Trembling, Chen Fu knelt on the ground. From a pile of ashes, he pulled out a thin metal plate and a metal collar, holding them tightly against his chest. He then raised his head to gaze at the sky.
A holy and vast radiance descended from above. His shattered, failing body resembled the most devout believer kneeling before their god. Within the pure white glow, he himself appeared filthy and stained.
There was no shouting, no pounding of his head against the ground, not even the slightest emotional ripple. He only dragged his broken body along the ground, using bloodied hands to clutch the Raging Phoenix and the Nirvana,two soul tools that once represented the pinnacle of his soul and bloodline. The scarlet divine power that annihilated all life seemed to target only organic matter. Chen Fu simply looked silently at the god high above.
After all, he had experienced a scene like this before.
Someone who had left a deep weight in his life had melted away before his very eyes once already.
So of course,
You… should just kill me.
Beyond the thickening boundary wall, the scarlet god of slaughter and severance watched quietly. But ultimately, before the barrier closed fully, the god chose not to strike a second time.
Gods were proud, and they were merciful. This god decided to bestow its arrogance upon the mortal who had endured two divine strikes,whose soul ring had shattered, whose soul power had been cut off,yet still refused to die.
To forgive his ignorance, and grant him the privilege of living on and enjoying life.
Then the god tore open space and returned to the God Realm. There, it still had to preside over a meeting,the divine equivalent of commoners suing their official. Fortunately, it had cleaned up very thoroughly, and in the end, its strike had not killed the successor outright. There were many areas open to subjective explanation.
Heaven and earth slowly returned to normal colors.
"Heh… truly arrogant."
Chen Fu held the two soul tools carefully in his arms. With his soul power severed, he could not even open his spatial ring.
Looking at the restored world, and at the onlookers whose expressions were impossible to decipher, he let out a mocking laugh.
"Well? Aren't you going to continue showing loyalty to your god? For example,kill me on divine orders?"
A mere trace of that scarlet divine power that had passed through his body had severed his perception of soul power entirely.
The Golden Dragon Girl, her body covered in golden soul armor, stepped forward with her dragon spear to shield Chen Fu, watching the silent crowd vigilantly.
It seemed they were still waiting for something. No one wanted to be the first to expose their true thoughts.
"If you aren't going to kill me, then I'm leaving."
Long Xiaoyao hesitated, then stepped behind Chen Fu, releasing the aura of an Ultimate Douluo toward the Shrek Academy side.
Even though he had been heavily injured in the Ascension-to-God explosion, he was still an Ultimate Douluo, standing at the peak of humanity,far beyond what any ordinary Super Douluo could compare to.
"Senior Long, let's go."
"You can't leave!"
One of Shrek's Elders stepped forward, unleashing the aura of a Super Douluo.
"You must compensate the Academy for its losses!"
Another Super Douluo stepped forward to share the pressure of the Ultimate Douluo's terrifying aura.
The damaged Seagod Island, the destroyed Ascension-to-God device, the Golden Ancient Tree shattered twice over by divine punishment… and more. Though these were only surface losses.
Seeing the two Elders struggling against Long Xiaoyao's pressure, Yan Shaozhe turned to Xuan Zi. Chen Fu was the disciple his own disciple had protected with his life. As his master… could he really act here? And even if he were to act, against whom?
Xuan Zi had never let go of the unconscious Mu En's hand. He sensed Yan Shaozhe's gaze, exhaled deeply, and shook his head. His heart was exhausted; he wanted no part in this.
"What if I insist on leaving?"
Supported by Jin Lin, Chen Fu wobbled to his feet.
Seeing several individuals already stirring restlessly, he continued:
"Your god does not allow you to become gods. Why bother?"
He looked calmly at the two Elders who had stepped forward. The two titled Douluo could not bring themselves to meet the eyes of a man who was now technically a mortal.
"Even if you attack again, the result will be nothing more than a momentary flash of fireworks."
"Hand over all soul tool blueprints, and we will let you leave!"
Several more titled Douluo stepped out to pressure Chen Fu, stating their true goal.
A living Chen Fu > a dead Chen Fu > a Chen Fu not in their hands.
"Why show such arrogant ignorance?"
Even the first-generation Ark had required a half-forced, half-negotiated compromise. And now they wanted every blueprint?
"Kill him!"
A titled Douluo unleashed overwhelming dark soul power toward Chen Fu.
"Courting death!"
Long Xiaoyao's soul power surged outward, blasting toward the attackers.
Under Long Xiaoyao's protection, Chen Fu watched the few titled Douluo being beaten down within moments and felt no surprise.
Soon, a bright phoenix light erupted as another Super Douluo joined the battle. He had no choice; if he didn't intervene, his fellow Elder would be beaten to death.
A phoenix cry, clear as shattered jade, drew Chen Fu's gaze. His calm, still eyes flickered slightly.
A colossal black dragon, a radiant phoenix, an ancient tree stretching between heaven and earth… More and more titled Douluo joined the chaotic battle, their vast soul power painting the skies above Shrek City into a brilliant, multicolored haze.
"The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect obeys my command! Protect Chen Fu at all costs!"
Once protected behind others, the little girl now stood among the crowd holding the Sect's inheritance token high.
"Sect master…"
The Douluo enshrined outside the city with Ning Yi looked toward the young sect master whose word carried real authority.
"…Carry out the order."
In the next moment, a sharp, immense blade aura slashed upward toward Shrek's sky.
The Super Douluo of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect entered the battlefield.
"Disciples of the Body Sect, follow me! Capture Chen Fu!"
"Move! If you can't take him alive, kill him!"
Divine punishment had faded. Humanity took the stage.
More than ten Douluo-level experts from outside the city surged into Shrek from all directions. With various motives and destructive soul power, they forced their way into the battle.
Instantly, the sky above Shrek became a chaotic stew. Soul power waves shattered building after building beneath them.
"Enough!"
The ninety-eighth-level Taotie Douluo tore free from Mu En's hand and charged into the fray, attacking titled Douluo from other factions without distinction.
If he didn't act now, Shrek City would be wiped off the map by the shockwaves alone.
Normally, Douluo-level experts avoided fighting within cities and would go outside for duels. But this battle was far beyond anyone's control.
"…I'm going to protect the students."
Qian Duoduo looked at the group of soul engineers clinging to his legs,Fan Yu at the front,and sighed internally.
As the only titled Douluo of the Soul Tool Department, his legs had been locked in place by Fan Yu ever since the divine punishment vanished.
Upon hearing his words, the students finally released him.
Sigh…
Boom!
The Golden Dragon Girl was blasted away by a dragon-type titled Douluo. Her dragon spear carved a deep trench across the ground, and she skidded all the way back toward Long Xiaoyao, who caught her with soul power.
Golden-red blood dripped from the girl's lips, marking the ground like scattered blossoms.
Her body, reinforced by Ring-Melting Body Refinement and the Golden Dragon bloodline, was strong enough to rival,or surpass,many titled Douluo. But with the opponent's martial soul strengthening their power, her physical advantage was instantly neutralized.
Swish!
A sound of air being torn came from behind. Instinctively, the girl reached out to grab it.
A small silver-blue sword appeared in her hand. It was the Ascension-to-God key Chen Fu had drawn from the underground: the level-nine soul tool Mortal-Fallen.
She looked toward him instinctively,and saw the usually silent young man finally open his mouth:
"Kill him."
His voice was cold, containing anger.
Mortal-Fallen was both a guardian sword of the new soul master system and an execution blade for the old one.
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