News that the God of Destruction had a child quickly spread across the Divine Realm. What shocked the gods most was that the God of Eternity had played a crucial role in this.
This was as good as announcing to everyone that the two Divine Kings of Life and Destruction—who had once leaned toward the Eternal God's side—had now completely shifted their allegiance.
With that, the Divine Realm entered into a standoff: three Divine Kings against three Divine Kings.
Although the numbers were even, the faction of the God of Asura was clearly disadvantaged, because Huo Yuhao's god-seat carried the potential of a Supreme Divine King. Alone, he could stand against all five of the other Divine Kings.
Moreover, many gods speculated whether the twin gods of Good and Evil might also shift their stance. If that happened, then the God of Asura truly would become a solitary, abandoned god.
Many could already smell a storm approaching, and among the gods of the Asura faction, unease began to spread.
A few days later, the God of Evil convened the Divine Committee.
Facing all the gods, he announced solemnly:
"Today, I have something important to declare!"
He gazed deeply at the Goddess of Kindness.
"After ruling the Divine Realm for so many years, I've grown weary. This will be my last time presiding over the Divine Assembly. From this day forth, I and the Goddess of Kindness will lay down this heavy burden, and hand in hand, we will wander the cosmos together."
The Goddess of Kindness looked back at him with equal tenderness.
Immediately, the assembly burst into an uproar!
"Evil, are you really planning to just leave like this? The Divine Realm is full of affairs—without you, who can shoulder such responsibility?" The God of Asura tried to dissuade him.
"Rest assured, I will set everything in order before leaving. You can come out now," the God of Evil said, turning toward the corridor.
A young couple emerged. Their auras had not yet reached the heights of the Five Divine Kings, but they unmistakably carried the presence of newly risen kings—one infused with the power of Good, the other with the power of Evil.
"This is…" The God of Asura already guessed the answer but still asked aloud.
"These are the successors we chose from the lower world. Their talents are enough to inherit our positions. Go ahead, introduce yourselves," the God of Evil said.
The man stepped forward, bowed to the gods, and declared:
"My name is Ji Dong, the new God of Evil."
The woman followed:
"My name is Lie Yan, the new Goddess of Kindness."
"So, you've already completed the godhood inheritance?" The God of Asura scowled and challenged: "God of Evil, do you really expect these two greenhorns to immediately take over the Divine Realm's core authority?"
"You're right, Asura. Ji Dong and Lie Yan lack experience and are not ready to govern the Divine Realm's center. But before leaving, I have entrusted the central authority to one with responsibility, with vision, one who can lead us to greater heights!" the God of Evil declared.
"Who!?" demanded the God of Asura.
"Eternal God—Huo Yuhao." The God of Evil pointed toward him.
Huo Yuhao rose and said respectfully:
"Thank you, Evil God, for recognizing my ability. To take on this authority means also to take on this responsibility. I promise you—I will do all I can to lead the Divine Realm toward greater glory."
The old kings had stepped down, the new had taken up the mantle. Applause resounded among the gods. Only the God of Asura and his faction wore ashen faces.
The Asura God had known that Good and Evil wished to retire, and he had planned to pass his own godhood to his precious successor, persuading them to hand over the central authority before stepping down.
But now, before his heir could even begin the inheritance, Good and Evil had already resigned, and had entrusted the central authority to Huo Yuhao!
This completely shattered all of Asura's plans.
He looked at Huo Yuhao, who now held the power of the Divine Center, then at the sweetly united Good and Evil couple, then at the newly ascended Ji Dong and Lie Yan. In that moment, he understood everything.
His lips moved, but he swallowed his words. In the face of this situation, nothing he could say would change it.
The assembly ended. The old generation of Good and Evil left the Divine Realm to roam the cosmos together.
Ji Dong and Lie Yan smoothly inherited their divine thrones, restoring the Divine Realm's structure of six Divine Kings.
And immediately upon their ascension, they aligned themselves with Huo Yuhao. Now, the Asura faction's only Divine King left was Asura himself, standing utterly alone.
The gods of the Divine Realm could foresee it: the downfall of Asura's faction was no longer a matter of if, but of when Huo Yuhao chose to move. The neutral gods who had once hovered around Asura began in secret to switch sides.
As for the God of Asura—since that fateful Divine Assembly—he had remained in his Asura Temple without leaving.
Beneath his temple lay the heart of his faction:
Sea God, God of Slaughter, God of War, God of Speed, God of the Phoenix, God of Food, and the Nine-Colored Goddess.
Sitting upon his throne, the Asura God already knew: these gods who had once been loyal to him were beginning to waver.
Poseidon, the Sea God, looked at him in concern and asked:
"Lord Asura, now that Life and Destruction have sided with Eternity, and Good and Evil have passed their thrones to new gods while handing the Divine Center to the Eternal God, the situation is dire for us. What should we do?"
The Asura God took a deep breath and looked meaningfully at him:
"Ah… all this between me and Huo Yuhao—it was just a clash of ideas. After all, we both only wanted what was best for the Divine Realm. A little misunderstanding, nothing more. That's no problem. I'll pay him a visit, offer an apology, maybe share a meal, clear the air—and everything will be fine."
Hearing this, Poseidon, the God of Slaughter, the God of War, and the others all exhaled in relief.
Until now they had all been fearful—afraid to betray, but also afraid to stay. Now, with the Asura God's words, they felt reassured.
He waved his hand and said:
"It's nothing serious. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, it'll all be fine. Now, you may go."
"As you command, Lord Asura." The gods bowed and withdrew from the temple.
Watching them depart, the Asura God's gentle expression suddenly hardened. His gaze turned icy cold. He reached into space itself, conjuring a vortex in his grip, and pulled forth a sword sheathed in scabbard.
One hand gripped the sheath, the other the hilt. With a pull, the chilling light of the Asura Sword burst forth.
Although the God of Asura's words made sense, deep inside, Poseidon still felt uneasy.
In his divine palace, he thought back carefully: Since the day I was born, what did I ever do to offend Huo Yuhao?
Was it because he, in order to ascend to godhood, had stolen incense offerings that should have gone to the Eternal God?
But if Huo Yuhao had really wanted revenge, he should have struck long ago. Back then, Poseidon had been about to condense a first-rank godhood, but in the end he fell, demoted to only a second-rank god.
Or was it that he had chosen the wrong side? When he entered the God Realm, he stood with the Asura God. But he had been squeezed out by the Eternal God from the very beginning—if he didn't side with Asura, he wouldn't have survived.
The real problem now was that both the Kings of Life and Destruction had already sided with Huo Yuhao. Good and Evil had simply passed their seats on to new gods. The authority of the God Realm's core had been handed entirely to the Eternal God.
Just like that, the Asura God had lost power overnight.
If the Eternal God began to purge Asura's faction, Poseidon would likely be among the first to die.
No. I need a way to break this deadlock.
He paced his palace restlessly, until suddenly—an idea struck.
Angel Palace
Uneasy, the Sea God came here.
Truth be told, he and the Angel God both originated from the same plane. One had gathered faith from the land, the other from the sea.
The Angel God had achieved divinity ten thousand years earlier. When Poseidon ascended, it was by imitating the Angel God's path of faith.
Before Huo Yuhao schemed against him, Poseidon had been ambitious. He wasn't satisfied with ruling only the oceans—he wanted the faith of the Douluo Continent as well, to replace the Angel God's dominion there.
If he could unify land and sea faith, perhaps he could rise beyond a first-rank godhood, maybe even become a God King.
But reality struck hard. Thanks to Huo Yuhao's schemes, he didn't even secure a first-rank position—reduced instead to a second-rank god. (In this timeline, Poseidon doesn't even have the "Sea God's Light." He really is just watered-down.)
Because he never acted on his ambition, there had never been contact between him and the Angel God.
That was why he now dared to come.
He sent in a visiting card. After a while, a divine official returned, signaling him to enter.
Only then did Poseidon breathe easier and step inside.
Within the Angel Hall, Qian Hanyu sat upon the throne of the Angel God, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.
Poseidon immediately bowed deeply, humbly:
"Poseidon greets the Lord Angel God."
"Poseidon, what wind has blown you to me today?" Qian Hanyu asked with playful curiosity.
He replied:
"Lord Angel God, you and I hail from the same plane. Though I have never paid my respects before, today I have come deliberately, bearing gifts."
He offered a set of divine-level teaware he had long collected.
Qian Hanyu said:
"You never came before, but now you appear with such a costly gift. Speak—what is it you want?"
Poseidon lowered himself even further:
"Lord Angel God, I, like you and His Majesty the Eternal God, come from the Douluo plane. Yet in ignorance I offended His Majesty the Eternal God. I wish to atone, and I humbly beg you to speak to him on my behalf."
He bowed until his posture was utterly debased.
Qian Hanyu studied him with amusement.
"Keep your tea set. I can put in a word, but I won't guarantee success."
She did not accept his gift.
"Many thanks, Lord Angel God."
With that, Poseidon withdrew.
After leaving, he turned back to look at the Angel Hall, reflecting carefully. Since arriving in the God Realm, he had sided with Asura, while the Angel God had remained neutral. They'd never interacted.
In other words, he had never offended her. But she had refused his gift, which still left him uneasy.
Still, he could only return to his palace and await her news.
Inside the Angel Hall, after Poseidon left, Qian Hanyu's gaze turned icy cold.
"This Poseidon dares come to me, thinking he never offended me? Hmph. Perhaps not me—but in another world, he did."
Originally, she and Poseidon had nothing to do with each other. She only knew him as another god from the same plane, a pitiful wretch targeted by the Eternal God. So she had avoided entanglement.
But from Huo Yuhao and Qian Renxue, she had learned exactly what Poseidon had done in another world:
He had joined forces with the Asura God to kill her counterpart, stolen her Angel's Light (how does the sea even connect to light? He was literally watered down), and seized control of her inheritance ceremony—training enemies of her lineage, until her successors became mere stepping stones for Tang San.
Even if it hadn't happened to her, Qian Hanyu could not forgive it. She had to stand up—for the other world's self, and for her inheritor.
Meanwhile, the God of War, God of Speed, God of Slaughter, and God of Food were all scrambling too. They rushed to build connections, apologize, send gifts, throw banquets—anything to save face.
Since taking control of the God Realm's core authority, Huo Yuhao had swiftly consolidated power over most of the realm.
Now, standing at the very center of that core, he gazed down at the Douluo Continent plane.
To his eyes, the intangible force of fate blazed like fire.
Where once the Spirit Hall had flourished with boundless fortune, now its luck was utterly gone—like a tower in the sky, ready to collapse at a touch.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the two empires, and all others—every scrap of luck was converging on a single man: Tang San.
If the world's luck was a ten floor tower, Tang San alone held eight floors. The Shrek Seven Devils, the Clear Sky Sect, and all other factions tied to him shared the leftover two.
"Hmph. Truly the handiwork of the Asura God." Huo Yuhao sneered, raising his hand to rewrite it all.
The Spirit Hall's lost fortune he fully restored. But the rest? He had no intention of being generous. He didn't return the luck to the empires or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Instead, he rerouted it to Spark Academy, the Body Sect, and other factions.
In no time, the entire distribution of fate across the continent was transformed.
At this moment, Tang San was only twelve years old—having just joined Shrek Academy. Yet bolstered by overwhelming fate, he triggered the tiny chance of awakening the external soul bone: the Eight Spider Lances.