Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 344 The Stone Slab, A Long-Planned Assassination
"Hold on."

Without the slightest hesitation, Gula's consciousness eagerly sank into the reward space. Before his eyes appeared the illusory images of dazzling stone tablets representing different elemental attributes and a dazzling array of icons for divine items.

His eyes flashed like lightning, instantly locking onto the Forest Slate and the Super Slate among the selectable slate rewards.

As for the remaining divine-level item rewards, he looked around and found that they were all exclusive items for various divine beasts, which had limited use for him. He might as well choose another Flame Stone Tablet!
In this way, the core attribute source that Celebi and Groudon lacked will be replenished! With all four stone tablets in place, it means that when he evolves his martial soul in the future, he will have the most perfect and abundant source energy support, and there will be no more energy constraints.

With a thought, the phantom images of three stone slabs, radiating vast life and spiritual energy, transformed into streams of light and merged into his body.

Om-!
The three elemental stone tablets entered his body and instantly resonated with the existing earth stone tablet. It was as if four elemental vortexes had opened up within Gula's body, with vast and pure grass, super energy, fire, and earth power surging endlessly, washing over his limbs and nourishing his martial soul's origin.

An indescribable feeling of comfort spread throughout my body, as if my life had been instantly elevated.

He couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, his aura becoming more restrained and profound, yet containing a power that seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth.

“You…” Gu Yue’s voice sounded beside him, filled with surprise and doubt.

She keenly sensed that, in that instant, something incomprehensible had happened to Gula, and his aura had become more...pure? More...close to the "world" itself? But even with her keen eyesight, she couldn't quite make out what it was.

Gula composed himself, and at this moment, the look in his eyes when he looked at Gu Yue was less calculating and indifferent than before, and more solemn and affectionate towards his own people.

After all, this is a Pokémon worth two selectable stone tablets plus a legendary item.

"What exactly is the 'method' you just mentioned? Does it not require the Dragon God's approval?" Gu Yue suppressed her surprise and returned to the topic, her tone still carrying a hint of doubt.

“That’s right.” Gula nodded, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

He activated his "God-level Appraisal Eye" and took another look, revealing the Silver Dragon King's information stream even more clearly before him.

The evolutionary path was exactly the same as what Gu Yue originally knew: fusing with the Golden Dragon King's divine core, gathering the dragon soul, and wielding the Golden Dragon Spear and Silver Dragon Spear—two dragon god ribs—as catalysts to complete the final transformation in a place rich in energy.

"Essentially, the core conditions you need haven't changed: the Silver Dragon King's physical body, the Golden Dragon King's divine core, immense energy, and..."

Gula abruptly changed the subject, his tone carrying an arrogant air of looking down on the rules, "A forced evolution mechanism that can ignore the so-called 'approval of the Dragon God's will,' and this mechanism, I possess!"

He looked directly into Gu Yue's shocked purple eyes: "As long as you meet the first three conditions, with my help, without any recognition or blessing from any being, I can forcibly elevate you to the position of the Nine-Colored Dragon God!"

"That so-called remnant will of the Dragon God is insignificant in the face of higher-level rules!"

Gu Yue fell silent. No need for approval…forced evolution…this overturned her preconceived notions. Could the status of a Dragon God really be forcibly bestowed upon her by external force?

"Ha," she couldn't help but sneer again, "That sounds nice! What about the Golden Dragon King's divine core? Isn't it going to be separated from Tang Wulin? How do you plan to do it? Confront the Sea God's divine will and the protection of the plane's master? Or do you have a way to make Tang Wulin willingly give it up?" In her opinion, this was still a dead end.

Gula smiled mysteriously, a smug gleam in his eyes: "Who said I was going to make a move against Tang Wulin? Tang San's divine sense, the protection of the plane's master, plus Tang Wulin himself being the chosen one of this world... Killing him? It's harder than climbing to heaven. Even if you succeed, the cost will far outweigh the benefits."

Seeing Gu Yue's puzzled look, he revealed his real plan: "Haven't you always been curious about where I come from? Would you be interested... in coming with me to my 'hometown'?"

"There you'll find what you need—a complete, unclaimed Golden Dragon King core. And perhaps even more unexpected surprises."

Gula's plan was clear: rather than snatching Tang San's son's divine core right under his nose in Douluo III, it would be better to take Gu Yue to the timeline of Douluo I.

There, the realm of gods still exists, and the Golden Dragon King is sealed in the forbidden land of gods. A complete, unclaimed Golden Dragon King divine core is readily available.

Once Gu Yue evolves into a true Dragon God and returns, the trace of Golden Dragon King bloodline within Tang Wulin will be like a firefly compared to the bright moon in her eyes. She can suppress it with a flick of her hand. If he doesn't know what's good for him, she'll let Tang Wulin experience the feeling of his bloodline being suppressed, which will also be quite amusing.

Gu Yue stared intently into Gula's eyes, trying to discern the truth in his words. Take her to another world? Search for another Golden Dragon King's Divine Core? It sounded like a fantasy.

But the confidence in Gula's eyes was so intense, and that air of complete control reminded her of the strange, sudden change in his aura just now. More importantly, the predicament he pointed out—Tang San's protection—was very real.

This seems to be... the only viable way to break the deadlock at present?

Enormous risks intertwined with faint hopes. Gu Yue struggled internally for a moment, but ultimately, the desire for power and the hope of escaping his fate overwhelmed his doubts.

She took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Fine! Now that things have come to this, I'll go with you! I hope your 'hometown' won't disappoint me."

Just as the two reached a preliminary agreement and were preparing to discuss the details of their departure—

Boom! ! !

A terrifying explosion tore through the night sky without warning, and the intense light instantly engulfed everything!
The top floor of the luxury hotel where Gula and Guyue were located was precisely hit by a devastating dark red soul-guided ray cannon with a diameter of more than four meters!

A terrifying shockwave, accompanied by temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees, spread instantly, vaporizing the sturdy alloy structure like paper.

The entire building, nearly 100 meters tall, was completely flattened in less than a second, turning into a huge, burning crater filled with lava.

A kilometer away, a giant mech, dark red in color with menacing lines, codenamed "Incinerator," slowly lowered its cannon, and hot white vapor spewed from the heat dissipation vents on its shoulders.

Another red mech, slightly smaller but also radiating energy fluctuations at the level of a Title Douluo, codenamed "Barrier," hovered to the side, vigilantly scanning its surroundings to guard against any potential Shrek Academy powerhouses.

Further away, a jet-black mech, codenamed "Shadow Eye," was scanning the core area of ​​the explosion for life signals.

Assassination! A premeditated, precise, and deadly assassination, launched without warning!

Zhang Geyang, who had been keeping an eye on Gula for over a month, finally found an opportunity to contact Green Skull to plan such a large-scale assassination.

Using the Green Skull as a weapon, he remained hidden behind the scenes. His only act was helping the Green Skull find the city lord, thus paralyzing the city's defense system and allowing the mechs to enter and exit freely without surveillance.

"Cough...cough cough..." At the edge of the desolate, burnt, and scorching crater, Gula struggled to crawl out from a pile of twisted metal and solidified lava.

His clothes were torn, his skin was charred and burned in many places, and blood was spilling from the corner of his mouth. He was in a sorry state.

If it weren't for his physique, honed in Dragon Valley, far surpassing that of his peers, and his ability to instinctively sense the earth's energy at the critical moment, forcibly using Groudon's power to burrow dozens of meters underground and avoid the core shockwave of the explosion, he would have already been reduced to ashes.

Even so, the terrifying shock and high temperature caused him considerable internal injuries.

Within a radius of 100 meters, apart from him and Gu Yue, there were no other survivors. The hotel, which had been bustling just moments before, along with its staff, guests, and even innocent pedestrians on the surrounding streets, were all reduced to ashes by that devastating attack!

The pungent smell of blood and burnt flesh mixed with the sulfurous odor of lava created a hellish scene.

Those who were lucky enough to escape the explosion's epicenter screamed in terror and scattered in all directions, causing a chaotic stampede.

Fury! Fury powerful enough to burn the heavens exploded in Gula's chest.

It wasn't because of his own injury, but because of this ruthless, inhuman slaughter. "Cover me up, don't let Shrek get close."

Gula's voice was as cold as ice, filled with unprecedented killing intent. He addressed Gu Yue, who was unharmed but had a livid face, thanks to Xiong Jun's timely intervention, saying, "Today, I will make them pay for their crimes in blood!"

Before he finished speaking, a blinding red light suddenly burst forth from Gula's body.

The power of earth and the power of fire surged wildly within his body, and his form rapidly expanded and deformed in the red light.

Roar--! ! !
A roar that seemed to come from the primordial chaos reverberated through the night sky, and a colossal beast—Groudon—over thirty meters long, covered in dark red lava carapace, with a menacing volcanic ridge rising from its back, radiating terrifying heat and heavy pressure, appeared on the ruins.

The might of the divine beast has descended upon the mortal realm!
"What?!" The pilot of the "Incinerator" in the distance was utterly horrified! The terrifying pressure made his soul tremble.

"The Sword of the Cliff!!!"

Without uttering a single word, Gula slammed his massive lava claws into the ground beneath his feet.

Rumble!
The earth rippled violently like water, and the next moment, massive lava pillars, each over ten meters in diameter, burning with the flames of the earth's core and engraved with ancient runes, burst forth from the ground directly beneath the "Incinerator" mech like spears of judgment, striking the mech's cockpit with incredible speed.

"Do not!!!"

The pilot only had time to let out a desperate roar before the mech's energy shield shattered like a bubble.

The sturdy Soulforged alloy armor was like butter in front of the lava giant pillar containing the power of the earth's origin.

boom--! ! !
The "Incinerator" mech was instantly pierced and torn apart, turning into a huge fireball, and along with the pilot inside, it was reduced to ashes in a deafening explosion.

Instant kill!

The pilots of "Barrier" and "Shadow Eye" were terrified and immediately wanted to start at maximum power to escape.

"A hundredfold gravity field!!"

Gula's massive lava eye locked onto its target, and an invisible, terrifying gravity instantly enveloped the two mechs.

As if two invisible mountains were pressing down on it, the "Barrier" mech's movements froze instantly, and its engine emitted a mournful cry of unbearable strain.

The "Shadow Eye" was even worse off. In order to improve its detection capabilities, it sacrificed the strength of its body. The engine burst into sparks, and the body was pressed firmly to the ground.

"The Land of Ending! The Realm of the Sun!"

Gula roared to the sky, and the earth instantly transformed into a sea of ​​scorching lava centered on him.

At the same time, a blinding light, like the sun, burst forth from the top of his head, with the two domains overlapping.

"what--!!!"

The two mechs were instantly engulfed by lava, and the terrifying heat was transmitted through their armor.

The cockpit instantly turned into a furnace, and the pilot inside let out a shrill scream as his protective soul power rapidly evaporated, and his skin charred and carbonized.

Gula's massive body appeared as if teleported beside the two struggling mechs, its enormous lava claws carrying destructive power.

Like tearing open a can, the sturdy armor of the "Barrier" and "Shadow Eye" was easily ripped apart and dismantled, revealing the pilot inside, charred beyond recognition.

puff!puff!
Without a shred of mercy, the enormous claws crushed the two charred bodies as easily as squeezing insects. Blood debts must be repaid in blood!
After doing all this, Gula's anger subsided slightly.

He deactivated his Groudon form and reverted to human form, his face still pale, but his eyes were cold.

He raised his hand and placed the core components of the three mechs, especially the priceless Soul Forged Metal Frame and Power Core, into the system space.

At the same time, he tried to compress the "Cliff Sword" divine skill he had just used and store it in the Forest Sea Space as a trump card.

However, he soon discovered that with his current strength and the capacity of the Senhai Space, he could barely store this move, and the duration was greatly shortened. But it was still a terrifying trump card for critical moments.

Switching to a different martial spirit, Celebi's phantom appears.

"Please rain!"

The gentle, pure rain extinguished the burning flames, cooled the scorching lava, and washed away the blood and charred remains in the air. A hazy mist rose from the ruins.

Only then did two whooshing sounds come from afar, and Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er finally arrived.

The two men's expressions changed drastically as they looked at the huge crater that looked like it had been hit by a meteorite, the solidified lava, the residual high-temperature radiation, and the terrifying energy fluctuations and strong smell of blood that had not yet dissipated in the air.

"Gula, what happened here?!" Zhuoshi asked, his voice filled with shock and anger.

Gula wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice cold and weary: "The Green Skull organization... three mechs attacked... I barely managed to fight back thanks to the trump card my teacher gave me..." He pointed to the charred ruins being washed by the rain.

"A counterattack? Three mechs? And one of them is red?!" Cai Yue'er exclaimed in disbelief.

Even with the trump card provided by Leng Yaozhu, how could it possibly annihilate two red mechs and one black mech? Just how powerful would that trump card be? Even Leng Yaozhu herself wouldn't achieve anything more than that, right?
She glanced at Gula instinctively, her gaze filled with suspicion, scrutiny, and shock.

Zhuo Shi's gaze was fixed on the direction where Gula had just collected the wreckage of the mecha, his eyes burning with fervor—that was the wreckage of the red mecha.

The Soul Forging Metal required for its creation is priceless; even a portion of the core skeleton is valuable enough to drive any power mad.

Even a Limit Douluo like Leng Yaozhu doesn't own a red mecha. One reason is that she doesn't need the combat power of a mecha. Another reason is that it consumes too many resources, which would make even the deputy tower master of the Spirit Pagoda feel bad!

Zhuoshi's throat bobbed, and he was about to speak.

Gula seemed not to notice his gaze and coldly said, "I'm injured and need to rest. I'll leave this to you two."

After speaking, without waiting for their response, he turned and walked towards the safe area, his back still straight despite his exhaustion. Gu Yue followed silently behind him.

Zhuoshi and Cai Yue'er looked at each other, watching Gula's figure disappear into the rain, and then looked at the hellish battlefield before them, their hearts filled with turmoil.

Why did Green Skull attack Gura so relentlessly? What exactly is Gura's inexplicable "trump card"? Why didn't the Star Luo Empire react? And what about the invaluable mecha wreckage...?

Everything that happened tonight was filled with a chilling eeriness and unfathomable power, both of which lingered in the minds of the two men, casting a shadow over their lives.

(End of this chapter)