The Blue Silver Emperor, Ah Yin, who is over hundred thousand years old and the master of the divine nature of life, possessed an understanding of life energy far beyond that of ordinary people. The Golden Tree at Shrek Academy was originally discovered by Tang San and planted on Sea God Island. Ah Yin had also left a divine sense clone there and was therefore very familiar with the aura of the Golden Tree. Although the aura of that clone had completely disappeared, at this very moment, she could distinctly sense the original aura belonging to the Golden Tree from the woman called Phantylia standing before them.
Upon hearing Ah Yin's words, Tang Hao, Ning Rongrong, and Oscar's expressions changed dramatically.
"So it's you…!"
Tang Hao could no longer contain the anger raging in his heart. With a tremendous shout, the Clear Sky Hammer—heavy as a mountain and pitch-black—appeared in his palm. The force of a god-tier being and the chilling murderous intent from the Deathgod Domain mingled, surging toward Phantylia like a tangible storm, as if any resistance would instantly shatter her to pieces.
At the same time, Ning Rongrong and Oscar unleashed their martial spirits. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and the divine power of the Food God complemented each other, both ready to assist Tang Hao in delivering a thunderous strike at any moment.
They had never expected the culprit behind Shrek Academy's destruction and the severing of information from the Divine Realm to appear before them in such a grand manner.
Yet, even faced with the blatant hostility and murderous intent of the Four Gods, Phantylia remained composed. She leisurely flicked her fan, her eyes curving into beautiful crescent moons as she smiled.
"Oh my, everyone, there's no need to be so on guard."
Her voice was still enchanting, as if she didn't feel the overwhelming pressure that could crush mountains.
"It's true that I had a hand in the destruction of Shrek Academy, and I do admit, that fascinating Golden Tree was accepted by me."
She confessed so calmly that Tang Hao, who had been about to speak, hesitated for a moment.
"But so what?"
Phantylia's tone shifted, her fan moving lightly as she spoke in a teasing manner.
"I can tell you what happened here—and I also know the whereabouts of the person you're seeking."
Her words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the flames of anger in Tang Hao's heart—yet at the same time, they inspired even greater vigilance.
"What's your goal? Why should we trust you?" Ning Rongrong stepped forward, her voice icy. The nine-colored divine light from her Nine Treasure Glazed Bead lit up softly, enveloping everyone as she remained on constant alert for any sudden moves.
As the Nine Colorful Goddess, she instinctively rejected this strange and dangerous woman before her, her intuition warning of nothing but malice from this Phantylia.
"Are we really to believe that the enemy who destroyed Shrek and ruined the plans of Xiao San is now taking the initiative to offer us information? Isn't that absurd?"
Ning Rongrong frowned coldly, her words sharp as blades.
"Heh, little girl, sometimes the enemy of your enemy can become a temporary friend, can't they?"
Phantylia's reply was vague. She hid her smile behind her fan, gazing at Ning Rongrong with interest.
"As for my goal… It's very simple. I just want to watch. I want to see a more thrilling, grander drama unfold. And you, along with the people you're looking for, are the indispensable protagonists of this story."
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you. You can take action right now if you wish. I'm not that talented, so if you want to leave, I might not be able to stop you. In that case, you'll just have to wander around this continent like headless flies, searching for elusive clues at a snail's pace."
Phantylia's words were like venomous snake fangs, sharply pricking everyone's nerves.
Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. In his heart, reason and emotion fiercely clashed. Reason told him not to trust the words of this mysterious woman. But the death of his granddaughter, the news of Xiao Wu, and the possibility of uncovering the truth—he simply couldn't let them slip away.
"Fine. We'll listen to you for now." In the end, Tang Hao slowly put away the Clear Sky Hammer, though his voice was still cold. "But you'd best not try any tricks. Otherwise, even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I, Tang Hao, will kill you."
"Oh, is that so?" Phantylia seemed entirely unconcerned by Tang Hao's threat and laughed lightly. "If you want cooperation, you have to show sincerity, naturally."
She paused, looking intently at Ah Yin, whose eyes were filled with grief for her lost granddaughter. Her voice now carried a mischievous sense of pity.
"First, about your precious granddaughter Tang Wutong, as well as the sect master of the Clear Sky Sect, Niu Tian, and the second sect master, Tai Tan—they all died in Mingdu during a fascinating 'Holy Grail War' game."
"And the ones who killed them with their own hands were none other than the currently rising, most powerful force in Douluo Continent—Haiyuan City."
"Haiyuan City?" Ning Rongrong and Oscar exchanged glances, seeing the gravity in each other's gaze. Their original target had been Haiyuan City, but they'd changed course because of the auras from Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.
"As for the little rabbit you care about most…"
Phantylia's gaze shifted to Tang Hao, deliberately drawing out her words.
"She's not in Haiyuan City now. She's fallen into the hands of a young man named Huo Yuhao."
"Huo Yuhao?" Tang Hao frowned, unimpressed by the name.
"This Huo Yuhao is no simple character," Phantylia's tone turned playful. "He's a member of a vast and mysterious organization—'World Serpent,' codename 'Eighth Throne,' known as the 'Spirit King.'"
"And this 'World Serpent' organization is deeply intertwined with that Haiyuan City I just mentioned."
Haiyuan City… Huo Yuhao… World Serpent… Spirit King…
These unfamiliar names and information exploded like thunder in the minds of Tang Hao and the other four, making them hard to digest for a moment.
Ning Rongrong was the first to react, sharply grasping the most crucial words.
"Throne… 'Spirit King'…?" Her face instantly became extremely ugly. "Those titles you just mentioned…"
Phantylia admired the fear on her face, smiling wider.
"Oh? Looks like you're thinking of something?"
Ning Rongrong didn't reply, but a tremendous wave had already risen in her heart. She suddenly recalled the earth-shattering rebellion in the God Realm. The Golden Dragon King broke free from his seal and turned the God Realm upside down, styling himself as the 'King of Destruction.' And the fourth 'Horseman,' the traitor of the Shrek Seven Monsters, Ma Hongjun, was, after his betrayal, called the 'King of Plague' by the Golden Dragon King.
King of Destruction… King of Plague… and now, another 'Spirit King.'
The similar "King" titles couldn't be a coincidence.
A chilling yet plausible speculation instantly flashed through the minds of Ning Rongrong, Tang Hao, Ah Yin, and Oscar:
Could it be that, under some unknown shadow, there always existed a massive organization composed of many powerful beings bearing the title of "King"—enemies of the God Realm?
Is this "World Serpent" the name of that organization?
The thought made all four of them shudder. If so, then this chessboard was much bigger and more dangerous than they'd ever imagined.
"Heh, looks like you've all caught on." Phantylia observed their shocked faces, laughing in delight and satisfaction. "Yes, things are far more complex and interesting than you think."
"Well, I've shown my sincerity and delivered the information."
Phantylia straightened up, her graceful figure fully revealed.
"The enemy is split between Haiyuan City and the 'Spirit King' of World Serpent. Your two companions should be en route to Haiyuan City this very moment. What you do next is up to you."
"As for cooperation…"
Phantylia's eyes gleamed with meaning.
"There's no rush for an answer. After all, you still don't trust me. And I did destroy Shrek and ruin Tang San's plans, didn't I?"
Her words made Tang Hao and the others' expressions shift again.
"But it doesn't matter. You'll soon realize the enemy is far stronger than you imagined, and I'm the only—and most valuable—ally you can have."
As Phantylia finished speaking, she gave them no chance to ask more questions. Her fan fluttered gently, and the space around them rippled once again.
"Oh, by the way—if you ever change your mind and wish to cooperate, just crush this. I'll get the message."
A jade card emitting a demonic purple light appeared out of nowhere, floating before Ning Rongrong.
"Well then, I look forward to our next meeting, honored guests."
With those final teasing, enigmatic words, Phantylia faded away like ink dissolving in water, vanishing completely from the wilderness, leaving only a faint, searing fragrance behind.
Tang Hao and the others stood in silence for a long time.
…
Desolate and dead, cold and bleak.
This was another space forcibly opened and attached to the Douluo Plane's barrier.
There was no sun, no moon, no stars, no wind, frost, rain, or snow. Even the passage of time felt blurry and slow. Endless darkness that seemed to swallow all light was the eternal theme of this space.
In the distant void, the dim remnants of destroyed planets occasionally drifted, flickering like candle flames in the wind, eventually merging into the cold silence of death that defined this space.
This space itself was the purest, most instinctive embodiment of the concept of destruction.
At the center of this space, a figure floated quietly.
She wore a simple, futuristic silvery-white bodysuit. Her white hair was like frozen stars, flawless and spotless. Her face was as delicate as the most perfect sculpture, yet so cold that there was no trace of living breath. Her eyes were like two collapsing stars: deep, indifferent, unable to reflect any color of the world.
She was Celenova, one of the Lord Ravager, among the sharpest blades under the command of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction.
At this moment, the dead void before her rippled with purple-black waves, as if a calm lake had been disturbed by a pebble.
At the center of the ripples, space quietly tore open. A graceful and enchanting figure slowly stepped out. She wore flamboyant clothes, held an exquisite fan, and smiled charmingly, as if she had just left a grand banquet.
It was Phantylia.
Her appearance was like a sudden, vivid splash of color on the monochromatic canvas of destruction.
"Those pitiful bugs from the God Realm are useless," Celenova said coldly, her voice echoing through the space, utterly devoid of emotion.
"They're not from Haiyuan City, nor are they that man's opponent." The man she referred to was, of course, Lu Jingming.
"Oh, I know that very well," Phantylia replied, covering her mouth with her round fan, her laughter multi-layered, full of delight and mischief. "But if a good show always follows a fixed script from beginning to end, wouldn't it be terribly boring?"
"Giving these pitiable protagonists false hope, letting them struggle for self-justification, only to ultimately deliver them into even deeper despair… Isn't that the essence of true drama?"
She walked slowly toward Celenova, her gaze seemingly on the distant, fading remnants of stars, but in the depths of her eyes played out the very scenes she had just orchestrated: Tang Hao's rage, Ah Yin's grief, Ning Rongrong's vigilance… To her, these were the most marvelous and moving emotions, the perfect decorations for her grand drama.
Celenova was ambiguous. She knew her colleague's malice all too well. Phantylia always played the role of a playwright, manipulating people's hearts, controlling fate, treating all beings as puppets, and extracting unique destruction from their pain and despair.
To Phantylia, Tang Hao and the others were just pawns to complicate the chessboard and add variables, conforming perfectly to the fantasy style of the God Realm's denizens monitoring and plotting above all planes.
But Celenova didn't care. She and Phantylia had utterly different approaches: one pursued pure, efficient, direct destruction; the other, ritualistic destruction, a process and an aesthetic. But their ultimate goal was the same—to enact the fate of destruction.
"I've found an independent energy realm outside this galaxy," Celenova spoke again, clearly uninterested in this tedious topic and preparing to discuss her plans, her voice as cold and indifferent as ever.