This trip to the Lingbei Great Grasslands had brought immense gains for both Xu Zihuang and Ye Guyi.
In terms of cultivation and overall strength, the two had once again left their peers far behind. With their soul cores, they were destined to touch the bottleneck of Titled Douluo in a short time in the future, truly stepping into the ranks of top-tier powerhouses.
Xu Zihuang had once thought he could grow alongside He Caitou, supporting each other as they sought revenge against Xu Tianran. But reality proved that He Caitou could not keep up with his pace. Even if He Caitou could provide some assistance in the future, it would be quite limited.
Considering He Caitou's deep affection for Shrek Academy and Fan Yu, Xu Zihuang chose not to involve him in his own plans. After all, his and He Caitou's goals differed; beyond revenge, he also harbored the grand ambition of unifying the continent.
Sooner or later, he would stand on the opposite side of Shrek Academy and engage in confrontation. Given both sides' positions, this was unavoidable.
It wasn't just He Caitou; even the pair once known as the Outer Court's Twin Stars, Beibei and Xu Sanshi, showed noticeably slower cultivation speed as they approached the Soul Saint level. In Xu Zihuang's memories from his previous life, they had relied on the Qiankun Creation Pill refined from various immortal herb essences in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to break through to Titled Douluo in their twenties.
But now, Xu Zihuang did not need to do the same. Relationships have degrees of closeness; compared to Beibei and Xu Sanshi, he naturally preferred to allocate the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to his own side, such as his direct subordinates, the former Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion. Later, when ascending to power, they would also be useful for winning over high-level figures from the Sun Moon Empire, like the Hongchen family.
The only thing he needed to consider was giving that Earth Dragon Golden Melon, nearing one hundred thousand-year cultivation, to Elder Xuan at the right moment, allowing him to break through to Limit Douluo.
The original Douluo Continent was still somewhat lacking in top-tier combat power. The Sun Moon Empire had three Limit Douluo-level powerhouses: Ye Xishui, Long Xiaoyao, and Kong Deming. Although Long Xiaoyao might not directly participate in a war between the two sides, Ye Xishui and Kong Deming still posed major threats.
At the very least, the original Douluo side needed one true Limit Douluo powerhouse to achieve mutual deterrence and allow the war to drag on for a long time.
What Xu Zihuang needed now was time. As long as he broke through to Titled Douluo, he would have absolute confidence in suppressing all existences below the god level. In that case, having one more Limit Douluo like Elder Xuan as an opponent would be of no great consequence.
With his thoughts swirling, Xu Zihuang released his dragon wings and flew rapidly toward the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.
As he continued adding two more soul rings to his second martial soul, the fusion of the two bloodline powers within his Purple Inferno Thunder Prison Dragon martial soul grew increasingly perfect. The most obvious change was that when he released his martial soul possession, the dragon scales and dragon wings completely turned a deep black. Without any deliberate fusion, the annihilation attribute would naturally emerge on its own.
It was as if an energy-form Evil God Wing had attached itself to the bony dragon wings, causing eerie, sinister demonic patterns to appear on the surface. Azure-purple wind and thunder power swirled around it, with distorted lightning and howling gales.
Xu Zihuang's current flight speed was already comparable to that of an agility-attack-type Titled Douluo. If he entered the Evil God Transformation state, his speed would not fall far short of Elder Song's when she used her martial soul true body back then.
Of course, this was for sustained travel. In terms of burst speed, transforming into a lightning elemental body using the Origin of Thunder would be even faster.
This was the terrifying foundation Xu Zihuang now possessed.
Ye Guyi rested in Xu Zihuang's embrace as he carried her along the way. One of her hands rested on his shoulder, her slightly curled body outlining an alluring curve.
A faint smile curved at the corners of Ye Guyi's mouth as she pressed her head against Xu Zihuang's chest. Having finally found a moment alone with him, she naturally wanted to cherish every second.
With the enhancement from the Evil God Wing, the journey from the Lingbei Great Grasslands back to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School took less than an hour. When he used the Golden Pupil martial soul true body ability to bring Ye Guyi to the courtyard, as expected, Ning Tian was sitting quietly on a stone chair in the pavilion, lightly covered with a blanket.
"Tianhuang, Sister Guyi!" Sensing their arrival, Ning Tian quickly stood up in pleasant surprise, a graceful smile blooming on her pretty face. The white apricot blossoms between her hair and dress lost their hold and gently drifted down once more.
Although Xu Zihuang still held Ye Guyi in his arms, Ning Tian didn't seem to mind and took the initiative to approach.
A little intimacy between "siblings" was perfectly reasonable.
Ye Guyi promptly supported Ning Tian and smiled as she reminded her, "Be careful—you're pregnant now."
Having obtained enough from Xu Zihuang, she appeared to be in an excellent mood.
"Mm." Ning Tian's pretty face flushed slightly as she gave Ye Guyi a sweet smile, then looked toward Xu Zihuang behind her. Her water-blue eyes were filled with tenderness.
Xu Zihuang stepped forward and took Ning Tian's other hand, speaking gently.
"Didn't I say before we left that we would return safely? You should rest early."
Feeling the care and concern from Yu Tianhuang and Ye Guyi, Ning Tian's smile grew even sweeter.
"Although my cultivation can't compare to yours or Sister Guyi's, I'm still a Soul Emperor, you know. I'm not that delicate. Besides, I've heard from the married clan sisters in the sect that moderate activity during pregnancy is good for the baby's development."
"Sister Guyi, from the way you look, I take it you successfully formed a contract with that Sacred Unicorn?" Ning Tian keenly noticed the change in Ye Guyi's aura. Even as a fellow girl, she could tell that today's Ye Guyi was more radiant than ever. The charm between her brows made her feel a touch of envy.
Although her upbringing had made her more mature than her peers, she was still only eighteen and retained some of a young girl's innocence.
Ye Guyi nodded with an unchanged smile. During this, she gave Xu Zihuang a subtle, meaningful glance with a half-smile.
"Ning Tian, last time you mentioned there's a natural hot spring at the back mountain of your Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School. We've been rushing through the night and are a bit tired—let's go soak there to relax."
"Sure." Ning Tian, completely unaware of the subtle eye exchange between Ye Guyi and Xu Zihuang, replied with a charming smile.
"I'll have someone prepare it in advance."
Xu Zihuang's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he grumbled.
He had been the one carrying Ye Guyi the whole way; how could she be tired?
Still, he trusted that Ye Guyi wouldn't do anything too outrageous within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School.
The environment at the back mountain of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School was extremely serene. Amid the surrounding peaks stood a wooden courtyard pavilion, and right in the center of the courtyard was the natural hot spring.
Xu Zihuang sat in the room, savoring the exquisite dishes Ning Tian had carefully prepared. Through the nearby wooden sliding door, he could see Ye Guyi and Ning Tian playing in the hot spring. Clear, bell-like laughter rang out continuously.
Steam rose in rolls from the spring, faintly revealing patches of the two girls' delicate, jade-like white skin.
"Tianhuang, bring us the bathrobes," Ye Guyi suddenly called toward Xu Zihuang.
Helplessly, Xu Zihuang picked up the two neatly folded sets of white bathrobes from the wooden floor and delivered them.
Not long ago, at Ye Guyi's strong insistence, he had joined them. Though they weren't completely naked, he still felt rather restrained. Clearly, he had been intimate with both girls privately, yet facing them together was entirely different. In the end, he had changed into a bathrobe early and left first.
Soon after, Ye Guyi and Ning Tian, now dressed in bathrobes, walked hand in hand behind Xu Zihuang. Both girls' pretty faces were flushed with an enchanting blush.
The loose bathrobe concealed Ning Tian's slightly protruding belly as she lazily leaned against Xu Zihuang's side.
"Come closer." Xu Zihuang gently guided Ning Tian to rest against his chest, using his soul power to dry her slightly damp hair.
Seeing this from across, Ye Guyi propped her chin on her right hand and pouted slightly in jealousy.
"And me?"
Xu Zihuang naturally couldn't favor one over the other. He helplessly stood up, moved behind Ye Guyi, and repeated the same action. Ye Guyi's hair was much longer than Ning Tian's, but drying it with soul power took about the same amount of time.
Ning Tian sat upright with her legs crossed and smiled, not minding at all.
"Sister Guyi, have you two been this close since childhood?"
"Of course." Ye Guyi chuckled softly. "It's quite common for us to sleep together."
Ning Tian didn't catch the deeper meaning in Ye Guyi's words, but Xu Zihuang's eyelid twitched. He quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, let's eat first."
As he spoke, Xu Zihuang finished drying Ye Guyi's hair and returned to Ning Tian's side.
Ye Guyi and Xu Zihuang exchanged a glance but said nothing more.
In this harmonious atmosphere, the night passed quietly. That evening, Xu Zihuang, Ye Guyi, and Ning Tian all stayed in the courtyard.
But this peace was shattered the next morning.
Xu Zihuang received two letters, one from Elder Xuan of Shrek Academy and one from Xu Jiujiu, princess of the Star Luo Empire.
Xu Jiujiu's letter mainly stated that the Star Luo Empire had suffered heavy losses in their counterattack on the Mingdou Mountain Range and hoped for his assistance. However, she provided no specific details about the war, seemingly deliberately concealing something. At the same time, she promised generous rewards and included some veiled, ambiguous hints.
Elder Xuan's letter was very concise, just one sentence: to decide for himself, as the academy would respect any choice he made.
Xu Zihuang set down Elder Xuan's letter and looked across the table at Ye Guyi and Ning Tian. They were reading Xu Jiujiu's personal letter.
Compared to Elder Xuan's, they were clearly more concerned with the one from Xu Jiujiu.
Upon reading its contents, both Ye Guyi and Ning Tian's expressions changed. As the princess of the Star Luo Empire's imperial family, it was one thing for Xu Jiujiu to give Yu Tianhuang those ambiguous hints, but from the tone of her writing, they vaguely sensed that the situation at Mingdou Mountain Range was likely far more dire than she described.
Xu Jiujiu clearly harbored ulterior motives. From a darker perspective, she might even be scheming against Yu Tianhuang.
"Tianhuang, what do you plan to do?" Ye Guyi asked coldly as she tossed Xu Jiujiu's letter onto the table, her tone laced with thick mockery.
"I think you've also seen through that princess's little thoughts. What a clever scheme."
"In any case, let's return to the academy first and meet with Elder Xuan," Xu Zihuang said calmly.
"Once war breaks out, none of the three original Douluo Continent empires can stay out of it. This has nothing to do with Princess Xu Jiujiu. If aiding the Star Luo Empire can slow the Sun Moon Empire's invasion and remains within my capabilities, there's no need to refuse. Moreover, what she asked for is simply using my Golden Pupil martial soul ability to scout the situation at Mingdou Mountain Range for the Star Luo Empire. Of course, I'll decide based on the actual circumstances and definitely won't put myself in danger."
Ye Guyi's gaze was firm.
"Then I'll go with you."
"Alright." Xu Zihuang nodded slightly, then turned with Ye Guyi toward the silent Ning Tian, asking with concern.
"What's wrong?"
Ning Tian hesitated for a moment, then lightly bit her silver teeth.
"Tianhuang, out of selfishness, of course, I want you to stay by my side forever. But I also know you have your own ideas. If you go, I hope you and Sister Guyi will always put your own safety first."
"I promise you," Xu Zihuang replied solemnly.
"Don't worry. You know our strength. As long as we want to leave, no one can stop us."
A smile bloomed on Ning Tian's pretty face. She then took Xu Zihuang's hand and placed it on her abdomen.
"The child and I will wait for you here. Come back safely."
Ye Guyi also pulled Xu Zihuang's other hand and placed it on her own flat abdomen, mimicking Ning Tian as she gazed at him with tender affection.
"The child and I will wait for you here. Come back safely."
"Sister Guyi—" Ning Tian blushed and pouted coquettishly, her face like cherry blossoms.
In her view, she simply took it as Ye Guyi teasing her.
But on the other side, Xu Zihuang's heart trembled slightly. His gaze fell on Ye Guyi's flat abdomen. Last night in the Lingbei Great Grasslands, he had complied with her request and taken no precautions.
He knew it couldn't happen so quickly; it had just been an instinctive reflex.
Ye Guyi smilingly pulled Ning Tian into her arms. Noticing Xu Zihuang's reaction, a trace of amusement flickered deep in her eyes.
"Tianhuang, what are you thinking?! You wouldn't really have that idea, would you?"
Xu Zihuang helplessly pressed his forehead, while Ning Tian wore the same amused smile as Ye Guyi.
But what Ning Tian didn't know was that what Ye Guyi said would truly come to pass in the future.
After Ye Guyi's interruption, the atmosphere among the three lightened considerably. After explaining some matters to Ning Xinghe, Xu Zihuang, and Ye Guyi left the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School and headed toward Shrek Academy.
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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