Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 291: The Furious Zhongli Wu

But what made Ling Canghai even more desperate was that he had seen at least a hundred of these trampling creatures in a quick glance from the air—if every trampling creature had the strength of this one, it would be terrifying!

"Retreat! Break through to the east of the city!"

Ling Canghai, clutching his bleeding chest, forced himself to stand and led the surviving disciples in a charge towards the weakest point.

In contrast, those weaker sects and academies had already fallen into dire straits.

A team of academy students, led by only two Soul Saints, was surrounded by a dozen raiders at a street corner.

Their defensive soul skills were like paper under the plunderers' blades, and screams of agony rose and fell.

Suddenly, several beams of dark blue energy shot out from the shadows, accurately hitting the two Soul Saints—it was a long-range sniper shot from the Eraser. The Soul Saints hit were instantly stunned, and then torn apart by the swarming raiders.

"Phoenix Roaring Sky Strike!"

Ma Xiaotao's figure rushed into the battle like a burning flame, and the Phoenix True Fire transformed into a giant firebird, engulfing dozens of illusory soldiers.

The scorching flames distorted the space, the Void Soldier emitted a piercing shriek, and its pitch-black outer shell continuously melted and dripped away, revealing the writhing negative energy core inside.

Even so, they continued to crawl forward, dragging their burning bodies, trying to pounce on the nearby crying civilians.

"What a troublesome guy."

Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly, and huge phoenix wings unfurled behind her, causing the intensity of the flames to increase several times over.

This time, the firebird pierced directly through the Void Soldier's body, completely igniting its core.

Artoria shielded Nan Qiuqiu behind her, slowly raising the Excalibur in her hand.

The dazzling light patterns flowing along the sword moved like living things, converging into a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight into the sky.

"Excalibur!"

With a deep shout, the beam of light crashed down like a meteor, instantly evaporating all the illusory soldiers on the street into particles and tearing a vacuum zone hundreds of meters long through the dense enemy ranks.

"Quick! Follow the light path and break through!"

Nan Qiuqiu shouted at the civilians around her, but the people in the chaos had already lost their minds and were just running away aimlessly.

“Teacher…” Bai Xiuxiu hid behind Silky, watching a family of three being torn apart and fleeing by a pawn, her little face turning pale with fright.

As Skirk gazed at the ever-expanding battlefield, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.

With a flick of her wrist, a terrifying, icy white mist instantly spread out, freezing hundreds of illusory soldiers into ice sculptures.

"Let's save as many as we can."

She spoke softly, and dozens of ice spikes condensed at her fingertips, accurately shooting at the illusory soldiers who were trying to ambush the civilians.

But as her gaze swept over the constantly tearing spatial rifts in the distance, she knew in her heart that this amount of power was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

A dense barrage of soul-guided cannon fire came from the direction of Mingde Hall, but it quickly became sparse.

A trampling beast that had just stepped out of the crack casually slapped a three-story-high soul-guided turret into scrap metal.

It spewed out jet-black energy waves from its chest, sweeping across the area like a tidal wave. The entire street was instantly turned into scorched earth, and the dozens of Soul Masters behind the turret were annihilated before they could even scream.

"evil creature!"

Ma Xiaotao roared and charged forward, the Phoenix True Fire behind her solidifying and colliding fiercely with the energy wave of the trampler.

"Boom!"

Amidst a deafening roar, flames and dark energy exploded into a mushroom cloud. Ma Xiaotao was forced back several steps by the shockwave, and crimson blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.

She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, but her eyes blazed with even greater fighting spirit: "Interesting, let's go again!"

On the high platform outside the command tent, Ju Zi gazed at the towering flames in the direction of Mingdu, her fingernails digging deep into her palms until blood seeped out.

The command seal in her hand lit up again, emitting an eerie red light—as she moved, dozens more spatial rifts tore open in various parts of Mingdu, and more illusory soldiers surged out like a tide.

"no, do not want……"

She trembled all over, and tears finally streamed down her face.

That invisible force was controlling her body; every time a Command Seal lit up, it felt like a knife was stabbing into her heart.

The message she sent to Lu Jingming was her last struggle. She didn't know what else she could do and could only watch helplessly as this prosperous city turned into a hell in her hands.

The Fire Phoenix Douluo Luanfeng still stood guard at the entrance of the command tent, the Fire Phoenix Sword in his hand trembling violently, the fire phoenix patterns on the sword blade lighting up and then dimming, emitting an unwilling hum.

In her bloodshot eyes, humanity and bestiality were tearing each other apart—just now she almost broke free of control, but the mark Xingxiao left deep in her soul suddenly erupted, scorching her so badly that she almost lost her soul.

At this moment, her pupils were being swallowed by darkness little by little.

Within the alternate dimension, the Great Monarch of Annihilation, Xingxiao, silently floated in the starry sky.

Her pure white hair brushed against her pale cheeks as she looked down at the tragic state of Mingdu reflected in the water mirror below, her empty eyes devoid of any emotion.

Beneath her feet, the dark star rings slowly rotated, as if absorbing some invisible power.

This destruction was not a chaotic massacre, but a precise "purification"—the soul power, fear, and even the cries of death that erupted in the battle were all quietly absorbed by the Star Ring and transformed into nutrients to nourish her power.

The night sky over Mingdu was completely dyed red by the fire, and screams, explosions, and sounds of colliding energy intertwined to form a desperate requiem.

No one knows when this disaster will end, and no one knows what a terrifying scene will unfold when the Great Lord of Annihilation truly makes his move.

Deep in the dark alley, foul-smelling bloodstains meandered down the corner of the wall.

Zhongli Wu, clad in a black robe, stared intently at the figures falling one after another on the street, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.

The elders of the Holy Spirit Cult spread out in a fan shape, each holding a soul guide device that shimmered with an eerie light, but they remained motionless for a long time. The souls that should have floated out had turned into specks of light and dissipated into the air the moment their lives ended, leaving not even a trace of their souls behind.

"How can it be……"

An elder of the evil spirit master spoke in a trembling voice, the Soul Devouring Bottle in his hand empty, "Even if they are killed by these monsters, it is impossible for them not to leave behind their souls?"

Zhongli Wu suddenly turned his head, his face twisted and contorted with rage beneath his black robe. With tens of millions of people in Mingdu, plus the powerful figures gathered from all sides for the Soul Master Competition, it should have been a once-in-a-century feast for the Holy Spirit Sect!
He originally planned to use the slaughter by the antimatter legion to collect a massive number of souls to cultivate evil arts and even break through to the Limit Douluo level.

But now, it's as if someone is snatching food from his mouth, and all the "delicacy" has evaporated into thin air.

"Which bastard is behind this?!"

Zhongli Wu roared, his soul power surging, and crimson mist churned like waves. "Investigate! Dig three feet into the ground and find this soul-stealing rat!"

He didn't believe anyone could steal a soul right under the noses of these evil soul masters, unless—it was a top expert in some space or soul realm.

On the rooftop of the high-rise building, the night wind whipped up Lu Jingming's robes.

He calmly looked down at the hellish scene below, his gaze sweeping over the panicked civilians and landing on the fearless antimatter legion.

A wisp of soul power swirling around his fingertips trembled slightly, a feedback from the spiritual link with the Great Compassion Tree King—the earth vein network was functioning normally, and the dream space had already contained over half a million souls. "Sometimes, you still have to have a bottom line; I don't want to lose my humanity."

Lu Jingming murmured to himself.

He could clearly sense the souls that had been pulled into the dream space, where they slept soundly, as if in a peaceful dream, waiting for the moment they would see the light of day again.

The restorative power of the Black Abyss White Flower and the divine power condensed from the nascent life godhood flowed slowly within his body. The combination of these two powers was enough to revitalize his shattered flesh—provided that his soul was preserved.

His gaze shifted to the Soul Masters who had perished in the battle, his eyes showing no emotion.

War is cruel; people die all the time. Lu Jingming couldn't possibly revive everyone, let alone revive Soul Masters, which would be even more costly.

But ordinary people are different; they are the most innocent victims of this disaster, and they are the bottom line he doesn't want to cross.

"Although Xingxiao's appearance was an accident, I was the one who started the Holy Grail War, so it is only natural that I should clean up this mess."

Lu Jingming murmured.

Deep within the Ming Dynasty palace, a rich medicinal aroma permeated the luxurious bedroom.

The middle-aged emperor lay on the large bed of golden nanmu wood, his chest rising and falling slightly, his face flushed with a sickly pallor.

In the gilded incense burner in front of the bed, the calming incense had long since burned out, leaving only cold ashes.

Xu Tianran sat in a wheelchair, his pale fingers tapping lightly on the armrests, the crisp sound particularly jarring in the quiet room.

The explosions and screams outside the window seemed to be far away, but his face remained unmoved, showing only an almost eerie calm.

"Just as she predicted."

Xu Tianran sneered, "The so-called agreement is nothing but dust in the eyes of the Great Lord of Annihilation."

He never truly trusted Xingxiao; cooperating with that Annihilation Lord was merely a stopgap measure.

The chaos in Mingdu, and even the sacrifice of millions of people, were all part of his plan—to use destruction to disrupt the plans of all forces and create an opportunity for himself to break the deadlock.

"Unify Douluo Continent?"

Xu Tianran scoffed, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "Even if you stand at the pinnacle of the continent, a hundred years from now you'll still be nothing but a handful of dust. In the eyes of the gods, what difference is there between you and an ant?"

His gaze turned fervent, as if two flames were burning within it. "Only eternal life, only godhood, is the ultimate path!"

He had already staked everything on this goal.

Colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult, tolerating the slaughter of his people by the antimatter legion, and even going so far as to distort his own martial soul... all of this was for the "divine position" promised by his mysterious follower.

It was an entity even more elusive than Xingxiao, yet one that understood "trading" even better.

"Without madness, there is no life..."

Xu Tianran sighed softly, his fingertips tracing the dragon patterns carved on the armrest of his wheelchair. "So what if no one has become a god for ten thousand years? I, Xu Tianran, am determined to forge a different path!"

Even if the entire Sun Moon Empire were reduced to ashes, he would not hesitate.

"You've gone crazy!"

A cold voice sounded from behind him. Kong Deming slowly stepped out of the shadows, his silver-white hair gleaming coldly in the dim light.

The only level 10 Soul Master in the Sun Moon Empire had his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with heartache.

He stared at Xu Tianran's retreating figure as if he were looking at a completely unfamiliar monster.

He could tolerate Xu Tianran's ambition and even tacitly approve of his use of iron-fisted methods to consolidate power, but he could never tolerate anyone treating the lives of millions of people as worthless.

Mingdu's screams were like heavy hammer blows to his heart.

"are you crazy?"

Xu Tianran slowly turned his wheelchair around, a gentle smile still on his face, as if discussing the weather. "Perhaps, but Elder Kong, aren't you also a prisoner bound by 'ideologies'?"

In his view, Kong Deming's insistence on "non-interference with the royal family" and "protecting the Sun and Moon Empire" was nothing more than a manifestation of narrow-mindedness.

A true strong person should break free from all constraints and climb to the peak even if it means shattering hell.

“My gut tells me I must kill you.”

Kong Deming's voice was deep and firm, and his soul power began to surge. "Even if it goes against the principles I've upheld throughout my life."

Throughout his life, he remained steadfast in his duties, observing everything from royal changes to power struggles with detachment, focusing solely on the research of soul tools.

But this time, a strong sense of crisis made him unable to stand idly by any longer—Xu Tianran's madness would drag the entire Sun Moon Empire into an abyss of no return.

"Silver Moon Divine Light Shield!"

With a low shout from Kong Deming, a burst of silvery-white light erupted, enveloping the entire palace like a giant glass dome.

The space was completely sealed off, and not even a trace of energy fluctuation could leak out—this was a level 10 soul tool that he had spent half his life creating. It was a powerful space-type soul tool that was enough to allow him to fight against Limit Douluo or even demigods with his level 95 cultivation.

"It seems you're determined to take action."

Xu Tianran's smile slowly faded as several dark figures suddenly appeared from the shadows and blocked his way.

Leading the group was Shadow Douluo Xue Chen, a titled Douluo surrounded by dense shadow energy, his eyes coldly fixed on Kong Deming.

"Master Kong, please forgive our rudeness."

Xue Chen bowed slightly, but his attitude was unusually firm: "His Highness the Regent is the future of the Sun Moon Empire, and no one can harm him."

The titled Douluo behind him simultaneously released their spirit rings. The interwoven yellow, purple, and black light of the spirit rings was particularly dazzling within the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield.

How could they not know Xu Tianran's madness?

But they had no other choice.

The mysterious servant's intimidation hung like a sword over their heads. The ninth-level soul master legion commanders in the military who had attempted to rebel had now become mindless puppets, sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.

Rather than end up like that, it's better to gamble that Xu Tianran can win—at least, he promised a more powerful Sun Moon Empire.

“You…” Kong Deming looked at the several titled Douluo in front of him, his brows furrowed.

He never expected that Xu Tianran would still have such loyal followers even now.

"Master Kong, take Tianzhen with you."

Xu Tianran suddenly spoke, his tone unusually weary, "Leave Mingdu, and never come back."

Xu Tianzhen, his innocent and naive younger sister, is perhaps the last piece of clean blood in the royal family.

As for his father, who was on his sickbed, and his other blood relatives... they were nothing more than insignificant dust on his path to godhood.

(End of this chapter)