Golza = a Thousand-Year Soul Beast?

Ma Hongjun broke into a smug grin and patted his chest.

"Exactly! Those iron boxes' attacks didn't do any damage, but they still scared that monster off. I'd put it at Thousand-Year Soul Beast level at most. I could beat it easily—one blast of fire would have it howling!"

As he spoke, he mimicked Golza fleeing, drawing laughter from the people around him.

"Haha, one White Tiger Light Wave from me would break its legs."

"One Mighty Vajra Palm from me would smash its head."

Tang San shook his head, disappointment on his face and disdain in his voice. "Looks like I overestimated the humans of that world. Their weapons can't compare to the Tang Sect's Hidden Weapons. Even the most basic Godly Zhuge Crossbow is far more powerful."

Pride spread across Tang San's face.

"As expected, only the Tang Sect could devise marvels like Hidden Weapons. No other world's weapons can compare."

Yu Xiaogang spoke then. His tone remained steady, though a careful listener could hear a trace of displeasure.

He looked at Ma Hongjun and said slowly, "That monster was probably startled by an unfamiliar attack. It's definitely stronger than a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. It must be at least as strong as a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

He wasn't speaking up for Ning Rongrong. He had just said the monster was at least as strong as a thirty- to fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast, only for Ma Hongjun to put it at Thousand-Year Soul Beast level. That was a slap in the face, and he, the Grandmaster whose theories were supposedly unbeatable, couldn't afford to lose face.

Flender caught on at once and hurried to back Yu Xiaogang up.

"Exactly. Xiaogang's right. This monster is enormous and incredibly strong. Even without Soul Power, it can't possibly be only as strong as a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. An ordinary one would probably die if it stepped on it. Fatty, don't underestimate it."

Ning Rongrong glared at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun for teasing her. She gave a cold snort, her voice thick with indignation.

She wasn't the sort to take their teasing without firing back. "What do you idiots know? All you can do is run your mouths! Look how fast that monster digs. Rock might as well be tofu in its hands—it tears straight through it. How could it be only as strong as a Thousand-Year Soul Beast? At that size, with a body that tough, it's definitely as strong as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast!"

Ning Rongrong wasn't making a wild guess.

She had grown up hearing about the hardness of rocks and ores and understood it better than anyone there.

And since she often stirred up fights between Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, she knew plenty about a Titled Douluo's destructive power and physical resilience.

The speed at which Golza dug through rock on the Sky Curtain, and how easily the stone gave way in its hands, convinced Ning Rongrong that its body was definitely no less durable than a defensive Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast on the Douluo Continent. It might even be tougher than Bone Douluo's Bone Dragon body after he used his ninth soul skill, Bone-Transforming Divine Dragon.

Of course, the main reason she stood her ground was that she refused to let them get the better of her.

Behind Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, arms folded across her chest. She watched Golza on the Sky Curtain without expression, though a hint of wariness showed in her eyes.

Aloof by nature, she had no interest in joining the argument. But she, too, was observing Golza and quietly judging its strength.

For now, though, her relationship with Dai Mubai put her on Ning Rongrong's side.

Oscar scratched his head and gave an easygoing smile.

"Actually, I think Grandmaster, Rongrong, and Mubai all have a point. That monster's huge and tough, so it's certainly strong. But those humans' attacks really didn't pack much punch, and they still scared it away. It must be pretty timid."

He wanted to support Ning Rongrong and win her favor without offending Dai Mubai, so he took the middle ground.

Beyond Shrek Academy, people all across Douluo Star were hotly debating Golza's strength as it appeared on the Sky Curtain. Opinions were sharply divided.

Inside the Worship Hall in Spirit City,

Qian Daoliu sat at the head of the hall, watching the Sky Curtain with a calm, unreadable face as he privately assessed Golza's strength.

Golden Crocodile Douluo, Mighty Lion Douluo, and several other elders stood nearby, talking in low voices.

"Grand Worshipper, this monster is enormous and immensely strong. It has no Soul Power, but its body is tough. In my view, even if it isn't as strong as a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, it could rival an ordinary seventy- or eighty-thousand-year one."

Mighty Lion Douluo spoke gravely.

Golden Crocodile Douluo shook his head, disdain in his voice. "Hmph. It's just a beast without Soul Power. However big and strong it is, it's still an ordinary creature. Those humans can't deal with it only because they have no Soul Power."

Powerful and proud, Golden Crocodile Douluo thought nothing of a monster without Soul Power.

Qian Daoliu spoke calmly. "There's no need to argue. This monster's strength doesn't matter. What matters is that the humans of this unknown world can build those flying iron boxes despite having no Soul Power. We should be wary of that. Pass down the order to keep a close watch on the Sky Curtain and see whether we can learn their technology."

"Yes, Grand Worshipper!" the elders answered in unison. They stopped arguing and turned back to the Sky Curtain, their expressions growing more solemn.

At Life Lake in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest,

Di Tian stood motionless on the shore, his golden eyes fixed on Golza's figure on the Sky Curtain. Disdain showed on his face.

To him, the monster's size meant little. Without Soul Power, it was weak and hardly worth mentioning. Any Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest could defeat it with ease.

Even in size, his thousand-meter-long dragon body could easily crush Golza.

Deep in the Evil Demon Forest of the Sun-Moon Empire,

the Evil Eye Tyrant crouched on a rock, the evil eye atop its head fixed on Golza. Its face twisted with ferocity as it sneered, "Hmph. If I ever met a weakling without Soul Power like that, I'd swallow it whole—bones and all!"

Its mental power was immense, and it had no regard for a monster that relied on brute strength. Some of its anger over its failed attack on the Sky Curtain faded.

Just then, the image on the Sky Curtain changed again. Inside GUTS headquarters, staff hurried back and forth, tense and focused.

The view settled on a laboratory. Several researchers in white coats carefully cut into a huge meteorite. Its black surface was covered in strange patterns and gave off a faint glow.

After some painstaking work, the researchers extracted an oddly shaped metal box from the meteorite.

From the people's conversation on the Sky Curtain, those on the Douluo Continent learned that it was a Time Machine from thirty million years ago. Shock spread across their faces.

On the Sky Curtain, the Time Machine slowly activated. A soft blue light flashed, and a blurry projection appeared before everyone.

The woman in the projection wore a white robe, her features indistinct. She began to speak, her voice gentle but grave. "Everyone, I am Yurian, leader of the Earth Defense Team. The arrival of this Time Machine on Earth means that many upheavals will follow. Evil God Gatanozoa is about to awaken. The first signs will be the revival of Golza, the monster that shakes the earth, and Melba, the monster that splits the sky."

"Only the Giant of Light inside the Pyramid can save Earth and stop these disasters. The Giant of Light is an apostle of the Light God and once guarded Earth. After completing his mission, he hid the body he used for battle inside the Pyramid, returned to his original form of light, and traveled the universe."

"My descendants, your task now is to revive the Giant of Light and defeat Golza and Melba. There is only one way to revive the Giant of Light, and that is to..."