At some point, a purple dead sea had appeared beneath everyone, and an enormous shadow prowled silently below. Only three minutes later did Shangguan Hong, who should have been unconscious, quietly open his eyes. Wearing a half-smile, he pushed Tang San away from his side.
"What a thoroughly exhilarating performance!"
Yes, how exhilarating! He had staked his life, his plans, and his future! Shangguan Hong had successfully fashioned an image of himself before everyone from Shrek as someone who valued loyalty and affection, someone willing to brave death without a thought for himself!
His plan had not been perfect, but it had succeeded. Xiao Wu had indeed called the hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape, and that terrifying king of the forest had treated him as one of its own. At Xiao Wu's request, it had protected everyone from Shrek. Now, the terrifying sounds in the distance had gradually faded. Presumably, the Dragon Duke was already a bolt at the end of its flight! Xiao Wu might already have received a message from the Titan Giant Ape, but Oscar, who was absorbing his Soul Ring, could buy him some time...
"Then..."
Boom!
Baron Nashor broke through the purple dead sea, appearing in this world for the first time in a long while! His eyes, gleaming with eerie green light, swept from side to side before finally settling on Meng Yiran and Chao Tianxiang, who had already been reduced to pulp in the distance.
Shangguan Hong sensed Baron Nashor's intense desire to devour in his mind. The purple dead sea spread outward, and Baron Nashor swam through it. Moments later, the ground was so clean that not a single thing remained. There was no sign at all that a fierce battle had taken place here not long ago! All the energy had poured into Baron Nashor's body, but very little was fed back to Shangguan Hong himself.
The reason was simple: Void Dominance!
Void Dominance was a power Shangguan Hong possessed temporarily, and this power could allow Baron Nashor to evolve! Evolution required energy, and the Void was greedy as well. Baron Nashor was far more intelligent than the Void Fish, so while the Void Fish would leave most of the energy to their summoner, the current Baron Nashor would withhold most of the power. His first consideration was himself, and only afterward came Shangguan Hong.
Still, Shangguan Hong did not mind. All that energy would end up benefiting him anyway.
"Everyone, have a good sleep!"
Looking at the Shrek group lying behind him, Shangguan Hong spoke softly, his eyes full of mockery. Then he slipped into the Void together with Baron Nashor and headed toward the distant battlefield.
The Baron moved extremely quickly. Perhaps the power he had devoured had already taken tangible form: Baron Nashor had now undergone subtle changes and had probably already begun evolving toward the Voracious Baron! The Dragon Duke in the distance was the final key to completing that evolution! Devouring a Soul Douluo with his Soul Elder cultivation would not only allow Baron Nashor to evolve, but also increase Shangguan Hong's own Soul Power and the area of the purple dead sea!
Looked at this way, the future was full of hope!
By the time Shangguan Hong and Baron Nashor reached the battlefield, the battle had already entered its final moments! The Dragon Duke was by no means weak. He was even somewhat stronger than the three education commissioners of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, but he had run into the Titan Giant Ape, whose true strength was enough to rival a rank-95 Titled Douluo! The outcome of a fight to the death between the two naturally needed no further explanation.
Shangguan Hong hid in the shadows using the Void's top-tier concealment abilities. With all its attention focused on the enemy before it, the Titan Giant Ape clearly had not noticed him. It smashed down punch after punch, leaving the Dragon Duke suffering beyond words!
"No! I cannot die! I cannot die!"
"I still have enemies to deal with, clansmen to nurture, and dreams to fulfill!"
"My wife and granddaughter are already dead. If I fall as well, how can they close their eyes in peace?"
"How could I fall?"
"How can I fall!"
"I am the Dragon Duke!"
"So..."
"No matter how exhausted or desperate I am, I, the Dragon Duke, absolutely cannot fall!"
"I'll stake everything! Self-Created Soul Skill-Three Qi..."
Boom!
Watching the Dragon Duke's noisy antics, the Titan Giant Ape finally grew tired of playing. Perhaps the Dragon Duke's self-hypnosis was also to blame, leaving far too many openings all over his body. Before he could unleash the trump card he took such pride in, a single Titan Sky Cannon from the Titan Giant Ape sent him off to the Western Heaven!
"Pah! What a load of blather!"
The Titan Giant Ape spoke in human language, its face full of disdain. Throughout this entire battle, despite the Dragon Duke having burned himself out, the truth was that it had not suffered so much as a scratch!
With the battle over, the Titan Giant Ape sped off into the distance. It was somewhat anxious; after all, Xiao Wu was still waiting for it! As it ran, the Titan Giant Ape let out a roar. To humans, this seemed like a release of power, but to Soul Beasts, it was the transmission of information!
Hidden in the shadows, Shangguan Hong spread the purple dead sea to its limit and waited a full three minutes. Just as when he had released the purple dead sea beside everyone from Shrek not long before, the Void could grant Shangguan Hong an observational ability akin to a god's-eye view. This was an excellent means of gathering intelligence. As a veteran sneaky bas-cough, cough, a grandmaster of the Dao of lying low, how could someone as cautious as him possibly leave any evidence behind?
Only after confirming that there were no living beings nearby did Shangguan Hong finally reveal himself. Baron Nashor burst out of the water and swam continually through the dead sea, not for amusement, of course, but to devour every fragment of the Dragon Duke's body.
More precisely, Baron Nashor seized the Dragon Duke's shattered remains and refined them in an instant!
"Ah, a supporting character needs to know his place! What was all that blather for? You didn't think that just because the world called you the Dragon Duke, you could really become the Dragon Duke, did you? What, were you going to establish an immortal court too?"
As Shangguan Hong snarked, he felt the power inside him surge ceaselessly. Sure enough, the boost a rank-85 Soul Douluo brought Baron Nashor was far too astonishing. Baron Nashor, already incomparably ferocious in appearance, underwent a complete transformation!
"Good grief, you've gone from the Baron Nashor in TFT to the Baron Nashor from League's season 14, the season of Void corruption! Though you certainly do look vicious!"
Baron Nashor naturally transformed into the Voracious Baron! His appearance grew even more ferocious, and the presence emanating from him became increasingly powerful!
"The Baron can probably rival a Soul Emperor now, right? Not bad! This risk was well worth taking!"
The Baron's evolution was the first benefit, and the purple dead sea beneath his feet doubling in area was the second. The final benefit was that Shangguan Hong's Soul Power, originally at rank 36, had risen to rank 37! He only needed to cultivate for another stretch of time to raise his cultivation to rank 39. Upon reaching rank 39, his "Reach the Summit" Hextech would trigger, and his Soul Power would jump straight to the Soul Ancestor level!
Sure enough, the cultivation methods of Fallen Soul Masters were more efficient after all!
Shangguan Hong was utterly satisfied with his gains this time. Next, he would carry out his system mission! Void Dominance was immensely powerful, and Shangguan Hong would never give it up. Moreover, there was no reason to miss out on an External Soul Bone! As for the Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Bone, all it needed was a light tap, and it would become a brand-new Soul Bone, just like the Hundred-Thousand-Year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone!
"Kekeke! Little San, oh, Little San, I don't even know how to thank you..."