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

Chapter 356 Illusion and the Black Tower

Xingxiao never dared to underestimate any member from the Genius Club, especially the renowned Intellectual Envoy, Black Tower.

That group of people are beings who traverse the universe by relying on wisdom and creativity that transcends common sense.

Although Huanlong is also skilled in intrigue and mind manipulation, she relies more on the innate abilities and powerful strength of her own race.

In terms of pure strategic maneuvering and planning... she probably couldn't even defeat Jing Yuan, the Divine Strategy General of the Immortal Boat Alliance, who was known for his wisdom and strategy.

However, letting Huanlong go and test the waters might not be a bad thing.

This is a good opportunity to peek into Black Tower's trump card and true intentions, so that she can adjust her next action plan accordingly.

Xingxiao gave a soft hum, the sound barely audible, yet carrying a chilling undertone.

Does he regard the ominous embodiment of destruction, the Great Lord of Annihilation, as a chess piece on a chessboard and manipulate it at will?
Even someone as composed as her would get angry at this moment...

Huanlong's figure vanished from Xingxiao's alternate dimension. In the next instant, it pierced through layers of barriers of reality and, following the guidance originating from the Golden Tree, precisely descended into the most mysterious and core area of ​​Douluo Star—the Inner Sea of ​​the Star.

This is not an ocean in the ordinary sense, but a place where the origins of life and rules of the Douluo Planet converge, a cradle where the will of the plane slumbers.

The surrounding area was not seawater, but an endless, shimmering stream of light, composed of the purest life energy and the primordial power of heaven and earth, interwoven into a vast, colorful ocean of energy.

Within the stream of light, countless silver runes representing rules and order appeared and disappeared, flickering like breaths.

In the distance, a colossal tree, so immense it defies description and composed entirely of pure light, silently took root in the center of the sea of ​​light. That was the manifestation of the life core of Douluo Star, sharing the same origin but differing in appearance from the golden tree outside.

It can be said that this is the true essence and origin of the Golden Tree. The Golden Tree in the outside world is merely a manifestation of its power penetrating into the dimension of reality.

It is precisely because of this profound connection of shared origin that Huanlong was able to follow the mysterious intuition, cross dimensions, and find the core of the planet—the Inner Sea of ​​the Star—a place that even ordinary gods would find difficult to locate and that only a God-King level powerhouse could perceive and reach.

Huanlong felt an almost overflowing sense of affinity emanating from her body. Her physical body, sculpted from the core of the Golden Tree, was perfectly at home here, with every cell joyfully absorbing the vast and boundless life energy around her.

She greedily inhaled the pure, primordial energy, her gaze fixed intently on the deepest part of the sea of ​​light, on the brightest, most complex, pure halo that resembled countless intertwined thoughts, constantly shifting in form.

That was the nascent, nascent will of the plane of Douluo Star.

"What an intoxicating cradle, nurturing the most beautiful fruits..."

Huanlong's lips curled into a bewitching smile of certainty. He lightly waved the fan in his hand, and the dark aura of destruction around him began to strangely harmonize and erode the energy of this sacred land of life. It seemed to have a tendency to take over and transform it into a breeding ground for destruction.

"Soon, all of this will come to an end..."

"—Your destruction is inevitable, isn't it?"

A voice, calm, indifferent, and even carrying a hint of impatience and the languidness of a disturbed dream, suddenly rang out in this silent sea of ​​energy, abruptly severing Huanlong's ritualistic declaration.

Huanlong's movements suddenly froze, and the harmonious aura around her body caught in her throat.

She turned around abruptly, the destructive energy hidden at her fingertips.

Not far from her, the flowing light seemed to have a mind of its own, automatically separating and rising to both sides, quickly condensing into a magnificent throne with a strange shape, smooth lines, a purplish-black metallic luster, and a futuristic technological feel.

A tall and graceful woman sat casually on the throne.

She wore a unique dress with a strong sense of design, which perfectly showcased the mysterious style of a witch. Under the pointed brim of her witch's hat, a few strands of brown hair fell down, setting off her exquisite yet boring and troublesome face.

She elegantly crossed one of her long, beautiful legs, encased in high-quality black stockings, and rested it on the other leg, her slender fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the throne.

Her calm, almost indifferent purple eyes scrutinized the suddenly intruding Huanlong as if she were examining a rather uninteresting experimental subject.

"Black Tower..."

Huanlong's eyes narrowed slightly, and the usual charming smile that she used to disguise her emotions completely disappeared from her face, replaced by a cold vigilance and a hint of offended anger.

She could clearly feel that the person in front of her was completely different from her before and from Xingxiao now; it was an undeniable sense of reality.

"Who else could it be?"

Black Tower curled his lip, his tone filled with undisguised disdain for how someone could ask such a stupid question.

"Do you think I can have a stand-in to stand in for me every day?"

"You were indeed waiting here."

Huanlong suppressed the shock in his heart, his voice turning cold. "What, finally deigning to show yourself? Are you planning to stop me personally?"

As she spoke, she became even more attentive to the state of the Black Tower, trying to find any flaws or weaknesses.

"Alright, stop putting on that standard villain face that says 'I'm going to destroy the world,' I'm tired of seeing it."

Daheita waved his hand, as if shooing away a buzzing mosquito, his impatience almost overflowing.

"This is not an area for you. Get out of here before I change my mind and find it more interesting to tie you to the experimental table."

She paused, her gaze lazily sweeping over the alert Huanlong, then glancing at the trembling aura of dimensional will behind them, before adding with little interest:

"As for that, don't even think about touching it. It's a bit primitive and stupid, like a blank piece of hardware without an operating system."

"But by some twist of fate, you've found a pretty good backer. If you mess with it, the price you can't afford to pay."

She used a metaphor that was vaguely understandable.

Black Tower spoke casually, as if deciding on a trivial matter, completely disregarding Huanlong's threat.

Upon hearing this, Huanlong's suppressed aura of destruction erupted like a volcano being ignited.

The emerald green light of life intertwined with the deep, dark energy of destruction, transforming into a violent shockwave that ripped wildly through the surrounding pure light streams, attempting to tear apart this suffocating arrogance along with the space itself.

"Are you underestimating a Great Lord of Annihilation?!"

Huanlong's voice became sharp and threatening.

"You think you can easily manipulate me with just a few words and make me retreat without a fight?!"

Sensing Huanlong's seemingly out-of-control, violent rage, even the Great Black Tower on the throne couldn't help but roll its eyes slightly.

"Tsk, save your breath, stop acting."

Her voice was completely flat.

"I don't recall you being the kind of impulsive person who's good at manipulating people's hearts and minds and is easily provoked by a few words, although you do tend to get arrogant after getting a new toy—I've already recorded that statistic."

The raging, destructive aura, powerful enough to put even a first-level deity on high alert, abruptly halted, then rapidly receded and subsided, as if it had never existed.

The exaggerated, dramatic anger on Huanlong's face instantly melted away, returning to a deep, unfathomable calm with a hint of eerie allure, as if the emotional outburst just now was merely a clumsy performance.

Black Tower was absolutely right. Her fury, which had almost torn apart the inner sea of ​​the star, was indeed seven-tenths an act.

She was no fool who only knew how to act recklessly. As a powerful ruler skilled at manipulating people's hearts and minds, cunning and caution were ingrained in her instincts.

The fact that Black Tower waited there so calmly, even with a hint of boredom, clearly indicated that he had already laid out his plan and was confident of success.

She would never easily put herself in an unknown and dangerous situation before she had fully figured out the opponent's true strength and weaknesses.

If he were to slip up unexpectedly, he would likely be ridiculed by his cold and taciturn colleague, Xingxiao, who sees everything as a tool, for the entire Amber Era.

The destructive aura that Huanlong possessed could control at will eventually settle into a dangerous calm, but his eerie eyes gleamed with a light that was even deeper and more dangerous than before.

She was not annoyed that her disguise had been so easily seen through. Instead, she covered her mouth and chuckled softly. The eerie fan in her hand began to slowly sway again, bringing with it wisps of energy that were both lifeless illusions and destructive realities.

"Hehehe... As expected of a member of the world-renowned Genius Club, this insight is truly well-deserved."

Huanlong's voice regained its unique, languid tone, carrying a hint of spiritual seduction.

"So, Miss Black Tower, could you please satisfy this humble woman's insignificant curiosity? Have you gone to such lengths to wait here merely to give me a verbal warning and discourage me, or perhaps…?"

Her voice was deliberately drawn out, her gaze sweeping across the boundless sea of ​​dazzling light.

"...This entire magnificent inner sea of ​​the star has unknowingly become a prison that you have carefully prepared for me, this uninvited guest?"

Her words were like a sweet poison, and as she spoke, a subtle, almost invisible mental fluctuation, carrying the dual purpose of exploration and erosion, silently spread toward the Black Tower sitting atop the technological throne, attempting to bypass all defenses and perceive the most authentic situation.

However, that wisp of spirit containing the will of the Great Lord of Annihilation vanished completely when it was still three feet away from the Black Tower, as if it had hit an invisible wall. It was not blocked or bounced off, but completely disappeared.

The wisp of illusory will attached to it was instantly erased, without even a ripple of its existence.

(End of this chapter)