But when Di Tian turned around and his face was fully exposed to the crowd, it caused them to tremble in shock and fear.
Di Tian!
Everyone who saw his face at that moment felt as though a memory that had been sealed away yesterday had suddenly been unlocked today.
Black hair, golden eyes—this face, clearly known across the nation, was unforgettable. Yet those who had seen him before hadn't recognized him at all until now.
Only today did they realize: the "person" they were planning to ask for help was none other than Di Tian, the King of Soul Beasts, a butcher infamous for slaughtering humans.
"Oh~"
"You want my help? Sure."
"When I take action, I'm even faster than the Scarlet King."
In this moment, Di Tian no longer bore any semblance of the gentle persona he had shown before. His image collapsed completely and deliberately.
What replaced it were a pair of cold, ruthless dragon eyes.
Without a shred of mercy, he snapped his fingers—"crack!"
In an instant, the color of the world changed. Darkness shrouded the skies, and even the air grew thick and heavy.
Spear after spear of pure, sharp darkness appeared out of thin air.
"Puchi! Puchi…"
Brilliant blood-red flowers bloomed—many of them—all at once.
The strange sounds that had filled the heavens vanished, and the world fell into a sudden, chilling silence.
From this moment onward, rebuilding Shrek Academy or revitalizing the Tang Sect became nothing more than a fantasy.
As for the six pinnacle-level experts who were the pillars of Shrek Academy's reconstruction—where were they?
They were still rushing on their way.
They had no choice—too many allied forces had suddenly been attacked by soul beasts.
As the strongest combatants of this era, they naturally had to respond to these pleas for aid.
But the outbreaks of beast hordes occurred all across the continent, even involving the families of the Shrek Seven Monsters themselves.
Not only could they not protect every front, but by the time they reached each location, the beast tide had already ended, and the soul beasts had already retreated, leaving behind only ruined, desolate remains.
They visited several such sites in succession, each time finding the same outcome.
Realizing their efforts were ineffective, they decided—before their main base sent out any request for aid—to return quickly and regroup.
But when they reached the outskirts of East Sea City, the blood-red aura staining the skies told them everything.
The base hadn't failed to call for help—it never had the chance to.
Just then, Tang Wulin's communication finally came through.
In order to allow the divine consciousness of the Shura God to penetrate the hidden pocket dimensions that Tang San had set up everywhere, Tang Wulin had worked hard.
"Xie Xie, what's the situation outside?"
Tang Wulin's voice echoed in the spiritual seas of the five Shrek Seven Monsters present.
This was a form of communication unique to the Shura God and the High Priest, a divine messenger on Earth—undetectable by others.
Hearing this familiar voice, Xie Xie and the others were overwhelmed with emotion.
It was as if they had finally found their anchor. The fear and panic threatening to consume them were quelled at once.
"Wulin… it's all gone… everything's gone…"
Still shaken, their voices explained the drastic and devastating changes that had taken place in a short span of time.
In the regions touched by the Shura God's divine consciousness, Xie Xie and the others could hear rough, heavy breathing—like that of a beast.
It wasn't just fast or heavy—each breath sounded louder than the last.
It didn't seem like one person's breathing… but two.
The destruction of the Shrek Academy Reconstruction Alliance was something Tang Wulin could process on his own.
When his father, Tang San, told him the Sea God's divine seat had shattered again, Tang Wulin had already imagined the worst.
After calming himself, Tang Wulin did not forget the questions he still had.
In the previous divine inheritance trial for the Shura God, the merging of "my thoughts" and "his or her thoughts" had become disturbingly strange.So he asked, "About Ao Lai City…"
Just as he began speaking, one person made an almost imperceptible movement.
Ya Li suddenly seemed to turn into a lifeless corpse—her head drooping.
Her pitch-black eyes, too terrifying to meet, vanished.
What replaced them was a pair of vertical golden pupils—like those of a dragon.
In that instant, the protective barrier surrounding "Ya Li" vanished, exposing the life signatures of Tang Ziran and Lang Yue.
Tang Wulin's adoptive parents, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, were there with them as well.
To prevent Di Tian from taking them away again, Ya Li had proposed keeping them close for now.
To a Limit Douluo, carrying two ordinary people wasn't difficult.
The Shura God's divine sense had already picked up their life forces.
"Dad! Mom!"
"Wulin!"
Tang Wulin's heart surged with excitement—but also a looming sense of dread.
When he had asked Xie Xie about Ao Lai City earlier, Xie Xie's response had clearly been evasive.
As childhood friends, Tang Wulin knew when someone was lying to him.
Originally, he had intended to stop asking.
There was no need to press his friend over a personal suspicion.
But the sudden appearance of his long-lost adoptive parents meant that something huge must've happened in Ao Lai City.
Everything pushed Tang Wulin to get to the bottom of the truth.
Xie Xie and the others, under the pressure of his questioning, shot resentful glances at "Ya Li."
But once focus is drawn to one thing, blind spots form elsewhere.
Everyone's attention was on dealing with Tang Wulin's interrogation—they completely missed the anomaly with "Ya Li."
They also didn't have time to ask why she was behaving that way.
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, not wanting to see Tang Wulin fall out with his friends, decided to help however they could.
"Wulin, we'll tell you—but you have to promise us one thing."
"After learning the truth, you must not act rashly."
The divine voice carried through the Shura God's consciousness paused, then Tang Wulin replied:
"Alright, Mom, Dad—I promise."
"Sigh…"
With a sigh, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue began to speak:
"After Di Tian rescued us from the Spirit Transmission Tower's branch on the Heaven Dou Continent…"
"…We know you love Na'er—or rather, Gu Yue Na—but if she's already pregnant…"
They spoke quickly, explaining a great deal, but Tang Wulin only heard one thing:
Gu Yue Na is pregnant!
She's really pregnant!
That Shura God divine inheritance illusion—was real!
Their voices echoed in his mind, and scenes from the illusion flashed before Tang Wulin's eyes.
A child, looking like a miniaturized version of Di Tian, nestled in the full-bodied arms of Gu Yue Na, calling out again and again:
"Mama."
Crack!
His heart—only just mended by Xiao Wu—shattered once more.
The divine consciousness of the Shura God erupted violently, full of killing intent.
(End of Chapter)