The entire process was terrifyingly quiet.
In less than a breath, a living person—a Titled Douluo above level ninety—simply vanished into thin air.
As if he had never existed in this world.
The wind blew past.
All that remained where he had stood was a set of empty clothes and several scattered Soul Bones.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
The entire Lake of Life was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.
Everyone's gaze converged on Qian Ye's still-unruffled back.
Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at the spot where Dai Mubai had disappeared, her pupils unfocused, as if her soul had been ripped away.
Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong were even more terrified, trembling like leaves in the wind.
Dead?
Boss Dai—just like that, he was dead?
With a single sentence—he'd been killed?
What kind of power was this?
What kind of ability?
This was completely beyond their understanding of power!
Fear!
A fear that came from the deepest depths of their souls, impossible to suppress, seized their hearts in an instant!
The man before them wasn't human!
He was a devil!
A devil countless times more terrifying than the Silver Dragon King!
Even Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts were silent as cicadas in winter, their eyes filled with awe as they looked at Qian Ye.
In that brief moment just now, they hadn't sensed any use of Soul Power or laws.
It was as if some supreme rule had simply "erased" that human from the world.
What unimaginable might!
"Aah—!"
A shrill scream shattered the deathly silence.
It was Ning Rongrong!
Her mental defenses had completely crumbled. Clutching her head, she collapsed to the ground and babbled incoherently.
"Dead—they're all dead—we're all going to die—"
Qian Ye turned around and swept his gaze over the remaining members of Shrek, his expression calm and undisturbed.
Yet that very calm gaze made Tang San and the others feel as if they'd plunged into an ice cave.
It was over!
They were really going to be wiped out here today!
Tang San's heart sank to the bottom.
He wasn't willing to accept this!
He still had a great vendetta to avenge! He still had to destroy Spirit Hall! He still had to become the ruler of this world!
How could he die here?
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Under the extreme pressure of imminent death, Tang San's potential—or rather, the plans of the one behind him—finally erupted!
"Vwoom!"
A boundless, blood-red baleful aura suddenly burst from Tang San's body and shot into the sky!
It was evil and violent, filled with an intent to destroy and slaughter!
It was the complete opposite of the sacred aura of his Sea God power!
"Crack!"
The spatial restraint Gu Yuena had laid down shattered under the impact of that blood-red baleful aura!
A strangely shaped, blood-red demonic sword appeared of its own accord in Tang San's other hand. Countless patterns of wailing, wronged souls were engraved along its blade.
The Asura Magic Sword!
"This is—"
A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Yuena's violet eyes.
Though this power was still very weak, its very essence had already reached the level of a God King!
"You want to kill me? It won't be that easy!"
Freed from his restraints, Tang San seized the Asura Magic Sword, and his entire bearing changed.
His eyes turned blood-red, filled with murderous madness.
"Shrek, let's go!"
He had no intention of fighting on.
This man in black was far too terrifying. Tang San was no match for him in his current state.
Before the words had even faded, the Asura Magic Sword in his hand blazed with light, forcibly tearing open a blood-red rift in space.
Tang San grabbed Xiao Wu beside him. With his other hand, he swept up a surge of divine power and seized Oscar, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun as well, then charged into the blood-red rift without hesitation.
As he left, his voice, filled with venom, echoed through heaven and earth.
"Qian Renxue! Qian Ye! Gu Yuena!"
"I, Tang San, will remember this humiliation!"
"The day I return will be the day of your destruction!"
The blood-red rift snapped shut.
The Star Dou Great Forest fell silent once more.
Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts looked at one another, utterly at a loss.
They'd just—let them get away?
Gu Yuena furrowed her brows and was about to use her spatial power to pursue them.
"There's no need to chase them."
Qian Ye's voice rang out.
"He can't get away."
His gaze rested on the spot where Tang San had disappeared, his eyes deep and inscrutable.
"The aura of the Asura God—"
"Looks like those old fellows in the Divine Realm haven't been idle either."
Qian Ye murmured softly to himself.
"The Divine Realm?"
At those words, Gu Yuena's expression turned grave.
She looked at Qian Ye and asked, "Do you mean that power just now was the work of the Divine Realm?"
Qian Ye nodded.
"Tang San is probably the chess piece they've chosen."
"They made him a god, granted him Dual Godhood, and even gave him a weapon as dangerous as the Asura Magic Sword. They must be after something."
Qian Ye's tone was casual, as though he were discussing something trivial.
But his words made Gu Yuena's heart tremble.
She had always believed that the Divine Realm was her greatest enemy.
But she had never imagined that the Divine Realm had already begun laying plans on the Douluo Continent.
And this man before her seemed to know the Divine Realm's schemes inside out.
Looking at Qian Ye's profile, Gu Yuena suddenly realized she understood him less and less.
Back then, he had risen like a comet, sword suppressing all under heaven, only to vanish mysteriously afterward.
Now he had returned, his strength so unfathomable that even she couldn't begin to gauge it.
Who was he, really?
Where had he gone all these years?
Countless questions welled up in her mind.
Qian Ye seemed to see right through her thoughts. He turned his head and smiled faintly at her.
"What are you thinking about?"
"They're just a bunch of clowns. They won't stir up any real trouble."
He held out his hand and took Gu Yuena's hand as naturally as could be.
"Come on. Show me where you live."
"So many years have passed. Your taste hasn't gotten worse, has it?"
As Qian Ye took her hand, Gu Yuena's delicate body trembled, and her cheeks flushed once more.
The authority she had just begun to regain vanished in an instant.
She lowered her head, her voice softer than a mosquito's hum.
"Mm—"
Nearby, Di Tian, Zi JI, and the other Ferocious Beasts were completely dumbstruck.
They looked at one another, each seeing the same almost overflowing shock in the others' eyes.
Their Lord—
Their Lord had just been led away by a human man, hand in hand?
Qian Ye held Gu Yuena's hand, her palm warm, just as it had been countless ages ago.
Di Tian, Zi JI, and the other Ferocious Beasts stood rooted to the spot, dazed, as if trapped in a bizarre, surreal dream.
Their Lord, who had reigned supreme through the ages and regarded gods as nothing, now resembled a young girl experiencing love for the first time, obediently led by a human man as they strolled across the emerald waters of the Lake of Life.
With every step, nine-colored ripples spread beneath their feet. The laws of space and time intertwined around them, forming the most dazzling backdrop.
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