Chapter Thirty-Two: Joy (Seeking Monthly Votes)

After securing the safety of Ma Xiaotao and the others away from the dangerous Douling Empire, Xuanzi traveled without pause toward Douling City. His starting point was far from the city, and even at the speed of a Super Douluo, it took him three full days to arrive.

He did not make a grand entrance; his identity was far too sensitive to be revealed anywhere, so he chose to infiltrate the mansion where the State Preceptor resided. To his disappointment, however, he found no one there. The entire mansion was empty, as if it had been thoroughly scrubbed clean.

After making inquiries, Xuanzi learned that the Emperor of Douling had dispatched the State Preceptor to the front lines to resist the assault from the Star Luo Empire. The two had narrowly missed each other, heading in opposite directions.

"Damn it," Xuanzi cursed under his breath. This would be difficult; the Star Luo Empire was employing three commanders and conducting a three-front war, and he had no idea which battlefield the State Preceptor had been sent to. With no other options, he had to resort to the most tedious method: searching one battlefield after another. If he were lucky, he might find him quickly.

"Hm?"

Just as Xuanzi was about to leave Douling City, he suddenly whirled around, his eyes fixed on the direction of the Imperial Palace. Just a moment ago, he had sensed a deeply unsettling aura—an aura containing many indescribable things.

The stench of rot, the reek of blood, resentment, curses... and it seemed there was something else woven within it. This aura was so sinister that even he, a Super Douluo ranked among the most powerful in the land, felt a tremor of fear in his heart. He immediately turned back to investigate.

As he neared the palace, a multitude of figures emerged from the surrounding shadows, blades flashing as they struck at him!

"Moo!"

A phantom of a divine ox manifested behind Xuanzi. With a single roar, it sent the attackers flying. Yet, this did not deter the Shadow Soul Guards; they climbed back to their feet and continued to charge at Xuanzi in silence.

Watching these mindless creatures, a flicker of malice appeared in Xuanzi’s eyes. Nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—appeared, and a terrifying pressure descended. However, the Shadow Soul Guards seemed completely unaffected, as if the pressure did not exist.

Surprised, Xuanzi swept his hands across them, tearing away the black robes that concealed their forms and revealing the truth that no human had ever seen before.

"What!"

Xuanzi exclaimed at the sight of the faces beneath the robes. What stood before him could no longer be described as human. Their humanoid bodies were covered in a layer of pitch-black fur, their four pairs of ink-green compound eyes overflowed with chaos and madness, and beneath them were hideous, terrifying mouthparts. On their backs grew eight organs that resembled both wings and spider legs.

It was no wonder the Shadow Soul Guards always wore black robes and never left the confines of Douling City; they were not human at all, but a group of monsters transformed from some unknown origin!

Suddenly, Xuanzi felt a strange sense of familiarity with the creatures' forms. A thought struck him, and his expression shifted. "The Xue family! How dare you!"

He finally realized why they looked familiar. He had once witnessed a scene in the Star Dou Great Forest where various species, even natural enemies, had united to hunt down another soul beast: a nearly thousand-year-old Soul-Eating Spider.

The Soul-Eating Spider clan was notorious for their cruelty and bloodlust, possessing no intelligence even after reaching a hundred thousand years of age, and they had once been driven to the brink of extinction. Their most distinct trait was their ability to shapeshift. Rumors told of Soul-Eating Spiders disguising themselves as humans at night to infiltrate villages and consume the brains of the inhabitants, leaving the entire village slaughtered by dawn.

The monsters before him resembled the shifted forms of Soul-Eating Spiders. Furthermore, Xuanzi had heard that the Douling Imperial Family had acquired something from the ruins of the Spirit Hall. According to records, the second martial soul of the last Pope of the Spirit Hall was the Soul-Eating Spider Emperor.

A bold conjecture formed in Xuanzi’s mind, and his fury ignited. As his soul power surged, the gravity around him intensified, causing the monsters to burst apart on the spot, spraying ink-green, foul-smelling ichor in every direction!

"Stand down!"

A thunderous shout echoed, followed by a fierce, powerful sword strike. Xuanzi retreated quickly, but the blade cleaved into the ground, carving a trench over ten meters deep!

"Clomp, clomp, clomp—"

A group of the Day-Feather Gold Cavalry, led by the Gold-Cavalry Douluo, arrived at the scene. He stepped over the viscous fluid and looked at Xuanzi, his tone cold. "Elder of the Sea God Pavilion, Xuanzi, why have you infiltrated Douling City and dared to offend the Imperial Palace?"

"Heh... I offended..."

Xuanzi took a savage bite of a large chicken leg, wiped his greasy hand through his hair, and glared with ferocity. He extended his hand, which grew to a massive size in the air, pressing down toward the Gold-Cavalry Douluo.

The giant hand stirred up a gale, and amidst the howling wind came Xuanzi’s furious voice.

"It is you who have offended! Xue family, do you still remember which side you were on in those days!"

"Gluttony Douluo, I do not understand what you are talking about."

Facing this power that few could withstand, the Gold-Cavalry Douluo said calmly, "Day-Feather Gold Cavalry, form the formation."

"Hah!"

The hundred members of the Day-Feather Gold Cavalry shouted in unison. A surging tide of soul power shot into the sky, immediately linking with the body of the Gold-Cavalry Douluo. His internal soul power skyrocketed in an instant.

The bottleneck of the ninety-sixth level shattered, and in that moment, the Gold-Cavalry Douluo became a Super Douluo!

A soul ring, slightly lacking compared to Xuanzi’s and glowing with a mix of black and scarlet, lit up. The Gold-Cavalry Douluo slowly raised his sword, and golden radiance coalesced upon the blade.

"Ninth Soul Skill: Golden Day!"

The moonless night was severed, and the heavens were stained with golden light. Many people, lost in their dreams, woke up, rubbed their eyes, and looked at the scene outside.

"Is it morning already?"

Endless daylight poured down from the firmament, cleansing the area completely!

Not long after, the light dissipated, revealing a landscape of scorched earth. There was no sign of Xuanzi.

The Gold-Cavalry Douluo fell silent for a moment and ended the joint formation; his soul power level fell back to where it had been.

"Withdraw."

Inside the side hall of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor of Douling was embracing the Ginseng Fruit Tree with an expression of obsession, kissing the woman's face embedded in the wood with fervor. Their auras were intertwined in a seamless union.

The Gold-Cavalry Douluo walked in. Seeing this, he remained impassive and said softly, "Xuanzi has left."

"..."

Seeing that the Emperor did not respond, the Gold-Cavalry Douluo did not rush him, simply standing there and waiting in silence.

Eventually, the Emperor finished his passion. He turned toward the Gold-Cavalry Douluo; astonishingly, his face had returned to that of a young man, though his body remained hunched, his skin withered and thin.

The Emperor smiled. "The Gluttony Douluo is a name known throughout the ages, after all. That you were able to repel him shows your strength. You are still young; you will surely surpass him in the future."

"That future will not be long in coming. Soon... very soon..."

The Emperor’s eyes glimmered as he muttered to himself, "Very soon, I shall attain immortality. The second ginseng fruit will be yours; you will accompany me forever. This is only the beginning. Starting with you and me..."

"My empire, my people, all shall share in this joy!"

Behind him, the leaves of the Ginseng Fruit Tree stirred without wind. The woman’s face smiled even more brightly, and a flower bud grew on a branch, trembling occasionally as if it were a beating heart.