Around him, five white-haired elders sat slumped in their chairs, their faces ashen, as if they had just survived a great battle.
"Lizard... a mutated giant-footed lizard..."
The Second Elder's lips trembled as he kept repeating Heiqing's words, his eyes vacant.
"That was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
"It's the only Beast Martial Soul sect among the Upper Three Sects!"
"Though our Clear Sky Sect has always called itself the greatest sect under heaven and looked down on those long, thunder-wielding bugs, we have to admit that even the Sect Master would have to exert himself to deal with that old Yu Yuanzhen."
"But now someone was holding him up like a chick and had even stripped him of his Spirit Bone..."
At that, the Seventh Elder couldn't help swallowing. Then he suddenly slapped the table.
But the face that was usually so quick to flare with anger was now filled with fear.
"The most outrageous part was the Spirit Bone. It was a sixty-thousand-year-old Spirit Bone!"
"Our Clear Sky Sect has been passed down for so many years, and we only have a few inherited Spirit Bones in total. We usually keep them enshrined like treasures. Who would dare desecrate one like that?"
"And then they used it to pave the ground? Or did they only use it because they thought the color was tacky?"
"This... this is like peeling the skin off every Douluo's face and throwing it on the ground to stomp on!"
Hearing this, Tang Xiao took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the turbulent waves surging in his heart.
He raised his head and looked at the enormous Clear Sky plaque above the great hall. For the first time, a trace of confusion flickered in his eyes.
"Our Clear Sky Sect has kept its gates shut and avoided the world for many years. We always thought that as long as we cultivated Ring Detonation and trained the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to perfection, we could become invincible under heaven."
"Even though we were wary of Spirit Hall, we were never truly afraid of them."
"But today..."
Tang Xiao paused, his voice unusually hoarse.
"The appearance of that higher-dimensional world has made me understand something."
"The Clear Sky Hammer, the greatest Tool Martial Soul under heaven that we pride ourselves on, might just be a broken hammer for blacksmithing in the eyes of people from that world."
"If I had been chosen..."
As he spoke, Tang Xiao glanced at his enormous Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul, then let out a bitter laugh.
"I'm afraid my fate wouldn't have been much better than Yu Yuanzhen's."
"That black-armored man dares to kill true dragons and can even tear through space. My hammer would probably be too light to even scratch an itch for him."
"Big Brother..."
The elders watched Tang Xiao's dispirited figure. Each of them felt as though something were lodged in their throats, leaving them unable to speak.
However, the Sky Screen broadcast did not stop because of their despair.
As the images on the screen shifted, a new scene slowly appeared.
Battle Through the Heavens Plane, eastern Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Core region.
This was the most infamous perilous place in the Jia Ma Empire. Ancient trees towered into the sky, poisonous mists filled the air, and countless high-ranking magical beasts dwelled there. Even Dou Ling experts dared not venture far into its depths.
Rumble!!
Suddenly, a loud boom rang out as a thick streak of golden light slammed into a stretch of primeval forest in the core region.
The earth trembled in an instant. Countless towering trees snapped at the trunks, kicking up a vast cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, a massive black silhouette, as huge as a mountain, came into view.
Its entire body was pitch-black, its muscles bulging like granite. Its eyes shone with the light of yellow crystals, and even standing still, it gave off a terrifying pressure that made it hard to breathe.
The king of the Star Dou Forest, the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming!
"Roar!!"
As soon as Er Ming landed, he habitually pounded his chest, unleashing a roar that shook the forest.
As the overlord of the Star Dou Forest, he had long been accustomed to declaring his territory this way.
On the Douluo Continent, whenever he let out a roar like that, every Soul Beast within a hundred miles—whether a thousand-year or a ten-thousand-year one—would obediently lie on the ground, trembling.
"So this is that higher-dimensional world?"
After taking a brief look around, Er Ming snorted two streams of white vapor from his nostrils. His thunderous voice echoed through the forest and carried into the distance.
"The energy in the air is pretty rich, but why aren't any of these so-called magical beasts making a sound?"
"Did my pressure scare them into hiding?"
"Yeah, that makes sense. This world might be powerful, but there can't be ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts everywhere. I might not be the strongest, but I can't be among the weakest, either."
At that thought, a distinctly human look of satisfaction flickered in Er Ming's eyes.
As far as he could sense, there were plenty of signs of life around him, but most of them were lying low, afraid to move.
This immediately boosted his confidence.
What higher-dimensional world? What terrifying place?
Looks like the world of beasts still came down to strength!
Er Ming possessed supreme strength and defense, as well as the Gravity Control Domain. He was definitely a formidable presence even in this world.
"Since I'm here, this forest belongs to me from now on!"
After pounding his chest excitedly once more, Er Ming strode forward, very pleased with himself, ready to patrol his new territory.
But just as he took his first step, a purple light suddenly flashed with a hum atop a distant mountain peak.
In the next moment, a scorching aura, countless times more violent than Er Ming's, locked onto him!
"Hmm?"
Sensing the threat, Er Ming whipped his head around.
Then a streak of purple light shot toward him like a comet chasing the moon, tearing through the air. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of him!
It was a huge beast, covered in purple crystals, with wings on its back and a fearsome lion's head.
It wasn't all that large next to the Titan Giant Ape, which stood dozens of meters tall, but the energy rippling over its body like purple flames made every hair on Er Ming's body stand on end!
Sixth-Rank Magical Beast: Amethyst Winged Lion King!
It was a true overlord of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, a terrifying being comparable to a human Dou Huang expert!
"Roar! Where'd this black-furred monkey come from, making all that noise on my territory?"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King hovered in the air, its savage eyes fixed coldly on Er Ming as it spoke in human language.
"You're so noisy! Do you want to die for disturbing my nap?"
Hearing the little lion call him a monkey, Er Ming instantly flew into a rage!
With his blood rushing to his head, he stopped caring about this higher-dimensional world and prepared to teach the beast a lesson.
"Roar! You little kitty! I'm the king of the forest, the Titan Giant Ape. How dare you show me disrespect?"
"You're the one who's asking for death!"
With that, Er Ming roared. Yellow light blazed around him as his Innate Domain activated!
"Gravity Control Domain, get down!"
Boom!
In an instant, a terrifying wave of gravity spread out from Er Ming, enveloping an area a thousand meters across.
But strangely, when he unleashed this move on the Douluo Continent, the ground would collapse in an instant, and countless giant trees would be crushed to powder!
Even Titled Douluo experts could barely move under it!
Yet in this world, neither the earth nor the trees budged at all, as if they had been welded in place with steel bars.
Worse still, the Amethyst Winged Lion King hovering in midair merely swayed a little.
A flash of purple light passed over the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and its layer of purple crystals seemed to shut out all rules, forcibly withstanding the gravitational pressure!
"That's it?"
After feeling the Titan Giant Ape's gravitational pressure, a trace of mockery appeared in the Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes.
"Controlling gravity? A paltry trick!"
"Let me show you what real power looks like! Amethyst Seal!"
Roar!
The Amethyst Winged Lion King opened its jaws. A dazzling purple beam shot out, ignoring Er Ming's Gravity Domain completely, then slammed into his rock-hard chest!
Pfft!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a piercing sound that made one's teeth ache.
Er Ming's vaunted, supposedly invincible defense—the granite skin that even a Titled Douluo's Soul Skill could barely pierce—was burned through in an instant by the purple beam as if it were made of tofu. A hole opened clean through his chest!
"Aaagh!!!"
Er Ming let out an agonized scream as his massive body crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.
"Too weak."
After killing the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming in a single move, the Amethyst Winged Lion King slowly descended. Then it planted a paw on Er Ming's head, as if stepping on a ball.
"Nothing but brute strength. Your energy is as loose as cotton."
"And you call yourself the king of the forest? You're a joke."
"My lair could use a laborer to stand guard. You're pathetically weak, but that size of yours might just do."
As it spoke, the Amethyst Winged Lion King casually tossed out a purple-flame chain, looped it around Er Ming's neck like a leash, then dragged the gravely wounded Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast toward the mountaintop.
Er Ming's blood stained the mountain path as they went.
The former king of the forest was dragged along like a rag doll, too weak even to howl.
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.
At the edge of the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Forest.
"Er Ming!!"
A heartbroken howl rang through the clouds. Da Ming, the Sky Azure Bull Python, who had hidden away in fear, suddenly rushed out.
Tears and disbelief filled his enormous bull's head.
He was Er Ming's big brother. The two beasts had depended on each other for a hundred thousand years, and their bond was profound.
In his eyes, Er Ming might not have been as strong as him, but he was still undoubtedly one of the strongest beings on the continent.
His defense in particular was so formidable that even Super Douluo among humans would struggle to break it!
Yet now, that little lion had pierced through it with a single blow.
"How could this be!!!"
Da Ming's enormous body coiled around a giant tree on the island in the middle of the lake. He trembled all over, his voice filled with despair.
"That purple lion was clearly so small. Why was it so powerful?"
"And that purple flame! It not only burned through Er Ming's defenses, it even sealed his Soul Power!"
"Terrifying! That world is terrifying!"
"Our hundred thousand years of cultivation, and we couldn't even withstand a single move from a lion in that world?"
"What kind of Ferocious Beasts are we? What kind of kings of the forest are we?"
"And what kind of world is that, anyway?!"
Da Ming had broken down.
His pride in his strength and his dignity as an overlord among Soul Beasts had both been crushed underfoot when the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming was killed with a single blow.
If he were chosen to go to that world, too...
Da Ming glanced at the Slow Domain he had always prided himself on, then shook his head with a bitter laugh.
His fate probably wouldn't be much better than Er Ming's.
Elsewhere, at Shrek Academy.
"No! Er Ming!"
Xiao Wu was already sobbing uncontrollably. She clutched Tang San's arm so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh, yet she didn't notice. It made Third Brother grimace in pain.
Xiao Wu's eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and her body shook violently.
"Third Brother! That's Er Ming. I know him!"
"He's so strong and sturdy. How could a little lion beat him like this?"
"What kind of creature is that purple lion? It didn't even use all its strength. Why... why would that world treat us like this?"
"Are Soul Beasts destined to be other people's prey, other people's slaves?"
Xiao Wu's cries were piteous and helpless. Everyone around her felt a pang of sorrow, but they were also confused, with the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Tang San was no different. Though he didn't understand why Xiao Wu knew the Titan Giant Ape or why she was so upset and saying these things, he still held her tightly, his expression dark enough to drip water.
He stared at the Titan Giant Ape being dragged away like a dead dog on the screen. Alongside his anger, he felt an even deeper helplessness.
"A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast has strength comparable to a Titled Douluo."
"In that world, it was killed in one move by some unknown magical beast."
"And judging by that magical beast's intelligence, it's extremely high. It can even speak and build a lair."
"That's clearly a powerful beast clan with a complete social structure and cultivation system!"
At that thought, Tang San couldn't help shivering.
"Would my Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer really mean anything in the face of that kind of absolute strength and energy density?"
"If I ever ran into a monster of that level..."
Tang San didn't dare think any further.
His prized Hidden Weapons—perhaps even Guanyin Tear—wouldn't be able to scratch the Amethyst Winged Lion King's hide.
Elsewhere, at Spirit Hall's Elder Hall.
Unlike the Soul Beasts' grief, the powerful figures here felt mostly the terror of a rabbit dying in the fox's presence.
"Good grief, what terrifying piercing power!"
Ghost Douluo, who had already been devastated by Yan's death, stared at the gaping hole through Er Ming's chest and felt a phantom pain in his own.
"I've experienced the Titan Giant Ape's defenses firsthand."
"Back then, Chrysanthemum Guan and I had to join forces and use the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Polar Static Domain, just to hold it for a moment."
"To break through its defenses, at least three Titled Douluo would have to attack the same spot at once!"
"But that Purple Lion..."
At the thought, Ghost Douluo couldn't help swallowing. He spoke with a bitter expression:
"It only took one breath!"
"No charging up, no complicated skill windup. It just opened its mouth and spat out a beam of light!"
"Even a level 99 Limit Douluo probably wouldn't dare take that attack head-on, would they?"
At that moment, Qian Daoliu, seated at the head of the room, heard him. Though his face was as grim as could be, he unusually offered no rebuttal.
Because he knew Gui Mei was telling the truth.
The level of that purple energy was far too high. It was pure destructive force, without any frills.
"It seems our assessment of that world was still far too conservative."
Then Qian Daoliu let out a long sigh. Looking at the Angel Holy Sword in his hand, a trace of uncertainty flashed through his eyes:
"Our god, the Angel God..."
"If she were in that world, could she defeat that lion?"
No one dared answer that question, and no one could.
Above the Sky Screen, the images continued.
While everyone on Douluo Continent was still left breathless by Er Ming's plight, the scene shifted once more.
This time, it turned to the legendary figure known as Blind Douluo, the very Su Yuntao who had once awakened Tang San's Martial Soul.
Battle Through the Heavens Plane, Jia Ma Empire.
The outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Su Yuntao stood in a forest, utterly bewildered, still clutching the certificate that read "Trash Martial Soul."
"W-where am I?"
"Wasn't I working at the Nuoding City Branch Hall?"
Before he could figure out what was going on, a low growl suddenly sounded all around him.
Then, a dozen pairs of glowing green eyes lit up one after another in the bushes on every side.
It was a Tier 2 Magical Beast, a Wind Wolf Pack!
Though they were only Tier 2, roughly equivalent to Dou Shi, magical beasts of the same rank in the Battle Through the Heavens World had far greater physical strength than humans—not to mention a Soul Grandmaster from Douluo Continent.
"Hmph! So it's just a bunch of wolf pups!"
But when Su Yuntao saw the pack, confidence immediately surged within him.
After all, his Martial Soul was a Lone Wolf, the elite of the wolf kind!
"In the presence of my Lone Wolf Martial Soul, you beasts had better submit obediently!"
"Martial Soul Possession, Lone Wolf!"
Su Yuntao let out a loud shout. The two Soul Rings around him, one white and one yellow, lit up in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Su Yuntao's body swelled rapidly. Gray fur sprouted across him, and his hands turned into wolf claws. He even struck what he thought was a handsome pose, then roared at the pack:
"Awooooo!!!"
He tried to use his superior aura to intimidate the Wind Wolves.
But the dozen or so Wind Wolves stared at the suddenly furry human making strange noises. There was no fear in their eyes—in fact, from their expressions, they almost seemed amused.
To them, this human's aura was pitifully weak, the energy in his body as thin as paper, yet he insisted on putting on a fearsome act.
Most importantly, the wolf stink on him was completely inauthentic!
It was nothing short of an insult to the wolf kind!
"Roar!"
At that moment, the lead wolf seemed to have lost patience. It let out a low growl, giving the order to attack.
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