Two Great Domains!

He saw Konoha's former sunshine, Arin's smiling face, the villagers' warmth, and the undisguised sincerity in Du Busi's eyes when he patted him on the shoulder.

He saw Long Aotian standing before him, his resolve beyond question, and the pure gratitude in his fellow disciples' eyes after he healed them.

He saw... the future.

Not a predetermined, arranged future, but one full of variables, full of possibilities, full of... hope.

"Destruction is not the end." Dai Tu murmured, his voice echoing through the blood-red illusion. "Hatred should not be everything either."

"I want revenge. I want those who hurt me to pay the price. But before that, I need to grow stronger. I need to protect those I want to protect. I need to carve out a path... a path of my own."

"Destruction can be a means, but it cannot be the goal. Life can be a bond, but it cannot be a shackle."

"I will be reborn amid destruction and, through life... carry out my will."

As his words fell, Dai Tu raised his head. The scarlet Mangekyo pattern in his eyes spun madly.

"Kamui: Truth-Breaking!"

A sharp pain shot through his left eye, and bloody tears streamed down his face.

But that endless blood-red illusion seemed to be seized by an invisible hand and viciously torn apart.

"Riiip!"

The illusion shattered.

Like a mirror, it broke into countless fragments before dispersing into the void.

Dai Tu once again "saw" his meditation room and the first ray of morning sunlight filtering through the window.

He slowly opened his eyes. The bizarre Mangekyo pattern faded from them, while the Eye of Destiny between his brows closed once more, leaving only a faint golden vertical mark that was nearly invisible.

Second Destruction Trial: Heart Tempering, passed.

Two messages flooded into his mind at the same time.

Second Life Trial: World Shepherd, completed. Reward: Life affinity increased by ten percent; one God-bestowed Soul Ring obtained; Life Domain obtained.

Second Destruction Trial: Heart Tempering, completed. Reward: Destruction affinity increased by ten percent; one God-bestowed Soul Ring obtained; Destruction Domain obtained.

Dai Tu could feel the two marks between his brows becoming more solid and profound. A gentle force of life and an icy force of destruction intertwined and fused within him, forming an entirely new kind of Soul Power that was purer and more powerful.

Moreover, he "saw" two intangible things resembling domains appear around him.

One was emerald green, brimming with vitality. It could accelerate wound healing, restore Soul Power, and cleanse negative conditions.

The other was deep purple, filled with destruction. It could suppress an enemy's Soul Power, erode an enemy's defenses, and... reduce everything to nothingness.

The Life Domain and the Destruction Domain.

Though they were only embryonic now, with limited range and weak effects, Dai Tu knew that as his strength rose and the God Trials continued, these two domains would grow into true trump cards.

By then, wherever the Life Domain reached would become pure land. Wherever the Destruction Domain descended would become a land of death.

He would truly possess the capital to challenge those lofty beings.

Dai Tu rose to his feet and walked to the window. As he watched the sky outside gradually brighten, a cold flame flickered in his eyes.

His Soul Power had reached level thirty-nine, just one step away from level forty. It was about time to find Huo Yuhao.

The timing was about right as well.

Heaven Dou Empire, Shrek City.

As one of the most prosperous cities on the Douluo Continent, Shrek City possessed grandeur and bustle worthy of its title as the "number one academy under heaven."

Its towering walls were built from gray-white boulders. Carriages flowed endlessly through the city gates, while pedestrians packed the streets. Merchants, mercenaries, Soul Masters, and nobles from the three great empires and even the Sun Moon Empire moved through the crowds, bringing accents, clothing, and goods from every corner of the land, as well as the undying vitality that belonged to this city.

Du Busi and Dai Tu walked along a broad bluestone street.

Du Busi was not wearing his signature dark green combat attire today. Instead, he had changed into an ordinary gray robe and wore a wide-brimmed bamboo hat that concealed most of his face.

Yet his imposing stature, along with the oppressive aura of a Super Douluo that still faintly radiated from him despite his deliberate restraint, made pedestrians around him instinctively keep their distance, not daring to approach.

Dai Tu followed half a step behind him, also wearing a simple disguise.

His short black spiky hair was casually tied behind his head with a strip of cloth. His face had been smeared with special ointment, making his complexion seem somewhat darker, and his brows had been thickened. He appeared several years older than he truly was, like an ordinary seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth.

But those eyes—those distinctive large, round eyes—remained as clear as two deep wells. Yet at their depths lay a profound calmness utterly unsuited to his age.

"Little disciple, are we charging in and killing our way through, or do we try diplomacy before force?"

Du Busi lowered his voice, his tone brimming with undisguised excitement and... eagerness to give it a try.

He had waited for this day for a long time.

Ever since Dai Tu told him three months ago that his younger brother Huo Yuhao, who possessed the Spirit Eye Martial Soul and heaven-defying talent for Soul Tools, was at Shrek Academy, he had been thinking about it constantly.

The Body Sect lacked everything except talented Soul Masters. But talents in Soul Tools—especially top-tier Soul Tool talents—were something it truly did not have even one of.

If they could bring this Huo Yuhao back to the sect, the Body Sect's future development would gain its most solid technical foundation.

What sort of reaction would Soul Tools and Body Martial Souls create when combined? Du Busi grew excited just thinking about it.

Besides, Huo Yuhao was Dai Tu's younger brother—his "family." His family was stranded outside and controlled by their enemies. How could they possibly tolerate that?

So, the moment Dai Tu said the time was right, Du Busi immediately made the decision. They had set out for Shrek Academy today to demand Huo Yuhao's return.

Dai Tu looked at the academy gates ahead, ten zhang tall and glittering in the sunlight, as well as the strange creature statue above them that resembled Shrek. A cold, complicated emotion flickered through his eyes.

Shrek Academy.

In the original story, it was where Huo Yuhao's dream began. It was also... where he was thoroughly "corrupted" and bound to the Tang Family's war chariot.

Here, he met his "love of a lifetime," Wang Dong—Tang Wutong. He met his "life mentors," Mu En and Xuan Zi. He met his "brothers and sisters through life and death," Beibei and Tang Ya. He met... those who would later become the most important people in his life, yet also the shackles that bound him most tightly.

Here, he went from an illegitimate son full of hatred who wanted only revenge to a "hero" and a pawn who "held the greater good in his heart," "repaid hatred with virtue," and "protected the continent."

Dai Tu did not want Huo Yuhao to take that path. It was simply too foolish...

All of it had been controlled by that Tang God King.

"Teacher, there's no rush." Dai Tu withdrew his gaze and looked at Du Busi, his voice calm. "I want to see him first. I want to see what he is like... now."

Du Busi raised a brow. "You want to go in alone? Shrek Academy is heavily guarded. Both the inner and outer courts have Soul Tool barriers, and there are Titled Douluo stationed there. You alone..."

"I have a way." Dai Tu interrupted him, an eerie light flashing in his eyes.

"Teacher, wait outside for my signal. If all goes well, I'll bring him out. If I run into trouble, I'll notify you. Then you can step in and demand his release."

Du Busi stared at Dai Tu for several seconds before grinning.