Chapter 38 – The Shadow of the Sovereign
The return to Wuhun City was not a quiet affair. The presence of two Titled Douluos, a Rank 60 Spirit Emperor, and the chilling aura of a Million-Year Soul Spirit forced the city's guards to their knees.
In the Supreme Pontiff's hall, Bibi Dong sat on her throne, her newly purified eyes widening as she sensed the shift in the air. Lakan stepped forward, but before he could speak, a translucent, chubby white worm popped out of Shui Bing'er's shoulder.
"Wow! This place is fancy!" Tianmeng chirped, looking at Bibi Dong. "And you! You're the boss? You have a lot of dark energy, lady, but you're actually pretty for someone who smells like spiders. Do you have any silk-flavored snacks? I'm a Million-Year-Old VIP, you know!"
The silence in the hall was deafening. The guards reached for their weapons, but Bibi Dong simply blinked, a rare, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "Lakan... what is this insolent sausage?"
"That, my Queen Pope, is the Skydream Ice Silkworm," Lakan replied, bowing slightly. "And he is currently the source of Bing'er's transition into a Transcendent. We have also secured the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well."
The Strategy of the Garden
Lakan detailed the alliance with Dugu Bo, explaining the Poison Douluo's sworn loyalty.
"The Well is the lifeblood of our future alchemy," Lakan stated. "I've appointed Elder Yue Guan as the Warden of the Well. No one understands the language of flowers better than him. He will oversee the cultivation of the Immortal Herbs and the distribution of the Gamat-Mutya pearls I've refined."
Bibi Dong nodded, her mind already calculating the shift in power. "With these resources, our elites will be untouchable. The 'Sovereign Team' for the upcoming Tournament will not just win; they will redefine what is possible."
Meanwhile, at the Nuoding Academy, the graduation ceremony was ending. Yu Xiaogang sat in his office, his face a mask of bitter "wisdom." He held a letter of recommendation for Shrek Academy in Suotuo City.
"Tang San," Xiaogang said, his voice dripping with forced gravitas. "You are my greatest work. The world will try to suppress your talent because they fear your twin spirits. They are narrow-minded. But remember, 'there are no trash martial souls, only trash spirit masters.'"
He said this while completely ignoring the fact that he only bothered to train Tang San because of his Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Spirits. To Xiaogang, commoners with low-level spirits were still beneath his notice, despite his famous slogan.
Tang San bowed deeply. "Teacher, I understand. Your theories are the only truth." Beside him, Xiao Wu rolled her eyes, her rabbit-instincts sensing the falseness in the room, but her devotion to "Third Brother" kept her silent.
"Go to Shrek," Xiaogang commanded. "Flender is an old friend. He understands that only 'monsters' deserve to lead."
What he didn't mention was that Shrek Academy was a legal loophole—an unregistered school that charged exorbitant "application fees" to commoners, only to reject them immediately without refund. To Xiaogang and Tang San, this wasn't a scam; it was "filtering out the weak." The hypocrisy was a thick, invisible shroud over them as they set off for Suotuo City.
After the grand return and the distribution of the Mutya pearls, the Spirit Hall was a hive of celebration. But Lakan felt the walls closing in. The more the Elders praised him, the more he felt the stagnation of the "Establishment."
Late that night, under the silver glow of the moon, Lakan met Bibi Dong and Shui Bing'er in the private gardens.
"I am leaving for a time," Lakan said, his voice calm but unyielding.
Bing'er gripped his hand, her Million-Year Glacial aura flaring slightly in her distress. "Why? We just got back. The Academy Tournament is approaching."
"I have spent my life in libraries and training grounds," Lakan replied, looking at the stars. "I see the world through scrolls and reports. But a Sovereign must know the soil he intends to rule. I need to walk the borderlands, to see the friction between the Empires without an army behind me. I will return before the tournament begins, actually, it's just a short time that I'll be gone. Trust me."
Bibi Dong looked at him, her purified eyes seeing the iron will in his soul. She didn't try to stop him; she knew a dragon couldn't be kept in a garden forever. "Go. But remember, Lakan—the shadows of the Star Luo and Heaven Dou are deep. Do not let them dim your sun."
With a final nod and a lingering look at Bing'er, Lakan vanished into the night, leaving only a faint vibration in the air.
Ten days later, Lakan found himself in the dense, humid forests at the junction of the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire. It was a lawless "No Man's Land," where the trees were thick and the political lines were blurred.
He found a secluded river fed by a mountain spring. The water was crystalline, reflecting the harsh midday sun. Lakan stripped to his waist, revealing a physique that was the pinnacle of masculine refinement—lean, corded muscles of Batong-Pilak density and the black, obsidian-like tribal tattoos that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic light.
He stepped into the water, the cool flow washing away the dust of the road. He closed his Eyes of the Origin God, letting the Silver suns rest. He wanted to feel the world through his skin, not just through "Logic."
Snap. Clang!
The tranquility was shattered. The 36 Heavenly Stars across his body hummed. Through the vibration of the earth and the displacement of air, Lakan "sensed" the kinetic chaos long before the sound reached his ears.
Slash!
A girl with jet-black hair and obsidian cat ears burst through the foliage. Her name is Zhu Zhuqing, the Second Miss of the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Clan. Her black leather combat suit was shredded, soaked in blood from deep gashes on her back and thighs. Her breathing was a ragged, desperate whistle.
"Don't let the little cat run any further!" a cold, mocking voice shrieked.
Four figures in dark, professional assassin attire leaped from the trees, led by a woman with a striking resemblance to the girl—her older sister, Zhu Zhuyun. Her claws were extended, dripping with the blood of her own kin.
"Give up, little sister," Zhuyun sneered, landing on a rock in the middle of the river. "In our family, the weak are only useful as stepping stones. Your death will be my final lesson to you."
Lakan didn't move. He stood in the waist-deep water, his back to the assassins. He sighed, the sound echoing with an unnatural resonance that made the birds in the trees go silent.
"You know," Lakan said, his voice low and dangerous, "I traveled hundreds of miles to find a place where I wouldn't have to listen to the sound of trash breaking things."
He reached for his Mantis-Sibat resting on the mossy bank, his fingers brushing the emerald-serrated edge. As he turned, his Silver Sun pupils ignited, casting a divine, predatory light over the river.
"But it seems the trash followed me here."