Watching Shangguan Weier's retreating figure until it vanished from sight, Lu Jingming fell into deep thought.
Accepting the Mundane Alliance would undoubtedly strengthen Sea Abyss City's overall power. However, this move would inevitably draw more military attention from the Sun-Moon Empire. But to Lu Jingming, this was hardly a cause for worry.
"Can her words truly be trusted?" Gu Yue gently furrowed her brows, her eyes filled with doubt. She found it hard to believe that the leader of a major faction would willingly abandon the power held tightly in her hands and defect to a foreign power, based solely on baseless guesses and intuition. There had to be a deeper reason hidden behind this.
"She is definitely hiding something. However, her desire to defect to us should be genuine, and her fear of Xu Tianran is not feigned either." Lu Jingming's lips curved into a meaningful, faint smile.
Collaborating with the Lord of Destruction was akin to digging one's own grave. Those who follow the Destruction Path are all incredibly mad, their minds constantly filled with thoughts of ruin. Whether it's self-destruction or the destruction of others, it's all commonplace to them. In their view, civilization is like a cancer that must be eradicated.
Therefore, Xu Tianran was merely a tool being used by them. Shangguan Weier's current behavior undeniably proved this point. The Great Nobles had likely already been influenced by the ideology of Destruction, changing them beyond recognition.
A mere Xu Tianran, even with his astonishing talent and status as a peerless hero, was nothing compared to the Lord of Destruction. Even against just a Memory Construct of the Lord of Destruction, he was like the light of a firefly challenging the brightness of the moon, holding no advantage whatsoever.
The Lord of Destruction had overthrown countless civilizations over the long ages and witnessed an endless number of heroes and prodigies. The Lord of Destruction had seen countless ambitious human heroes with obvious weaknesses like Xu Tianran. Yet, without exception, these people eventually became members of the Antimatter Legion, adding bricks to the grand endeavor of Destruction. Xu Tianran would naturally be no exception.
Perhaps Xu Tianran still believed he held the initiative at this moment, feeling that everything was under his control. But the reality might be completely contrary to his thoughts.
Shangguan Weier was fundamentally different from the upper echelons of the Sun-Moon Empire like Jing Hongchen. She rose painstakingly from the bottom rung, having long mingled within aristocratic circles, and the Mundane Alliance primarily interacted with the common populace. Therefore, she was more sensitive to the changes in the dark side of society. Changes that Jing Hongchen might not have noticed had been acutely captured by Shangguan Weier long ago.
This was precisely why she was so eager to escape, willing to abandon the Mundane Alliance's decades of hard work in Mingdu. Furthermore, the Mundane Alliance's decades of accumulation, both in money and resources, were firmly in Shangguan Weier's hands. Before leaving, she could even severely cripple the Sun-Moon Empire's Nobles one last time.
So, Lu Jingming found Shangguan Weier's choice understandable. After all, continuing to stay in Mingdu was indeed tantamount to waiting for death. A Titled Douluo like Shangguan Weier, once thrown into the Antimatter Furnace, was enough to birth an excellent Voidranger.
"Celenova... this really is a tricky problem!" Lu Jingming slightly narrowed his eyes. Despite his words, a subtle hint of excitement flickered in his gaze, and his fingertips unconsciously tapped the armrest, creating a rhythmic sound.
"Is that Celenova really so terrifying? We hold the absolute advantage in power; is it necessary to be so worried?" Gu Yue was full of confusion, genuinely not understanding why Lu Jingming was so wary of the Celenova.
To her knowledge, the combat power Lu Jingming had arranged, both openly and secretly, was terrifying—enough to sweep across the entire Douluo Continent. Openly, Jingliu had, in Gu Yue's estimation, reached the level of divine-tier combat power. And Dan Heng, hidden in the shadows, was a dragon like her, yet not the kind she knew, and his strength was not far behind Jingliu's. Coupled with numerous other careful arrangements, Gu Yue simply couldn't comprehend why Lu Jingming needed to go to such great lengths. With such powerful combat capabilities, who could possibly oppose them?
Moreover, with Lu Jingming's help, her true body had recovered most of its strength and was now able to leave the Star Dou Great Forest. She could merge with her main body at any time and personally take action as the Silver Dragon King.
With such overwhelming strength, it was practically a Dragon-Riding-on-Face situation; Gu Yue couldn't imagine how they could possibly lose.
"You're right. Based on the outcome, losing is unlikely, but trouble is certainly inevitable. You can think of the Celenova as a super-enhanced version of Robin, a Robin extremely specialized in combat." Lu Jingming tried to use the analogy of Robin to help Gu Yue better grasp the Celenova's terrifying nature.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yue fell silent. She had to admit that Robin's frightening supportive ability was extremely powerful. Even the Emerald Swan, Bi Ji, ranked fourth among the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, was far inferior to Robin in terms of support capabilities.
Robin also possessed the ability of Harmony. Understanding, supporting, and cooperating were merely manifestations of the Harmony Path. More powerfully, Harmony also possessed deeper abilities like Assimilation, Fusion, and Clustering.
And the Celenova was a super-enhanced version of Robin.
Shangguan Weier noticing the bizarre change in some of the Sun-Moon Empire's high-ranking Nobles was the result of them being assimilated by the Celenova's ideology. They were beginning to understand Destruction, support Destruction, and cooperate with Destruction. In time, embracing Destruction and becoming a part of it would only be a matter of time.
The Celenova might have only recently begun its work, so those individuals were currently only at the stage of understanding and supporting Destruction. But as time passed, the next step would inevitably be cooperation and complete devotion.
Robin would not forcibly assimilate others; she would only gain recognition through her sincere ideology and beautiful singing that resonates with others. But the Celenova wouldn't be so polite. It would use any means necessary to impose its ideology on others. Therefore, Lu Jingming wasn't surprised by the changes occurring among the Sun-Moon Empire's high-ranking officials.
"Things are getting more and more interesting. To contend with an existence like the Lord of Destruction is truly a rare experience." Lu Jingming tightly clenched his left hand. In an instant, lightning flashed, and an illusory ring of lightning briefly appeared behind him. The light that erupted for that moment seemed to tear through the constraints of space, carrying an ineffable, mighty power.
Seeing this, Gu Yue's pupils fiercely contracted, her eyes filled with disbelief. One had to know that Lu Jingming hadn't even reached the Titled Douluo rank yet, and he was already beginning to condense the incipient form of a God Seat? This undoubtedly broke the long-held conventional knowledge on the Douluo Continent. After all, conventionally, without reaching Rank 99 Soul Power, one didn't even qualify to bear a God Seat. Even the incipient form of a God Seat was absolutely something an individual whose soul power had not reached that state could not touch.
Lu Jingming clearly felt the trace of power slowly emanating from the Stigmata. The nature of this power was completely different from soul power. Although its quantity was extremely scarce—merely a subtle trace—its essence was incredibly powerful, far superior to soul power. For instance, the difference in effect between using this trace of Thunder Divine Power to activate a soul skill and using soul power was like night and day.
Lu Jingming's soul power level was increasing at an astonishing rate, advancing towards the Titled Douluo realm. At this pace, he was highly likely to break through to Titled Douluo before the age of twenty, thereby creating a legend unmatched by anyone before or since.
However, compared to the progress he had made in other areas, the increase in soul power level seemed somewhat insignificant. The incipient forms of his Thunder and Life God Seats had already condensed and could even manifest Divine Rings. Simultaneously, these two incipient God Seats could already assist him in drawing external energy within the Stigmata Space to condense Divine Power. Although the Divine Power condensed at this moment was still very weak, Divine Power was Divine Power, and its inherent potential and might were incomparably superior to soul power.
Not only that, but his Abyssal White Flower spirit soul was also undergoing a metamorphosis, having already begun its evolution towards a Companion Artifact. With just a few more evolutions, it would completely break away from the spirit soul system and become a true Divine Artifact.
The Soul Master system of the Douluo Continent was not without its merits. At least after a Soul Master ascended to godhood, their tool spirit soul had the chance to transform into a Companion Artifact. Unlike other gods who either had to painstakingly forge their own Divine Artifacts or merely inherit someone else's. Companion Artifacts complemented the Soul Master, growing alongside their owner, and their potential for growth far surpassed other Divine Artifacts. In the owner's hands, a Companion Artifact could break through its limits and exert unimaginably powerful strength.
As time progressed, Lu Jingming's speed of advancement only accelerated. After all, the conditions he possessed were simply unparalleled. He had usurped the position of the Child of Destiny, Huo Yuhao. The destiny of the Douluo Star, long coveted by the Sea God Tang San, was now entirely available for his use.
On the soul beast side, the Snow Empress and Gu Yue were closely tied to him. The destiny of the Far North Ice Sheet and the Star Dou Great Forest was available for him to leverage at any time, though he had refrained from doing so.
In addition to destiny, he also had no worries about lacking cultivation resources. The Herta Space Station had extended its reach to the God Realm and even the entire universe, continuously acquiring resources for him. Furthermore, he had the Thousand-World One-Rider, capable of obtaining various precious resources from parallel worlds.
And on the path of cultivation, he had numerous top-tier mentors to answer his doubts and questions. Whether it was Jingliu, Herta, Raiden Makoto, or Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, these powerful existences could provide him with invaluable guidance and help.
One could say that the conditions he possessed were perfect. In the early stages, he had quietly accumulated his foundation, and now, as that foundation was on the verge of eruption, the time for him to reap abundant rewards was nigh.
"What exactly are you thinking?"
Near the main exit, Shangguan Weier was suddenly stopped. She looked up and saw an elegantly beautiful blonde girl leaning lazily against a tree, with a pink-haired Servant standing beside her.
Shangguan Weier paused momentarily, then a sincere smile appeared on her face as she slowly said, "It seems sending you to St. Freya Academy was truly the wisest decision I ever made."
"That's true. I'm also very glad I was able to join the Academy!" Ye Guyi gently nodded. If she hadn't joined St. Freya Academy, she wouldn't have witnessed such a wonderful and colorful world. She might have had to continue hiding, or she might have accidentally been discovered by Evil Soul Masters from the Holy Spirit Church and met a tragic end. She was grateful to Shangguan Weier for this from the bottom of her heart. The other party had not only taken her in but also planned a better future for her, truly showing utmost benevolence. It was precisely because of this that she was particularly concerned about Shangguan Weier. After all, she knew that the Mundane Alliance was Shangguan Weier's life's work, built over decades, and not something one could easily abandon just by saying so.
"There's no choice. If I don't leave now, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave at all!" Shangguan Weier gave a helpless, bitter smile. Following that, she slowly removed a contact lens used for disguise from her left eye. Instantly, a red pupil, radiating the glow of Destruction, was exposed before Ye Guyi and Rhodeia.
"You! How could this be?" Ye Guyi instinctively took a step back. Being stared at by that red pupil, filled with destructive desire, she felt a tremor run through her body, her face filled with disbelief.
Rhodeia's smile also instantly vanished, her expression abruptly turning serious. That pure aura of Destruction was spine-chilling, as if everything in the world would be mercilessly destroyed before it. It was a will of indiscriminate destruction, a firm conviction to utterly obliterate all things, the universe, and even oneself.
"Do you still remember my Spirit Soul?" Shangguan Weier put her contact lens back on, a bitter smile gracing her lips.
"The Seven Emotions Heavenly Melody Zither!" Ye Guyi replied in a heavy tone.
"Exactly, the Seven Emotions Heavenly Melody Zither. Although it is not a purely Mental-type Spirit Soul, I also possess Mental-type soul skills, making my mental power stronger than that of an average Titled Douluo." Shangguan Weier showed a hint of relief. If not for the characteristics of her Spirit Soul and soul skills, she feared she would already be highly aligned with the ideology of Destruction, just like those Great Nobles of the Sun-Moon Empire.
"I am merely an ordinary Titled Douluo and the leader of the Mundane Alliance. Do you think I would be the one that was overlooked?" Shangguan Weier's tone was full of bitterness.
She wasn't like Jing Hongchen, who had a powerful backer and held substantial power herself, thus not yet being targeted by that terrifying entity. She was merely an ordinary Titled Douluo who built a vast network of connections in Mingdu through social maneuvering. However, this network, though extensive, was insufficient to protect her. After all, even the Great Nobles behind her were struggling to protect themselves.
Therefore, she had actually been targeted by that terrifying entity a long time ago. The other party had already silently made a move, and she was powerless to resist, only able to helplessly fall prey to it.
"I used Mental-type soul skills to forcibly split my soul and spirit. But even so, that destructive will is constantly affecting me. It incessantly corrodes my will, attempting to replace me and utterly destroy me!" Shangguan Weier...
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