Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

The moonlight, as if washed clean, coldly bathed the dark roof of the Holy Spirit Church headquarters.

Zhang Peng walked out the door, paused slightly, and subconsciously looked up.

The night breeze brushed against his cheeks, dispelling the nauseating stench of blood in the hall. He took a deep breath of the cool night air, carrying the scent of grass and trees, and felt somewhat dazed.

From the moment he decided to step into this hell on earth and infiltrate as an undercover agent, there was no turning back.

He gave a wry smile.

Ironically, he initially accepted this deadly assignment purely because he was beaten so badly by that woman Zi Ji that he was crying for his parents and almost lost half his life. That's why he gritted his teeth and agreed to join Shrek's gang as an "insider" in the Holy Spirit Cult.

But now...

Zhang Peng glanced back at the eerie building complex behind him, a chilling glint in his eyes that even he himself didn't realize.

What he had seen and heard in the past few days—those living people soaked in the blood pool, those wailing as their souls were forcibly extracted, those sinister smiles that were commonplace on the faces of those evil spirit masters—he was no longer "carrying out a mission."

He truly wanted to send these beasts, one by one, to hell.

Of course, he also had his own selfish motives.

When faced with matters of principle, people are inherently selfish. Zhang Peng knew very well what kind of person he was at heart—a person who clung to life, feared death, and loved to scheme. But precisely because of this, his thoughts at this moment were all the more genuine:

If my undercover identity is exposed and I die at the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult... then I will die a worthy death.

In later historical records and biographies of Douluo Continent, this entry will be written: "Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, with a strong sense of righteousness, took the initiative to infiltrate the tiger's den to destroy the Holy Spirit Cult, enduring humiliation and hardship. He is a truly outstanding hero."

If it succeeds—that would be even more incredible. A hero across the entire continent, revered by millions, his name will be remembered for eternity.

I want to be remembered.

Not as a shady, evil sorcerer, not as a clandestine undercover agent. But as... someone who has truly done good, a true hero.

Zhang Peng closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the weakness in his eyes had completely disappeared.

He straightened the wide black robe he was wearing, which represented the offerings of the Holy Spirit Church, and suppressed all his emotions back to the deepest part of his heart.

Under the moonlight, his shadow was stretched long, cast alone on the desolate path.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Under the moonlight, Zhang Peng walked without looking back towards the core area of ​​the Demon Forest. There lay one of the most dangerous beasts on the continent, a deathly forbidden zone filled with spiritual energy fields, and his true destination.

Zhang Peng walked quickly, without making any effort to conceal his presence.

As he stepped into the edge of the mixed zone, several hidden mental energy fluctuations immediately locked onto him like a spider web.

"Halt. Are you the... undercover agent the clan leader mentioned?" A slightly immature yet naturally imposing mental voice echoed in Zhang Peng's mind.

A massive, ancient, evil-eyed tyrant, its size comparable to a small hill, slowly emerged from the shadow of a giant tree. Its single eye glowed red as it sized up the black-robed old man.

"I am Zhang Peng, a worshipper of the Holy Spirit Cult." Zhang Peng stopped and bowed respectfully. "Our cult leader, to show his sincerity in cooperating with His Majesty the Evil Emperor, specially sent me to visit the core area of ​​the Demon Forest."

"Oh—I understand!" The tentacles of the eternally evil tyrant suddenly danced excitedly, its telepathic communication laced with undisguised mockery. "You've successfully infiltrated! Congratulations! The clan leader said you were quite adept at this 'infiltrating the tiger's den' tactic!"

Zhang Peng was at a loss for words, feeling both amused and exasperated. He had thought his identity was a top secret, but it turned out that in the eyes of the Evil Eye Clan, he was already an open secret.

"Come with me. The clan leader instructed that once I see you, I will take you directly to see him." The Eternal Evil Eye Tyrant turned around, his massive body moving nimbly through the forest, with Zhang Peng following closely behind.

After passing through layers of mental barriers, when Zhang Peng finally stepped into the core area of ​​the Demon Forest, the scene before him instantly petrified him.

This isn't some forbidden area for ferocious beasts; it's practically a giant card and mahjong parlor!

In the open forest clearing, dozens of Evil Eye Tyrants were using their mental power to control chess pieces and dominoes, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

But what's most eye-catching is the huge, flat rock in the center of the core area—

The Evil Emperor was sitting there in human form, rubbing mahjong tiles made of some kind of special jade in his hands.

Beside him were three spirit beasts that had transformed into human form using their spiritual power, looking at the card table with worried expressions.

"Pong! Five of Bamboo!" The Evil Emperor skillfully played a tile, and a tentacle on his back picked up a teacup and took a sip. "You three are ready to win this hand."

Zhang Peng stared in disbelief at the 790,000-year-old ferocious beast king, who was now seriously drawing cards, discarding cards, and making melds with practiced ease, clearly a seasoned veteran.

"I won!" The Evil Emperor pushed his tiles forward, revealing a uniform array of purple tiles. "Pay up, pay up! There are different ranks, don't try to renege!"

The humanoid soul beast reluctantly took out a few soul coins (thanking the soul-hunting teams that died in the Demon Forest in the past) and sullenly pushed them in front of the Evil Emperor.

"I'm not playing the next round, my luck is just too bad." The Evil Emperor stood up, shook his robe, and then noticed Zhang Peng standing to the side.

"Hey, young man, you've arrived? Welcome to the core area of ​​the Demon Forest. I admire your courage in infiltrating that bastards' den of the Holy Spirit Cult. You've got guts!"

The Evil Emperor casually waved his hand, and a smooth log flew to Zhang Peng's side: "Come, sit down. Don't just stand there; since you're here, you're a guest."

Looking at the legendary, ruthless, and cruel evil emperor before him, who was now acting like a hospitable card room owner, Zhang Peng was momentarily at a loss for how to react.

"...Thank you, Your Majesty the Evil Emperor." Zhang Peng took a deep breath and forced himself to sit on the log.

The Evil Emperor casually asked, "How was it staying in that bunch of bastards' den? You must have suffered quite a bit, right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Peng's eyes instantly reddened.

He swallowed hard, his face contorted with an agonizing expression, his voice trembling slightly: "I... Your Majesty, the Evil Emperor, to be honest, these past few days have been torture! Do you have any normal food here? To be frank, I dare not eat a single bite of meat in the Holy Spirit Cult... They eat... they eat human flesh!"

"The meals the waiter brings every day always contain meat, and I can only use my fire-type soul skill to burn the meat to ashes. For the past few days, I've been barely able to eat anything but plain white rice, and I haven't even had a sip of hot soup..."

Finally, Zhang Peng's stomach cooperated perfectly by letting out a loud growl—

"Gurgle—"

In this quiet forest clearing, the sound was exceptionally clear.

Zhang Peng blushed and awkwardly rubbed his emaciated belly.

The Evil Emperor paused for a moment, then let out a deep, hearty laugh: "Hahaha, you've had a hard time, young man! I didn't expect those beasts to be so despicable even in their food. Alright, I'll treat you to your fill today."

The Evil Emperor raised his hand, and a dark purple storage ring on his fingertip flashed with a faint light.

As if by magic, he pulled out a whole bunch of things and piled them all on the log in front of Zhang Peng with a "whoosh".

There were beef jerky wrapped in oil paper, neatly cut pork jerky, several bags of candied fruits and cookies printed with colorful patterns, and even several jars of sealed fruit wine.