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Seeing Alice and the mysterious black-robed figure vanish instantly, Yun Ming didn't pursue.
It wasn't that he refused—he simply knew it was futile. In this moment of perfect spiritual synchrony with Ya Li, he sensed the brilliance and swiftness of their spatial techniques. Even with his temporary True God-level power, forcing pursuit would likely fail to stop them and might spark unnecessary conflict.
More crucially, the real heartbeat and warmth in his arms—the profound bliss of shared purpose and life-or-death unity—made him unwilling, even unable, to part from her now.
In the shadows, Gu La—never truly distant—watched through his avatar. Leveraging Alice's martial soul traits, he meticulously "recorded" and "absorbed" the complex, profound emotional shifts between Yun Ming and Ya Li during their martial soul fusion and miraculous escape. This would greatly aid Alice in comprehending love's essence and stabilizing her Love Goddess divine position.
"Impossible!!"
Ghost Emperor roared in shock and fury. He couldn't accept that Yun Ming not only survived but erupted with such terrifying power in his final moments.
Watching the six-winged Spear Angel—radiating sacred and annihilating auras—lock its icy gaze on him, Ghost Emperor's soul chilled. Without hesitation, he turned to flee!
Disregarding dignity, he unleashed a vicious ghostly shockwave toward Na Nali ahead, aiming to use her as a shield to buy escape time.
"Bastard!" Na Nali cursed inwardly but had no choice. She activated her ninth soul skill with all her might—Evil Bell's Abyss-Shattering Howl!
The bell emitted terrifying soundwaves that seemed to fracture the abyss itself. These condensed waves combined physical pulverization and spiritual erosion, cycling between both effects—nearly impossible to defend against. She intended to block Ghost Emperor's betrayal while hindering Yun Ming.
Boom!
Ghost Emperor's sneak attack was barely deflected by Na Nali, but the backlash sent her blood essence churning, leaving her vulnerable. Meanwhile, Yun Ming—bearing overwhelming divine might—closed in, his target clear: Ghost Emperor, the mastermind!
Yun Ming and Ya Li's martial soul fusion skill—Spear Angel—perfectly merged Yun Ming's peerless combat prowess and the Atlas Spear's ultimate offense with Ya Li's Praying Angel's boundless life energy and purifying power.
This wasn't mere addition—it was metamorphosis into a war angel wielding judgment and redemption.
The Spear Angel's speed shattered limits. A spear thrust pierced space itself, instantly running through Ghost Emperor!
Yet the pierced "Ghost Emperor" popped into a puff of green ghostly mist—merely a lifelike ghost shadow clone!
"I've already predicted it!"
Yun Ming snorted coldly. His combat awareness had long reached perfection. Almost as the clone dissipated, he reversed his spear toward seemingly empty space behind him!
Divine power gathered at the spear tip!
"Aaaah—!" A miserable cry echoed. Ghost Emperor's true form was forcibly torn from hiding, his chest pierced by spear intent. Foul green blood sprayed out.
His face twisted with terror and hatred.
"Today, your life will atone for the tens of thousands of Shrek's fallen souls!"
Yun Ming's voice was ice, devoid of emotion. His spear surged again—as if heaven and earth themselves toppled to crush Ghost Emperor!
"You think killing me is easy? Yun Ming, you're just a hypocrite too! Didn't you only save those high-talent students?!"
Ghost Emperor shrieked desperately to disrupt Yun Ming's focus while squeezing every drop of power from himself. Seeing escape impossible, madness and regret flashed in his eyes. He roared: "Detonate for me!!"
BOOOOM!!
His hard-cultivated Four-Word Battle Armor erupted with blinding evil light before shattering!
Next, the nine remaining soul rings beneath his feet—four black, four crimson, one orange-gold—flared sequentially, each exploding in turn. Soul Ring Detonation! A forbidden technique, unleashing all soul ring essence at once!
Unimaginable chaotic energy erupted like a miniature God-Slayer projectile detonating between heaven and earth.
This destructive force brute-forced through Yun Ming's aura lock, distorting the surrounding space.
Puh!
Exploiting the recoil from this self-destructive blast, Ghost Emperor transformed into a shadowy stream nearly fusing with space itself. Burning his core ghost essence, shattering stored souls—he fled at speeds far beyond normal, vanishing instantly into the horizon.
Yun Ming staggered under the detonation's shockwave. Already at his limit, he couldn't pursue the fleeing Ghost Emperor, forced to watch him disappear beyond his senses.
Na Nali, sensing danger earlier, had already used a secret technique to conceal her aura and slipped away unnoticed.
Yun Ming's gaze darkened toward the Spirit Pagoda headquarters. He knew this catastrophe was tied to the Qian Gu family, yet he suppressed his urge to strike them down.
Shrek is gone. He had to prioritize survivors like Tang Wulin—seeds of the academy's future. He couldn't gift them another powerful enemy.
Golden-silver light faded. The martial soul fusion dissolved. Yun Ming and Ya Li descended together.
No sooner had his feet touched ground than Yun Ming collapsed, utterly unconscious.
Though weakened by the immense pressure, Ya Li—shielded by Yun Ming's bulk—remained barely conscious.
Just then, a figure emerged from the ruins' shadows: Gu La's avatar, now wielding Ming Baixue's martial soul.
Looking at Ghost Emperor's escape route, he shook his head with regret: "Pity. I'd planned to harvest that old ghost's soul to enrich my pasture. Yun Ming proved… disappointingly weak, letting him slip away."
Ya Li immediately braced her injured body before the unconscious Yun Ming, wary eyes fixed on Gu La's avatar: "Who are you?"
Gu La's avatar chuckled, not answering. "I've realized something. This Shrek explosion… the Plane Lord likely permitted it behind the scenes."
"Otherwise, how could he—Master of the Plane—remain oblivious to such a massive conspiracy? Probably clearing the path for his precious grandson."
Switching fully to Ming Baixue's martial soul, his eyes glowed with Netherworld light. A beam of life-infused, soothing energy enveloped Yun Ming and Ya Li, stabilizing their worsening injuries and preserving their life foundations.
He then casually scribbled his deduction on paper, tossing it to Ya Li:
"Keep this. Show Yun Ming when he wakes. Advice: hide well. On this continent now… many wish you dead."
Ya Li caught the note. Feeling her wounds stabilize and hearing his warning, she understood his lack of malice—he was aiding them.
She met his gaze deeply, nodded silently, then lifted Yun Ming's unconscious form. With a few flickers of movement, she vanished into the rubble, gone without a trace.
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Soon after, news of Shrek City's terrorist attack—nearly erased from the map—swept the entire Federation like a hurricane, triggering unprecedented upheaval!
Shrek Academy's millennia of connections and influence now manifested. Factions and countless powerhouses voiced strong concern and condemnation, demanding a thorough investigation.
Simultaneously, a more shocking rumor spread: it was said that before his fall, Atlas Douluo and Sea God Pavilion Master Yun Ming, fused with Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li in an unprecedented martial soul fusion skill—Spear Angel—crippling the Holy Spirit Cult's Ghost Emperor and forcing his humiliating retreat!
This claim left many incredulous. No one had imagined Yun Ming harbored such a terrifying trump card.
It also gave pause to factions that had been plotting against Shrek's remnants, deepening their wariness of the survivors.
Yun Ming and Ya Li's ultimate fate, however, became a lingering mystery—pulling at the hearts of countless souls across the land.
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