The Divine Realm was always shrouded in a golden haze, dreamlike and ethereal.
Clouds drifted gently, islands floated in the mist, and palaces stood in splendor.
Each palace was home to a god and their kin, each radiating divine presence and majesty.
Among them, one stood out, radiating blue-gold light, like a star. Waves surged around it, and at its center stood a tall golden trident statue—majestic and powerful.
Above the doorway, the words "Sea God Hall" were written in ancient script, exuding the awe of a god-king.
Inside, all was silent.
A handsome youth with deep blue hair sat cross-legged. This was Tang San, the Sea God, one of the Divine Realm's enforcers.
Suddenly, Tang San's eyes snapped open, a hint of doubt in his gaze.
Just now, one of his pieces had failed to work as planned—this tiny deviation caused a flaw in his carefully laid plan.
Though not a fatal issue, cautious as he was, any mistake caught his attention.
He closed his eyes, sending out a wisp of divine sense, crossing space to Douluo Continent.
Tracing the fading aura of his piece, his divine sense sped to the Extreme North, finally stopping where the trail vanished.
Blue-gold divine power spread from the divine sense, trying to reconstruct what had happened.
As the scene began to shift, a pitch-black serpent shadow suddenly lunged from the void, lightning-fast, fangs bared, biting at the divine sense.
"Hmph!" A low, majestic snort rang out from the divine sense like thunder.
A golden trident appeared, piercing the serpent shadow and tearing off a mass of strange purple energy.
Before Tang San could react, the serpent's tail swept by, collapsing the mountain in a cataclysmic blow.
The serpent shadow dissolved into light and vanished.
Tang San realized the other side wasn't aiming to attack him, but to erase all traces from the scene.
Realizing he'd been tricked, another angry snort issued from his divine sense.
He tried to pursue the remaining traces but stopped abruptly.
After a moment's thought, he took the captured purple energy and quickly returned to the Divine Realm.
In the Sea God Hall, Tang San gripped the energy tightly, his expression grave.
He looked into the distance and saw a handsome boy with short purple hair and a cloak, eyes like blades, staring at the Sea God Hall, filled with warning.
The other gods sensed the tension, but showed no surprise—they were used to the rivalry between Sea God and the God of Destruction.
Compared to past confrontations, this was restrained.
"Xiao San, what's wrong? That Destruction guy bothering you again?" A clear, melodious voice rang out.
A beautiful girl with a scorpion-tail braid appeared, mature and charming—Tang San's beloved, the Asura Sword's Scabbard, Xiao Wu.
"Just a small problem on Douluo Continent. I sent a divine sense to investigate and Destruction found it," Tang San said, rarely hiding things from her.
"Destruction is too much! You're an enforcer, protecting the worlds is your job. Just a wisp of divine sense—why does he care?" Xiao Wu pouted, glaring at the Destruction God Hall.
"Let it go, Xiao Wu. I did overstep—Destruction just gave me a warning. Best not to escalate things."
Tang San patted her head gently.
He knew he couldn't afford a full confrontation yet; the God of Destruction was an old God-King with elite subordinates. He needed more power and allies before making a move.
"Xiao San, what's this? Such high-level energy—not inferior to divinity, but so unfamiliar." Xiao Wu noticed the purple energy, curious.
"That's the anomaly on Douluo Continent. I'm not sure if it's from an otherworldly being or some rare artifact."
Tang San was puzzled too. Douluo Continent was under his close watch. If an otherworldly strongman had entered, he'd know.
But something unexpected had happened, affecting his plans.
Luckily, the main plan was still on track.
He glanced at Xiao Wu, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
He knew if she learned what he'd done to Wutong, she'd be furious.
But he had no choice. To advance further and suppress the God of Destruction, he needed Douluo's fortune and its children of destiny to ascend and become his right hand.
Thus, Wutong had become a necessary sacrifice in his plan.
But in Tang San's mind, it wasn't a real sacrifice—just two fragments of Wutong's soul.
Her main soul was still with him, asleep; to her, it would all seem just a passing dream.
Besides, he was helping her accumulate experience for her future as a god.
Even as a God-King's daughter, becoming a true god was tough; she'd have to overcome many trials herself.
That's why Tang San had arranged everything for her, believing it was for her own good.
Yet, he still needed a son. His deep-seated preference for sons remained, even as a God-King.
He looked at Xiao Wu, who blushed as she noticed his gaze.
In this tender moment, neither sensed the purple energy quietly dispersing, tendrils merging with the Divine Realm.
…
Back in Haiyuan City, Herta smiled meaningfully. "You really do know the so-called Sea God inside out. As you expected, he took some Honkai energy from the serpent and brought it to the Divine Realm."
Lu Jingming wasn't surprised.
He'd long suspected the Snow Empress' troubles were linked to Sea God Tang San.
And since he'd disrupted Tang San's plans, Tang San was bound to take notice—just as Lu Jingming hoped.
"Then, Lady Herta, have you locked onto the Divine Realm's coordinates?" Lu Jingming asked.
"Though it's in a different dimension, Honkai energy is so conspicuous here. With the Cosmic Juggernaut Inverted Horizons, it was easy to find the Divine Realm's location."
Herta was confident—it hadn't been hard. Even without the Honkai energy as a beacon, she could have found it in time.
"Good. The next phase of the plan depends on you." Lu Jingming relaxed.
"You really know how to order me around. You're the first to treat me this way. Don't forget what you promised to get me."
Herta pretended to pout, but her motives were clear.
"Don't worry—I won't forget!"
Lu Jingming replied wryly. What Herta wanted could only be created by his true power—it looked like he'd have to pay a hefty price this time.
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