"Leave this place?"
Li Chang'an and Chrysanthemum Douluo both froze in place, as if a heavy boulder had been dropped onto their chests. Just one more step forward, and it would feel like they'd be crushed to pieces.
Sure enough, everything in the Douluo Continent followed its own destined path. The immortal herbs here were meant for Tang San. If they tried to take them, it would be like defying the heavens themselves—inviting terrifying backlash.
But could they retreat now? Could he, Li Chang'an, simply accept fate?
Putting everything else aside, just based on his identity alone, he couldn't afford to retreat. If he did, then a few years down the road, he too would fade away, erased by the will of Douluo Continent, just like the Spirit Hall.
This so-called will of the Douluo Continent was essentially the will of the Divine Realm—and Tang San was its chosen successor. But had the Divine Realm really made the right choice?
Even without diving deep, just looking at Tang San's destruction of the Spirit Hall had broken the advancement path for many civilian soul masters. In the end, Tang San still stood for the interests of the nobility and the Clans—that was the inescapable limitation of a feudal era.
What's more, after he destroyed the Slaughter City, it led to consequences that could hardly be expressed in words. Light cannot exist without darkness. While his intentions may have been noble—hoping to bring light to the world—was that even possible?
With the Slaughter City gone, darkness had nowhere to settle. Evil Spirit Masters began to appear, eventually becoming a threat to the continent for tens of thousands of years...
And beyond all that, for those girls, and for himself to experience life to the fullest—Li Chang'an had to resist!
A line suddenly came to Li Chang'an's mind, perfectly capturing the moment:
"I want this sky to never again block my sight!
I want this earth to never again bury my heart!
I want all living beings to understand my will!
I want all the gods—to fade into dust!"
He, Li Chang'an, would one day wage war against the heavens and build a new order—a new order that served the interests of the many. The road ahead would be long and difficult, but he would face it without regret.
Having made up his mind, Li Chang'an looked up at the sky. His right hand slowly lifted, and in his palm appeared a massive axe, black as ink, ancient and weathered with a timeless aura—it was the Pangu Axe.
At that moment, a mighty pressure descended upon him—it was the will of the entire Douluo Continent, the will of the Divine Realm itself!
"Boom!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo collapsed to his knees, legs trembling. That overwhelming force left him utterly unable to resist—it made him feel insignificant, like an ant beneath a divine gaze!
But then he saw something even more shocking—the boy still stood, tall and unyielding, not retreating a single step!
At that moment, Li Chang'an was like a lone boulder in the midst of a stormy sea. No matter how fierce the winds blew, he stood his ground. Even though his body was operating far beyond its limits, even as that divine will tried to shatter his martial spirit—he did not fall.
The gods of the Douluo Continent were no fools. Once they saw that Li Chang'an no longer followed their rules, and even had the power to threaten them, they wouldn't hesitate—they would try to erase this threat!
Though they couldn't descend in person, the sheer pressure of divine will, the attempt to destroy his martial spirit—was already something even a Titled Douluo would be crushed by!
Li Chang'an began to feel the Pangu Axe slipping from his control, as if it had been seized by some other force. But just then, the axe suddenly trembled.
There was no terrifying pressure, no dazzling display of power—only a cold word:
"Get Lost!"
---
[Asura God. Points +100,000]
[Sea God. Points +76,546]
[.....]
---
According to incomplete statistics, Li Chang'an had earned over a million points this time, and the number of gods he'd stunned reached well over a dozen...
Moments later, everything returned to calm, as if the oppressive pressure from before had never existed. The weight on Chrysanthemum Douluo was completely gone.
Li Chang'an collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring down his face, utterly drained. Still, a realization began to take shape in his heart.
The reason he and Chrysanthemum Douluo had survived today... was all thanks to the Pangu Axe. Or more accurately, thanks to the terrifying power inherent in the axe itself.
If he and the Divine Realm were wielding sticks, then the Pangu Axe was a nuclear bomb. It couldn't destroy the Divine Realm outright, but it could force them to hold back—to follow the rules.
In other words, you can play the game—but you'd better play by the rules.
Was it a loss? For Li Chang'an, this was a complete win.
First, he had seen the true face of the Divine Realm that ruled over Douluo. He now knew what kind of path he needed to walk in the future. And second—those points he earned were enough to carry him all the way to the Spirit Emperor level!
"Little Chang'an, are you okay? Just now, that pressure…" Chrysanthemum Douluo hadn't gone overboard just now, so the first thing he did was rush over and channel soul power to heal Li Chang'an.
"Thank you, Uncle Yue Guan. I'm okay. That... was probably the will of Douluo Continent itself, trying to stop us from taking the immortal herbs," Li Chang'an explained, though he wasn't entirely sure either.
"The will of Douluo Continent…" Chrysanthemum Douluo, as a veteran Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall, knew a thing or two. He began to piece it together.
"You're really something, Chang'an. The moment your martial spirit appeared, everything calmed down, hahahaha…" Whether he was happy for Li Chang'an or hopeful for the future of Spirit Hall, even he didn't know.
"Alright, Uncle Yue Guan. Let's take a look at these herbs and pick what we can use," Li Chang'an said, beaming at the herbs before them.
Today's events had been a test—a test of Douluo Continent's will. And the results satisfied him. There was nothing that couldn't be changed!
"Right, right, let me take a look…" Now that Li Chang'an had mostly recovered, Chrysanthemum Douluo withdrew his soul power and walked toward the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"This… this is a Snow Silkworm? One of the finest among winter worms and summer grasses! Snow Silkworm!"
He recognized it instantly, heart racing with excitement.
When it came to rare herbs, Chrysanthemum Douluo's knowledge was likely second to none on the continent. Of course he would recognize them.
Then, his eyes landed on another plant next to the Snow Silkworm.
Its outer skin was yellow-brown, with a yellow-red cross-section. The leaves were alternate, with slender, curved stems. The leaf blades were heart-shaped with pointed tips. In summer, small yellow-green flowers with purple spots bloomed from the leaf axils. The twisted stalks looked bizarre and unique.
"This is Cinnabar Lotus? It's grown this big?"
Unlike the nourishing properties of the worm-grass, Cinnabar Lotus thrived in cold, dark environments. It was extremely effective at suppressing heat and detoxifying fire poison. Whether Snow Silkworm or Cinnabar Lotus—both were incredibly rare treasures.
"And this… this must be the Lovesick Heartbreak Red, hahaha—good, good, excellent!"
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