Wasn't this cheating?

"Sect Master, I feel fantastic right now." Su Yu grinned. "First off, my current form is exactly like a Soul Master with a Golden Giant Ape Martial Soul undergoing Martial Soul Possession. And as long as I activate Golden Source at full power, all my attributes-strength, defense, speed, and everything else-double. My resistance to all sorts of abnormal conditions doubles, too."

Du Busi sank into thought as he listened to Su Yu's detailed explanation.

"You're saying that your Soul Skill doubles your attributes after you've already entered this state resembling Golden Giant Ape Martial Soul Possession?"

Du Busi was particularly concerned about this point.

Su Yu nodded.

With that nod, Du Busi was thoroughly convinced.

"As expected of a 2,600-year first Soul Ring."

He attributed it to Su Yu absorbing a Soul Ring so outrageously far beyond his limits.

In truth, only Su Yu knew that the source of all this was still the golden substance he had fused with inside his Inner Landscape.

His first Soul Skill was indeed Golden Source, and it was an enhancement-type Soul Skill.

But it wasn't powerful enough to grant an effect resembling Beast Martial Soul Possession and then enhance him on top of that.

The Beast Martial Soul Possession effect came purely from his fusion with that golden substance.

It was the Golden Giant Ape's bloodline.

Although the portion he had fused with was minuscule compared with the intense golden light that had torn through his Inner Landscape, it still meant that he possessed this bloodline.

When he activated the bloodline, he gained this effect resembling Martial Soul Possession.

Only through its interaction with his Soul Ring's effect did he gain that terrifying mechanism of enhancing himself on top of the possession effect.

In short-or, to put it shortly-by fusing with the Golden Giant Ape's bloodline, he had ultimately gained benefits similar to the synergy between a Soul Ring and a Soul Bone produced by the same Soul Beast.

Du Busi remained immersed in shock, digesting Su Yu's heaven-defying mechanism.

Su Yu, too, silently marveled at how heaven-defying his Inner Landscape was.

Only now did he realize how terrifying the Inner Landscape truly was.

It genuinely made uncovering the human body's hidden treasures a visual process.

Being able to see the human body's underlying source code-wasn't this cheating?

And if that wasn't cheating, what about being able to touch that source code directly and dig into it?

Both of them suppressed the shock in their hearts at the same time.

Finally, they exchanged a glance. Su Yu returned from his Golden Source state to normal and followed Du Busi out of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Heaven Dou City.

Su Yu walked with Du Busi along a road on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.

Not far ahead, a surge of Soul Power erupted. Scarlet-gold light shot into the sky, and a blast of fiery heat struck them in the face, faintly raising the surrounding temperature.

Shielding a filthy girl behind him, Yan Shaozhe looked at the burly men before him and said coldly, "Iron Blood Sect, leave people a way out. Isn't exterminating them to the last a bit much?"

The three men from the Iron Blood Sect had already gone pale at the sight of the nine Soul Rings beneath Yan Shaozhe's feet. How could they dare offend this Titled Douluo from Shrek now?

"Since Venerable Bright Phoenix has intervened, our Iron Blood Sect naturally won't trouble her further."

With that, they turned and left.

Behind Yan Shaozhe, hatred flashed through the filthy girl's eyes as she stared fixedly at the retreating members of the Iron Blood Sect.

Beside her stood a boy with a somewhat arrogant air.

"Don't be afraid. He's just a Soul King. Your big brother Bei can reach that level in ten years. Then I'll have your back."

Just then, an ill-timed voice rang out.

"Well, isn't this Shrek's dean? Since when did you start meddling in other sects' disputes?"

Yan Shaozhe frowned and turned. The instant he saw Du Busi, his pupils contracted sharply.

His expression grew grave, and he shielded Bei Bei and Tang Ya behind him.

"Du Busi, you're actually in Heaven Dou City."

Du Busi said, "Where I go is none of your business."

He glanced at Tang Ya's clothing. She was a disciple of the Tang Sect.

The Tang Sect, exterminating them to the last...

Recalling the rumors of a clash between two sects he had heard before setting out on the Soul Hunting trip, Du Busi understood the situation.

Yan Shaozhe did not trade barbs with Du Busi.

He knew perfectly well that he was no match for the man, so he avoided provoking him.

At the same time, he was thankful they were in Heaven Dou City.

Especially since Du Busi had a child with him.

Relations between Shrek and the Body Sect were anything but harmonious.

If a clash broke out, it could very well turn into a battle to the death.

With a junior beside him, the other man would surely have reservations. As long as Yan Shaozhe's side remained cautious, they could minimize the likelihood of a clash.

"We at Shrek don't need outsiders judging what we do."

Yet at precisely that moment, those words, spoken in a young but arrogant voice, instantly changed Yan Shaozhe's expression.

He turned and held Bei Bei firmly in place, his stern gaze stopping the boy from acting any more outrageously.

Bei Bei was Mu En's great-great-grandson, practically Shrek's crown prince.

Having grown up without parental discipline in Shrek's environment, he had naturally developed a mischievous, unruly temperament.

And he was arrogant to begin with.

Of course, within Shrek, no one thought there was anything wrong with that temperament.

But now, Yan Shaozhe felt they were in serious trouble.

Had Bei Bei kept quiet, everything would have been fine. That arrogant declaration immediately drew Du Busi's attention.

Du Busi had originally focused only on Tang Ya, the victim, and Yan Shaozhe, the powerful expert, without paying Bei Bei any heed.

Now, upon closer inspection, he caught a familiar resemblance in Bei Bei's features.

"What is Mu En to you?"

At those words, silence fell.

We're done for, Yan Shaozhe thought.

Bei Bei also realized that he might have caused trouble.

Still, he put on a proud expression.

"Mu En is my great-great-grandfather."

At worst, I'll die.

"That old bastard Mu En actually has descendants."

As Du Busi spoke, a vicious edge crept into his voice.

His elder brother had died at Mu En's hands.

The only reason he had not fought Shrek to the bitter end in revenge was that their battle back then had been a fair duel.

His brother's death had naturally created a blood feud between the two sides.

But Du Busi still could not bring himself to seize on that and sink his teeth into Shrek.

Yet with Bei Bei standing right before him, Du Busi was hardly saintly enough to simply let him go.

Sensing Du Busi's killing intent, Yan Shaozhe immediately shouted.

"Du Busi, are you really going to provoke a war to the death between Shrek and the Body Sect?"

He had said war, not conflict.

If Bei Bei truly died at Du Busi's hands today, the two major powers would wage war until one side was utterly destroyed.

Du Busi sneered. "Would you at Shrek dare?"

Yan Shaozhe fell silent.

But while he remained silent, Bei Bei did not.

"Why wouldn't we?"

Standing behind Du Busi, Su Yu witnessed the entire exchange with a somewhat peculiar expression.

So Bei Bei's personality had actually been this awful at first?

Who knew what potion Tang Ya had fed him to turn someone this outrageously arrogant into a refined gentleman...

Bei Bei was no fool either. Knowing he had caused trouble, his mind raced as he searched for a possible way out.

"Hey, bullying someone younger doesn't prove anything. If you've got the guts, fight my great-great-grandfather. Today, send someone my age to fight me."