"It seems you've conveyed your intelligence well. Thanks to that, you've saved me the trouble of introducing myself."
After receiving a positive response, the cold light in Tang Hao's eyes grew even richer. "It's you." He sneered coldly. No more unnecessary words were spoken.
A mountain-heavy, pitch-black Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his palm with a buzzing sound. Thick crimson divine power enveloped his body, surging like flames, while the terrifying coercive force of a god was released, whipping the surrounding clouds endlessly.
"Where are Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing? Hand them over."
"Ah, so it was for the God of Speed and the God of War." Lu Jigming didn't seem to feel the overwhelming pressure that could crush mountains at all. The smile on his face remained unchanged, but a hint of playfulness was mixed into it.
"Don't worry, they're not dead yet," he said slowly. "After all, they're gods descended from the divine realm—extremely precious experimental materials with very high research value. It would be a pity if they died just like that."
"What do you mean?!"
As soon as Ning Rongrong heard the words "experimental materials" and "research value," her face immediately turned pale. She recalled records from other dimensions she had accidentally encountered while in the divine realm. Those records spoke of mad scientists who lacked any respect for life, treating powerful and unique beings as test subjects and performing all sorts of cruel life experiments that shattered the foundations of human ethics—dissection, genetic modification, soul slicing... Horrifying terms flashed through her mind.
Could it be Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing...? The thought made her shudder, and a chill instantly spread from the depths of her soul throughout her body. Oscar had the same thought. He clenched his fists tightly, his face so gloomy it looked like water could drip from it. The Shrek Seven Devils were like siblings, and he couldn't imagine the inhuman torture Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were enduring.
"Do you even know what you're doing?!"
Ah Yin, who had been silent, finally spoke at this moment. Her always gentle and kind face was now covered in frost, and her voice was sharp with extreme anger. "Insulting gods and treating them like toys—do you want to anger the divine realm and become the enemy of the entire divine realm?"
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing were both her juniors and Tang San's siblings. They had come to this dangerous lower world to help Tang San find the missing Xiao Wu. Now, because of this friendship, they had been captured by the enemy and reduced to experimental subjects. This caused her maternal love as an elder to instantly turn into raging fury.
"The divine realm?" Upon hearing those words, Lu Jigming couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, filled with undisguised mockery. "The divine realm probably doesn't have time to take care of itself right now, does it? Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent a few second-level gods to solve problems in the lower realms."
He looked at Ah Yin with a playful smile and said, "After all, the one most anxious about finding the missing daughter-in-law Xiao Wu should be the Sea God Tang San, right?"
How does he know about Xiao Wu?! How does he know there's chaos in the divine realm?! Lu Jigming's casual tone exploded like thunder in the hearts of the four people simultaneously.
"Xiao Wu?!" Ning Rongrong didn't even think about why the other party knew internal divine realm matters and immediately asked urgently, "How do you know we're here to find Xiao Wu? Have you seen her? Where is she?!" This was related to Xiao Wu's situation, so she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Of course I've seen her." Lu Jigming looked at their passionate and wary expressions, and the smile on his face grew brighter. "Unfortunately, even though you came with strong hostility, I've always been very hospitable." He sighed as if regretting it, then changed the topic and spoke in a relaxed, cheerful tone as if sharing an anecdote: "Not only have I seen her, but I also know she's doing well now. Ah, and she even bore another son for your exalted God King. He lost a daughter but still has a son."
"But this son might not be his own. Poor God King—he's actually going to be cuckolded." Lu Jigming smiled happily. It was pure joy from the heart, without any impurities. He loved watching these self-proclaimed noble gods collapse and lose their composure the moment they heard the cruel truth.
"You... That's nonsense... What did you say?!" Tang Hao's mind buzzed and went blank. The moment he heard the word "cuckolded," all his reason and thinking were swallowed by rage fierce enough to burn the heavens and boil the seas. Xiao Wu was Tang Hao's daughter-in-law. The love of his son Tang San, who had sacrificed his life to protect and resurrect her. Now, the man before him was using such frivolous and insulting words to defile this sacred emotion.
"Ah——!!!" Tang Hao let out a roar filled with violence and killing intent. His eyes instantly turned blood-red, his face covered in bulging blue veins, and his tensed muscles threatened to tear his robe apart. He said no more. All his anger, humiliation, and killing intent gathered into the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
"Die!!" He swung the Clear Sky Hammer. The moment the black colossal hammer was brandished, its volume grew against the wind, instantly transforming into a hundred-meter-tall heaven-piercing demonic hammer that seemed capable of enveloping the sky. Dense crimson divine power and blood-red malignant energy from the Deathgod Domain intertwined on the hammer body, condensing into terrifying ghostly and divine patterns. This strike was Tang Hao's full-powered attack in extreme rage. He had even displayed outstanding performance, creating a breakthrough in power.
Wherever the massive hammer passed, space let out pitiful wails of being overwhelmed. Compressed air formed visible white air waves, and in front of the hammer head were pitch-black fine spatial cracks. Even before this terrifying strike that could shatter mountains, Lu Jigming's smile did not change. He slowly, casually raised his right hand. The motion was incredibly simple—a pale, slender, somewhat frail-looking palm facing the world-destroying colossal hammer.
The next moment, in the horrified eyes of Tang Hao, Ah Yin, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar, the hundred-meter colossal hammer heavily struck Lu Jigming's small-looking palm. Then... there was no earth-shaking explosion. No destructive shockwave. Not even a sound was heard at all. The colossal hammer, condensed with all of Tang Hao's divine power and rage, touched Lu Jigming's palm and seemed to shatter into void. All power, all divine force, all killing intent was quietly swallowed and decomposed, turning into nothing in that fraction of a second.
The hundred-meter-long colossal hammer disappeared little by little from the hammer head at a speed visible to the naked eye. It wasn't broken—it quietly dissipated like a pencil drawing erased by an eraser, turning into the most basic energy particles. In just one second, the once-mighty colossal hammer completely vanished. Lu Jigming still hovered in place, his right hand maintaining the posture of supporting it, smiling gently as if nothing had happened.
Dead silence flowed between heaven and earth. Tang Hao maintained his hammer-swinging posture, his blood-red eyes frozen as the visible rage faded at a noticeable speed, replaced by shock... and fear. He knew better than anyone how terrifying the power of his strike had been. But that power was like a drop of water falling into the sea, not even splashing a ripple. He felt no recoil, no energy dissipation—only his own power. The moment it touched the opponent's palm, it was completely severed from him, directly erased from the dimension of existence by an incomprehensible, irresistible higher-dimensional law.
"It's natural for you to be angry." Lu Jigming slowly lowered his hand. As if he had done something trivial, he looked at the dejected Tang Hao with a tone mixed with understanding. "After all, I'm not good with words... but this is the truth."
He wasn't angry. After all, he had provoked first, and Tang Hao's actions were entirely within his expectations. And this result was also as he had anticipated.
"The so-called seeing is believing—words have no proof." Lu Jigming decided to give their fragile nerves one final push to the limit. He wanted to kill with certainty.
"I'll let you see it directly." He smiled and snapped his fingers crisply. Snap. As his fingers snapped, the space beside him distorted like the surface of water thrown with a stone. Soon, a massive transparent projection screen made of pure light particles suddenly unfolded in mid-air. Faint blue data streams flickered on the screen frame, creating an era-transcending technological feel that formed an intensely absurd contrast with the classical, divine atmosphere of the four people.
Tang Hao and the others unconsciously took a step back, staring at the suddenly appearing screen. The scene of Lu Jigming effortlessly blocking Tang Hao's full attack had completely overturned their perception, making them realize that the man's power before them surpassed their understanding. Especially Tang Hao himself—he knew Lu Jigming's terror best. He had no divine position, but after long years in the divine realm and with the help of God King Tang San, his understanding of resources and laws was incomparable to other gods. His true combat power had firmly entered the realm of second-level gods. Yet his full attack hadn't even touched the opponent—it hadn't shaken him at all. This feeling of powerlessness and desperation was even greater than when he, still human, faced the Angel God in the Spirit Hall.
This Lu Jigming... What kind of monster is he?
The image on the illuminated screen was as clear as reality. It was a secluded, scenic valley. The camera first swept across a clear lake, where two young men and women were competing by the lakeside. The man was heroic, the woman clever—it was Bei Bei and Tang Ya. As the screen switched, the camera passed through dense forest paths and finally stopped in front of a warm, elegant wooden house surrounded by mountains and rivers.
And the scene in front of this wooden house struck Tang Hao, Ah Yin, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar's hearts like a massive hammer. On the lawn outside the wooden house was a soft, fluffy carpet. A cute child around one year old sat on the carpet, babbling and playing with a toy in his hands, carved adorably. Beside the carpet was a figure they could never forget—Xiao Wu, nestled in the arms of an unfamiliar man with a happy, gentle face. The man had black hair and black eyes, a handsome face with a slight melancholy between his brows, but his eyes looking at Xiao Wu and the child were filled with undisguised affection and love. Xiao Wu's profile was illuminated by warm sunlight. Her eyes, once sharp and filled with love for Tang San, were now directed at another man. She even quietly smiled and adjusted her posture to lean more comfortably in the man's embrace.
Warm, harmonious, full of joy. This picture was clearly the most standard and happiest family portrait of three.
"This... How... is this possible?" Ning Rongrong cried out in disbelief, unconsciously covering her mouth in fear of screaming. Her beautiful eyes widened, filled with horror. Her mind went blank. How? This is Xiao Wu. The one for whom Third Brother could sacrifice his life, for whom Third Brother could strip his soul bones, for whom he wouldn't hesitate to become the enemy of the world. The love between them was a legend that moved the divine world, the most sacred bond in the hearts of the Shrek Seven Devils. But now, what was she seeing? Xiao Wu was nestled in another man's arms, and beside them was a child... Whose child? This thought chilled her like a curse.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could Xiao Wu betray Tang San?" Oscar also cried out inadvertently. His handsome face was ashen with disbelief. No one knew better than these partners who had walked this long road that Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship had long transcended life and death, fused into each other's souls. Betrayal? The very word used on them was blasphemy.
"It's fake... This must be fake..." Oscar muttered to himself, but he couldn't convince even himself. The image was too real—even the sunlight and dust on Xiao Wu's hair were clearly visible.
Tang Hao, on the other hand, seemed split from head to toe by divine lightning, his entire being frozen in place. He neither shouted nor roared. He simply stared at the dazzling scene on the screen. Those tiger eyes, always filled with majesty and dignity, were now empty and blood-red. In his mind, only one thought remained. Like the fiercest demonic sound, it echoed madly and repeatedly.