MTLNOVEL Chapter 2: TIANMENG CHANGE
At the same time, in the Douluo God Realm.
Surrounded by clouds and mist, the illusory space carried an unusually tangible presence.
A blue-haired man, holding a "Trident," wore an expression that shifted repeatedly, from surprise to astonishment, then to consternation and anger.
"Strange, how can the luck of the Child of Fortune be so erratic, flickering and dimming unpredictably?"
The blue-haired young man, appearing to be in his twenties, had a faint purple glimmer in his eyes.
The Child of Fortune, once determined, should be unchangeable, with luck as deep as the abyss and as bright as the most radiant star in the night sky.
Yet, this star flickered unsteadily, its light unstable.
The Child of Fortune, the power of destiny, he was determined to claim it.
But now, at this critical juncture, the fate of the Child of Fortune had deviated, slipping out of his grasp.
How could he accept this?
Suddenly, the blue-haired man seemed to recall something and muttered, "Could it be that God's interference went too far and affected him?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
"How could he have succeeded without such trials?"
"He must be suppressed, kept under control, and then rewarded with just enough to bind his loyalty."
What he sought was not just a powerful ally, but absolute loyalty.
To achieve this, molding the other into a subservient follower was the best solution.
Only then could absolute loyalty be ensured.
For this purpose, he had even split his daughter into two and sent her to the mortal realm to fulfill this plan.
In the dead of night, the trident-wielding man's gaze turned toward a distant place.
"Could it be that the plane's consciousness has uncovered this god's scheme?"
A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and his heart filled with even greater disdain.
He muttered, "Even if you have discovered it, what can you do? Now, you are merely surviving, destined to be devoured and assimilated."
Let the mother take away the Tree of Life, and let the father consume the plane's consciousness, this was part of a ten-thousand-year plan, and it could not fail!
Douluo Continent, Star Dou Great Forest.
Rewind time.
When Zhongli and "Paimon" crossed over, they landed precisely beside Huo Yuhao.
The Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was just about to merge with Huo Yuhao, becoming a million-year wisdom soul ring, when it caught sight of Zhongli.
A bold idea flashed through its mind, and without a second thought, it lunged at Zhongli... And then, there was no "then."
Even if Zhongli was momentarily disoriented, even if he had lowered all his defenses, and even without the interference of the female voice, the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm could not withstand Zhongli for even half a minute.
He was the Geo Archon, Morax!
What followed was an unwarranted disaster for Electrolux.
He had no intention of targeting Zhongli, but under the influence of the Heavenly Dream's energy, he instinctively flew toward Zhongli...
Again, and then there was no "then."
If Electrolux had wanted to, he could have become a Grim Reaper long ago.
But Zhongli is an ancient Archon God, one of the oldest, if not the oldest.
The most unfortunate one in all of this has to be Huo Yuhao!
In this turn of events, he lost his two strongest "cheats."
This is also why the power of fate flickers so unpredictably.
He hasn't lost the protection of fate entirely, but whether he will be able to grow into his destined role remains uncertain.
"Alas~"
"Paimon... Paimon actually has combat power???"
Paimon scratched her head, looking utterly bewildered.
It's not that she didn't have combat power before, she did, but it was minimal, roughly equivalent to one-fifth of a wild boar's strength.
Now, however, things were different. She suddenly found herself with four "skills" in her mind: Spirit Detection, Spirit Sharing, Imitation, and Soul Shock.
She didn't fully understand what these skills were for, but they seemed... interesting!
(PS: Paimon is Paimon, and Paimon doesn't know anything.)
Paimon is Zhongli's "martial spirit," and the "skills" she possesses, Zhongli can naturally use as well.
When Zhongli clearly saw these "soul skills," the corner of his eye twitched slightly, and he glanced at Huo Yuhao with a strange expression.
As soon as he arrived in this world, the "cheats" of the Child of Fortune had fallen into his hands...
This...
These abilities were of little use to Zhongli.
They were just additional tools, not particularly significant in the grand scheme of things.
The million-year spiritual energy of the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm was gone, and Zhongli had some vague suspicions about what had happened, but he chose not to voice them.
If it was 'that one' who had intervened, there was nothing he could do to stop it anyway.
Huo Yuhao looked at Zhongli and Paimon with suspicion, feeling utterly confused.
Paimon was Zhongli's "martial spirit." Zhongli appeared to be in his twenties, yet Paimon only had one "soul ring" around her.
What did this mean?
It meant that Zhongli wasn't cut out to be a soul master!
Huo Yuhao, on the other hand, had innate first-level soul power and had broken through to the tenth level by the age of eleven.
In Zhongli's case, at best, he might have had innate half-level soul power.
"It's a pity for Brother Zhongli. He's such a good person, but with only half-level innate soul power, it'll be difficult for him to even reach level 30 in his lifetime."
"Brother Zhongli is in such a state... What about me?"
"I want to avenge my mother. I want to destroy the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, but..."
The White Tiger Duke's Mansion was far too powerful, and with his innate first-level soul power, it would be nearly impossible for him to shake the foundations of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion in his lifetime.
Yet, the power of hatred was also the power of idealism.
Huo Yuhao clenched his fists, his resolve hardening.
No matter how difficult it was, he would avenge his mother!
At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder, snapping both Zhongli and Huo Yuhao out of their thoughts.
Huo Yuhao quickly masked the hatred in his eyes, forcing his expression to soften.
Zhongli remained silent.
Had he robbed the Child of Fortune of his opportunity?
No, it was fate that had chosen him. There was no guilt or hesitation in that.
"Xiao Yuhao, it really is you!"
A girl's voice rang out, filled with surprise, as she hurried toward Huo Yuhao.
The young man following her shook his head helplessly but followed nonetheless.
As they drew closer, the young man paused slightly, his gaze flickering toward Zhongli and Paimon with a hint of wariness.
When his eyes landed on Paimon, his brow furrowed, and his lips parted slightly in surprise.
He was a descendant of Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong from 10,000 years ago, and Yu Xiaogang's martial soul had been a Summoning type martial soul.
The "martial soul" of the young man before him was also a Summoning type martial soul!
Although the soul ring looked somewhat unusual, only a single soul ring, it suggested that the young man was, at most, a level twenty quasi-Soul Grand Master. Not much of a threat.
With that thought, the young man approached Huo Yuhao with a kind smile.
"Sister Xiaoyao, Brother Beibei!"
Seeing the two, Huo Yuhao greeted them politely. He hadn't expected them to follow him, but judging by their demeanor, they didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions.
"Little brother Yuhao, who is this?"
Beibei asked casually, though his eyes lingered on Zhongli and Paimon with subtle curiosity.
A Summoning type martial soul, even if the level wasn't high, still held some research value.
After all, detached beast martial souls were even rarer than their Body counterparts!
"This is Brother Zhongli, and this is his martial soul, Paimon."
Huo Yuhao introduced them, his tone respectful.
"It's the first time I've seen a martial spirit as magical as Paimon,"