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The three-way standoff instantly created an eerie and tense atmosphere.
Tang Hao frowned deeply. Bai Xu's combat prowess was formidable—even a first-level god, had failed to defeat him. Yet, he couldn't simply stand by and watch as the Plane Will devoured Abyssal Sage Monarch. Without the nourishment of the Abyssal Plane's essence, the Douluo Continent would perish, and so would he.
"No wonder I couldn't detect the movements of the Otherworldly Demon—it was you, this lingering wretch, covering for him!" Tang Hao roared furiously, glaring at the Plane Will.
"You… the Lord of the Douluo Continent! How is this possible? How could you manifest a physical form?!" Abyssal Sage Monarch was incredulous. He felt as though he had been deceived into stepping into a trap.
Tang Hao's expression darkened completely. Today, he would settle this once and for all. Their schemes had been exposed, and there was no room for further mistakes.
"Finished talking?" Bai Xu gently stroked the back of the trembling Plane Will, calming its agitated form. His tone was indifferent, yet brooked no argument.
In the next moment, he raised his hand like a sword and slashed it downward, pointing directly at the Douluo Continent.
The Demon Plane obeyed his command, maintaining its terrifying speed as it hurtled toward Douluo.
"Have you gone mad?! Do you intend to destroy the Douluo Plane?!" Tang Hao paled in shock. He never expected Bai Xu to be so insane. A collision between two planets at such velocity would annihilate them both.
"You're nothing but a mere second-level god, without even a divine throne, weaker than an ant. What right do you have to bark before me?"
The colossal spectral hand descended like an entire plane crashing down upon Tang Hao, forcing him to muster every ounce of his strength to resist.
The Douluo Plane shimmered with radiant light. The armies battling in the Far North froze in shock as multicolored brilliance erupted across the continent—the manifestation of the plane's natural energy and primordial power. These energies surged skyward, converging into a massive rainbow-hued hammer in the cosmos.
Limit Douluos soared into the sky, reaching the highest altitudes they could manage. From there, they barely glimpsed the three towering figures locked in a cosmic confrontation.
The one radiating five-colored divine light was the Otherworldly Demon, Bai Xu. Opposite him, the disheveled gray figure was the ruler of the Abyssal Plane, Abyssal Sage Monarch. And the enormous rainbow Haotian Hammer belonged to the Lord of the Douluo Continent—the father of Sea God Tang San and grandfather of the current Dragon Emperor Douluo, Tang Wulin.
"Is that… Grandfather?" Tang Wulin murmured, gazing at Tang Hao's figure in the cosmos with reverence and worry.
"Damn it, is the Otherworldly Demon trying to end the world?!" The crowd gasped in horror as they noticed the Demon Plane hurtling toward them. Even from a distance, its oppressive aura was suffocating, making it hard to breathe.
For a moment, Bai Xu seemed consumed by madness, intent on annihilating everything—whether it was the Abyss or Douluo, all were insignificant in his eyes, mere playthings to be crushed at will.
"Not so fast!" Tang Hao bellowed, swinging his kilometer-long Haotian Hammer to meet Bai Xu's colossal hand.
To his shock, Abyssal Sage Monarch didn't join the attack. Instead, he retreated swiftly, fleeing back to the Abyssal Plane. The clash between Tang Hao and Bai Xu bought him time. The Douluo Continent's waters ran deeper than he'd thought, and after careful consideration, he decided retreat was the wiser choice. Even if six thousand years of scheming went to waste, survival mattered more.
"Damn you, you coward!" Tang Hao cursed hoarsely.
The five-elemental hand morphed into a world of its own, clashing with Tang Hao's Haotian Hammer infused with the plane's power. At first, the two forces seemed evenly matched, though Tang Hao struggled, he held his ground.
But after ten breaths, he was forced into retreat. He had expected Abyssal Sage Monarch to seize the opportunity to strike, but the Abyssal ruler had fled!
Whoosh!
Under the colossal hand's pressure, Tang Hao's body twisted, his once-proud posture bending involuntarily. He plummeted toward the Douluo Continent.
Boom!
Finally, his strength gave out. His human form dissolved into streaks of light as the spectral hand smashed him down like a meteor, crashing into the Far North's glaciers before the eyes of countless onlookers.
"Originally… I planned to deal with the Abyss first. But since you're so eager to die, I'll start with you!"
The demonic voice rumbled like a death sentence for the Douluo Continent, plunging the Federation into despair.
The Demon Plane halted its collision course, slowing as it approached Bai Xu. Instead of destruction, it began merging with the Douluo Plane.
In that brief respite, Bai Xu formed a five-elemental seal with his hands. With a glance toward the fleeing Abyssal Plane, he sent the seal streaking after it like a comet.
This was a tracking mark—once attached, no matter where the Abyssal Plane fled, Bai Xu would find it.
Wooooo~
The plane itself seemed to weep. The sky, once gray and lifeless from the Abyssal invasion, now gaped with a massive black hole, its diameter expanding to tens of thousands of meters. The aura of another plane leaked through, and the Federation's forces braced themselves, aiming all their soul-tech weapons at the rift.
The spectral hand dissipated as Bai Xu and the golden figure of the Plane Will stepped through the portal, appearing before the masses like deities overlooking ants.
"Come out!" Bai Xu's roar was like divine retribution, shaking the heavens.
But… Tang Hao did not appear.
"Bai Xu! You've coveted the Douluo Continent for so long. Now you bring another plane—do you intend to invade, just like the Abyss?" Tang Wulin stepped forward, golden light erupting from his body as he activated his Golden Dragon King bloodline to its limit. Only then could he barely withstand Bai Xu's pressure.
"You spoiled second-generation heir, this is not your place to speak!" Before Bai Xu could respond, the enraged Plane Will lashed out. It seemed to despise the Tang family.
"If not for your father, with the help of that so-called Sea God and Asura God, your grandfather wouldn't have usurped my position as the Douluo Plane's will! Your grandmother replaced the Douluo Continent's life core, and you—the chosen child of the plane—your family has reaped every benefit from my suffering! Now I take back what's mine… What is wrong with that?!" The Plane Will's voice trembled with millennia of pent-up fury.
Bai Xu remained silent, retracting his aura as he observed coldly.
"I don't know why my father did what he did, but… he must have had his reasons. And you, as the former will of the Douluo Continent, colluding with the Otherworldly Demon—aren't you afraid of bringing ruin upon yourself and the plane?" Tang Wulin challenged.
"Silence! How dare you presume to judge him? Compared to your father Tang San, The Lord is countless times greater! Your father was nothing but a petty thief who stole his way into power! And now your family has stolen everything from me! And you have the audacity to lecture me about righteousness? Do you even have the right?!"
The Federation forces stood frozen, silently absorbing the drama. None dared interfere.
"Wulin… no need to argue with him." A weak voice echoed across the land.
Tang Hao materialized before his grandson, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "The Plane's Will was never meant to act. Your father only had me take its place to ensure the Douluo Continent's prosperity."
Claiming moral high ground, he declared to the world: "For ten thousand years, the Douluo Continent has flourished under my non-interference. Humanity has thrived. Now, we seek the Abyss's essence to replenish our plane's core. Once absorbed, the limits of cultivation may break—soul masters could ascend to godhood through their own efforts!"
His words sent murmurs through the crowd. If the Douluo Plane absorbed the Abyss, the 99th-level limit might shatter, allowing soul masters to reach the fabled 100th level!
Godhood through self-cultivation—how many had dreamed of this?
Even the Limit Douluos below felt their hearts stir.
The Plane Will scoffed. "Tang Hao, how shameless can you be?! Behind humanity's 'prosperity' lies ecological collapse, near-extinct soul beasts, and the depletion of the Douluo Continent's resources to forge three 12th-level soul-tech bombs! In another thousand years, even without the Otherworldly Demon's interference, the Douluo Plane would crumble on its own! Is this your legacy as its lord?! Your son deliberately lured the Abyss here, accelerating the destruction! In some ways, you're no different from the Abyss. If you succeed, the Douluo Plane will become another Abyss! Once this path is set, it cannot be undone. Your family's nature is irredeemable. Do you plan to wage interstellar wars, invading other planes in the future?"
The Plane Will's golden eyes burned with fury. Glancing at the hesitant Federation forces, it understood their conflict—humanity's progress was indeed thanks to Tang Hao's hands-off rule. For a moment, it even considered letting the plane perish.
But… this world wasn't just home to humans.
"Those who wish to remain neutral, leave now. The Abyssal invasion will be dealt with later. Today is the day of reckoning!"
The winds of the Far North howled, yet only a handful retreated.
The Tang Sect and Shrek Academy's Title Douluos rose into the sky, standing behind Tang Hao and Tang Wulin. They bowed respectfully. "We greet the Lord of the Plane."
"Mm." Tang Hao wasn't surprised.
Their eyes blazed with determination, united as one. As if to prove the Plane Will's point—it was the outsider, while Tang Hao was the true lord in their eyes.
"Do you still not understand? We will never submit to the Otherworldly Demon!" Tang Wulin glanced at his comrades, teachers, and friends, drawing strength from their presence.
"You…" The Plane Will was speechless. It had offered them a way out, yet they chose hell.
Finally, Bai Xu spoke. "Enough. They've said their piece. They've been indoctrinated to believe they stand for justice. Worry not. Be it good or evil, I seek principle and method, cause and effect. Protecting the Douluo Continent is admirable, but it does not equate to strength. No more grand speeches. History is written by the victors. The Tang Sect, Shrek Academy, and the Tang family will be forever etched in history's foulest pages—this, I promise you."