Plot-Induced Death

The Holy Spirit Cult's overall strength plummeted, and its standing in the eyes of the Sun Moon Empire and other major powers also fell drastically.

They were once formidable collaborators, but now they are a crumbling sect crushed by Demigod.

Zhongli Wu had lost all his support: his twelve Titled Douluo were gone, the territory of the Blood Sea Wraith Spear was gone, leaving him only with half a life and a heart still beating with resentment.

[And then? Later, he encountered Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong, who had broken through to Level 98, in the Evil Demon Forest.]

Two newly advanced top-tier Soul Master faced off against a severely weakened Evil Soul Master, and the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The two worked together to completely kill Zhongli Wu.

The once-powerful leader of the evil cult left no trace, not even his bones.

Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong didn't even have to exert too much effort, because Zhongli Wu was no longer able to live up to the title of sect leader after being severely injured by Di Tian.

His death in the Evil Demon Forest was less the end of an era for a powerful figure and more like the exit of a gambler after losing all his chips.

This hunt was a tragedy woven from desire from beginning to end.

Zhongli Wu thought he was hunting Di Tian, but in reality, he was the one being hunted.

His biggest mistake wasn't underestimating Di Tian's strength; the difference in strength was obvious, and he was well aware of it.

His biggest mistake was mistaking a victory from a sneak attack for proof of his true strength.

He couldn't distinguish between luck and skill, nor could he differentiate between an opponent's retreat and their defeat.

He wasn't ignoring his subordinates' advice, he just wouldn't listen.

The Ju Zi' encouragement was merely an external force; what truly destroyed him was his own greed and unbridled arrogance.

Star Dou Forest, at the bottom of the Lake of Life.

Gu Yuena sat quietly in the moonlight, her long silver hair almost blending into the night.

A very faint smile played on her lips.

"Zhongli Wu."

She murmured the name as if it were a joke.

In Gu Yuena's mind, Di Tian was one of the top combat forces of the Soul Beast Clan and the true guardian of the Star Dou Forest during her slumber.

The idea that a human Evil Soul Master dared to venture deep into the Star Dou Core to hunt down Di Tian, accompanied by twelve Titled Douluo, was so absurd that she found it somewhat laughable, even though she only heard it from Lin Ye.

But absurd as it may have been, Zhongli Wu's first sneak attack did indeed injure Di Tian.

Gu Yuena knew that if Di Tian had been in good condition at the time, those twelve people wouldn't have been able to even touch his shadow.

However, Di Tian had just fought fiercely with Xuan Zi and Huo Yuhao, and his Soul Power and Spirit Power were both overdrawn, which is why he was injured by that level of siege.

This bothered her somewhat; the Soul Beast Clan was ultimately too passive.

Di Tian exhausted himself in order to stop Huo Yuhao from breaking through. If this kind of war of attrition continues, the defense line of the Star Dou Forest will eventually have a bigger crack.

By then, there will only be more and more human speculators like Zhongli Wu.

"All twelve Titled Douluo were wiped out, and the core fighting force of the Holy Spirit Cult was completely destroyed."

Gu Yuena looked up at the lake. "This is a good result. Although Di Tian was forced to fight, at least those ants hiding in the shadows have learned that the Star Dou Forest is not a place for them to run rampant."

She paused, her voice soft. "But Di Tian, don't exhaust yourself like that again next time. Soul Beast can't afford to lose."

It can be said that Zhongli Wu's rise to become the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult was not entirely due to luck.

Many things cannot be accomplished by mediocre people; he has the ability and the skill to do them.

But ability and wisdom are two different things, as are skill and vision. A truly intelligent person can distinguish between luck and strength, and a person with a strong sense of the big picture will not gamble the entire sect's elite forces to chase a Demigod just because a sneak attack succeeds.

Zhongli Wu stumbled on this very point, blinded by his initial success, and ended up losing himself, his twelve Titled Douluo, and the core strength of the Holy Spirit Cult.

The saying "An incompetent general brings ruin to his entire army" perfectly describes someone like him.

In fact, similar things have happened repeatedly in the history of the Douluo Continent.

When a person possesses power far exceeding their wisdom, they are easily consumed by the illusions that power brings.

Zhongli Wu thought he could stand up to Di Tian with his twelve titles and level nine Soul Guidance Cannon, but he was shattered by Di Tian's dragon might.

He usually relies on devouring souls to quickly improve his cultivation level, so his foundation is inherently weak. At the same level, the combat power he can actually exert is far inferior to that of a traditional Soul Master has cultivated step by step.

This is a common problem among Evil Soul Master: they cultivate quickly, but their foundation is unstable.

The methods are ruthless, but the foundation is not solid.

It's already difficult to gain an advantage when encountering a true Soul Master of the same level, let alone going up against Demigod.

This is like trying to cut a wall made of iron with a knife made of paper; the result is predictable.

Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong played a part in Zhongli Wu's death.

But what truly dragged him into the abyss was himself.

If he hadn't squandered the lives of twelve Titled Douluo and burned most of his life essence at the Star Dou Core, with his Level 98 cultivation, he might not have been able to protect himself even when facing the combined forces of Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong.

However, he had already played all his trump cards, and in the end, he could only face two newly-breakthrough top-level experts with his broken body.

His death was not accidental; it was an ending predetermined in the Star Dou Forest.

Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong were merely following the arc of cause and effect, bringing this absurd hunt to a close.

Also, it's hard to believe this wasn't a plot device.

Zhongli Wu fought with all his might and escaped from the clutches of a Demigod.

Instead of heading towards their hideout, he deliberately ran in the opposite direction, where he ended up encountering Huo Yuhao and his wife.

At that time, Huo Yuhao and his wife were already Super Douluo. Although they had just broken through to Super Douluo, their combat power far exceeded their apparent Soul Power level.

Not to mention they also have a bunch of cheat codes, plus Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and Zhongli Wu is on the verge of death, so they don't have much combat power at all.

Given this series of circumstances, it was possible to kill the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult with very little effort.

This is actually quite dramatic. You should know that the person killed wasn't just an insignificant figure; it was the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult.

After killing the leader of the Holy Spirit Cult, to what extent will Huo Yuhao's prestige increase? It's unimaginable.

Huo Yuhao was already the leading figure of the new generation at Shrek. His strength surpassed that of 99% of the people, and only a few could defeat Huo Yuhao in a one-on-one fight.

Moreover, Huo Yuhao's strength is undeniable. After slaying Zhongli Wu and taking the head of the Holy Spirit Cult leader, how much of a storm will Huo Yuhao's reputation unleash on the Douluo Continent and the Sun Moon Continent?