Chapter 239: The Shattered Dao Heart of Rong Nianbing — Let Me Get the Strongest Bodyguard on the Continent First~

"Speaking of this Tang San... he really is the No.1 double standard king of our time. He yells about the 'Path to Death' while clutching the King of Hell's Token. So basically, the moral standards of the whole world are whatever that bit of Blue Silver Grass in his crotch says?"

"When it comes to hunting soul beasts, he roars 'survival of the fittest,' but when the Spirit Hall slaughters a few rabbits, he acts like someone dug up his ancestors' graves."

"Look at the glorious deeds of our Buddha Tang: one moment he's kneeling and begging forgiveness from the Clear Sky Clan, claiming he's 'atoning for his father's sins,' and the next, it's all 'my dad was right and the world is wrong.' The speed of that face change is faster than Xiao Wu's sacrifice... And he goes on about how he loves Xiao Wu to death, but while his wife is still lying unconscious in the Star Dou Forest, he's off with the Seven Devils showing off and slapping faces all over the world. Truly, the best actor in a heartfelt role!"

"I..." Tang San stared at the Sun and Moon Evening News, fists clenched, his expression dark and terrifying.

Although he had already had a bad feeling — the films had aired all his dirty laundry — now that his public image was completely destroyed, it was still hard to bear.

More importantly, once his reputation was ruined, how could he use the Tang San persona to lead the continent into the future?

And with this infamy, why would Ning Tian choose to team up with him?

What about Ma Xiaotao, Jiang Nannan, and the backup Food God—He Caitou...?

"Hmm..." Dai Huabin casually took the newspaper.

"You claim righteousness? That Zi Zhenzhu saved the lives of your six brothers, and you responded by beating her up without even a thank you. So the whole world has to cater to your fragile ego and treat it like a deity?"

"You gagged after one sip of Yellow Spring Dew in the Slaughter City, acting all pure and noble — but you didn't find it disgusting when your Eight Spider Lances were stabbing people and absorbing their soul power?"

"Damn... the writing's sharp, hits right in the feels—I mean, ouch! What is this?!" Seeing Tang San's face turning red with rage, Dai Huabin quickly changed his tone, coughing lightly, though the smile tugging at his lips nearly broke free.

"Hmph! It's all the fault of those image-recording crystals from the Sun Moon Empire." Tang San clenched his fists tightly. If he didn't care about these things, he wouldn't keep branding himself as righteous before doing anything. This was precisely the kind of scene he feared most — and couldn't tolerate.

"Come on, man, stop obsessing. You're not even the real Tang San, just a replica. Why take it so personally? Look at me — I'm chill as hell. I was never even a descendant of Dai Mubai... Now, of the people you're trying to recruit, are any of them even blood descendants of the original Seven?" Dai Huabin folded his arms and poured some cold water on the mood.

"Let's first find the Holy Spirit Cult. Using the cover of Shrek Academy, we'll say we're willing to work with those rats in the gutter. Since the original continent and the Sun Moon Empire are all beasts with no humanity, don't blame me for being unrighteous." Tang San said coldly.

"Work with them? But not long ago, Elder Mu had just..." Dai Huabin frowned slightly.

"Who cares about him!" Tang San sneered. "Besides, our goal is to find Ma Xiaotao, who was kidnapped by the Holy Spirit Cult — to fill Ma Hongjun's vacancy. And if we can wave the Shrek Academy banner and fool them into infighting with the three nations of the original continent, wouldn't that be even better?"

At this point, perhaps the only place not yet overrun in the public opinion war was Shrek Academy.

That was his base — his true allies.

So whatever happens to the three original nations doesn't matter to him — even though when he cut off the Heavenly Dou dragon vein, he hadn't thought about these things.

"What about Ning Tian?" Dai Huabin crossed his arms.

"Let's wait on her. She'll be dealt with later. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is rich, but strength comes first. If she refuses to be reasonable, I won't hesitate to kick her out of the team..." Tang San sneered.

Dai Huabin: "..."

He had a feeling this guy was getting way too into character...

"According to unofficial history, this Tang San—"

As the two passed through a bustling street, a storyteller was surrounded by a cheering crowd.

"This 'unofficial history' is really wild..." Tang Ya muttered helplessly.

This was already the seventh storyteller recounting The Chronicle of Tang San they'd come across since entering Tianhun City. It was clear how infamous the name Tang San had become.

"Ah, little miss, you just don't get it. 'Unofficial history' needs to be wild! The wilder, the better. I live for it!" grumbled a passing uncle.

Tang Ya: "..."

"Hahaha, yeah, it's wild all right." Xu Cheng looked around the ancient capital with interest.

After all, this was all orchestrated by him.

Including mass-producing image-recording crystals, developing the film industry, and conquering the original continent through culture — without spilling a drop of blood. And now, the results were showing.

Casting a wide net always brings in loyal followers. Just like now, with the scenes of Mingdu and glimpses of its strength repeatedly shown through the image crystals, the nations of the original continent were undergoing a massive shift in perception — and with that, came a flood of invisible resources tilting toward the Sun Moon Empire: collaborations, soul tool orders, and a congregation of talent.

This wasn't just boiling the frog slowly — it was uprooting the foundations of the three original nations and Shrek Academy.

Shrek had been the first to sense something was wrong and quickly banned image crystals citywide, but it was hard to police. Each one cost just a single gold soul coin. The Sun Moon Empire hadn't raised the price at all — just for this exact scenario.

With such mass saturation, even ordinary folks could scrape together enough to buy one.

How could you possibly ban something that common?

"Once we finish this harvest and get through this rough patch, the Sun Moon Empire will soar to new heights..."

"But Cheng, after being 'harvested,' will they still willingly come to the Sun Moon Empire? Might they feel resentment?" Tang Ya asked worriedly.

"They won't." Xu Cheng shook his head.

His past life had already given the answer:

"Ah Mei mistreats me a hundred times, I still love her like my first crush…"

As long as your strength is great enough and you lead from the front, not only will they not hate you — they'll blame themselves instead.

"Time to pay respects to the ancestors."

Xu Cheng and Tang Ya walked into a dilapidated street.

Though covered in dead leaves and climbing vines, traces of former glory still remained — especially the signboard in the center bearing two large characters: Tang Sect.

"..."Tang Ya looked emotionally downcast.

"Sit down a while..." The two leapt inside. Tang Ya had Xu Cheng take a seat in the main hall while she fetched a bucket of water from the backyard well and began wiping down the tables. Despite the decay, this place held childhood memories.

"Here, tea." Tang Ya, her ponytail bouncing, rolled up her sleeves to reveal her fair wrists and gingerly offered a cup of strong tea.

"Why not serve me wine?" Xu Cheng teased.

"Minors can't drink. Don't tell me you only drink tea when you're out because you like it..." Tang Ya rolled her eyes.

"Tch..." Xu Cheng twitched.

Why did this feel exactly like that certain neighboring movie franchise? Minors can go to war, strategize, and more... but somehow, universal laws say — no drinking!

Tang Ya, like a little chef, swiftly cleaned up the house. In no time, it looked brand new. She did this every time they paid respects. The mansion sat in a remote corner of Tianhun Empire's capital, far from the city center, so almost no one passed by.

"Dad, Mom, Xiao Ya's back..."

Backyard.

Tang Ya knelt at the tombstone, murmuring sadly.

Mostly things like "Don't worry, I'm doing fine."

Xu Cheng stood behind her, silently waiting.

A few minutes later—The two had finished resting and were about to leave.

Xu Cheng suddenly felt the world around him shift, shatter, and reassemble. A radiant, towering figure appeared before him.

Rong Nianbing?Xu Cheng eyed him warily. Since the last time he'd turned him down, what was this guy doing here again? Sent by Tang Shenwang to cause trouble?

Probably not — this guy didn't seem that shameless.

Before Xu Cheng could think further, that familiar voice sounded again:

"Do you really refuse to accept my divine investiture? You must know, the Trial of the God of Destruction is incredibly hard, it requires..."

Xu Cheng immediately understood. So this guy was still salty about being rejected last time and came back for a round two?

It fit with the divine realm's time rules. Walk away halfway, remember you forgot something, then pop back to add it in.

After all, one day in the divine realm = a year in the mortal realm. If he was gone for an hour, that'd be about half a month here.

"So, why should I become a god?" Xu Cheng said blandly. "Tell me — what's in it for me?"

That question stumped Rong Nianbing. He hadn't been asked that last time. So he could only awkwardly change the subject:

"Becoming a god means immortality in a sense, ruling over corresponding authority, wielding supreme—"

"So, do you have supreme authority?" Xu Cheng replied.

"Uh… I don't, but the God King definitely…" Rong Nianbing's voice paused.

"The God King has supreme power? Across the entire universe—omniscient, omnipotent, able to create everything, destroy everything?" Xu Cheng emphasized the words "universe" and "everything."

"This…" Rong Nianbing's throat bobbed. As the God of Emotions, a first-level deity, he naturally understood the concept of "there is always someone better." The Divine Realm was powerful, but its influence was limited to the Douluo Star and a few nearby systems. Calling themselves gods was fair in that context, but to dominate the entire universe…

At best, they were just powerful beings capable of manipulating certain forces through their god positions.

"So what about your so-called immortality? One day in the Divine Realm equals one year in the mortal realm. Let me ask you—since becoming a god, how much time has truly passed?" Xu Cheng continued.

"Uh…"

"Not even two hundred years. Just a bit over a hundred. Even a mere Title Douluo can live for over 250 years. And you've endured more than a century in the dull, lifeless environment of the Divine Realm. Since you can only bring a few blood relatives or friends with you upon becoming a god, everyone else must remain behind and die alone. Don't you find that kind of immortality pathetic?"

Rong Nianbing: "…"

"What makes you different from the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest? Living for thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years, yet unable to match the richness of a single human day. Like some ancient relic, putting on airs, acting all high and mighty, calling yourself a god, supreme and invincible…"

"So tell me—how is becoming a god any different from being cursed?"

As Xu Cheng unleashed this final verbal assault—

The world around him shattered and then reassembled, returning to its original form.

"Let's go. What are you waiting for?" Tang Ya held Xu Cheng's hand, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.

"Hehe. Let's go."

Xu Cheng gently returned her grasp and smiled.

He glanced at the sky—clear and cloudless—but he wondered whether a certain first-level god's mood matched it.

"Let me pull someone in."

Xu Cheng waved a hand, gesturing for Tang Ya to wait.

Then he dove into his spiritual sea and lightly tapped the silver dragon scale floating there. A massive, illusory figure appeared. A vertical pupil opened and examined Xu Cheng, the gaze softening: "You seek me?"

"We're now just outside Shrek Academy. I ask for your protection," Xu Cheng said respectfully.

"Hehe, of course…" The Silver Dragon King's voice was gentle, with none of the usual heaviness of dragonkind.

Then her eyes slowly closed, seemingly sensing their location.

In the blink of an eye—

Not far from Xu Cheng, a figure emerged, cloaked in silvery-white.

A long head of silver hair flowed down her back, all the way to her ankles. Her hair wasn't just smooth—it shimmered like crystal, with a beauty that words couldn't capture.

"Call me Gu Yuena," the girl said softly.

Last time, she had gone to Elder Cheng's lab in her human form, but this time she told Xu Cheng her true name—a sign of deepened trust.

"She is…?" Tang Ya asked curiously.

She knew Xu Cheng had many women. As royalty, she accepted that such things were normal in this world. So even though she liked him, she didn't mind…

"Ahem. Gu Yuena is… my trump card for walking into Shrek Academy this time." Xu Cheng grinned, not revealing her true identity.

"Fine, keep your secrets."

Tang Ya clung to Xu Cheng's arm. Though she didn't mind sharing, like any girl, she couldn't help feeling a little jealous.

"With me here, no one will harm you," Gu Yuena said calmly.

She noticed Tang Ya's little jealousy but, as the Silver Dragon King, she wouldn't stoop to argue with a young girl.

And so, this unusual trio—one man and two women—set off together.

Fortunately, Shrek City was close.

Upon entering, it was clearly different from a historic city like Heaven Dou. Shrek City had a slightly more "modern" feel and was not opposed to the use of soul tools. While it couldn't match Mingdu, its soul tool adoption rate was decent.

At the very least, almost everyone in the streets had a space storage ring.

"Something's off."

Just as Xu Cheng was about to find a place to contact Xiao Hongchen, the Silver Dragon King's expression turned serious as she looked toward the east.

That direction led to Shrek Academy.

"I smell the presence of a god. No—more like a demigod. But it also carries a soul beast's aura. Her presence flickered briefly, as if hidden within some kind of vessel. That's likely why I couldn't detect her all these years," she murmured.

"Demigod?" Xu Cheng's eyes narrowed.

Bringing Gu Yuena really was the right call.

Shrek Academy, vessel, demigod, soul beast… these terms combined to reveal the obvious answer:

It was Ah Yin!

Thankfully, no war had broken out.

Otherwise, even total annihilation of the Sun-Moon Empire's army might have been a mercy.

But according to the original story, Ah Yin should still be asleep around this time, digesting the Golden Tree. Why had she awakened early?

(End of Chapter)