"Xiao... No, are you all right?"
Seeing Gu Tian return to normal, Xuanji Douluo, who was closest to him, hurried over. His voice held a hint of reverence.
It was clear that Gu Tian's display just now had thoroughly frightened him.
The other Titled Douluos affiliated with the Star Luo Empire, along with Xu Jiawei, Xu Jiujiu, and the others, also arrived one after another.
"Uncle Ling, Uncle Ye, there's no need to be so formal!"
"I'm sure you've realized that wasn't me just now—or, rather, it wasn't only me."
Gu Tian could only smile helplessly. "But I'm still me. There's no doubt about that, so don't worry. Just treat me as you always have!"
"Xiao Tian, can you summon that Golden Armor again?"
Hearing this, the straightforward Giant Hammer Douluo was the first to recover. His face was full of curiosity.
That Golden Armor was simply too powerful, and it was obviously on the side of light.
In Giant Hammer Douluo's view, even a legendary divine artifact probably wouldn't be any more impressive.
If Gu Tian knew what Giant Hammer Douluo was thinking, he'd surely have been speechless. How could some random nobody even compare to the Emperor Armor?
At Giant Hammer Douluo's question, everyone around them perked up their ears. They were just as curious.
"It's called the Ultimate Emperor Armor! Or you could say it's the Heavenly Dao Emperor!"
After correcting Giant Hammer Douluo, Gu Tian explained without hiding anything: "The Emperor Armor only appears when my life is in danger."
The others' faces clearly showed their disappointment.
But on second thought, that made sense. If he could wield such immense power whenever he wanted,
what would be the point of cultivating? He could just be invincible.
"Heavenly Dao Emperor?"
Xu Jiujiu's brows knit together. "Isn't that the title you have in the future shown in the Sky Curtain?"
"Maybe it's because of the Emperor Armor that I'll have that title in the future!" Gu Tian replied with a noncommittal smile.
"Xiao Tian, don't worry. I'll give you an explanation."
Xu Jiawei looked at Gu Tian with a grave expression.
This was no small matter. If it hadn't been for that Ultimate Emperor Armor, there was an eighty percent chance that the future of the Star Luo Empire would have ended right here.
And then, forget about the grand ambition of unifying the continent. The Star Luo Empire itself might not have survived.
Xu Jiawei and the Star Luo Empire behind him would make the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult answer for this.
Not far away, a disheveled Elder was gnawing on a chicken leg, a string of gourds hanging from his waist. He had watched everything unfold.
He was none other than Shrek Academy's second-strongest expert, a Rank 98 Peak Douluo and the Holy Spirit Cult's "Grand Elder"—Taotie Douluo, Xuan Zi.
"Heavenly Dao Emperor. Interesting!"
Xuan Zi wiped the grease from his mouth. "Looks like Mu En made the right choice. This child is practically a gift from heaven to inherit the Sea God Pavilion. We absolutely can't let those outside factions ruin him!"
"No. Shrek Academy is the only home this child needs."
"If this is the future shown in the Sky Curtain, then perhaps it's already too late."
As he spoke, Xuan Zi took a long swig of wine, a gleam in his eyes. "But it's not too late now. After all, he's only a six-year-old child who's just awakened his martial soul."
Shrek Academy—and Xuan Zi in particular—had plenty of flaws, but they treated their own people well.
When it came to favoritism and standing by their own regardless of who was right, Shrek Academy was every bit as bad as the Body Sect.
And Xuan Zi had already decided, entirely on his own, that Gu Tian was one of Shrek Academy's "own people."
At this moment, Xuan Zi had only one thought: find a way to kick the Star Luo Empire aside and poach Gu Tian for Shrek Academy.
As he saw it, what standing did the Star Luo Empire have to make Shrek serve under it?
As a matter of fact, the main reason Xuan Zi had immediately opposed an alliance with the Star Luo Empire was precisely this.
The Star Luo Imperial City was destined to be anything but peaceful tonight.
It was hard not to draw attention when Gu Tian summoned the Ultimate Emperor Armor for the first time and caused such a commotion in the middle of the night.
Many Star Luo citizens still asleep were inexplicably woken by that Dragon's Roar.
Then they looked up and saw an unbelievable sight.
The sun had appeared in the middle of the night, and a massive divine dragon circled above it.
From a distance, it looked like a brilliant Golden River.
"Holy crap! What is that? A Soul Beast?"
"Am I seeing things? I actually saw the sun in the middle of the night!"
"That looks like a Golden Divine Dragon."
"What's that Golden Light Pillar over by the Imperial Palace?"
"Am I imagining it, or does that Golden Divine Dragon seem to be looking at me?"
"This must be the commotion caused by that person!"
"Something must have happened inside the Imperial Palace!"
Voices like these rang out all over the Star Luo Imperial City.
Four battered figures appeared one after another at a certain spot along the city wall.
The black-robed figure at the front was Zhongli Wu. He gazed toward the distant golden glow that still lingered.
His expression was grim, and there was even a trace of fear in his eyes.
"Cult Master, what should we do now?"
Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng asked, his face pale.
Their Assassination Plan had failed.
They'd only escaped by sheer luck.
That was right—luck.
All four of them could tell that if the Golden Armor had truly attacked, they would have been lucky if even one of them had escaped.
The gap between them was simply too great.
It was no exaggeration to call it the difference between heaven and earth.
The disparity was so overwhelming that it left them despairing and unable to muster any will to fight back.
If they weren't bound together in a fight to the death, Zhang Peng would have urged the Cult Master to surrender.
"The appearance of that Golden Armor must be subject to some kind of restriction."
"Otherwise, our lives would have been left behind just now!"
"I don't believe anyone would be kind enough to spare those who threaten their life."
Zhongli Wu spoke slowly, his face dark. "What we need to do now is wait patiently, keep an eye on the information revealed in the next round of the Sky Curtain, find his weakness, and then seize the right moment to kill him in one strike."
More than half a month had passed since the first round of revelations from the Sky Curtain.
Only half a month remained before the second round began.
Perhaps they could obtain information useful to them from it.
As Zhongli Wu saw it, the only way to find the Golden Armor's weakness was to test it at the cost of a Titled Douluo's life.
Zhongli Wu didn't want to use that method unless absolutely necessary.
After all, raising an Evil Soul Master to the level of a Titled Douluo came at a hefty cost.
Perhaps they could try to persuade the Sun Moon Empire to send someone.
But the chances were slim.
The Sun Moon Royal Family wasn't stupid. They wouldn't let the Holy Spirit Cult use them as pawns.
Besides, the Sun Moon Empire had even fewer Titled Douluos than the Holy Spirit Cult.
No—perhaps there was still a chance!
Thinking of those who would betray the Sun Moon Empire in the future, Zhongli Wu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Yes, Cult Master."
The four members of the Holy Spirit Cult disappeared from where they stood once more.
"I'll be back!"
Before leaving, Zhongli Wu glanced deeply toward the Star Luo Imperial Palace and left those words like a vow.
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