"Tch!"
"So Tang San orchestrated this."
If that was the case, all the inconsistencies made sense.
As Tang San, ruler of Douluo Continent's backyard, what could escape his notice?
No wonder Tang San reacted so strongly to Shion and the others.
Their appearance was unforeseen, a destabilizing factor outside his millennia-long plans, demanding elimination.
"But…"
"Can you even beat my Shion?"
Damien had a grasp on Tang San's capabilities. His true form was a God King.
Though Douluo Continent's rules were weak... its Dragon God roughly equal to an True Demon Lord in the Cardinal World... that was still an True Demon Lord.
Tang San, currently, was likely on par with Clayman.
Unless Damien let Ogerpon risk expulsion by unleashing her full power, defeating God King Tang San was possible.
But that would get Ogerpon ejected quickly and blacklisted.
Weighing the cost, Damien hesitated.
"Hm?"
While he pondered, Tang San sensed Damien probing the God-Sealing Platform and stored it in a soul tool for living creatures.
Snow Empress was a soul beast, but Douluo Continent was Tang San's domain.
Every blade of grass, every soul beast, was his property.
A ferocious beast like Snow Empress was too valuable to waste... perfect for nurturing a chosen one.
"Shuna, help Shion and grab that ring."
"Steal it?"
Shuna didn't question the God-Sealing Platform's nature; she obeyed Damien unconditionally.
Following Shion's close-combat prowess, Shuna, master of elemental control, assisted while seeking an opening, launching magical attacks on the old man possessed by Tang San's divine sense.
Their fighting style defied soul master norms.
Soul skills, like hotkeys, had intervals and cooldowns.
But the girls faced no such limits.
Shion's attacks were brutal, each swing rivaling a demi-god's full force.
Infused with dark magic, even Tang San had to dodge.
Shuna was another story.
As a mage, a powerhouse beyond the original story, she stood behind Shion, an endless artillery of firepower, soon leaving Tang San's puppet battered and scrambling.
"Damn it!"
"Where did these women come from?!"
In the God Realm, Tang San's divine sense monitored the Far North battle.
Watched by the God King of Destruction, he couldn't intervene directly.
Splitting off a sliver of divine sense to control the old man, pushing him to demi-god strength, was his limit.
But Shuna and Shion, even sealed, matched or surpassed demi-gods.
Two against one, Tang San's puppet was on the brink.
"These people can't be Douluo Continent's soul masters or soul beasts!"
Tang San knew Douluo Continent like the back of his hand, even aware of the Silver Dragon King hidden beneath Star Dou Forest, plotting to seize the Dragon God's power.
But Damien's group were undeniable outsiders.
"Chance!"
As Tang San's focus slipped, Shuna seized the moment, using spatial manipulation to sever the hand wearing the storage soul tool.
"Ah!!"
The pain of the severed hand, linked by divine sense, struck Tang San in the God Realm.
"Damn it!!"
"Martial Soul True Body!"
"Ring Explosion!!"
Seeing his puppet falter, Tang San stopped holding back, detonating all the soul power stored in the old man.
Black, black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red... nine soul rings emerged behind him.
"Got it."
Shuna teleported the storage soul tool to Damien, who ignored space to retrieve the God-Sealing Platform.
To prevent Tang San from destroying it in desperation, Damien had taken the long route.
"Finish him, Ogerpon."
"Bwoh!"
Instantly, Ogerpon vanished from Damien's side.
A mere demi-god was beneath Damien's notice.
Only a fool would wait for an enemy to power up.
Ring Explosion was strong, but would Damien give Tang San the chance?
"Ah!!!"
In the God Realm, Tang San, preparing his Clear Sky Hammer's Martial Soul True Body and about to shatter his soul rings, felt a sharp pain in his head.
On the battlefield, Ogerpon held her blood-dripping Ivy Cudgel.
Behind her lay a headless corpse in a pool of blood... the demi-god old man controlled by Tang San.
If Shion and Shuna were like Rank 1 Gods limited to demi-god power, Ogerpon was a restricted God King in Douluo Continent.
Her unleashed power surpassed even Di Tian.
Killing a mere demi-god was effortless.
"Lord Damien."
Shion and Shuna felt no resentment over Ogerpon stealing their opponent. The three returned to Damien, eyeing the God-Sealing Platform.
"What's this?"
"Our prize."
Damien had considered what he could gain in Douluo Continent.
Awaken a martial soul? Gain soul rings or bones? Or some rare treasure?
None of that.
His path was clear: capture powerful beings, make them subordinates, and bring them to the Cardinal World.
The Cardinal World would reward them based on soul strength and uniqueness, granting race, Magicules, and unique skills.
In Douluo Continent, only ferocious beasts caught Damien's eye.
Soul masters or gods? He wasn't interested.
Humans in the Cardinal World remained human, with limited growth potential.
But the hundred-thousand-year embryo in his hand held one of Douluo Continent's top soul beasts.
No, calling the Snow Empress a soul beast was debatable.
Damien saw her more like the Cardinal World's Greater Elemental.
Similar to Rimuru's Ifrit, the Titan of Flame, second only to the Elemental Lord among fire spirits.
"Let's talk to her."
Damien was confident about recruiting Snow Empress.
Probing the God-Sealing Platform with his mind, he saw a tall girl curled up in a golden cage-like space.
***
Bonus Chapter:
100 Power Stones = 1 BC
300 Power Stones = 2 BC
500 Power Stones = 3 BC
700 Power Stones = 4 BC
1000 Power Stones = 5 BC
***
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