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Chen Xinjie had never expected that the leader of the Tang Sect would unleash a storm to halt the advance of the Sea God Fleet. To his astonishment, that man's affinity with the ocean surpassed even his own as the Sea God Douluo.
It was as if he were the true darling of the sea!
Yet, even as the storm obstructed their path, even as the fleet had been discovered by the Star Luo Empire, and even as their surprise attack had lost the element of initiative, the fleet's formidable soul technology—bolstered by the federal mothership—still allowed them to hold their own against the Star Luo Empire's maritime defenses.
That was, until the Star Luo Empire launched a Twin Soul-Chasing, Level-10 Fixed Soul Guidance Artillery Shell. This weapon consisted of two fixed soul guidance shells combined in a unique manner.
When the mother shell exploded, it released a tremendous outward blast force, wreaking destruction while simultaneously shielding the true agent of devastation within. The core formation of the secondary "bullet" shell could absorb and devour the violent external energy, destabilizing its own internal structure to an extreme degree. This resulted in a secondary amplification of its explosive power, granting it destructive force and penetrative capability far beyond its rank.
It took the Sea God mothership over ten minutes to fully stabilize, yet alarm sirens continued to blare relentlessly.
There was no doubt—this Twin Soul-Chasing shell had come from the Tang Sect.
In the end, wary of both the Star Luo Empire and the Tang Sect, the Sea God Fleet, which had trekked thousands of miles, was forced into retreat, returning empty-handed.
Shortly thereafter, the Federation declared to the world that the Tang Sect was now a traitorous organization.
When Tang Wulin heard this news during a soul communication with Zang Xin, his entire body stiffened, his face frozen in shock.
The Federation had labeled the Tang Sect a traitorous organization?
What did this mean?
For twenty thousand years since its founding, the Tang Sect had stood as one of the most powerful sects on the Douluo Continent.
There was a time when the Tang Sect's founder, Tang San, had rallied his companions to turn the tide, joining forces with the two great empires of the era to crush the schemes of the Spirit Hall.
There was a time when the Tang Sect's revitalizer, the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao, had established the Spirit Pagoda and single-handedly safeguarded the Star Luo Empire.
Yet now, twenty thousand years later, the Tang Sect had been branded a traitorous organization. This meant the entire Federation would reject the Tang Sect, even treating it as no different from the Holy Spirit Cult. From now on, the Tang Sect would be forced to exist in the shadows, banished from the world of light.
"They actually dared to make this decision!" Tang Wulin's voice turned icy—he hadn't felt such fury in a long time.
The Amorous Douluo chuckled darkly. "Indeed. There are those whose hearts will never cease seeking our destruction. The Federal Parliament was deeply divided. The Doves still fought to protect us, but the Hawks, allied with the Centrists, pushed this through. They cited your participation in the Star Luo Empire's Five Gods' Duel, as well as the sudden appearance of advanced weaponry in Star Luo and the Dou Ling Empire—equipment capable of rivaling the Federation's—as justification. In the end, the resolution passed."
"But the most critical point is this: the Hawks seem to have found a new backer. Under the leadership of their chief, Qi Changping, they've also begun deliberately ostracizing the Spirit Pagoda."
"What?" Tang Wulin was stunned.
The Spirit Pagoda and the Western Legion behind it had long been one of the Hawks' greatest pillars. Yet now, they were being pushed aside?
Had the Federation discovered something?
---
Several Days Later.
At the former site of Shrek Academy, Tang Wulin summoned the Skyraising Divine Spear and, in his capacity as the master of the Sea God's Pavilion, declared the reconstruction of Shrek.
The Federation offered no response.
In recent times, three cataclysmic events had ignited public discourse: the Tang Sect's branding as traitors, the Spirit Pagoda's martial contest for marriage, and the reconstruction of Shrek Academy. The convergence of these events carried epoch-defining significance. Many speculated that turbulent times were ahead, with undercurrents of unrest suggesting the continent stood on the brink of a once-in-ten-millennia upheaval.
---
Douluo Federation, Eastsea City.
"Spirit Master Leng Jiuming, if you would." A Titled Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda's headquarters had personally come to Eastsea City to invite Leng Jiuming for an "observation tour" of the headquarters.
Leng Jiuming, Bai Xu's former teacher, suddenly smiled and stepped onto the soul train.
Once aboard, he asked, "That disciple of mine… is he truly an evil soul master?"
The Titled Douluo—a 93rd-ranked assault-type Bear Douluo—replied coldly, "He destroyed four branch pagodas, slaughtered nearly a hundred of our key spirit masters, and colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult to annihilate the Dou Ling Empire's branch. And you still doubt whether he's an evil soul master?"
By all rights, a Titled Douluo had no need to show courtesy to a mere Soul Douluo like Leng Jiuming. But… Bai Xu was still alive. And the Bear Douluo was afraid—especially with the recent rumors spreading like wildfire among the Spirit Pagoda's upper echelons about the so-called Demon Monarch.
The 98th-ranked Deputy Tower Master, the Hell Flame Douluo, had suffered a crushing defeat. Worse still, Bai Xu had defeated a Limit Douluo in the Star Luo Empire's capital. There was no question—he now stood at the pinnacle of the continent.
"But knowing Bai Xu as I do… he wouldn't." Leng Jiuming sighed, his voice heavy with powerlessness. "He has no place to return to—or rather, his home isn't here. Perhaps his experiences as an orphan forced him to mature far beyond his years, shaping his worldview early. He could never truly integrate into any faction. Now… the only things that give him pause are me, his adoptive parents, and the Silver Dragon Douluo Gu Yuena—the center of this martial contest."
The Bear Douluo said nothing. The higher-ups all knew one thing: the Demon Lord could not be allowed to live. Even if it tarnished the Spirit Pagoda's reputation, they would not let this opportunity slip.
"You Federation folk still cling to kindness for him. But what awaits him now is an inescapable abyss."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Leng Jiuming laughed coldly. "In the beginning, I was reluctant to take Bai Xu as a disciple, even though he was a genius. It was a mission assigned by the higher-ups. Those from Shrek Academy all have their quirks—if we hadn't clicked, no matter how talented he was, I wouldn't have accepted him, much less spent my family's wealth to buy him resources. But during those first three years together, as I came to understand him, I realized… Bai Xu was the one I'd been waiting for. His genius was unparalleled. He could learn and improve from obscure manuals, hardly needing a teacher like me. Yet he was still too young, lacking resources. And so, I had the privilege of becoming his mentor."
"Once, I asked him where his precocious temperament came from—why he kept others at arm's length, polite yet emotionally distant. He said it was innate. 'If others do not betray me, I will not betray them.' And now, you call him an evil soul master? I find that… hard to believe."
The Bear Douluo paled. "You—you're severing your own lifeforce! Have you gone mad? There's no need for this!"
"No. I cannot become his burden. A teacher must never hold his student back. And if he truly is an evil soul master… then I have no right to live. This is the cleanest way. At least… in death, I can still believe in him."
Cough!
Blood sprayed from his mouth as Leng Jiuming ravaged his own organs, extinguishing his vitality.
With his final breath, he gazed out the window and smiled faintly.
"At least I didn't make things worse for him. Pity… I never got to collect that 100 million federal dollars he owed me."
---
On a Desolate Island.
"Hm? One of my karmic threads… has been severed?"