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Tang Wulin endured the throbbing pain in his head as he recalled the events that had transpired.
He remembered now—after spending two and a half years cultivating in the Dragon Plane, a series of natural disasters and calamities struck, rendering it unsuitable for further cultivation. He then left the Dragon Plane.
Upon returning from the Demon's Gate to this Dragon City, he lost control.
According to what Old Tang had said at the time, Tang Wulin had inherited the karmic ties of the dragon race from the Dragon Plane. The dragon blood within him boiled, compelling him to seek vengeance for the dragons. This led to a fierce battle with the demons residing in Dragon City.
The strongest demon in Dragon City was a dominant-level Dragon-Horned Demon—a hybrid offspring of a horned demon and a dragon. It possessed the combined bloodlines of both demons and dragons, granting it remarkable talent and allowing it to rise as a regional overlord.
During their battle, Tang Wulin, unable to withstand the pressure, unleashed another layer of the Golden Dragon King's seal within his body.
Prior to entering the Dragon Valley, he had consecutively fused multiple seals but hadn't been able to break through any additional ones since then.
However, during his two-and-a-half-year cultivation in the Dragon Plane, following the methods Old Tang provided, he not only internalized the Golden Dragon King's bloodline within himself—neutralizing its rejection and achieving partial perfect fusion—but also rapidly advanced his soul power.
"During those two and a half years, I devoted myself entirely to cultivation, merging deeply with the plane's essence and entering a profound meditative state. My soul power skyrocketed."
Before beginning his cultivation, he was at level fifty-six.
Afterward, he reached level seventy-four.
The Tyrant Dragon spirit soul granted him his sixth and seventh soul rings.
In just two and a half years, he had advanced eighteen levels—an increase of seven to eight levels per year!
Such an extraordinary rate of advancement was unheard of even to Tang Wulin.
He felt that in just two and a half years, he had caught up to Xu Yuan.
Not to mention, during the earlier major battle, he had unlocked the ninth and tenth layers of the Golden Dragon King's seals. By enduring the release of these two seals, he gained his fifth Blood Essence soul ring, which pushed his soul power up by another two levels.
In two and a half years, he had gained twenty levels!
This terrifying rate of improvement filled him with confidence that he was close to catching up to Xu Yuan.
"Before I entered the Dragon Plane, Brother Xu had only recently broken through to level sixty. His Divine Craftsman work on battle armor has already fallen behind me. Over these two and a half years, he likely focused on nurturing his one-word battle armor and upgrading his two-word battle armor. Even if we assume he increased his soul power by three levels per year—and generously estimate four levels per year—his total increase would only be ten levels. He should still be below level seventy-five."
Tang Wulin smiled.
Since witnessing Xu Yuan's strength during the Tianhai Grand Tournament, he had been chasing this goal relentlessly.
Yet during his time at Shrek Academy, he never seemed to get closer to his target. If anything, the gap between them widened.
It wasn't until his journey to the Dragon Valley that he finally saw an opportunity. Leveraging the power of his Golden Dragon King bloodline and the divine dragon soul energy Old Tang fought hard to secure for him, he unlocked multiple seals. After fully digesting everything, his Blood Essence strength reached a level capable of rivaling a Soul Douluo!
When the Demon's Gate opened, and he entered the Demon Plane, hearing about the Dragon Plane reignited his determination.
He knew his key to surpassing Xu Yuan lay in the Golden Dragon King's bloodline.
Thus, with Old Tang's approval, he entered the Dragon Plane.
Sure enough, the Dragon Plane proved to be his destined opportunity, granting him another transformative moment after the Dragon Valley.
"The fact that I managed to endure the ninth and tenth seals is closely tied to my cultivation in the Dragon Plane, where I digested and enhanced my Golden Dragon King bloodline. Without these two and a half years of training, I wouldn't have been able to withstand the strain."
Although Tang Wulin made significant progress in the Dragon Plane, his actual combat strength didn't improve as dramatically.
His power ceiling was determined by the Golden Dragon King's bloodline. Without unlocking the ninth seal, his strength remained at the Soul Douluo level, even after digesting and nurturing the bloodline.
Even though his soul power increased by nearly twenty levels, it still didn't significantly impact his power ceiling. The enhancements to his Blue Silver Grass were minimal, merely providing some auxiliary support in battle.
Nevertheless, two and a half years of effort hadn't been wasted.
"The combined power of the ninth and tenth seals grants me strength close to that of a Super Douluo. Moreover, the mental toll of the tenth seal was immense—I descended into madness that night and nearly lost myself. However, the benefits are clear: my spiritual power broke through."
Reflecting on his experiences during this period, Tang Wulin felt a deep sense of gratitude.
Ah, Old Tang!
Suddenly, he remembered Old Tang, who had awakened him when he was on the verge of losing himself.
"Old Tang?"
There was no response from within his inner world.
Tang Wulin's heart sank.
He had a bad feeling.
Immersing his consciousness into the space where the Golden Dragon King's essence was sealed, Tang Wulin called out loudly but received no reply from Old Tang.
Just as he began to feel disheartened, he suddenly sensed a familiar fluctuation.
"Child, my strength has finally run out. To help you integrate the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, I exerted all my remaining power to assist you at a critical moment. My true form left behind three seals within your body. In the Dragon Valley, I unlocked the first seal. Fortunately, the outcome was good—you withstood the attack of the Silver Dragon King and secured enough dragon soul energy for yourself.
Using the residual energy, I managed to remain lucid and even absorbed some power while in the Dragon Plane. But the tenth seal was too much for you. To awaken you, I exhausted all my strength."
Tang Wulin's face twisted with guilt.
At the time, after unlocking the ninth seal, he could have defeated the dominant-level Dragon-Horned Demon with proper strategy and tactics. However, in his impatience during the fusion of the Golden Dragon King's seals, he greedily unlocked the tenth seal without hesitation.
Good news: he successfully integrated it.
Bad news: Old Tang's strength was completely depleted, and he fell into slumber once again.
From Old Tang's words, Tang Wulin deduced that there were only three seals in total within him. Each seal might represent his final moments of interaction with Old Tang.
This time, Old Tang had fallen asleep again. The next time he would awaken would likely be when the second seal was forcibly broken.
That also meant only one seal remained.
"I was too greedy," Tang Wulin sighed.
Old Tang's slumber was a significant disadvantage for him.
He understood clearly that even when Old Tang wasn't actively expending energy to aid his cultivation or stabilize the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, his knowledge and insights alone were invaluable.
Their journey to the Dragon Plane had proven this point.
But now, Old Tang had fallen asleep once more.
Old Tang's message wasn't finished yet.
"Child, when you face a life-or-death crisis, the second seal will unlock. However, I hope you can find something before that happens."
"It's the treasure I left in the Sea God Pavilion—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud."
"Find it, and wait for the second seal to open."
"Don't hesitate or hold back because you fear losing the chance for me to intervene. Go forth boldly."
...
Old Tang's message faded, leaving Tang Wulin alone in this space, lost in contemplation.
Old Tang...
Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud...
After a long while, his consciousness returned to his body, and he emerged from the ruins.
Traveling roughly thirty kilometers, he captured a demon and, upon questioning it, learned his current location. After determining his direction, he set off toward Shrek City.
Having disappeared for two and a half years, he worried that the Demon's Gate connecting Shrek to the Demon Plane might suddenly close.
Along the way, he encountered classmates and discovered that many of the inner court students were returning to the academy.
"Are they all returning to Douluo Planet?" Tang Wulin wondered, curious about the specific reasons.
"Did they abandon exploration of the Demon Plane? Or did something else happen?"
Tang Wulin's curiosity grew, and he hurried toward Shrek City, which had been constructed within the Demon Plane.
---
Half a month later.
Shrek City.
"Tang Wulin?"
Ya Li looked at Tang Wulin in astonishment.
Seeing him, she visibly relaxed.
"You've been missing for two and a half years. The academy thought you were lost. We sent people to search for you, but no one found you. Where have you been all this time?"
Hearing Ya Li's stern tone, Tang Wulin didn't feel resentment. Instead, he replied apologetically, "Lady Holy Spirit, I found a place suitable for my cultivation and entered a deep meditative state. When I finished, I realized so much time had passed."
Ya Li was astonished.
"You meditated for two and a half years? Unbelievable. How did your body survive?"
In a deep meditative state, one doesn't eat or drink—how had Tang Wulin, known for his voracious appetite, avoided death?
"My condition was unique. I had energy sustaining me, so it wasn't a problem," Tang Wulin explained briefly.
"Well, meditating for two and a half years probably spared you a lot of trouble."
"Has anything major happened recently?" Tang Wulin asked.
Previously, while rushing here, he had only exchanged brief words with his classmates.
Now, having returned to Shrek City and meeting Ya Li, he wanted to understand the current situation.
Ya Li was one of the true upper echelons of Shrek Academy and the primary leader in exploring the Demon Plane. Asking her about the situation was the most efficient approach.
"Major events?"
Ya Li paused, reflecting on Tang Wulin's question.
Major events?
Recalling the past two and a half years, it seemed every incident had been significant.
"There have been quite a few major events. First, Elder Feng broke through—both his soul power and forging skills reached new heights."
Before Tang Wulin disappeared, he had participated in Feng Wuyu's soul-forging competition. However, shortly after that, Feng Wuyu went into seclusion and hadn't yet broken through when Tang Wulin lost contact.
"Teacher broke through?" Tang Wulin was overjoyed.
Feng Wuyu's breakthrough filled him with genuine happiness.
And if his forging skills also broke through, didn't that mean his teacher was now a Divine Craftsman?
If there was one thing Tang Wulin was most satisfied with during these two-and-a-half years of cultivation, it was undoubtedly the massive leap in his soul power—'catching up to and even surpassing' Xu Yuan—and successfully fusing the ninth and tenth seals of the Golden Dragon King.
On the other hand, the aspect he was least satisfied with was his forging.
Forging had been his greatest advantage, but after two-and-a-half years of deep meditation, he had neglected it significantly.
Even though he could confidently claim that he hadn't regressed and could still quickly pick up where he left off with noticeable progress, relatively speaking, he had fallen behind.
While his forging stagnated, his soul power surged forward. His situation mirrored Xu Yuan's earlier trajectory.
His battle armor couldn't be upgraded.
He was still at the one-word battle armor level!
Yes, still at the one-word battle armor: Dragon.
However, he had long since mastered spirit-forging, so upgrading to two-word battle armor would take no more than two or three months.
What was difficult was advancing to three-word battle armor.
He still hadn't mastered soul-forging.
Now, upon hearing that Feng Wuyu had broken through and become a Divine Craftsman, he was naturally thrilled.
With an even higher ceiling for forging, his understanding of advanced techniques would deepen. Perhaps, by seeking Feng Wuyu's guidance on soul-forging once again, he could achieve a breakthrough sooner.
"Feng Lao broke through, and Zhuo Shi did as well."
"Grandmaster also broke through?" Tang Wulin was stunned.
This... this...
His two biggest backers in Shrek Academy had both achieved Limit Douluo status?
And one of them was a Divine Craftsman!
He suddenly felt bolstered.
Although his own strength was quickly approaching the academy's upper echelons, he wasn't quite there yet.
"Also, the academy was attacked by the Holy Spirit Sect once."
Tang Wulin broke out in a cold sweat.
Shrek Academy had been attacked.
The Holy Spirit Sect was truly insane—and audacious.
At the same time, he also grew wary of the existence of the Godslayer Missile.
The Federation actually had such a powerful trump card.
"Well, you've just come out of deep meditation. Head back to the academy first. Of the seven of you from the new generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, only you and Little Yuan are missing. You should catch up with the others," Ya Li instructed Tang Wulin as she gestured toward the spatial passage.
---
Endless Mountains, Blood God Legion.
It had been a month since Ghost Emperor's attack and Ardent Emperor's descent.
The Blood God Legion had already recovered and resumed normal operations.
In this great battle, the Abyss suffered heavy losses. One emperor had been devoured on the spot by Xu Yuan, while Mei Emperor and Ardent Emperor were left stranded on Douluo Planet, unable to return.
Moreover, the Abyssal energy they poured into this side had been cut off by Xu Yuan.
At the same time, the Abyss had pumped a massive amount of energy into the channel, greatly accelerating the transformation array and producing vast amounts of stellar energy.
After the previous battle, the Blood God Legion had licked their wounds and shed silent tears.
But this time, despite their grief, they pressed onward, digesting the gains from the battle and growing stronger.
---
Command Center.
"The Abyss's laws have permeated the entire passage again. Our exploration has become at least ten times harder than before," Zhang Huanyun sighed.
He glanced at Xu Yuan, hesitating whether to persuade him once more to abandon the benefits of the cosmic phenomenon.
Though they had forced the Abyss to behave through threats, their chances of seizing the opportunities within the cosmic phenomenon had dropped to near zero.
"Our martial souls can still be used, and our soul power can still circulate. It's better than when the Abyssal passage first opened," Cao Dezhi said.
He understood Zhang Huanyun's concerns but firmly supported Xu Yuan.
After all, the evolution of the cosmic phenomenon still required time.
If worse came to worst and they truly had no chance, they could always destroy the passage later. There was no need to rush it now.
"I know, but our soul masters are still being suppressed. The environment within the cosmic phenomenon is far harsher than before. Moreover, the Abyss's laws have spread, and Abyssal creatures now have guides—they're no longer lost. They can effectively organize large-scale attacks, and we've almost completely lost the ability to establish fixed bases," Zhang Huanyun said gravely.
Previously, they could occupy a quarter of the space within the cosmic phenomenon and constantly engage in tug-of-war with the Abyss.
At that time, they still had confidence in competing with the Abyss for the opportunities within the cosmic phenomenon.
But now?
They didn't even have fixed territory. How could they compete with the Abyss?
Everyone's gaze focused on Xu Yuan.
This was a problem that even Cao Dezhi found difficult to resolve.
Though he supported Xu Yuan's continued attempts to seize opportunities, he wasn't particularly optimistic about it either.
Xu Yuan slowly spoke.
"Exploration is enough."
"Continue exploring the changes within the cosmic phenomenon. We don't need to occupy it."
"The Federation's reinforcements will arrive soon. As long as we have enough manpower, we'll be able to secure territory within the passage."
"Additionally, give me some time. Once I've fully digested everything, I'll enter the passage and devour more Abyssal energy."
According to the agreement, only the Abyssal Sage King was restricted from taking action—there was no clause prohibiting Xu Yuan from acting.
Xu Yuan understood. This wasn't due to the Abyssal Sage King's oversight but rather a deliberate trap.
Xu Yuan could destroy the cosmic phenomenon at any time, and the Abyssal Sage King wouldn't tolerate that. He would inevitably look for an opportunity to eliminate Xu Yuan.
Granting Xu Yuan the freedom to act within the cosmic phenomenon was fundamental to everything. As for the losses Xu Yuan's actions might inflict on the Abyss, they could be kept within acceptable limits.
Eliminating Xu Yuan was more important than losing a few layers of the Abyss.
"The Abyssal Sage King probably hopes you'll enter the passage. Though the agreement prohibits direct action, if there's an opportunity to kill you, the agreement becomes void," Zhang Huanyun reminded Xu Yuan.
After all, the foundation of the agreement lay in Xu Yuan's ability to threaten the Abyss.
Once Xu Yuan was gone, the agreement would collapse. Even if the Abyssal Sage King personally violated the terms, no one would be able to punish him.
"I'll be careful. After I digest everything further and consolidate my strength, even the Abyssal Sage King won't be able to instantly kill me."
As long as he couldn't be instantly killed, there would be a chance for survival.
"Sigh."
Zhang Huanyun exhaled deeply.
He still felt uneasy.
However, the cosmic phenomenon had already drawn the attention of the entire Douluo Planet. Endless waves of troops would soon pour into the Endless Mountains, and the Blood God Legion would no longer be the main force handling the cosmic phenomenon.
These issues would have to wait until the new situation stabilized before they could be resolved.
---
Shrek Academy.
Inner Court.
"Wulin, you're already at level seventy-six?"
Wu Siduo was shocked upon learning Tang Wulin's soul power level.
Among the new generation of Shrek Seven Monsters, Xu Yuan's soul power had always been the highest. Aside from Xu Yuan, Wu Siduo considered herself part of the top tier.
Even Yuanen Yehui and Yue Zhengyu had been caught up to by her. Now, the three of them were roughly neck-and-neck.
Currently, Wu Siduo was at level sixty-six, Yuanen Yehui at sixty-seven, and Yue Zhengyu at sixty-eight.
This rate of advancement was already extremely fast.
The three of them had all broken through to level fifty shortly before the Demon's Gate opened, and in just three years, they had each increased their levels by at least fifteen—averaging a gain of five levels per year.
However, Tang Wulin had far surpassed them.
Tang Wulin had also broken through to level fifty around the same time, but then he disappeared, so his exact soul power level had been unknown. No one could judge his progress.
Now, upon returning to the academy, his soul power had astonishingly reached level seventy-six!
Tang Wulin was pleased with Wu Siduo's reaction.
He looked at the other members of the new Shrek Seven Monsters, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
"By a stroke of luck, my soul power advanced faster than expected."
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