At this moment, nearly all the great beasts of the soul beast clan were gathered at the headquarters of the Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City.
For them, there was no objection to the first battlefield selected by Di Tian—they wholeheartedly supported it.
They knew all too well what kind of wretched existence the Spirit Pagoda was. It was the direct culprit behind the near-extinction of their kind.
Di Tian had not chosen the capital of the Sun-Moon Federation, Mingdu. Instead, he had set his sights on the headquarters of the Spirit Pagoda. This was because he had personally been involved in its inception.
All things must come full circle. Ten thousand years ago, part of the Spirit Pagoda's foundation was laid by him. Ten thousand years later, it was only fitting that he toll its death knell.
"Go," he commanded.
At his order, the great beasts of the sea departed first, returning to the ocean with their newly forged four-word battle armor and god-level mechas, lying in wait for the moment Di Tian would sound the charge.
Xue Ling also left, but Titan and Ice Empress remained.
As Xue Ling put it, the Northern Legion of the Extreme North only needed her alone to command it.
Meanwhile, the Ten Thousand Demon King had spent three years mapping out the intricate network of spatial tunnels left behind in the Great Star Dou Forest. As the king of plant-type soul beasts, he could wield control over the entire Star Dou ecosystem as if it were an extension of his own body.
Both he and Bi Ji, the true field commanders of the Star Dou Great Forest's forces, remained behind.
Di Tian had chosen the Spirit Pagoda headquarters as the battlefield, but their departure point would still be the Star Dou Great Forest.
They would wait for Di Tian to conclude his affairs before returning to the forest together.
At that moment, a figure shrouded in a black robe flickered into existence.
With a simple gesture, the figure tossed a soul storage ring toward Di Tian. Inside, several sets of standardized, highly flexible four-word battle armor and god-level mechas lay in wait.
These were the last works wrung out of Divine Craftsman Zhen Hua and Mu Ye before their value was fully expended.
In fact, the forging of battle armor and mechas for the existing great beasts had already been completed a year and a half prior.
These additional pieces were simply crafted in the interim, to be used as spares in case of unexpected developments.
"Have Zhen Hua and Mu Ye been dealt with?"
A voice, muffled and chilling to the bone, echoed from within the black robe.
"They've been dealt with," came the indifferent reply. "Not even ashes remain."
After a pause, the black-robed figure added, "The Soul Gold you gave Zhen Hua back then—it's all been used up. If not for that, he wouldn't have lasted through so many years of high-intensity divine forging. His own life force was never strong enough to sustain it."
Di Tian nodded slightly, showing little interest in either Zhen Hua or the Soul Gold.
"The Blood River Godslayer Array of the Holy Spirit Cult will require your personal oversight."
"Even with your power enhanced by four-word battle armor and a god-level mecha, I must still remind you—be wary of Ghost Emperor."
Di Tian was well aware of Ghost Emperor's ambitions. To him, Demon Sovereign was merely a powerful enforcer.
Now, with Di Tian in the mix, Ghost Emperor's plans would undoubtedly become more unpredictable.
Hence, his added warning.
"Understood."
With that, the Demon Sovereign's figure blurred and disappeared.
However, she left behind her daughter, Lan Fozi, to follow Di Tian.
With all preparations in place, Di Tian set off alone, heading eastward.
His destination—the Sea God Corps' stationed grounds.
The War God Hall.
There, he would retrieve the final piece of the puzzle.
The last remaining twelfth-grade fixed soul ammunition—the ultimate weapon, Eternal Kingdom!
At that same moment, he was not the only one rushing toward the War God Hall.
Another person was making their way there in haste.
It was Ya Li, who had just awakened from a coma.
She clutched a letter that carried the faint scent of milk, her beautiful yet weary face shifting through countless expressions as she pressed forward with all her strength.
Di Tian and Ya Li's paths briefly intersected at a single point, though they never met.
Both merely paused for a moment before continuing their journey toward the War God Hall.
At the War God Hall, a distinguished guest had just arrived.
Chen Xinjie's gaze was deep and solemn as he watched Eternal Heaven being transported to the lowest level of the War God Hall—the eighteenth underground floor.
At that moment, only two people remained on that floor.
Two Limit Douluo.
Two near-Godly existences.
The Hall Master and Vice Hall Master of the War God Hall—Chen Xinjie and Guan Yue.
Chen Xinjie declared solemnly, "Guan Yue, from this day forward, you will guard the seventeenth floor. I will guard the eighteenth."
"I will keep my divine sense locked onto the entire War God Hall, ensuring the absolute security of Eternal Heaven until the Parliament determines a safer, more suitable means of protection."
"Understood!" Guan Yue responded firmly.
Just as he turned to return to the seventeenth floor, a figure rushed in from the sixteenth floor.
It was the First War God, Haori Douluo Ao Rui.
"Hall Master, the Holy Spirit Douluo, Ya Li, requests to see you."
With that, he handed over a sealed letter.
Both Chen Xinjie and Guan Yue were startled.
The fact that Ya Li was alive was surprising, but not shocking.
After all, she might have simply not been present at Shrek Academy when the twelfth-grade fixed soul ammunition detonated.
Tang Sect's Vice Sect Master, Passionate Douluo Zang Xin, was a prime example—he had left the headquarters just before the explosion and thus survived.
As the letter was unsealed, its contents were revealed to Chen Xinjie and Guan Yue.
"This—!"
Guan Yue's eyes widened, round as copper bells.
Just as he was about to speak, snap—Chen Xinjie abruptly folded the letter shut.
Dark clouds loomed over his expression.
He remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, his voice heavy and conflicted.
"I must leave for a while."
Ao Rui: "?"
The sight left Ao Rui utterly dumbfounded.
Hall Master! If you're not in the War God Hall, how are you supposed to keep your divine sense locked onto it?!
Just as he was about to protest, Guan Yue suddenly held him back.
As someone who had once been a Shrek Academy student, Guan Yue knew the Federation owed the Academy a great debt.
The letter's contents had not crossed his moral boundaries.
Moreover, for countless years, it had been an unspoken rule among Shrek alumni to extend small favors to their fellow Shrek peers—within reason.
Guan Yue believed in Chen Xinjie.
He believed that the man who had upheld justice for two hundred years, who had sworn absolute loyalty to the Federation, would never abandon his principles.
And true enough, from afar, Chen Xinjie's voice carried back:
"Guan Yue, hear my order."
"You are to take my place on the eighteenth floor. The War Gods above will shift downward accordingly. Reinforce the upper levels with reserve War Gods."
"I will return soon."
With those final instructions, Chen Xinjie vanished into the distance.
(End of Chapter)