Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Having resolved the doubts in his heart and even receiving good news from Han Li, Qian Daoliu felt deeply conflicted. Even though he had tried his best to anticipate Han Li's secrets, he couldn't help but sigh now.

Han Li no longer tried to instill his philosophy into the old man. For a devout believer like Qian Daoliu, only by figuring things out himself could he truly resolve his inner conflict. After chatting a while longer, Qian Daoliu decided to leave. He probably wouldn't sleep well tonight, but at his level, going a few days without rest wouldn't affect him much; at most, his mental state might not be at its best. And now that Han Li's strength surpassed his own, he had even less to worry about.

After seeing off his Grand Uncle, Han Li also breathed a sigh of relief. Sooner or later, this conversation had to happen, and addressing it sooner made things easier. Yet, he was surprised that Qian Daoliu hadn't mentioned anything about Bo Saixi. Despite opportunities to bring it up, Qian Daoliu maintained a calm demeanor, with only occasional flashes of reminiscence in his eyes.

Was this the leader of the Love Continent's faction, rather than a love-stricken fool?

The Spirit Hall's failure became clearer to Han Li. They sought unification, while the opposing side fought in the name of "love" and "bonds," trying to teach the Spirit Hall about "infinite love." What a pity. Now, it was Lord Han who called the shots. Those who didn't align with his thinking were doomed. Han Li chuckled to himself at his wandering thoughts.

After refocusing, he immersed himself in cultivation. He still hadn't fully absorbed the benefits of his dual cultivation with Gu Yue, so he couldn't afford to waste a moment.

...

In the Extreme North, morning came early—or rather, it always looked the same, with gloomy weather and a vast expanse of white stretching into the distance. Han Li had some of the region's unique delicacies brought to him by attendants, and early in the morning, he prepared a hotpot that attracted both Qian Daoliu and Ye Lingling to join him.

With white steam rising in the cold air, eating steaming hotpot in such an environment was refreshing, even in the early morning. After they had eaten their fill, Han Li took out the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud from his wristband and handed it to Ye Lingling, whose face was still flushed.

"Here, apply a bit of your blood."

The shroud had been gathering dust ever since he took it from Qian Renxue, and the one he had forged earlier had been destroyed when Emperor Xue Ye died, with the blame pinned on the Clear Sky Sect.

Ye Lingling had seen it before and was familiar with its properties, so she took it without question and prepared to prick her fingertip.

"Wait a moment, I'll accompany you."

Han Li activated his mental sharing but refrained from involving Qian Daoliu, who was sitting nearby. Including him would have been provocative.

After a moment, Ye Lingling pricked her fingertip and pressed it against the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. The shroud's blue halo quickly turned red as it absorbed her blood. Her life force had grown so strong that her face showed no sign of blood loss.

It took over a minute for the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud to finish absorbing the blood, and the wound on Ye Lingling's fingertip healed instantly. Through their mental sharing, Han Li sensed that it wasn't the blood itself being absorbed but rather the life force it represented.

Thankfully, Ye Lingling had life force to spare; an ordinary Soul King would have been drained dry by this process. These gods' methods, to be honest, weren't exactly benevolent.

A faint blue light drifted out from the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, coalescing into a dim, ghostly figure. A calm, aged voice echoed:

"After who knows how long, I've finally found blood with a decent flavor. And at last, I've found a body that can withstand the power of the Vast Sea."

The blue light flashed again and returned to the triangular core of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.

The halo on the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud dimmed, returning to its original blue, though the core occasionally flickered with a hint of red.

"Lol," Han Li chuckled coldly. After absorbing so much life force, all it did was initiate a master recognition ceremony and give a tiny amount of divine power to confirm identity. The energy consumed was less than what it took for the old man to speak. Most of the energy was still stored within the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. This Sea God was truly a bottomless pit.

He strongly suspected that the Sea God had dismantled his divine tool to make others use their life force and soul power to nourish it. And not just once—one part was on Sea God Island, and another was in the Sea God's Heart. Otherwise, who would dismantle their divine weapon? Unless the weapon's owner intended it that way, even Bo Saixi couldn't manipulate it.

"Xiao Li, just as you said, it's a multi-functional soul tool."

Ye Lingling had already infused her soul power into it and learned how to use it, looking excitedly at Han Li. According to what he'd told her earlier, this artifact was now bound to her, and she was halfway through the Sea God's trial.

"Mm, let me lend you a hand."

Han Li took her hand and adjusted the frequency of his divine power, integrating it into the Sea God's Heart in her hand. The Sea God was being too shameless; he was probably planning to siphon some soul power. Just now, half of Ye Lingling's soul power had been secretly stored in the Sea God's Heart. Han Li couldn't let that slide.

Moreover, he was about to head to Sea God Island. Given the current situation, he needed to display as much strength as possible, or he risked being dismissed. The Sea God's Heart was key to the divine tool, and while Han Li had hidden his presence, Qian Daoliu, who was beside him, had not. Though the process had followed standard procedure, he didn't believe the Sea God hadn't noticed.

Taking benefits without giving anything in return—was he trying to imitate the Rakshasa God? Han Li wasn't about to indulge him. His spiritual power had already evolved into a divine soul, and with the martial soul fusion technique he'd mastered, changing his aura's frequency was no problem.

As Han Li's divine power entered the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Ye Lingling's vibrant soul power was quickly replaced by his divine energy, which surged straight toward the artifact's core, seemingly intent on erasing the Sea God's presence. In terms of quality, the divine power left behind by the Sea God was far inferior to Han Li's own.

"Wait, wait, little friend, hold on!"

When Han Li's divine power broke through the first layer of the barrier, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud reacted, and the same voice as before rang out. A blue, ghostly figure emerged from the artifact. Taking advantage of the connection to his weapon, the Sea God in the Divine Realm had projected his consciousness with a hint of urgency.

This was no joke. If the core of his divine tool were erased, it would no longer belong to him. Although it was merely a divine tool, it was part of his legacy. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud had been activated before, but what was this divine power? He still intended to pass on his divine position and soon leave the Divine Realm. He couldn't afford to lose this artifact.

But hadn't there been no response from Bo Saixi's end? How had divine power suddenly appeared in the lower realm?

Then, he saw the three people before him—the descendant of that Angel God, the holder of the Sea God's Heart, and… a quasi-titled level one god. When had the Douluo Continent produced someone so powerful?

"And you are?"

After forcing out the Sea God, Han Li stopped his actions, warily eyeing him without revealing that he knew who he was. He wanted to gain some advantage; Ye Lingling still needed the Sea God's Heart as a medium for divine law inheritance and to boost her strength. He had no intention of actually seizing the artifact. At the very least, he would wait until after the inheritance was complete before erasing the Sea God's presence.

The energy from the divine trials came directly from the Divine Realm. Han Li couldn't singlehandedly support the rapid enhancement of so many people's strength. This was the main reason he allowed them to participate in the divine trials. Otherwise, knowing the details of the divine trials from Gu Yue, he could have chosen a similar method to boost their strength. While it wouldn't allow them to leap to godhood like he had, it wouldn't be much slower.

"I am Poseidon, the owner of this item," Poseidon replied, narrowing his eyes and adopting a more dignified posture.

"Oh," Han Li responded with complete indifference.

"Does Sea God have anything else to say? If not, we'll continue."

Han Li pointed at the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, maintaining a serious expression. His tone and demeanor were impeccable, yet Poseidon sensed something was amiss.

Seeing that Han Li was about to resume, Poseidon finally reacted. Damn it, this was his artifact! And he had just said as much, but this brat was still going to proceed? Where was the reverence for a god?

What? He was on the verge of godhood too? But he hadn't ascended yet!

"Junior, this artifact belongs to me," Poseidon's projection summoned the stored energy within the artifact to block Han Li's actions.

"Hm? Isn't it forbidden for the Divine Realm to interfere with the lower planes? You didn't take it with you when you ascended, so you must not want it anymore, right? Since you don't want it, it's mine now. That's fair, isn't it?"

Han Li looked up at Poseidon, his logic was impeccable and his eyes filled with innocent confusion.

Poseidon was momentarily stunned by his words. They made sense, but that's not how it worked! This was his divine weapon's core!

"Little friend, you misunderstand. I'm not asking for it back. It's just that this item is special—it's part of my legacy and must not be damaged." Poseidon scratched his head, glancing at Qian Daoliu. Wasn't this man the Angel Clan's High Priest? Had he said nothing?

"A legacy item?"

Han Li glanced at the Sea God's Heart in his hand.

"Senior, you must be joking. Everyone knows your legacy item is the Sea God's Trident. Stop playing games with this junior."

"This thing doesn't even look like a weapon. Besides, if it truly were your legacy item, my girlfriend would already be using it, and we haven't even begun the divine trials yet."

"…What?"

Poseidon was dumbfounded by Han Li's well-reasoned argument. He had never expected to be in a position where he had to prove that the Sea God's Heart—the core of his divine weapon—was indeed part of his legacy.