to his senses.

"Not Nannan? What's going on?"

Beibei had already shot to his feet and repeatedly scanned their surroundings. Xu Sanshi usually used this soul skill to protect others.

Huo Yuhao's face was pale. The explosive release of his Spiritual Power had drained him severely. At the very last moment, he had pulled off a switch that deceived heaven itself. He panted heavily, his face filled with the lingering fear of surviving a disaster.

Xie Huanyue's expression was equally grim. Huo Yuhao's sudden collapse had left him utterly confused, but it was likely closely related to the people before them.

"Little Yuhao, what's wrong?" Seeing that Beibei and Xu Sanshi had found no suspicious threat, Tang Ya hurried over to ask about Huo Yuhao's condition, only for Xie Huanyue to raise a hand and stop her.

"My brother isn't feeling well. Sorry, seniors, I need to take him back first." Xie Huanyue glanced at Tang Ya. He had already been unhappy that these people had interrupted his dinner with Huo Yuhao, so there was no way he could look pleasant now.

"Mm, take Yuhao back first." Xu Sanshi and Beibei exchanged a glance, both their eyes full of confusion. Xu Sanshi himself did not even know why he had used Profound Nether Swap on Huo Yuhao, or who had spoken in Jiang Nannan's voice just now.

Clearly, aside from Huo Yuhao, no one knew what had just happened.

Xie Huanyue carried Huo Yuhao back. Xu Sanshi stayed behind to fulfill his promise to treat them, while Beibei bid him farewell with Tang Ya and set off for home as well.

Huo Yuhao lay on Xie Huanyue's back, still shaken. His mind kept replaying the moment that Sea God divine sense had attacked. It had come completely without warning. He did not know whether more such things would emerge from Tang Ya later, so Xie Huanyue taking him away immediately was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Thanks tonight, Fatty." Huo Yuhao said weakly. "I nearly got killed by someone."

"What exactly happened to you?" Xie Huanyue was utterly baffled. "Everything was fine, then suddenly..."

"Do you believe in gods?" Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment before asking.

"Gods? You mean that legend from the continent? Sea God Tang San? Or his two opponents?" Xie Huanyue did not understand, but Tang San's story was known to every household. There was no reason for him not to know it.

"Just now, a divine thought tried to control my fate." Huo Yuhao's gaze was profound. "If nothing unexpected happened, it came from that Sea God."

"Huh?" Xie Huanyue shuddered all over in fright. "What's going on? Brother, why would the Sea God have his eye on you?"

"It's the Tang Sect." Huo Yuhao said with certainty. "The Tang Sect has fallen so far that it needs a revival leader blessed with immense fortune to lead it back to glory."

"Poor Senior Xu, though. I made him my scapegoat just now. His future is no longer something he can control himself..."

Surprised? Didn't see that coming? A switch that deceived heaven and a trick that hid the truth—but Sanshi, you'll be the one suffering!

First update!