Lake of Life — Star Dou Great Forest
Huo Yuhao suddenly opened his eyes.
Two blazing beams of light burst forth from his pupils.
BOOM!!!
The lake's surface exploded apart.
Two enormous trenches were carved across the water as millions of tons of lakewater shot skyward. The rocky bed at the bottom of the lake was exposed beneath the sunlight.
Even space itself could not withstand the power of those two beams. Black cracks spread wildly through the air like spiderwebs.
"Haa…"
Huo Yuhao slowly exhaled.
A mist-like aura of life spread outward.
The broken lotus stems and scattered leaves floating across the lake suddenly began to sprout and grow wildly.
In the blink of an eye—
half the lake was covered in blooming pink lotus flowers.
Their fragrance drifted through the forest.
"By using the Snow Demon's devouring power and the seed of the Heaven-Opening Divine Eye, I refined all the Titled Douluo from the Holy Spirit Cult…"
"In only a year, I stepped into the realm of Titled Douluo."
"And because this came entirely from my own Spirit Abilities—and because I deliberately suppressed the speed of my breakthrough—my foundation is now perfectly flawless."
He lifted his head and looked toward the heavens.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds, reaching somewhere far beyond.
He could already clearly sense the faint pull coming from the upper realm.
The Divine Realm…was within reach.
But no god had granted him a divine inheritance.
Without that, there was no path to ascension.
"But what I seek… was never the Divine Realm to begin with."
Ripples spread across the lake.
Lotuses swayed gently.
Huo Yuhao's figure flashed—and he appeared beside the white-clothed youth sitting at the lake's edge.
His voice carried unconcealed excitement.
"Brother Zhexian, I've reached the Titled Douluo realm. How should I proceed to the Divine Star?"
His tone brimmed with barely restrained anticipation.
Li Zhexian wore a straw hat woven from lotus leaves. The tip of his fishing rod dangled lazily over the water as he smiled.
"Simple."
"First, I must allow it."
"Second, your power must break through the limit of this world."
Huo Yuhao murmured softly.
"Break… the limit of this world…"
Though he could now sense the Divine Realm—
he still could not perceive even a trace of the higher-dimensional Divine Star.
"Yuhao."
Li Zhexian lifted the wine gourd beside him and took a sip.
The wine of this world tasted rather bland to him.
But sitting beside the water, drinking slowly in the breeze—it still had its own charm.
"You surely don't want to arrive at the Divine Star alone."
"If you can take one more step beyond the realm of God King, reaching the level of a Great God King…"
"And since you possess the life core of this world—the Ancient Golden Tree—"
"Then you will become the Lord of this world."
He paused.
Under the brim of the lotus hat, his gaze was deep and clear.
"If you can do that… once you reach the Divine Star, I'll allow you to enter the Thirty-Second Heaven directly."
To become the Lord of this world meant ruling over the entire Douluo world—
both the mortal continent and the Divine Realm together.
Even within the Divine Star, such a being would rule as a powerful lord.
Hearing this—
Huo Yuhao felt his blood boil with excitement. Light flared in his eyes.
He had heard from Skydream Ice Silkworm—
The Divine Star was vast beyond imagination, divided into thirty-three heavens, with small worlds scattered like grains of sand in a desert.
Those who lived above the Thirtieth Heaven…
were all peak God Kings.
"Brother Zhexian, Yuhao will not fail your expectations!"
"Mm."
Li Zhexian's voice was as gentle as a lake breeze brushing lotus leaves.
"Your final opponent will arrive soon."
"You should begin preparing."
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists and nodded solemnly.
Of course he knew who Li Zhexian meant.
His final enemy—
Tang San.
In his previous life—from the moment he first rose to fame until he eventually became the God of Emotions—Tang San had interfered with him again and again.
Sometimes in the name of trials.
Sometimes because he had gained Tang Wutong's affection.
Every single time—
Huo Yuhao had ended in defeat.
"But in this life…"
"I possess countless opportunities—and I've personally received Brother Zhexian's guidance!"
Huo Yuhao raised his eyes toward the sky.
Battle intent burned in them like a spreading wildfire.
"Tang San."
"I, Huo Yuhao… will be waiting for you."
...
That night—
Star Dou Great Forest
The sky was filled with stars.
Golden streams of light flowed across the clouds like the northern auroras of the Extreme North, winding across the heavens in breathtaking brilliance.
Even tens of thousands of miles away, people could see the extraordinary celestial phenomenon above the forest.
All of it—
was drawn forth by the life energy naturally overflowing from Huo Yuhao's body.
He sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.
His breathing was deep and vast—
like a giant whale swallowing the ocean.
Golden clouds filled the sky, surging and rolling with each breath he took. The sound of his heartbeat was deep and heavy like muffled thunder, rumbling across the night sky for thousands of miles.
Such a phenomenon…
had continued for an entire month.
Across the continent, discussions erupted everywhere. Countless powerhouses rushed to the area after hearing the news, gathering far away at the edge of the forest to watch from a distance.
Mu En, Xuan Zi, and the other elders of Shrek Academy were there.
So were his friends—Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others.
Zhang Lexuan, Ma Xiaotao, and Wang Dong stood among them as well.
"With an omen like this, the Divine-Eyed Douluo is probably about to become a god!"
"He already stepped into the Titled Douluo realm long ago. No one can even measure his strength now!"
"It is said that the 'Transcendent Immortal' came specifically to guide Lord Divine-Eyed Douluo!"
Huo Yuhao could sense all of their gazes.
His spiritual power spread out like a vast tide.
Even whispers a hundred miles away reached his ears word for word.
But he had no time to pay attention.
All his focus was on tempering himself.
Just how strong am I now? Even I can't estimate it.
I only know that even my teacher is no longer my opponent.
And I still have two chances to ascend further…
First—the second awakening of my body's divine eyes.
Second—creating my own god position and converting all my Spirit Power into divine power.
If I accomplish both… even if Tang San personally descends, I will have nothing to fear.
He already understood the key to the second awakening of a body Martial Soul.
In his previous life—
he had achieved Golden Awakening during a desperate battle against the Sea Princess.
Silver Awakening… Golden Awakening… I experienced them step by step in my previous life.
But now…
My Spirit Eyes have transformed into the Heaven-Opening Divine Eyes.
What kind of awakening will this become?
Above the Lake of Life—
the flowing golden clouds in the night sky suddenly froze.
Huo Yuhao, seated at the center of the lake, seemed to merge with heaven and earth, his figure becoming indistinct and unreal.
Centered around him—
the Lake of Life slowly began to solidify.
It condensed into a crystal-clear emerald, reflecting the endless river of stars above.
In the next moment—
Huo Yuhao suddenly lifted his gaze.
From his eyes—now transformed into a brilliant emerald-gold—burst a beam of indescribable light.
The emerald-like Lake of Life beneath him shattered.
Magnificent, shifting, impossible-to-define prismatic radiance erupted from the cracks across the emerald surface.
Then—
that divine light surged into his eyes.
Two streams of prismatic brilliance shot into the heavens, silently spreading across the entire night sky.
A hundred miles away, countless onlookers stood frozen. Du Busi's breathing stopped.
"The second awakening of a body Martial Soul… Emerald Awakening was already considered legendary!"
"This… this is an awakening beyond Emerald!"
Under the shocked gazes of countless witnesses—
the starry sky changed.
The countless stars began to transform.
Colors merged and flowed among them, as if the entire night sky had been painted with living, breathing prismatic light.
The glow of every star pulsed in perfect rhythm with the colors in Huo Yuhao's eyes—brightening and dimming like a heartbeat.
Then—
at the brightest core of every star—an eye slowly opened.
Billions of stars.
Billions of eyes.
Each eye was different in form, yet all shimmered with the same prismatic light as Huo Yuhao's divine gaze.
Silently—
they looked down upon the world.
Every observer below—whether someone as powerful as Mu En or merely an ordinary Spirit Master—felt themselves completely seen through, inside and out.
This was: the Abyss of Eyes across all worlds, reflecting the infinite cosmos.
At this moment—
on the path leading toward the Star Dou Forest—
Tang Wutong stopped mid-flight, her butterfly wings frozen as she stared in disbelief at the star-filled sky that had transformed into countless eyes.
"Th… this is…"
Just then—
a cold voice sounded beside her ear.
"Tang Wutong."
"Tell your father to descend to the mortal world."
"I, Huo Yuhao… will be waiting for him in the Star Dou Forest."