Chapter 188

When Huo Yuhao left the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, somewhere on the Douluo Continent.

Tong Yu spoke respectfully in the darkness: "Lord, Huo Yuhao's growth speed is too fast; his cultivation has already approached Soul Emperor, and he even went to the Tang Sect's Ice Fire Yin Yang Well. If my guess is correct, after this he will advance to Soul Emperor. If we don't act quickly, it may become impossible to recruit him into the Holy Religion in the future."

"Oh? Where did the news come from?"

"Lan Fuzi. She currently works at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, and is under Huo Yuhao."

"I see..."

The voice in the darkness became interested: "Star Luo has already begun preparing an exchange program with the Federation; within a year they will send a delegation to visit the Douluo Continent, and incidentally probe the strength here from an official angle."

"If the Federation has the intention, they will certainly also send people to visit Star Luo afterwards... Since Lan Fuzi is by Huo Yuhao's side, let her get closer to Huo Yuhao and strive to persuade him to participate in the future. She rarely brings back news for the Holy Religion; this time is a good chance to see her loyalty to the Holy Religion."

"Lord, is this appropriate?" Tong Yu secretly frowned. "If our arrangements on the Star Luo side are discovered..."

"No matter. With him there, at least Star Luo is surface peace, isn't it?"

Tong Yu's body shook, expression complex.

"Yes, I understand."

Leaving the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, Leng Yaozhu and the others declined the Tang Sect's ceremonial send-off and walked toward Tian Dou City.

On the way, Leng Yaozhu looked at Gu Yue Na and smiled: "Sister Na, what feelings and improvements did you get from signing a contract with a hundred-thousand-year immortal herb?"

"..."

Hmm, the immortal herb's taste wasn't too good; as food, she would give it a bad review.

Gu Yue Na thought this, but her mouth said: "Soul power rose several levels; Soul King soon."

Leng Yaozhu nodded, waiting for Gu Yue Na's continuation, but Gu Yue Na had no reaction, letting her gradually frown.

Just this much improvement?

Even if Sister Na is currently limited by physical strength and soul power issues and cannot let the spirit soul provide a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, a hundred-thousand-year heavenly treasure's effect shouldn't be this poor, right? Only raised soul power?

"Sister Na absorbed the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone; physical strength also improved considerably."

Huo Yuhao saw this and added from the side: "Now she can Spirit Ascend again."

Of course, this was a lie. After eating the immortal herb, Gu Yue Na only raised some soul power... within expectations, right?

She herself is a First-Rank God, and a First-Rank God with powerful bloodline; to gain a major improvement she can only go to Dragon Valley, and only there can bring her sufficient improvement.

He was also setting in motion the corresponding plans.

Dragon Valley has many opportunities; even two Super God Artifacts exist. If he can obtain the most important few things, the improvement for Gu Yue Na would be great.

However...

Watching Gu Yue Na chatting and laughing with Leng Yaozhu, Huo Yuhao secretly frowned.

Speaking of Dragon Valley, the Dragon God Position is unavoidable.

And in Huo Yuhao's view, that God Position is a trap.

How many opportunities did the Little Dragon God obtain during the process of achieving the God Position?

Not to mention the opportunities before inheriting the Dragon God Position; when inheriting the Dragon God Position, he had the Super God Artifact Dragon God Heart, the power of a First-Rank God sacrifice, the Half-Step God King nourishment delivered to his door, the Dragon God Remains, all the power of Dragon Valley, all the Dragon God Bloodline inside the Super God Artifact Rising Dragon Pillar, the Deep Red God King's full power, the Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King bloodlines, the Divine Positions of the Ten Great God Kings...

With these bloodlines, Divine Positions, and energy-level opportunities, only then did they step by step push the Little Dragon God to become the so-called Supreme God King — Dragon God.

This isn't even the most troublesome part; the Dragon God Divine Trial must undergo a "Heart Tempering" trial. During that process, the examinee is in a half-mad state, madly craving power to fill themselves, full of destructive desire.

In the original work, after the Great God Circle returned, the Thirteen God Kings took turns and finally all acted together, only then preventing the Little Dragon God from destroying everything in his rampage.

If this isn't a trap, what is?

It can be seen that under normal circumstances, the Dragon God Position has no possibility of successful inheritance. Just stopping a rampaging Pseudo Dragon God requires God Kings powerful enough to assist at the side.

Gu Yue Na knows some things, but she doesn't know the various trials faced when inheriting the Dragon God Position.

Need to find a chance to talk with her.

While thinking, Huo Yuhao and the others traveled all the way to the Tian Dou Spirit Pagoda Branch; only then did Xiong Jun look at everyone.

"The hour is not early either; today rest at the Tian Dou Branch. Tomorrow, I'll arrange a plane to Mingdu for you, and go to Mingdu together... to attend the soon-to-begin Ling Bing Ceremony!"

Xiong Jun's words interrupted Huo Yuhao's thoughts, making him look at the other expressionlessly.

At this moment, Xiong Jun's face bore a somewhat strange smile, faintly sizing him up; the meaning was self-evident.

For the scene of Ling Bing worshipping Ling Bing, he already couldn't wait!

He's getting excited!

And Xiong Jun's words also drew the gazes of the other two who knew the truth.

Snow Empress wore a natural smile; Gu Yue Na also revealed a strange expression, half-smiling.

Huo Yuhao: "..."

How come, you all want to watch me worship myself?

Did you forget you also have to pay respects?

Who gets the better deal is hard to say!

Thinking this, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh.

The people by his side are all like this; he can already imagine the situation when the ceremony starts... they all want to watch his joke, right?

And the five little ones, hearing about the Ling Bing Ceremony, no longer dwelled on not obtaining a hundred-thousand-year immortal herb at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Well, and also discussed the Ling Bing Ceremony.

Three rings challenging a hundred-thousand-year, and needing the immortal herb's approval — who can do that? Even a god coming couldn't do it, right?

Don't think about it, don't think about it.

"The Ling Bing Ceremony is the Headquarters' ceremony commemorating Ling Bing Douluo, right? What specifically needs to be done?"

Xu Xiaoyan asked curiously: "Do we need to make any preparations?"

"The Ling Bing Ceremony is a ritual established by the Spirit Pagoda to commemorate Ling Bing Douluo, mainly a review of his life and praise of his achievements. At that time there will be a worship ceremony, Soul Master Performance Competition, Spirit Soul Contract and other activities. Many Spirit Pagoda dignitaries will also arrive at the Spirit Pagoda then to share the ceremony."

Xiong Jun explained with a smile: "However, you young juniors who have reported to Headquarters for less than a year, your main task is to go worship Ling Bing Douluo. Presiding over the ritual certainly won't fall to you; relax a bit, just treat it as a holiday."

Huo Yuhao: "..." Hehe.

He just laughed, not speaking.

Seeing Xu Xiaoyan so interested, Xie Xie suddenly lowered his voice: "I heard... during every Ling Bing Ceremony, there are people who claim to have seen the Ling Bing Douluo's Spirit Manifestation inside the Spirit Pagoda!"

"Ah?! " Xu Xiaoyan was frightened and grabbed Gu Yue Na's arm, "R-really? Is it true?"

Xiong Jun laughed heartily: "This... " He gave a meaningful glance at Huo Yuhao, who stood expressionless to the side, "Maybe this year there really will be a Spirit Manifestation?"

Huo Yuhao: "..."

Can't you behave? Be careful of retribution...

Boom—!

While Xiong Jun was teasing Huo Yuhao in a roundabout way, a burst of thunderous rumbling sounded from the distant sky.

Around the Blacksmith Association, no matter from which angle one looked, one could discover that the top of this building suddenly flashed with a gorgeous, multicolored light halo. This four-colored light halo bloomed outward, continuing to shine, persisting for a long time without dissipating.

"What is that? Four Colored Lightning Tribulation?"

Xie Xie looked towards the sky in shock, "What expert... beast is undergoing tribulation?"

"Four Element Lightning Tribulation..."

Having received Xiong Jun's guidance and now quite familiar with the Blacksmith's path, Tang Wulin revealed an excited expression, "Xie Xie, your previous timing coming to Tian Dou City was unfortunate; it was exactly the Divine Craftsman's Rest Period, so you didn't see this kind of scene. Right now, this is the Divine Craftsman performing Heavenly Forging!"

Heavenly Forging is the realm every Blacksmith yearns for, and also his goal.

On the other side, seeing the Four Element Lightning Tribulation, the smile on Xiong Jun's face froze, and it was Huo Yuhao's turn to look at him with a strange expression.

Based on the various intelligence Huo Yuhao had obtained over these years, Soul Beasts cannot perform Heavenly Forging.

That is not just a matter of capability, but an extension of the "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods" problem.

It is best to become a Divine Craftsman before becoming a God.

Because the Lightning Tribulation attracted after becoming a God and the Lightning Tribulation attracted before becoming a God are different; the former is a true Divine Tribulation, targeting the God itself, and has an essential difference from the Lightning Tribulation targeting metal.

If one cannot grasp how to attract the Lightning Tribulation targeting metal before becoming a God, wanting to find that feeling amidst various Divine Tribulations after becoming a God is undoubtedly very difficult. (In the original work's setting, God Rank powerhouses who learn Forging can't even do simple Thousand Refinements... I couldn't figure out how to explain this strange situation, feeling it was somewhat forcibly elevating Forging. So this book changed the setting; only Heavenly Forging, because of the difference in Lightning Tribulation, is the greatest threshold.)

Obviously, Fierce Beasts have now encountered a similar problem.

Because of the rule "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods," the Lightning Tribulation they attract... will ultimately strike themselves, evolving into the Fierce Beasts' Heavenly Tribulation.

"Ling Bing, stop laughing at me... this damn Heavenly Tribulation." Xiong Jun transmitted a sentence, finally unable to hold back from cursing, "Fortunately I am a Soul Beast who has passed the five hundred thousand year bottleneck; if it were at a limit without confidence, that Heavenly Tribulation could kill me."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious, no longer teasing the other party, his mind turning to analyze the meaning represented within.

'From this situation, the treatment Soul Beasts face is the same as Gods. And the Dragon God also mastered the power of Lightning Tribulation; the rule "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods" he initially set down probably treats Soul Beasts as alternative Gods, and added year limits and cultivation restrictions within it, so after reaching a certain year limit, Soul Beasts must face Heavenly Tribulation.'

'It's just that Lightning Tribulation has the characteristic of growing stronger against the strong and weaker against the weak, so Soul Beasts with abundant foundations can cross Heavenly Tribulation again and again, becoming Fierce Beasts. But accumulation always has an end; there is always a bottleneck that cannot be broken through. When accumulation becomes insufficient to cope with Heavenly Tribulation, that is the time of the Soul Beast's death.'

'And among these, the Godhood Tribulation should be the top priority.'

The rule "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods" left by the Dragon God should be very simple, and therefore some loopholes were born.

How to ensure Soul Beasts fall at the Godhood Tribulation step within such a simple rule? Or put differently, how to increase the Lightning Tribulation's power at the Godhood Tribulation step, making it absolutely impossible for Soul Beasts to pass?'

Huo Yuhao had a few simple guesses.

Known: only two situations send down the Godhood Tribulation — Heaven and Earth, Universe.

No matter how strong the Dragon God, he cannot influence Universe Laws; otherwise he wouldn't have died. Moreover, outside the planes under the God Realm's jurisdiction, there are also beasts that can become Gods, proving the influence of "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods" only exists within the planes originally under the Dragon God Realm's jurisdiction.

And since it is Heaven and Earth, i. e., the Plane, the Dragon God's choices are merely those few.

One, simply adding the underlying rule "Soul Beasts cannot become Gods" into the Plane Operation Laws of the major planes.

Two, through some law placing a "Curse" rooted in the bloodline or soul of Soul Beasts, letting the Plane give Soul Beasts some "Preferential Treatment," adding extra ingredients when they become Gods.

Or, both combined?

Besides these, some other situations are also possible. Thinking of "Curse," Huo Yuhao thought of Di Tian's tribulation situation.

The example of a Soul Beast passing the Godhood Tribulation is only Di Tian alone, and what he passed was the Obsession Tribulation, this kind of obsession/heart demon tribulation; he must overcome the obsession of wanting to become a God for hundreds of thousands of years to become a God...

This simply cuts off Di Tian's hope of becoming a God from the root; it is too targeted.

An obsession formed over hundreds of thousands of years? And it's the obsession of becoming a God; how can Di Tian win?

Make him give up becoming a God?

Not to mention Di Tian, all Soul Beasts who reach the threshold of becoming a God have experienced long years of cultivation; hundreds of thousands of years, nearly a million years of obsession — can any Soul Beast really pass this kind of tribulation?

'If every Soul Beast's Godhood Tribulation is this full of targeted nature, it's probably something similar to a Curse.'

Looking at Xiong Jun, whose expression wasn't too good, Huo Yuhao secretly thought.

After a moment, seeing the distant Lightning Tribulation gradually dissipate, everyone looked away, chatting about "Heavenly Forging" and "Ling Bing Ceremony" as they walked into the Tian Dou Spirit Pagoda Branch.

Arriving at his own territory, Xiong Jun naturally hosted everyone well; only it made Huo Yuhao somewhat speechless that at the banquet this guy deliberately acted familiar with him, wanting to hear him call him "Elder" or "Tower Master" — the intention was too obvious.

His mood recovered really fast, or rather, was this using his amusement to regulate his mood?

The banquet ended, and only Snow Empress, Gu Yue Na, Huo Yuhao, and Xiong Jun remained in the living room.

Huo Yuhao no longer disguised himself, looking at Xiong Jun, said faintly: "You were really active enough today; why? Does watching Ling Bing Douluo participate in the Ling Bing Ceremony make you that happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, what a great amusement."

Xiong Jun snorted: "And you're just a Soul Emperor right now; I'm not afraid of you."

Though he said that, seeing Gu Yue Na's gaze turn over, Xiong Jun still coughed lightly, reining himself in a bit, "Alright, let's talk business. How do you plan to handle the Immortal Herbs you obtained?"

Sigh, Master's elbow bends outward, truly a headache.

"... This place isn't far from the Star Dou Great Forest; you handle it."

Huo Yuhao looked into the distance, "Taking them to Mingdu has no place to settle them either."

Xiong Jun nodded, "Rest assured, leave it to me."

Hearing this, Huo Yuhao was about to instruct the other party not to let his own clansmen handle it, when a "beep beep" sound from a Soul Guide Communication Device suddenly rang out, making him raise an eyebrow and take out the Soul Guide Communication Device to check.

It was Lan Fuzi...

Made up your mind?

End of Chapter