In the center of the Awakening Hall of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a massive awakening platform, surrounded by a full audience. Sitting at the front of the Awakening Altar was the clan leader, Yu Yuanzhen.
Stroking his beard helplessly, Yu Yuanzhen looked toward the elders beside him and said, "If innate soul power above level nine were that easy to awaken, then the birth of the Twin Stars of the Clear Sky Clan wouldn't have shaken the world so much."
During Tang Chen's era, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been completely overshadowed by the Clear Sky Clan. Just when it seemed like they might have a chance after Tang Tian's lackluster talent, fate continued in the Clear Sky Clan's favor. Tang Hao and Tang Xiao—both awakened with the Clear Sky Hammer and full innate soul power—each possessed the potential to become the next Tang Chen.
The fortune of the Clear Sky Clan was something the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could only envy. Yu Yuanzhen sighed and said, "Now, our only hope is Xiaogang."
This situation was very familiar to him. His brothers, who were now the four great elders, had only innate soul power around level 7 or 8. Only he had advanced to Title Douluo level, barely holding up the reputation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Unlike the elders, who were filled with worry and helplessness, Yu Xiaogang was inwardly overjoyed. His cousins only had level 7 or 8 talent—not bad, but nowhere near strong enough to represent a top-tier clan. With those average leaves as the backdrop, when he awakened, he would surely shine even more brilliantly.
"Next, Yu Xiaomen."
At the call of the name, the elders only glanced at Yu Xiaomen lightly, clearly not holding out much hope. Though he carried Yu Yuanzhen's blood, his mother, Yunniang, wasn't even a soul master. How much talent could he possibly have? At most, he was just an extra.
The cold gazes of the clan were already something Yu Xiaomen had grown used to. But at this moment, he couldn't suppress the excitement in his heart—he was finally going to awaken his martial soul. His father's indifference, his mother's humiliation and tragic death, and the bullying he endured from fellow clan disciples had all planted seeds of hatred deep in his heart. As long as he became a soul master and had innate soul power, once he was strong enough, he would leave this cold-hearted clan behind.
Yu Xiaomen stepped onto the awakening platform. The awakening master helped initiate the awakening of his martial soul.
Below the platform, Yu Xiaogang watched Xiaomen silently. He was certain Xiaomen's martial soul would be the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but the innate soul power would not be very high. Still, he couldn't help but curse viciously in his heart:
"A lowly bloodline tainting my noble Blue Lightning bloodline, a bastard born of servants. I hope your martial soul mutates into something malicious, with less than level 3 soul power. Trash should stay in the trash."
But Yu Xiaogang's expectation was shattered.
A dragon's roar resounded through the Awakening Hall, and behind Yu Xiaomen appeared a domineering projection of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Its presence completely overshadowed the three cousins who had just awakened before him. The elders all looked at Yu Xiaomen in astonishment and doubt.
Yu Xiaogang stared at Yu Xiaomen, his mind momentarily blank. Then he muttered to himself:
"Impossible... absolutely impossible. That must be a hollow display, nothing more."
The awakening master, visibly excited, took out a crystal ball and said, "Come, let's test your innate soul power."
With a racing heart, Yu Xiaomen placed his hand on the crystal ball. Yu Yuanzhen and the elders all fell silent, holding their breath as they watched.
In an instant, a brilliant light burst forth from the crystal ball, illuminating the entire Awakening Hall.
"Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Innate soul power..."
After checking several times, the awakening master finally declared:
"Innate level 9.5 soul power!"
Yu Yuanzhen shot to his feet, laughing heartily. "Good! Good! Good! When I awakened my martial soul back in the day, it was about the same. This child takes after me—truly my blood!"
"Clan Leader's bloodline is remarkable indeed. Even a child born of a servant can possess such high soul power. He's destined to become a Title Douluo, and may even touch the level of a Super Douluo," praised Yu Luoguan.
"If Xiaomen's soul power is this high, then when Xiaogang awakens, won't it blow everyone's minds?" Yu Luotang chuckled. "It seems our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is entering its own Twin Stars era."
Everyone in the hall now looked at Yu Xiaomen with joy, envy, and admiration—everyone except one person.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the light coming from the crystal ball in complete disbelief.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
That bastard, the child of a servant—after all these years, with mother secretly feeding him root-destroying herbs, and me constantly bullying and suppressing him to stunt his growth—you're telling me he still awakened with 9.5 soul power???
But no matter how unbelievable it was, it was still the reality. Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists tightly, his gaze filled with hatred toward Yu Xiaomen.
Originally, he had only allowed this guy to live so he could serve as a pathetic contrast to his own brilliance. But now, he had underestimated him. This bastard actually had such a high talent!
Yu Xiaogang had never doubted his own supreme talent. But so what? Even if he had full innate soul power, he couldn't change the fact that Yu Xiaomen had caught the clan leader's eye, would be heavily cultivated by the clan, and had a real chance at becoming a Title Douluo—a formidable rival.
"Next, Yu Xiaogang."
Yu Xiaomen calmly concealed his shock and excitement as he walked down the stage with composure.
On the other side, hearing his name called, Yu Xiaogang suppressed his displeasure and made his way up to the platform.
As the two passed each other, Yu Xiaogang gave Yu Xiaomen a cold look and said:
"Don't get cocky. If even the child of a servant can awaken such high soul power, then mine will only be higher."
Yu Xiaomen smiled and responded warmly:
"Then I wish you the best in awakening full innate soul power, Brother."
Yu Xiaogang scowled. "Don't call me brother. In the clan, you should address me as Young Master Xiaogang."
With that, he turned his head and walked up onto the platform.
At that moment, everyone's eyes were focused solely on Yu Xiaogang. This filled him with immense pride. Yu Xiaomen, so what if you have the potential of a Title Douluo? Right now, all eyes are still on me, Yu Xiaogang. Your talent might be high, but mine will be higher!
And yet, deep down, Yu Xiaogang's heart remained shrouded in gloom. His biggest wish had been for that bastard to remain trash—someone who would look up to him forever. Now that wish had crumbled.
Even if he awakened full innate soul power, it wouldn't erase the clan's growing interest in Yu Xiaomen.
Should he... find a chance to cripple him?
Once that thought entered his mind, it wouldn't go away. But Yu Xiaogang knew he'd have to prove himself even more valuable to the clan to get away with it. Just being a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon with full innate soul power wasn't enough. Ideally, he would awaken something even stronger—like the legendary Golden Holy Dragon martial soul.
Yes, the Golden Holy Dragon. With full innate soul power. Then he could destroy Yu Xiaomen and reduce that bastard to trash.
Yu Xiaogang walked into the awakening array, his mind full of dark thoughts.
The awakening formation activated, and golden light instantly enveloped the area around Yu Xiaogang.
A mighty dragon's roar echoed through the great hall. Behind him, the vague shadow of a massive dragon appeared. All the beast spirit masters present—including those with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit—felt a subtle but undeniable pressure weighing on them.
"This is…" Yu Luomian murmured in astonishment.
"Could it be?" Yu Luotang whispered with uncertainty.
Yu Yuanzhen abruptly stood up, more quickly than the other elders. He was the first to realize what was happening.
Standing below the platform, Yu Xiaomen watched the increasingly solid silhouette of the dragon behind Yu Xiaogang. Just moments ago, he had been basking in the joy of awakening a top-tier innate talent, but now that feeling was completely gone.
Haha… Hahahaha…
"I can feel it… It's a dragon—a Golden Holy Dragon… It's coming…"
Yu Xiaogang was overwhelmed with excitement. He raised his head and opened his eyes. Within them, it seemed a golden dragon soared and danced.
"My spirit—Golden Holy Dragon—hahaha! My spirit—Golden Holy Dragon!"
"From this day forward, I shall become the second person in the recorded history of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to awaken the Golden Holy Dragon. My legend begins today. I will make the entire continent remember the name of Dragon God Douluo Yu Xiaogang for ten thousand years!"
The blissful sensation made Yu Xiaogang close his eyes in delight, immersing himself completely in the euphoria of spirit awakening.
Suddenly—a strange change occurred.
Normally, a spirit would condense fully in one go, but this dragon shadow remained unstable, failing to fully solidify into a complete spirit.
Everyone stared in frozen shock, their eyes wide open. Yu Xiaogang too sensed that something was wrong. He opened his eyes and looked at the insubstantial shadow of the Golden Holy Dragon behind him, completely at a loss.
Then, the shadow let out a pained cry—and began to leak from the side.
"Golden Holy Dragon! My Golden Holy Dragon—NO!"
Yu Xiaogang frantically tried to grasp the disintegrating image of the dragon.
"What's going on?!" a sect disciple asked in confusion.
"This is bad. His spirit is mutating," Yu Yuanzhen said grimly.
At those words, the entire hall fell into tense silence. Everyone's heart sank.
Spirit mutations could be good or bad, but if Yu Xiaogang's spirit was indeed the Golden Holy Dragon, then there was only one possible result—a malignant mutation. After all, within human knowledge, no beast spirit ranked higher than the Golden Holy Dragon.
This conclusion drove Yu Xiaogang into complete panic. He screamed in despair:
"No! My Golden Holy Dragon, don't leave me! How can I live without you…"
In the end, the Golden Holy Dragon collapsed and vanished.
What remained was a plump, purple, grotesquely ugly creature. It looked vaguely like a dog, yet as fat as a pig.
The little creature immediately formed a faint spiritual connection with Yu Xiaogang. It affectionately rubbed against his pants leg and let out a series of pig-like squeals:
"Oink oink oink…"
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head, hiding his expression from everyone.
The hall fell deathly silent. Only the soft pig squeals echoed in the still air.
Despite everything, Yu Xiaogang was still the sect leader's son. Yu Yuanzhen's authority lingered in the air, so no one dared openly comment. Yet all eyes were cast on Yu Xiaogang—eyes full of scrutiny.
"Still…" Yu Yuanzhen broke the silence.
"Let's test his innate soul power first. After all, a spirit's strength can't be judged solely by its appearance."
He still believed there might be a sliver of hope left for his son.
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang abruptly raised his head and shouted at the Awakening Master:
"Yes! Quickly test my innate soul power—quickly!"
The Awakening Master nodded and moved the crystal ball in front of him.
"Young Master, if you would."
Yu Xiaogang nervously placed his hand on the orb. A faint, nearly imperceptible glow flickered within it.
Once again, everyone was stunned.
Time ticked by. Finally, in a fit of rage, Yu Xiaogang snatched the crystal ball and smashed it to the ground, shattering it to pieces.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! That crystal ball must be broken—IT MUST BE!"
Yu Yuanzhen's face turned dark and unpleasant. He turned to the Awakening Master.
"Bring another one for Xiaogang."
"Yes!" The Awakening Master brought a second crystal ball.
This time, Yu Xiaogang immediately pressed his hand down. Again—just a tiny, barely visible flicker of light.
Another ball shattered.
"Another one!" Yu Xiaogang roared in fury.
After the third crystal ball gave the same result, Yu Xiaogang was about to smash it when Yu Luomian scolded sharply:
"Yu Xiaogang! Even if you can't accept it, you cannot change the fact that your spirit has degenerated into a useless one! Breaking the sect's property won't change anything!"
Yu Yuanzhen covered his face with one hand and gestured to the Awakening Master with the other. In a pained voice, he said:
"Announce the result."
The Awakening Master nodded.
"Innate soul power…"
He pulled a magnifying glass from his sleeve and studied the crystal ball for a long time.
"Zero point… five. That's right, innate soul power 0.5. Sect Master."
Murmurs erupted around the room.
"What? He only has 0.5 innate soul power?"
"What kind of spirit is that? Looks like a dog—not a dog. Like a pig—not a pig. And the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon mutated into this thing?"
As more people began whispering, the remarks grew increasingly bold.
"No way… Did our proud Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon really mutate into that thing? But Yu Xiaogang is the Sect Master's real son… or…"
"With the Sect Master's elite bloodline—just look at Xiaomen, who was born from a mere maidservant and awakened with 9.5 innate soul power—and yet Yu Xiaogang only got 0.5? Doesn't that say it all?"
"0.5? That's just the Awakening Master being polite."
"I refuse to believe our mighty and majestic Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could awaken something this… less than a pig or a dog."
"I've been flattering this guy for six years, what a joke!"
Each mocking comment stabbed into Yu Xiaogang's heart like steel needles, driving him into agony. He suddenly looked up—straight at Yu Xiaomen.
Yu Xiaomen said nothing, but returned the gaze. Their eyes locked. On Yu Xiaomen's face was an indescribable expression.
Mockery. He's mocking me. This bastard is mocking me!
Yu Xiaogang could tolerate the entire sect mocking him—but not him.
Not this bastard born of a lowly servant!
Why?! Why does he get a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and 9.5 soul power—while I awaken something lower than swine with only 0.5?
Yu Xiaogang snapped.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH——"
He screamed and wept, overcome with grief and fury.
Howling like an ape, tears staining his robe.
Then—he ran.
Yuxiaomen stepped out of the Awakening Hall, watching the figure of Yuxiaogang running off into the distance. He stumbled over a rock and fell, then struggled to get back up, continuing to run away.
He lifted his head, looking at the brilliant sunlight in the sky. Stretching out his hand, he seemed to want to grasp that warmth.
"What a good show I just witnessed," Yuxiaomen said softly. Then, as if reminiscing, he added, "Mother, I haven't let you down. I've awakened a powerful spirit... It's just that this Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon..." A trace of disgust appeared on his face as he finished the sentence.
Then he said joyfully, "Hmph, no matter. For now, I don't plan to leave the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"How did he manage with such a low level of innate spirit power?" Huo Yuhao wondered aloud.
Innate spirit power determines the potential growth ceiling of a spirit master. By all accounts, Yuxiaogang's talent should be sufficient to cultivate to the level of a spirit master. But in the original story, before taking the Nine-Grade Purple Zhi, he still somehow managed to reach the level of Grandmaster.
Many works attribute this to consuming a massive amount of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's resources. That might be part of it, but ordinary resources shouldn't be able to achieve something like this.
If it was merely by relying on heavenly treasures to break through his natural limits and raise Yuxiaogang to level 29, then in a way, Yuxiaogang could still be considered a miracle-making genius. After all, have you ever seen anyone else with innate spirit power as low as his reach the Grandmaster level?
So, is Yuxiaogang a genius? Judging by the plot of Douluo Dalu's first world, the word "genius" has nothing to do with him.
There must be something suspicious about Yuxiaogang's growth.
Although Huo Yuhao could deduce Yuxiaogang's future fate, just like watching a drama, if you already know the ending from the beginning, then the rest of the story loses its charm.
Three days—or not even three—were all it took for everything to change.
The once-cautious boy Yuxiaomen, who even servants could trample over, had now become the most gifted youth of the clan's younger generation. If he continued to grow smoothly, he would certainly occupy a prominent position in the Douluo Palace in the future.
His father no longer treated him coldly but instead showed him constant concern. Upon learning of Yun-niang's past suffering, Yu Yuanzhen was furious and immediately ordered the execution of all the servants who had bullied her.
Other branches of the clan began urging their children to curry favor with Yuxiaomen. Though his identity as the clan's young master hadn't been officially confirmed yet, Yuxiaomen now enjoyed all the privileges that had once belonged to Yuxiaogang. Wherever he walked within the clan, everyone had to bow their heads respectfully and greet him with: "Young Master Xiaomen."
That day, Yu Yuanzhen handed over the Clan Master's Token to Yuxiaomen and said, "Xiaomen, from now on, this token is yours. With it, you may access any area of the clan. You can also use it to claim cultivation resources and request the elders to hunt spirit beasts for you."
After saying this, Yu Yuanzhen turned and began walking in a certain direction.
"Father, are you going to see Big Brother Xiaogang?" Yuxiaomen asked with concern.
Yu Yuanzhen sighed and replied, "He is, after all, my son too—your elder brother. He's locked himself in his room for three whole days without food or water."
"Mm, Father, please make sure to comfort Big Brother Xiaogang," Yuxiaomen said earnestly.
Yu Yuanzhen nodded, then headed straight for Yuxiaogang's room. From behind the door, faint sobs could be heard.
He frowned, recalling the moment of the awakening ceremony—Yuxiaogang's initial martial spirit awakening could not be faked. It had clearly been the Golden Holy Dragon. But something had gone wrong, and it mutated into the Losancannon.
Although that was a trash spirit, Yu Yuanzhen had a vague sense that this spirit had a mysterious connection to the Golden Holy Dragon. He already had some guesses about what caused the mutation. After all, Yuxiaogang was once the child he doted on the most.
Yu Yuanzhen felt that maybe Xiaogang could still be saved.
He twisted the door handle and pushed the door open.
The room was pitch-black, but sunlight from outside spilled in, revealing floating dust motes in the air.
Standing in the light, Yu Yuanzhen's gaze quickly found Yuxiaogang curled up and shivering under the blanket.
He said harshly, "Xiaogang, what are you doing shutting yourself away in here?"
Yuxiaogang's eyes were bloodshot, his face streaked with tears. He cried bitterly, "Father, why did I awaken the Losancannon? It was clearly the Golden Holy Dragon at first…"
"Even if you cry from morning to night and night to morning, can you cry the Golden Holy Dragon back?" Yu Yuanzhen shot back.
"With your talent, it's hard for you to become a spirit master. Even if the clan has the means to forcibly push you past that threshold, the resources required wouldn't be worth it," he continued.
Yuxiaogang jolted in alarm. He pleaded desperately, "No, don't! I want to be a spirit master! I don't want to be a normal person. Father, are you all going to abandon me?"
The difference between a spirit scholar and a spirit master is a vast chasm of social status—it represents the essential divide between 99% of ordinary people on the continent and the few spirit masters who stand at the top.
Telling Yuxiaogang to become a regular person was no different than sentencing him to death. Though he lacked the courage for suicide, growing old and dying in obscurity was still a kind of death.
Looking at his son's pleading expression, Yu Yuanzhen suppressed his displeasure and said, "Listen to me first. Do you remember the semi-formed Golden Holy Dragon during your martial spirit awakening? That was the turning point of your life. Your martial spirit was blocked by something. One more step forward, and you'd have soared; but failing that step, you fell into an abyss. Your physical and mental attributes weren't strong enough to support the transformation toward the Golden Holy Dragon. So it regressed, mutating into the Losancannon."
"So don't underestimate your martial spirit. There must be some connection between the Losancannon and the Golden Holy Dragon."
At these words, Yuxiaogang suddenly had a revelation—and along with it, a deep hatred for the Losancannon. He thought bitterly: You were supposed to be the Golden Holy Dragon. Why did you devolve into the Losancannon? Why?!
Yu Yuanzhen continued, "Since the Golden Holy Dragon could degenerate into the Losancannon, then surely there's a way to evolve it back."
"What way?" Yuxiaogang asked urgently.
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head. "I don't know."
"But now, I'm giving you two choices: Will you become a dragon, or a pig?"
"If you choose the latter, the clan will train you as a managerial talent. You'll oversee the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's industries. As long as I live, you won't suffer, and the clan won't make things difficult for you."
"But if you want to become a dragon, I will support you as much as I can—but the path is one you must carve out yourself. You'll need to work two hundred times harder than other spirit masters to walk this thorn-filled road."
"I want to become a dragon, Father," Yu Xiaogang said without hesitation.
He had no intention of being an ordinary person who merely managed affairs. In this life, he was determined to step into the noble ranks of soul masters. Not only that, but he also wanted to evolve his martial soul into the Golden Holy Dragon and make those who looked down on him pay the price.
"Good." Yu Yuanzhen took out a Sect Master's Token and handed it to Yu Xiaogang, saying, "With this token, you may claim your cultivation resources. For the next three years, you need only focus on physical training and meridian cleansing. Come to me again after three years."
Yu Xiaogang nodded and accepted the token.
Yu Yuanzhen cautioned him, "During these three years, focus solely on strengthening your body. Your soul power level won't increase much, so don't let that affect your mentality. After three years, leave the matter of increasing your soul power to me."
"Yes, Father."
With his father's support, Yu Xiaogang was filled with determination.
The next day, Yu Xiaogang went to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Resource Pavilion to line up for his monthly cultivation supplies. Within the clan, disciples were categorized as core disciples, direct-line disciples, collateral disciples, outer disciples, and external disciples. The cultivation resources allocated to each category were different.
When it was Yu Xiaogang's turn, he placed the Sect Master's Token before the elder responsible for distribution and said, "One share of core disciple cultivation resources, plus a month's worth of body-tempering materials."
As soon as he spoke, it caused an uproar. The surrounding disciples expressed their discontent.
"What? Yu Xiaogang can get core disciple resources too?"
"His innate soul power is only 0.5. Giving him resources is just a waste. What is the sect thinking?"
"I'm an innate level 5 soul power disciple and only received direct-line resources. Why does Yu Xiaogang get more?"
"Because he has a Sect Master for a father—that alone is enough," one disciple mocked.
Yu Xiaogang kept his head down, hiding his expression. His fists were clenched tightly.
The elder, too, felt Yu Xiaogang wasn't worth nurturing. Allocating resources to him felt like a waste. But faced with the Sect Master's Token, the elder swallowed his words and instructed others to prepare the requested supplies.
After collecting the resources, Yu Xiaogang walked away in dejection, surrounded by mockery and disapproval.
He didn't notice that among the crowd, Yu Xiaomen was silently watching his retreating back.
"Young Master Xiaomen, should I have someone intercept the resources in his hands?" a direct-line disciple asked with a fawning tone.
"Don't do anything unnecessary. The Sect Master gave him that token—he must have his reasons," Yu Xiaomen said, shaking his head.
...
In the days that followed, Yu Xiaogang endured the scorn and cold gazes of the sect, diligently collecting a large amount of resources each month. He consumed spirit herbs like meals and soaked in medicinal baths daily. Though considered a talentless waste, his extravagance made other disciples jealous with envy.
While one year passed in the lower world, time in the Divine Realm flowed like water—swift and fleeting.
A divine officer entered the main hall and reported to Huo Yuhao, "Your Majesty, the god seed in the Sanctuary of Sacred Molding has been fully repaired."
Huo Yuhao closed the Eye of Eternity and followed the officer into the Sacred Molding Hall.
Inside the splendid and empty sanctuary stood only a celestial spirit array. Eight crystal towers formed the array, guiding the divine aura from around the Eternal God Temple toward the central god seed.
When Huo Yuhao looked at the seed again, the fine crack he had seen last time had completely disappeared—no trace remained.
The god seed exuded a holy and luminous aura. However, after countless years of erosion, it had gradually shifted toward a dark and corrupted energy.
To understand the origin of this god seed, one had to go back to when Huo Yuhao traveled through the chaotic flow of time and space.
As the God King of Emotions, Huo Yuhao was extraordinarily sensitive to emotional fluctuations. In the turbulence, he sensed an overwhelming wave of emotion—regret and loneliness!
Following that emotional trail, he discovered its source—a shattered god seed adrift in the temporal maelstrom. This god seed housed a long-deceased spirit that had never entered reincarnation.
He collected the broken god seed and recognized its origin—it was the God Seed of the Angel God.
After ascending to godhood, Huo Yuhao brought the seed to the Divine Realm and slowly repaired it using the divine spirit energy available there.
The soul residing within the seed was none other than Qian Renxue, the former Angel God.
This was a main god-level god seed. It could be used to nurture formidable combat power, but possessing the seed didn't automatically grant one the title of Angel God. That's because the current world already had an Angel God— Qian Renxue.
The god seed could help you cultivate to divine-level combat strength, but to truly become the Angel God, you would either have to defeat and replace the current one or receive her legacy.
Likewise, in this era, even though Huo Yuhao possessed the god seeds of Life and Destruction, he couldn't ascend via them either. The Divine Realm's rules did not permit two gods with the same divine position to exist within a single universe. The options were the same: defeat, inherit, or—Huo Yuhao's third option—fuse the god seeds and carve a new path.
Huo Yuhao deactivated the formation and took the god seed into his hand, sensing the aura it emitted. Angels were supposed to be holy and radiant, but this one radiated an entirely opposite attribute, as if born of calamity and darkness.
It was likely that Qian Renxue had experienced something tragic in her later years, which twisted both her soul and her god seed.
Huo Yuhao used his divine power to extract her soul essence from the god seed. It emerged as a violet-black orb of light, within which her faint figure could be seen. Her hair was snowy white, she wore a black and gold dress-armor hybrid, and her six angelic wings were a deep purple-black, exuding an ominous aura. This alluring and eerie woman was sleeping peacefully.
When Huo Yuhao first encountered her, her soul was in a shattered, miserable state—much like Elder Yi back then. But now, nourished by divine spiritual energy, she had largely recovered.
She was an angel who, having lost everything to Tang San, fell into hatred, corruption, and solitude.
Huo Yuhao decided to resurrect her and send her to the lower world. A script had already taken shape in his mind.
Perhaps this would turn out to be Tang San's karma.
He hurled Qian Renxue's soul forward and directly used divine power to revive her!
The reason he waited until now to revive her was due to the cost of doing so. If he had tried to revive a Qian Renxue whose godhood had been shattered, restoring the Angel God position along with her would've consumed a tremendous amount of divine power. Even a God King like him would have paid a heavy price.
In the original story, Bibi Dong once killed Tang San but failed to destroy his Sea God divinity completely. Otherwise, how could two second-class gods have revived a main god?
In contrast, Huo Yuhao in his previous life had done a clean job. When he crushed Tang San's divine heart, he also obliterated both of Tang San's godhoods—Shura God and Sea God.
Huo Yuhao's gaze now turned toward the slowly awakening Qian Renxue.
"… live well."
Her hand trembled as she gently stroked her cheek, but ultimately fell limply to her side.
Heaven seemed to be playing a cruel joke on me.
My entire life had been shrouded in ignorance, and only at the moment of my mother's death did I finally learn the truth. But by then, it was far too late to change anything.
My godhood was shattered. My mother died by his sword.
The city walls collapsed, smoke and fire engulfed the skies, and the armies of two great empires stormed the Spirit Hall, pillaging at will. I witnessed a thousand years of Spirit Hall legacy destroyed in a single day.
No words can describe the pain of helplessness and regret I carry in my heart.
After burying my mother and the predecessors who fell in this war, I hid in the shadows, watching in silence as the victors reveled.
What pained me most wasn't their celebration atop the ruins of the Spirit Empire, but—
In a small village, a child timidly asked,
"Grandpa Village Chief, are the bad guys gone?"
The village chief comforted,
"Don't be afraid, child. The evil Spirit Empire that tried to invade Heaven Dou is gone for good."
"They were defeated by Lord Sea God."
Grandpa… are these the people I swore to protect?
My mother became the sinner of Spirit Hall.
She led it into injustice and made it the target of all.
I tried to save it, to rule the continent with my own hands, to spread the glory of angels across this land…
Yet in the end, it was Tang San, the Sea God, who became the continent's new faith.
Our era ended.
The Shrek Seven Devils became legends.
People praised the golden age of the Sea God and watched as they ascended, never realizing that a demon had been set loose.
The old order collapsed, and no new order took its place.
The Sea God ruled through sheer might, but after his ascension, darkness began to stir once more in the unseen corners.
Though Spirit Hall's era ended, spirit awakening never ceased.
Each territory implemented its own policies, awakening only their own people.
Some regions offered no awakening at all, dooming countless talented commoners.
Even where commoners could awaken, their talent became mere fodder for nobles.
Those civilian soul masters who once claimed they just wanted freedom, not to be dogs of Spirit Hall…
Are you truly free now?
With no Spirit Hall, the Sea God's ceasefire ended.
After his ascension, wars once again plagued the world.
And yet, even after millennia, the Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires maintained a strange balance—neither could overcome the other.
I saw it all.
Tang Sect sold hidden weapons, Shrek Academy exported talent, and Haotian Clan and other forces left by Tang San manipulated the continent behind the scenes.
For thousands of years, the continent remained in this cold stalemate until Heaven Dou fractured into two, triggering endless wars between three nations.
And I—
My life had long since ended.
But the shattered godseed fused with my soul, preventing my reincarnation and leaving me drifting helplessly in the river of time.
I bore witness to all that would come.
The first evil soul master uprising.
They emerged from the shadows, bringing devastation wherever they passed.
They cultivated using blood and souls—each high-level evil soul master left behind mountains of corpses.
Only then did people begin to pray for the return of angels.
Yes…
Our lineage holds a natural advantage over evil soul masters.
Once an angel-type soul master reaches the Titled Douluo level, they become death itself to them.
Even a single Angel Titled Douluo could slaughter an extreme-level evil soul master with ease.
In Spirit Hall's golden age, every pope was an angel. Some reached the pinnacle.
Evil soul masters stood no chance.
But after our defeat, our bloodline disappeared into hiding.
Any angel soul master that appeared was quickly and brutally eliminated by evil soul masters.
They would never allow an angel soul master to reach Titled status again.
Still, the evil soul master scourge continued.
Shrek Academy, like a savior, struck back.
They unleashed the Sea God's Light, subduing them.
The survivors, bathed in the holy light, thanked the Sea God from the depths of their hearts.
But evil soul masters came in waves—one after another—persisting for tens of thousands of years.
Six thousand years later, I saw another continent drift across the sea.
With ambitions much like ours, they launched a war to conquer this land.
They had an advantage with soul tools, but Shrek Academy's influence halted their advance.
Still, these soul tools spelled the decline of Tang Sect, founded by the Sea God.
Four thousand years later, a genius akin to Tang San revived Tang Sect, bringing it to a new pinnacle.
In that era, the Sun-Moon Empire launched a war of unification, only to be stopped at the final moment—
By none other than Tang San, now a god of ten thousand years.
The young genius of that time also achieved godhood…
But he was merely another of Tang San's hounds.
Millennia passed.
The continent finally unified, but spatial rifts appeared, and beings from other realms began to invade.
Heroic stories emerged—brave souls stood at the rift frontlines to fend off the intruders.
It was moving. Glorious. Tragic.
But I felt only soul-deep dread.
For I knew something others didn't.
Tang San's father had become the master of the plane.
His mother had fused with the core of life.
They could have stopped it all…
But instead, they watched with cold detachment as catastrophe befell the world.
My consciousness, worn down by the river of time, was on the verge of collapse.
I remembered that moment from twenty thousand years ago—
"Grandpa Village Chief, are the bad guys gone?"
"Don't be afraid, child. The evil Spirit Empire that wanted to invade Heaven Dou will never return."
The lamb and the wolf drove away the tiger.
How laughably ironic.
At last, I felt my soul reaching the end.
My awareness began to disintegrate...
"Mother… I'm coming to find you…"
…
Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion.
She found herself within a vast and majestic hall, surrounded by a celestial aura capable of granting immortality.
There was no sensation of a wandering spirit—
Instead, she felt whole once more. Her body had returned.
Almost instinctively, she summoned her Martial Soul.
Fallen Angel.
Six black, three red rings—
The same configuration from back then.
The side effects of her shattered divinity were gone, but so too was the godhood itself.
She was now a Level 99 Limit Douluo. A quasi-god.
A voice rang out gently—
"Welcome back, Qian Renxue."