The thunderous crash of the secret prison gate shattering continued to echo through the deep, empty expanse of the Underground Seventh Floor. Heavy metal fragments lay scattered across the ground, ringing with cold, crisp sounds. Dust slowly settled, making the already dim prison seem even more oppressive and clearly reflecting the two huddled figures in the corner—figures long since worn down by torment—in Tang Wulin's eyes.
At that moment, it was as if the entire world had fallen silent.
All the bloody battles, all the exhaustion, all the pain, all the suffering of two lifetimes of reincarnation—all of it turned into a scorching tide that rushed toward Tang Wulin's eyes, choking his throat until he could barely make a sound.
Inside the cell, Tang Ziran's hair had long turned gray and disheveled. The man who had once been gentle and refined, immersed in Soul Guidance research every day, now wore tattered clothes and bore marks from restraint chains all over his body. Bloodstains still lingered around his wrists and ankles. His gaze was murky and exhausted, but the instant he saw Tang Wulin, his eyes abruptly widened in utter disbelief.
Beside him, Lang Yue's face was so pale it was nearly translucent, her cracked lips devoid of any color. She was so weak that even raising a hand was difficult. This mother, who had always saved the best food for her son and shed tears whenever he was hurt, suddenly lit up with the gentlest, most astonishing light in her once-dull eyes the instant she recognized Tang Wulin.
It was the tremor of bloodline connection.
It was the unique light in a mother's eyes when she saw her son.
"Wulin..."
Tang Ziran's voice was hoarse and dry, trembling violently. "Is it really you? My child... is it really you?"
"It's me, Dad."
Tang Wulin walked into the cell step by step. Each step felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, landing on the rubble-strewn ground and upon the obsession that had followed him through two lifetimes. His voice trembled as well. The cold, killing intent he showed before powerful enemies was gone from his golden eyes, leaving only boundless tenderness and heartache.
"It's me. I'm here."
"I'm sorry you suffered."
Lang Yue's eyes instantly reddened. Tears silently streamed down her haggard cheeks and dripped onto her worn clothing. She extended a thin, trembling hand toward Tang Wulin, only to stop in midair, as though afraid that everything before her was merely an illusion born from the edge of despair—one touch, and it would shatter.
"My child... it really is you..."
She repeated the words in a voice as soft as the wind, yet filled with soul-rending pain.
Tang Wulin quickly crouched down and gently took his parents' cold, emaciated hands.
Warmth flowed from his fingertips. That incomparably real warmth, that resonance deeply connected by blood, finally gave his heart—tense, agonized, and devoured by regret for two lifetimes—a brief moment of peace.
It wasn't a dream.
He had truly done it.
He had truly arrived while his parents were still safe.
"Let's go. I'll take you out of here."
Tang Wulin suppressed the surging emotions in his chest, his voice steady and firm. "I'll take you home, back to Shrek. No one will ever separate us again."
He reached out, about to help Tang Ziran and Lang Yue to their feet.
At that very instant—
Boom—!!!
The entire Underground Seventh Floor suddenly shook violently. Great chunks of rock fell from overhead, and rubble rained down. The already frigid air was instantly filled with an unbearably cold, suffocating killing pressure.
It was not the presence of one or two powerful experts.
It was the pressure of an army, layer upon layer of encirclement and slaughter, like an inescapable net cast over the heavens and earth.
From the depths of the corridor came dense, uniform footsteps, accompanied by the low, terrifying hum of Soul Guidance Cannons charging and the sound of air tearing under circulating Soul Power.
A destructive aura closed in from all directions like a tidal wave, instantly sealing off the entire secret prison area.
Gu Yue's black hair flew upward. Her originally weak, pale face hardened as her purple eyes narrowed, flashing with icy light.
Forcing her exhausted body to move, she turned around and stepped into the center of the secret prison entrance.
Her slender figure stood like an insurmountable barrier.
"They're here."
She spoke softly, her voice calm but carrying a gravity she could not conceal.
Tang Wulin slowly rose. His movements were gentle but resolute as he shielded Tang Ziran and Lang Yue behind him, placing himself completely at the front.
At that moment, every trace of tenderness vanished from his golden eyes, leaving only bone-chilling killing intent and determination.
He knew that Spirit Pagoda's final killing move had finally arrived.
The true desperate situation had descended.
At the end of the corridor, the dimness was illuminated by vast rows of lights. Dense figures slowly emerged in orderly formation, like an honor guard of death.
At the very front stood ten peak experts clad in standardized dark-gold armor—the Spirit Pagoda Guard Douluo.
Each was at the absolute peak beneath a Titled Douluo. Their Soul Rings were perfectly uniform: purple, purple, purple, black, black, black. They were six-ring Soul Douluo, half a step into the Titled Douluo realm.
When the ten joined hands and formed a battle formation, they could surround and kill—even slay—an ordinary Titled Douluo.
Twenty enormous Soul Guidance Cannons stood in neat rows along both sides of the corridor, their entirely black bodies engraved with deathly patterns—the Break-God Soul Guidance Cannons.
A cannon of this level could blast through a mountain with one shot and severely wound a Titled Douluo with two. If all twenty fired together, even the Dragon Emperor Douluo's physical body would be blasted into fragments in an instant.
Every black cannon muzzle was aimed at the secret prison.
There was no mercy, no hesitation.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue inside the cell had also been included in the extermination range.
And at the foremost position, in the center of all the Guard Douluo and Soul Guidance Cannons—
A tall figure in golden robes stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.
His gaze was lofty as he looked down upon the entire secret prison, as if he were watching a few trapped beasts struggling in vain.
The Soul Power around him was restrained, yet unfathomably deep, like a vast ocean without end.
The true ruler of Spirit Pagoda, an existence admired by countless Soul Masters, the mastermind who had arranged the imprisonment of Tang Wulin's parents and coveted the Golden Dragon King Bloodline—
The Spirit Pagoda Master.
He had finally come in person.
"Tang Wulin."
The Spirit Pagoda Master slowly spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it carried a strange force, clearly spreading to every corner of the Underground Seventh Floor and drowning out all the roaring and tremors.
"You truly dared to fight your way here."
"You broke the restrictions on my Underground Fourth Floor, destroyed my Soul Douluo Legion, and slew my two Titled Douluo guardians..."
His tone was calm, as if he were speaking of something insignificant, but a cold glint of admiration—and deeper greed—flashed through his eyes.
"You are indeed much stronger than I expected."
Tang Wulin stood at the secret prison entrance, his back straight as a spear. Golden blood energy slowly boiled within him, yet did not erupt.
His gaze was icy as he replied, each word clear:
"They are not your bargaining chips. They are not your tools. They are my parents."
"Today, I am taking them with me."
"Taking them?"
The Spirit Pagoda Master suddenly chuckled. The laugh was light, but it carried undisguised contempt and indifference.
"Do you truly think that with only yourself, a Silver Dragon King whose Soul Power has been completely drained, and two ordinary people without the strength to bind a chicken, you can leave my final defense line alive?"
He slowly raised his right hand and gave it a light wave.
"Activate the Sky-Locking Formation. Ready the Break-God Soul Guidance Cannons."
"Today, I will show you—"
"What it means to be unable to escape even with wings."
Bzzzz—!!!
Countless golden patterns instantly lit up across the ground, spreading throughout the Underground Seventh Floor like awakening dragons.
Space was completely locked, frozen, and sealed.
The flow of elements in the air was forcibly suppressed, cut off, and restrained.
Gu Yue's expression abruptly changed, and a trace of solemnity flashed through her purple eyes.
The Sky-Locking Formation.
This was a killing formation specifically created by Spirit Pagoda to restrain Elemental Control users and spatial ability users. It was precisely the greatest bane of her Silver Dragon King power.
Once the formation fully took shape, she would be unable to mobilize even the slightest trace of elemental power and would become completely useless.
"Attack."
The Spirit Pagoda Master gave the order.
The ten Guard Douluo stepped forward at the same time. Their Soul Rings blazed around them as dozens of incomparably powerful Soul Skills condensed at once. Wind, lightning, fire, light, spiritual attacks... countless attacks interwove into an airtight net of destruction and crushed toward the secret prison.
"Wulin!"
Gu Yue shouted lowly.
Her black hair whipped wildly through the darkness. She no longer hesitated, no longer cared about her exhausted Soul Power, no longer cared about damage to her foundation.
For him, for the family behind him, she forcibly burned the remnants of her own power.
Six elemental powers erupted from her palms.
Gales howled, forming countless incomparably sharp wind blades that collided head-on with the enemy's Soul Skills;
Thunder roared as pillars of purple lightning tore through the air and forcibly blasted open a breach;
Flames swept forth, a raging sea of fire blocking the Guard Douluo's advance.
With that single strike, she actually stopped the first all-out assault of the ten Guard Douluo.
Boom—!!!
Shockwaves swept through the corridor, and dust filled the air.
Gu Yue's body suddenly trembled. She staggered back a step as a thread of fresh blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, dripping down her pale chin.
She had long since exhausted herself. Now, forcing out power beyond her limits, the backlash stabbed into her limbs and bones like countless steel needles.
"Gu Yue!"
Tang Wulin's eyes nearly split apart. It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart in a crushing grip, hurting so badly that he could barely breathe.
He turned back and looked deeply into the cell.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue stared at him with shock, worry, and pain on their faces, their eyes filled with unease and self-blame.
They knew they had become a burden.
They knew their son was fighting a bloody battle for them.
Dad, Mom.
Wait just one more moment.
I have to win this battle.
Tang Wulin slowly turned his head. His golden eyes had completely transformed into a cold sea of golden flames.
He slowly stepped out of the secret prison, standing alone before Gu Yue and before the final defense line of the entire Spirit Pagoda.
"You want to touch my family."
His voice was low, as though it came from the Abyss.
"Then step over my corpse first."
As his words fell—
Tang Wulin moved, charging straight ahead like golden lightning, neither dodging nor evading nor retreating.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline surged skyward. Golden dragon patterns spread from his neck across his cheeks, arms, and entire body. His Dragon Might roared out, shaking the entire Underground Seventh Floor.
Bang—!!!
The first collision shook the entire corridor violently.
One Guard Douluo took Tang Wulin's punch directly in the chest. His armor instantly shattered, and he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. He crashed hard into the wall, spat out blood, and lost his fighting strength on the spot.
But the remaining nine Guard Douluo instantly filled the gap and closed in around him.
Soul Skills fell upon Tang Wulin like torrential rain, like tsunamis, like natural disasters.
Golden light exploded, and blood energy churned.
Tang Wulin gave a muffled groan. Several wounds deep enough to expose bone instantly appeared across his body. Blood seeped out and soaked through his clothes.
It was not that he could not defeat them.
He simply could not retreat.
Behind him stood Gu Yue, whose Soul Power was exhausted and whose body was on the verge of collapse.
Behind him were his unarmed parents, who possessed no fighting strength at all.
One step back meant death without a burial place.
One step back meant the regrets of two lifetimes repeating themselves.
"Wulin! Be careful!"
Lang Yue covered her mouth as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Her voice broke with sobs.
She had never imagined that the child she once needed to hold in her arms and protect behind her had grown into a man capable of holding up the sky for her and blocking every blade and sea of fire.
The Spirit Pagoda Master stood in the distance, watching coldly, his expression calm and emotionless.
"Stubborn resistance is meaningless."
"Attack with everything you have. Crush him."
The order fell.
The Guard Douluo's offensive instantly surged. The power of their Soul Skills doubled, and the dense barrage of attacks nearly drowned Tang Wulin entirely.
The Break-God Soul Guidance Cannons on both sides glowed brighter and brighter. Their charging was nearly complete; in a single instant, they would fire together and annihilate their targets.
Gu Yue gritted her teeth and dropped to one knee. Both hands pressed against the ground as her purple eyes fixed desperately on those Soul Guidance Cannons.
She could not move, could not fall, could not allow the cannon muzzles to target Tang Wulin.
"Space... distortion..."
She murmured weakly, forcibly drawing upon the final trace of spatial power suppressed by the formation.
Boom—!!!
The muzzles of three Soul Guidance Cannons were forcibly shifted aside. Their shells lost control and blasted into the rock wall, leaving enormous craters.
But that strike also completely drained the last of her strength.
Gu Yue could no longer hold herself up. Her body went limp as she collapsed to her knees, black hair falling over the pale, pained side of her face while blood continued to trickle from the corner of her mouth.
"Gu Yue!"
Tang Wulin's pupils turned crimson. Heartache and rage twisted together, instantly igniting the last line he would not allow anyone to cross.
He stopped holding back.
He stopped worrying about the cost.
He stopped calculating a path of retreat.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline burned in full.
"You—"
"All of you—get the hell out!!!"
Ninth Soul Ring, Golden Dragon Annihilates the World.
Without holding anything back, it descended in full force.
A golden dragon phantom soared into the sky, its roar shaking the deepest reaches beneath the Spirit Pagoda. Golden light illuminated the entire darkness.
The defense of the Douluo guards shattered layer by layer. Cries rang out one after another as armor cracked, Soul Rings dimmed, and several people were blasted away, severely injured on the spot.
But just then—
The Spirit Pagoda Master's gaze turned cold as he finally made his move himself.
"You don't know your place."
He lightly pressed down with one hand.
A surge of Soul Power far more terrifying, vast, and irresistible than the dragon phantom descended from above. Like an ancient mountain crashing down upon them, it forcibly crushed, shattered, and dispersed the golden dragon phantom Tang Wulin had unleashed.
Pfft—!!!
Tang Wulin was struck hard and sent flying, smashing violently into the hard wall of the secret prison. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the golden vitality around him instantly dimmed.
"Wulin!"
Gu Yue struggled to get up, but she did not even have the strength to lift a finger.
The Spirit Pagoda Master strode over slowly, his boots crunching across the rubble with crisp, icy sounds.
He looked down from above at Tang Wulin, who lay on the ground covered in wounds, his eyes filled with the indifferent coldness of someone who held everything in his grasp.
"It's over."
"The Golden Dragon King Bloodline is mine."
"Your parents will remain imprisoned, serving as my bargaining chips for the rest of their lives."
"And you—"
"From now on, you will become the Spirit Pagoda's vessel."
He extended his right hand. His Soul Power transformed into an enormous golden claw, carrying the power to imprison all things as it seized at Tang Wulin.
Tang Wulin braced himself against the ground, his arm trembling violently as he tried to rise. But his body felt as heavy as a mountain, every inch of bone screaming in agony.
He watched the giant claw draw closer, blotting out the sky.
He looked at his parents in the cell, their faces filled with terror and tears streaming down their cheeks.
He looked at Gu Yue not far away, kneeling on the ground with worry and despair in her eyes.
An obsession that had erupted from the deepest part of his soul, one that had never been extinguished even through two lifetimes of reincarnation, suddenly exploded.
He could not lose.
He could not fall here.
He could not let tragedy repeat itself.
He had promised them.
He would take them home.
Tang Wulin suddenly raised his head.
In his golden eyes, a flame that would never go out, never yield, ignited.
Slowly, slowly, he pushed against the ground and straightened his body inch by inch.
His wounds split open, blood poured down, his Soul Power was exhausted, and his body was wracked with pain.
But he stood up.
Golden light surged from within him once more.
This time, it was brighter, more violent, more—
Unstoppable.
"I'll say it again—"
Tang Wulin's voice was hoarse and broken, yet as firm as iron as it echoed throughout the seventh underground level.
"No one will ever separate us again."
Before you continue