Luck. A concept that is often seen as an unpredictable force, influencing success or failure beyond one's control. Some view luck as mere probability, while others believe it to be a mystical energy, favoring the fortunate and abandoning the unlucky.
However—it could also be called by another name: Miracle. To those who stand at the precipice of despair, a sudden stroke of fortune can feel like divine intervention, an impossible event defying all odds.
A soldier surviving an impossible battle, a gambler winning against all logic, a dying man receiving an unforeseen cure—these are moments where luck transcends mere probability and steps into the realm of God itself!
And when one's destiny was to die in that one moment, the end of their story seemingly written in stone—
What if one could control luck to perform a miracle? To manipulate destiny in one's favor....
There was one, and it was staring at a dying human with great interest and curiosity. Its third vertical eye emitted a bewitching red glow.
'That human's destiny...'
Floating in the sky, completely panicking, was Yan Shaozhe.
"What should I do... What should I do?! Why is Yuhao being bombarded by lightning!? Isn't that something only soul beasts of 100,000 year old could experience? Is he—no, it doesn't make any sense!" Yan Shaozhe clenched his fists, completely helpless in this strange predicament.
If he goes and grabs Huo Yuhao, something told him that the lightning bolts from the dark clouds would intensify and would struck them both! He wasn't even sure if they could survive from such strong lightning.
But if he leaves to go get help from either Xuan Zi or Mu En, then Ma Xiaotao and the girls would be completely helpless against the powerful soul beasts that would no doubt come check the strange commotion.
What's worse, that last Heavenly Tribulation was absolutely going to kill Huo Yuhao!
For the first time in decades, Yan Shaozhe was completely helpless.
'That—!' Yan Shaozhe's eyes widened, sensing several powerful auras heading towards Huo Yuhao's location at breakneck speed.
And most shocking to Yan Shaozhe, he recognized most of those powerful auras and it almost caused him to fall off from the sky in fear.
'Di Tian.... Bi Ji... Myriad Demon King.... Bear Lord.... Scarlet King.... Hell Demon Dragon King...! Why are all of the Great Beasts heading towards Huo Yuhao's location?!'
As a rank 95 Titled Douluo, he held zero chance of holding any of them at bay—especially Di Tian, who even his teacher couldn't defeat him even at his prime!
'Yuhao, what's with your luck?! This whole situation is fucked!'
At that moment, the dark clouds above Huo Yuhao rumbled dangerously and with a purple flash—several dark-purple lightning bolts surged through the sky, the aura of destruction was heavy in the air, preparing to descend and enact judgment upon the foolish mortal.
The previous red lightning bolt had struck him, and he tried manipulating it like Kirin but it exactly worked out... Although there was an unexpected surprise that would be revealed later on.
Huo Yuhao stared up at the dark clouds with grim determination.
He raised his hand into a handseal and said, "Dispel!"
Suddenly, the sound of shadow clones popping into white smoke sounded throughout numerous locations—Shrek Academy, Akatsuki Headquarters, and some cities under the three mainland empires.
A surge of immense soul power exuded from Huo Yuhao's body, there wasn't any substantial increase to his cultivation but the energy within his dantian, which looked almost depleted, was instantly filled to the brim. His true cultivation at its truest peak!
However, instead of preparing to defend himself, Huo Yuhao merely stared straight at the looming Heavenly Tribulation with a grimace.
'I'm going to die.'
Crackakoom!!*
Lightning began to descend upon him, deep-purple bolts tearing through the sky with a force that could obliterate mountains. Each streak carried the full wrath of a universal law—Destruction; the absolute power to destroy anything in existence, reducing it to nothingness.
It was a force beyond mortal comprehension, to the point that even a Titled Douluo could do nothing against it.
'—Etānaruekō! Mahakala!' A mili-second after Huo Yuhao was struck by the heavenly lightning, time froze.
Everything around him stopped.
Then it began to rewind, just a few seconds back.
"That..." Huo Yuhao gulped, his eyes dripping with blood. "....was painful."
The second ability of Madara Uchiha, time reversal; Mahakala! It was a space-time Mangekyou Sharingan technique that lets the user reverse time for a few seconds: restoring everything back originally as it was, except for the user's energy...and the pain he experienced.
Being struck by that heavenly lightning was a twenty times painful than being struck by the previous one, and by a more easy comparison—the pain was a hundred times more excruciating than when he fused with the Ice Empress's soul bone and soul ring.
—It's like, every cell in his body was being disintegrated, and since it happened almost instantaneously the pain normally wouldn't have affected him. But because of his Mangekyou Sharingan, and sharp mind, as he reverses time, he could feel every single agonizing moment of his near death in excruciating detail.
Every nerve, every fiber of his being, experienced the raw pain of annihilation and restoration—and it wasn't anywhere near done.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes, using his spiritual power in order to amplify his thought process in order to analyze the power of the Heavenly Tribulation and a way to overcome it.
Unfortunately however....he hadn't found a way yet.
'Ah...damn it...!' Huo Yuhao's eyes widened as the Heavenly Tribulation landed on him once more and he immediately activated Mahakala as well.
However, the results... somewhat stayed the same. Huo Yuhao's had a glint of hope, having found a slight clue.
And so, the cycle of destruction and rebirth began.
Three... Four.... Five.... Six....
Again and again, Huo Yuhao was truck by Heavenly Lightning of Destruction and would always save himself by the nick of time; constantly feeling incomprehensible pain that would've broke anyone's mind into pieces.
But Huo Yuhao didn't need to keep all of the pain to himself—he repressed it all with a self-inflicted Genjutsu.
To survive and to overcome this divine retribution—!
Ten.... Twenty.... Thirty....
It was on the thirty-ninth try that he finally understood what he should do.
'Restore Tang Sect to its former glory—what? Huh?!' Huo Yuhao's widened, shocked by such a thought entering his mind.
Just how and why would that lead to surviving this situation? It just doesn't make any sense!
'A divine sense... A God had subtly tried to manipulate you just now.' Electrolux's voice sounded in his mind, displeased. Huo Yuhao's senses was momentarily overwhelmed by some salt-like scent.
Huo Yuhao frowned, righteous fury flickering through his eyes. 'Ice God?! Dammit! That bitch just doesn't—'
'No, it isn't her. This divine trace isn't connected with the divine law of ice, but is connected with water... More like the sea, however.'
'Nonetheless, do you understand what this means? It means that the system behind the heavenly tribulation isn't being automatically handled by the plane, but a God had also dipped in their hands into it! They're watching you.'
Huo Yuhao narrowed his gaze, frustrated. 'Another God is coming after me?! Oh you gotta be kidding me!'
'Worst of all, this one is a True God from the Divine Realm unlike the severely weakened Ice God—who may or may not be on this plane. So this God may be more troublesome to deal with.'
'Ah fuck!'
'Language.'
Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming deep purple—reflecting the color of the sky.
'..... Alright. Everyone, looks like this might be it. We might as well go all out, no more holding back on my body's account.'
'Yuhao...' Skydream and Ice Empress looked despaired, tears rolling down their faces as the realization of their end coming for them finally sets in for them.
'....' Snow Empress remained silent in her small dimension. Her hands clenched into fists, trembling.
'This is it, huh.' Indra was completely complacent of it all—he had died many times already, and he was used to it.
He wasn't going to lie though, this newest incarnation was probably the most entertaining and most talented of them all.
Electrolux sighed deeply, complex emotions flickering through his eyes before settling into determination and more related to it.
'Everyone, I'm sorry. I hope we'll see each other in my next life — if I retain my memories.'
At this moment, Huo Yuhao was finally giving it his all. Everything.
Huo Yuhao curled his fingers down—five soul rings shimmered below his feet: Gold, Black, Black, Black, Red! The true power of a one million-year old soul ring was fully displayed at this moment while simultaneously with the 400,000 year old soul ring of the Ice Empress.
Dual activation of martial souls! Using both twin martial souls isn't common, but it wasn't rare. As long as the soul master had perfect mastery over their martial souls and understanding of their overall abilities, then it was possible to use them both.
Normally he wouldn't be able to unleash Skydream's soul ring's power, due to his mortal body, much less Ice Empress's as well, but he no longer care for the consequences—he'd end up dead either way!
His eyes, crimson red and pupils hazed, was reaching their limits. The large blue Susanoo readied its sword, pointing the blade towards the sky in defiance.
A jade-green ice scorpion pincer appeared over Huo Yuhao's arm and bright chilling bluish-jade light erupted from his body.
"Domain Expansion — Perpetual Ice!"
In an instant, within a 50 meter area around Huo Yuhao the world transformed into an ethereal frozen wasteland.
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AN: I only looked this up, never played the game, but it's said that one of Madara's Mangekyou Sharingan lets him reverses time for a few seconds in combat. It's from the game, Naruto: Storm Generations. But I'm not totally sure, I only saw this in google, and I never played the game. If someone can clarify it for me, comment here.
AN2: Fun fact! This chapter and the next was the start of a spin-off storyline, a what-if, that I had shelved long ago. What if this Huo Yuhao dies and reincarnates into another world with his memories, his spirits and Martial Souls? I had an idea he reincarnates in BTTH, WDQK, TGR, Martial World, etc.
3/3 chapters of the week