Su Ling staggered out of the dungeon, the last remnants of his will crumbling completely.
The moment he stepped into West Street Alley, the backlash from suppressing his power erupted!
He suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of blood, the dark-red spray bursting across the cold stone ground.
A moment later, blood gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. The icy mask on his face shattered with a crack and fell away in pieces.
Beneath the mask, his face resembled Broken Porcelain on the verge of shattering, covered in a web of cracks.
Dusky violet divine power darted beneath his skin like an evil dragon, tearing through his meridians and pulverizing his bones!
Terrifying purple light shone through his body. Blood beneath him trickled like a stream, quickly spreading into a glaring dark-red pool.
The pain had long since numbed him.
His vision blurred. Su Ling managed only to swallow a Soul Enlightenment Pill before collapsing to the ground.
"Was it worth it?"
The system's cold voice rang in his mind, its question almost indifferent.
"You forcibly activated the Destruction God Armor twice. Your body's foundation is mostly destroyed! Your meridians are shattered, and your soul's origin has also been gravely damaged! If this Soul Enlightenment Pill weren't keeping your last breath alive, your body and soul would already have been annihilated!"
"All this just to bring her something to eat? You did something so pointless and futile! Where's your reason?! What about your mission?!"
For once, the system's voice carried a sharp note of exasperation.
"You know perfectly well she's just an incarnation of humanity abandoned by her true self—a Split Soul destined to be devoured!"
"Her very existence is a complete tragedy!"
"You can't save her, and you can't change how things end for her! What's the point of doing this, aside from exposing yourself and plunging into irredeemable danger?!"
In the chaos of darkness, Su Ling's consciousness flickered faintly.
He couldn't move. He couldn't even feel that he had a body.
But the thought that crossed his mind was: Did that Little Silly Dragon get enough to eat?
After all, he'd left in such a hurry that he hadn't even had time to check how much porridge was in the bowl...
"Meaning?"
His consciousness stirred with a bleak smile. "If I'm not here... who else will care whether she's cold or hungry?"
"If even I think she's destined to be abandoned... that she doesn't matter... then she really will be... abandoned by the whole world..."
"I know it's stupid... and irrational... I might even... die..." His thoughts came in fits and starts, like a murmur, yet they held a tenderness and resolve bordering on obsession.
"But... system..."
"If, after weighing the pros and cons... I choose to turn a blind eye to her suffering... then what's the difference between me and that heartless monster?"
In his Previous Life, when Gu Yue was stabbed to death by his hand, Gu Yuena was still a Little Dumpling.
When he found her, she was curled up in a corner, clutching the hem of her clothes in grievance. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she stubbornly held back her sobs.
She looked just like a little beast that had been abandoned, helpless and pitiful.
Even though he was a villain, he'd never let her go hungry while hunting her down. Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures had always been hers for the taking.
Unlike now, left unattended, locked in a dungeon, and so hungry that her little face had turned pale...
A moment later, Su Ling's soul slowly drifted out of his spiritual sea of consciousness.
He looked at his unconscious body in the corner and sighed helplessly.
Fortunately, after inheriting the Godhood of Destruction, his Mental Power had reached the level of a First-Level God.
As long as he didn't run into the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, no one in this world could truly destroy his soul.
"System, I just realized something. If I stop acting human, I'll be super scary after I die! How about I go dark right now and become an undead calamity?"
Looking at his soul wrapped in Destruction Divine Power, Su Ling felt oddly eager to give it a try.
After all, inside his body, he still had to keep his Mental Power sealed at all times to avoid exploding. The soul seemed much more comfortable by comparison.
"What level is the heroine, and you're already thinking of going dark? Are you going to keep doing this job or not? If we get another complaint, we're really finished!" the system replied irritably.
"The main thing is, I keep feeling like there's a pair of eyes full of hatred staring right at me from the Star Dou Great Forest... but she's also channeling life force into my body."
"I think I've been exposed, but I also think I haven't..."
Su Ling's soul hovered in midair, dusky violet Destruction Divine Power flowing slowly across its surface and radiating a heart-stopping pressure.
He rubbed his chin and thought it over for quite some time, but couldn't figure it out.
In the end, he decided to go back to the dungeon first and dispose of the bowls and chopsticks.
That way, Gu Yuena could wake up thinking it had all been a dream.
The morning mist had yet to lift when the heavy sandalwood gates of the Su Family Mansion began to shake beneath a thunderous pounding. The impatient, urgent knocks shattered the mansion's quiet.
Outside the gate, the people from Shrek Academy surrounded three imposing figures.
Ning Rongrong's eyes were slightly red. Hurt and shaken, she clung tightly to Ning Fengzhi's sleeve.
Behind him stood two elderly men, as imposing as mountains.
One carried an ancient sword. His sword energy was restrained, yet he inspired awe at a glance. He was none other than Sword Douluo Chen Xin.
The other was thin, with eyes as deep as a secluded pool: Bone Douluo Gu Rong.
The two Titled Douluo stood there casually, yet an invisible pressure settled over the entire street.
Flender stood a little farther back, a fawning smile on his face, though a trace of calculation lurked in his eyes.
With these two Titled Douluo applying pressure, it seemed the Su Family would have to make this investment whether they wanted to or not.
Yu Xiaogang held his hands behind his back and lifted his chin, putting on an air of profound wisdom.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and the others stood behind them, their eyes alight with anticipation at the spectacle.
Tang San stood among them, his expression dark as water.
At the thought that Xiao Wu might already have fallen victim to Su Ling the previous night, he clenched his fist so tightly that his nails dug into his palm, drawing thin lines of blood.
The gate opened, revealing Old Mo's deeply lined face. Seeing the party outside, he narrowed his cloudy eyes slightly, but remained courteous. "May I ask what brings you here?"
"Please inform Madam Ye," Ning Fengzhi said warmly, though his words carried undeniable weight. "Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has come to pay a visit with my daughter, Rongrong, and the two Douluo, Sword and Bone."
"Dean Flender and Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang of Shrek Academy have also accompanied us. We're here to clear up yesterday's misunderstanding, and to take back Shrek Academy student Xiao Wu."
Old Mo nodded. "Please wait a moment."
He turned and walked inside with steady steps, showing no sign of alarm.
Inside the drawing room, Ye Wanqing had already been informed. She furrowed her delicate brows and set down her teacup.
Though she also felt her son had acted improperly the previous day, he was still her son, and she would protect him. Besides, the Su Family wasn't some soft touch that anyone could push around.
She smoothed her sleeve and rose. Her skirt flowed like water, and every movement she made spoke of elegance and poise.
"Let them in," Ye Wanqing said calmly, a trace of coldness flashing in her eyes.
As the people from Shrek Academy ushered the three leading figures from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect into the hall, their invisible presence filled the space at once.
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