Spirit Pagoda Expedition: Perilous Trials Begin

Night receded, and morning light spilled across the entire Douluo Continent.

The peace of Shrek Academy remained behind them, but Tang Wulin and Gu Yue no longer felt even a trace of sweetness or relaxation.

A true hard battle had only just begun.

The two flew side by side through the sky, their soul power restrained and their auras hidden, without the slightest display of ostentation.

Tang Wulin wore a dark fitted outfit. His adult frame stood tall and steady, and his golden eyes were calm and unruffled, yet only he knew what turbulent waves churned within his heart.

Beside him, Gu Yue's silver-gray hair was tied up, and she wore neat, practical attire. Her cold, beautiful face showed no expression as six elements quietly circulated within her body, ready to deal with any sudden attack.

She said nothing, merely flying silently at his side and telling him through her actions—

I'm here.

The Spirit Pagoda was not Shrek Academy, nor was it a den of evil soul masters.

It was the largest, oldest, and most powerful institution on the entire continent. Openly, it governed the soul master system and controlled soul spirit matching. Secretly, it amassed power, manipulated circumstances, and concealed deadly intent.

It had Titled Douluo-level guardians, the most advanced soul guidance defensive arrays, countless informants and spies, as well as prisons and secret chambers.

To openly take Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, who had been placed under house arrest, out of the Spirit Pagoda?

That was harder than climbing to the heavens.

This was not a place where one could simply charge through with strength alone.

It was a colossal entity filled with traps, wrapped in laws, and enforced by overwhelming power.

"The Spirit Pagoda won't hand them over easily," Tang Wulin said first, his voice low. "They captured my parents to restrain me and study my bloodline. Now that I've become the Dragon Emperor Douluo, they'll be even less willing to let go."

Gu Yue nodded slightly. "There are nine layers of external defenses and twenty-four internal soul guidance restrictions. Several Titled Douluo guard the core area, and the deepest section contains secret prisons specifically designed to imprison important people. Your parents must be on the lowest level."

Her understanding of the Spirit Pagoda far exceeded what anyone could imagine. "If we force our way in, the entire tower will surround and attack us."

Tang Wulin closed his eyes, and memories from his previous life surfaced once more.

Darkness, bitter cold, soul guidance beams, restriction patterns, prison cells descending layer by layer underground...

He remembered the layout of that place, but he also remembered its terror.

"I can't wait any longer."

He opened his eyes, iron determination blazing within his golden pupils. "The longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes. Before they use my parents as their final bargaining chips, I have to get them out."

"I'll go with you," Gu Yue said calmly. "But we can't charge straight into the tower."

"First infiltrate, then locate them, then rescue them, and finally break out."

Twelve short words set the most dangerous, yet most reliable, strategy.

Infiltration—meant avoiding every open and hidden sentry, every soul guidance detector, and every spiritual power scan.

Location—meant finding the most concealed secret prison within the Spirit Pagoda's maze-like structure.

Rescue—meant confronting the top experts guarding his parents head-on.

Breakout—meant carving out a path to survival under the lockdown of the entire tower.

Every step was a deadly trial.

The two lowered their bodies and became two nearly invisible shadows as they quietly approached the Spirit Pagoda's main city.

From afar, the Spirit Pagoda towered into the clouds, its entire structure forged from special metal and gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight. Its layers rose one above another like the tower of death itself, radiating an oppressive presence that inspired fear at first sight.

Patrol squads moved back and forth outside the tower, soul guidance cannons stood ready at all times, and the sky was covered in spiritual power filtering nets invisible to the naked eye. Even a bird approaching would be locked onto instantly.

This was a true dragon's pool and tiger's den.

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue landed in a distant forest without acting rashly.

"The first barrier is the external spiritual power barrier," Gu Yue said softly. "The moment it detects an unfamiliar aura, the entire tower will be alerted."

Tang Wulin took a deep breath. The Golden Dragon King's blood energy withdrew completely, and he suppressed his own aura to the limit, almost blending into nature itself.

"I'll conceal our auras."

He reached out and gently took Gu Yue's hand.

Faint golden light intertwined with silver elements, forming an absolutely concealing membrane that completely enveloped them both.

This was not ordinary concealment, but dual shielding from the Golden Dragon King bloodline and the Silver Dragon King's elements.

Even if a Titled Douluo came in person, they might not be able to see through it.

The two lowered their bodies and sped forward close to the ground like phantoms.

One step, two steps, ten steps...

They passed through gaps between patrol squads, avoided the sightlines of soul guidance cannons, and slipped through blind spots in the spiritual power scans.

Every step was nerve-racking, and every breath had to be controlled with extreme precision.

Once exposed, they would face a fight to the death.

The mere hundred-meter distance was harder than crossing a thousand mountains and rivers.

At last, the two silently passed through the outer defensive perimeter and reached the shadows at the base of the Spirit Pagoda.

"The first layer is past."

Gu Yue spoke softly. Her voice remained calm, but a trace of gravity had appeared in her eyes.

This was only the beginning.

The interior of the Spirit Pagoda was far more terrifying than its exterior.

Passageways crisscrossed one another, restrictions were everywhere, guards stood every few steps, and lethal soul power fluctuations flowed through the air.

Every corner could conceal killing intent.

Behind every door could be an ambush.

Relying on memories from his previous life, Tang Wulin led Gu Yue through the shadows.

He remembered the guards' shift rotations, the weak points in the restrictions, which areas were blind spots, and which were dead ends.

But even so, danger still surrounded them at every turn.

"Someone's coming."

Gu Yue suddenly grabbed Tang Wulin and shoved him into a shadowed corner by the wall.

The next moment, three guards in Spirit Pagoda uniforms slowly passed through the passage ahead. Their soul rings were purple, purple, purple, and black—Soul Douluo-level guards. Their spiritual power swept the surroundings as their sharp eyes searched like eagles.

The two held their breaths and concealed themselves to the utmost limit.

Only after the guards had gone far away did they slowly relax their tense bodies.

"The deeper we go, the stronger the guards become," Tang Wulin said in a low voice. "My parents are imprisoned on the seventh underground level. At least two Titled Douluo guard that floor year-round."

Titled Douluo.

And two of them.

On top of that, the master of the Spirit Pagoda could appear at any time. Once battle began, they would be plunged into a hopeless situation.

Gu Yue's expression remained calm. "I'll hold one off. You rescue them."

One casually spoken sentence, yet she had taken the most dangerous burden upon herself.

Warmth rose in Tang Wulin's heart, but his expression grew even more solemn.

He knew Gu Yue's strength, but the Spirit Pagoda's hidden cards were far more than they appeared to be.

The two continued deeper, passing through three underground levels, breaking four soul guidance restrictions, and evading seven waves of patrolling guards.

Every time, they came perilously close to discovery.

Just as they were about to reach the fifth underground level, a blinding light suddenly lit up the passage ahead.

A cold voice slowly rang out:

"Dragon Emperor Douluo Tang Wulin, stop hiding. You are already surrounded."

At the end of the passage, a figure stood with hands clasped behind his back.

Soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

The pressure of a Limit Douluo erupted outward!

The entire passage was sealed in an instant. Their retreat was blocked, and their path forward was barred.

The Spirit Pagoda had long since laid down a net from which there was no escape, waiting for them to walk into it.

Tang Wulin slowly straightened, shielding Gu Yue behind him. There was not the slightest fear in his golden eyes, only cold battle intent.

He knew that the infiltration was over.

From this moment onward, they could only force their way through.

Gu Yue stepped out from behind him and stood at his side. Icebound Myriad Miles filled her silver-gray eyes as elemental power quietly began to boil.

"You want to stop us."

"Then step over my corpse first."

The Limit Douluo sneered. "So what if you're the Silver Dragon King? This is the Spirit Pagoda, not a place where you can run wild. Hand over Tang Wulin, and I can spare your life."

The corners of Gu Yue's lips rose slightly, revealing an utterly icy smile.

There was no answer—only the roar of elements erupting in an instant.

Battle was about to begin.

And Tang Wulin's parents were still waiting for him on the deeper, darker, and more perilous seventh underground level.

The road to saving his parents was far more difficult, dangerous, and close to death than he had imagined.