The second half of the journey went smoothly, and the Shrek group returned to the academy.
Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er immediately headed to the Sea God Pavilion for a meeting to discuss retaliatory actions against the evil soul masters and the possible mastermind behind the attack.
The incarnations dispersed, and Gu La bid farewell to everyone before quietly retreating to his underground forging chamber.
The thick alloy door closed silently, sealing off the outside world. This chamber, located deep underground, had walls made of special sound-absorbing, detection-resistant thousand-forged alloy. The floor was inscribed with intricate energy-guiding runes, and at the center stood a massive furnace burning with flames. The air was saturated with the unique scent of metal and high heat.
Gu La did not approach the furnace. Instead, he moved to the smooth, mirror-like metal wall at the far end of the chamber and sat cross-legged. His aura instantly retracted, and his gaze became profoundly deep, as if billions of stars were being born and extinguished within his eyes.
"Time Lock..."
As his low voice echoed, the air in the entire forging chamber seemed to solidify. Gu La formed seals with his hands, and intricate time textures emerged around him. These textures flowed like living creatures, emitting fluctuations that transcended space and time.
In this moment, his consciousness seemed to leave his physical body, ascending to a higher dimension—where time was no longer a one-way river but a net that could be folded and cut at will.
Buzz—!
For an instant, time and space in the outside world seemed to freeze! The flames leaping in the furnace hung motionless in midair, the metallic dust suspended in the air, and even the eternal energy fluctuations of the soul-guided furnace appeared to have been paused!
Only Gu La's consciousness soared rapidly from a "higher-dimensional perspective" beyond three-dimensional space!
The river of time unfolded before him like a shimmering ribbon filled with countless points of light. Ignoring the normal flow of time, his powerful spiritual force acted like the most precise probe. Following the unique soul force imprint and spatial disturbance left by the one-armed evil soul master Title Douluo during the ambush, he surged upstream, swiftly tracking the fleeing "mark."
Countless fragments of light and shadow raced through his mind—the terrified figure in flight, the trajectory tearing through space, the faint traces of soul force left along the way… Gu La's consciousness was like the most skilled hunter, precisely locking onto that fleeing "imprint" amidst the vast timeline!
Found it!
His consciousness instantly crossed thousands of miles, arriving beneath a deep, secluded canyon in the southwestern part of the Douluo Continent, where few humans tread. Inside a naturally formed massive cavern, the air was thick with the stench of blood and lingering cold soul power.
At the center of the cavern, a black-robed figure with a missing arm sat cross-legged, surrounded by viscous crimson soul power as he attempted to repair the half of his body incinerated by the True Fire of the Phoenix.
His face was as pale as paper, his aura severely weakened—he was none other than the fleeing evil soul master Super Douluo, Ghost Hand Douluo!
However, Gu La's gaze did not linger on him for long. His "vision" instantly locked onto a graceful figure silently emerging from the shadows at the entrance of the cavern.
She wore form-fitting dark purple attire that accentuated her breathtaking curves. Her waterfall-like purple hair cascaded to her waist, and her features bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to Leng Yaozhu, though she lacked the latter's sacred majesty and instead exuded an eerie, icy allure.
Most striking were her deep purple eyes, profound as an abyss, seemingly containing a dark vortex that could devour everything. At this moment, they were filled with scrutiny and a hint of impatience as she coldly observed the healing Blood Bone Douluo.
Dark Phoenix Douluo—Leng Yulai!
Leng Yaozhu's biological younger sister, a Level 97 Super Douluo, and one of the four great kings of the Holy Spirit Sect!
'Why is she here?' Gu La's thoughts raced.
In truth, this was no coincidence.
Leng Yulai's appearance at Blood Bone Douluo's hiding place was due to the Ghost Emperor's earlier inquiry to Qiangu Dongfeng about Leng Yaozhu's whereabouts. Receiving no results, he sent her to investigate matters in the Star Luo Continent. Midway, she learned of the failed ambush and came to question the details—and eliminate or silence this failure.
Just as Leng Yulai's crimson lips parted, seemingly about to interrogate Blood Bone Douluo—
A flash of cold light gleamed in Gu La's eyes!
Regardless of why Leng Yulai was here, Blood Bone Douluo had to die. He had seen Liu Niandao's full power and knew too much. Leaving him alive would only lead to future trouble.
Moreover, Leng Yulai's presence itself was a significant variable.
Across mountains and rivers, under the high-dimensional perspective of the Time Lock, Gu La acted without hesitation!
With a slight flick of his mind, a wisp of crimson-gold True Fire of the Phoenix appeared at his fingertips. This was the fourth strand of True Fire Leng Yaozhu had left with him, and now he would use up half of it.
"Go!"
The condensed crimson-gold fire line, ignoring the barriers of space and time, shot out from the high-dimensional perspective and instantly materialized in the real-world cavern, hovering precisely before Blood Bone Douluo's forehead.
"What…" Blood Bone Douluo felt an overwhelming, soul-incinerating heat descend upon him. Before he could react, his eyes flashed with ultimate terror.
Hiss!
The crimson-gold fire line pierced through his forehead like a red-hot needle through tofu, vanishing into his brow in an instant!
Boom—!
There was no earth-shattering explosion. Blood Bone Douluo's entire body, along with the rocky ground beneath him, vaporized and disintegrated into nothingness, like ice thrown into the scorching sun—silent, complete annihilation!
Where he once stood, only a bottomless, mirror-smooth hole remained, exuding terrifying heat and a purifying aura. Not even a speck of ash was left behind!
The entire process was impossibly swift! From the appearance of the flame to Blood Bone Douluo's total disappearance, less than a tenth of a second elapsed!
"!!!"
Leng Yulai's pupils contracted to pinprick size! That familiar, overwhelmingly yang and righteous, all-consuming Phoenix True Fire! Though slightly weaker than her sister's, its essence was unmistakable!
"Leng Yaozhu!!!"
Leng Yulai exploded like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. A torrent of dark purple soul power erupted like a boiling volcano, bathing the cavern in an eerie glow!
The unbridled pressure of a Level 97 Super Douluo radiated outward, causing the cavern walls to crack inch by inch! Her purple hair whipped wildly, her eyes burning with deep hatred, resentment, and a trace of… barely perceptible fear!
She believed Leng Yaozhu was nearby! She thought her sister, having destroyed the stronghold in the Star Luo Continent, had personally followed her here to eliminate this witness!
"If you're here! Why hide? Come out and face me!!!"
Leng Yulai's shrill voice, laden with endless resentment, echoed madly through the cavern, shaking the entire valley! Her powerful spiritual force swept out like a storm, frantically scanning every corner of the cavern in an attempt to locate her "hidden" sister.
However, the only response was the sound of falling rocks and the gradually dissipating aura of Phoenix True Fire from the hole. There was no one!
Leng Yulai's expression shifted from rage to suspicion. She was supremely confident in her spiritual perception—if Leng Yaozhu were truly nearby, there was no way she could evade detection! Unless… she had fled thousands of miles away instantly after making her move? But that defied logic!
As she hesitated, a faint whooshing sound broke the silence.
Hiss!
A razor-thin silver blade, forged purely from soul power and as thin as a cicada's wing, materialized out of thin air, embedding itself precisely three steps in front of Leng Yulai into the cavern wall. Attached to the blade was a neatly folded note made of special material.
Leng Yulai's gaze sharpened, but she did not retrieve it immediately. She cautiously scanned the note and blade with her spiritual force, confirming there were no traps or tracking marks, before summoning it telekinetically into her hand.
Unfolding the note, she found a single line of sharp, knife-like handwriting:
"Three days hence, midnight, Ming Dou Mountain Range, Burial Soul Valley entrance. To resolve grievances, concerning Leng Yaozhu and your own obsession. From an old acquaintance."
The signature was absent, replaced by a simple, blade-carved mark.
"Resolve grievances? An old acquaintance?"
Leng Yulai held the note tightly, her purple eyes flashing violently. Not Leng Yaozhu? Then who? Who could wield such pure Phoenix True Fire? Who knew of her grudge with her sister? And how did they know she would pass by here?
The message on the note rippled like a stone dropped into a deep pond, stirring massive waves in her heart. Her deep-seated hatred was replaced by intense suspicion and a curiosity she herself was reluctant to admit.
She stared intently at the handwriting and the mark on the note, then glanced at the purifying hole in the ground. Finally, eerie purple flames erupted from her palm, reducing both the note and the blade to nothingness.
In the cavern, only Leng Yulai remained, accompanied by the lingering aura of Phoenix True Fire and the surging darkness of her soul power.
Standing still for a long while, she finally vanished silently into the depths of the cavern as a streak of dark purple light.
Three days later, at the entrance of Burial Soul Valley… She would see for herself who this mysterious "old acquaintance" was and what scheme they were hatching!
Gu La slowly opened his eyes, the high-dimensional perspective of the Time Lock fading. Everything in the forging chamber returned to normal. A deep, enigmatic smile curved his lips.
"The pieces are set. Now we wait for the board to shift. Leng Yulai… I hope you won't disappoint me." He murmured softly, his gaze piercing through layers of rock, directed toward the southwestern mountains shrouded in deathly qi.
To help reunite his teacher and her sister, he would have to take a risk.
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