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Xu Huang was unaware of Easton King, the Holy Dragon, or the Eternal Angel's shock, but he sensed the tremor in the Eternal and Creation God Imprint Throne.
This supreme artifact only reacted in the presence of power equal to its own, or the God of Heavenly Punishment.
Could it be that Austin Griffin was also in the fray?
Xu Huang had considered two possibilities regarding the revival of the God of Heavenly Punishment.
One, it could be revived as a soul beast.
Two, it might exist through a human martial soul.
Given the rules of the Douluo World, which were hostile to soul beasts, it was likely that Austin Griffin had chosen the second option, attaching itself to someone's martial soul.
Xu Xing knew who carried Austin Griffin, but he hadn't shared this with Xu Huang. After all, Xu Xing had no interest in following Xu Huang's orders and had even hoped that Xu Huang and Tang San would fight to the death so he could claim the spoils.
Unfortunately for him, he met his end first...
"That power!" Luo Qiu also sensed the aura of destruction, recognizing it as the force of the totem worshipped by the Moonlit Elves: the God of Heavenly Punishment, Austin Griffin.
The seed of the Tree of Destruction, a treasure the former Moonlit Queen had sought, was actually an important fragment of Austin Griffin's soul essence.
Unexpectedly, it seemed they might encounter the god their race revered in this realm.
"You felt it?" Xu Huang asked urgently. "Was it the Nine-Headed Chimera?"
"Mm." Luo Qiu didn't hide it. She nodded, gazing toward Soul Sea City and said softly, "Had our god triumphed in the past, the Moonlit Elves might have claimed the Eternal Domain, becoming its true rulers. The Eternal and Creation Thrones would have transformed into the Instant and Destruction Thrones, and the great God of Heavenly Punishment would reign supreme, bringing destruction and death to the entire universe, subjugating all planes to His dominion."
This was the first time Xu Huang learned that the Eternal and Creation Thrones could transform into such a thing as the Instant and Destruction Thrones. He wanted to ask more.
However, Luo Qiu only knew bits and pieces and continued, "The former Moonlit Queen was once overtaken by another, her dark physique transformed into one of light. If eternity can become a moment, and creation can become destruction, then such a transformation is not impossible."
"Understand this—"
"The Lord of Eternity and the God of Heavenly Punishment are twin entities, mutually interdependent and opposing. The Creator God perished first, leaving only a fragment of His divine will…"
"Creation and destruction ultimately represent space; eternity and the moment refer to time."
"To control both time and space simultaneously is to be a true Creator God. Without this, no matter how powerful, one's status will always be beneath that of the Creator."
Xu Huang grasped this point.
Spatial power was relatively easy to control, but time, being so elusive, made him doubt whether it even existed. After all, in The Divine Throne, neither Haoyue nor Austin Griffin ever demonstrated anything like "momentary" time-based powers.
Noticing Xu Huang's confusion, Luo Qiu explained, "The God of Heavenly Punishment has undergone numerous resurrections. Each time, part of its essence is weakened, and it has only nine chances to be reborn. Once those are exhausted, it will die permanently, just like the Creator God, leaving only a fragment of its will."
As for how many times Austin Griffin had been reborn, Luo Qiu only recalled that the seventh was its last. So, this would be the eighth time.
In fact, this was the ninth time.
Austin Griffin had been reborn in the realm it once destroyed and which Long Haochen had revived. However, it had not been long before its newly-reborn body was shattered by the chaos of time and space. It had encountered Mu Tian afterward, but even though it fused with his martial soul and became his first soul ring, the fusion was incomplete due to Mu Tian's unpredictable nature. Thus, it hadn't counted as a full resurrection. The final one had to be handled with utmost care.
How many times Austin Griffin had resurrected was of no concern to Xu Huang. At that moment, his mind was preoccupied with one thought: even if he had the power to kill Austin Griffin or its host, he couldn't act rashly.
Why?
The Eternal and Creation God Imprint Throne had come to this world with a mission—to find a representative to prevent Austin Griffin's revival and save the world from destruction.
If Austin Griffin were to die, the throne would no longer be interested in him. It would follow fate's guidance to another realm.
That was unacceptable.
Without the Eternal and Creation God Imprint Throne, Xu Huang was merely a Soul Douluo, at most comparable to a 95th or 96th-level Titled Douluo.
Without the Creator God's throne, how could he possibly suppress the other Titled Douluos in the Sun Moon Empire?
Did they truly revere his personality?
No!
"It's the power granted by the throne! This majestic force, vast and brilliant like the stars and the sea!"
After calming down, Xu Huang ordered his men to set up camp in Xiao Hai City.
Since they were here, they couldn't leave empty-handed.
Before long, one of his subordinates approached and reported, "Your Majesty, the Blue Silver Grass in Xiao Hai City is extremely resilient. Our swords can't cut through it, and even soul-guided saws fail to slice it."
"Then use the soul-guided saw," Xu Huang replied, puzzled as to why such a matter needed reporting.
"But the Blue Silver Grass grows rapidly. The moment we make a cut, it heals, and the severed blades immediately take root and regrow. The more we cut, the more it multiplies," the subordinate said with a troubled expression.
Xu Huang frowned. "What about fire?"
"Ordinary flames have no effect."
"Fire resistance?"
Realizing that Tang San must have visited the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and consumed the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Star Anise Mysterious Ice Grass , Xu Huang instructed, "Cut them at the roots."
"They can't be uprooted," the man said, blushing with embarrassment. "The Blue Silver Grass seems to be connected to the land itself. No amount of strength can pull it up."
"It's true," Luo Qiu remarked, placing her hand on a Blue Silver Emperor leaf beside her, sensing its energy. She marveled, "This Blue Silver Grass is rooted deep in the earth, entangled for miles. To uproot it entirely, even a hundredth-level powerhouse would fail. Unless one possessed the strength to lift the entire continent."
Luo Qiu had encountered many plant-based abilities—vines for binding, sharp leaves for cutting, and fragrant flowers or edible fruits—but she had never seen such deep, root-based resilience.
Even more astonishing, this martial-soul plant didn't reject any form of revival. Its potent life force could embrace everything, even darkness.
If a forest made entirely of this plant existed, the Moonlit Elves could cultivate it, using its thick leaves to block out sunlight, creating a natural habitat beneath its canopy.
The Moonlit Elves revered destructive power, but they still needed life force to survive. In this way, life and destruction were not in conflict.
*Could we cooperate with the master of this Blue Silver Grass?*
At this moment, a rebellious thought crossed Luo Qiu's mind as she glanced at Xu Huang, who was focused on eradicating the Blue Silver Grass.
Betrayal?
That was the hallmark of the Moonlit Elves!
Anyone foolish enough to trust their word was a true idiot. Luo Qiu's cooperation with Xu Huang was merely because he was currently the user of the Eternal and Creation Throne. She simply lacked the power to resist him.
Suddenly, a youthful voice filled with playfulness echoed in the ears of Xu Huang and Luo Qiu, "You think you can easily destroy my Blue Silver Emperor? Go ahead, try it. If you succeed, I'll even give you a gold star."
Tang San appeared silently before them, sitting atop one of the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves, gently swinging as if on a swing.
"Tang San!"
Though it was their first meeting, Xu Huang immediately recognized him. He gestured, and the nearby Sun Moon soldiers, who had been struggling with the Blue Silver Emperor, stopped what they were doing and raised their bayonet-like soul-guided weapons, pointing them at Tang San's head.
"Hmm, those soul-guided rifles remind me of the Imperial Army from those anti-Japanese dramas... Speaking of which, your Sun Moon Empire also has the word 'Sun' in it," Tang San said, spouting something that baffled most present.
Only Xu Huang's expression twitched, and with a cold sneer, he replied, "Doesn't the Ming Empire also have the word 'Sun'?"
Tang San chuckled, "Bold of you to say." He pointed to the charred buildings wrapped in Blue Silver Emperor vines. "Your Sun Moon Empire's actions are no different from that of the Imperial Army."
Xu Huang was unfazed. "The unification of civilization always requires sacrifices."
"The more you speak, the more alike you sound." Tang San clicked his tongue in amusement. "But I came here to confirm something: whether you and I are of the same path... and now I have my answer. We are not."
His gaze then fell on Luo Qiu, lingering on her ears for a moment before he patted the veins of the Blue Silver Emperor. "Just now, you were using some method to sense the Blue Silver Emperor, weren't you? You're not human by blood, are you? Yet it seems there's no reproductive isolation with humans. According to this world's rules, you're not considered a soul beast, or else you would have dropped a soul ring upon death."
This insolent behavior made Xu Huang's face turn green. He barked, "She's my consort! How dare you harass her?!"
"Consort? But she still seems like a virgin to me, untouched," Tang San remarked, eyes gleaming with interest as he glanced at Xu Huang's lower body. Chuckling, he added, "Could it be that you're... incapable?"
"Seize him!"
Xu Huang roared, and the guards immediately pulled the triggers of their soul-guided rifles, unleashing soul-powered bullets toward Tang San.
Yet, Tang San remained motionless as the bullets passed straight through him, landing on the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves, creating small holes that were quickly repaired. Tang San himself was completely unscathed, his clothing untouched.
After a round of shooting, Xu Huang raised his hand, signaling the soldiers to stop. He had already realized that the Tang San before them was merely a projection, lacking any physical form.
"Why did you stop? My skin is still itching for more," Tang San teased as he jumped from the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves to the ground, slowly walking toward Xu Huang.
The guards rushed forward to block him, but Tang San simply passed through them like a ghost, leaving them unable to even touch the hem of his clothes.
"Just a mere illusion, nothing to worry about," Xu Huang sneered as Tang San halted in front of him. "I've received your message loud and clear. Soon, I will march to the city where your true body resides and conquer it. When I stand before you in the flesh, we'll see if you still dare to be so..."
"Slap!"
Before Xu Huang could finish his sentence, Tang San's hand lashed out, landing a heavy slap on Xu Huang's cheek, leaving a distinct red handprint.
For a moment, everyone present, including Luo Qiu and Xu Huang himself, was stunned.
"You son of a—"
"Slap!"
Another slap struck Xu Huang's other cheek.
"Ah, much better. Symmetry makes it look nicer," Tang San remarked as he inspected the matching handprints on Xu Huang's face, his serious expression making Xu Huang even more furious.
Xu Huang's immense Soul Douluo-level power erupted, crushing the surrounding soldiers under its pressure, but Tang San remained unaffected.
After all, this was just a fragment of Tang San's consciousness, his true body safely residing in Soul Sea Fortress.
Sensing a dangerous surge of overwhelming power building within Xu Huang, Tang San's projection quickly retreated a step.
Swoosh—
A brilliant nine-colored sword light instantly slashed through the entire Xiao Hai City.
The Blue Silver Emperor, which had been wrapped around the city, was severed at its midpoint, along with the ruined buildings it had bound. Everything slowly collapsed.
The Sun Moon soldiers stationed in Xiao Hai City could only watch as a blinding white light streaked across the sky, and then the entire city began to shake and crumble, forcing them to rapidly retreat.
"Your Majesty, that was reckless." Luo Qiu, carrying Xu Huang, flew out of the crumbling city and hovered in the air. Looking down at the smoke-filled Xiao Hai City and the dissipating Blue Silver Emperor, her eyes revealed a trace of reproach.
The Blue Silver Emperor carried not only a potent life force but also a hint of creative energy.
Xu Huang's strike likely didn't destroy the Blue Silver Emperor. Instead, Tang San had probably reclaimed it, and the true purpose was to provoke Xu Huang into unleashing the creation power embedded within his sword strike.
"An emperor must not be insulted!"
Xu Huang sheathed his dazzling sword, the Sword of Eternity and Creation, as the red handprints on his face slowly faded. "That guy was too arrogant! If I had held back any longer, where would my dignity be?"
(End of Chapter)