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Gu La left the atmosphere of singing birds and fragrant flowers at the Pingfan Alliance and returned to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
The moment he stepped within the academy grounds, his sharp senses detected several covert gazes—like bone-deep parasites—occasionally sweeping over him from different directions.
These gazes were not constant, tight surveillance, but rather markers and warnings—ensuring his whereabouts would be immediately reported the moment he left the academy.
Gu La sneered inwardly, yet his expression remained perfectly composed, as if he sensed nothing at all.
He continued living at his own pace: visiting the laboratory to review materials, browsing soul device fundamentals in the library, even occasionally sitting in on advanced soul device courses. He behaved exactly like a genuine exchange student come to study.
Crown Prince Xu Tianran had clearly issued strict orders to the imperial disciplinary team. Despite the constant hidden gazes, no one dared to truly trouble him. Both sides maintained a delicate balance.
However, Huo Yuhao, also from Shrek, found his situation far less comfortable.
Wang Shaojie's death—even though he was merely an unimportant branch of the royal family—had touched the sensitive, fragile nerves of certain royal descendants.
They saw it as a challenge to royal dignity, an offense that demanded retaliation.
They dared not provoke Gu La, the walking catastrophe, so all their grievances and harassment naturally turned toward Huo Yuhao—another Shrek native who seemed like a "soft target."
Some royal descendants began deliberately setting obstacles for Huo Yuhao in Laboratory Three—picking faults with soul device parts he crafted, deliberately delaying resource applications, and adding cold mockery to their words.
Xuan Ziwen witnessed it all. Though respected, he could not fully suppress the family influence behind these spoiled brats, nor did he wish to completely antagonize certain royal members over an exchange student.
What he could do was find a reasonable excuse to let Huo Yuhao temporarily leave this trouble spot.
Soon, an opportunity arose.
Mingde Hall's newly developed all-terrain detection soul device required field testing in complex wilderness environments. The test site was set at Jingyang Mountain, the main peak of the Jingyang Mountain Range in central-northern Sun Moon Empire.
Xuan Ziwen immediately assigned this mission to Huo Yuhao, Ju Zi, and Ke Ke—ostensibly to train their practical skills, but truly to let Huo Yuhao avoid the storm.
This official trip originally had nothing to do with Gu La.
But just before the team departed, Gu La actively approached Xuan Ziwen, stating his interest in Sun Moon Empire's unique flora—especially in pristine ecological zones like the Jingyang Mountain Range. He wished to join the team to collect some samples.
The reason was perfectly reasonable. Though slightly surprised, Xuan Ziwen thought that having this demon along might actually make Huo Yuhao safer—as long as the trouble didn't come from Gu La himself. He nodded in agreement.
Gu La's purpose, of course, went far beyond this.
Enriching the Tree of Life's gene pool was merely incidental. His true intention was to ignite his own "fire" outside Ming Du, this powder keg.
He could easily imagine that after threatening Jing Hongchen and the Crown Prince so brazenly, they would never swallow their humiliation silently.
Direct confrontation carried too much risk—so using others as knives was the best choice. What knife was more suitable than evil soul masters, who would never cease hunting an Angel martial soul wielder?
Evil soul masters would undoubtedly relish eliminating a potential Angel martial soul holder.
Gu La guessed that those secretly watching him—and those behind them—were growing impatient.
By voluntarily leaving heavily defended Ming Du and heading to the sparsely populated, soul beast-infested Jingyang Mountain Range, he was undoubtedly offering them a perfect opportunity to strike.
Indeed, soon after he followed Huo Yuhao's team out of the Sun Moon Academy, Crown Prince Xu Tianran received the news.
A cold light flashed in his eyes. Without hesitation, he immediately relayed the information through a special channel.
Even as Crown Prince, he absolutely did not wish to see the catastrophic consequences of over a hundred "Evil's Banes" exploding in Ming Du.
The remote Jingyang Mountain Range, rarely visited by humans, was the perfect burial ground for this thorn in his side!
The message soon reached the hands of Holy Spirit Cult's Sect Leader, Zhongli Wu.
Upon receiving the intelligence, terrifying killing intent and a trace of excitement erupted in his blood-red eyes.
"He's finally out! Brat, this time, where will you run!"
Without hesitation, he immediately summoned three trusted evil Titled Douluos—Nightmare, Netherworld, and Myriad Souls. The four decisively set off, transforming into four blurred ghostly shadows racing toward the Jingyang Mountain Range.
To ensure absolute success, Zhongli Wu decided to act personally this time. He would not give that slippery brat any chance to escape through elemental transformation.
The Jingyang Mountain Range, as the largest soul beast habitat in central-northern Sun Moon Empire, covered about one-third the area of the Great Star Luo Forest. Gu La even knew that in ten thousand years, it would be fully developed into a bustling city.
But for now, it remained a wilderness teeming with primeval forests, rich rare minerals, and powerful soul beasts.
The mountain range was vast, terrain complex—which was why Zhongli Wu brought three subordinates. Four people could search separately, ensuring they would drag out that hiding rat faster.
In his mind, dealing with a mere child at most at the Spirit King level, deploying four Titled Douluos was overkill. He saw no need to waste more time.
On the way to Jingyang Mountain, Huo Yuhao successfully bridged the distance between himself, Ju Zi, and Ke Ke with his exceptionally skilled grilled fish cooking.
The enticing aroma and delicious flavor temporarily made the two girls forget their fear of Gu La. The atmosphere gradually grew harmonious.
However, whenever their gazes inadvertently swept over Gu La—sitting alone not far away, as silent and still as a rock—Ju Zi and Ke Ke would instinctively retract their smiles, their eyes holding irreducible awe and distance, not daring to approach him.
Gu La preferred the quiet. While slowly eating grilled fish, he refined his next plan in his mind.
The campfire's light flickered in his unfathomable eyes, revealing no ripple.
Under the night sky, Gu La ignored the harmonious chatter from Huo Yuhao's trio on the other side.
Ju Zi was indeed beautiful, but her overly complex mind and tendency to project her feelings for her deceased father onto males "good at cooking" made Gu La keep his distance.
His mind had already sunk into glimpses of the future.
After advancing to Soul Emperor, his future sight ability had greatly strengthened. He could now clearly see fragments one month ahead, with far greater detail than before.
Soon, he captured crucial information from the chaotic future images: on the second night, a silver moon wolf king leading a golden wolf pack—and immediately following, four evil Titled Douluos suddenly attacking when he dealt with the wolves.
Leading them was none other than Zhongli Wu. One super Douluo with a bizarre puppet martial soul would directly attack him, while another would seize the opportunity to strike Huo Yuhao's trio.
"Heh, they certainly think highly of me," Gu La sneered inwardly.
He believed the "tenants" inside Huo Yuhao could handle one Titled Douluo—but wouldn't that be a waste?
The souls of evil soul masters, especially Titled Douluo level, were precious nourishment for his Angel spirit soul.
He suddenly stood up and walked toward Huo Yuhao's trio. Under Ju Zi and Ke Ke's somewhat fearful gazes, he tossed a dark red "Evil's Bane No. 6" to Huo Yuhao.
"Evil soul masters are coming for me. Be careful yourselves. If in danger, detonate it." Gu La's words were concise.
Ju Zi exclaimed in surprise: "Evil soul masters? How do you know? Won't we help?"
Huo Yuhao accepted the heavy metal sphere exuding dangerous energy, his heart conflicted.
He recalled how he had harbored resentment when Gu La refused to join the Tang Sect, yet the other seemed to have never taken it to heart. Now, he was directly giving him such a powerful life-saving device. A trace of shame rose within him.
This was precisely the effect Gu La wanted—a tiny, insignificant investment of goodwill.
Huo Yuhao suppressed his emotions and explained to Ju Zi: "Gu La has an Angel martial soul. His perception of evil aura far exceeds ordinary people. Since he dares to go alone, he must have confidence. He'll ask for help if he needs it. Besides…"
He weighed the "Evil's Bane" in his hand, "don't forget this thing… its lethality against evil soul masters is probably close to a ninth-grade fixed-type soul projectile."
Only then did the two girls feel slightly reassured.
Gu La said no more. Brilliant golden light bloomed behind him, holy wings spread, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, instantly shooting into the night sky, racing in a direction away from the camp.
"A bunch of sewer rats don't deserve to make a forest their grave." Gu La surveyed the lush Jingyang Mountain Range below, quickly locking onto a remote, steep cliff with relatively sparse vegetation.
"There."
He landed atop the cliff, surveying the surroundings—jagged rocks, open flat ground.
He had originally considered planting several "Evil's Banes" as traps, but quickly abandoned the idea.
Titled Douluos possessed extremely keen danger perception. The energy fluctuations of soul device bombs—inert objects—were hard to completely conceal, potentially alerting the prey prematurely.
He stood quietly, like a reef, waiting for the storm.
Meanwhile, deep within the Jingyang Mountain Range.
Myriad Souls Douluo floated in midair, his massive Ten Thousand Souls Banner fluttering in the wind behind him. Countless twisted, suffering shadows wailed and writhed on the banner's surface.
His spiritual power attached to every released soul, forming a vast search net.
"Hmm?" His mind suddenly stirred—a soul had transmitted the discovery of the target.
It was a figure radiating pure, bright aura, standing alone on a cliff.
Myriad Souls Douluo was overjoyed, but immediately recalled Zhongli Wu's warning—the target possessed extremely powerful light-attribute explosives.
He forcibly suppressed his urge to immediately harvest this premium soul, quickly notifying Zhongli Wu and the other two through his soul.
"Sect Leader, target found. On the highest flat mountain plateau to the southeast."
Within moments, four figures wrapped in sinister winds and evil energy rushed from different directions, landing around the cliff, subtly surrounding Gu La.
Terrifying pressure became tangible, making the air viscous and cold. Evil aura surged to the heavens, darkening the night sky further.
Zhongli Wu watched Gu La standing leisurely with hands behind his back at the cliff's center—as if he had been waiting for a long time. Surprise flickered in his blood-red eyes: "You knew we were looking for you?"
Gu La slowly turned, his expression calm and unruffled. "Of course. Otherwise, why would I stand here in the cold wind? Do you think I find the night view particularly beautiful?"
"Good! Very good!" Zhongli Wu's rage turned to laughter—he couldn't remember the last time someone dared speak to him like this. "I originally intended to give you a quick death. Since you seek death, I'll make you taste the ultimate pain in this world!"
Behind him, Nightmare Douluo emitted a cackling laugh, Netherworld Douluo's Netherworld Sword hummed, and Myriad Souls Douluo's banner fluttered violently.
The undead and evil aura of four Titled Douluos intertwined like churning black clouds, ready to swallow the cliff whole.
"Arrogant words." Gu La commented flatly.
Before his words fully faded, blinding golden light, brighter than the sun, erupted from his body.
"HUMMM—!"
A clear, melodious cry—as if from the sacred heavens—shattered the night sky. A colossal, majestic six-winged angel figure, seemingly forged from pure light and flame, radiating endless holiness and sacredness, suddenly appeared behind Gu La.
The Holy Sun Angel spirit soul had arrived!
Compared to Gu La's own projections, the spirit soul emitted purer, more overwhelming sacred pressure, with stronger suppression against evil.
The Holy Radiance Domain automatically expanded. Golden light and flame swept out from the spirit, instantly engulfing the entire cliff.
"Argh!"
"What light is this?!"
"My soul power is being scorched! Purified!"
All four evil soul masters changed color simultaneously. Their protective evil aura melted like snow under the sun.
The sacred light and flame burned their skin, seeming to directly scorch their souls and evil essence, bringing heart-piercing pain. Even their soul power circulation became sluggish.
Especially Myriad Souls Douluo, whose souls in the banner wailed in extreme agony—many weaker ones instantly dispersing in the golden light.
"The stage is set for you. How much you harvest depends on yourself." Gu La spoke softly to his Angel spirit soul.
The Angel spirit soul's face was solemn. It nodded heavily.
It extended a hand formed of light and flame. A massive "Holy Sun Sword," entirely condensed from Ultimate Light and Ultimate Fire, materialized from nothing.
Now at eighty thousand years of cultivation, possessing dual Ultimate attributes, and supported by Gu La's generous soul power, its temporary combat strength could rival a two-hundred-thousand-year fierce beast—in other words, a human Super Douluo!
Against these severely suppressed evil soul masters, it held absolute advantage.
However, Gu La knew through his future sight that killing Zhongli Wu now would inevitably draw out the two old monsters—Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao. It wasn't time for direct confrontation yet.
"But death can be spared, punishment cannot be avoided… and besides, it's time to see how my creation performs."
With a thought, Gu La's surroundings flashed with light. Dozens of dark red "Evil's Bane No. 6" devices instantly appeared, densely packed around him.
He didn't choose to plant them—he had the Angel spirit soul use its light-flame tentacles to attach all of them to its own body of light and flame.
Compared to Gu La himself, the spirit soul—purely composed of light and fire—was truly immune to damage from these two attributes.
The next moment, to Zhongli Wu and his companions' astonishment, the Angel spirit soul charged fearlessly toward their most densely packed position—carrying dozens of unstable explosives radiating terrifying energy fluctuations on its body.
Its light instantly became blindingly intense. Internal energy compressed and collapsed in a world-shattering manner—
"Solar Nuclear Fusion Explosion!"
The Angel spirit soul's strongest strike—equivalent to self-detonation, combined with the simultaneous explosion of dozens of "Evil's Banes."
"Danger! Retreat!" Zhongli Wu's scalp tingled. He shouted sharply, transforming into black smoke to retreat backward instantly.
The other three were also terrified, using all means to desperately evade.
But the sacred domain severely suppressed them—soul power scorched their meridians, purified their evil aura. Their speed inevitably lagged behind!
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!
The next moment, an indescribable catastrophic explosion erupted atop the cliff!
Ultimate light and fire expanded wildly, instantly devouring everything. A massive fireball rose into the sky, as if a small sun had suddenly descended upon the world!
The earth-shattering roar echoed for miles. Even Huo Yuhao and his team far away felt the ground beneath their feet violently shake.
The terrifying energy shockwave spread outward in a ring, easily pulverizing the rocks atop the cliff into dust.
When the blinding light slightly dimmed, the originally towering cliff had been blasted away by nearly one-third.
The fracture line glowed crimson—molten rock solidified into grotesque, glass-like scars.
Zhongli Wu materialized in the distance, his black robe mostly burned away, revealing charred skin underneath. His hair was curled, appearing quite disheveled. His eyes were filled with shock, fury, and lingering fear.
Nightmare, Netherworld, and Myriad Souls Douluo were even worse off—each injured, blood at the corners of their mouths, chaotic aura. Especially Myriad Souls Douluo, whose banner was damaged in the explosion. Suffering from martial soul backlash, he was the most severely injured—every soul in his banner had vanished.
In a single exchange, the four great evil Titled Douluos were all injured by Gu La's spirit soul's single strike!
The suppression of an Ultimate Attribute Angel martial soul against evil soul masters, combined with that completely unconventional "soul device bomb tactic," demonstrated its terrifying power.
"Scoundrel!" Zhongli Wu trembled with rage, his killing intent nearly solidifying into substance. "I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit, making you suffer eternal damnation!"
Gu La still stood at the edge of the remaining cliff, the strong wind billowing his clothes. A mocking smile appeared on his face:
"Only this much ability? It seems evil soul masters, even after becoming Titled Douluos, are nothing special."
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