The moment the voice of Huo Yuhao fell, everyone felt their eyes suddenly brighten.
A nine-colored pillar of light descended without warning from the firmament, resembling an upside-down heavenly river, enveloping Huo Yuhao entirely within it.
The entire pillar of light was interwoven from nine types of pure divine light—red, Ju Zi, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, gold, and white—blending layer by layer, flowing endlessly, and exuding an indescribable sense of holiness under the reflection of the sunlight.
This pillar of light did not emit any earth-shaking coercion, yet it caused people to give birth to an irresistible awe from the depths of their Soul; this was clearly an absolute suppression on a hierarchical level.
There were experts from several powerful factions with a long-standing Legacy on the plaza who had once seen records regarding attaining Divinity in the ancient secret texts of their Sect.
Witnessing it with their own eyes at this moment, they quickly recognized it; this nine-colored pillar of light should be the Light of Guidance descended from the Divine Realm according to legend.
Furthermore, the color of the Light of Guidance directly corresponded to the Rank tier of divinities, whereas the nine-colored divine light corresponded to the supreme God King position!
Until this very moment, they truly understood that the Divine Position inherited by Huo Yuhao actually originated from a God King!
That heaven-reaching nine-colored pillar of light did not last very long; after the time of about a dozen breaths, it slowly retracted like a tide, eventually completely vanishing above the clouds.
Accompanied by the disappearance of this Light of Guidance was also the figure of Huo Yuhao.
After the pillar of light disappeared, that intangible solemnity pressing down on everyone on the plaza also loosened by a few fractions accordingly.
The quiet scene was finally broken, and whispers successively sounded within the crowd.
Xuan Zi at the front of the crowd raised his head to look at the sky, towards the direction where the nine-colored pillar of light had disappeared, and he did not retract his gaze for a long time.
After a long time, he murmured in a low voice: "When will my Shrek Academy... be able to produce another Divinity again!"
Cai Meier, who was standing beside him, opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back to her lips, and in the end could only silently press her lips together.
Yet in her heart, she quietly sighed.
Let alone producing another Divinity, right now the academy did not even have a single Limit Douluo; being able to restore past glories seemed like an extravagant hope.
...
A sea of clouds churned endlessly beneath his feet, layers upon layers of mist acting as if they possessed life, sometimes stretching out and sometimes gathering together, changing into myriad forms amidst the rolling and churning.
Intense heaven and earth elemental energy permeated every inch of the air, so dense it nearly condensed into substance, seeping into the limbs and bones with every breath.
If a Spirit Master who had just entered the Titled Douluo tier came here, they probably would not need to cultivation; just inhaling a few breaths of this concentration of heaven and earth elemental energy would be enough to directly raise their Spirit Power by one Rank.
And this place was naturally no ordinary location; this was the Divine Realm.
Under the traction of the nine-colored Light of Guidance, Huo Yuhao stepped from the Douluo Continent into this completely different world in a single stride.
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was standing upon a platform built of white jade, and before him stood a middle-aged man wearing white robes.
His posture was slightly leaning forward, standing with lowered head, and his attitude was respectful without losing propriety.
That person raised his eyes to look at Huo Yuhao, his gaze lingering on him for a split second, and seeming to recognize his identity, he hurriedly cupped his fists and bowed, his tone respectful: "Congratulations to the God King for undertaking the Divine Position and ascending to the Divine Realm."
Huo Yuhao looked him over, seeing that judging by his cultivation, he should be a divine officer of the Divine Realm.
He slightly raised an eyebrow and asked: "You recognize me? It seems you are specially waiting for me here?"
That divine officer hurriedly replied: "Indeed, Lord Destruction ordered me here to welcome the God King, and instructed me to guide you to the Castle of Destruction at the very first moment."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao understood in his heart.
He nodded: "Then lead the way; I happen to want to go see Senior Destruction."
"Please, God King!"
The divine officer stepped aside by half a step, raised his hand to make a gesture of invitation, and then immediately took to the air first, flying toward the distance.
Huo Yuhao raised his foot to follow closely, the two figures one after the other passing through the churning sea of clouds and darting toward the direction of the Castle of Destruction.
The divine officer escorted Huo Yuhao up to the grand gates of the Castle of Destruction, then respectfully stopped, took two steps back, performed a bow, and turned to leave.
Huo Yuhao stepped into the castle gates alone. Beneath his feet were mirror-smooth black stone slabs, flanked by towering colonnades with dim blue candlelight. The entire interior of the castle was unusually quiet and devoid of people, with only his footsteps echoing in the spacious hall.
Yet before he could look around, a figure quietly appeared before him, and the newcomer was none other than the previous God of Destruction.
He looked at Huo Yuhao, a hearty smile appearing on his face: "Sensing that you had arrived, I rushed back at the very first moment."
Huo Yuhao hurriedly bowed in salute and said solemnly: "You have kept Senior waiting for a long time."
The God of Destruction waved his hand, his tone very casual: "What is with the courtesy? But I indeed have been looking forward to your arrival for a long time."
As he spoke, he looked Huo Yuhao up and down, his eyes filled with satisfaction: "You have no idea, the changes in the Divine Realm are huge right now. To deal with the upcoming temporal turbulence, the gods are all busy running off their feet, each one frantic and battered."
"Your arrival is just in time; you can help me relieve quite a bit of pressure. However, let us get the ugly talk out of the way first—do not blame me for exploiting you when the time comes."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao could not help smiling. He felt that ever since Tang San was locked away, the entire temperament of the God of Destruction had changed somewhat.
Gone was that previous gloomy and tense coercion, and the person himself had become much more "lively," with a few more bantering nuances added to his speech.
This kind of change actually made Huo Yuhao feel much more affectionate and familiar towards him.
He withdrew his smile and said with a serious expression: "Senior, rest assured; now that I am already a member of the Divine Realm, dealing with temporal turbulence is naturally a duty bound by honor, so there is no talk of exploitation."
The God of Destruction patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction, and then his words shifted: "Let us not rush into this matter for now; come on, I will take you to meet Xiao Qi first."
Hearing this, a trace of worry instantly flashed across Huo Yuhao's eyes.
He did not say much more, merely nodding heavily as he followed behind the God of Destruction and walked out of the Castle of Destruction.
Although the Sea God was imprisoned within the heavenly prison of the Divine Realm, the gods did not mistreat Xiao Wu and Tang Wutong because of this.
Therefore, the Sea God Palace was still left for the mother-and-daughter pair to reside in, and their daily provisions and expenses remained as usual. Aside from the absence of that tall figure who used to enter and exit the place, there was not much major change.
Following behind the God of Destruction, Huo Yuhao passed through the main hall of the Sea God Palace.
The furnishings inside the hall were still gorgeous, faintly showing the grand scenery of the former Sea God's mansion, but now all around was desolate, with even an unshakeable chill permeating the air.
The two of them turned past an inconspicuous doorway in the back, and only then did Huo Yuhao discover that the rear of the Sea God Palace actually held a world of its own.
A long corridor wound forward, flanked by lush flowers and trees, tranquil and secluded, completely different from the solemn and majestic outer hall.
At the end of the corridor was a small courtyard, where sunlight filtered through the tree tips to cast mottled light and shadows, and a gentle breeze swept past, making the branches and leaves rustle.
Beneath a verdant ancient tree, a figure sat quietly upon a stone stool, possessing a slender posture with long hair cascading down her shoulders and braided into a familiar scorpion braid.
She slightly lowered her head, her soft profile appearing exceptionally pale amidst the light and shadows, with an unresolvable pain and grievance condensed between her brows.
"Xiao Wu!"
The God of Destruction stopped his footsteps and called out.
Hearing the sound, the woman under the tree raised her head; she was none other than Tang San's wife, Xiao Wu.
Her gaze fell upon the God of Destruction, carrying a complex composure.
Even though her husband was imprisoned in the heavenly prison because of the other party, she could not hate the other party in the slightest.
Because deep down in her heart, she was clear that Tang San walking to this step today was, fundamentally speaking, his own choice, and he deserved his punishment.
Time and time again in the dead of night, she asked herself: Why did Third Brother, who accompanied her through thick and thin on the Douluo Continent, become like this after arriving in the Divine Realm?
She could not obtain an answer, and could only let that pain press down upon her chest, day after day settling deeper.
Following that, Xiao Wu's gaze crossed over the shoulder of the God of Destruction, landing upon that young and familiar figure standing behind him.
Her eyes slightly froze in a daze, and then she recognized the other person—it was Huo Yuhao.
That young man in the Lower Realm who helped her daughter achieve Soul Fusion, that lover genuinely chosen by her daughter to entrust her entire life to.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.