When he opened his eyes once more, the scene of Tang San holding a golden trident with God Kings standing densely behind him was no longer before his eyes.
Replacing it was a simple and peaceful farmhouse courtyard, with green bricks and dark tiles, and a few unknown vines climbing up the fence.
An old tree with lush branches and leaves was planted at the corner of the courtyard, with a stone table and a few stone stools under its shade, where sunlight filtered through the leaves to cast mottled light and shadows.
Huo Yuhao was sitting on one of the stone stools, and sitting right beside him was his mother, Huo Yun'er.
Huo Yun'er could not get used to living in those magnificent palaces and always felt they were too empty and desolate.
Thus, Huo Yuhao found a place with scenic mountains and clear waters in the Divine Realm to build this small courtyard, allowing his mother to live a peaceful life just like she did in the mortal World.
At this moment, looking at his mother, a wave of complex emotions inevitably surged in Huo Yuhao's heart.
He recalled the words spoken by Dai Yuhao from Ten Thousand Years later just moments ago: "Mother has been saved by her father-in-Law, and now everything is fine in the Divine Realm." This felt like a thorn piercing his heart.
He could not help thinking, if he had not obtained the means of Transmigration back then, if he had bowed his head to Tang San, would his mother have been "saved" away like that? Afterwards, he would still have to be filled with boundless gratitude towards Tang San.
This thought flashed through his mind, causing his expression to sink a bit.
Huo Yun'er noticed the fleeting awkwardness on her son's face and asked softly: "What is wrong? Your complexion does not look too good."
Huo Yuhao hesitated for a split second, but ultimately shook his head and squeezed out a gentle smile: "It is nothing."
He did not want to speak of the vexing matters from another World and add to his mother's worries; those grudges and schemes should not taint the peace of this courtyard.
Huo Yun'er looked at him for a moment, seeing that he was unwilling to say more, she did not pursue the matter further.
However, she then changed the topic and said: "You really need to work harder. How long has it been, and you still do not have a child with Dong'er? Qiu'er is almost ten years old."
As soon as her voice fell, two figures swept over from a distance, one large and one small, landing in the courtyard hand in hand.
The larger one was none other than Jin Li. She had now inherited the Divine Position that Huo Yuhao had sought out for her, and her golden-red divine robe fluttered gently in the wind.
The petite figure she was holding by the hand likewise had long golden-red hair tied into two small braids hanging at her shoulders. A pair of pupils flashed with a brilliant golden luster, and her facial features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, making her the spitting image of a miniature Jin Li.
This young girl was none other than Ruiqiu whom Huo Yun'er had mentioned, the daughter of Huo Yuhao and Jin Li, Huo Ruiqiu.
Looking at his daughter's bright golden eyes, the gloom in Huo Yuhao's heart suddenly dissipated quite a bit.
Therefore, combining both Worlds, Huo Yuhao could now be considered blessed with both a son and a daughter.
As soon as Huo Yun'er saw her granddaughter skipping over, the smile on her face could no longer be contained, and she hurriedly opened her arms and called out: "Ruiqiu, come quickly to Grandma's side!"
Huo Ruiqiu gave a crisp response, dashed to Huo Yun'er's knees in a few steps, lifted her small face and sweetly called out "Grandma," her brilliant golden eyes curving into crescents.
Huo Yun'er smiled from ear to ear, raising her hand to tidy up the stray hairs blown by the wind in front of her forehead, her eyes filled with utter pampering.
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze, looked at Jin Li who had landed in a flurry beside him, and could not help speaking up: "You are already a mother, can you be a bit more steady?"
Jin Li, however, gave an unconcerned hum, put her hands on her hips, and said: "So what if I am a mother? This is just my personality, I cannot change it!"
Saying this, she walked up to Huo Yuhao in a few steps, propped her right hand on the stone table, leaned her entire body forward, her nose almost touching Huo Yuhao's nose, her pair of golden eyes staring roundly: "And another thing, who told you to find me the Divine Position of the 'God of Great Strength'? It sounds so awful! Shouldn't the God of Great Strength look just like me?!"
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao smacked his right hand against his forehead, his face full of helplessness.
He sighed, patiently explaining: "The God of Great Strength is also among the top tier of Level 1 Divinities, and after you transformed into human form on the Douluo Continent, your innate attribute was the Ultimate Power, which matches this Divine Position extremely well."
Back then, Huo Yuhao had entrusted the God of Destruction to scout out a Divine Position for Jin Li. Not long after, the God of Destruction produced the Divine Position of the God of Great Strength, saying it was voluntarily ceded by Zhou Weiqing to atone for his sins.
After learning of Tang San's true face, Zhou Weiqing truly regretted his actions and willingly passed down the Divine Position.
At that time, Huo Yuhao also felt that this Divine Position matched Jin Li's Foundation extremely well, so he gladly agreed.
He just had not expected Jin Li to take the words "Great Strength" so to heart, making a fuss every time it was brought up.
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly and added: "Moreover, 'God of Great Strength' is merely an alias; the orthodox name for your Divine Position is 'God of Destruction'."
Hearing this, Jin Li straightened her body, her little mouth pouting slightly, still carrying a bit of dissatisfaction: "It sounds just as bad."
But the fleeting slyness in her eyes failed to escape Huo Yuhao's notice. He could tell that Jin Li was not truly dissatisfied with this Divine Position; she was simply used to not sparing others with her tongue and was just venting.
Having figured this out, Huo Yuhao no longer tangled over this matter. After all, he had come back this time with serious business to attend to.
Jin Li saw Huo Yuhao's expression turn slightly solemn, the gentleness between his brows fading a bit, as he spoke: "Gather the Level 1 and above Divinities of the Divine Realm; I have something to announce."
Jin Li's golden eyes blinked. Sharply catching the solemnity in Huo Yuhao's tone, she immediately restrained her playful expression and asked seriously: "What has happened?"
Huo Yuhao did not conceal it and replied straightforwardly: "Tang San from Ten Thousand Years later has returned."
Hearing this, Jin Li's gaze condensed slightly.
She had long known that her sacrifice back then was manipulated by Tang San behind the scenes, so naturally she held no favorable impression of him.
Tang San of this World had already been imprisoned by the God of Destruction in the Heavenly Prison of the Divine Realm, and she had never had much opportunity to take "revenge" with her own hands.
Now, hearing Huo Yuhao's intent, it seemed he was going to have a massive showdown with Tang San from Ten Thousand Years later; naturally, she could not miss out.
Her eyes lit up immediately, her tone carrying a bit of impatient excitement: "I will go notify them right now!"
Upon arriving at the Divine Realm, Jin Li still habitually acted in the role of Huo Yuhao's secretary.
Inside the Central Palace of the Divine Realm, more than forty figures had gathered at this moment.
In the spacious hall, the gods stood solemnly, their auras as deep and condensed as an abyss, each emanating either gentle or fierce fluctuations of Divine Power.
In the original structure of the Divine Realm, there were five God Kings forming the God Realm Committee, and a total of eighteen Level 1 Divinities.
However, in just a few short decades, with the planned expansion of the Divine Realm, this structure had been completely rewritten.
Now, excluding the imprisoned Tang San and Zhou Weiqing, the Level 1 Divinities of the Divine Realm had increased by a full twenty-one, bringing the total number to as many as thirty-nine.
Furthermore, three new God King positions had been added, increasing the God Realm Committee to eight members.
As for Level 2 and Level 3 Divinities, there were even more than a thousand more than before. The overall volume and Foundation of the entire Divine Realm already far surpassed its peak period back then.
Facts proved that the Divine Realm expansion plan strongly promoted by the God of Destruction back then was indeed viable.
It was precisely by relying on this broader and more stable territory of the Divine Realm that the gods managed to successfully resist that Space-Time Turbulence which nearly annihilated everything, preserving the Foundation and future of the Divine Realm.
And throughout this process, no one contributed more than Huo Yuhao.
The Power of Creation he mastered played an irreplaceable role in countering the Space-Time Turbulence, repeatedly repairing the cracks in the Law with endless Divine Power and stabilizing the collapsing boundaries.
Therefore, Huo Yuhao's prestige in the Divine Realm today was not the least bit inferior to the former God of Destruction.
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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.