Darkness shattered, and a new challenge arrived.
Jiang Nannan lowered her head and looked at her hands—only to find that they had become much younger. More accurately… she herself had returned to her teenage appearance.
And the place she now stood in was the bustling Shrek City!
The Shrek City of the past.
Exactly the same as in her memories.
"Here… what is this?"
"A new trial?"
Just as Jiang Nannan was confirming her situation, a familiar voice entered her ears.
"Nannan!"
She turned sharply—and saw Xu Sanshi walking toward her with a fawning smile.
Beibei followed behind him, refined and elegant like a young nobleman.
Both appeared as their teenage selves, dressed in the outer court uniform.
Jiang Nannan finally noticed that she was wearing the same uniform.
Then, someone suddenly hooked an arm around hers from the side. Jiang Nannan turned to see—Tang Ya, exactly as she was in the outer court.
"Nannan, let's go shopping! Let these stinky boys carry our bags." Tang Ya said cheerfully.
Beibei chuckled, shaking his head, his gaze warm with affection.
Xu Sanshi looked hopeful, practically wagging his tail like a puppy.
But Jiang Nannan remained silent.
Because she knew clearly:
All of this… was fake.
"Though it's all so real… and so beautiful… one of the happiest times of my life, but…"
"I no longer need it."
She lifted her head and looked directly at her "friends," smiling softly.
"I have found someone I truly want to spend my life with."
"Love will not trap me in illusions!"
"I'm sorry. Your future may not be happy… but I can't stop here."
Yet her "friends" seemed unwilling to let her go.
"Nannan, what are you saying? I don't understand! Let's go shopping. Isn't staying here forever nice?" Tang Ya tightened her grip.
Beibei's smile remained gentle. "Nannan, it's safe here. With the Academy and our teachers protecting us, we'll never face danger again."
Xu Sanshi reacted the strongest. "Nannan, the lover you mentioned—it must be me, right? It can't be anyone else! Right?!"
Jiang Nannan said nothing and simply tried to pull her arm free.
But Tang Ya clung to her tightly, as if terrified she would disappear.
Tears welled up on Tang Ya's face as she pleaded.
"Nannan, stay. I need you!"
Jiang Nannan paused, brushing away Tang Ya's tears. Tang Ya had once been her only friend; there was softness in her heart for her.
"If only you were real."
Knowing the suffering Tang Ya later faced… Jiang Nannan truly wished she could wipe away her real tears. But she no longer had that chance.
"I'm sorry, but I have someone I must find!"
"No!!!"
Xu Sanshi roared, lunging toward her. "Stay here with me—forever!"
Jiang Nannan's eyes turned cold. She pushed off the ground with explosive force, narrowly avoiding him.
Beibei blocked her from behind.
Tang Ya tightened her grip further, wrapping her arms around Nannan and immobilizing her arms.
Jiang Nannan realized—this wasn't purely an illusion anymore.
If she didn't deal with these three, she would not be able to escape.
Without another word, she slammed her legs into the ground, leaving a deep crater before leaping high into the air.
With her arms restrained, she could only use her legs.
A rabbit's strongest attacks come from its legs.
Xu Sanshi lunged again.
Jiang Nannan dropped down from above, her leg smashing into Xu Sanshi's face.
With a heavy stomp—
She drove Xu Sanshi's head deep into the ground without mercy.
Beibei rushed in next.
Jiang Nannan spun, her long leg cracking through the air like a whip and slamming into Beibei, sending him flying.
But even as she tried to shake off Tang Ya, both Xu Sanshi and Beibei climbed back up again, attacking once more.
Around her, the surrounding crowd turned into eerie puppets, staring at her.
"Stay! Stay! Stay… stay… stay…"
Jiang Nannan roared back:
"I will NOT stay!"
She poured all her strength into her legs—her understanding of love transforming into power.
Her heart was full of love for Huo Yuhao.
Because she knew—only love could overcome this trial.
"Yuhao, I need your help!"
Huo Yuhao's figure appeared in her mind—clad in ice armor, radiating cold that did not harm her, instead merging with her strength.
As she kicked again, cold surged around her legs, forming beautiful icy boots that shielded her limbs and empowered her strike.
Her next kick struck Xu Sanshi directly.
BOOM!
Like smashing a watermelon—Xu Sanshi's head exploded.
She turned and kicked again.
Beibei met the same fate.
Finally, Jiang Nannan leapt high and stomped down.
She whispered the name of this move:
"Feeling Ice."
A surge of ice erupted from beneath her feet—forming ice spikes that pierced Tang Ya and shattered all the figures crowding around her.
Then the ground beneath her vanished, and she fell into a bottomless abyss.
…
"This is—!"
Jiang Nannan's eyes widened.
Around her, countless images appeared—her memories.
Her life was being traced back.
From her love and connection with Huo Yuhao…
to her inner court days…
to her outer court days…
and finally, her childhood…
Realizing what was coming, her face turned pale.
"No—don't continue!"
"I cannot let Yuhao see those!"
Because ahead lay her most shameful past.
And she knew—Huo Yuhao could sense her situation.He would see everything.
Letting go isn't that easy.
This was the insidious cruelty of the Love God's resentment, since illusions could not control Jiang Nannan…
It would dig into her memories, expose her deepest wounds, and destroy her completely.
Finally, a scene from the Xuanming Sect emerged—its darkness like a demonic abyss.
Jiang Nannan shut her eyes in despair.
But then—
The memory halted.
A faint light pierced through the darkness of her past.
Like a blade cutting through the abyss—
Huo Yuhao's hand reached from the depths of her memories, grasping her hand.
"Nannan, I am always with you."
"Our minds are one."
Huo Yuhao had to admit the methods used by the Love God's lingering resentment truly had some substance.
Even he could learn from it.
That sharp, targeted assault on the mind and consciousness gave him new insights. For someone like him, who was already exceptionally skilled in spiritual attributes, these insights were extremely beneficial.
For example he suddenly had new ideas regarding the development of Primordial Spirit divine techniques.
Perhaps in the clash of Primordial Spirits, there could be more variations…techniques that targeted memories and the past to kill the heart as well as the body.
However, Huo Yuhao knew he couldn't continue just watching. Otherwise, Jiang Nannan would really fall into the traps of the Love God's resentment.
As for Jiang Nannan's past, Huo Yuhao naturally knew everything—and did not mind.
After all, it wasn't like he hadn't experienced "married women" before.
Regarding food ingredients, Huo Yuhao had no mental cleanliness issues and was not picky as long as the ingredient wasn't carrying a virus.
In the past, although Jiang Nannan was a genius, she was only average among geniuses, merely someone with innate full soul power.
She wasn't on Huo Yuhao's "must-eat list."
But after she received the inheritance of the Love God, her value increased tremendously.
And Jiang Nannan still possessed Innate Yin!
Huo Yuhao was waiting for her to ascend to godhood…so he could harvest her.
A god-level furnace cauldron was still quite helpful for someone at his stage.
"Just a mere resentment, and you dare lay hands on something that's mine?"
Huo Yuhao let out a cold laugh and formally intervened in Jiang Nannan's battle with the Love God's resentment.
There were many ways he could break into the memory abyss constructed by the resentment.
Yet at this moment, he chose the method most fitting for the Love God's trials.
"Love God Divine Technique — First Sight of Life!"
It was the divine skill he had gained from the Valley of Love and Emotion.
This technique drew the target to his side but if developed further, through the relativity of power, he could instead draw himself to the target.
Following that pull, Huo Yuhao smoothly entered Jiang Nannan's memory world, smashing apart the scene that was about to form with one punch.
Through the collapsing memories of the Xuanming Sect's destruction, he crossed countless obstructions and arrived at Jiang Nannan's side, taking her hand.
Then, Huo Yuhao began guiding Jiang Nannan to fight back against the Love God's resentment.
Only by completely defeating the resentment could she escape her inner shadows, reach a perfect mental state, and acquire the true Love God's inheritance.
The resentment itself would turn into nourishment fueling Jiang Nannan's ascent to godhood.
Jiang Nannan looked joyfully at the suddenly appearing Huo Yuhao.
With his gentle guidance, she nodded emotionally, wholeheartedly trusting him.
A blade extended from the hands they held together a manifestation of their shared affection and strength gradually becoming tangible.
Yet at that moment, Jiang Nannan's brows lightly furrowed.
Pain surfaced in her eyes, along with avoidance and guilt as she looked at Huo Yuhao.
Clearly, the influence of memory was not so easily resolved.
Huo Yuhao spoke softly:
"Nannan, I do not care about your past. Because the one I love is the you standing before me now."
"Instead of revisiting the past, why not look forward to the future with me?"
Jiang Nannan's gaze gradually steadied.
Huo Yuhao quietly retracted the invisible "big hand" he was using.
What was the key to successful talk-no-jutsu?
A hidden black-hand manipulation, of course.
The next second, the sword in their hands solidified completely a magnificent divine blade wrapped in golden and silver radiance.
"This sword reveals the heart—clarifies the mind!"
It was the Mind-Clearing Sword!
Together, they swung the blade, releasing a golden-silver sword aura that tore the memory abyss apart.
The surroundings reverted to the scenery of the secret realm, blood-colored flames burning everywhere.
But now, those flames no longer dared approach.
The golden-silver power from their sword suppressed and extinguished the flames, opening a path toward the Love God's inheritance.
The two exchanged a glance, nodded, and rushed together toward the deepest part of the secret realm.
The Love God's resentment had exhausted all its tricks.
Unwilling to let them proceed, it finally manifested itself.
Ahead, the blood-flames surged into a fiery tornado, and a twisted, terrifying specter emerged from within.
The resentment was entirely blood-red, as if dressed in a crimson funeral robe.
Blood-colored hair spread behind it like writhing tentacles, and it let out soul-piercing shrieks.
But Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan did not slow down.
Pink light enveloped them again they executed their Martial Soul Fusion Technique, becoming the Love God's phantom once more, wielding the Mind-Clearing Sword.
The power of the Love God spread outward, enveloping the resentment, attempting to erode its will to fight.
It ultimately failed but still weakened the resentment's strength.
Furious, the resentment lunged forward, hands turning into ghastly claws, striking at the Love God phantom.
"Love stronger than gold!"
Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan's voices echoed from within the phantom.
A layer of defense appeared, effortlessly blocking the attack.
Seizing the opening, the Love God phantom swung the sword.
"City-Toppling Farewell!"
One slash—
and the resentment's claws were severed, leaving it gravely injured.
Then the phantom raised its sword high and unleashed a strike powerful enough to tear the secret realm apart.
"Eternal Love!"
Boom—boom—boom!
The Love God's resentment screamed, refusing to dissipate, pouring everything into resisting the fatal blow.
But then Jiang Nannan's voice sounded:
"It's over—Resentment of the former Love God."
"I will inherit the Love God's divine seat and I will never repeat your mistakes!"
"Because…"
"I know the person I love is a big, hopeless flirt but I love him anyway. I also accept the other women he loves!"
"In the end, everyone will enjoy everlasting happiness in love!"
The Love God's resentment exploded.
Huo Yuhao felt it seemed more like it was… infuriated to death.
The explosion's power was purified by the Love God phantom.
The flames in the secret realm died down.
The environment rapidly restored itself.
Golden-silver light bathed the realm, painting everything in dreamlike splendor.
At the center was a spring of water where the gold and silver separated into sun and moon.
The scene resembled the Valley of Love and Emotion only even more sacred and ethereal.
Soft pink light emanated from the spring.
Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan instantly realized that was the Love God's divine inheritance.
The Love God phantom dispersed.
The Martial Soul Fusion Technique ended.
The Mind-Clearing Sword dissolved into two wheels—the Sun Love Wheel and the Moon Love Wheel—which returned into their respective bodies.
Huo Yuhao nodded toward Jiang Nannan.
She gathered her courage, stepped forward, and entered the Love God's inheritance.
The divine inheritance officially began!
Within the pink pillar of light, surging power poured into Jiang Nannan's body—most of it the purified divine resentment left behind by the former Love God.
Other divine inheritances required the sacrifice of an Ultimate Douluo, but for Jiang Nannan, this was equivalent to sacrificing the remnant power of an actual god.
Her level began skyrocketing.
In the blink of an eye, she reached Rank 95, officially stepping into the realm of Super Douluo.
Then Rank 96, 97, 98—99!
At Rank 99, Jiang Nannan paused for a while, closing her eyes as she fell into a state of deep comprehension.
The laws comprehended by the previous Love God, as well as the Love God's divine power, were poured directly into her, aiding her breakthrough.
Though her level did not rise further, her aura was transforming.
This was the metamorphosis from mortal to divine!
Nine soul rings appeared on Jiang Nannan's body, then began to change.
Their ages rose. Her eighth and ninth rings were originally 100,000-year rings; now golden patterns emerged upon them as their colors shifted toward orange-gold.
Then the seventh ring turned red, followed by the sixth and fifth.
Her first four soul rings were already transforming into black.
But the metamorphosis didn't stop.
Only when the first soul ring also finished evolving into a red soul ring did the transformation near completion.
Finally, a pink-gold soul ring condensed above her head, slowly descending and merging into her body as she refined it.
At the same time, six glowing light clusters floated out of the lake.
They were the six components of the Love God's divine equipment, which entered the pink pillar of light and fused with Jiang Nannan, becoming her Love God Set.
The original divine set merged with her soul bones, undergoing changes.
A pink-gold suit of divine armor appeared on her. It made her look more mature, more sacred—the headpiece merging with her head soul bone to become a divine crown inlaid with a sea-blue gem.
The divine armor made Jiang Nannan look like a proud Valkyrie: powerful yet impossibly gorgeous, decorated with delicate hollow patterns and set with brilliant gems.
Behind her, a pair of pink-gold wings unfolded like angelic feathers, wrapping around her.
The Golden Eagle let out a cry. It too had benefited from this transformation, though rebuilding its physical body still required time.
Still, this much alone was enough to delight the Golden Eagle immensely.
When the divine armor fully fused with Jiang Nannan and the tenth divine ring was completely refined, her level broke through—
Jiang Nannan had officially stepped into the realm of gods!
Moreover, she already held the position of a first-tier god; she only needed sufficient divine power to wield complete first-tier god strength.
However, because her strength was forcibly elevated by absorbing the purified Love God's resentment, her foundation was somewhat unstable.
As a result, she wouldn't be able to fully display her power for now, and if she wished to continue advancing, she would need to rebuild her foundation step by step.
In summary—her future path of growth would be difficult.
But on the Douluo Continent, this was already more than enough.
And even in the God Realm, the strength of a first-tier god was considerable.
The pink pillar finally dissipated.
This marked Jiang Nannan's complete completion of the divine inheritance—she had officially become the new Love God!
Jiang Nannan slowly descended to the lakeside. Her eyelashes trembled as she opened her eyes.
A pair of pink pupils radiated divine brilliance.
Gradually, that divine glow faded, and her eyes regained their lively spirit. When she looked toward Huo Yuhao, her gaze was filled with overflowing love.
Huo Yuhao smiled and opened his arms.
Jiang Nannan didn't hesitate—she dove straight into his embrace, breathing in his scent greedily.
"Congratulations, Nannan," Huo Yuhao said with a gentle smile.
"No… it was all because of your help. Without you, I never could've passed the trials. Thank you, Yuhao," Jiang Nannan replied softly.
Huo Yuhao shook his head. "Between you and me, there's no need for gratitude."
"Yuhao." Jiang Nannan suddenly called out, cheeks flushing.
Huo Yuhao looked at her, puzzled.
"Love me." Jiang Nannan pushed Huo Yuhao straight to the ground.
She sent a team invitation—Huo Yuhao had absolutely no intention of refusing.
It was harvest time.
When Jiang Nannan reached to remove her armor, Huo Yuhao raised a hand to stop her.
"I like you the way you look with it on," he said with a smile.
"You're terrible~" Jiang Nannan harrumphed, but in the end only removed a few key pieces of armor.
The two didn't hurry to leave the secret realm.
As for everyone waiting outside… waiting a little longer wouldn't kill them.
The Golden Eagle, who had barely begun celebrating, was immediately locked into a small dark room. It panicked, thinking Jiang Nannan had suddenly changed her mind.
…
Outside.
When Jiang Nannan fully completed the inheritance, a pink pillar of light burst out from the Wheel of Eternity, piercing the sky—
As if proclaiming to the world: the Love God has descended!
Yet even long after the pillar disappeared, there was still no sign of Huo Yuhao or Jiang Nannan.
Only the Wheel of Eternity continued floating in the air.
"What's going on?" Xu Sanshi asked anxiously.
The others also had no idea and could only wait in growing worry.
"She has already inherited the divine position," the Silver Dragon King's voice sounded in Ditian's mind. "When she comes out, tell the new Love God to come find me in the core region."
With just those words, the Silver Dragon King quickly withdrew her spiritual sense.
A new god had appeared—naturally this would attract the attention of the God Realm. She didn't want to expose herself by accident.
And since Jiang Nannan had completed the divine inheritance, the next phase of the plan could continue.
The God Realm indeed sensed the birth of the new Love God.
All five Divine Kings noticed it, each reacting differently.
"I didn't expect her to actually succeed in inheriting the Love God position!" Tang San's emotions were complex. He narrowed his eyes. "But whether she can reach the God Realm smoothly depends on whether she can survive the new Seven Elemental Gods."
The God King of Destruction was delighted—he believed the God Realm would soon gain another first-tier god.
He then began secretly scattering some unclaimed divine positions belonging to himself and the Goddess of Life into the universe… waiting for someone destined to inherit them.
The new Love God's appearance strengthened the God King of Destruction's confidence in his plans.
The Goddess of Life, as well as the Evil and Kindness God Kings, all welcomed the Love God's return.
After all, love in the God Realm was closely tied to the previous Love God—many divine couples were wed under her witness.
They believed that the Love God's return would bring more harmony to the God Realm.
Inside the secret realm—
Jiang Nannan had fallen into a deep sleep.
The truth was simple: even though she had just ascended to godhood, Jiang Nannan still couldn't withstand Huo Yuhao's "assault."
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao held her in his arms, quietly digesting everything he had gained from their cultivation.
During their dual cultivation, he had attempted to use the power of yin and yang to comprehend the path toward becoming a Supreme God King.
But unfortunately—
Aside from slightly advancing the Law of Fate within him, he failed to comprehend the corresponding opposing law that would grant him the key to the Supreme God King realm.
"It seems my comprehension really does have limits. The God King realm is the limit of my own growth."
Perhaps because his understanding of fate had deepened, Huo Yuhao now saw his situation more clearly.
Sometimes, one had no choice but to accept reality.
If he wanted to imitate the Sacred Spirit Feathered Serpent's old plan—comprehending multiple laws and ascending from there—Huo Yuhao would need an immense amount of time, and the probability of success was extremely low.
Because he discovered that while he might comprehend the opposing law, the method of merging them to ascend remained blurry, like looking at flowers through fog.
He seemed to understand—
but also didn't.
He knew what he needed to do—
but not how to do it.
However, this didn't mean he had no path left.
"In that case, there's only one road I can take."
"And that is… refining the Five Great God Kings!"
"The divine positions of the Five Great God Kings are interconnected. If I refine them all, a natural fusion will occur—and that fusion will become the staircase leading to the Supreme God King realm!"
For Huo Yuhao, this path was actually easier.
According to the Sacred Spirit Feathered Serpent, if she had possessed Huo Yuhao's abilities and talent in her past life, she would have tried devouring the Nine Dragon Kings to ascend to God King or even Supreme God King.
The problem was she didn't have the power to do so.
But she had reminded Huo Yuhao: if the Beast God System had not been severed, he could have used the Beast God path to seek ascension.
On the human side, Huo Yuhao had already comprehended the Law of Fate.
If the Beast God System still existed and could condense divine positions, Huo Yuhao would have a chance to naturally sense two opposing attribute laws through his overwhelming cultivation realm.
Then he could imitate the original Dragon God and explore his own path from the beginning.
But the Dragon God had already cut off the Beast God path entirely.
Now even if Huo Yuhao tried to forcefully walk the beast path, the requirements wouldn't change he would still need to refine the Silver Dragon King and Gold Dragon King.
In short these gods must be eaten.
Jiang Nannan had also benefited greatly.
Her previously unstable foundation was now solidified, and her control over her own power became much smoother.
More importantly During their dual cultivation, Huo Yuhao discovered a deeply hidden power inside her.
If he hadn't entered so deeply into her during the yin-yang convergence, he truly might not have detected it.
Upon examining it, he confirmed It was very likely a method the Silver Dragon King had left behind.
After all, it was a spiritual technique.
And the only one who could hide a spiritual method from Huo Yuhao under normal circumstances was the Silver Dragon King.
"As expected, the Silver Dragon King has ill intentions. But… I can turn this to my advantage."
"This might be my chance to scheme against her."
Devouring the Five Great God Kings and devouring the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings—
there was no conflict between the two plans.
Huo Yuhao smiled, and a golden divine thought transformed into a tiny centipede, silently crawling along his hand and slipping into Jiang Nannan's body.
…
A day later, Huo Yuhao and Jiang Nannan exited the secret realm and publicly announced that Jiang Nannan had officially achieved the Love God's divine position!
The news uplifted everyone present.
"We finally have a god! We have a god of our own!"
Yan Shaozhe cried with joy.
Some people laughed, some cried—everyone was emotional.
They had suffered tremendous pressure.
Knowing that the Sun Moon Empire possessed seven gods had been suffocating.
Now they had only one god—but it represented a beginning.
A hope for the future.
Just as Shrek Academy was preparing to celebrate—
Di Tian approached Jiang Nannan, saying someone wished to see her.
Jiang Nannan did not refuse to meet the Silver Dragon King.
After all, the Silver Dragon King had helped her many times during her growth.
Jiang Nannan knew gratitude.
Now that she had ascended to godhood, she felt confident in her own strength—she did not believe anything unexpected would happen.
Most importantly, the soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest were now considered allies.
"Nannan, go ahead. Please help me greet that senior. I'll wait for you at the academy," Huo Yuhao said with a smile.
A golden glint flashed in his eyes.
He suspected the Silver Dragon King was finally about to act.
Jiang Nannan smiled warmly at him, then followed Di Tian and the other fierce beasts to the core region.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao led the rest of Shrek Academy back to prepare for the celebration.
But calling it a celebration was an exaggeration.
It was really just a small internal gathering—a meal, nothing more.
On one hand, Shrek truly didn't have the resources to hold anything extravagant.
On the other hand, Jiang Nannan's ascension needed to remain a secret.
Only a handful of high-level members had even been allowed to witness her divine ascension.
Everyone feared that if the Sun Moon Empire learned Shrek also had a god, they might take action early.
No one knew why the empire's seven gods were not interfering but everyone prayed they would continue not interfering forever.
At the banquet Huo Yuhao sat with Xie Huanyue, drinking together.
Xie Huanyue's face was flushed red from excitement and alcohol.
His tongue was starting to twist.
"Huo–Huo bro… when I become a god too, I'll cover you! Count on me!"
He began bragging loudly.
After witnessing Jiang Nannan's ascension today, Xie Huanyue was also full of hope.
His Elephant God Trial had already reached the seventh test.
"Hah! Like I can't become a god? I have a divine inheritance from Tang San, the Sea God himself! Way stronger than your Elephant God!"
Huo Yuhao showed him no mercy.
Xie Huanyue puffed up his belly proudly.
"Fine! When we both become gods—we'll settle it then!"
"Settle it then! I'm not afraid!"
Yan Shaozhe laughed at their antics.
The men were all drinking and boasting with Huo Yuhao.
But not everyone was in the mood.
Xu Sanshi was nowhere to be seen—outside comforting himself with melancholy—while Beibei stayed with him.
The women gathered together, discussing Jiang Nannan's ascension far more calmly.
Among them, Meng Hongchen and Hua Yao became the center of attention, since both possessed divine inheritances and had reached the eighth test.
Zhang Lexuan sat quietly to the side, her thoughts stirring.
Because she, too, had recently encountered something unusual—
but she didn't know how to bring it up.