Yuanen Zhantian's eyes burned with fervor. The Demon Plane clearly had no gods. Though he was essentially making an empty promise, the chances of success were quite high.
The resources of an entire plane—such enormous stakes were enough to make anyone's heart race.
If he could achieve his goal, then regardless of how many resources they received, Yehui would be able to cultivate without worry. That would mean another Limit Douluo.
Just as he was preparing to swallow his pride and ask Leng Qingning and Le Lingzhao for help, an immensely powerful Soul Power fluctuation swept in from the horizon.
After sensing the newcomer's strength, Yuanen Zhantian's brows drew sharply together. He forced the words at the tip of his tongue back down.
Five Titled Douluo and three Super Douluo. Their leader's aura was sharp and unyielding, his pressure vast as a mountain. His cultivation was even higher than Yuanen Zhantian's—he was clearly a quasi-god.
Such a terrifying lineup had arrived just as the Yuanen Family was reeling from a demonic invasion and had suffered heavy losses. Yuanen Zhantian couldn't help but read too much into it.
A flicker of wariness crossed his eyes. Instinctively, he thought back to the dirty tricks he'd encountered while traveling the continent as a young man. Back then, more than one Soul Master family had coveted his Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul and resorted to any means to obtain his bloodline.
It wasn't that Yuanen Zhantian was conceited. His family had more than one genius—not just Yuanen Tiandang and Yuanen Yehui. He was one too.
He had broken through to Titled Douluo at twenty-eight and reached the pinnacle of Limit Douluo at forty-seven. That was why he was certain his more talented eldest son could break through to Limit Douluo before turning fifty.
The Yuanen Family had produced Limit Douluo generation after generation. It was hardly strange that someone might covet their ancestral Martial Soul.
Nor was he simply making a malicious guess. Her Excellency Purple Phoenix came from the Phoenix Family, and three months ago, his granddaughter Yuanen Yehui had gone to the Spirit Pagoda in Shangling City to choose a Soul Spirit and met Purple Phoenix's disciple there.
From that, it wasn't hard to guess that Her Excellency Purple Phoenix was the master of the Shangling City Spirit Pagoda branch.
Her Excellency Judgment had taken the same disciple as her, so it made sense that she, too, would be stationed in Shangling City. Yuanen Zhantian wasn't surprised that the two had arrived in time to reinforce them.
But Shangling City couldn't have produced a group like this. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed the Yuanen Family was being targeted—someone wanted to take advantage of their crisis and covet the Titan Giant Ape Martial Soul.
Killing intent stirred beneath Yuanen Zhantian's calm exterior. As he focused on how to respond, the group of powerful cultivators crossed the sky and landed before them.
Their leader was a young man dressed in a plain white robe. He looked no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with handsome features and gentle eyes. He didn't seem like a formidable powerhouse, but rather like an ordinary, refined scholar.
The young man smiled faintly, his voice warm and composed. "Your Excellency Zhantian, I am Yun Ming."
"Forgive me for coming unannounced and disturbing you."
Sky-Prop Douluo Yun Ming!
Hearing the young man introduce himself, Yuanen Zhantian's wariness eased a little. He clasped his hands. "So it's Your Excellency Sky-Prop."
"I wonder..."
Before he could finish, a figure suddenly darted out from behind Yun Ming.
She was an old woman with frost-white hair and a hunched back, her face covered in wrinkles.
Her expression was dark as she glared at Leng Qingning and Le Lingzhao with cloudy eyes. Her voice was openly hostile. "Leng Qingning, Le Lingzhao, what are you two juniors doing here?"
At the sight of this, Yun Ming's eyelid twitched. He immediately snapped, "Yue'er, don't be rude!"
Cai Yue'er wasn't very powerful, and her experience was limited. She clearly couldn't see the true strength of the two women before her. But Yun Ming knew full well that Leng Qingning had reached Level 99, a demigod, while Le Lingzhao was already Level 98 and showed signs of an imminent breakthrough.
Both were among the continent's top powerhouses. They couldn't be offended lightly.
He was also baffled. Six years ago, the two had been practically crippled. How had they recovered in just a few short years—and become even stronger than before?
Though he didn't understand, the Phoenix Family and the Angel Family weren't like Qiangu Dongfeng; they weren't hostile toward Shrek Academy. They were neutral, if anything leaning friendly. He couldn't let Cai Yue'er run wild and cause trouble for no reason.
Besides, their abrupt visit was already discourteous. If he let Cai Yue'er continue being rude, Yuanen Zhantian might hold it against them, undermining the very reason they had rushed across a thousand miles to help.
Scolded by Yun Ming in front of everyone, Cai Yue'er stiffened, hurt immediately spreading across her face.
All these years, Brother Ming had always been gentle and accommodating with her. When had he ever been so harsh?
But when she saw the unyielding determination in Yun Ming's eyes, she could only retreat, however unwillingly.
Cai Yue'er retreated behind Yun Ming, still holding her chin high. She glared darkly at Leng Qingning and Le Lingzhao, without the slightest intention of apologizing to Yuanen Zhantian.
Watching the scene before him, Yuanen Zhantian's mouth twitched despite himself.
Yue'er—Cai Yue'er, Silver Moon Douluo!
He instantly guessed the old woman's identity.
Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er was a long-renowned powerhouse on the continent. And yet, in front of Yun Ming, she acted like a lovestruck young girl. Especially that face—she looked even older than he did. It was all he could do to keep a straight face.
Seeing Cai Yue'er glare at her, Le Lingzhao didn't bother to spare her any face. A faintly mocking smile curled her lips. "What, getting itchy for another beating?"
Those words were like a spark falling into a powder keg, instantly setting off the anger Cai Yue'er had bottled up for years.
Her face twisted with rage. Pointing at Le Lingzhao, she roared, "It was you! I knew it was you! Those damned ghosts are all dead, so why aren't you dead too?"
Cai Yue'er had always been domineering and volatile. There was no way she'd keep her resentment bottled up.
Ten years ago, when the Abyss erupted, she had represented Shrek Academy in going to the Blood God Legion to help. Everything had gone smoothly, and seven months later, the uprising was put down. She could have returned in triumph with Shrek's glory, basking in the admiration of all.
But then Leng Qingning broke through to Super Douluo.
There were two people Cai Yue'er had hated most in her life.
The first was Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li. Ya Li had stolen the man she loved most, Yun Ming, leaving her to spend her life yearning for what she could never have.
She had always believed that her Soul Power had stalled at Level 96 because she couldn't let go of that heartbreak.
The other was Leng Yaozhu. Leng Yaozhu had once fallen for Yun Ming too, but unlike Cai Yue'er, she had let go of her obsession and become a vice master of the Spirit Pagoda—a renowned Four-Word Battle Armor Master, famous across the continent and living in glory.
She couldn't accept losing to Ya Li; losing to Leng Yaozhu had haunted her even more.
Now even Leng Yaozhu's niece had successfully broken through to Super Douluo and continued advancing, while Cai Yue'er remained stuck in place. How could she accept that?
So she'd kept picking on Leng Qingning, looking for a chance to teach her a lesson.
Leng Qingning wasn't about to indulge a deranged old woman, so the two of them fought.
Then something even more unbearable happened to Cai Yue'er.
She had been a Level 96 Super Douluo for decades, yet she couldn't even handle Leng Qingning, who had only just broken through. Worse still, outside the Blood God Legion's base, several people had surrounded her and beaten her until she looked like a pig's head.
Too humiliated to bear it, she hadn't even waited for the Blood God Legion's order to disband. She'd slunk back to Shrek Academy that very night.
At the time, she'd guessed that Leng Qingning's friends were responsible. But she had no proof, and they had outnumbered her. Alone, she could do nothing, so she'd buried her resentment deep inside.
Now Le Lingzhao had admitted it with her own lips, and Cai Yue'er's madness finally erupted.
Shrek Academy was the greatest academy in the world. No one was allowed to profane Shrek's glory!
So what if they were the Angel Family? So what if they were the Phoenix Family? So what if they were alive? What did it matter if they died?
Cai Yue'er's eyes were bloodshot, her breath coming in heaving gasps. Only endless fury remained in her mind:
Declare war on the Phoenix Family!
Declare war on the Angel Family!
Declare war on the Hongchen Family!
Declare war on the Xu Family!
Declare war on the Yu Family!
Declare war on the Shen Family!
Declare war on the War God Temple!
Declare war on the Spirit Pagoda!
Before you continue