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Tang Wulin stared in shock at the scene before him. Hundreds of soul-guided artillery shells had blatantly breached Shrek Academy's defenses and rained down upon the campus. Explosions roared all around as teachers took to the skies to intercept the bombardment. The Golden Tree emitted a radiant golden light, forming a protective barrier that enveloped the entire academy.
Yet the purple hue in the sky grew increasingly dense, and even the golden radiance from the Golden Treehouse began to fracture under the overwhelming pressure.
Yun Ming erupted with an unparalleled brilliance, attempting to break free from the encroaching purple energy. But the violet light was terrifying in its intensity. At that moment, a colossal purple skull materialized in the sky above.
The skull was a full kilometer in diameter. Its jaws gaped open, spewing a torrent of flames downward. Seated cross-legged atop the skull were nine figures, all clad in black robes adorned with glowing green trim. Nine soul rings hovered above each of them. The central figure stood out—among his nine soul rings, one was orange, four were blood-red, and the rest were pitch black.
The formation was led by the Ghost Emperor, who had sacrificed no fewer than hundreds of soul masters to ensure Yun Ming would be trapped here.
The purple radiance intensified, and the vortex of explosions gradually swallowed Shrek's inner city. With the combined power of hundreds of sacrificed soul masters and a twelfth-rank soul-guided artillery shell, no force could withstand the devastation.
Tang Wulin stood frozen, as did his companions beside him.
In the distance, another light flared—a sinister, terrifying green. The explosion erupted at the very heart of the Tang Sect's headquarters.
The entirety of Shrek City had transformed into a world of death. From above, one could see two expanding vortices—one green, one purple—devouring everything in their path, spreading outward relentlessly.
Shrek's inner city was rapidly vanishing from existence.
All defenses were rendered meaningless against the green and purple annihilation.
Countless lives were extinguished in the wake of the catastrophic energy storm.
Gu Yuena, observing everything from the Spirit Pagoda, realized that even soul beasts of Emperor Beast-level like Di Tian were powerless against humanity's technological might. If humans willed it, a single twelfth-rank shell could obliterate the last remnants of the Star Dou Forest in an instant.
"Though I witnessed this in The Heaven of Selfless Transformation, experiencing it firsthand is truly staggering," Gu Yuena murmured.
What a scene this was—utter annihilation, the eradication of all life. This was the destructive power of the three remaining twelfth-rank God-Slaying soul-guided shells, forged by draining the resources of the entire Douluo Continent.
Yun Ming sacrificed his godhood, charging recklessly toward the colossal purple skull, determined to drag the evil soul masters down with him and preserve what little remained of Shrek's strength.
As the explosions gradually subsided, just when everyone thought it was over, a brilliant light suddenly flared above the severely injured Shrek Seven Monsters.
The dazzling radiance forced them to look up.
Despair flashed in their eyes. Directly above the crater they stood in, a radiant orb streaked downward like a falling meteor.
Another soul-guided artillery shell.
Before it even landed, the sheer oppressive force of its descent made it hard for them to breathe. The stench of death was unmistakable.
Annihilation without mercy.
Gu Yuena watched calmly, a thought flickering in her mind: "This time… without 'Gu Yue,' how will you survive?"
She could sense Tang Wulin's immediate reaction—without hesitation, he transformed into a golden dragon and lunged toward the incoming shell.
Hummm!
A strange spatial ripple echoed as the shell detonated. Yet Tang Wulin's body remained completely unharmed, flung back by the shockwave and landing not far from the Shrek Seven. An invisible force had shielded him—and them.
"This is… the power of the plane. Tang Hao finally intervened." Gu Yuena wasn't surprised. No grandfather would stand by and watch his grandson die.
She smirked derisively. "In our past life… my act of protecting you must have seemed laughable to your father and grandfather. Hah. The one who should have been your greatest enemy instead fell in love with you by some twist of fate… and your father planted a mental seal in my mind as a result. How ironic. The Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon were born solely to revive the Dragon God. We never intended to live as the Golden Dragon King or Silver Dragon Queen—only to devour each other and ascend as the Dragon God, to restore the glory of the dragon race."
"But… the Dragon God was already broken. He left his legacy to those of gold and silver bloodlines. No matter how hard he and I tried, we were doomed to repeat the same tragedy. So what does that make us? If this was always the outcome, why split into gold and silver dragons at all? Why not pass down the truth of our memories to me? Why let me live consumed by hatred, seeking vengeance against the divine realm? The Silver Dragon is nothing but a joke—deceived, manipulated, stripped of her bloodline, and drained of all value. Hah. At least I was 'rewarded' with a Godking's throne in the end. Not a bad deal."
Recalling the memories of Gu Yue and Na'er within The Heaven of Selfless Transformation, Gu Yuena's eyes welled with tears. Two streaks of sorrow traced down her cheeks. Her entire life had been that of a puppet on strings.
Suddenly, she longed to see Bai Xu. She wanted to ask him face-to-face: "How should I live?"
Beep beep beep!
Acting on impulse, she ignored everything else and dialed Bai Xu's soul communicator.
"Hello?" Bai Xu's voice was muffled, as though he was chasing something.
"What are you doing?" Gu Yuena suppressed her emotions, her tone cool once more.
"Hunting an evil soul master. Someone's got their eyes on me."
"When will you be back?"
"The Spirit Pagoda's cruise ship won't depart for another month. It'll take another month to reach Douluo. Why? What's wrong?" Bai Xu asked.
"Shrek Academy has been destroyed."
"They've already made their move?"
"Yes. Just as we saw in The Heaven of Selfless Transformation. The only difference is that Tang Wulin was saved by the plane's power."
"Expected."
Gu Yuena hesitated for a long moment before whispering, "Can you come back sooner? There's something I need to tell you."
"Alright. Once I deal with this evil soul master, I'll head back immediately."
The call ended. Bai Xu glanced ahead at the fleeing figure of the evil soul master. The man had openly confronted him, taunting him by name before fleeing beyond the city limits.
The situation reeked of a trap. But armed with his formations, artifacts, and escape techniques, Bai Xu—who rarely took risks—chased after him despite the danger.
Sure enough, two figures stood waiting in the desolate wasteland ahead: Yan Jie and an unfamiliar elder.
"Sir, he's here," Yan Jie said obsequiously.
"This doesn't look like someone who wants to join our Holy Church," the elder sighed before coldly snorting. The pressure of a 95th-rank Title Douluo crashed down, forcing Bai Xu to a near standstill.
Without hesitation, Bai Xu summoned the Heaven-Earth Five Elements Banner, hurling it into the air. The banners dispersed instantly, sealing the surrounding five kilometers within an enormous formation that locked down the space.
"Let's settle this today. I'm in a hurry to return."
"Such arrogance for someone so young."
Bai Xu's meaning was clear: kill. The elder, however, took it as disrespect. With their intentions at odds, battle erupted instantly.
Yan Jie's earlier suggestion of Bai Xu joining the Holy Spirit Church was long forgotten.