To be fair, there wasn't any strange smell — it was pretty much like the marinated seafood Di Tian had tasted before.
Di Tian offered a high evaluation:
"Weak in strength, but tastes good."
After a satisfying meal and a short rest, he looked off in one direction.
His golden dragon eyes emitted a blinding light, as though they could pierce the darkness of the universe itself.
If one could borrow his gaze, they would see a star system filled with life.
Many life-bearing planets sketched out a cosmic diagram across the dimensions of the universe.
The celestial chart was composed of two figures: a dragon and a horse, entwined head-to-head.
Withdrawing the blinding glow, Di Tian's dragon eyes sparkled with brilliance.
In the next moment, a stream of light shot out from the dead star where Di Tian resided.
He had found it. That was all that mattered. As long as he had located it, the current Mother of Crimson stood no real chance of resistance against him.
Of the three energy cores needed to build the new God Realm:
The Abyssal Plane had already been secured.
The Demon Plane was now a fish on the chopping block.
The whereabouts of the Mother of Crimson had also been uncovered.
He was striding forward on the path to his goal, step by steady step.
At the same time, Di Tian wasn't the only one who couldn't enjoy leisure. Tang San's divine consciousness was busy selecting a successor to inherit the God of Life's divine position.
Fortunately within misfortune, the candidate Tang San had chosen had not perished in the turbulent times.
On the contrary, she had thrived through the chaos.
Though not as privileged as the current generation of Shrek's Seven Monsters (who had benefited from Tang San's special help), she had still managed to reach nine rings and the title of Titled Douluo in her twenties.
This gave Tang San a decent surprise.
The only aspect that left Tang San slightly displeased was that his chosen candidate already had a child.
One of Tang San's rules for passing on divine thrones — "Only kin may inherit" — meant that the candidate must be "kin."
Especially for God-King level divine thrones like the God of Life and God of Destruction — if the successor wasn't family, the risk of betrayal was too great.
Based on an unspoken Douluo-plane principle — that romantic bonds were stronger and more loyal than even soul poisons — Tang San intended to marry off the chosen successor, Dai Yun'er, to Tang Wulin, just like the former God King of Destruction (Zi) and the God King of Life (Lv) had once done: a divine couple bound together in power and position.
However, Dai Yun'er's son naturally became a thorn in Tang San's heart, since he would be Tang Wulin's stepson and Tang San's "step-grandson."
Then again, on second thought, maybe it wasn't a big deal.
After all, his other chosen son-in-law, Dai Yuehao, also had an illegitimate child, Xu Yunhan, born out of wedlock.
So selecting Dai Yun'er — who happened to have a son — for Tang Wulin might still be acceptable.
Moreover, Dai Yun'er's husband, Tong Yu, had died years ago in a battle against Di Tian. Tang Wulin marrying Dai Yun'er wouldn't violate any major principle.
The real reason, though, was simple: Tang San had no other options.
It was incredibly difficult to pass down a divine throne like the God of Life's within just one year.
But with a little assistance from Tang San, Dai Yun'er could complete the inheritance within that timeframe.
She was a descendant of the Star Luo Empire's Dai family — a divine bloodline that included:
The God of War, Dai Mubai
The God of Speed, Zhu Zhuqing
The God of Emotion, Dai Yuehao
With just a drop of divine blood from all three, Tang San could trigger a bloodline reversion in Dai Yun'er, elevating her to the status of a divine descendant — capable of generating divine backlash blood and ultimately forming a divine core.
Coupled with her innate twin martial souls — the Netherworld Civet from Zhu Zhuqing and the top-tier spiritual martial soul Spirit Eye from Dai Yuehao — she was, by all accounts, the best and only viable choice for Tang San.
Obtaining the divine blood from Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Yuehao posed no issue for him.
So Tang San carried out his plan as imagined.
And — being the "enlightened" parent he was — he even discussed it with Tang Wulin.
First, he handed Wulin the soul vessels containing Tang Ziran and Lang Yue's souls. Then, in a tone that brooked no argument, he laid out his intentions.
Naturally, Tang Wulin was unwilling. But he had no choice.
Looking at the souls of Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, whatever spirit he had left drained away completely.
He left behind a few weary words:
"It's all up to Father now.""I'll go cultivate.""Just tell me when I'm needed."
Then he left.
It looked like Tang Wulin really just wanted some peace.
But Tang San didn't care about his son's emotional state.
Looking at this obedient, yielding son before him, Tang San was deeply satisfied.
"That's how a good son should be — never blame your parents for anything or anyone."
That was the Tang family creed.
In high spirits, Tang San personally traveled to the Star Luo Imperial Palace to handle matters.
At first, the reigning emperor Dai Tianling was unwilling.
He had many reasons.
His daughter wasn't some tool to be sold off. As a three-word battle armor master with nine soul rings, she was already among the elite of the Empire. It wasn't right to force her into anything.
Moreover, her late husband Tong Yu's corpse hadn't even gone cold. The Five Elements Qilin Orb he left behind was still aiding Dai Yun'er in cultivation — without it, she might not have reached Titled Douluo so young.
...
However, Tang San's divine pressure was overwhelming. He had brought with him the divine blood of Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dai Yuehao — along with their divine wills.
Then came the carrot-and-stick: divine pressure, then temptation.
Under the expectations of his ancestors and the lure of the divine position of the God of Life, Dai Tianling gave in — kneeling before the God King Tang San.
Dai Yun'er had officially been "sold" again — this time to the Tang family.
To avoid complications, Tang San demanded that Tang Wulin and Dai Yun'er skip the wedding and consummate the marriage immediately.
On this point, Tang San wasn't wrong — a son is always more reliable when he's your own, and a grandson even more so.
With Xiao Wu already lovesick and emotionally frail, Tang San couldn't bear to have her "make another trumpet" (i.e., give birth again).
To avoid the tragedy of "who did we work our whole lives for?", he needed Tang Wulin to produce a child before inheriting the God of Destruction's divine throne — to secure the continuation of the Tang family bloodline.
Just as everything was being finalized, Dai Yun'er suddenly barged in.
"I do not agree!"
A young noblewoman in palace attire stormed into the room, her beautiful face cold with fury.
It was none other than the widow Dai Yun'er, who had just been confirmed as Tang Wulin's soon-to-be wife.
Her wings were no longer clipped. At least in front of her father Dai Tianling, she could now say "no."
This was no longer like the helpless marriage to Tong Yu.
Yes, she and Tong Yu had no real feelings — even after all that time together, love never blossomed.
But that didn't mean she was some piece of merchandise, to be handed off to another stranger.
Dai Tianling averted his gaze and opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He hadn't expected Dai Yun'er to be right outside the door — and to have overheard everything.
By contrast, Tang San remained calm and collected.
Of course, he had sensed Dai Yun'er eavesdropping — but he didn't care.
After all, when it came to women with children, Tang San had plenty of experience and methods.
(Chapter End)