Chapter 229: Bai Xiu Xiu's Gratitude
The path to godhood was now monopolized by human soul masters. No matter how powerful a soul beast was, there was no longer any chance of ascending. Even Beast God Di Tian, the ruler of the Great Star Dou Forest, could see no hope of becoming a god.
For Bai Xiu Xiu, godhood felt like an impossibly distant dream. After all, if someone as powerful as Di Tian couldn't ascend, what chance did she have? The so called title of "Beast God" was nothing more than an empty name.
Her immediate goal was much simpler she wanted to reach 100,000 years of cultivation. That way, she could take human form and explore the human world. She had lived in the ocean for far too long, and honestly, she was getting sick of it.
Curious, she asked, "Elder, why did you suddenly appear here? My mother once told me that the Divine Realm has a strict rule gods cannot interfere in the mortal world. As a divine beast, shouldn't you be residing in the Divine Realm?"**
Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. "Bai Xiu Xiu, to be precise, the Divine Realm is no longer a home for divine beasts. Soul beasts can no longer ascend to godhood this is an unbreakable law."
There were still soul beasts in the Divine Realm, but most of them were either beasts with traces of divine bloodline or beings that had existed since the realm's creation. None of them held a true divine position.
Thus, the title of "divine beast" was now nothing more than an empty honorific.
Bai Xiu Xiu was shocked. "Elder, I thought only the soul beasts left behind on the Douluo Star were unable to ascend. But you're saying there are no true divine beasts in the Divine Realm at all? Is this law truly unchangeable?"
As a soul beast, she naturally viewed the world from a soul beast's perspective. Even though she admired the human world, it didn't change the fact that she was still a soul beast.
Huo Yuhao sighed. "It can be changed but only with overwhelming power. You must be familiar with Tang San, right? He was the one who altered this law."
Bai Xiu Xiu panicked. "Elder! You must not speak the Sea God's name so casually! My mother told me that when the Sea God was still mortal, she could call him by name. But after he ascended, speaking his name directly became an act of great disrespect!
Doing so might even bring divine punishment!"
Divine punishment?
Huo Yuhao was momentarily puzzled.
He could understand why Tang San's attitude had changed after becoming a god after all, Tang San had always been like that. When he first went to the Clear Sky Sect, he was humble, but after gaining power, he forcefully silenced anyone who had criticized his father.
So, for Tang San to enforce reverence for his name was not surprising.
But divine punishment?
Could Tang San truly issue divine punishment so easily?
According to Douluo's lore, true divine punishment required the use of the Divine Realm's central authority to penalize a specific god.
Even then, it was only effective against first rank gods and had limited impact on God Kings. In the original story, Tang San had chosen not to punish Destruction because divine punishment wouldn't have been effective.
Tang San was not a generous or tolerant person, but would he really waste the Divine Realm's central authority just to punish a random mortal for saying his name?
That would be like firing a cannon at a mosquito.
Curious, Huo Yuhao asked, "Bai Xiu Xiu, have you ever seen divine punishment? Do you know anyone who has been punished?"
Bai Xiu Xiu hesitated, deep in thought. "No... I've only heard my mother talk about it. But… my mother wouldn't lie to me… right?"
Huo Yuhao guessed that Xiao Bai had probably fabricated the story to scare Bai Xiu Xiu into behaving.
Xiao Bai wasn't stupid. She understood how power worked. In the past, she could call Tang San by name, but now? She probably addressed him with the utmost reverence.
After all, Tang San's power had skyrocketed, and between them now stood an insurmountable divide.
Huo Yuhao decided to steer the conversation back on track. "Bai Xiu Xiu, if just saying his name could bring divine punishment, then countless people on the Douluo Continent would have been struck down by now.
If divine punishment were that easily invoked, then how could it demonstrate the Sea God's true might?"
Bai Xiu Xiu pondered for a moment. Huo Yuhao made a good point.
So she asked, "Then, Elder, how exactly did Tang San break this so called unbreakable law?"
Huo Yuhao patiently explained the cases of Da Ming and Er Ming. However, he omitted the part about Xiao Wu, since her situation was unique she had become the scabbard of the Shura God's sword.
After listening, Bai Xiu Xiu's clear blue eyes burned with frustration. She angrily flicked her tail.
"So, the so called 'iron law' only applies to certain soul beasts? It's nothing more than an arbitrary rule?
That's so unfair! Even if we cultivate to the peak of our species, we have no chance of ascending we either die of old age or perish under the tribulation.
My mother served two generations of Sea Gods, yet she was never given the chance to become a god.
But Da Ming and Er Ming got to ascend just because of personal connections?
Tang San is really "
She bit her tongue, too afraid to finish her sentence.
After all, Tang San was the Sea God. For an innocent young soul beast princess, his presence was still immensely intimidating.
Huo Yuhao chuckled inwardly.
Unfairness was nothing new.
Tang San trained soul beasts like loyal pets, stole the Golden Dragon Spear, created an entire valley just to torment people, and even used divine intervention to force the Sun Moon Empire to retreat.
If it benefited him, he would twist the laws of the Divine Realm without hesitation. If he couldn't break a rule outright, he would find loopholes.
Luckily, none of those things had happened yet. There was still time to change everything.
Huo Yuhao's voice turned solemn. "Bai Xiu Xiu, I have a way to help soul beasts ascend to godhood.
I also have a way to change the fate of soul beasts to make them great again!"
Bai Xiu Xiu's eyes widened in shock.
"Really?!"
If she could become a god, she could stay in the human world indefinitely!
After listening to Huo Yuhao's explanation, she had learned that gods were allowed to live in the mortal world as long as they didn't interfere.
"Of course," Huo Yuhao said. "But first, I need your help."
Without hesitation, Bai Xiu Xiu declared, "Alright! Elder, you saved my life of course I'll help you! This is what humans call repaying kindness!"
Huo Yuhao smiled. "First, I need you to gather information.
Among the sea soul beasts you can contact, how many have unwavering faith in the Sea God Tang San?
Make me a list."
That way, he could "pay them a visit" later.
If Huo Yuhao wanted to sever Tang San's sources of faith, he needed to proceed step by step.
The Sea God's Island was a special case there were divine senses at play, so he would deal with that later.
But sea soul beasts?
They were one of Tang San's biggest sources of divine faith.
Even if each individual sea soul beast provided only a small amount, their sheer numbers made them a force to be reckoned with.
And since Bai Xiu Xiu was so easily fooled, Huo Yuhao couldn't just outright declare war on Tang San.
If he said, "Down with the Sea God! The ocean belongs to soul beasts!", Bai Xiu Xiu would probably bolt immediately.
(End of chapter.)
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