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Chapter 215 - Chapter 215: Clearing Suspicions

"Gu La says you're not connected to the Abyss. How will you prove it?"

Cai Yue'er's voice echoed through the Sea God Pavilion. Her silver-white hair fluttered without wind, and the overwhelming pressure of a Super Douluo materialized above the Abyss Avatar.

"Prove it?" The avatar suddenly grinned, sending a chill down everyone's spines. "Alright."

His lips stretched almost to his ears, revealing two rows of teeth as sharp as knives. With an eerie crack, his jawbone expanded unnaturally, resembling the gaping maw of some deep-sea monster.

He took a sudden step forward, as if stomping on everyone's hearts. The entire floor of the Sea God Pavilion trembled violently, and the branches of the Golden Tree rustled.

Dark red patterns spread from beneath the collar of his neck, crawling across his body like living creatures and forming strange totems on his skin. A suffocating aura swept through the hall, filling the air with the metallic stench of blood.

Suddenly, black smoke erupted. Two Elders hastily raised their soul power shields to block it.

"Look carefully!"

The avatar swung his arms, and a massive shadow emerged behind him—a terrifying abyssal maw that seemed capable of devouring heaven and earth. Endless darkness surged between its jagged fangs.

But strangely, beneath this veneer of Abyss energy, the bottomless maw hungrily devoured the abundant light-element energy within the Sea God Pavilion. The golden motes of light, which should have countered the darkness, were instead greedily absorbed like nourishment. The glow of the Golden Tree dimmed slightly.

"This can't be! An Abyss martial soul isn't being suppressed?!" Cai Yue'er exclaimed in shock, her hand already coalescing a ball of silvery light, ready to strike at any moment.

"Wait." Yun Ming raised a hand. His movement was gentle, yet it froze Cai Yue'er's impending attack instantly.

A flicker of curiosity passed through the eyes of the Sea God Pavilion Master. His profound gaze seemed to pierce through all illusions: "I don't sense that nauseating corrosive aura characteristic of the Abyss."

The avatar let out a wild laugh, the sound waves causing the wooden tables of the Sea God Pavilion to hum. "Correct! My power indeed originates from the Abyss—but—" He abruptly reined in his laughter, his gaze sharpening like a blade, endless darkness reflected in his pupils. "It doesn't come from this world."

With that, he tore open the front of his shirt. To everyone's astonishment, the skin of his chest rippled like water before bursting forth with a profound darkness.

This darkness was pure enough to make one's heart tremble, vast like the primordial chaos at the dawn of the universe. It starkly contrasted with the light of the Sea God Pavilion, yet somehow harmonized perfectly, producing no repulsion.

"This is impossible…" Elder Xu's teacup fell to the ground, hot tea splashing onto his robe, but he didn't notice. "It's understandable that Abyss power wouldn't be suppressed by light, but it also shouldn't harmonize with sacred energy… unless…"

"How narrow-minded."

The avatar snorted coldly, ignoring Elder Xu's livid expression. Suddenly, he thrust his right hand into his own chest. The sound of flesh tearing was spine-chilling, yet his face showed no trace of pain.

To everyone's horror, he forcibly pulled out a pulsating silver light from within his body. Within the glow, countless stars could be seen swirling.

"Take a closer look." His voice suddenly became ethereal and distant, as if emanating from another dimension. "Before the might of time and space, the Abyss serves me, and the stars obey my command."

He tossed the silver light into the air. As it exploded, the interior of the Sea God Pavilion was filled with starlight. Everyone felt as though they were standing amidst a vast cosmos, with a rotating galaxy beneath their feet and dazzling nebulae above their heads. "This is the truth!"

At this moment, Gu La's main body finally spoke slowly: "His existence proves that Abyss power can be harnessed without corruption." He gave Yun Ming a meaningful glance. "Like darkness and light—they are two sides of the same coin."

He paused, a mysterious smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Of course, he's just a special case."

---

Yun Ming's pupils contracted slightly. As the strongest person of the era, he understood better than anyone what this demonstration meant—if Abyss power could truly be controlled without corruption, the strategy for resisting the Abyss Plane would be completely overturned.

But Gu La's final words plunged his thoughts back into uncertainty. "Special case" implied something unrepeatable.

But was what he said the truth? Even Yun Ming couldn't tell anymore.

"Enough." Yun Ming suddenly stood up. The simple motion caused the entire starry illusion to shatter like glass.

His presence froze the air within the Sea God Pavilion. "Shrek Academy will continue to observe you. Don't do anything unnecessary. You may leave now."

Gu La smiled faintly, and the Abyss Avatar dissipated back into his body like smoke.

As he turned to leave, he clearly heard Yun Ming's final soul-powered transmission, the voice exploding directly within his mental sea: "No matter who you are, as long as I'm here, you'd best behave yourself in Shrek City."

Walking out of the Sea God Pavilion, Gu La looked up at the golden glow atop the canopy of the Golden Tree. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on his face.

He murmured softly, a voice only he could hear: "Behave? That's not guaranteed. After all, even your revered ancestor Tang San wasn't exactly the most obedient person back in his day…"

---

"Master, are you really letting him go just like that?"

Cai Yue'er clenched her fists in frustration, the lingering traces of starlight fading away.

Elder Lin also rose to his feet, the chair scraping against the floor with a sharp screech. "Yes, at least keep him in the Inner Court for observation. If he's truly a spy sent by the Abyss…"

"It's unnecessary."

Yun Ming's gaze pierced through the walls of the Sea God Pavilion, as if he could see Gu La's retreating figure in the distance. "Being in the Outer Court won't affect anything either."

He turned to the others, his voice carrying an undeniable authority. "This matter ends here. Dismissed."

After everyone had left, Yun Ming stood alone in the center of the Sea God Pavilion. He reached out to touch where the avatar had stood, a wisp of golden light coalescing at his fingertips. Within the glow, a thread of black energy wriggled like a living creature.

"Not from this world's Abyss power, huh…" Yun Ming muttered softly, a flicker of concern passing through his eyes. "It seems…the continent is about to undergo great changes."

When Gu La returned to the Outer Court, the setting sun's afterglow bathed the ancient architecture of Shrek Academy. Standing in the middle of the training field, he took a deep breath, soul power surging within him. Five figures separated from his body.

"Form!" With a soft shout, five avatars lined up before him.

The Abyss Avatar was pitch-black, with ink-like eyes; the Killing Willow Avatar was tall and slender, his gaze cold and merciless; the Jade Green Banyan Tree Avatar's skin bore a wooden texture, exuding a natural aura; the Ghost King Vine Avatar was shrouded in a dark halo; and the Blue Lotus Avatar appeared solemn, surrounded by a faint Buddhist aura.

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