Ten-thousand-year soul bones and rings—rewards even Spirit Hall would covet. But neither March 7th, Robin, nor Castorice seemed to care.
Castorice was straightforward. She honestly explained the internal bet: after winning, they could make Lu Jingming grant a reasonable wish. She believed in being frank with her allies.
"So, that's it—you're doing all this for a wish from him," Qian Renxue sighed, covering her forehead. Hu Liena and the others were incredulous. Because they were too strong, they split into different teams to turn the tournament into a playful internal competition.
"This simulated universe—this is your doing, isn't it?" Qian Renxue said with certainty, connecting the dots. Castorice didn't answer, but her silence was as good as confirmation.
Qian Renxue sighed again, "I agree. We'll give it our all. Even without your bet, we won't give up on the championship easily."
"I'll help you." Castorice nodded, smiling faintly. She sensed Qian Renxue was strong—maybe not as strong as her, but close to Gu Yue.
With that, Castorice felt a renewed sense of motivation for the sake of Lu Jingming.
While Castorice and the others threw themselves into this special competition, Lu Jingming himself wasn't planning to participate. He'd grant their wishes anyway, bet or no bet.
His attention was on a blue-pink-haired girl wielding the Clear Sky Hammer, leading six Clear Sky Sect disciples to help Xiao Xiao's group fend off the Holy Spirit Church.
"You are… Wang Dong!" Xiao Xiao wasn't too surprised to see Wang Dong'er's true form—she'd already had her suspicions. Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan weren't surprised at all, more familiar with the Goddess of Light Butterfly martial soul than the juniors.
Wang Dong'er's disguise had only fooled the newbies. Shrek Academy had always known, but didn't interfere. After all, the Clear Sky Sect had deep ties with Shrek.
Wang Dong'er's cultivation had soared. She'd thrown herself into training, realizing only strength mattered—if she'd been strong enough, Huo Yuhao wouldn't have been abandoned or taken away by the Snow Empress.
Her body had the bloodline of a God King, but she'd always been lazy about cultivation, which was why she'd lagged behind her peers at enrollment. Now, fully dedicated and with the Clear Sky Sect's ample resources and the guidance of Titled and even Ultimate Douluo, her progress was rapid.
The disciples she brought—five Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor—were all elite, and all took her commands seriously.
"Xiao Xiao, are you all right?" Wang Dong'er managed a rare smile. Her anger was for Shrek's current leadership, not her old friends.
"Wang Dong—no, Dong'er, I saw Yuhao. But he's completely changed, I don't know what happened…"
Xiao Xiao quickly shared news of Huo Yuhao and his transformation. Wang Dong'er was thrilled—she'd searched for him for a long time. She could understand his personality change, given the betrayal he'd faced.
But she hadn't realized just how much he'd changed.
The Clear Sky Sect disciples stopped Yan Feng and the others from the Holy Spirit Church. With these reinforcements, Xu Sanshi decided not to retreat but to join forces against the Holy Spirit Church.
Before long, Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya arrived.
At the sight of Wang Dong'er, Huo Yuhao frowned, feeling a wave of strange familiarity.
"Yuhao, it's really you!" Wang Dong'er was overjoyed.
"Who are you?" Huo Yuhao asked, confused. He suddenly realized why she felt familiar—her appearance was so similar to their Goddess of Light fusion skill.
"I'm Wang Dong! This is my true form; I'm Wang Dong'er now," she hurried to explain.
"Wang Dong!" Huo Yuhao was surprised, but quickly calmed down. So what if Wang Dong was now a beautiful girl? He felt no joy, only anger.
"You're Wang Dong. You've been lying to me!" he said coldly.
Wang Dong'er was at a loss, panicking, "No, Yuhao, let me explain—"
"I don't need an explanation. You're Wang Dong, but I'm no longer the old Huo Yuhao. All of you… must die!"
Scarlet light shot from Huo Yuhao's eyes, hitting Wang Dong'er before she could react and sending her flying, spitting blood.
With the amplification of the evil Gem, his spiritual power was overwhelming—far beyond what a Soul King like Wang Dong'er could withstand.
"Miss, you dare!" The Clear Sky disciples were enraged. They knew how much Wang Dong'er had sacrificed to find Yuhao.
"Attack! Kill them!" Huo Yuhao's face was cold, his body covered in a blood-red soul tool armor—an upgrade from the Death God Douluo Ye Xishui, boosting both his spirit power and melee ability.
"Dong'er, he's not the Yuhao you knew anymore. No matter what, get up!" Jiang Nannan caught Wang Dong'er, comforting her softly.
Everything had changed so much in so little time.
"Thank you, Senior Nannan. I know what I need to do." Wang Dong'er wiped the blood from her mouth, her eyes resolute.
She realized in that moment—this Yuhao would have never attacked her if he were still himself. If not for her own strong spirit and the mysterious force protecting her mind, that blow could have left her a vegetable.
It shattered any hope she had. This Huo Yuhao was truly no longer the boy she once knew.
"No matter why you changed, Yuhao, I'll bring you back!" Wang Dong'er summoned her martial soul, luminous butterfly wings spreading, and the heavy Clear Sky Hammer appearing in her hands.
She shot toward Huo Yuhao in a flash of golden light, hammer swinging.
"Hmph." Huo Yuhao snorted. Within his mind, the sealed main personality began to stir; Wang Dong'er's appearance had agitated it, threatening his control.
In order to destroy the main personality, Wang Dong'er had to die. Only then would the main personality lose hope, allowing Huo Yuhao's current self to take over completely.
To him, friendship and love were just obstacles to efficiency. The first order of business—kill Wang Dong'er.