"Little mouse, who was in charge of that area?" Ming Yue asked with an interested smile.
Taking Leng Yaozhu's hand, Ming Yue walked with her toward the source of the sound.
"Um—wasn't it Cang Ying Douluo?" Leng Yaozhu replied softly, her feelings complicated as she looked at Ming Yue.
"Cang Ying Douluo? Then we'll dock his strategic resources for next month."
As they spoke, they arrived at the source of the commotion. They kicked aside the barrier in front of them, and sure enough, a filthy child covered in blood appeared before them.
"Ah, what a poor child. You actually managed to escape with your life. What a cruel world."
He released Leng Yaozhu's hand with a sigh and crouched down. Under the little boy's hateful gaze, he stroked the head caked with blood and dust.
Ming Yue continued gently, "You've lost your entire clan, yet you dared to make a move while we were still here."
"Let me guess—you still have a younger brother or sister who's alive, don't you?"
The little boy's expression instantly turned terrified. Ming Yue smiled tenderly and used Soul Power to snap his neck.
"Fool." He brushed the dust from his hands, then stood and gestured.
A Spirit Pagoda Douluo who had been following at a distance immediately understood and began searching the area carefully.
"...Yaozhu, do you think I'm a little cruel?"
Only then did Ming Yue look back at the silent Leng Yaozhu beside him. He took her hands again and asked.
"Don't be silly." She retorted instinctively, then took Ming Yue's hands in hers.
"I just suddenly feel that even though I've become a Titled Douluo, the distance between us still seems so vast, A-Yue."
Her thoughts returned to the battlefield. Even when faced with the arrival of the legendary and famed Sea God Tang San, Ming Yue had remained calm and kept the situation under control.
He had even completely destroyed the other's projection!
And her? Just facing the might of that projection had filled her with fear from the bottom of her heart.
"Yaozhu!" Ming Yue interrupted her wandering thoughts with a soft call. He gazed warmly into her beautiful eyes and smiled gently.
"Distance only exists when one side is longing for the other alone. Otherwise, there's no such thing as being far apart."
"Now that I think about it, I was worrying over nothing."
His warm, resonant voice kept flowing into her ears. Under Ming Yue's gentle gaze, Leng Yaozhu met his eyes, her pretty face unconsciously turning rosy.
She soon understood what he meant. As she secretly resolved to work even harder at her cultivation, she also found herself comforting Ming Yue.
"No matter what decisions A-Yue makes in the future, no matter what A-Yue does, Yulai and I will always, always, always support you and stand firmly by your side!"
A breeze happened to pass, stirring the hair of the two gazing at each other. Ming Yue lowered his head without thinking, touching his forehead to Leng Yaozhu's smooth, jade-like brow.
Their breaths mingled, clear between them. Their hair, swept together by the wind, seemed to tell of the tender affection between them~
[Age 24: The disappearance of Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie! The entire Sea God Clan vanished mysteriously, leaving behind only a deserted island. The incident shook the entire continent!]
[Some busybodies speculated that Vast Sea Douluo had mysteriously become a god, while others guessed he had left Douluo Continent with his entire clan!]
[Amid all the rumors, only Chen Xinjie's son, Chen Zeyu, knew that his father had vanished after receiving his clan's distress signal!]
[Age 25: Under your arrangements, the Spirit Pagoda successfully and thoroughly absorbed Chen Xinjie, as well as the strategic "resources" contributed by the Sea God Clan!]
[The number of Super and Peak Douluos on the Spirit Pagoda's side increased greatly! It even gained another Limit Douluo!]
[That same year, with the resources and cultivation guidance you arranged, Leng Yaozhu broke through to level 95 and became the youngest Super Douluo in Douluo Continent's history. Leng Yulai also reached level 89, just one step away from becoming a Titled Douluo!]
[Age 26: The projection of Little Scumbag that you had cut down during the extermination of the Sea God Clan had always been a thorn in your heart.]
[You vaguely remembered that Little Scumbag seemed to have used his top-notch skills as a parasitic bloodsucker to pull off the so-called "Ten Thousand Year Great Parasitism" on you.]
[For the main quest, Rescue Prayer of the Plane Spirit, and to set your mind at ease, you decided to wipe out the remnants of Tang and Shrek!]
[Starting with the so-called reclusive Tang Sect, you devised a meticulous plan called Exterminate Tang and Eradicate Shrek Plan!]
In the Spirit Pagoda's confidential meeting room.
The scene was familiar, but unlike the previous meeting targeting the Sea God Clan, this time the room held many more Super and Peak Douluos, along with a Limit Douluo!
"Most of you have already reviewed the latest information on the Tang Sect and Shrek. So, what do you think of this Exterminate Tang and Eradicate Shrek Plan I've proposed?"
Resting one hand beneath his chin and lightly tapping the table with the other, Ming Yue spoke first in a calm voice.
"Given the Spirit Pagoda's current strength, wiping out these two powers wouldn't be a problem."
"But if we want to eliminate both of them without a trace, I believe that would be ill-advised."
An attendee quickly took up the thread. Naturally, he had no objections to Ming Yue's plan.
But considering all the other factors, he still voiced his concerns.
"Indeed. The Tang Sect's public master is currently Heartless Douluo."
"But no one knows how many Super, Peak, or even Limit Douluos they have in secret. After all, the Tang Sect still bears the Tang name."
An agreeing voice rang out as another attendee shared his view.
"Fools! When did the Tower Master's plan ever say we'd strike both powers at the same time?"
"According to the order of operations, the Tower Master wants to deal with the Tang Sect first, then absorb the 'resources,' and only after that will we ride the tide of momentum and crush Shrek. Understand?"
As soon as the attendee finished speaking, the newly ascended Limit Douluo sneered, scolded him, and voiced his opinion.
"Heh. That's easy for you to say, Your Excellency Snake Emperor. The Tang Sect and Shrek have always been of one mind."
"Besides, the Tang Sect has gone through several revivals. Who knows whether they still have some hidden trump card?"
"So can you guarantee that not a single word will leak out while we're wiping out the Tang Sect?"
Another attendee gave a cold laugh. Everyone agreed with Ming Yue's plan, but they all had their own opinions on how to carry it out—and how to execute it perfectly. Before long, the argument grew heated.
Before you continue