It could be said that Tang San's taming of Huo Yuhao, this favored son of fate, wasn't just about gaining an obedient lackey. It was all part of his grand, millennia-long plan.
From the moment Tang San set his sights on Huo Yuhao, the Sea God's scheme was already in motion, each step closely linked, aiming to wring every last bit from Douluo Star.
In the end, even the planet's consciousness and life core would be replaced.
To Lu Jingming, who had always contributed to the growth of Douluo Star, the planet's will seemed especially active and affectionate.
But Lu Jingming had no intention of getting close to the giant glowing orb of the planet's will—he simply thrust the Holy Grail into its consciousness.
With the help of the planet's will, the rules of the Holy Grail could now be spread throughout Douluo Star.
This way, the existence of the Holy Grail would be naturally known, Masters would appear automatically, and Lu Jingming wouldn't need to search for them one by one.
Entering the core space of the planet with his spiritual consciousness was still quite difficult for Lu Jingming, only made possible thanks to the help of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—normally, even gods couldn't reach this space.
Even regular gods would struggle; only first-class gods might have a chance, and those not born on this planet would even be repelled by its will.
As Lu Jingming signed the contract with the planet's will, planted the World Tree, and integrated the Holy Grail's rules into the planet, the Douluo God Realm was thrown into chaos.
…
In the Forbidden Land of the Gods, a golden dragon was sleeping inside a massive golden cocoon.
Suddenly, a black gem appeared out of nowhere, instantly dissolving into a torrent of Honkai energy that merged with the cocoon.
Sensing a familiar energy, the Golden Dragon King slowly opened his golden eyes and began to actively absorb this power.
Sealed and suppressed here, the Golden Dragon King had been gathering strength, but never found a real opportunity to break free and unleash destruction in the God Realm—a stifling situation for the embodiment of destruction.
The last time someone sent him a large amount of Honkai energy, he managed to shake the seal, and though he failed, he saw hope.
He didn't care who was helping him or about any hidden schemes—he only wanted to shatter the seal and go on a rampage.
So now, he embraced the Honkai energy, accelerating the fusion of the Herrscher of Rock's core with himself.
He knew that even after the fusion, his desire for destruction would only grow stronger, but that suited him perfectly.
He was the embodiment of the Dragon God's malice, wielding the Dragon God's power of destruction, and didn't care about becoming even more insane.
As time passed, the Golden Dragon King's power swelled madly.
The Herrscher of Rock's core was connected to the imaginary space of the universe, endlessly absorbing imaginary energy and converting it to Honkai energy for the Golden Dragon King.
Meanwhile, in the Sea God Hall, Tang San, through the contingencies he'd set up in the lower realm, had gathered much information and began to sense something was off.
If Huo Yuhao was the Child of Destiny, why did Shrek Academy lose in the Soul Master Tournament?
Why had Snow Empress, free from his control, grown so powerful, killed Dragon God Douluo Mu En, and forced Shrek to hand over Huo Yuhao?
And according to Wang Dong'er's memories, Huo Yuhao's personality had changed drastically, breaking from Tang San's control.
Piecing together the clues, the God King finally realized something was wrong and focused his attention on Lu Jingming.
Tang San had always been shrewd and watched Douluo Continent closely, but he'd only now discovered Lu Jingming's existence.
"Strange, did I get it wrong? Is Huo Yuhao not the Child of Destiny?"
Tang San frowned. He was sure Huo Yuhao was the Child of Destiny, but what was with Lu Jingming?
Compared to Huo Yuhao, Lu Jingming was even more extraordinary and successful.
Even the Emperor Auspicious Beast had gone to Lu Jingming instead of Huo Yuhao, making Tang San even more suspicious.
"Could there be more than one Child of Destiny?" Tang San mused. No matter how he looked at it, Huo Yuhao was no match for Lu Jingming.
Maybe Douluo Star's will had chosen two: one in the open as a decoy, the other developing in secret?
Whatever the case, Tang San decided to adjust his plan.
Besides, Huo Yuhao was already out of his control, now mingling with evil soul masters.
Though he didn't care for that, Huo Yuhao's fortune was obviously declining.
Declining fortune meant less favor from the world—a scenario Tang San did not want.
If Huo Yuhao couldn't ascend to the God Realm with great fortune, all of Tang San's plotting would come to nothing.
"Xiao Qi, it's time to wake up." Tang San took out a golden orb containing Tang Wutong's memories and divine sense.
Without hesitation, he opened a spatial channel and, using the link with Wang Dong'er's divine sense, sent Tang Wutong's consciousness to the lower realm to reunite with her body.
Just then, the entire God Realm shook violently, as if struck by a colossal force.
"Him again? What's going on? Didn't we just reinforce the seal last time?"
Tang San leapt up, frowning, instantly realizing the Golden Dragon King in the Forbidden Land was breaking the seal again.
He didn't hesitate, transforming into a blue-gold beam of divine light and racing towards the Forbidden Land.
He wasn't the only one. The God of Destruction, embracing the Goddess of Life, also turned his gaze to the Forbidden Land.
"Little Purple, I have a bad feeling. My life divination ritual showed a great calamity. Could this be the God Realm crisis Sea God mentioned?"
The Goddess of Life frowned with worry.
Because of her conflicts with the Sea God and his constant warnings about a crisis, she had secretly performed many divinations—previously with no result.
But after the Golden Dragon King's last attempt to break free, she tried again, and this time saw grave omens.
"Don't worry, Little Green. No matter the crisis, I'll protect the God Realm and you," said the God of Destruction, not believing the Sea God's warnings.
He didn't trust the Sea God's premonitions—after all, neither he nor the Goddess of Life sensed any danger, nor did the God of Evil or the God of Kindness.
Only the Sea God sensed it—how could he be that special?
Besides, neither the Sea God nor the Asura God had the power of foresight; the last divination showed nothing.
So the God of Destruction paid little mind.
To him, the only real threat to the God Realm was the sealed Golden Dragon King.
But even if the Golden Dragon King broke free, could their five God Kings not defeat him together?
At that moment, the central tower of the Forbidden Land collapsed with a deafening crash, the ground shook wildly, and the sealing pillars began to topple.
From the ruined tower, a rift quickly spread, stretching for a hundred kilometers in the blink of an eye.
Dazzling golden light soared from the rift, visible throughout the God Realm.
"What a troublesome time!" The God of Emotion, Rong Nianbing, shook his head helplessly. He'd planned to retire and didn't want to deal with these problems anymore.
But his family was in the God Realm, and he hadn't passed on his godhood. To protect them, he had to act.
Earlier, while helping the Sea God watch over Douluo, he'd found a promising candidate—also noticed by the Sea God. He'd considered snatching this one away from under Tang San's nose.
But that child had gone astray, so he gave up.
Huo Yuhao, now gone astray, was qualified in power but had lost Rong's recognition.
"The Forbidden Land's seal is broken? How is that possible!"
The God of Evil, Ji Dong, stared at the Forbidden Land, shocked by the terrifying dragon aura.
The God of Kindness, Lie Yan, was also stunned but quickly recovered. "We must not let the Golden Dragon King escape. Who knows how many gods would die!"
Ji Dong nodded. "Let's hurry! The Sea God's already on his way. This time, we must kill the Golden Dragon King."
The previous Evil and Kindness Gods had anticipated this and created a five-in-one super divine skill—The Sword of Three Realms' Judgement—specifically to counter the Golden Dragon King.
Five God Kings together could surely kill the Golden Dragon King; even three could severely injure or kill him.
That's why Ji Dong was so confident.
With a thunderous crash, a massive claw emerged from the rift.
When it gripped the edge of the cliff, a huge claw-shaped dent appeared instantly.
The golden dragon claw was hundreds of meters long, each joint thick and studded with round, gem-like protrusions, covered in golden spiral patterns.
Another claw followed, both gripping the cliff, tearing the earth apart.
A golden dragon, tens of thousands of meters long, roared to the heavens, its draconic might sweeping the God Realm and its roar dispersing all clouds.
The golden dragon stood like a mountain, dyeing the Forbidden Land gold.
Golden scales shimmered, each diamond-shaped, ridged with four sharp lines, thick and solid yet exuding razor-sharpness.
Each scale was several meters across. This terrifying creature was the very embodiment of power.
By comparison, Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon King, was minuscule—she couldn't compare at all.