As the news of the Haotian Sect's Grand Elder's death and the complete annihilation of the elders and disciples sent to intercept the Shrek auction spread rapidly with the departure of Xu Cheng and the others, a smile appeared on Xu Cheng's face.
Not far ahead lay Mingdu.
This enormous city remained brightly lit even under the night sky. After living here for over a decade, it had long since become a second home to him.
The Holy Spirit Church's worshippers had withdrawn halfway, and the elders of Mingde Hall had also gone ahead. Once within the boundaries of Mingdu, there was no more worry about pursuers.
"Are you heading back to the Academy, or coming with me?" Xu Cheng looked back with a glance at Tang Ya, who was loaded with a flying soul tool, a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"What are you going for?" Tang Ya countered.
"To check the spoils of war." Xu Cheng grinned.
"Afraid I'll steal from you?" Tang Ya huffed in displeasure.
"Not exactly. I'm afraid once I check them, I won't be able to stop you…" Xu Cheng replied tactfully.
"Hmph! I—I'll go with you then. That thirty-thousand-year-old plant-type soul bone, you're not giving it to anyone else!" Tang Ya bit her lip, slightly flustered and shy.
"Alright, let's go." Xu Cheng wrapped an arm around her slender waist. In a flash, the two figures disappeared above Mingdu…
Buzz—
In a secret underground chamber.
As the jade box was opened, the bloodthirsty, murderous aura that had appeared in the light screen earlier surged out again. The scarlet killing intent filled the room, causing even Tang Ya to shiver and instinctively lean toward Xu Cheng.
"This is something Bibi Dong used before?" Tang Ya curiously peeked over.
"Yes," Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
With a smirk on his lips: "No wonder those people from the Haotian Sect disregarded their reputation to try and ambush me. They must have known what this thing really was."
"Ah Cheng, do you want to try becoming the Rakshasa God?" Tang Ya hesitated.
Xu Cheng was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
Was the Rakshasa God weak?
Not really. It was a first-level deity, on par with someone like Rong Nianbing. It wielded the power of ultimate evil and slaughter, embodying all the wicked and negative emotions in the world. It was a level above even the Seven Monsters except for Tang San.
But was it strong?
Two-on-one, and still got defeated by Tang San…
Hard to say, really.
In Xu Cheng's eyes, though, it was still a formidable divine position. If the previous Rakshasa God and Sea God went one-on-one, the outcome wouldn't be so certain.
Ultimately, it all depended on the inheritor.
If he could inherit two divine positions, then the Rakshasa God might be worth considering. With the previous Rakshasa God dead, he might not even need to undergo the full trial.
Moreover…
In the sea of consciousness.
A gray mist stirred, and Electrolux slowly materialized, casting a surprised glance at the short dagger in the jade box, a flicker of complexity flashing in his eyes.
"Xiao Cheng, this thing… I'm afraid it's not as simple as the auction claimed. It's definitely not just a dagger used by a god."
"Mm, Teacher, I noticed too…" Xu Cheng smiled faintly.
By normal standards, only the primary weapon of a first-level god could be called a super divine weapon. There was a vast gap between these, pseudo-divine weapons, and regular divine artifacts.
This short dagger was probably… a fragment of a super divine weapon.
Electrolux's figure gradually became visible in the chamber.
Tang Ya showed a trace of surprise, but seeing Xu Cheng's calm expression, she didn't say anything.
"Quiet."
With just a glance from Electrolux, the bloodthirsty aura in the room shrank back into the dagger like a mouse seeing a cat.
He picked up the dagger with interest. "This thing must be ancient. As I've learned more about the gods of this world, I believe such weapons are often handed down through the ages. They are indeed powerful and usually embody the essence of a particular divine position. But such long lineage also reveals one thing…"
Xu Cheng immediately understood: "Passed down unchanged through generations… either no one in the divine realm was able to improve it—or they didn't have the authority to."
Electrolux nodded in appreciation. "Exactly. You think much like I do. But for now, we're still too weak. Let's touch the level of gods first—then explore what lies behind them."
He didn't press further, knowing that speculating now was pointless.
He weighed the dagger in his hand, then unwrapped the white cloth around the hilt—revealing a fracture mark.
"If I'm not mistaken, this weapon was originally a long scythe. This dagger… may have been the lower blade." Electrolux studied the fracture line thoughtfully.
"Just as I thought." A gleam of joy appeared in Xu Cheng's eyes.
This was a super divine weapon.
Even in the divine realm, such weapons were exceedingly rare.
And if Xu Cheng was right, this was once the Rakshasa Demon Scythe—the main weapon of the Rakshasa God. After Bibi Dong's death at the hands of Sea God Tang San, the scythe was likely scattered across the continent with the passage of time.
"…Wait!" Xu Cheng's brow suddenly furrowed.
This weapon fragment was bought from Shrek Academy.
Yet back when Tang San killed the Rakshasa God, it was in front of all the major powers—Shrek, the former Heaven Dou Empire, Tang Sect, Haotian Sect, and Spirit Hall…
Xu Cheng fell deep into thought.
Did Tang San give this super divine weapon fragment to one of his allied factions after his victory?
Quite likely.
Bringing it back to the God Realm? Probably not.
Tang San had always treated the Douluo Continent like his family's backyard. Bringing things back to the God Realm would've meant oversight and restrictions—like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, the Golden Tree, etc. If Xu Cheng were Tang San, he would've left the fragment behind too.
Ruling out Tang Sect, that left only Haotian Sect, the splintered Heavenly Soul and Dou Spirit Empires, and Shrek Academy.
Xu Cheng's lips curled into a smile.
A divine position without shackles—that was a good divine position.
Though he would likely still accept the test for the God of Destruction, he definitely wouldn't let this Rakshasa God slip away.
Buzz—
Electrolux released the dagger, which emitted a faint purple light and slowly floated in front of Xu Cheng.
"If you can gather all its pieces, it'll be a fine weapon. Also… come to think of it, you don't actually have a weapon, do you?" Electrolux smiled.
"I'm used to soul tools," Xu Cheng shrugged.
The lines between the two were starting to blur.
"Haha, but I remember you have another super divine weapon—the one given by the God of Destruction. But you haven't used it yet, have you?" Electrolux asked.
"Correct." Xu Cheng opened his right palm. A pitch-black staff materialized.
Tang Ya's beautiful eyes widened.
She had thought divine inheritance required strict protocol—only a Level 99 Ultimate Douluo could even begin. Yet Xu Cheng, at only fifteen, had already made contact with gods—and earned their favor.
"But the God of Destruction intended this weapon as a communication tool. Once I make up my mind and start the inheritance trial, I'm to awaken it…" Xu Cheng said, holding a fragment in one hand and the staff in the other.
"What's wrong—don't like the God of Destruction?" Electrolux teased.
"Not quite…" Xu Cheng hesitated.
"Compared to becoming the God of Destruction, I prefer to wield the authority of destruction…"
Electrolux gave him an admiring look. "Since ancient times, becoming a god has always been humanity's highest pursuit. Countless geniuses sacrificed everything for a divine seat. But few think like you."
"Because the former means restrictions, while the latter means freedom?"
Electrolux pondered, then shook his head. "Not necessarily. But in my opinion, the divine realm's power is too fragmented. Even the strength of a god often depends on their individual cultivation or talent…"
Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
Were Kindness and Evil powerful?
The previous generation, yes—ridiculously so. But once passed to Ji Dong and Lie Yan, they basically became Tang San's lapdogs.
"Of course, maybe I'm just daydreaming…" Xu Cheng chuckled bitterly.
Godhood was something most people could never even dream of. Yet here he was, hesitating.
"No, no, that's exactly why you're my student." Electrolux reassured him. "You have monstrous talent and unbelievable luck—even I've never seen anything like it. You have the right to choose your own path. Remember, geniuses always walk alone. The world changes because of those brave enough to defy it…"
"So you're saying…" Xu Cheng asked.
"Perhaps you can gather the fragments of the Rakshasa God's super divine weapon—and try to claim that long-vacant divine seat, or rather… that authority," Electrolux smiled.
"If you really can bypass the divine seat and grasp the authority itself, it would revolutionize this world."
"…I'll give it a try," Xu Cheng nodded.
It's not that he didn't want to become a god.
It's just that gods had too many restrictions. They didn't act like gods—just long-lived, powerful bureaucrats. Even bringing people to the God Realm was tightly controlled. Level 2 gods couldn't bring anyone—you believe that?
What if he became a god and Tang San immediately accused him of interfering in the mortal world and demanded he cut ties with the Sun Moon Empire?
Wouldn't that be ridiculous?
Tang Ya's mouth twitched when she heard this.
A divine seat that would drive countless people mad, and Xu Cheng was still hesitating about it. Truly, comparison was the thief of joy.
"Oh right, here—absorb this ten-thousand-year-old serpent vine soul bone. I'll guard you," Xu Cheng said with a smile, taking out a jade-green soul bone from his ring and handing it to Tang Ya.
"Okay."
Tang Ya's expression turned serious.
She couldn't fall behind either. It was said that gods could only bring a few people to the Divine Realm. She'd even seen the tragic love story of Ma Hongjun and his lover adapted into a movie—and cried her eyes out. She was terrified she might one day be left behind.
So the best option?
She'd become a god too!
Holy Spirit Church Headquarters.
A place of bottomless depth.
Only the sound of Xu Cheng's footsteps echoed clearly. He was walking down a long, eerie corridor lit by skull-shaped lanterns. Under the dim light, his shadow danced.
He didn't know how long he had walked.
Finally, Xu Cheng stopped.
"The Grand Elder is inside. I will not go further…" Zhongli Wu said coldly. With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished.
Xu Cheng silently pushed open the door and stepped in.
The inner world was drastically different.
It was a blood pool, with countless tortured souls screaming in agony as if in hell, struggling to escape but trapped by the blood pool, unable to get out.
At the very center, Ye Xishui sat cross-legged on a stone platform. She slowly opened her eyes.
"You're here?"
"Yeah." Xu Cheng's face remained calm, but a ripple stirred in his heart as he took in the scene.
He had come here on his own.
He wanted to test this once most powerful evil soul master, to see how badly she had been injured in her battle with the peak-level Mu En.
But now that he saw her…
Half her hair was snow white, the other half jet black.
She looked eerily like Mu En after being ambushed by evil soul masters in the original story.
Her complexion was deathly pale, and even her once-smooth skin had wrinkled.
Mu En had gone all out, with a mutual destruction mindset…
"So badly hurt?" Xu Cheng thought to himself.
That old witch had been crazy her whole life, and now she was destroyed by the man she loved. Who knows how she must feel.
But perhaps it's a good thing.
Ever since Ye Xishui was severely injured, the Zhongli Wu faction of the Holy Spirit Church had completely gone into hiding, no longer competing with Xu Cheng's faction. It was unclear whether Ye Xishui had said something to them or if Zhongli Wu had simply recognized the reality.
In any case, the disappearance rate of ordinary citizens in the Sun Moon Empire had significantly dropped.
Presumably, the system's reward should be coming soon…
Ye Xishui looked at Xu Cheng, a smile forming at the corner of her lips.
The more Xu Cheng restricted the Holy Spirit Church from slaughter, the more he resembled a "saint." This made her all the more delighted, because in her eyes, there was no such thing as a person as pure as white paper—especially not someone who could remain untainted while surrounded by filth.
No one can be purely white.
Xu Cheng was the same, but the more he tried to appear pure, the darker his heart must be beneath the surface.
It's almost time... almost…
"You came to see me, and that makes me very happy. But as the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Church, your time is precious. Don't waste it on this broken body of mine," Ye Xishui said with a smile.
Xu Cheng: ???
Something felt off.
This tone… sounded like an elder giving heartfelt advice to a promising junior.
And that look in her eyes… something was seriously off.
"Your injuries?" Xu Cheng asked tentatively.
"Alas, my time is up. Mu En struck with lethal intent. Though I barely managed to retreat with my life, my strength has plummeted to less than 30% of what it once was. My lifespan has also been drastically reduced. To put it bluntly, I'm no better than the Mu En of old," Ye Xishui said in a deep voice.
"But… if I can see the Holy Spirit Church rise again before I die, then I'll have no regrets."
She looked at Xu Cheng with a burning and manic gaze.
Waiting for his response.
"Alright."
Xu Cheng nodded slightly.
The rise of the Holy Spirit Church depends on the faction, no?
If it's my faction—Xu Cheng's—rising, isn't that still the Holy Spirit Church rising?
Ye Xishui's fanatical gaze met Xu Cheng's firm eyes. A smile curled at her lips as her shrill, piercing laughter echoed through the chamber.
…
Ye Xishui trusts me that much?
On his way back, Xu Cheng frowned deeply, pondering the question.
Why trust him? Just because he's the Holy Son of the Church?
That reason doesn't hold.
So then…
"Holy Son, with the Supreme Elder in seclusion for so many days, you're the only one still present in the Holy Spirit Church's leadership," said Second Elder Nangong Wan with a fawning smile, interrupting Xu Cheng's thoughts.
Xu Cheng raised an eyebrow.
He looked Nangong Wan over with interest, then suddenly chuckled and said, "Elder Nangong, I've hindered your human trafficking, and even issued strict orders against persecuting civilians. Don't you hate me?"
"Oh, come now, Holy Son, how could you say that? Every word and deed of yours must surely contain profound meaning…" Nangong Wan grinned, winking obsequiously.
Xu Cheng narrowed his eyes. He couldn't detect a hint of insincerity in Nangong Wan's words.
Hmm…
Suddenly, something occurred to Xu Cheng.
It was only because of his charity system that he had behaved like a "saint," doing all these seemingly irrational things.
But from an outsider's point of view?
Everything suddenly made sense.
So that's it!
Ye Xishui… she thinks of him as her successor.
She's waiting for the moment his dark side is revealed—that will be the true feast of the Holy Spirit Church…
Having understood this, Xu Cheng grinned.
This was the hardest lie to expose.
Since that's the case, let Ye Xishui take the mystery with her to the grave.
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.
…
"Beibei still hasn't been found?"
Sea God's Pavilion.
The elders of the Pavilion were gathered in full.
It was deep into the night, the moon hanging high.
But none of them felt the slightest bit sleepy.
They hadn't yet recovered from the shock of Tang Wen and the others' deaths when they received the news that Beibei had gone missing.
"No…" Yan Shaozhe shook his head.
At this moment, he felt no sense of schadenfreude—only a growing chill in his heart.
Beibei had just completed a martial soul advancement earlier today, and now, on the very same night, he had disappeared. Could it be that someone inside the academy…
He instinctively glanced at Elder Xuan, who was munching on a chicken leg, then quickly shook his head.
What was he thinking?
"I've mobilized the inner court surveillance team and all available faculty to search, but we've found nothing. The teacher on duty at the arena says they never even saw Beibei…" he explained.
"…"
Mu En's expression darkened for the first time.
This was a slap in the face.
But it also revealed the weakness of Shrek Academy's security. In recent days, they had been hit repeatedly by the Body Sect and the Holy Spirit Church. If he hadn't stepped in…
"Bad news, Elder Mu!"
Xian Lin'er flashed in.
"What is it?" Mu En asked, his tone heavy.
"Beibei—he's in the hands of the Sun Moon Empire!" Xian Lin'er's face was grim as she handed over a letter, written in Beibei's own handwriting.
"What? Impossible!" Elder Song slammed the table, enraged.
"No way, Lin'er. He only went missing a few hours ago. How could… Is the Sun Moon Empire trying to deceive us?" Elder Zhuang said skeptically.
"If I had no solid proof, I wouldn't be here." Qian Duoduo followed closely behind.
"I questioned the Star Luo Empire and the Xuanming Sect—they haven't gone far. According to them, when Xu Cheng left, there was a boy in Shrek Academy uniform standing beside him. Xu Jiujing was absolutely certain it was Beibei—she had seen him once during the tournament."
"Outrageous!!!" Elder Song roared in fury.
"Does the Sun Moon Empire want war!?"
"Hah…" Mu En sighed softly. This was his fault. After the soul-force infusion, he had been exhausted and nearly passed out. After instructing Beibei to return to the academy early, he had rested under the Golden Tree.
Who would've thought something would happen right at their doorstep…
It seemed that Lexuan had truly defected.
He closed his eyes, feeling oddly relieved.
"Don't worry, they won't harm Beibei. Let him train in the Sun Moon Empire for now," Mu En said softly.
"But Elder Mu…" Elder Xuan smacked his lips in frustration.
"Then go!" Mu En suddenly roared, "Go to the Sun Moon Empire and snatch Beibei back! Can you?!"
Elder Xuan immediately fell silent.
"Enough. Meeting adjourned."
Mu En waved them off, unwilling to look at anyone again.
And left without another word.
(End of Chapter)