Hearing Oscar's question, Huo Yuhao realized he was not familiar with the Ten-Thousand-Year Plan, and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"The Abyss Plane is an external enemy that invaded the Douluo Continent six thousand years ago. Its strength is no less than that of the Douluo Continent. It contains deities and one hundred and eight emperors."
"External enemy? Six thousand years ago?"
Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Tang Wutong frowned at these two key pieces of information.
The first two seemed to think of something but said nothing. Tang Wutong, however, asked directly, "How is that possible? If it invaded six thousand years ago, why didn't the Divine Realm intervene?"
The Divine Realm needed the faith power of the lower realm and also bore the responsibility of protecting it.
Six thousand years ago, the Divine Realm still existed!
Hearing Tang Wutong's question, Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow slightly.
Why? What else could it be?
If it wasn't the timeline's fault, then it was Tang San's fault. Someone had to take the blame.
Speaking of which, Huo Yuhao had to criticize the timeline of Dragon King's Legend.
Six thousand years ago in the Dragon King's Legend era, the Abyss invaded the Douluo Continent. According to the Abyss Saint Lord, he couldn't sense the Divine Realm at that time, which gave rise to many conspiracy theories.
However, it was true that the Divine Realm War began twenty years after Tang Wutong and Huo Yuhao became gods in the original story. According to the saying that one day in the Divine Realm equals one year in the mortal world, at least seven thousand years had passed on the Douluo Continent. When the Abyss invaded, the Divine Realm was clearly still there. So if the Abyss Plane couldn't sense the Divine Realm, it could only have been Tang San's doing.
As for what Tang San told the Abyss Saint Lord before the end of Dragon King's Legend, that the Divine Realm had been swept away by space-time turbulence ten thousand years ago, that was hardly believable. The Divine Realm disappeared not long after the Peerless Tang Sect era? Who would believe that?
Huo Yuhao certainly didn't.
However, while the Abyss could pin the blame on Tang San, the timeline discrepancies afterward couldn't be explained that way.
Two thousand years ago, the power of Destruction and Life fell from the Divine Realm onto Devil Island, clearly corresponding to the sacrifice of Life and Destruction to protect the Divine Realm.
Then, fifteen years ago, Tang Wulin arrived on the Douluo Continent.
From the death of Destruction and Life to Tang Wulin being sent to the mortal world, in Divine Realm time, it clearly happened within a single day. Converted to the mortal world, that would be at most one year. Yet the Douluo Continent's timeline directly spanned so many years.
This blame had nothing to do with Tang San. It could only be pinned on the space-time turbulence.
Otherwise, it was a timeline bug.
Thinking this, Huo Yuhao glanced at Ning Rongrong and Oscar. "As for why the Abyss was able to invade the Douluo Continent, you two should already have the answer."
"Aunt Rongrong, you know about this?"
Tang Wutong looked at the two, frowning deeply.
They were somewhat silent. Finally, before they could speak, Gu Yuena said, "What else could it be? You should know the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python, right? They are carrying out the Sea God's plan, waiting for an opportunity related to the Abyss Plane. In this process, the intervention of powerful deities would alert the Abyss Plane."
"This is also why we said earlier that we don't want divine battles to occur. If an overly intense divine battle alerts the Abyss, the consequences would be unpredictable."
Tang Wutong was stunned, her expression complicated.
Gu Yuena's words essentially laid everything bare.
The Abyss Plane was brought here by her father Tang San. And while the Divine Realm still existed, he was already planning all of this, even concealing it from the Divine Realm Council.
It was clearly a major matter, but Tang Wutong did not doubt Gu Yuena's words, because she felt that her father was capable of it.
After all, he had always liked interfering in the affairs of the lower realm. It wasn't just a day or two.
Oscar sighed. "So that's how it is. Then, the reason you and Da Ming and Er Ming became enemies was because of Xiao San's plan?"
"That's one way to put it." Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, then nodded. "After all, if it weren't for the plan, those two probably wouldn't have made a move, and we naturally wouldn't have clashed."
If Da Ming and Er Ming were willing to stay hidden in that minor plane, they wouldn't have gone knocking on their door.
Hearing this, Tang Wutong felt somewhat more at ease about Huo Yuhao beating up Er Ming.
In that case, half the blame for this mess also fell on her cheap father's head.
"At present, the calamity of the Abyss has yet to be resolved, especially since there are deities among them."
Huo Yuhao gazed at the three. "Over the past six thousand years, countless people on the Douluo Continent have died because of the Abyss. And due to the nature of the Abyss Plane, its dead can be resurrected. While not entirely without losses, they are close to it. What do the three of you think about this matter?"
Over six thousand years, only the Douluo Continent had suffered deaths, while the Abyss Plane had suffered no losses. And the sacrifices of the Douluo Continent were necessary for the implementation of Tang San's plan.
What did they think of this?
Tang Wutong, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar fell into brief silence.
Ning Rongrong lowered her gaze, her thoughts unclear. Oscar frowned slightly, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the stone stool.
As for Tang Wutong...
She took a deep breath, then suddenly spoke in a low voice. "Sacrifice is acceptable, but being sacrificed is not! No matter how many benefits his plan can bring to the Douluo Continent, it has nothing to do with those who have already died. Standing from the perspective of those who were kept in the dark and sacrificed, this is undoubtedly wrong!"
One cannot only preach great principles when one is not the one being sacrificed.
From the perspective of those who were sacrificed, right and wrong were clear at a glance.
Ning Rongrong suddenly looked up, frowning. "Wu Tong, Third Brother probably has his own—"
"Aunt Rongrong, don't try to persuade me." Tang Wutong interrupted her. "I know you're close to him, and I know you were comrades who fought side by side. You might believe he has his reasons. But he's also my father. I have some idea of what kind of person he is."
Trust in the power of deities, but never in their mercy.
Back then, when Shrek was in that state, her father had still gone to support it, even descending as a god to force the Sun Moon Empire to change its name. Although at the time she stood with the Douluo Three Kingdoms and Shrek Academy, and Tang San was her father, Tang Wutong simply couldn't bring herself to say he was right.
He thought the Sun Moon Empire shouldn't unify, so he descended to stop the war, changed its name, and then left it at that. What was the point? Some kind of spiritual victory?
Sometimes she really couldn't understand what he was thinking.
Hearing Tang Wutong's response, Huo Yuhao was inwardly astonished.
This one... was indeed not Princess Tang, but Wang Dong'er, right?
Princess Tang wasn't this independent-minded and couldn't have spoken such words.
Oscar patted Ning Rongrong's shoulder. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke. "On this matter, we truly cannot defend Xiao San. He may have his considerations, but to those who sacrificed for this, such talk is empty."
As he spoke, he also felt relieved.
Judging by their attitudes, the two were considering things from the Douluo Continent's perspective. The Douluo Continent had paid a heavy price to resist the Abyss Plane. This was probably also why the two didn't want divine battles to occur, which would alert the Abyss or even allow it to escape.
After all, if that happened, wouldn't all the sacrifices of the Douluo Continent have been in vain?
The Douluo Continent lost people and expended effort, only for the Abyss Plane to escape unscathed. Just thinking about it was infuriating and hard to accept.
And since the Douluo Continent now had such an enemy, and even the grudges between Da Ming, Er Ming, and Huo Yuhao's group were restrained because of the Abyss Plane, then there was even less reason for them to come to blows.
Seeing that Oscar's body seemed to relax slightly, Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered and he gave a slight nod. "It's rare for the Food God to think this way."
Through this question, he had essentially grasped the attitudes of the three.
Ning Rongrong was relatively protective of Tang San. Oscar was more objective but, out of brotherly affection, saved face for Tang San. As for Tang Wutong...
Huo Yuhao glanced at her again.
She was clear-headed and spoke frankly. Aside from not using profanity, she had basically given Tang San no face at all.
This attitude was somewhat unexpected.
"I roughly understand the attitudes of the three of you."
Huo Yuhao's gaze swept across them. "In that case, are there any other questions? If I can answer them, I'd be happy to clarify. By the way, how do you plan to settle the value of this information? Will it be deducted from what you exchange for the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley, or will it be paid separately?"
Seeing Tang Wutong staring at him, Huo Yuhao smiled. "As I said before, information has value. Surely you're not planning to default?"
Tang Wutong raised an eyebrow, then let out a light snort. "Who's going to default? I just have more questions to ask. We'll tally it all up together then."
Huo Yuhao smiled and made an inviting gesture.
Seeing this, Tang Wutong's expression turned serious. "Why was Shrek destroyed? I want to know the details."
Although she didn't care much about Shrek, she was still curious about the specific reasons for its destruction.
"This question has already been widely discussed outside. You'd know if you went out." For some reason, Huo Yuhao deliberately reminded them.
"Since it's already public knowledge, its value shouldn't be high."
Tang Wutong didn't mind. "Just say it directly."
Perhaps the reasons had already spread widely outside, but the person before her clearly had a broader perspective and should know more inside information.
"This is a long story. It can even be traced back to ten thousand years ago. At that time, to avoid being conquered by the Sun Moon Empire, which had been renamed the Tiandou Empire by the Sea God, the Xingluo and other nations constantly explored overseas. They discovered two continents and began immigrating, establishing nations on those outer continents. Shrek had deep ties with them..."
As Huo Yuhao narrated, the three gradually gained a much better understanding of the Douluo Continent's history and understood why Shrek Academy had been destroyed.
"Colluding with the enemy and betraying the country?"
Tang Wutong closed her eyes, a complex expression crossing her face.
"Shrek still thought of itself as the same transcendent, neutral force it was ten thousand years ago."
In her view, the reason for Shrek's destruction was very simple: it had failed to sit squarely in its position.
Ten thousand years ago, although Shrek helped the Douluo Three Kingdoms fight against the Sun Moon Empire, it wasn't actually part of those kingdoms. It was a transcendent, neutral force.
But now, the entire Douluo Continent had been unified under Federation management. Shrek Academy was already part of the Douluo Federation. Yet its actions still showed it treating itself as a neutral force, even helping enemy nations. Its destruction was only to be expected.
Ning Rongrong and Oscar exchanged glances, remaining silent, somewhat dazed.
Because they thought of the Spirit Hall.
That behemoth that once dominated the continent and commanded all others. What fate had it met? Ganged up on and crushed by the wheels of history.
Although Shrek and Spirit Hall weren't identical, they had some similarities. Both had once stood at the continent's peak. Both had believed they could remain transcendent. Both had clung to their glory amid the tides of the era, until they realized they had long been left behind.
Yesterday's Spirit Hall, today's Shrek.
The world was a great cycle.
Oscar snapped back to reality, feeling a jumble of emotions.
Shrek had been destroyed, and even he couldn't find fault with the reasons.
What about them, then?
The Angel God, representing Spirit Hall, had passed away with Spirit Hall, heralding the beginning of a new era. Now that Shrek had been destroyed, where would this group of deities representing Shrek Academy end up?
If yet another new era dawned, would they, the remnants of the old era, still have a place to stand?
Would the new era have a ship to carry them?
While Oscar was lost in thought, Ning Rongrong glanced at him and said to Huo Yuhao, "We have no more questions for now. Let's talk about the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley. First, tell us what you can offer in exchange, and we'll factor in the information later."
Huo Yuhao nodded upon hearing this. "Very well, so be it."
He looked at Ning Rongrong and Oscar, his eyes narrowing. "You are both deities who came to the Douluo Continent after the Divine Realm War. I imagine what you need are resources to improve your cultivation or heal your injuries?"
Ning Rongrong's gaze sharpened, understanding that the other party had seen through her condition, though she wasn't surprised.
After all, deities who came down from the Divine Realm all had some level of injuries.
"That's right. So what can you offer?"
"I naturally have no way to heal wounds caused by the Golden Dragon King. However, I do have resources for improving cultivation."
Huo Yuhao emphasized as he looked at Oscar. "Although the current Douluo Continent is not weak within its plane, the upper limit is fixed. It's generally impossible to break through to the divine level. Even with a divine seat and law comprehension still intact, allowing a breakthrough to the divine level, subsequent improvement through purely absorbing the world's vital energy would be very difficult."
"I can give you two choices. First, through my position in the Federation, I can help you obtain permission to spread your faith. Establish divine statues on the Douluo Continent and collect faith power. After all, you know Shrek's situation. To obtain faith power, without our connections, it would be very difficult given your relationship with Shrek."
The three did not refute this.
With Shrek destroyed, without persuasion from deities aligned with the Federation, the Federation would certainly not support them in obtaining faith.
"Second, I have control over a secret realm containing divine-level resources. I can give you the opportunity to enter, but I can't guarantee you'll obtain anything."
Huo Yuhao smiled. "As the three of you know, the Douluo Continent has limited resources, and I need them too. The Qiankun Questioning Love Valley is not essential to me, so I can only offer these two options."
"Understandable. After all, you wouldn't give us the truly good stuff. If you did, I'd start suspecting your motives."
Tang Wutong muttered, then looked at Oscar and Ning Rongrong. "Aunt Rongrong, Uncle Oscar, what do you think?"
Ning Rongrong and Oscar exchanged a glance and began conversing via sound transmission.
Faith is out of the question. Accepting the first option means directly joining them. Moreover, with Shrek's current reputation, whether we can gain faith on the Douluo Continent and how much we could gain are unknown.
But the second option has problems too. While there may be divine-level resources, if they were easy to obtain, they'd have taken them themselves. Could it be a trap and they want us to clear the way?
You mean he wants to use us to scout ahead?
It's possible, but not necessarily a bad thing. If there really are divine-level resources in that secret realm, even just getting a share would help you recover significantly. But if we can't obtain anything and give up the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley for nothing, that would be too much of a loss. We need a guaranteed baseline gain.
Sharing Tang Wutong's view, the two felt that because what Huo Yuhao offered wasn't overly generous, it actually seemed more genuine. If he had promised something like a complete divine artifact, they would have suspected ulterior motives.
Moreover, their previous conversation had made them understand that Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena did have concerns, and that fighting would benefit neither side.
So, while they remained cautious, they didn't suspect a trap. They only suspected that the secret realm might have its pitfalls.
Besides, if a secret realm were used as a trap, once fighting broke out, the secret realm would certainly be destroyed. Was exchanging one secret realm for the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley really worth it?
It was unlikely that the Douluo Continent had a secret realm even they couldn't destroy, was it?
If there was, Ning Rongrong admitted she'd be curious to see it.
"We choose the second option, but we want to explore together and split the gains equally. And if we can't obtain any resources, we need a guaranteed baseline gain. We're handing over the Qiankun Questioning Love Valley directly to you. We can't walk away with nothing."
Hearing this answer, a barely perceptible gleam of amusement flickered in Huo Yuhao's eyes.
"That's a reasonable request."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!