The white light gradually faded, but the violent aura of destruction that had engulfed heaven and earth refused to subside.
Above the ruins of Shrek Academy, it was as if a wound had been torn open in the sky, one that could never heal.
The once-level ground had become a vast, glassy crater with no visible bottom.
The air around it warped violently from the extreme heat.
There were no screams. No bloodstains.
The lofty, arrogant Third Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult, Dark Bell—
along with her terrifying Level 98 cultivation and her hundred-zhang-tall Martial Soul Avatar—had been completely erased from the world.
Seated comfortably in the Vanguard Titan's cockpit, Luo Feng watched the red dot on the radar screen fade to zero.
At that moment, his mind was flooded with a stream of delightful system notifications, like a festival in full swing:
[ Ding! An extremely high-value target's life signs have completely ceased! ]
[ Congratulations, Pilot! You have successfully defeated and killed a Level 98 Evil Soul Master (Third Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult)—Dark Bell! ]
[ Ding! You have obtained an enormous amount of pure, divine Soul Power experience! ]
[ Current Soul Power Level experience bar is full. Breaking through...]
[ Congratulations! Your Soul Power Level has increased by two levels! Current Soul Power Level: 97 (Super Douluo)! ]
[ Ding! Material reconstruction analysis progress for the Level 12 God-Slaying Soul Guidance Cannon has greatly increased. Current total progress: 65%! ]
She had watched Dark Bell vanish into nothing beneath the three Level 10 Soul Guidance Cannons, unable to last even a second.
The Dark Phoenix, once feared by countless people, stared at the steel behemoth slowly approaching.
Her eyes held nothing but raw terror and despair.
Her delicate body shook uncontrollably. Even with burns from the electric net marking her skin,
she bit down hard on her lip, not daring to make a sound.
"Hiss!"
With a hiss of escaping air, the armor over the Vanguard Titan's chest slowly opened.
Luo Feng leaped from the cockpit and landed steadily on the ground, then strolled toward his "spoils of war."
Just as Luo Feng was about to tease the long-legged beauty, several hurried whooshes sounded behind him.
"Lord Luo Feng, please wait!"
Tang Wulin raced over, holding the phantom image of the Sea God Trident, his face grim.
Beside him was a beautiful woman with a noble bearing. Her eyes were red, and killing intent roiled around her.
It was none other than Ya Li, one of Shrek Academy's pillars, the Holy Spirit Douluo!
"Oh? Sect Master Tang, Senior Holy Spirit, what brings you here..."
Luo Feng stopped and looked at the two with an amused smile.
Ya Li stared at the Dark Phoenix trapped in the net, her chest heaving.
Her voice was filled with unrestrained grief and hatred.
"Luo Feng, thank you for killing Dark Bell.
But this woman... please hand her over to Shrek for questioning!"
"Exactly."
Tang Wulin stepped forward, his gaze icy.
"The Holy Spirit Cult destroyed our academy and killed Pavilion Master Yun Ming. Shrek will never forget that blood debt!
Now that we've finally captured one of the Holy Spirit Cult's Four Heavenly Kings alive, we have to pry open her mouth and uncover all their bases and schemes!"
At Tang Wulin and Ya Li's uncompromising looks, Luo Feng shrugged and smiled carelessly.
"Suit yourselves. My electric net has already sealed off her Soul Power. She's just an ordinary woman now, completely powerless.
Ask her whatever you want, but don't kill her. I still have a use for her. She's my future full-time maid."
At the word "maid,"
the Dark Phoenix in the net clenched her teeth in humiliation, but didn't dare utter a word in protest.
Ya Li drew a deep breath, tamped down her emotions, and slowly approached the metal net.
The holy light of healing around her seemed ice-cold now, like a blade of judgment.
"Dark Phoenix—or should I call you the younger sister of the Spirit Pagoda's vice master?"
Ya Li's opening words exploded like a bomb in the ears of Tang Wulin and the others!
"What?"
Tang Wulin was stunned. He whipped around to look at the woman in the net.
"She's with the Spirit Pagoda!"
The Dark Phoenix's body jolted.
A flicker of panic crossed her eyes beneath her disheveled hair, but she stubbornly turned her head away.
"I don't know what you're talking about!
I was just unlucky to fall into your hands. Kill me or torture me, do as you please!"
"Heh. Quite the backbone, huh?"
Luo Feng sneered and snapped his fingers.
"BT, turn up the heat."
[ Acknowledged, Pilot.
Electromagnetic Restraint Net output increased to 15%. Activating Neural Pain Simulation. ]
"Zzzzt!"
Blinding blue-white arcs instantly erupted across the dark gold metal net.
The electricity didn't damage her body. Instead, it struck her nerve endings directly, amplifying her pain dozens of times over!
"Ah!!"
The Dark Phoenix let out a scream of pure agony.
She curled into a ball inside the net, her cold sweat soaking through her tattered leather outfit in an instant.
After less than five seconds, Luo Feng raised a hand to signal the net to stop.
"That was just an appetizer."
Luo Feng crouched down and looked at her pale face through the metal mesh.
"Your bell-ringing companion didn't even leave behind ashes.
I have ten thousand ways to make you wish you were dead, yet keep you alive.
So speak. Tell me every detail of how that old fox Qiangu Dongfeng hired you!"
Under the terror of death, the trauma of watching her companion reduced to nothing, and Luo Feng's merciless torture,
the once-lofty Heavenly King's mental defenses finally crumbled.
"Don't... don't shock me again... I'll talk... I'll tell you everything..."
The Dark Phoenix gasped for breath, tears mixing with sweat as they ran down her face. Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"It was Qiangu Dongfeng... He was the one who contacted Lord Underworld Emperor..."
"Qiangu Dongfeng's grandson, Qiangu Zhangting, was killed by you in the East Sea." She glanced at Luo Feng in terror. "He couldn't find direct evidence that you were responsible, and he didn't dare openly deploy the Spirit Pagoda's forces, so...
"So he secretly used the highest-level single-line communication channel to contact our Holy Spirit Cult."
The moment she said this, a deathly silence fell over the scene.
Tang Wulin clenched both fists with a sharp crack, his nails digging deep into his flesh until blood trickled between his fingers.
Ya Li trembled with rage, disbelief and fury filling her eyes.
"The dignified master of the Spirit Pagoda, leader of one of the Federation's most powerful forces, actually... actually colluded with Evil Soul Masters?!"
"That's not all..."
To save her life, the Dark Phoenix had abandoned all thought of confidentiality agreements. She poured out every secret as if emptying a basket of beans.
"To prove his sincerity, Qiangu Dongfeng gave us the exact route and coordinates for your landing on Douluo Continent. He even...
"He even shut down all the surveillance at three large Soul Beast Protection Zones along the East Sea coast for two hours."