As Ma Hongjun posed his flippant question, the previously solemn atmosphere eased slightly.
Dai Mubai and the others couldn't help but roll their eyes, but they understood. Anyone who suddenly learned they would have descendants in the future would naturally be immensely curious about the person who would accompany them for life.
Xiao Wu didn't speak, but her actions clearly showed her stance.
She reached out her delicate hand and tightly grasped Tang San's, as if intending to transfer her strength to him.
She raised her beautiful, enchanting eyes to look at Tang San, her voice soft yet filled with determination and deep affection:
"Brother, no matter where you need to go, or what powerful enemy you face, even a god, I will always be by your side, never separated. Your hatred is my hatred, and your goal is my goal."
Her words were simple, yet they weighed a thousand jin.
What's more, the hatred wasn't only between Tang San and the Spirit Empire; Xiao Wu also had a bitter, blood-deep feud with the now Rakshasa God, Bibi Dong, who had killed her mother.
Zhu Zhuqing remained as cool and detached as the moon. She didn't say much, merely nodding slightly. A cold light flashed in her clear, feline eyes.
Her attitude was self-evident—compared to the potential power struggles and schemes within the Star Luo Imperial Family, she valued the friendship and trust forged with the Shrek Seven Devils through life-and-death experiences.
"It's a pity Rongrong was taken away by Sect Master Ning, or else she would definitely stand with us."
Oscar sighed with some regret, but he believed Ning Rongrong's heart was with them, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was still a powerful ally they could strive to secure.
Dugu Bo let out his characteristic cold laugh, the venomous snake-like gleam shining in his emerald eyes:
"Hmph, a divine position? This ethereal thing holds no interest for this old man. Having lived for decades, I've seen through it all. However, since I promised the little monster back then to protect you youngsters, this old man naturally won't go back on his word."
His tone shifted, carrying a sinister edge.
"Sometimes, using poison... is far cleaner and more direct than a frontal confrontation. If some people, simply because they come from ten thousand years in the future, think they are superior and dare to harbor ill intentions toward you, this old man doesn't mind letting them sample the taste of the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Toxin—a venom that seeps into the bone and corrodes the soul."
He was both righteous and wicked, acting entirely on his own preferences, but once he made a promise, he would see it through.
Moreover, he had his own calculations.
He was very clear about his situation: he was advanced in age, his potential was nearly spent. Forget achieving a divine position, even breaking through to Rank 99 Titled Douluo was a distant hope.
His granddaughter, Dugu Yan, though talented, was even further away from a divine position.
Instead of futilely pursuing the illusionary opportunity of achieving godhood, it was better to solidly protect the path of these young people with limitless potential, especially Tang San.
A heavy debt of protection would be enough to guarantee his Dugu family prosperity, safety, and continuous inheritance for generations to come.
Of course, the prerequisite for all of this was that the object of his gamble was someone who knew how to repay kindness.
And Dugu Bo believed his judgment was keen; he trusted Tang San was such a person.
Even if he were to perish in battle in the future, Tang San would never mistreat Dugu Yan.
"Since everyone's goal is unified and our hearts are aligned, then we must actively prepare for the next steps."
Yu Xiaogang's heart settled slightly, seeing that the core team's opinions were united and they maintained a rare level of sobriety and alertness. He began to deploy the plan.
"Er Long and I will do our best to persuade my father to stand with us. Although his injuries haven't fully healed, his power as a Rank 96 Titled Douluo is still a formidable force that cannot be overlooked. His inclusion will significantly enhance our safety and leverage."
The more critical the moment, the more crucial it was to unite every force that could be united.
Tang San also said deeply:
"I will also find an opportunity as soon as possible to see my Great Uncle and formally rejoin the sect. One of Father's greatest regrets before his death was his debt to the sect. He hoped I could rejoin the clan to make up for his past mistakes, allowing his spirit to rest in peace. Using this opportunity, I must not only fulfill my father's dying wish and seek the sect's forgiveness but also leverage the power of the Clear Sky School to bolster our chances for this trip."
Tang Hao had told him everything before his death. He had to fulfill this profound paternal love and regret.
Just as Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and the others were tensely discussing countermeasures and planning the perilous journey to Seagod Island, Xiao Wu, quietly nestled beside Tang San, felt an inexplicable sense of unease rise within her heart.
Simultaneously, an extremely faint, yet undeniable, strange sensation, like a call spanning thousands of mountains and rivers, vaguely emerged from a distant direction.
In a trance, her consciousness seemed to be drawn, and she vaguely saw a figure—it was someone whose appearance was eighty to ninety percent similar to hers, yet more mature, cold, and emanating a powerful, heart-pounding aura: her future self.
However, facing this mirror-like existence, Xiao Wu felt not the slightest familiarity or closeness. Instead, a bone-chilling coldness, originating from the depths of her soul, suddenly arose, as if a voice in the darkness was warning her that encountering that self would trigger some unpredictable, perhaps even eternally ruinous, terrifying consequence.
The feeling came quickly and left just as fast, yet it left an indelible shadow in her heart.
Meanwhile, in the distant core region of the Star Dou Great Forest, by the Lake of Life.
The scene was starkly different from the solemn discussion of the Shrek group. A fierce and bizarre siege was currently unfolding here.
Dense crowds of Undead creatures, emitting a rich, deathly aura, continuously poured out from a distorted spatial rift. They charged fearlessly, one after another, towards the two colossal, mountain-like figures in the center of the lake—the overlords of the forest, the 100,000-year soul beasts, the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python.
Huo Yuhao stood on a high ground. His blood-red eyes glittered with cold light, like the most brilliant commander, calmly directing the Undead army. They constantly shifted formations, wearing down the power of the two overlords.
He needed a 100,000-year soul ring to break through his bottleneck, and these two top-tier 100,000-year soul beasts had become his primary targets.
Beside him, Xiao Wu guarded quietly.
She watched the Titan Giant Ape and the Azure Bull Python roar and struggle under the siege of the Undead army, yet a look of confusion, inconsistent with the horrific scene, appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face.
For some unknown reason, she felt a vague, inexplicable sense of intimacy towards these two powerful soul beasts, who were not of her kind, as if something deep within her soul had been touched.
But this feeling was too fleeting, more like a misconception, leaving her unable to understand it.
Further away, Bei Bei tightly held Tang Ya's hand. The two watched the hunt in silence, protected by Jing Yuan.
They had unexpectedly arrived in this world through a spatial-temporal passage. Although initially separated, they quickly reunited with the help of a communication soul tool that was not too severely affected.
Bei Bei and Tang Ya were lucky enough to be teleported with Jing Yuan, and Tang Ya carried the communication soul tool that could contact Huo Yuhao.
However, Tang Ya's situation was extremely dire.
Without the specialized secret medicine of the Holy Spirit Cult to suppress it, the hidden danger planted within her was continuously eroding her vitality. Her life hung by a thread.
Therefore, Bei Bei immediately sought out Huo Yuhao and Xiao Wu as soon as they reunited.
Huo Yuhao did carry some of the Holy Spirit Cult's secret medicine, but the quantity was limited and vital for keeping her alive.
If they couldn't find a way back to their original world and to the Holy Spirit Cult for a stable supply of medicine for too long, then Tang Ya... would surely die.
Just as the Xiao Wu of this era felt a surge of unease and agitation due to the sensing of her mature counterpart in the distant Star Dou Great Forest, the 'Xiao Wu' who was watching the battle in the Star Dou Great Forest also trembled slightly. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, which then transformed into a strange longing.
She, too, vaguely sensed the existence of the other Xiao Wu.
Simultaneously, a strong intuition born of life's instinct rose in her heart—find her.
Find the younger, less mature Xiao Wu of this era. It was as if... if she could find and... merge with the other, she would become more complete, and the old, hidden wounds on her body, which even divine power struggled to fully heal, might have a chance of complete recovery.
Once this thought took root, it grew wildly in her heart, like weeds, becoming unstoppable.
The once tranquil and peaceful Lake of Life, which resembled a paradise, had now completely devolved into a living hell.
The thick, heavy scent of blood mixed with the life-eroding, deathly energy emitted by the Undead army, creating a nauseatingly foul atmosphere. Even the air felt viscous and heavy.
The Titan Giant Ape Er Ming's body, which was as imposing and colossal as a mountain, had now become the source of his pain.
His once glossy fur was ripped to shreds, covered in countless hideous claw marks that reached deep to the bone. Large areas were scorched black and ulcerated from the corrosive energy contained in the Undead breath, giving off a foul, burnt smell.
Every roar he let out, fueled by pain and anger, was like a muffled thunderclap that cracked the earth and churned the lake water. His massive fists swung with immense force, instantly smashing low-level Undead into dust or dissipating them into black mist.
However, the terror of the Undead army lay in their near-infinite regenerative ability.
The shattered bones and dispersed soul bodies would often swirl in the air for a moment, then, amidst the low, eerie collective chanting of the Undead Witches behind them, they would be dragged and reassembled by invisible death energy, morphing once again into their hideous forms, howling and pouncing forward, seemingly without end.
The Azure Bull Python Da Ming's situation was even more perilous.
His massive, elongated serpent body was tightly wrapped and bitten by countless translucent Spectres that radiated bone-chilling death aura, clinging to him like maggots on rotten bone.
These Spectres had no physical form, making physical attacks largely ineffective, but their very existence continuously eroded Da Ming's vitality and significantly hindered his movements.
He tried to summon azure lightning across the sky or exhale scorching breath capable of melting metal and stone. Still, under the incessant consumption by the Undead tide and the continuous suppression and weakening of elemental energy by the Undead Sky Curtain covering the battlefield, his once-powerful soul skills were now only a tenth of their original strength, appearing dim and ineffective.
Huo Yuhao stood motionless on a slightly elevated mound. His blood-red eyes were cold and merciless.
Through his Spiritual Detection sharing, he precisely conveyed one command after another to the high-ranking Undead leaders in the army, like a masterful strategist.
Under his command, this tireless, death-fearing army transformed into a precise and efficient killing machine. The different types of troops worked in synergy, using their endless numerical advantage and various negative statuses like curses, freezing, and corrosion, to slowly, drop by drop, wear away the power, stamina, and indomitable will of the two forest overlords.
"Roar—!"
The Titan Giant Ape Er Ming let out a roar filled with pain and defiance. He fiercely stomped the ground, attempting to unleash his innate soul skill, the Gravity Control Domain, to crush the annoying Undead insects around him into powder.
However, just as the distorted gravity field spread out from him, several waiting Undead Witches simultaneously cast interference spells. Several gray-black energy ripples slammed into the Domain, making the gravity field extremely unstable and significantly reducing its effect.
Almost at the same time, the Azure Bull Python Da Ming raised his head and let out a long hiss, attempting to gather his final soul power and trigger a devastating heavenly lightning storm.
But Huo Yuhao had anticipated this. The Undead Sky Curtain, jointly constructed by hundreds of Undead Mages, suddenly thickened. The dense, dark cloud of death energy acted as the toughest barrier, layer by layer weakening and absorbing the dazzling heavenly lightning. In the end, only sporadic, weak arcs of electricity reached his body.
"Now."
A sharp glint, like a viper catching its prey, burst forth from Huo Yuhao's blood-red eyes.
"Death Knights, charge! Target locked!"
He himself attacked instantly, no longer holding back.
An extreme coldness suddenly erupted from him. The air seemed to freeze, making a 'crack-crack' sound.
The giant figure of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, carved out of emerald, flashed behind him. The terrifying low temperature instantly swept across the entire lake surface, and the lake water visibly solidified into hard ice.
The massive body of the Azure Bull Python was instantly covered in a thick layer of ice armor, glittering with an eerie blue light. Its already poised movements stiffened and fatally slowed down for a crucial instant.
"Charge—!"
Accompanied by the silent spiritual roar of the Undead Commander, the Death Knight Legion, which had been poised and standing still like statues, finally moved.
They transformed into a black torrent of steel, their hooves shattering the ice surface with a deafening rumble. The death aura, so thick it was tangible, converged into an unstoppable arrowhead, launching a desperate charge.
The sharp lances of the knights, gleaming with cold metal light in the dim environment, collectively and precisely stabbed towards the Azure Bull Python's fatal weakness, whose defense was greatly reduced by the freezing—its seven-inch inverse scale.
"Da Ming—!!"
Witnessing this scene, the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming's eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a heart-wrenching roar.
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