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

Chapter 296 Kong Deming's Choice
Lu Jingming's gaze swept over Jiang Nannan and the other three, finally settling on Song Que and Qing Que, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips—he could, of course, recognize Grandma Song Que and General Qing at a glance.

After all, these were beings summoned based on his memories.

"Are you all alright? Why are there only a few of you?" Lu Jingming asked, somewhat puzzled.

Shrek Academy has a strong lineup for this trip, with not only Title Douluo like Xuanzi in attendance, but also many powerful Servants. They shouldn't have left students like Jiang Nannan and Xiaoxiao alone.

"Phew, it's one of our own! You scared us to death!"

Song Que patted her chest and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, her long golden hair swaying back and forth with her movements.

"You suddenly spoke up just now, you really scared us to death!"

She was genuinely terrified. The nuclear-like shockwave from the explosion hadn't completely dissipated, and given the perilous situation, the slightest disturbance could send her into a panic.

"Oh, I'm really sorry!"

Lu Jingming's lips twitched. As expected of Grandma Songque, she was really outgoing.

Jiang Nannan stepped forward and briefly recounted what had just happened—how they were scattered by the shockwave, how they reunited under the protection of Qingque and Songque, how she saw Siegfried release his Noble Phantasm, and how she guessed that Dai Huabin had encountered trouble.

She spoke clearly and calmly, telling Lu Jingming about the known information about the Servants at Shrek Academy, as well as the existence of Hu Lei and Bu Liren.

"I see."

Lu Jingming nodded, but a ripple of emotion stirred within him.

Shrek Academy was quite lucky to be able to summon a hunting envoy like Jing Yuan—who was actually his senior brother, General Luo Fu, who was theoretically entitled to sit at the same table as the Great Monarch of Annihilation, Xing Xiao.

As for Hu Lei and Bu Liren, he didn't pay them too much attention.

Even the Great Lord of Annihilation, Xingxiao, was summoned. Adding another Bu Liren to the battle would only make the chaotic battle more exciting.

Moreover, when he looked into the distance just now, he clearly saw a silvery-white shooting star streak across the sky, and he also vaguely caught a glimpse of the figure of the Three-No General—Wu Lu, Wu Hui, Wu Di. That person's combat power was even stronger than his cheap senior brother.

Moreover, the thought that Jing Liu was also in Mingdu at this moment, and the fact that Hu Lei had been defeated by this former sword master of Luofu, made Lu Jingming's lips curl into a playful smile.

His teacher, Jingliu, once captured and imprisoned Hulei in the prison of the Luofu Immortal Ship. Now that these two old rivals have reunited in another world, who knows what kind of storm they will stir up this time.

"The clouds and fog have dissipated!"

Just as I was pondering this, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the alley entrance.

Lu Jingming's eyes narrowed, and he slowly raised his right hand, pointing it towards the distant street corner.

Suddenly, a black cloud appeared out of nowhere and spread out instantly, enveloping the three trampling creatures and hundreds of phantom soldiers who had just turned the corner.

The monsters that should have roared and charged forward were unable to utter a single howl within the black mist.

As Lu Jingming clenched his fist, the black clouds suddenly contracted and exploded!
The blinding black light flashed and disappeared in an instant, leaving only a few wisps of smoke in its wake—both the trampler's hard shell and the illusory soldier's energy core were reduced to the most primitive particles by that power that decomposed all things, leaving not even a trace.

Qingque instinctively clenched the jade pendant in her hand, while Songque quietly shrank behind Xiaoxiao.

The power to effortlessly dismantle everything was more chilling than Siegfried's Noble Phantasm—it lacked earth-shattering grandeur, yet carried an irresistible absolute authority, as if a wave of the hand could decide life and death.

"Let's go, I'll take you to a safe place."

Lu Jingming withdrew his hand as if he were merely brushing dust off his fingertips, then turned and walked out of the alley.

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the clouds, casting a long shadow behind him. His voice was as calm as if he were discussing the weather: "I have people over there, enough to escort you safely out of Mingdu."

Jiang Nannan and Xiaoxiao exchanged a glance, both seeing an indescribable sense of relief in each other's eyes.

Lu Jingming's calm and composed aura was so reliable that it seemed that as long as he was there, even the most terrible disasters could be easily resolved.

Jiang Nannan gently patted Xiaoxiao's hand to reassure her, then quickened her pace to catch up with Lu Jingming's back.

Qingque watched Lu Jingming's retreating figure, secretly turning the jade pendant between her fingers, thinking to herself, "So this is the 'auspicious' sign indicated by the divination just now..."

Xiao Xiao followed closely behind. Lu Jingming had no reason to harm them, and with the opponent's strength, if he had launched a sneak attack just now, Song Que and Qing Que wouldn't have been able to react in time. If the Master died, the Servant wouldn't last long either.

Song Que was even happier to be relaxed. She ran to the middle of the group in a few steps, secretly observing the surroundings for any danger, while whispering to Qing Que, "It's really different having a big shot protecting us. Our legs were shaking with fear just now..."

She was genuinely afraid of encountering a battle of nuclear explosion magnitude, but now that Lu Jingming had cleared the way, she could finally catch her breath.

The group walked on the broken bricks scattered on the ground, and the sound of their feet cracking could be heard from time to time.

The Ming capital behind them was still burning, the towering flames dyeing half the sky red, and explosions and roars rose and fell, like a living hell.

But under Lu Jingming's guidance, the road ahead seemed to gradually become clearer, and even the stench of blood in the air seemed to have faded a bit.

"Hahaha, so happy!"

D'Artagnan's maniacal laughter echoed through the ruins as the azure water blade nimbly twirled in his hands, sometimes transforming into a sharp dagger, sometimes extending into a spear.

His figure moved like a fish among the phantom soldiers of the antimatter legion. Each swing of his blade was accompanied by a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, and the phantom soldiers that were touched instantly turned into a sky full of negative particles and dissipated.

The high-pressure water flow constantly changed shape in his palm, sometimes condensing into a dense rain of water arrows that riddled the attacking predators with holes, and sometimes transforming into a swirling vortex that shredded the surrounding tamperers.

This young master, proficient in all martial arts, fought his way in and out of the antimatter legion seven times with his superb martial skills, yet he could not hide the excitement and fighting spirit in his eyes.

On the other side, Hoshimi Masashi stood atop the broken wall, the demon sword in her hand gleaming with a chilling light.

Her movements were far more concise than Tartaglia's; the instant the blade flashed, it seemed as if time itself stood still—neither the Raider who could tear steel apart, nor the Tamperer who was adept at spatial teleportation, nor even the Trampler who was comparable to a Title Douluo and a 100,000-year-old soul beast, could withstand her light, effortless strike.

Where the blade sliced ​​through, icy energy waves spread like ripples, freezing the bodies of the antimatter legion before they were slashed by the sharp blade light, turning into negative particles and dissipating into the air.

The two top-tier Servants, like tigers among sheep, routed the antimatter legion within their sight.

Without top-tier combat power of the same level to stop them, these endless killing machines are nothing more than a waste of time for them. "Grandpa, what should we do? This can't go on forever."

Meng Hongchen stood inside a makeshift soul-guided defensive fortification, her brows furrowed, her pretty face filled with worry.

Her gaze kept sweeping into the distance, her heart always concerned about Lu Jingming and the others. Although she knew that Lu Jingming was powerful and had strong followers protecting him, the chaos was far beyond her imagination, and she couldn't help but worry.

Jing Hongchen's gaze was fixed on the direction of the palace, his eyes flashing with a complex light.

Kong Deming's trip to the palace to find Xu Tianran was something his disciple and accomplice naturally knew.

He still can't understand why Xu Tianran would choose to abandon Mingdu—after all, the regent had clearly built underground defensive soul guidance facilities large enough to accommodate a million civilians, and even personally inspected every detail, saying that he wanted to ensure that the aftermath of the Holy Grail War would not affect civilians after the Soul Master Competition ended.

While the antimatter legion's surprise attack was unexpected, given the Sun Moon Empire's resources, as long as Xu Tianran gave the order, the mecha legion and the five guardians would be able to come out in full force, along with the city's defensive soul-guided cannons and soul-guided formations, at least 30% of Mingdu's area could be protected, and more civilians could be saved.

But in reality, the regent chose to stand by and watch, allowing the antimatter legion to wreak havoc in the city, and even abandoning the prepared refuge facilities.

What alarmed Jing Hongchen even more was that the four Beast King-level Soul Master Corps stationed outside the city—Terror Claw, Evil Lord, Imperial Dragon, and Fire Phoenix—remained inactive, and even the strongest Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps remained holed up in the palace without making a move.

Originally, it was Kong Deming who controlled the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Corps. Now it seems that Kong Deming has also lost control of this strongest Soul Master Corps, and Xu Tianran has taken control of it through unknown means.

The antimatter legion also avoided the palace area and did not attack the palace. It seemed that the two sides had reached some kind of silent understanding. Even though one side had already broken the alliance, they had not completely torn off their relationship.

"hold on."

Jing Hongchen said in a deep voice, "You and Xiao lead the people to organize the civilians and move them all to the underground facility. Be quick!"

He was waiting for an outcome—the final choice between Kong Deming and Xu Tianran.

If the two were to completely break off relations, he would have no choice but to lead the Hongchen family away from Mingdu. But if there was still room for maneuver... Before he could finish speaking, a silver ripple suddenly appeared from the void, spreading out layer by layer like ripples on the surface of water.

Kong Deming's figure appeared from among them, accompanied by a young girl, who was none other than Xu Tianzhen, the princess of the Sun Moon Empire.

With the power of the level 10 soul tool Silver Moon Divine Light Shield, this Super Douluo actually managed to perform a spatial transfer that only Limit Douluo could do, manipulating space at will.

"teacher!"

Jing Hongchen's face instantly lit up with joy, and the huge weight that had been hanging over her heart was lifted.

To be honest, he didn't want to break ties with Xu Tianran right now—the changes had happened too suddenly, and the Hongchen family's foundation was entirely in the Sun Moon Empire. A hasty retreat would only result in heavy losses, and he needed time to prepare.

Kong Deming gently placed Xu Tianzhen on the ground. The little princess, who was usually lively, lowered her head and remained silent.

Even if she was naive, she learned many cruel realities from the changes in Mingdu.

"Leave Mingdu with your innocence and your grandchildren."

Kong Deming's voice was hoarse and weary, "If Mingdu is still here after everything is over, I will come back."

In the end, he did not lay a hand on Xu Tianran, but chose to leave with the last "clean bloodline" of the royal family.

Jing Hongchen felt a chill run down her spine and instantly understood her teacher's plan.

Between royal blood and millions of commoners, this old minister, who had dedicated his life to protecting the Sun Moon Empire, ultimately chose the former.

His position determined his perspective, and his fate was sealed from the start—even though he was furious at Xu Tianran's cold-bloodedness and felt sorry for the dead civilians, he still made the most "rational" choice.

"Then, teacher..."

Jing Hongchen hesitated before speaking, her voice trembling slightly.

Kong Deming's expression suddenly turned cold, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes: "For the future of the Sun Moon Empire, it's time for this old body of mine to get some exercise."

Since he had chosen to let Xu Tianran go, he would go all the way—he would help Xu Tianran clear all obstacles, leaving all the people from the original Douluo Three Kingdoms and Shrek Academy in Mingdu, so that they would be buried with these millions of civilians.

After this battle, no one on the Douluo Continent could withstand the iron hooves of the Sun Moon Empire.

As for the alliance with Haiyuan City, it was merely a fallback plan he had chosen.

If Xu Tianran wins, the alliance will be null and void; if Xu Tianran loses, the royal bloodline can continue thanks to Zhang Lexuan's position in Haiyuan City.

Kong Deming never puts all his eggs in one basket, and now he can bet everything without any scruples.

As long as the royal bloodline continues, there is still hope.

Kong Deming turned to look in the direction of the battlefield. The silver moon divine light enveloped his body, and within the dazzling silver light, a small silver moon space could be vaguely seen.

Jing Hongchen fell silent. Kong Deming couldn't let go of the royal family or the Sun Moon Empire. Even though he had a conflict with Xu Tianran and even once wanted to kill Xu Tianran, his long-held beliefs ultimately prevailed.

His view of the mortal world is different.

Although they were equally loyal to the Sun Moon Empire, their loyalty always had a clear bottom line—the survival of their family always came before the empire.

It's not that he doesn't understand gratitude, but he understands the principle that "if the skin is gone, what will the hair cling to?" If even the Hongchen family is gone, what does the most powerful empire have to do with him?

Compared to Xu Tianran, who had gone completely mad, he was more optimistic about Haiyuan City's potential. On this point, his ideas were fundamentally at odds with Kong Deming's.

"Since the teacher has made up their mind..."

Jing Hongchen took a deep breath, turned around and looked at her grandchildren behind her, "Meng, Xiao, let your Servants help their teacher. After all, this is also a war between Servants."

This was the last contribution he could make to the Sun Moon Empire. The combat power of the two top-tier Servants was enough to give Kong Deming a better chance of winning, and it could also be considered a fulfillment of the bond between teacher and student.

Upon hearing the order, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen looked at their respective followers simultaneously, their eyes filled with questions.

Masters do not have absolute control over Servants; both are equals and must be given sufficient respect.

(End of this chapter)