Rushing to Star Luo

Within the Sea God Pavilion's council hall, candle flames flickered, and the air was heavy with the grimness brought by war.

Urgent secret reports requesting aid arrived at Shrek one after another from the Star Luo Empire, the papers still bearing scorched marks from the border fighting. The Sun Moon Empire's army had driven straight in, western fortresses falling in succession. Star Luo's Soul Master forces fought desperately to hold them back, yet under the combined assault of overwhelming soul tool artillery and Holy Spirit Cult Title Douluo, they continued to retreat. Vast stretches of territory had fallen. Without aid, the enemy army would soon march directly upon the Star Luo imperial capital.

The elders of the Sea God Pavilion sat around the long table, all wearing grave expressions.

"The Sun Moon Empire has planned this for a long time. This is not a border skirmish—it is a war of annihilation." Yan Shaozhe tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall. "The Dou Ling Empire has already lost more than half its territory. If Star Luo falls as well, the Sun Moon Empire will consolidate the resources of both empires. No force on the entire continent will be able to contend against them."

Elder Xuan stood to one side, the pressure of his Taotie martial soul faintly restrained as he spoke in a deep voice. "We cannot stand idly by while the frontal battlefield burns. Star Luo urgently needs high-level combatants. If we arrive too late, the western defensive line will collapse completely."

After some discussion, the Sea God Pavilion swiftly finalized the candidates to be sent.

Huo Yuhao would lead the team. All members of the Second-Generation Shrek Seven Monsters would deploy: Xiao Xiao, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Jiang Nannan, He Caitou, and Tang Wutong, who had only recently awakened and whose memories remained incomplete. They would head for the Star Luo Empire's front lines together. Tang Wulin, a traveler from ten thousand years in the future, was also assigned to this relief team.

"Tang Wulin, your strength can play a crucial role on a battlefield of this scale." Elder Xuan looked toward the young man standing at the rear of the group. He wore plain fitted clothes, with his Three-Word Battle Armor, Dragon Moon Whisper, stored within his body. The faint pressure of the Golden Dragon King's Bloodline was tightly contained. "This mission is dangerous. The Sun Moon Empire possesses vast quantities of war soul tools, and Holy Spirit Cult evil Soul Masters are mingled among their troops. Your priority is to preserve yourselves and hold back the enemy. Do not recklessly fight to the death."

Tang Wulin nodded faintly. He was still concerned about Gu Yue Na, far away in the Star Dou Great Forest, but with the continent facing such a crisis, he could not remain uninvolved. "I understand."

Tang Wutong stood to one side of the group, her beautiful eyes unconsciously settling on Tang Wulin. Though they shared no blood relation whatsoever, whenever she was near him, an indescribable sense of closeness arose within her, as if something unseen were drawing them together. She could not help glancing at him twice more, and her expression softened slightly.

As the commander of this squad, Huo Yuhao looked stern. His Spirit Eyes flickered faintly as his spiritual power spread out, calculating the route to Star Luo and the general situation on the border battlefield. "We will not take the official roads. They are already covered in Sun Moon Empire detection soul tools, making us easy to expose. I will lead with Spiritual Detection. We will detour through the northern wasteland, cross a thousand li, and head directly for the Star Luo western military camp to join the army of the White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao."

He Caitou carried a heavy soul tool pack on his back, packed with all sorts of auxiliary and interference-type soul tools he had modified. He said in a deep voice, "I have prepared soul tool shields that block signals. They can conceal the soul power fluctuations of our group and help us avoid aerial soul tool reconnaissance satellites as much as possible."

Dragon might flowed around Bei Bei, and components of his One-Word Battle Armor, [Dragon], flickered in and out of view. "Once we reach the camp, we cannot plunge directly into the melee. Our priority is to kill their high-level soul engineers and the Holy Spirit Cult's evil Soul Masters, destroy their war soul cannons, and break their artillery advantage."

Xu Sanshi's Black Tortoise soul power was heavy as water, the faint black light of his [Tortoise] One-Word Battle Armor flowing over his skin. Jiang Nannan's [Rabbit] battle armor glimmered, while behind Xiao Xiao, the phantom of the three-legged, two-eared [Cauldron] battle armor flickered into view. Each of them had fully adjusted the One-Word Battle Armor personally forged by Tang Wulin, ready to deploy it at any moment.

After a brief rest, deep in the night, outside Shrek City.

The night was black as ink, with dark clouds concealing the moon. Eight figures quietly departed Shrek City without fanfare, without sounding horns, without raising banners.

Huo Yuhao's Spirit Eyes opened fully. Invisible Spiritual Detection spread ahead like an enormous net, extending for thousands of li and feeding every enemy movement, checkpoint, and hidden outpost into everyone's minds. Tang Wulin walked in the middle of the formation. His Spirit Domain Realm spiritual power faintly resonated with Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection, covering blind spots Huo Yuhao could not attend to. The Golden Dragon King's senses could keenly catch the dark aura of hidden evil Soul Masters.

Tang Wutong followed near the back of the group, tightly suppressing the radiance of her Radiant Dragon God Butterfly martial soul. Along the way, she often unconsciously turned her head toward Tang Wulin beside her. That inexplicable closeness lingered in her heart, and she could not help softly asking, "Tang Wulin, have we... met before?"

Tang Wulin's footsteps paused, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that the girl before him was his elder sister from ten thousand years in the future, but in this timeline, none of it had happened yet. He could not reveal the secret of his time travel, so he could only shake his head lightly. "Probably not. Perhaps our soul power attributes are similar, giving you that impression."

Tang Wutong blinked, seeming to understand but not entirely. She did not press further, but the familiar feeling in her heart still would not fade.

They traveled through wind and rain, avoiding the Sun Moon Empire's layers of sentries and soul tool monitoring points. Cold winds howled across the wasteland, and they occasionally encountered small groups of wandering Sun Moon scouts, all of whom were silently dealt with.

After several days of travel and crossing range after range of mountains, they finally caught sight of the endless military tents of the Star Luo Empire's western camp in the distance.

Thick smoke rose from the horizon. Even from dozens of li away, they could smell the pungent stench of gunpowder mingled with blood. In the distant sky, soul tool shells occasionally tore through the air and exploded in blinding flashes, while the thunderous booms carried across the distance, making the earth tremble faintly.

At the Star Luo Empire's western command camp, countless wounded soldiers were carried back from the front lines in an unending stream. Moans and cries rose one after another, and the entire camp was filled with slaughterous solemnity and tragic resolve.

The White Tiger Duke, Dai Hao, stood atop the highest command platform in bloodstained armor, looking toward the constantly retreating front line with tightly furrowed brows. When a soldier came to report that Shrek's relief squad had arrived outside the camp, a glimmer of light finally flashed through the eyes of the battle-hardened general.

"Quickly, bring them in."

The camp gates slowly opened. Huo Yuhao, Tang Wulin, and the others stepped through the dust-covered ground and entered the Star Luo western command camp, battered by war. Their war had officially begun.

The northern wasteland was swept by a howling frigid wind that carried yellow sand through the air.

The gray-brown wasteland stretched endlessly, barren of even a blade of grass. The biting wind cut across their bodies, carrying bone-piercing cold even through their soul power protection. Eight figures sped through the sky, spreading Wings of Wind with their soul power and weaving swiftly through the high-altitude currents toward the Star Luo Empire's western battlefield.

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others led the way, constantly alert to concealed Sun Moon Empire scouts and detection soul tools. Their auras were tightly controlled and steady, and they remained silent throughout, not daring to make the slightest sound that might alert the enemy. Tang Wulin fell toward the rear flank of the group, his Spirit Domain Realm spiritual power quietly spreading as he covered the team and searched for hidden dangers. The warm soul power of his Golden Dragon King's Bloodline circulated steadily, its every edge concealed.

The entire group was silent. Only the howling wind, the crack of rushing air, and their calm, steady breaths could be heard.

Only Huo Yuhao had not been calm for even a moment since leaving Shrek City.

For days, he had been entangled and consumed by the intense familiarity in his heart.

The Tang Wutong before him—her appearance, figure, brows, eyes, expressions, even the tiny habits in every gesture—was exactly the same as Wang Dong'er, whom he had carved into his bones and held within his soul.

The same face. The same Radiant Dragon God Butterfly martial soul. The same pure light-attribute soul power. Even the gentle curve of her occasional lowered gaze and blinking eyes was not the least bit different.

Everyone and every outward sign told Huo Yuhao that she was Wang Dong'er.

Yet only Huo Yuhao himself knew that deep within his heart lay an emptiness and distance that could never be erased.

The feeling was impossible to explain, yet it tormented him day and night.

He had seen Dong'er playful and lively. He had seen her stubborn and unyielding. He had seen her rejoice for him, worry for him, and disregard everything for him. That was a bond embedded in the soul, the perfect union of two lifetimes spent together and souls intertwined. It could never be replaced by mere similarity in appearance.

Yet he could not help harboring one humble hope.

Perhaps she had lost her memories. Perhaps her soul had been injured and her memories shattered. Perhaps all manner of changes had transformed Dong'er's nature and erased everything she remembered.

As long as Hao Dong's Power could resonate, as long as the martial soul fusion skill unique to the two of them—the only one of its kind in the world—could be successfully activated and awaken the bond buried deep within their souls, then she had to be his Wang Dong'er.

This was Huo Yuhao's final and only line of defense.

As they raced onward, his emotions surged. That small hope took root and sprouted in his heart, supporting him as he suppressed days of doubt and torment.

The team flew over a relatively open stretch of fractured wasteland with no detection signals. Mountains on all sides blocked all probing, creating a brief blind spot of absolute safety.

Huo Yuhao suddenly raised a hand, signaling the whole team to stop.

"Let's rest for a moment."

At his words, everyone descended and landed steadily. The wind and sand still howled, sweeping up broken stones and dust, but they could not disperse the suddenly frozen atmosphere.

Before anyone could ask what was wrong, Huo Yuhao had already turned sideways, his gaze fixed directly on Tang Wutong standing quietly beside him.

The girl wore a simple pale dress, her long hair lightly stirred by the wind. Her eyes were clear and gentle, filled with complete innocence and purity as she looked back at him in confusion.

Seeing that face he had yearned for day and night, Huo Yuhao's heart abruptly clenched. Bitterness, anticipation, fear, and unease flooded through him in an instant, nearly stopping his breath.

He forced down his surging emotions. His voice carried a faint tremor that even he had not noticed as he softly said, "Tang Wutong, cooperate with me once. Activate a martial soul fusion skill."

Tang Wutong froze slightly, looking lost. "A martial soul fusion skill? But... we have never worked together before."

"Just try it." Huo Yuhao's eyes burned as Tang Wutong's figure reflected in his Spirit Eyes. His voice carried the persistence of someone staking everything on one chance. "Your martial soul is the Radiant Dragon God Butterfly, while mine is the Spirit Eyes. Our attributes are highly compatible. Perhaps we can trigger a martial soul fusion."

He did not explain why, nor did he dare to.

He did not dare tell anyone that he was using the one and only Hao Dong bond in this world to verify the identity of the person before him.

Tang Wutong was filled with doubts, but when faced with Huo Yuhao's utterly serious eyes, that inexplicable closeness surfaced in her heart once more, making her unable to refuse. She nodded gently and obediently stood opposite Huo Yuhao, her posture straight. "All right. I'll cooperate."

The moment her words fell, dazzling golden light-attribute soul power surged from her body!

The Radiant Dragon God Butterfly martial soul erupted with sacred, brilliant golden light. Its wings spread, and a butterfly phantom circled around her. Pure, vast, warm light-attribute soul power rolled outward, incomparably pristine and without the slightest impurity, exactly the same as the aura of Wang Dong'er's martial soul.

Almost at the exact instant Tang Wutong possessed her martial soul, Huo Yuhao's eyes blazed!

His dark Spirit Eyes instantly turned an ultimate glistening white. His spiritual power erupted like a tsunami, while the ultimate Ice Jade Empress Scorpion soul power and Spirit Eyes soul power burst forth together. Black-and-white soul power wound around his body and surged into the air!

With his Spirit Eyes fully open and his soul condensed, he mobilized the purest, most fundamental soul power within himself. He even actively stirred the bond imprint engraved in the depths of his soul for ten thousand years, connecting with the light soul power opposite him wholeheartedly and without reserve.

Countless scenes from the past flashed rapidly through his mind.

Their first meeting in the Far North, their days together at Shrek, their embrace by Sea God Lake, their side-by-side battles between life and death... Every memory of their martial souls merging, every searing resonance of Hao Dong's Power, surged forth.

His soul called out madly, craving that familiar resonance with all its might.

"A solitary dance amid frost, the raiment of light!"

"Withering amid brilliance, the Golden Road!"

"Scorching heat amid ultimate frost, the Heavenly Emperor's Hammer!"

Countless familiar formulas for martial soul fusion skills flowed through his heart. His soul power followed the path they had honed hundreds and thousands of times, precisely moving toward Tang Wutong's light soul power to join, merge, and align!

The next instant, the two immensely powerful forces of soul power collided with a thunderous crash!

Golden light and black-and-white Spirit Ice power met and clashed between them, stirring up a storm of soul power. The wind and sand were instantly blasted away, forming an absolute vacuum of soul power within several meters around them!

Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others beside them instinctively watched. Everyone believed that the union of two top-tier martial souls would surely trigger a powerful martial soul fusion skill.

But only for an instant.

Only for one second of contact, collision, and probing.

There was no resonance.

No pull.

No bond that coiled into their bones and merged into their souls.

And there was no Hao Dong's Power—the warm, domineering, one-of-a-kind power that belonged only to them.

The two highly compatible soul powers appeared to blend, yet were in truth completely estranged.

Like two parallel streaks of light, they met briefly but could never converge as one.

Huo Yuhao clearly sensed the soul bond and obsessive pull he had actively released strike against a cold, unfamiliar soul barrier that gave no response.

The light soul power opposite him was flawlessly pure. The martial soul was identical, and its aura was not the least bit different. But the soul was unfamiliar.

There was not the slightest familiar flutter, not the slightest response from the soul, not the resonance of a bond that had crossed life and death and sunk into the marrow.

"Buzz—"

The two forces of soul power that had briefly collided trembled violently, then abruptly broke apart without warning!

There was no explosion and no impact—only a deathly silent collapse.

All the merged soul power instantly receded. The black-and-white soul power returned to Huo Yuhao's body, while the golden light soul power returned to Tang Wutong.

The grand attempt left behind only cold emptiness.

The martial soul fusion skill had failed completely.

There was no Golden Road, no Heavenly Emperor's Hammer, and no Goddess of Light. The Hao Dong's Power that had sustained his obsession through two lifetimes seemed not to exist at all.

There was nothing.

Not a trace remained.

The wind still howled over the wasteland, yet it seemed to have instantly cut off every other sound in the world.

The entire area fell silent.

Tang Wutong blankly withdrew her martial soul. She blinked her clear eyes, her face full of confusion and puzzlement. "Strange... Our soul powers were clearly compatible, so why couldn't they fuse at all? There wasn't any resonance..."

She did not understand the reason. She only found it strange.

But Huo Yuhao instantly froze where he stood. Every bit of his strength, every obsession, every lingering hope within him collapsed completely at that moment.

The light in his Spirit Eyes abruptly went out.

The ultimate glistening white of his pupils slowly faded, returning to deep black. Yet within that darkness, there was no longer the resilience, gentleness, and radiance of the past.

There was only deathly desolation.

His heart had turned to ashes.

Completely and utterly to ashes.

He stood quietly amid the wind and sand, his body upright, yet it was as though his entire soul had been pulled from him in an instant. His whole body was cold, and bone-piercing chill spread through every limb and bone—colder than ten-thousand-year ice in the Far North.

So that was it.

So it truly was.

Appearances could be identical. Martial souls could be identical. Auras could be identical. Even that inexplicable sense of closeness and fated connection could be identical.

Only the soul could not deceive.

Only Hao Dong's Power could not deceive obsession, could not deceive time, could not deceive the past of two lifetimes spent together and souls intertwined.

She was not her.

Even if the entire world said she was, even if her brows and eyes remained the same, even if her martial soul remained the same, she was ultimately not his Wang Dong'er.

His longing through countless days and nights, his waiting through countless dark nights, his countless strokes of self-comforting luck, his countless self-hypnotized reunions—all of it was shattered at that moment, completely, cruelly, and without mercy.

Shattered beyond recognition, leaving nothing behind.

A tearing pain suddenly came from his chest. It was not an external wound, but the collapse and desolation deep within his soul.

The light that had supported him through despair, loneliness, and countless difficult years went out completely at that moment.

The reunion he had waited for so bitterly had never existed.

The person before him was merely a stranger who resembled her.

Nothing more.

Bei Bei watched Huo Yuhao's expression abruptly turn lifeless and keenly sensed that something was wrong. Huo Yuhao appeared calm, yet he gave off a terrifying sense of despair and emptiness, as if every attachment and every hope in the world had been reduced to nothing.

Bei Bei wanted to speak but stopped himself. In the end, he merely let out a heavy sigh and did not disturb him.

Everyone could see that his state had collapsed, yet no one knew what earth-shattering devastation he had undergone in that brief instant.

Tang Wutong remained innocent and bewildered. Looking at Huo Yuhao's utterly forlorn back, her heart inexplicably tightened with a faint ache. Yet she did not understand what she had done wrong, much less that the young man before her had just personally crushed his final obsession.

The wind and sand swept over his slender body, making his robes snap loudly in the gale.

Huo Yuhao's hands at his sides trembled faintly, his fingertips cold.

He slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all gentleness, obsession, and hope had vanished from his gaze.

What remained was only an icy, boundless indifference and deathly silence.

"It's nothing."

His voice was so flat that it carried not the slightest ripple of emotion. No joy or anger could be heard in it, yet it was cold enough to make hearts tremble.

"Keep moving."

From that moment onward, there would no longer be any gentle obsession in this world born from Dong'er.

Ahead lay only war and a chaotic age, only the burden of responsibility.

The Huo Yuhao whose every thought had been filled with Wang Dong'er was left completely behind in the years of the past after that failed martial soul fusion.