"Boom!"
Atop the massive skull of a giant bone dragon, Xu Cheng stood proudly.
He looked down at countless skeletons surging out of the necromancer space like tidal waves. This was a self-contained world. Ever since Old Yi had crafted it by hand, he had allowed the undead inside to grow and evolve freely. Now, even Xu Cheng had no clear idea how terrifying the strongest among them were.
However, just based on the currently summoned undead cavalry, necromancers, and bone dragons—each like a tsunami in scale—the sight alone stunned both the Haotian Sect and the hidden powers lurking nearby.
Indeed, the strongest bone dragon he could summon had only Title Douluo-level strength—but he never said he could summon just one.
These undead were inherently immortal. When their numbers gathered to a terrifying degree, even the elites of the Haotian Sect became flustered.
In the skies and on the mountain ridges—
A fierce chaotic battle erupted.
"Damn it, such pure evil power... I haven't seen this in ages..." Tang Wen wielded the Haotian Hammer, crushing an undead cavalryman of the Spirit Douluo level with a single strike. As he watched countless more undead charge toward him, his gaze turned grim.
"But today, you must die!" Tang Wen growled.
The Haotian Hammer in his hand buzzed as he shot toward Xu Cheng in the distance, crushing countless skeletons along the way and forcing open a path with sheer force.
"Oh? Finally realized you need to capture the leader to take down the gang?" Xu Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, a smirk flashing in his eyes.
Understandable.
After all, this necromancer world was the first time he'd revealed it publicly. It had only been used once before, against the Holy Spirit Church, and that incident was scarcely reported.
Facing an unknown opponent, Tang Wen's probing was expected. Now, having uncovered the truth about the undead cavalry and bone dragons—knowing they came from the necromancer gate Xu Cheng controlled—he came straight for the source.
"…"
"You little bastard. You refuse the path of righteousness and instead walk the road of demon sects and evil soul masters. Today, I, this elder, shall act on behalf of heaven and rid the world of you!" Tang Wen roared as he saw Xu Cheng calmly facing him without flinching, his robes fluttering.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Haotian True Body!"
"Ninth Soul Skill: Hammer of Divine Might!"
As a 97-level Super Douluo and one of the top forces on the continent, Tang Wen launched a killing strike from the start. After witnessing Xu Cheng's true power, he had no room for complacency. This ninth soul skill had once gravely injured a fellow Super Douluo, solidifying his place in the Haotian Sect—under only two people, and above all others.
A giant phantom appeared behind him, wielding a massive hammer in sync with Tang Wen, inscribed with mystical runes as it came crashing down.
"Wanna try me?" A burning glint lit up in Xu Cheng's eyes.
Although it seemed reckless, he did want to challenge Tang Wen without using his mecha…
Perhaps all geniuses share this pride.
But in the end, glancing at the worried Tang Ya beside him, he sighed and called, "Uncle Ye…"
"Boom!!!"
Like heaven and earth collapsing.
The surrounding peaks were flattened, dust and smoke covering everything from view.
Several minutes later—
As the dust cleared—
Everyone was shocked to see that the phantom behind Tang Wen was now clenching its teeth in grim fury, and the massive Haotian Hammer had struck a pale purple barrier—without breaking through at all.
Expanding their view—
Behind the purple membrane stood a towering figure with six pairs of dark purple wings folded forward, shielding Xu Cheng.
"Buzz…"
As the six wings slowly unfurled, a six-winged fallen angel phantom no less powerful than Tang Wen's True Body calmly stared him down.
"That's… a Fallen Angel?!!" Long Aotian's eyes widened in shock. "At least Super Douluo level!"
"Perhaps even stronger," the big-headed man muttered gravely. "This Fallen Angel may surpass Tang Wen in strength. Who would've thought the Holy Spirit Church hid such a powerhouse besides its two Ultimate Douluos?"
"Their foundation might run even deeper than our Body Sect…"
"You brat, you played me!" Tang Wen immediately realized that Xu Cheng had used him as a whetstone to sharpen his own skills.
"Heh… So the prestigious Haotian Sect, when they see a treasure they can't afford, just wait until someone else buys it—then rob them halfway?" Xu Cheng grinned.
Tang Wen's face darkened.
Reputation? Did the Haotian Sect even care about such things?
What truly stung was that the appearance of the Fallen Angel meant he likely wouldn't complete his mission—and would be scolded upon returning.
"Slippery as an eel…" he cursed silently.
"What's wrong, Elder Tang? Don't want to reason with me anymore?" Xu Cheng raised an eyebrow at the retreating Tang Wen, lips curling up.
"Heh, boy, just pray you don't fall into my hands in the future. And that little girl next to you—she's clearly a Tang Sect orphan, yet she's fraternizing with a prince from the Sun Moon Empire. Aren't you ashamed of your ancestors?"
Time for threats.
"None of your business, old dog!" Tang Ya snapped, hands on hips and brows furrowed.
Tang Wen: ???
"When I reach Title Douluo, I'll take your head first to cleanse the sect! Do I even need to mention the filthy things your Haotian Sect has done?"
She had recently entered the Star Dou Forest and met Wang Dong, learning part of Tang San's true story.
After all, a certain God King from the Divine Realm had sent a dog to capture Wang Dong'er and erase her memory—not exactly a good look. Tang Ya, while kind-hearted, had previously come across as overly self-righteous, a "white lotus" in the original. But thanks to Xu Cheng's adjustments in this life, she'd toughened up a bit.
Tang Wen's mouth twitched. He glared at her with cold killing intent.
But the current situation gave him no leverage...
"Retreat!"
He waved his hand. "We'll meet again, brat."
As they turned to leave—
Suddenly, space in front of them tore open.
Dozens of black-robed figures emerged from the void, blocking Tang Wen and the others' path completely.
"Tang Wen, is this how you speak to our Holy Son?" A cold voice rang out.
Several of the black-robed figures pulled back their hoods.
The speaker was an old man with white hair and beard.
"Qi Mu!" Tang Wen's eyes shrank.
"Level 96 Super Douluo, Martial Soul: Evil Spirit Sword."
"And Wu Yun, Zhang Peng…"
The big-headed man swallowed hard, face full of horror. "At least five Super Douluos from the Holy Spirit Church are here! What are they trying to do?!"
"Waiting to ambush prey?" Long Aotian's face turned grim. He glanced at Xu Cheng, still standing proudly atop the bone dragon, as if everything was under his control.
For some reason, he suddenly felt a deep envy toward Xu Cheng.
They were both Holy Sons of their respective factions—but Xu Cheng could command such mighty experts as if they were extensions of his own limbs, like a true sect master.
Whereas he… couldn't.
Though respected in his sect, there was a lack of awe.
Especially from the Super Douluos and above—they still treated him like a child.
Was it power?
Or talent…?
Long Aotian's gaze mixed envy with sorrow.
Xu Cheng's monstrous talent had already far surpassed his peers. To face Title Douluos as a Soul Emperor and remain undefeated—could he have done the same?
If he met one, he'd probably just run…
Maybe his talent simply didn't match the elders from his clan in their youth. Why would they obey a junior whose future ceiling barely reached their current level?
"Sigh…"
A soft sigh, all of it transforming into envy toward Xu Cheng.
"What the hell is this?" The Red King stood atop an ancient tree, his mouth twitching at the scene.
"Does this human even need my protection?"
As one of the Ten Great Beasts, the Red King's strength slightly surpassed Tang Wen's—but not Ye Cheng's.
He had rushed over upon hearing the Silver Dragon King's order—only to witness the Holy Spirit Church unleashing their heavy hitters.
Those guys could easily kill him!
He shrank his neck and decided to just watch the show.
"Elder Tang, not going to reason with me anymore?" Xu Cheng's soft voice echoed through the silent night.
"You don't want to?"
"What do you want?!" Tang Wen snapped.
"Heh, Elder Tang exaggerates. What could I dare do to you? I merely want to reason."
Xu Cheng glanced toward the black-robed figures.
"See? This… is my reason."
"Kill them all. Leave no one alive."
His smile faded, replaced by icy indifference.
"You little bastard, are you declaring war on the Haotian Sect?!" Tang Wen roared.
"That's your assumption. Don't drag me into it…" Xu Cheng replied coldly, looking down at him like a dead man.
He hadn't wanted to provoke the Haotian Sect too much. His current strategy focused on growth. The earlier attack on the Star Luo Empire by the Sun Moon forces was meant to "land a hard punch first"—to avoid needing a hundred later.
But it seemed the other side wasn't buying it.
Since the "soul tool investment" matter, he'd noticed unrest beneath the surface of the Three Kingdoms.
To make the scheme look real, many soul tools from the Sun Moon Empire's reserves had flooded the market, only to be bought up at high prices by undercover agents.
Many buyers sought underground-grade soul tools (level 8 or 9)—including royal families, Shrek Academy, and even the Haotian Sect…
Xu Cheng wasn't clueless. When enough people got involved, secrets leaked.
They were planning an ambush during the upcoming academy competition at the Sun Moon Royal Academy—possibly a repeat of the original timeline, where mass slaughter occurred during Xu Tianran's coronation. That shameless crew would definitely do such things.
Xu Cheng exhaled slowly.
If their plan succeeded, the Sun Moon Imperial Capital would become a hell on earth.
Dozens of Title Douluos slaughtering indiscriminately… the entire Royal Academy might be wiped out.
Thinking this, Xu Cheng's gaze turned colder as he looked at Tang Wen, who coughed blood and glared at him spitefully.
But they were still close to Shrek City.
Xu Cheng frowned slightly and glanced toward the distant mountains.
"Brother Tianmeng."
"Got it!" a bright voice echoed in his spiritual sea.
"Buzz!"
The whole world was suddenly bathed in red.
Centered around Xu Cheng, a blood-colored wave spread out madly.
"Something's wrong!" The big-headed man's eyes shrank. He grabbed Long Aotian and retreated, but a crimson mist overtook them, wrapping around them.
"This spiritual pressure…" he trembled.
As a spirit master specializing in mental strength—his Martial Soul was his brain—he knew just how terrifying this scene was.
Even at the peak of Spirit Douluo level, he could not compare!
"What are they doing?" the burly man asked in shock.
"Shielding energy fluctuations, to avoid detection by Shrek Academy…" the big-headed man answered gravely.
"So what about us…"
"Shut up!" He cast a cautious glance at Xu Cheng on the bone dragon. "Those Super Douluos don't even treat him as a Holy Son—but as an equal! No wonder they show such respect. I thought it was just because of the mecha."
"Still want to rob him?" he snapped at the burly man.
The latter nearly wept: "If I'd known he was this monstrous, would I have dared?!"
They were already completely irrelevant to the current battle. Even the shockwaves from the Super Douluos were beyond their ability to withstand—but that youth could not only endure, he'd raised a curtain to conceal everything.
"Only Second Elder might be qualified to intervene…" the big-headed man said with awe.
"And it's almost over…"
Of the five Super Douluos, the remaining nine black robes were either Holy Spirit Church's Title Douluo-level evil soul masters or Level-9 soul engineers from Mingde Hall.
Meanwhile, the Haotian Sect only had 17 men, with five Title Douluos—Tang Wen the only Super Douluo. Naturally, they were getting crushed.
"Pfft!"
Tang Wen spat blood and crashed into the ground like a ragdoll, leaving a crater.
"You little bastard, I…"
He tried to crawl up, eyes venomous toward Xu Cheng—
Only to have his leg severed by Qi Mu's sword, blood spraying as he howled in pain.
"Address our Holy Son with respect." Qi Mu grinned.
He was a proper evil soul master. Though not bloodthirsty by nature, he certainly had a body count…
Tang Wen's face was now pinned to the dirt beneath Qi Mu's boot.
"Kill him."
Xu Cheng's calm voice drifted faintly through the air.
His consciousness gradually began to blur.
"So this is it... I'm really going to die…"
Vaguely, he seemed to see his disciples' corpses strewn across the battlefield, his sworn brothers lying lifeless not far from him, their eyes still open in death...
Was it me who got them all killed?
"He's not going to kill us?"
As the blood-red barrier dissipated, all that remained was a ground full of corpses.
The burly man looked around blankly. Clearly, Xu Jiujing of the Star Luo Empire, the Master of the Xuanming Sect from the Dou Ling Empire, and Mu Xuevina of the Heaven Soul Empire had all been secretly watching from nearby, treating the battle like a spectacle. But the price of watching this "show" had been steep—they had nearly lost their own heads in the process…
Long Aotian watched as Xu Cheng, surrounded by a number of top-tier powerhouses, left the scene laughing and chatting, and his heart was filled with envy.
In his clan, even the Super Douluos treated him as nothing more than a junior. When would he ever receive such equal and respectful treatment?
"I must cultivate harder!" he vowed silently.
"Granny Manyi, let's go." Xu Jiujing lightly bit her red lips, her expression complex.
She could feel that just before Xu Cheng left, he had glanced in her direction.
There had been a hint of amusement in his gaze. She understood that look all too well—it was the same gaze she gave to the golden bamboo mice caged in the imperial palace. A look that saw the subject as a harmless pet, posing no threat whatsoever.
As a princess, the highest-ranking royalty of the Star Luo Empire, she had never been subjected to such a look—largely because of her powerful older brother.
The scene Xu Cheng had just displayed now threw her mind into utter chaos.
"Mm." The old woman beside her still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Now that she reflected on it, her back was already soaked in cold sweat.
It seemed that Xu Cheng wouldn't have even needed those Super Douluos to kill her—he alone had the power to end her life.
And the ease with which he commanded so many strategically significant Title Douluos showed clearly his status within the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Church…
She let out a bitter laugh. That so-called "giving face" they had offered him earlier—was probably more of an insult than a gesture of goodwill…
Sea God Pavilion.
Mu En furrowed his brows.
His gaze pierced through the night sky, directly toward the southwest.
There had just been an intense burst of combat energy from that direction, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
"Is it over?" Elder Zhuang mused aloud.
"Probably. A battle of this level, involving top-tier powerhouses from both sides, shouldn't end so quickly. If Xu Cheng has any sense, he wouldn't have fought so close to Shrek…" Elder Song sneered.
"Doesn't matter. Either way, Shrek has already benefited." Elder Lin said calmly.
Mu En tapped his finger lightly on the table, his expression slightly uncertain.
He had a strange feeling—something wasn't right.
As an Ultimate Douluo, his intuition was often extremely accurate.
"Something's happened, Elder Mu!"
Just as the elders were discussing the day's auction, a cry of alarm rang out.
A shooting star-like figure burst into the Sea God Pavilion.
Xian Lin'er arrived in a panic, her expression full of fear:"The entire Hao Tian Sect has been annihilated! Grand Elder Tang Wen's leg was severed—he's already dead!"
"What?! Lin'er, are you serious?!" Elder Song slammed the table and stood up, his voice trembling.
"Would I lie about something like this? I saw it with my own eyes!" Xian Lin'er said urgently.
"But… we've always had good relations with the Hao Tian Sect. If we let them die without lifting a finger… it could affect our future plans," Elder Zhuang said bitterly.
"What do you mean 'let them die'? The energy fluctuation only lasted a moment! How were we supposed to know a war had broken out?!" Elder Song snorted coldly.
The conference room instantly fell into silence.
No one noticed that—
Beibei, who should have returned to his dormitory, had already disappeared somewhere within Shrek Academy…
(End of chapter)