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The karma was settled.
After speaking these words, Na'er thought of her foster parents.
In her past life, she had indeed been immature, focusing solely on her brother and completely forgetting about her foster parents in the years that followed. The years of their care and upbringing had faded from her memory. Now, meeting them again, though their conversation felt somewhat distant, seeing them alive brought her a sense of comfort. With this karma resolved, she couldn't help but feel a lightness in her heart—as though an old shackle had been undone.
Na'er collected her thoughts and, like Bai Xu, gazed down at the ruins below. The Spirit Pagoda's branch in Lingbo City had been reduced to rubble. Apart from the main tower, which still stood as a landmark, the rest of the area had sunk more than ten meters into the ground. No traces of life remained, save for a few corpses lying eerily on the barren land, their expressions frozen in horror.
She then turned her attention to Bai Xu. He seemed deep in thought, staring silently at the ruins below, yet his eyes burned with an increasingly intense fervor.
"How do you plan to end this?" Na'er asked softly.
Bai Xu chuckled. "I've never been one to show mercy when it's time to strike. This place… is the best training ground. I intend to use the entire Douluo Continent to take another step forward!"
Na'er's eyes widened slightly as she noticed the soul communicator in Bai Xu's hand. "You mean to—"
Beep beep beep!
Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
The communication device finally rang, and Qiangu Dongfeng hurriedly answered. "Hua Tao, what's the situation?"
A somewhat unfamiliar voice responded, "Oh, Tower Master Qiangu."
It was not the voice of Hua Tao, the Air Douluo
"Who are you?" Qiangu Dongfeng instantly tensed, his mind racing to identify the speaker. The voice sounded vaguely familiar, and after mentally flipping through countless faces, it finally settled on one man.
"Bai Xu!?"
"It's me, Tower Master Qiangu. Long time no see. I'm here to report on the situation of our trip to the Dou Ling Empire." Bai Xu's tone carried no mockery—it was so calm that it sent a chill down Qiangu Dongfeng's spine.
Qiangu Dongfeng remained silent as Bai Xu continued, "This time, the Spirit Pagoda's branch was destroyed. All the high-ranking members, led by Hua Tao, the Air Douluo, were annihilated by me. The Spirit Ascension Platform, spirit souls, and all other soul tools were dismantled. From now on, the Spirit Pagoda will only have its seventeen main pillars."
"You—!!!"
"Good! Very good! You've done so well!!!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's fury was almost palpable through the communicator. Gnashing his teeth, he hissed, "I don't know how you managed this, but you've learned too much. From now on, you'll face the full force of the Spirit Pagoda's pursuit! None of the three great nations will shelter you! We will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!"
Bai Xu replied indifferently, "Very well. Then let me make myself clear, Tower Master Qiangu. You'd best keep a close watch on those remaining seventeen pillars. Who knows when I might pay one of them a visit?"
Beep beep beep.
The call ended. Bai Xu crushed the communicator in his hand and said, "At last, we've reached this point."
It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.
Na'er stepped forward. "What he said is true. The Spirit Pagoda has branches in all three empires, and it controls the trade of spirit souls. If they target you, you could become an enemy of the entire world. Is this what you wanted?"
"I never wanted this. Sooner or later, this situation was bound to arise. It's just happening a little earlier than expected."
"What will you do next?" Na'er asked.
"Leave the Dou Ling Empire and head to the Star Luo Empire. That's the base of the evil soul masters, and I have some unfinished business with them. They played a significant role in this siege—two 96th-ranked Super Douluos."
Na'er was surprised, though not because of the two Super Douluos. Rather, it was Bai Xu's tone—there was an unmistakable undercurrent of ruthlessness, as though he intended to wipe out the evil soul masters entirely.
Bai Xu continued, "Because of your close association with me, you may also be implicated. However, given your contributions—such as the invention of the ten-thousand-year spirit soul—as long as you publicly announce that you've severed ties with me, Qiangu Dongfeng won't make things difficult for you."
"Sever ties?"
"Yes."
"What if I refuse?" Na'er met Bai Xu's gaze without flinching.
Bai Xu said calmly, "Don't you want to become the Tower Master? Then you must learn to endure for now."
Indeed, ascending to the position of Tower Master had been part of Gu Yuena's—or rather, Gu Yue's—original plan. Regardless of the final outcome, she was destined to lead the Spirit Pagoda. That much was undeniable.
Before Na'er could respond, Bai Xu added, "And it's not just that. If I become too great a threat to the Spirit Pagoda and they can't capture me, what do you think they'll do?"
"What?" Na'er paused, then murmured, "Use me as bait to lure you out?"
"Something like that. If you appear conflicted about me, they might exploit that weakness to draw me into the open." Bai Xu had already envisioned countless possible futures.
Na'er frowned, conflicted. "But to coldly declare that I've cut all ties with you, that we'll never interact again… I don't think I can do that."
Bai Xu chuckled softly. "It's fine. Leave everything to me. Just be yourself. Perhaps, in the end, you'll be the one to turn the tide."
"You seem to have foreseen a future far ahead."
"Not quite. I've merely gathered most of the information here and combined it with my own vision of the future. Drawing conclusions isn't difficult."
Bai Xu stepped closer to Na'er, wrapping an arm around her slender waist. "Let's go. I'll take you away from here."
Their bodies lifted into the air as Bai Xu formed a series of hand seals. A colossal manifestation of divine might materialized, towering over the Spirit Pagoda.
"Law Manifestation: Heaven and Earth!"
A gigantic phantom of the Five Elements loomed in the sky, its radiance shifting between hues. This was a supreme divine ability. The phantom's massive hand descended, crushing the Spirit Pagoda in an instant—its soul tool barrier shattered like glass.
Tang Sect Headquarters, Several Kilometers Away
Li Yunzhe activated his Purple Demon Eyes to their fullest extent. With his cultivation level and the enhanced vision granted by his technique, he could clearly observe the situation at the Spirit Pagoda. When he saw the collapsing silhouette of the iconic structure—a building that had opposed the Tang Sect for years—he immediately bellowed, "All Tang Sect members, follow me!"
The 97th-ranked Super Douluo soared across the skies of Lingbo City, trailed by several other Title Douluos. No longer concerned with secrecy, they arrived at the Spirit Pagoda's location—only to find that its former grandeur had vanished. The once-majestic metallic structures were gone, and much of the land had caved in, turning into a wasteland as though the earth itself had sunk several meters.
Li Yunzhe appeared beside the corpses strewn across the barren ground. His face paled when he recognized the body of his old rival, Hua Tao—cleaved in half, devoid of life. He then inspected the other bodies, stopping at the corpse of the Evil Dragon Douluo.
Even in death, the sinister aura and malice of an evil soul master lingered. Li Yunzhe muttered in horror, "Evil soul masters… Did they attack the Spirit Pagoda?"
"Quickly, report this to headquarters!"
The other Title Douluos were equally stunned. The Spirit Ascension Platform, the large-scale soul tools—even the branch tower itself—had been obliterated without a trace.
Had the evil soul masters clashed with the Spirit Pagoda?
As they investigated, the sound of rushing wind approached—the Dou Ling Empire's royal family had finally arrived, albeit belatedly.