"Boom—!"
Another direct collision between Light and Darkness erupted, and the resulting torrents of energy completely shredded the clouds for several miles below.
The radiant domain around Mu En remained brilliant, but under the combined assault of Long Xiaoyao, Ye Xishui, and Kong Deming—
the area covered by that light had already shrunk by nearly half from its original extent.
Facing three opponents alone was ultimately far too much of a strain.
Mu En's breathing remained steady and unhurried, but every fierce expenditure of Soul Power made an almost imperceptible gravity flash through his eyes.
At that moment, Long Xiaoyao, who had remained silent while leading the assault, suddenly eased his offensive slightly.
His gaze pierced through the surging energy currents and met Mu En's eyes once more.
This time, the darkness in his eyes that seemed capable of devouring everything appeared to fade for an instant, revealing something far more complicated beneath it.
"Mu En," Long Xiaoyao's voice rang out, drowning out the roar of the battlefield, "let this end here. Leave this place."
The atmosphere on the battlefield abruptly froze.
Ye Xishui sharply turned her head, a flicker of shock and instinctive displeasure flashing through her blood-red eyes.
Long Xiaoyao's proposal was tantamount to voluntarily giving up this hard-won chance to seriously injure Mu En—or even keep him here for good!
Her lips moved slightly, as though she wanted to object.
But the words reached her mouth and were forcibly swallowed back down.
More than anyone, she understood that Long Xiaoyao appearing to help her at this moment was already the limit of what that guilt could be squeezed for.
What she had exploited was his obsession with the past and his sense of indebtedness, not any authority that could truly command him.
If she forcibly went against his will now, or even demanded that he fight Mu En to the death...
the result would very likely be counterproductive, causing him to withdraw from the battle.
Helping neither side might have been the Dark Sacred Dragon's original position.
Being able to use his strength to drive Mu En away and resolve the immediate life-and-death crisis was already good enough.
The bloodlight in Ye Xishui's eyes flickered. In the end, she merely frowned slightly, turned her gaze back to Mu En, and remained silent.
On the other side, upon hearing Long Xiaoyao's words, Kong Deming's movements as he controlled his Soul Tools also stalled for a moment.
He slowly nodded, tacitly approving the decision.
This was Ming Capital, the heart of the Sun Moon Empire.
What kind of disaster would a Limit Douluo driven into a corner cause with a final desperate counterattack—especially one at Mu En's level?
Perhaps more than half of Ming Capital would be buried with him! The Sun Moon Empire could not bear such a price.
Of course, more importantly, Long Xiaoyao's stance had already become clear.
If Long Xiaoyao decided to stop, then with only Ye Xishui and himself—
even with the many ninth-rank Soul Engineers and outer Soul Engineer corps currently gathered in Ming Capital, they would never be able to keep a Mu En determined to flee.
Soul Tool projects truly capable of threatening a Limit Douluo had not yet been developed.
The pressure suddenly lightened, and Mu En clearly sensed the subtle shift within the opposing camp.
Everything was crystal clear to him.
Long Xiaoyao's proposal appeared to be giving him a way out, but was it not also giving Long Xiaoyao one?
If this battle continued, it would only end with both sides grievously wounded, perhaps even turning into a brutal outcome that no one could bear.
Long Xiaoyao was unwilling—or rather, did not dare—to truly fight him to the death.
And what about Mu En himself?
His greatest goal in coming here, to kill or seriously injure Ye Xishui, had been declared impossible from the moment Long Xiaoyao appeared.
With Long Xiaoyao restraining him head-on, he simply could not deliver a fatal blow to Ye Xishui.
Continuing the struggle would serve no purpose beyond draining his Soul Power and potentially exposing more of his trump cards.
He slowly swept his gaze across the three before him.
With these three joining forces, unless Di Tian, the Beast God of the Star Dou Great Forest, or the Evil Emperor of the Evil Demon Forest came in person, no individual alive could defeat them head-on.
There truly was no need to remain.
The light around Mu En gradually withdrew, and the terrifying pressure ebbed away like a receding tide.
He gave Long Xiaoyao a deep look, his expression immensely complicated.
In the end, he said nothing, merely nodding slightly.
"Alas..."
After a long sigh, Mu En cast one last glance at Ming Capital's brilliant lights, and his figure suddenly blurred.
He transformed into an almost undetectable streak of golden light, silently merging into the night and vanishing without a trace.
Only after that heart-palpitating aura of light completely disappeared beyond the limits of perception—
did the many ninth-rank Soul Engineers of the Sun Moon Empire scattered throughout Ming Capital, who had kept their nerves taut the entire time, collectively let out long breaths of relief.
Many of them even realized that their backs had been soaked through with cold sweat.
That brief yet earth-shattering clash just now, along with the pressure that felt as if a god had descended, had allowed them to truly experience the terror of the peak of Soul Masters.
It was the ultimate manifestation of individual might, surpassing nearly every Soul Tool in existence.
Kong Deming slowly approached Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, his face still somewhat pale.
He looked at Ye Xishui, his eyes carrying a trace of inquiry and confirmation.
"Your Excellency Death God,"
Kong Deming's voice regained its usual calmness, but the caution in his tone was obvious.
"Was that person just now an old acquaintance of yours and His Excellency Dragon Emperor?"
He had actually already known the answer.
A Limit Douluo with the light attribute, a dragon-type Martial Soul, entangled so deeply with Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui, and possessing such terrifying strength...
There was likely only one legendary figure in the world who fit all those conditions.
But he needed final confirmation from Ye Xishui herself.
The Sea of Blood around Ye Xishui had already receded, and her face looked even paler under the dim moonlight.
Hearing this, she nodded, a trace of complicated reminiscence passing through her eyes.
"That's right. He is the Bright Sacred Dragon, Dragon God Douluo Mu En."
"So it really was him!" Kong Deming's heart trembled slightly.
Though he had suspected it, hearing it confirmed still made him feel an immense weight settle upon him.
Shrek Academy's pillar of support possessed such terrifying personal strength, far beyond their previous estimates.
He hovered in the night sky, looking in the direction where Mu En had vanished, his gaze becoming incomparably deep.
They could no longer proceed step by step.
A thought became incomparably firm within his heart.
"Linked Soul Tools, High-Energy Array Compression Soul Tools..."
Kong Deming pondered silently, the fingers within his sleeves unconsciously clenching. "We must accelerate development at any cost!"
Mu En's appearance and display of strength were like a thunderclap, thoroughly awakening this father of Soul Engineers.
He realized that before truly peak individual power, the existing Soul Tool system still possessed a fatal ceiling.
Only by breaking through that ceiling could the Sun Moon Empire truly fear no threat from the pinnacle of Soul Masters.
"The two of you, come with me to the imperial palace and explain tonight's battle to His Majesty."
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao naturally had no objections. The three descended to the ground and entered the Sun Moon Imperial Palace.
Before you continue