At the sound of Dugu Bo's voice, the Ghost Douluo immediately feared for Juhua Guan's life. Instantly, he released nine spirit rings. His body trembled violently as black energy surged outward, dispersing the surrounding poisonous mist.
As the mist cleared, the Ghost Douluo finally saw Juhua Douluo lying on the ground, rolling his eyes, body twitching, foam spilling from his mouth. Moving with extreme speed, he rushed toward his friend.
Juhua Douluo's face was extremely pale, with foam still at the corner of his mouth. Seeing his old friend poisoned to this state, the Ghost Douluo's hands trembled uncontrollably.
Earlier, he had held back because Juhua Douluo had confidently promised that as long as he used his spirit skills, Dugu Bo wouldn't escape. Yet now, Dugu Bo not only got away but had poisoned Juhua Douluo—what kind of situation was this?!
"You old poison fiend, your heart is truly cruel!" Ghost Douluo's face turned ashen, veins bulging as he clenched his fists. If Dugu Bo were still before him, Ghost Douluo would have fought him to the death.
He and Juhua Douluo had known each other for decades—they were closest of friends. If anything had happened to Juhua Douluo, even in death, Ghost Douluo would not have forgiven Dugu Bo.
"Juhua Guan, hang in there! I'll take you back to the Spirit Hall; we'll find a way!"
Seeing his friend's body convulsing, Ghost Douluo panicked, lifted him into his arms, and leaped toward the edge of the Luosu Forest.
...
Tiandou City, Rear of Seven Star Academy
Here lay a small lake, only about fifty meters across. A narrow stream, roughly three meters wide, trickled in from the other side of the woods and flowed back out, keeping the pond's water fresh and moving.
Beside the pond was an octagonal pavilion of ancient charm. Sunlight glinted off its golden roof tiles, and the vermilion columns glowed vividly. Around the pavilion was a fence enclosing a garden of colorful flowers in full bloom.
A young man in black sat quietly in a corner of the pavilion, gazing at the flowers without a word.
Next to him, two shadow soldiers in black armor knelt half on the ground. For the first time, curiosity flickered in their eyes.
"Your Majesty, what's going on?" asked one, showing his fangs.
"Not sure. This is the first time I've seen the king act like this. Did someone foolhardy provoke him?" said the other, Ghost Leopard.
The rest of the shadow soldiers exchanged puzzled looks.
"Your Majesty… what's the matter?" asked the kneeling dragon Nash, looking at Cheng Xiao's calm expression.
But as he spoke, Cheng Xiao's gaze met his, eyes cold like the King of Death. Dragon Nash opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.
"Nash, tell me… why is your power unaffected by the Death Force? Is it because you once served the Dragon Emperor, or because you absorbed the two dragon souls?" Cheng Xiao asked calmly.
"Your Majesty, please forgive my sins," Dragon Nash said, pressing his head to the ground. "As commander of the Light Dragon Legion, the Dragon Emperor granted us certain powers. The Runi Stone I gave you comes from the Dragon Emperor's power combined with my strength from life."
"As for the two dragon souls you mentioned, they greatly enhanced me, restoring my power to its former level. That is why your current power has no effect on me."
"Oh… so the residual power of the two dragon souls makes you immune to the limitations of my current power?" Cheng Xiao asked evenly.
"Roughly so, Your Majesty," Nash replied respectfully, keeping his head lowered. "In fact, we shadow soldiers can sense your emotions. You seem troubled… may I ask, perhaps sharing your feelings might ease your mind?"
Cheng Xiao shook his head and said faintly,"Nash, tell me… can a person who has never even killed a chicken develop a taste for killing just because they obtained power?"
"Like when I ordered you to kill Titan yesterday—what were your thoughts then?"
Dragon Nash looked up, surprised. He realized that this king before him was not the fearsome second-generation Shadow King, nor the one with divine power. This Cheng Xiao had gained the Shadow King's power but had not fully matured.
He was still growing. Unlike Cheng Xiao's predecessor, he was not forced to kill by circumstance. The power he had now was not fully his own, and he had been following what he believed was right.
Yet now, he felt his own growing coldness—not toward people, but toward life itself. In his eyes, killing a soul master and killing a soul beast were no different. The more he felt this, the more worried he became.
He knew this power came from the Shadow King. If he lost it one day, would he be as powerless as Titan, unable to resist and at the mercy of others?
Cheng Xiao had family and friends to protect; could he? His relationships were largely based on foreknowledge of events. He had never truly examined them, simply relying on his awareness to forge friendships.
"Your Majesty, although you appear mature and in control of everything, you are still but a young teenager," Dragon Nash said, meeting Cheng Xiao's eyes. "You are still growing. We, your soldiers, are honored to follow you and witness your growth."
"Sometimes I wonder… if you had the temperament of the Dragon Emperor, would we still follow you so loyally? But after thinking, I realized we follow you, Cheng Xiao, because of who you are, and we trust you to become a great king."
At Nash's words, the shadows beneath Cheng Xiao stirred. All the shadow soldiers emerged and knelt before him."Your Majesty, we wish to follow your path. Please do not leave us to bear it alone!"
Seeing this, Cheng Xiao felt an indescribable emotion. His gaze swept across each soldier. After a long moment, he exhaled slowly. Though he said nothing, he could feel their loyalty.
Perhaps he was not alone—at least, many soldiers followed him faithfully.
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