Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 804: The Celestial Fox's Worries

Although Tang San had not yet returned to his former God King level, after passing through the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Divine Extinguishing Tribulation, he had regained his status as a true deity. While he still wasn't strong enough to make full use of his original combat abilities, he could unleash unimaginable divine might while he was within his own domain.

He thus used his divine power to bless the entire Endless Blue Sea. Though his cultivation level did not allow him to illuminate the entire sea all at once, the Sea God's Blessing would gradually spread through the waters, reaching the entire Endless Blue Sea.

Tang San had limited time during his last visit and couldn't complete this step. But now, he was back, and he was set on doing things the right way. With this grand vow, he announced to all living beings of the Endless Blue Sea that their god had descended. The Endless Blue Sea now had a protector.

Every sea creature that sensed the golden blessing light immediately emerged from the water, bowing in reverence toward Tang San. They were overwhelmed with excitement as they felt the divine light descend upon them. They felt happiness and safety from the depths of their hearts. The Endless Blue Sea finally had a leader, as well as its own fortune.

Countless streams of faith surged toward Crescent Island, flooding into Tang San's body, strengthening his divine consciousness and allowing the golden blessing light to shine even brighter.

***

At the Ancestral Court.

In the Celestial Fox Palace, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor sat cross-legged within a massive white light array. Behind him, the nine-tailed Celestial Fox manifestation appeared almost tangible, and its nine large tails swayed gracefully.

White light continuously flowed in from all directions, converging into the light array beneath him.

Since Tang San's tribulation had depleted nearly half of his fortune, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor had been in seclusion. Although the Crystal City issue was crucial, he couldn't afford to focus on it now. Nothing was more important than consolidating the fortune. The impact of the lightning tribulation was not something that could be shrugged off just like that—it had destabilized not only the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain, but the fortune of the Ancestral Court itself. He had to stabilize the fortune here and reabsorb the fortune of the entire plane to replenish it. This wasn't just about the Celestial Fox clan; if the Celestial Foxes lost this fortune, all demons and nymphs would suffer.

After several months of effort, the great array beneath the Celestial Fox Palace was finally stabilized and had resumed absorbing fortune. However, restoring it to its former state was a different matter altogether. Even if the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor gave his all, it would take centuries to gather such a vast amount of fortune once more. He simply did not have that lifespan. And there was also another very important issue at hand: the next Emperor.

The fall of the Crystal Demon Emperor had decisively impacted the fortune of the demon and nymph clans. All Emperors on Falan Planet were exclusively from the Daemon Continent, and the limit imposed by the plane meant that no other Emperors could possibly arise elsewhere. However, the death of the Crystal Demon Emperor left a gap between the existing Emperors and that glass ceiling. In fact, the gap was so massive that, should a creature outside the Daemon Continent be prepared for it... an Emperor might in fact emerge outside the Daemon Continent for the first time in who-knew-how-many millennia. It was entirely possible. This was why the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was so determined to consolidate fortune and to do it now.

Moreover, he had a clear purpose in mind when he no longer obstructed Mei Gongzi's report but instead went with the White Tiger Demon Emperor to destroy the human settlement.

Mei Gongzi's talent was evident to these Emperors; she was destined to become an Emperor in the future. As long as she cultivated and developed normally, the narrow and thorny path toward becoming an Emperor was more like an open highway for her.

With the fall of the Crystal Demon Emperor, it was crucial for the Daemon Continent to obtain a new Emperor. While other Emperors could use this opportunity to enhance their cultivation, the vacant position still needed to be filled. Since Mei Gongzi was heading in the right direction and her speed was most likely unprecedented in history, it made sense to invest in her. However, her human side needed to be addressed. Destroying the human settlement was meant to leave her with no way around, forcing her to fully commit to being a Demon Emperor rather than whatever Human Emperor. This was the reason behind the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's actions.

He also ensured that the message was transmitted clearly through the White Tiger Demon Emperor. And once that was out of the way, he was able to go into seclusion and focus on gathering fortune.

But as he sat there, at the center of the array, his brow furrowed, and he opened his eyes.

He clearly felt that the fortune continuously gathering toward him had thinned significantly, all of a sudden. The streams of fortune that had been converging toward him were noticeably becoming thinner.

What is going on?

As one of the most powerful Emperors of his time and the Master of Destiny, he could clearly sense when something within his domain of authority was going awry. And right now, the speed at which fortune was consolidating was slowing, significantly so. It was as if something or someone was contending with him for this fortune!

But he was absolutely confident that in terms of fortune, he was the strongest existence in the world. Why was this happening?

The nine tails of the Celestial Fox manifestation behind the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor stood erect simultaneously. A ring of pure white light expanded around him. Then, the nine tails spread out with incomparable brilliance, and as the white light halo expanded, his aura changed significantly. In that moment, he seemed to become the center of the world. The fortune that had been thinning suddenly became dense again.

However, this intensity only lasted for a brief moment. Suddenly, the streams of white light disintegrated, turning into thin mist-like strands that scattered in all directions.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor grunted, opening his eyes to reveal a hint of shock.

He had just used his most powerful ability to gather fortune, yet he had failed. Although he had indeed managed to amass a significant amount of fortune in an instant, it could not be sustained. Unlike before, it did not continue to flow endlessly.

How could this happen? I've never seen anything like this in my entire life!

Whether for himself, the Celestial Fox clan, or even the Ancestral Court, this was definitely not good news. It meant that the speed at which the Ancestral Court gathered fortune had significantly slowed down.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor sat there in shock for a few moments, but then he pulled himself back together. He swiftly analyzed the reason behind this situation.

Soon, he came to a conclusion. There was no other possibility; the only entity in this plane capable of contending with him for fortune was the plane itself.

During that incredible tribulation, the Crystal Demon Emperor attempted to bribe the planar ruler with the lotus seeds in an effort to survive the tribulation. Although she eventually failed, by that time, she had still supplied the planar ruler with a substantial amount of fortune. Perhaps it was at that moment that he had become the direct target of the planar ruler. Was this a warning to stop him from gathering more fortune for demons and nymphs?

Was this an attempt at preventing too much misfortune from befalling regions outside the Daemon Continent, thereby protecting the balance of the plane?

This is it. This is definitely it. A warning issued by the planar ruler...

The realization made the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's expression grow increasingly grim.

He was well aware that the true ruler of the Daemon Continent was not whatever Demon or Nymph Emperor, but the planar ruler itself. As the leader of the Celestial Fox clan and the current Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, his most critical task was to seize the plane's fortune and bestow blessings upon demons and nymphs. This was why he held such a revered position within the Ancestral Court. But the fact that he had to seize the fortune meant that the fortune did not belong to him; he had never been the owner of it.

And now, things were taking a drastic turn.

What would it mean if he lost the ability to gather fortune from the plane? It would inevitably lead to the demise of the Celestial Fox clan. Without the ability to accumulate more fortune, they could only maintain the status quo. While he was still around, things could hold together. But once he fell—and that was not far in the future—could the Celestial Fox clan even produce another Emperor?

Unlikely.

If the plane could prevent him from absorbing fortune, even though he was already an Emperor, it could most certainly prevent a far weaker Celestial Fox Great Demon King from becoming an Emperor. The consequences were clear as daylight—the Celestial Fox clan lacked combat power, so they could not even defend themselves. Their bloodline power would still work on some level, but without an Emperor, and consequently without the ability to gather massive amounts of fortune for the Ancestral Court, marginalization was inevitable. This would lead the clan into a vicious cycle of decline, and they would weaken until... eventual extinction.