Immediately, Chen Xinjie stopped suppressing his spiritual power. A wave of divine sense, unique to a god, spread through the spiritual seas of everyone present.
Among those gathered, many were Limit Douluo. The sensation of having their spirits soothed by a mere release of mental power was something they had only experienced from one other person before—the one known as the undisputed number one in the continent, Yun Ming.
At that moment, the Federal Speaker, who had remained silent until now, abruptly stood up. He was now setting the tone for all the others who had been silent.
"Chen Xinjie will temporarily leave his post as the commander of the Sea God Legion and will lead the eighteen War Gods of the War God Hall, along with the Federation's top-tier combat forces, to immediately advance on the Spirit Pagoda headquarters, where Di Tian is located."
"Former deputy hall master of the War God Hall, Guan Yue, will temporarily take over as commander of the Sea God Legion."
Then, he deepened his tone and suddenly declared:"Orders!"
The moment these two words were spoken, everyone present immediately stood up straight, their expressions solemn.
"The frontline Soul Engineer units of the Western Army Corps will all be deployed for battle, moving along the western front in a high-speed forced march. They must reach the western battlefront of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters within a day and a half."
"The frontline Soul Engineer units of the Southern Army Corps..."
"The Northern Army Corps will remain stationed at the Extreme North to guard against a possible beast tide."
"The Northwestern Army Corps will replace the Northern Army Corps and move into the northern battlefront of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters."
"...The Central Army Corps will set out immediately after the War God Hall."
In this battle, aside from essential defensive military forces that had to remain in place, the Sun-Moon Federation was mobilizing nearly every force it could deploy to head toward the battlefield at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.
After issuing the orders, the Speaker's expression eased slightly. He solemnly scanned the room before speaking again, his voice carrying a hint of supplication.
"This battle concerns the survival of all humanity. I entrust this to you all."
With only one day left in the two-day deadline set by Di Tian, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena returned to Tang Sect.
The few remaining survivors of Shrek Academy finally gathered—Yali, now with a full head of white hair, along with the Shrek Seven Monsters, making a total of eight people.
They, too, looked anxiously in the direction of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters. But deep within their hearts, a dark and unrealistic fantasy took shape.
What they truly wished for was not for the human coalition forces to annihilate Di Tian in a sweeping victory. Instead, they hoped that the battle would come at an immense cost—that the Sun-Moon Federation would be forced to use their final twelfth-level fixed soul guidance missile, Eternal Heaven.
If that happened, their efforts to rebuild Shrek Academy would face much less resistance.
The first to shake off such chaotic thoughts was Xie Xie.
Mainly because he noticed that Yuanen Yehui was sticking close to Tang Wulin—so close that she was even closer than Gu Yuena. That alone made him feel inexplicably upset.
He had clearly intended to let go of these emotions, yet he simply couldn't.
Annoyed, Xie Xie forced himself between Tang Wulin and Yuanen Yehui, pressing down on Tang Wulin's shoulders and deliberately bringing up another topic.
"Captain, you and Gu Yue sure have some great fortune. You managed to leave the Star Dou Forest just in time—one day before the beast tide erupted."
"Gu Yue, wouldn't you say so?"
Unfortunately, it was as if an invisible crow flew overhead, leaving behind only an awkward silence. No one responded.
The amnesiac Gu Yuena only shot him a childish glance.
As for Tang Wulin, he simply ignored him.
More precisely, it was Tang San who ignored him.
Tang Wulin's large eyes were unfocused, his pupils rippling with a blue tidal glow.
Within his spiritual sea, golden light and azure radiance intertwined and vied for dominance.
The azure light formed the illusory figure of a man wielding a golden-blue trident, constantly suppressing the pure golden radiance beside him.
Only after stabilizing the remaining seals of the Golden Dragon King did he shift his attention outward, murmuring in confusion:
"Di Tian, a million-year-old soul beast... Could he be a variable in the ten-thousand-year plan?"
"Why do I feel a sense of crisis? Is it merely due to the Golden Dragon King's bloodline agitation?"
Back when he first orchestrated the opening act of his ten-thousand-year plan, Tang San had used the Life God King's super divine weapon, the Ancient Tree of Life, for divination.
According to the results of that divination, Di Tian should not have occupied such a significant position.
The ten-thousand-year plan was designed such that, unless an external force beyond the divination's scope interfered, no accidents should occur.
Tang San fell into deep contemplation. He had always been meticulous, unwilling to allow anything beyond his control to run rampant.
Yet now, the bait he had prepared—"the ten million souls of Shrek City"—had already been swallowed. The ten-thousand-year plan was approaching its final act.
Once they devoured the energy of the Abyssal Plane, his father, Tang Hao, would be able to ascend to half-step God King. With the positional authority of the plane's master, and the assistance of the semi-divine realm, even a God King wouldn't be able to defeat him within the Douluo Plane.
In the face of absolute power, all unexpected variables would crumble to dust.
Di Tian? Nothing more than a clown!
As for his son, he could endure the fatal crisis of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline with the help of his half-step God King grandfather and the resources of the semi-divine realm.
If either he or his father intervened at this moment, unleashing divine power from the former God Realm, the Abyssal Plane would be alerted and flee.
At that point, everything would be lost.
For the first time in a long while, hesitation surfaced in Tang San's heart.
It became a game of risk and reward, with the scales tipping back and forth.
His eyes flickered for a long time before he finally discarded a certain idea—something of great importance to him as the Sea God.
Though the cost was heavy, it could serve as a failsafe for his grand plan.
With the addition of this extra weight, the scale finally tipped.
As for how many living beings would perish on the continent?
That was entirely irrelevant to Tang San. It wasn't even a factor on his mental scales.
If they died, so be it. For the sake of the plane, for the sake of humanity, wasn't their sacrifice just another form of glory?
Tang San's decision was not just his own—it was also the decision of his parents, Tang Hao and Blue Silver Emperor A Yin, the master of the plane.
In a concealed pocket dimension dependent on the plane, two overwhelming auras suddenly retracted.
The overcast sky cleared, and the hidden realm's scenery became visible again.
A true paradise—untouched mountains and plains, golden wheat fields swaying in the wind, completely free of industrial pollution.
In this idyllic landscape, a man and a woman stood together.
"Hmph!"
The man sneered. "A mere beast, overstepping its bounds, ignorant of its place."
"Originally, in consideration of you and Xiao Wu, A Yin, once the Douluo Plane evolved into a semi-divine realm, I planned to follow the precedent of the former God Realm's Divine Beast Forest and find an extra-planetary world, under semi-divine realm supervision, to relocate and preserve the soul beast lineage."
"But now, I see no need for that. With soul spirit technology already perfected, let the soul beast race be buried alongside the Abyssal Plane, serving as fuel for the plane's evolution—forever lost to history!"
(End of Chapter)