Word Count: 2,979 Words
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Zhang Peng unleashed the most vicious curses imaginable, damning eighteen generations of Death Abyss Douluo's ancestors without pause. Yet for all his fury, he couldn't alter his fate beneath the Spectral Creatures' merciless grip.
In the Holy Spirit Cult's underground headquarters, Death Abyss Douluo casually picked at his ear. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Those distant curses drifted past him, weightless as motes of dust.
A plan laid with such patience, realized in a single stroke!
Had even one of Zhongli Wu, Ye Xishui, or Long Xiaoyao been at headquarters, Death Abyss Douluo would never have succeeded.
Fortunately, Zhongli Wu's greed knew no bottom. Harboring designs on the Sun Moon Empire's military authority, he had ultimately let himself be lured away, personally leading his people to the military district to vie for power. In his absence, he had confidently entrusted the Holy Spirit Cult to Vice Cult Leader Death Abyss Douluo.
Death Abyss Douluo hadn't disappointed him. At this very moment, the Holy Cult was indeed 'reunited,' its members gathered in the Spectral Demiplane to 'discuss grand plans.'
"Feels like someone's missing."
Death Abyss Douluo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He could recite the names of every stay-behind Evil Spirit Master at headquarters backward. Just now, he had noticed one name absent from his mental roster. He strode toward a particular room and pushed the door open.
Blue Silver Saintess, Tang Ya.
After the match between the Holy Spirit Cult and Angelic Sanctuary, Tang Ya had been confined to this room. Three meals a day were delivered by Evil Spirit Masters who had already defected to Death Abyss Douluo.
Tang Ya shot to her feet at the sight of him. A spark of life flickered in her dark blue eyes. She closed the distance in a few quick steps and spoke in an ice-cold voice:
"Death Abyss, let me go. I want to find Bei Bei!"
"Bei Bei... you remembered?" Death Abyss Douluo's brow rose in genuine surprise.
Tang Ya bit her red lip. "Some fragments flashed through my mind. He seems to be someone very important to me!"
"Too late."
Death Abyss Douluo turned and walked out. Tang Ya trailed cautiously behind him, only to find the entire headquarters lying in deathly silence. The vast underground complex stood completely empty. Shock bled into her voice:
"The Holy Cult's disciples... and Worship Scorpion Tiger and the others, how did they all disappear..."
"They're inside, waiting for a family reunion."
The Spectral Gate yawned open once more. Death Abyss Douluo's tone remained flat as he gestured toward it:
"Be proactive. Enter on your own."
"Death Abyss, you really are a traitor to the Holy Cult!"
Tang Ya was no fool. She understood at once that Death Abyss Douluo had bared his fangs. Scorpion Tiger Douluo and the other Holy Spirit members had all fallen into his clutches. Her fists clenched tight, then slowly, powerlessly loosened again.
Outside these walls, an Evil Spirit Saint was enough to send an entire city into panic. Before Death Abyss Douluo, however, she wasn't worth mentioning. There was no need to trouble the Death Abyss Bone Dragon; a gentle breath from him would be enough to scatter her.
Deliberately harming Evil Spirit Master prodigies, imprisoning the Saintess... Death Abyss Douluo's betrayal had shown warning signs long before this. Even so, no matter how Tang Ya racked her brains, she couldn't fathom his reasons.
Death Abyss Douluo was young and promising, not much older than her, yet already an Ultimate Death Super Douluo. His achievements were illustrious. He had helped Cult Leader Zhongli Wu overcome the Bone Dragon King's 'warm-up' problem, granting him a glimpse of hope for breaking through to Limit Douluo.
With such formidable strength and the Cult Leader's deep trust behind him, Death Abyss Douluo could very well have inherited the position of Holy Spirit Cult Leader if he had simply continued coasting along. Tang Ya couldn't find a single reason for his betrayal!
Death Abyss Douluo naturally had no intention of explaining himself to her. Head bowed as if accepting her fate, Tang Ya stepped silently into the Spectral Demiplane.
The Spectral Creatures stared unblinkingly at the gate. Anyone who so much as poked their head out would be killed in an instant.
A Death Knight seized Tang Ya at once, locking down her movements. A Lich followed close behind with a Weakness Curse, then bound her and tossed her aside. Several Spirit Douluo-level high-rank Spectral Creatures stood guard over the cluster of Evil Spirit Masters, vigilant against the slightest disturbance.
My family is poor; I lack even a Dragon Pill to forge a spirit core.
The Holy Spirit Cult headquarters housed a great many Evil Spirit Masters. Killing them with Ling Bai's main body would yield a massive flood of spirit power feedback. These reserve rations were a critical component in condensing the Yin-Yang Complement Twin Spirit Cores.
The whole 'family' was now reunited in the Spectral Demiplane. Death Abyss Douluo smiled happily and strolled toward the Holy Spirit Treasury with a spring in his step.
Gazing upon the dazzling array of rare metals, neatly stacked Spirit Guidance Devices, small mountains of spirit gold coins, imposing spirit bones, and all manner of exotic treasures, Death Abyss Douluo clutched his chest in anguish!
The fat and marrow of the people!
Money is the root of all evil!
Purify it. It must all be purified!
Hundreds upon hundreds of skeleton soldiers and corpulent Abominations surged from the Spectral Gate in a great swarm. Heaving and hauling, they tirelessly carted away every last piece of wealth the Holy Spirit Cult had accumulated.
Two full hours passed before the Spectral Creatures finally emptied the Holy Spirit Treasury and returned to the Spectral Demiplane.
"Many thanks for your generosity, Cult Leader."
Death Abyss Douluo paused at the threshold of the Spectral Gate for one last look at the vast, now-empty underground space. In each of the chamber's four corners, scarlet lights flashed with blinding intensity.
The Holy Spirit Treasury's prized collection: Class 9 timed high-explosive Spirit Guidance Devices.
"Bye~"
Fire blossomed!
The Holy Spirit Cult headquarters was reduced to ashes and dust!
...
In the west of the Sun Moon Empire, mountain ranges encircled the land, shrouding it in a gloom where sun and moon alike seemed dim.
Dozens of figures from Linglong Pavilion, Shrek Academy, and the Tang Sect stood upon the rugged earth.
According to Ling Bai's prior instructions, Ling Qiuxi and the Golden Tortoise had raided the Sun Moon Treasury, Ning Tian had led the Light Spirit Holy Dragon along with Wu Feng and others to assault the Duskwater Alliance's main camp, and Linglong Pavilion's elites had robbed the Alto Chamber of Commerce.
All three operations had gone very smoothly. Jianmu Douluo had met them in Mingdu, forcibly broken through the western gate's defenses, and rendezvoused with the Shrek Academy contingent. Now they waited here for the three participants of the Mingdu Spirit Guidance Tournament: Ling Bai, Ning Fengyu, and Ye Guyi.
"Brother Tortoise, you're so handsome! So magnificent! You're the most splendidly shelled, most gloriously turtle-esque turtle I've ever laid eyes on in my entire life!"
Xu Sanshi stared at the Golden Tortoise with eyes gleaming like lanterns. The Xuanwu Sect's ancient records stated that the Golden Tortoise was the king among turtles. If a Mystic Deep Turtle Spirit Master absorbed its spirit ring, their bloodline would evolve into the legendary Golden Xuanwu!
The Golden Tortoise shot him a sideways look dripping with disdain:
"What tier of turtle are you, exactly, that you dare breathe the same air as this king? Scram!"
A layer of dark-gold light burst outward, instantly bouncing away Xu Sanshi, who had been inching closer in hopes of stroking the turtle's head.
"Brother Tortoise... no, Brother Tortoise!"
Xu Sanshi wailed as though his heart were being torn apart. Anyone listening would have sworn he had just been abandoned by a heartless lover.
Ling Qiuxi curled her lip at Xu Sanshi's pathetic display. She gave the Golden Tortoise's shell a casual kick.
"You're quite popular."
"Ah, Dest—I mean, wise Miss Ling Qiuxi, you flatter me!"
The Golden Tortoise's whole demeanor shifted in an instant, his turtle face taking on an obsequious expression:
"I am but an ordinary turtle, a common beast. You, however, are the Emperor of the Four Seas, the Sovereign of the Continent, a queen of an entire era!
Compared to you, I am a firefly beneath a bright moon. Your radiance outshines mine thousands upon thousands of times!"
Ling Qiuxi nodded repeatedly, clearly pleased. How had she never noticed back in the Star Dou Forest? This Golden Tortoise was quite the talented beast!
On the other side, Taotie Douluo Elder Xuan approached Jianmu Douluo and lowered his voice:
"Brother Jianmu, I wonder what's keeping Ling Bai. Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Jianmu Douluo stroked his long beard calmly. "Xiao Bai has his own important affairs to attend to. If you're in a hurry, feel free to go on ahead."
"Not in a hurry, not in a hurry at all. I was just asking." Elder Xuan quickly plastered on a smile.
Jianmu Douluo Zhou Jiren was around the same age as Mu En. In terms of seniority, he stood half a generation above Elder Xuan. Moreover, the Spirit Master world had always let fists do the talking; the gap between Rank 97 and Rank 99 was as vast as heaven and earth.
That Shrek Academy could travel alongside the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan at all was something Elder Xuan had humbled himself to request. Jianmu Douluo had only reluctantly agreed out of consideration for Mu En's face. Once they left Sun Moon Empire territory, both sides would go their separate ways.
Accompanying Elder Xuan from Shrek were five other Titled Douluo: Sea God Pavilion's Elder Song and Elder Li, Martial God Douluo Xian Lin Er, Black Dragon Douluo Qian Duoduo, and Beast King Gong Changlong. Of the six Titled Douluo, four were Super Douluo.
They had no shortage of people to protect, either. Between the Tang Sect and Shrek's two tournament teams, there wasn't a single Spirit Saint among them. Their collective strength was simply too fragile.
The calm broke as several figures appeared. The belated trio of Ling Bai, Ning Fengyu, and Ye Guyi had finally arrived.
"Teacher, we're back."
"Good, you're safe. Any later and I would've come looking for you myself."
Jianmu Douluo said with a smile. "Xuanzi and I already scouted the area. To the west, there are only a handful of Spirit Guidance Masters and a single Evil Douluo. They fled the moment they saw our numbers.
We'll talk on the road. Let's move quickly before complications arise."
"Mm."
As they withdrew from Sun Moon territory, Ling Bai called Ling Qiuxi, Ning Tian, and the Dragonwoman over to ask about their hauls.
The Alto Chamber of Commerce had yielded the least; its warehouse held only rare metals and some mid-to-low-grade Spirit Guidance Devices. The Sun Moon Treasury had the most resources by far, enough to arm ten conventional Spirit Guidance Legions to the teeth. Ling Qiuxi had carried off so much that by the end, she had grown downright picky, turning her nose up at anything below Class 5.
The Duskwater Alliance, on the other hand, was where Ning Tian gave Ling Bai a pleasant surprise. That old fox Nangong Wan had really eaten every kickback he could get his hands on! Aside from Annihilation Storm, he had secretly stashed away another Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shell: Thunderous Fury!
Thunderous Fury would remain in Ning Tian's keeping, to be brought back to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan for safekeeping until it was needed.
In a single night, the treasured hoards of the Sun Moon Empire, the Holy Spirit Cult, the Duskwater Alliance, and the Alto Chamber of Commerce had all fallen into their hands!
Filthy rich!
The group maintained a measured pace, well aware that the Sun Moon Empire's 'surround three, leave one' strategy almost certainly concealed a deeper scheme. Thick fog and dense vegetation limited visibility to a mere few dozen meters.
The journey passed without incident. Most of the group had quietly let their guard down when a tide of gold-and-silver light surged from the distant shadows, washing over them like a great wave and enveloping everyone in an instant.
Everyone instinctively activated their strongest defenses. The overwhelming gold-and-silver radiance carried no destructive force; instead, it generated a powerful pulling force.
The Titled Douluo shouted in unison, layering spirit power barrier upon spirit power barrier to shield the group. But the pull of the gold-and-silver light surged stronger in an instant. Even the barrier Jianmu Douluo had raised at the full might of a Limit Douluo began to tremble, showing faint signs of shattering.
"What is that?"
Martial God Douluo Xian Lin Er lived up to her title. Her Azure Flame Dragon Martial Spirit manifested, and she thrust her azure spear straight at the source of the gold-and-silver light. The weapon plunged into the glow and vanished without so much as a sound.
The power of the gold-and-silver light seemed to surpass the Limit Douluo level altogether. As if possessing a will of its own, it tore through the spirit power barriers, targeted several specific individuals, and swept them away. Then everything fell silent.
Both groups scrambled to check their numbers. Ning Fengyu called out anxiously:
"Teacher! Xiao Bai, Xiao Tian, Xiao Feng, and Qiuxi... all four of them have just vanished!"
He Caitou's frantic voice rang out from nearby: "Elder Xuan, we're missing people too!
Big Senior Sister, Senior Sister Han, Big Senior Brother, Sanshi, Nannan, Little Junior Brother, Little Junior Sister... we're missing seven!"
Eleven people had silently vanished.
Four from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan: Ling Bai, Ling Qiuxi, Ning Tian, and Wu Feng.
Seven from Shrek: Zhang Lexuan, Han Ruoruo, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong Er.
The powerhouses on both sides felt the world go black before their eyes. Every last one of the missing was among the most important young geniuses of their respective factions!
…
Within a space of gold and silver, eleven figures slowly recovered from the disorientation of being wrenched between dimensions. Before them stretched a golden lake, its surface radiating an intense golden light that rose upward like a warm sun. Above the lake hung a crescent silver moon, nestled close against the sun as if the two celestial bodies were embracing.
This entire space was ruled by gold and silver. The dual-colored radiance spread ever outward, rippling across mountain ridges and flowing toward the far horizon.
Most faces registered shock and disbelief, yet the scene before them was undeniably real. Drawn by the gold-and-silver light, they drifted steadily closer to the lake's center.
The next instant, Ling Bai's clear voice rang out:
"The sun and moon shine together, Yin and Yang query the heart. Remember, you must speak the truth."
As he spoke, the Yearning Heartbroken Red around his wrist trembled ceaselessly. Words spoken long ago had finally become reality. This was the place where the Goddess of Love had fallen: the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley!
His voice had barely faded when that mysterious force drew all eleven to hover directly above the lake's heart, suspended over the golden sun and silver moon. A layer of gold-and-silver light flowed over each person's body, and around each of them materialized an ethereal, bubble-like barrier that held them aloft in mid-air. Everyone had been separated; no two people shared the same bubble.
Had ordinary people been subjected to such a sudden, drastic upheaval, their composure would have shattered in an instant. But these eleven were all top-tier geniuses of their generation. Though shock, astonishment, and traces of fear inevitably flickered through them, they remained generally steady. In each of their minds, Ling Bai's warning echoed without cease.
They found themselves in a completely transparent world. Everything around them appeared to be formed from gold-and-silver crystal. They remained encased within their bubbles, but their feet now rested upon a gigantic circular platform.
Ling Bai's gaze grew distant. Blindly avoiding trouble would only invite scheme after scheme, one trap following another. Rather than evading the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley only to stumble into some unknown plot in the future, it was better to sever that person's machinations here and now!
While that person felt triumphant, convinced their prey was already in hand, this first encounter was the best opportunity to strike!
Once inside the Yin Yang Love Querying Valley, the gazes of four women—Ling Qiuxi, Ning Tian, Wu Feng, and Han Ruoruo—remained fixed on Ling Bai. He mouthed the same words to each of them in turn: Don't worry.
Shortly after, the golden platform beneath their feet began emitting a hazy luminous mist. A narrow beam of gold shot from the platform's center and circled rapidly, its tip sweeping past each of the eleven smaller platforms arrayed around the main one.
"Yin Yang Love Query. Sincerity. Begin."
A calm voice, impossible to distinguish as male or female, sounded simultaneously in each person's ears.
Everyone fell silent at once. They were startled to find that a curtain of gold-and-silver light now filled their vision, completely obscuring their companions from sight.
The beam's tip flickered for several seconds, then froze. It landed on Tang Sect's Big Senior Brother: Bei Bei.
Bei Bei was the first to be chosen. He stiffened involuntarily as his bubble blazed with light. Cautious and steady by nature, not a trace of fear crossed his face. He carefully felt for any changes throughout his body and found no discomfort whatsoever, only that he could no longer move.
The emotionless voice spoke again, and this time, only Bei Bei could hear it.
"Do you have a lover?"