"Wutong…"
"Are you blaming your father?"
Tang San looked at Tang Wutong with disappointment in his eyes.
"Your daughter would never dare!" Tang Wutong hurriedly rose from the grass.
"It's just…"
"The gap between Huo Yuhao and me is getting bigger and bigger."
"A year ago he was already able to defeat a Limit Douluo in three moves. With talent like that, he may even surpass Father himself. He'll definitely become a god."
"I'm worried… that in the future I may not be able to ascend."
"Hmph!"
Tang San snorted coldly and turned away with a flick of his sleeve.
"Huo Yuhao becoming a god? Did he ask me first?"
"I am the ruler of the Divine Realm. If I do not permit it, what god would dare pass their god position to Huo Yuhao?"
"Wutong, you are the daughter of Tang San. You were destined to be a Goddess from the moment you were born."
Tang Wutong bit her lip. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke softly.
"Father is a God King of the Divine Realm. Shouldn't the prosperity of the Divine Realm come first? If Huo Yuhao entered the Divine Realm…
With his talent, he might even help elevate the Divine Realm to a higher level…"
Before she could finish—
A cold aura spread from Tang San.
Tang Wutong's eyes dimmed, and she said no more.
She knew her father was angry.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly looked up again and spoke urgently.
"There are rumors in the world that a god stands behind Huo Yuhao!"
"Father governs the laws of the Divine Realm—you must know the origins of this Li Zhexian!"
"Please deliver divine punishment! Huo Yuhao must have been misled by him—that's why… why he treats me with such coldness!"
Tang San's body stiffened slightly.
He said nothing.
His gaze darkened.
Within his eyes flickered shock, suspicion, wariness… and disbelief.
He wanted to know too.
Just who exactly Li Zhexian was.
The Divine Realm had eight hundred gods…
The moment the thought appeared—
Tang San suddenly felt his divine sense waver.
Wait.
Not long ago, the Divine Realm clearly had over a thousand gods!
And even earlier than that…
there had been three thousand.
Gods had been disappearing one after another.
Something indescribable seemed to be happening within the Divine Realm.
Tang San frowned deeply.
Yet some unseen force seemed to rewrite his awareness, quietly smoothing over the strange inconsistency in his mind.
He turned around.
The divine pressure surrounding him faded, and his voice became calm again.
"No matter who he is."
"Wutong, in two days, go find Huo Yuhao."
"Use your ninth Spirit Ability—Sea God Descends."
"At that time, I will descend into the mortal world in my true body."
"Li Zhexian… Huo Yuhao…"
He raised his eyes toward the horizon, his hand clenching within his sleeve.
"I will make them understand… what the wrath of a God King truly means."
Tang Wutong's face first lit up with joy, then quickly turned uneasy.
"Father… I hope that when the time comes…"
"You can give Yuhao a chance."
"I will persuade him properly. I'm sure he could become one of your greatest aides."
Tang San gave no further response.
He only left behind a single sentence—
"Continue cultivating diligently."
Then his figure slowly dissipated.
...
Divine Realm
Tang San slowly opened his eyes and leaned back against his throne, his expression as deep and heavy as the abyss.
He knew.
He was probably not Li Zhexian's opponent.
"This person's origins are a mystery. There isn't even the slightest trace of him in either the mortal world or the Divine Realm…"
"Could it really be…"
"Someone who has stepped outside this world, beyond the Five Elements?"
His eyes grew colder.
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest of the throne, producing crisp echoes.
"Hmph. No matter how powerful your divine abilities are…"
"When I lead the gods and descend to the mortal realm together—"
"Can you really fight a thousand gods alone?"
With that thought in mind, he slowly spoke.
His voice echoed beyond the hall.
"Transmit my divine decree."
"All gods are to prepare immediately."
"They will follow me to the mortal realm… and slay the enemy."
"…Very well."
From outside the hall—a faint, ethereal voice replied.
Immediately after—
Tang San's pupils suddenly contracted.
Outside the divine hall, the swirling clouds scattered in an instant. Boundless divine radiance poured down like a river of stars spilling from the heavens, illuminating the entire expanse of the Divine Realm.
Figures with vast, surging auras streaked through the sky like falling meteors, arriving one after another before the temple.
Divine might intertwined.
The very cosmos trembled.
At the forefront stood a god whose voice was as melodious as celestial music, yet carried an invisible pressure.
"The three thousand gods have arrived. When do we depart for the mortal realm?"
Tang San shot to his feet.
A dull ache throbbed through his soul.
"Wasn't the Divine Realm left with only eight hundred gods?"
"No… perhaps it was a thousand…"
"No… even earlier… there really were three thousand…"
Tang San staggered a step, pressing a hand to his forehead.
When he looked up again—
the three thousand gods had already entered the hall.
The brilliance was overwhelming. Their forms overlapped beneath the radiant glow, appearing both real and unreal, like reflections on water or flowers in a mirror. He couldn't quite make them out clearly.
"Asura God… Sea God…"
Tang San's voice turned dry.
"Didn't the two of you already pass your god positions to me and leave to wander the cosmos?!"
The Asura God crossed his arms and remained silent, his crimson gaze cold.
The Sea God swept his eyes across the hall. A faint trace of mockery flickered deep within his gaze as he spoke slowly.
"We sensed danger in the Divine Realm and returned from the depths of the universe."
Hearing this, joy surged through Tang San's heart.
With one God King, one top-tier first-class god, and three thousand gods to aid him—
Li Zhexian and Huo Yuhao had no chance of victory!
But in the very next moment—
Tang San frowned.
His gaze moved across the assembled gods one by one.
Their appearances, their presence, their divine power—all perfectly matched the memories he had of the three thousand gods.
Yet for some reason…
something about them felt strangely wrong.
"When did the Divine Realm regain three thousand gods?"
The Asura God narrowed his crimson eyes.
"Three thousand gods guard the Divine Realm."
"And yet you, as God King, are unaware?"
"Tang San, your conduct is truly disappointing."
A flicker of anger crossed Tang San's face.
The Asura God had already passed the position down to him. To rebuke him like this in front of three thousand gods was no different from slapping the face of the God King in public.
But thinking of the coming battle with Li Zhexian—
Tang San suppressed his irritation and spoke gravely.
"Recently, the affairs of the Divine Realm have been complicated, and an unknown deity has appeared in the mortal world. It's only natural that my mind has been unsettled."
"But seeing the overwhelming divine power of everyone gathered here puts me at ease."
"Make your preparations. Soon we shall descend to the mortal realm—"
His voice suddenly grew sharp and commanding.
"—and execute Li Zhexian and Huo Yuhao, the ones stirring chaos in the lower world!"
While he spoke passionately—
Tang San failed to notice something.
The moment the name "Li Zhexian" left his lips—
all three thousand gods in the hall bowed their heads simultaneously.
On every face appeared a reverence carved deep into their very souls.
...
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
On the Divine Star, inside the Stargazing Hall—
Seeing the scene on the light screen where the Tang God King stood surrounded by three thousand gods—
Feng Buyu, Huo Wushuang, Yu Tianheng, and the others laughed so hard they nearly fell over.
"If Tang San realized that the three thousand gods standing before him had already been completely replaced and assimilated by the Divine Star… would his godhood shatter from fright?"
"Hah! The current might of the Divine Star can't even be described with the word 'strong' anymore. Even if Zhexian didn't act personally, the Divine Star would naturally begin drawing in nearby worlds from across the heavens!"
"And who would've guessed? After the Sea God and Asura God were brought back to the Divine Star, they still wanted to return and 'pay Tang San a visit'!"
"Well, Tang San brought it on himself. He inherited the Asura God's position, yet only tarnished it. The Asura God probably finds it embarrassing!"
...
Star Dou Great Forest
Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged three feet above the Lake of Life.
Behind him—
Seven colossal spirits slowly manifested.
Snow Demon King.
Ten Thousand Monster King.
Bear Lord.
Bi Ji.
Scarlet King.
Zi Ji.
Demon Tiger.
The spirits of the Seven Great Ferocious Beasts loomed like towering mountains, their auras both demonic and divine, causing the surrounding space itself to collapse.
One man—gathering the power of seven ferocious beasts.
The current Huo Yuhao…possessed a combat power so terrifying that it was almost impossible to describe.