The God of Destruction's Scepter of Destruction? Left Behind on the Douluo Continent?

Buzz~

Under everyone's watchful eyes, lightning elements continuously struck the purple-black soul bone, coating its surface with a layer of dark blue electrical patterns.

A sight that slightly changed Yun Ming, Ya Li, and Leng Yaozhu's expressions appeared. The soul bone seemed to have received a summons and lit up with a faint purple-black glow. Like a black hole, it devoured the Thunder Power.

The surrounding space seemed to cave in, as though it had suffered some terrifying impact.

A reaction meant there was a chance the test would succeed!

A trace of surprise flashed through Yun Ming's eyes. Using the soul bone to win Nan Liujing over had been one of the second steps in his plan. He had thought the odds of failure were rather high, but he had not expected there to truly be a possibility of success.

Nan Liujing focused his mind on circulating his Soul Power when a surprised female voice suddenly rang out beside his ear. "The aura of a Divine Artifact? You found a divine weapon so quickly, kid? No, that's not right. This divine weapon's aura has nothing to do with the Sea God."

"Sister Xia?" Nan Liujing's consciousness immediately entered his sea of spirit.

The moment he entered, a peerlessly beautiful figure appeared before him. It was Xia Mi, the goddess-like Valkyrie and Sea God of another world.

Xia Mi grabbed Nan Liujing by the shoulders, her pretty face full of astonishment. "What did you come into contact with? I can actually sense the aura of a divine weapon even more powerful than the Divine Artifact I control."

As Nan Liujing looked at her exquisite face, a Divine Artifact that matched her description instantly surfaced in his mind.

The Scepter of Destruction!

But the God of Destruction had already given the God Position Inheritance Seed to Tang San. Shouldn't the Divine Artifact have been handed over as well?

From what Sister Xia meant, could the Scepter of Destruction have been left behind on the Douluo Continent?

Just what unknown secrets did Devil Island conceal?

Although Nan Liujing was equally shocked, he remained calm. "Sister Xia, calm down."

Xia Mi released him and stared at him with blazing eyes. "Do you know that, in the universe, many God Kings do not even have Divine Artifacts? Yet you were lucky enough to encounter one. Although it's impossible for you to wield it in your current state, this Divine Artifact is clearly ownerless. You can take it away and refine it into your own exclusive divine weapon once you are strong enough in the future!"

"Back then, I had to scour more than a dozen star systems just to gather enough materials for my own Divine Artifact. You... comparing people to gods really is enough to make a god furious!"

Xia Mi angrily pinched Nan Liujing's cheeks. He was still young, after all, with plenty of collagen.

Feeling his face being kneaded like dough, Nan Liujing did not resist. He had to let his sister have her fun.

Xia Mi quickly got her fill and said solemnly, "This Divine Artifact should be sealed by some powerful force. You can absorb it into your body first. Later, I can help you see how to remove the seal."

"Sister Xia is the best sister in the universe!" Nan Liujing immediately gave her a thumbs-up.

"Of course I am."

Xia Mi crossed her arms over her ample chest and raised an eyebrow, utterly lacking a god's lofty pride.

Suppressing the astonishment in his heart, Nan Liujing's consciousness swiftly withdrew from his sea of spirit.

By then, the wooden cabin was already covered in purple-black and dark blue light. The Coiled Dragon Staff martial soul had nearly fused into one with the soul bone.

Ya Li spoke with a hint of surprise. "Could it really be succeeding?"

This soul bone had been sent back to the academy from Devil Island, yet no one had been able to activate it in all these years. Today, they were actually witnessing a change.

"Liujing?"

Leng Yaozhu suddenly cried out in alarm.

Yun Ming and Ya Li had been staring intently into the air. Upon hearing her, they instinctively looked over and discovered that Nan Liujing's body had begun trembling uncontrollably, while a layer of faint purple-black light spread over his head.

"Don't touch him." Yun Ming said in a deep voice, "This child's martial soul has become compatible with the soul bone. The soul bone is merging with his Martial Soul Origin."

Leng Yaozhu forced herself to calm down and stared intently at Nan Liujing. Her Spiritual Power was fully unleashed. She would immediately resolve any problem that might arise.

But that was clearly unnecessary. As the soul bone in midair fused into the Coiled Dragon Staff, Nan Liujing's body gradually calmed down as well.

More than ten seconds later, the soul bone completely vanished, leaving only the Coiled Dragon Staff suspended in the air.

At that very moment, Nan Liujing abruptly opened his eyes. Within his pupils, a shadow shaped like a scepter flashed past.

"How do you feel?" Leng Yaozhu's wine-red eyes were filled with concern.

Yun Ming and Ya Li were somewhat curious as well.

Nan Liujing raised his hands. He appeared calm, yet felt as though he were in a dream. "I don't feel anything. Other than the soul bone positions that were already occupied, the rest are still empty." A Divine Artifact... he had somehow obtained one just like that, even if he could only look at it and not touch it.

"What's going on?"

Leng Yaozhu immediately questioned Yun Ming, with none of the tenderness from her youth remaining in her eyes.

She really had changed... Ya Li suddenly realized.

This was clearly also the first time Yun Ming had seen Leng Yaozhu speak to him in such a questioning tone. He was briefly stunned before explaining, "Every Shrek member who has gone to Devil Island for training throughout the generations has received, to a greater or lesser extent, the enhancement of the Destruction Attribute. Aside from using the Destruction Attribute gained through tempering to strengthen themselves, the goal was also to merge with this soul bone and unlock the greater secret hidden behind Devil Island."

"But no one has succeeded in a thousand years. Later, after a Sea God Pavilion meeting, we unanimously concluded that to completely unravel Devil Island's secrets, one must first merge with the soul bone, then undergo the tempering. Perhaps only then could the power behind the soul bone reveal itself."

"In other words, the soul bone has been waiting for the right person to appear. Only that person can take the soul bone and dispel all the fog."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Leng Yaozhu frowned. "In that case, the two of you will immediately come with me and take Liujing there."

After months of companionship—Nan Liujing's thoughtful breakfasts every morning and his diligence in cultivation—Leng Yaozhu had long since come to regard her disciple as one of her own, rather than merely a link in her cooperation with Qian Gu Qingfeng. Once genuine feelings were involved, concern could easily cloud one's judgment.

Even knowing that the soul bone would not harm Nan Liujing, she would not rest easy until the matter had been fully settled.

Yun Ming shook his head. "Your Spirit Pagoda's information needs updating. Since the incident on Devil Island, anyone below rank fifty has been unable to enter."

Leng Yaozhu furrowed her brows. Just as she was about to flare up, she heard Yun Ming continue, "Taking this opportunity, I would like to ask for your opinion."

Leng Yaozhu looked at him coldly.

Yun Ming said solemnly, "A thousand years ago, Devil Island erupted with a Destruction Tide. The Seven Monsters of that generation all perished there. Relying on their immense cultivation before death, they barely transformed into vengeful souls. Since then, unless Shrek students go there, outsiders will inevitably suffer their rejection. This is also why the Federation and Spirit Pagoda abandoned Devil Island and transferred its jurisdiction to Shrek Academy."

"If this child goes to Devil Island in the future without the status of a Shrek student, it will be difficult for him to enter. Even I would not gain much advantage in such a special environment. Therefore, I propose that the two sides establish a cooperative relationship."

"You allow this child to join Shrek Academy for study, and I will open all the academy's resources to him. If he is capable enough, I will even allow him to become a member of the Sea God Pavilion. Then, when he goes to Devil Island for training in the future, it will be fully justified. What do you think?"

Leng Yaozhu raised a delicate brow, unmoved by his words. Thinking of Ya Li's series of actions ever since they entered Sea God Island, she snorted coldly. "From the beginning, you wanted my disciple to join Shrek, didn't you?"

"The soul bone and the secret behind it were merely one part of your scheme."

"You're right." Yun Ming unexpectedly did not hide it. "If the soul bone fusion had failed, I would have considered other methods to make this child join Shrek."

Leng Yaozhu froze, not expecting him to admit it so readily. Nan Liujing, meanwhile, calmly watched how Yun Ming would answer.

I've already obtained a Divine Artifact. Whatever you say, I support it. Besides, Shrek Academy has things I need to take, as well as people I need to destroy.

Ya Li sighed and said, "Beneath the seemingly peaceful surface, undercurrents are surging. Shrek and your Spirit Pagoda may appear united, but we are actually divided, especially after the Qian Gu Family took power. Their ambitions are obvious to all."

"The hawks within the Federation are also eyeing us like tigers, having repeatedly tried to blockade Shrek City and cut off the entire city's supply of daily necessities. Therefore, to ensure the academy's future stability after Brother Ming and I are gone, we need to make arrangements in advance and nurture a sufficiently powerful young soul master. Your disciple is the target we have chosen."

"His background is sufficient, and his talent is sufficient. He is the perfect candidate. But you can rest assured that we are not making him join Shrek in order to bind him to Shrek's ship and make him enemies with the Spirit Pagoda and the Federation. We only hope that if Shrek encounters disaster in the future, he can lend a hand. That is all."

Leng Yaozhu found it difficult to understand. "With your strength, do you still need to plan for such things?"

If someone claimed they could destroy Shrek Academy, she would be the first not to believe it. It had stood firm for twenty thousand years—could it really face destruction one day?

Especially since they were placing their hopes for the future on a child. It was simply absurd.

Ya Li sighed. "No one can remain powerful forever. Wasn't the Sun Moon Empire, once at the height of its glory, divided among the powers after a brief period of weakness, becoming the present-day Federation? Shrek Academy is no different. In fact, too long a period of peace has made many in the academy forget how to sense danger. Their minds are filled with ten thousand years of glory, yet they have never considered that without absolutely powerful strength to support it, so-called glory is nothing but a castle in the air, ready to collapse at the slightest touch."

"Not to mention anything further back—the incident involving the Seven Monsters of Devil Island a thousand years ago severed an entire generation of Shrek people. The entire academy was greatly weakened. The Federation then seized the opportunity to strike and suppress Shrek City on all fronts. At that time, Shrek was on the verge of falling apart. These are all living examples."

Leng Yaozhu fell silent for a moment. "I need to discuss this with Qian Gu Qingfeng and Xia Zheng Leng, but it also depends on Liujing's own wishes."

"Let's leave it at that. There is still the Golden Ancient Tree baptism to undergo."

Yun Ming and Ya Li said nothing further.

From the start, under Ya Li's strong urging, Yun Ming had agreed to reveal the plan to Qian Gu Qingfeng. He just had not expected Leng Yaozhu to be the one who came.

Sincerity was always the ultimate trump card. They did not believe Nan Liujing's elders would refuse the benefits Shrek Academy could offer when they did not need to give anything in return immediately.

The Spirit Pagoda indeed did not lack resources. In fact, Shrek Academy might not necessarily possess what the Spirit Pagoda had. But by the same logic, the Spirit Pagoda might not necessarily possess what Shrek Academy had.

This plot was adapted from the destruction and life energy on Devil Island in the original work. Yes, that's right—the power on Devil Island consists of fragments of power left behind by the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life.

As for why the scepter was left behind, that counts as foreshadowing. It will not be revealed anytime soon. All that can be said is that this person kept something in reserve.