Huge welcome and thank you to our new Patron: Dave!
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: AFKing to Become a God
------------------------------------------------------
The crimson remnants of the setting sun dyed the entrance to the secret realm a deep red. Cao Dezhi gazed at the surging clouds on the horizon, the hem of his military uniform billowing sharply in the fierce wind. He pressed his hand against the hilt of his sword, his knuckles whitening from the force.
The Tang Sect had implemented a series of measures to counter the ten-thousand-year plan. Regardless of the outcome, under the calculations of three god-level powers, they could only pretend ignorance and strive to minimize casualties.
It was frustrating, but with their strength inferior, there was no other choice.
However…
"Lao Cao, my insights weren't bad, were they? When should we spar with Yun Ming? Maybe if inspiration strikes, we can break through to the quasi-god level."
Zang Xin and Cao Dezhi exited the secret realm, both silently understanding that this wasn't about sparring—it was actually to inform Yun Ming. At the very least, they needed to warn Shrek Academy to be cautious about the Golden Tree.
Thinking about it sent chills down their spines. They knew that before their deaths, Shrek's elder masters would commit their souls to the Golden Tree, transforming into a protective foundation for Shrek Academy.
Now, upon reflection, they still didn't know who stood to gain the most.
Their eyes met, and they simultaneously recalled the countless blurry faces that emerged from the shadows of the tree during the elders' sacrifices—those spirits who should have rested in peace now existed in an unknown state.
Cao Dezhi's expression turned icy. "It's not that simple. Even the slightest breakthrough is incredibly difficult. However, I still need to return to the front lines. Sparring wouldn't hurt—if I make any progress, it might relieve some pressure."
They spoke in riddles as they headed toward Shrek Academy.
---
"The assessment has ended. Everyone except Xie Xie passed."
Wu Zhangkong announced the results.
"No way!"
Xie Xie let out a long sigh, wishing he could cling to Wu Zhangkong's leg and beg for mercy. "Teacher Wu, it was just bad luck that got me eliminated early. You can't be so rigid about it!"
Wu Zhangkong's expression remained unchanged. Calmly, he replied, "Bad luck led you, a speed attacker, to directly clash with the Human-Faced Demon Spider. It seems your standards for yourself are even higher than mine. Very well, it's my mistake. I'll be stricter with you from now on."
Though Wu Zhangkong "admitted fault," Xie Xie wasn't happy. Instead, he looked miserable, hoping others would speak up for him. Unfortunately, no one wanted to invite trouble, so they all averted their gazes.
"Dismissed."
Wu Zhangkong didn't waste more words on Xie Xie. He already had plans: during the holiday, he would take Tang Wulin to undergo special training at the Tang Sect. Xie Xie was just an afterthought—his bad luck had landed him in this situation.
"See you next semester!"
Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi said their goodbyes. Their homes were in Donghai City, so they could go home directly.
Gu La waved goodbye and left alone.
Under the night sky, Donghai City resembled a crouching beast. Gu La stood atop the lightning rod of the Spirit Pagoda, his golden-green hair whipping wildly in the wind. Ripples of time and space spread outward from him, distorting the city's neon lights into bizarre, kaleidoscopic blocks.
"There's the Tianhai Alliance Grand Tournament next semester, followed by the assessment at Shrek Academy. Only Wu Zhangkong is guarding Tang Wulin. Now is the best time to provoke Tang San into action."
Though Gu La couldn't see, his inability to visualize the future didn't hinder his ability to predict it. This was a powerful psychic technique—a direct prophecy of the future that didn't require sight.
He strolled through the streets of Donghai City, seemingly aimlessly. Around him, ripples of temporal energy gradually concealed him within the cracks of spacetime. The chaotic forces of time were enough to sever any attempts at detection.
"Found them."
Gu La "saw" that in three days, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue would pass nearby. Di Tian and Xiong Jun would come to find Gu Yue, once again asking her to return and take charge of the situation.
Future Sight
A smirk formed on Gu La's lips as he fully unleashed his late-stage Spirit Abyss Realm spiritual power to execute the psychic technique. In three days, in an unknown point in the future, he would launch an attack at Tang Wulin.
At that time, Gu La was eager to see Gu Yue's reaction when Tang San stepped in.
---
Three days later.
Before Tang Wulin followed Wu Zhangkong for special training, Gu Yue invited him out shopping. In reality, the wise Silver Dragon King was hesitating over whether or not to act against Tang Wulin.
But considering Na'er's presence, the shopping trip became genuine.
As they turned a street corner, the bustling street was eerily deserted.
Gu Yue's brows furrowed, and she dropped her ice cream. "Something urgent has come up. You go back on your own."
With those words, Gu Yue teleported away, arriving at a nearby café.
Di Tian and Xiong Jun were waiting inside. They had cleared the streets. "My Lord!"
Gu Yue frowned, her voice cold. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb me?"
Di Tian knelt halfway, his tone respectful. "Forgive me, my Lord. I acted on my own initiative. I hope you won't hesitate further—reclaim the Golden Dragon King's core!"
Gu Yue replied impatiently, "I have my own plans. Don't teach me what to do."
Di Tian fell silent, saying no more.
While master and servant conversed, the ice cream in Tang Wulin's hand suddenly rippled strangely. The strawberry sauce twisted into a silvery vortex on the cone.
The set Future Sight had arrived!
From a street away, Gu Yue noticed the spatial fluctuations nearby and prepared to raise her hand to shatter the space and save Tang Wulin. But under the onslaught of the powerful psychic attack, all the glass windows along the pedestrian street shattered simultaneously. Countless shards floated in the air, poised to cause secondary damage.
Even if Gu Yue hadn't been weakened, and even if she were at full strength, she wouldn't be able to save Tang Wulin under Gu La's carefully calculated ambush.
Tang Wulin truly sensed the threat of death. The temporal vortex exploded right in front of his chest, leaving him no time to react.
"Sigh!"
As Tang Wulin lost consciousness, another figure took control of his body. With a wave of his arm, a faint trident silhouette flashed, reversing the direction of all the shards.
For a thousandth of a second, spacetime fractured. A third attack arrived, determined to force Tang San into action.
A scarlet light arrow, wrapped in fragments of time, aimed to pierce Tang Wulin's temple. Tang San's expression turned serious.
A golden trident's phantom erupted from Tang Wulin's forehead, bathing the entire street in azure radiance.
Tang San's residual shadow stepped out of the river of spacetime, the divine intent of the Sea God condensed at his fingertips, crushing the light arrow. By using the phantom of a divine artifact, he expended one of his opportunities to intervene.
Only relentless attacks, or ones approaching god-level, could force Tang San to expend such opportunities. Otherwise, given the sheer strength of his divine consciousness, minor movements were enough to defend against ordinary attacks.
When Tang San appeared, Gu Yue teleported away. She pressed down on her wildly beating heart, a vortex of spatial elements forming in her pupils. "Just now… was that a God King-level divine consciousness?"
Di Tian's right foot, stepping out of a spatial rift, had yet to touch the ground. From beneath his black robes, a scaled hand extended, forcibly tearing open the closing spacetime rift by three inches. "My Lord, that divine consciousness belongs to a human deity!"
The streetlights in the commercial district began to flicker rhythmically. Xiong Jun emerged from the shadow of the third lamppost, his Dark Golden Terror Claw tearing the remaining temporal energy in half. "The stench of a human deity! I couldn't mistake it—the two traitors reek of this same odor."
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)