At this moment, after hearing Kong Deming's mocking words, the final psychological defenses of the Body Sect Elders trapped within the energy cage completely collapsed, their composure shattering in an instant.
"It was actually Xuan Zi? That old scoundrel really betrayed us!"
One Body Sect Elder's eyes nearly burst with rage as he slammed his fists against the energy barrier. The violent backlash numbed his arms to the bone.
"Damned traitor! We're risking our lives out here, while he's sitting behind our backs taking credit and rewards from the Sun Moon Empire!"
Another Elder followed with an enraged roar.
The failure of this surprise attack had already left them suffocating with shock and resentment. Now, with Kong Deming's explanation laid bare, all that pent-up fury finally found an outlet.
In their eyes, aside from Xuan Zi—who had been one of the main promoters of the joint plan—there was simply no one else capable of knowing their attack routes and targets with such precision.
Yet Poison Undying, standing at the very front, forced himself to maintain the last shred of calm amid his heavy breathing.
His emerald-green eyes locked onto the phantom image of Kong Deming above the throne as he rasped,
"Kong Deming, your attempt at sowing discord is far too crude."
"No matter how paranoid Xuan Zi may be, it's absolutely impossible for him to defect to your Sun Moon Empire. You're clearly trying to turn us against each other!"
Faced with this accusation, Kong Deming merely let out a contemptuous sneer.
"Sowing discord?" His voice echoed coldly through the hall.
"Poison Undying, you people have already stepped into a trap. You're as good as walking dead—why would I bother wasting words on such childish tricks?"
"The facts are right in front of you. If Xuan Zi hadn't reached a private agreement with us, how do you think you could have slipped so smoothly all the way to the bedchamber entrance?"
"Besides him, who else in Mingdu has both the authority and the insight to sell you out so thoroughly?"
Each sentence struck like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly into Poison Undying's heart.
He recalled Xuan Zi's strange silence over the past few days, and the Shrek students' abrupt, unexplained withdrawal.
All the clues seemed to align perfectly with Kong Deming's words.
Without giving them any further time to think, a cold glint flashed in Kong Deming's eyes.
"Enough. I'm done talking nonsense with you. It's time to send you on your way."
"Do it."
With his command, the walls of the bedchamber suddenly flipped open, revealing rows upon rows of densely packed cannon muzzles.
Each barrel glowed with a heart-stopping red light—ninth-rank soul ray tubes and high-frequency vibration cannons, specially modified for lethal close-range combat.
Boom!
In an instant, the entire hall was drowned in blinding firelight and violent energy waves.
Poison Undying let out a furious roar. His entire body turned a deep green as his muscles bulged like tempered steel. He spread his arms wide, forcibly raising a defensive barrier with his Body Martial Soul.
But what he faced were ninth-rank soul tools forged through the Sun Moon Empire's full national effort—directional bombardment unleashed within a narrow, enclosed space.
Each soul ray carried power comparable to a full-force strike from a Titled Douluo.
Though Poison Undying's physical body was nearly at the peak of the Titled Douluo realm, under such overwhelming firepower, his barrier lasted only a few seconds before cracks rapidly spread across it.
Shrill screams rang out.
Several Spirit Douluo–level Body Sect Elders behind him failed to defend in time during the first volley. Their bodies were pierced straight through by the searing beams of death, exploding into blood mist on the spot.
Immediately afterward, a Body Sect Titled Douluo Elder with slightly weaker cultivation attempted to share the pressure—and was struck head-on by three ninth-rank vibration cannons.
His Martial Soul True Body collapsed instantly. He didn't even have time to utter a final word before being torn apart by the violent energy.
"No—!"
Watching his subordinates fall one after another, Poison Undying's eyes turned blood-red.
These people represented decades of the Body Sect's accumulated foundation—the very roots that allowed the sect to stand tall.
And now, because of a single wrong decision and that cursed "traitor," everything was being wiped out in moments.
Rage completely overwhelmed Poison Undying's reason. He let out a maddened, earth-shaking howl.
"Sun Moon Empire! Xuan Zi! I'll make you pay with your lives!"
He began to burn his life potential frantically, beads of blood seeping from his skin.
Under that near-suicidal eruption of spirit power, he finally triggered the Body Sect's ultimate technique—the Golden-level Original Body Martial Soul Second Awakening.
Golden light enveloped his entire body. The once-immovable energy cage began to tremble violently under his heavy blows.
Ignoring the relentless barrage of soul tool fire and enduring beams that could grievously wound an ordinary Titled Douluo, Poison Undying used his flesh and blood to forcibly tear open a gap in the ninth-rank sealing spirit tool.
"Follow me!"
Covered in blood, one shoulder blasted open to expose white bone, Poison Undying still roared like a wounded beast.
Relying on the terrifying explosive power granted by the Golden Awakening, he carved a bloody path through the rain of beams, leading the remaining—also gravely injured—Elders as they fought their way out toward the palace exit.
During their escape, the hatred in the survivors' hearts reached its peak.
"Damn it! If not for that old bastard Xuan Zi betraying us, how could we have ended up like this?" one Elder shouted through clenched teeth, his left arm already gone.
"It's all Xuan Zi's fault! If we survive, we'll storm Shrek and make him repay this blood debt!"
Listening to the furious curses behind him, Poison Undying's face—pale from blood loss and searing pain—darkened further.
He said nothing.
But in his heart, Xuan Zi had already been sentenced to death.
He didn't care whether Kong Deming had lied or not. What mattered was that they had indeed been ambushed, Shrek had withdrawn early without harm, and this entire plan had originally been proposed by Xuan Zi himself.
—
Elsewhere.
Watching Poison Undying and the others escape, Kong Deming let out a faint, helpless sigh.
He had long known there was no realistic way to annihilate Poison Undying here.
After all, Poison Undying was a Super Douluo—one of the top powerhouses on the present Douluo Continent. Completely killing someone like him was far too difficult.
"Still…"
A cold smile curled at the corner of Kong Deming's lips.
"The seeds of suspicion have already been planted."
"Next, Shrek is going to have a headache."
"Hmph… Duke Liu Yuan's move is truly vicious."