Douluo Dalu: Lucky Star

Credits: NovelReader

On the battlefield below, Han Li and Qian Renxue had not yet departed.

Their hair was blown to one side by the wind as they gazed at the spatial rift and energy surges in the sky, both caused by Bibi Dong's self-destruction.

"She wanted you to keep hating her," Han Li remarked.

"I know," Qian Renxue replied.

"Are you sad?"

"A little."

"Do you want to keep anything to remember her by?"

"No."

"Then shall we leave?"

"Alright."

With this brief exchange, their figures vanished from where they had stood.

Not long after their departure, Yu Xiaogang's corpse on the ground was suddenly engulfed in golden flames. Along with it, the thousand-year-old soul bone he had absorbed was also reduced to ashes. The swirling wind carried the fine powder away, scattering it to an unknown destination.

Han Li and Qian Renxue did not return directly to the Heaven Dou Empire. Instead, they set off for various locations in the Star Luo Empire.

The city of Star Luo had been completely wiped off the map. The two large-scale attacks Qian Renxue had launched at Bibi Dong, even the aftershocks alone, were imbued with the True Flame of the Sun. It was possible that, in the future, this land might become a fertile area, ideal for plant growth.

No one had witnessed the epic battle with their own eyes, but thanks to Han Li's power amplification, there was no doubt in anyone's mind about the might of a god. Brave soul masters who dared approach the ruins of Star Luo City were left with no illusions about the terrifying power that had been unleashed.

Qian Renxue took charge of rallying the army. With Bibi Dong's death, Chrysanthemum Douluo (Yue Guan) and Ghost Douluo (Gui Mei) naturally became the army's leaders. With their endorsement and the presence of a genuine Angelic God, there was no resistance.

...

Back in the Heaven Dou Empire, once Qian Renxue's identity was exposed, the populace's reaction was unexpected — they were even more excited. With the thunderous echoes of the divine battle still reverberating, nearly everyone on the continent understood that unification was inevitable. The only question was what name the new empire would be called.

Whether it would be the Spirit Empire or the Heaven Dou Empire didn't matter much to them. As long as it wasn't the Star Luo Empire, they were content.

What interested the people, even more, was the relationship between Qian Renxue and Han Li. Everyone knew that the two had fought side by side to stop the evil former Pope of the Spirit Hall. The fact that they were already close companions and had gone off together only fueled the gossip. After all, one was male and the other female — and as everyone knows, humanity's love for gossip is boundless. Even if the subjects of speculation were gods, that didn't stop people from letting their imaginations run wild.

As for the Star Luo Empire, the common people had no thoughts of resistance. Are you joking? They were the ones who felt the impact of the battle most directly. To them, it was like a thunderstorm raging above their heads. Who would dare oppose gods like that?

Thus, whenever Qian Renxue arrived in a new city, the people would immediately kneel, shouting "Your Majesty" and "Angel God." This behavior aligned perfectly with the customs of the Star Luo Empire, where submission to the strong was a deeply rooted tradition.

The continent had entered the process of unification.

While Qian Renxue traveled the continent, displaying the might of a god, Han Li found himself with free time once more.

The unification of the continent was proceeding even more smoothly than he had anticipated. The power of faith, which he intended to use to condense the God-King position, had already reached sufficient levels. He didn't even need to draw much from Qian Renxue to complete it.

Moreover, since things were already in motion, Han Li decided to go all the way. Having deduced Asura's plans, he took the initiative to visit the sites of other people's divine trials, directly opening the passageways and connecting them to the divine temples of the God Realm.

This meant that once someone completed the trial, they would immediately transform into a god without needing to ascend to the God Realm. At this critical stage, Asura was unlikely to intervene in such minor matters. With the protection of the plane's consciousness, Han Li had no fear of any underhanded tricks from the God Realm.

At present, Han Li was in the middle of extracting the rule patterns from the Rakshasa Demon Scythe, using the Dark Law to replace them. The scythe's resistance was palpable, but under suppression, it couldn't muster much of a response.

He wasn't worried about the Rakshasa causing trouble. Her divine position had already been passed on. Given that Asura was in charge of Douluo Star's affairs from the God Realm's perspective, Rakshasa wouldn't dare make a move. She had probably already wandered the vast cosmos.

"Three more months at most. It's a shame I couldn't finish everything at 16," Han Li muttered as he placed the scythe — now shrouded in a black mist — on the table in front of him. The Rakshasa Demon Scythe, now renamed, had fully transformed into his weapon. All that remained was for Zhu Zhuqing to nurture it.

His only regret was that he hadn't been able to end everything when he was 16. Now, he had no choice but to finish it during the rainy season of his 17th year.

Since the conclusion of the divine battle, the God Realm had given no response. Instead, they accelerated the divine trials for those connected to Han Li, pushing them all into the ninth trial stage.

But Han Li wasn't in a hurry. Three months was nothing to him at this point — a fleeting moment.

This time frame was exactly what he needed. It would give Qian Renxue enough time to fully conquer the continent and allow others to showcase their divine feats at the close of this era.

His goal was to turn the God Realm's attempts to restrain him into the collective support of the people of Douluo Star.

Meanwhile, he had quietly disseminated an improved version of the Mysterious Heaven Skill. This time, however, he didn't openly advertise it as he had before. Now, the names "Han Li" and "Qian Renxue" have become the most powerful symbols of influence.

Both humans and soul beasts had already been cultivating under the new system for some time. Meanwhile, Han Li, the mastermind behind it all, remained hidden under the protection of Qian Renxue, currently the continent's only divine being. From this position, he once again reaped a massive amount of faith energy. The God Realm had yet to notice, as they rarely paid attention to those of the mortal world.

After the divine battle, the continent entered a brief adjustment period. The Spirit Empire became the only nation, with the former Wuhun City as its sole capital.

Qian Renxue did not implement sweeping reforms. Instead, she temporarily replaced the local lords of each region with the Spirit Hall's branches to maintain stability.

However, there was one peculiar change that sparked public curiosity. Around the statue of the Angel God (Qian Renxue) appeared a new statue of Han Li. In addition, there were several other incomplete statues arranged in a circular layout, with no clear hierarchy among them. The sight became a popular topic of conversation.

"These must be the statues of future gods."

This was the most widely accepted theory. Ever since the existence of Qian Renxue as a real, living god became known, interest in historical records surged. People dug up ancient texts, bringing renewed vitality to the continent's culture.

...

Time passed quickly, and three months went by in the blink of an eye. During this period, Han Li remained completely out of the public eye, but that did not stop speculation about him. Everyone believed that he was making his final push toward godhood.

Of course, that assumption was correct.

At the moment, Han Li was staying in a small town on the outskirts of Slaughter City, waiting for the right moment. In the meantime, he occupied himself in the mental space, listening to the ongoing verbal sparring between Qian Renxue and Gu Yue.

After forming a mental communication group chat, it had initially been harmonious. But for reasons unknown, it soon devolved into endless bickering. Their personalities did not mesh well — both were proud and headstrong. One was the current leader of humanity, while the other led the soul beasts. Since they couldn't fight each other, Han Li left them to it.

Over time, he grew accustomed to their exchanges and even found them entertaining. Occasionally, they would team up to target him, but Han Li remained unfazed. Even if they joined forces, they couldn't outmatch him in a battle of words. Without moral constraints to hold him back, he always had the upper hand. The result was always the same: both women would eventually fall silent, too angry to continue.

"Is it starting?"

Han Li gazed toward a certain corner of the continent, a smile forming on his face. He activated his control over the spiritual network, projecting the scene into the sky across the entire continent. It was the legacy site of Azure Luan, where a new God of Speed was about to be born.

As news of Azure Luan's legacy began to spread, the entire continent experienced a chain reaction. Other divine legacy sites scattered across the land began to exhibit similar activity. Even Ye Lingling, who was currently on Sea God Island, felt the same resonating energy.

Just as Han Li had expected, only the divine trial sites of Xiu'er, Dugu Yan, and Shui Bing'er remained dormant as if they were still waiting for something.

"It's my turn now. Xiaoxue, make sure to maintain order," Han Li said as he stood up. He issued this instruction in the mental space before cutting off the connection.

"Stick to the current pace we agreed on."

This message was a mental command he sent to his obedient son. After receiving a clear response, silver light gathered beneath his feet, and in a flash, he vanished from sight. When he reappeared, he had already stepped into the Slaughter City.

On a street he had once bathed in blood, his figure gradually became more solid, as if emerging from invisibility. His sudden reappearance frightened a passerby so badly that the man dashed away at lightning speed, smashing through a window and taking cover inside a building. His panicked reaction set off a chain effect, causing others in the area to follow suit. People on the street scattered, each seeking shelter in nearby houses.

"Heh," Han Li chuckled, finding the entire scene unexpectedly comical.

"Is that… the Demon King?"

"Yeah, it's him. Why is he back here?"

Hidden in the shadows, some of the survivors from Han Li's last visit to the Slaughter City recognized him. After the initial shock subsided, they realized who he was. Memories of his past visit still lingered in their minds.

After a brief moment of internal debate, a few of them cautiously emerged from hiding and approached Han Li.

This reaction could be attributed to Han Li's good reputation in Slaughter City. Yes, a good reputation.

Unlike most others, Han Li rarely killed people outside the arena. Those who were dragged to fight him were not captured by Han Li himself but by others. Because of this, even though he was known as the Demon King, he was safer to encounter on the streets than most other figures in Slaughter City.

Moreover, it had been two years since Han Li's departure. Anyone who had survived in the Slaughter City for two years was a shrewd and calculating individual. They knew that if Han Li had wanted to kill them, their efforts to hide would have been pointless.

His influence was so deeply imprinted in their minds that every time new people entered the city, they would hear stories of Han Li. The rumors about him killing Tang Hao and wiping out the Clear Sky Clan had made a big splash in Slaughter City as well.

As a result, instead of fleeing, the survivors approached Han Li, hoping to gain his favor. They didn't know why he had returned, but if there was a chance to align with him, they figured it was worth it. Having his protection during his stay in the city would make them the safest people around.

For these people, Han Li was far more reliable than the King of Slaughter.

Thus, in full view of the stunned newcomers, the old-timers — men who normally avoided confrontation at all costs — gathered around Han Li like loyal lackeys. They bowed deeply and greeted him with loud cries of Great Demon King"

"What the… the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall is this respected even in the Slaughter City?"

The newcomers, whose moral compasses were already bent, watched this display with shock. Their minds reeled, and their perceptions of the world shattered.

"Alright, everyone step aside. My business here has nothing to do with you," Han Li said with mild amusement as he glanced at them. He shook his head with a smile and gestured toward the side of the street.

Although he didn't recognize these people, he had to admit that their behavior was oddly satisfying.

"Yes, understood."

The old-timers showed no hesitation. They moved as instructed, standing in a neat row along the side of the street, even arranging themselves according to height. It was as if they had become a team of loyal guards.

"You, why have you returned? Are you here to challenge me?"

An unpleasant, grating voice echoed from above. The King of Slaughter, cloaked in his signature blood-red cape, hovered in the air. His voice carried a clear note of frustration.

"Challenge you? No, you've got it all wrong."

Han Li was unsurprised by his appearance. He pointed to the ground with a casual motion, indicating his preference for conversations conducted on even footing. He disliked talking to people who hovered above him.