Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 346 Breakthrough to Soul Emperor, Comic Universe

The familiar little cabin at Shrek Academy was filled with the faint scent of wood chips and grass, and sunlight streamed through the window frames, cutting bright patches of light on the rough floor.

Gula stood by the door frame, his gaze sweeping over the familiar yet slightly childish faces inside the room—Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong.

Six months seem to have left little mark on these young men and women.

“In other words,” Gula’s voice broke the brief silence, carrying a hint of barely perceptible detachment, “while I was gone for the past six months, everyone… is still stuck in the Second Ring?” His gaze lingered, especially on Tang San and Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu pouted, her pink bunny ears twitching unhappily: "Do you think everyone is like you, a monster? Cultivating soul power isn't that easy!"

Tang San, standing beside her, remained calm, though a subtle, complex emotion flickered in his eyes.

Dai Mubai crossed his arms and snorted, which was taken as tacit agreement. Oscar and Ma Hongjun scratched their heads awkwardly.

Zhu Zhuqing remained as aloof and silent as ever, while Ning Rongrong curiously observed Gula. Not only had her appearance and demeanor matured more in the six months since she left, but even her hair color had changed.

Gula ignored Xiao Wu's small complaint, casually flicked away the leaves that had fallen to his side, and asked instead, "What about the Soul Master world? It's been half a year, there should be some ripples by now, right?"

Tang San pondered for a moment, then raised his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of amazement and helplessness: "If we're talking about a major event that shook the entire Soul Master world, there is indeed one. The Soul Master Elite Tournament held by the Heaven Dou Empire has just concluded."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "The 'super evolution device' you left behind has become the most dazzling presence on the field."

"Oh?" Gula raised an eyebrow, showing some interest.

That thing was just a little gadget he made on the spur of the moment while researching the conversion of soul bone energy and the super-evolution stone energy superposition. The principle was to use the soul bone as the core energy source and guide the energy of the super-evolution stone through the device to achieve a brief martial soul evolution and achieve the purpose of bursting.

Tang San continued, his tone tinged with emotion: "The effect is astonishing. It allows a Soul Master to unleash power exceeding one level of their own in a short period of time. Moreover, a single Soul Bone can simultaneously meet the energy needs of several people through that device, greatly lowering the barrier to entry. Almost every team that made it into the top four was equipped with it."

“But the champion,” Tang San looked at Gula, his voice lower, “is still the Spirit Hall team.”

"As expected." Gula nodded calmly, his tone revealing neither surprise nor disappointment, only a detached indifference.

He had just returned from the era of the Dragon King Legend, a time when powerful figures emerged and soul-guided technology and ferocious beasts roamed freely. He had witnessed the immense power of the Golden Dragon King, a power capable of shaking heaven and earth.

Looking at this era now, he only felt that it was primitive and barren everywhere. The combat skills of low-level soul masters were ridiculously clumsy in his eyes, the so-called top-level martial souls seemed dull and lackluster, and even the population of the continent seemed sparse.

The only thing that might offer him some solace is the current atmosphere of almost blind, fanatical faith in deities. This atmosphere is precisely the fertile ground for him to spread his faith and reap its benefits.

After six months of silence, without uttering a single word, it's time to let the name "Da Mu" resound once again in every corner of this continent.

His thoughts sank into the depths of his consciousness, where a vast amount of information "borrowed" from the era of the Dragon King legend was quietly stored.

Those papers on cutting-edge topics such as the origin of martial souls, soul power compression, soul spirit contracts, mental power resonance, and the application of elemental particles, which were researched by elite soul masters of later generations with countless efforts, are enough to overturn the current understanding of the soul master world.

He only needs to polish it slightly, add his own understanding based on a broader knowledge, and then release it one by one in order from shallow to deep and from phenomenon to origin.

The system's judgment on this type of "borrowing" behavior is unusually broad.

As long as the knowledge is true, and as long as the world ultimately recognizes and attributes it to him, the system does not delve into whether this knowledge originated in the present or the future.

The research on Soul Masters has already penetrated to the bone marrow, and has even touched the edge of some divine realms.

Gula roughly estimated that even if he maintained a pace of publishing one major paper per month, it would be enough for him to publish steadily for twenty years.

These twenty years have been enough for the name "Da Mu" to be repeatedly worshipped and looked up to in the hearts of countless Soul Masters, and eventually to be elevated to a divine status, with a continuous stream of faith power converging into a river.

The only problem now is the container. Once he leaves the current timeline and returns to the era of the Dragon King Legend, the hard-earned power of faith will not be transferred with him.

He needs a way to exist in this spacetime for a long time and to automatically collect and store the power of faith.

The solution is not complicated—create an avatar with the power of faith. Capture, gather, and purify the faith from its very source.

However, the power and potential of an incarnation largely depend on the creator's own abilities.

He had only recently broken through to the fifth level of Soul King, and was still some distance away from condensing his sixth Soul Ring and advancing to Soul Emperor.

To quickly overcome this hurdle, one must either find and consume divine herbs that possess the power to create heaven and earth, or fuse with a top-tier soul bone of advanced age.

Looking at the current time and space, the only soul bone that Gula would take notice of is probably the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, which has been entrenched in the endless deep sea for nearly a million years.

Unfortunately, that creature is hiding in the vast depths of the ocean, which is precisely the battlefield where Gula's current methods are most difficult to utilize. Therefore, only one path remains—the Immortal Herb.

With a clear objective, Gula didn't hesitate at all.

A few days later, he quietly appeared deep in the Sunset Forest. With his accurate perception of the flow of the world's energy, he easily found the treasure land shrouded in the poison array—the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye.

The Azure Phosphorous Serpent Emperor Poison Array, which Poison Douluo Dugu Bo was so proud of, was completely useless in front of Gula. He didn't even bother to conceal his aura and just swaggered into the valley.

When Dugu Bo appeared in shock and anger to stop him, Gula simply glanced at him calmly, and his immense spiritual power, mixed with the pure and intense pressure of the divine beast, crashed down.

An invisible hammer slammed into Dugu Bo's mental world. This titled Douluo, who was unparalleled in poison, felt his vision go black and his consciousness was instantly suppressed, rendering him unable to move. He was like an ant being stared at by a giant dragon, unable to even muster the thought of resistance.

"You..." Dugu Bo's face turned pale as he stared in horror at the young man in front of him, who was too young but whose aura was as deep as the ocean.

"Guard this place for me, and also keep an eye on those Shrek kids, especially that girl named Xiao Wu."

Gula's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power, "In exchange, I will teach you the method of condensing a 'soul core,' which can relieve the suffering caused by the backlash of toxins in your body and help you break through your bottleneck."

With his life and death in someone else's hands, and the other party offering an irresistible temptation, Dugu Bo felt bitter but could only lower his head and agree: "...This old man understands."

With a flick of his finger, Gula sent a stream of information containing the key to condensing the soul core and some exquisite methods for using spiritual power directly into Dugu Bo's mind.

After dealing with Dugu Bo and letting him leave temporarily, Gula's gaze finally turned to the spring at the center of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, where red and blue intertwined, radiating an extreme aura of ice and fire.

He removed his outer garment and leaped without hesitation into the most violent boundary between the forces of ice and fire. The extreme cold and intense heat, like countless red-hot steel needles and icicles, instantly pierced every inch of his flesh and bone. He consumed the essence of the ferocious beast's immortal herb and activated the body-refining secret technique he had learned in the era of the Dragon King legend. His body, like divine iron thrown into a furnace, emitted a subtle yet resilient hum under the extreme tempering of ice and fire.

Beneath the skin, a faint golden and silver shimmered, and the flesh and bones, repeatedly tempered on the edge of destruction and rebirth, became denser and more resilient, containing explosive power.

After completing the body tempering, Gula's gaze swept over the swaying, celestial herbs that filled the valley.

Eight-cornered ice grass, blazing apricot blossoms, and rare chrysanthemums... these treasures that would make outside soul masters fight tooth and nail for are nothing more than materials with different effects in his eyes.

His gaze finally settled on a perfectly round, murky-colored immortal herb that exuded an aura of all-encompassing power—the Primordial Immortal Herb. This herb offered the most direct and domineering boost to soul power, exactly what he needed at that moment.

He plucked the Primordial Immortal Grass, put it directly into his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it. The immense and extremely pure energy instantly exploded within his body, like a flood bursting its banks, frantically assaulting his limbs, bones, and soul power barrier.

Gula sat cross-legged, fully activating his Mysterious Heaven Technique. Five scarlet soul rings appeared behind him one by one. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the valley seemed to be summoned, transforming into visible white specks of light that surged into his body like rivers flowing into the sea. His aura rose steadily, like a blazing beacon!
When he had consumed most of the energy of the Primordial Immortal Herb, a brand new and even more powerful aura suddenly erupted from his body.

The phantom of the sixth spirit ring rippled and condensed violently behind him, finally taking full shape—a deep, restrained, yet world-destroying red spirit ring!
The moment the Soul Ring was formed, Gula's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened, and deep within his pupils seemed to be two miniature suns burning fiercely.

He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing up, and with a slight thought, the surrounding light suddenly distorted and dimmed, as if being frantically sucked away by an invisible hand.

The air became scorching and viscous, and countless tiny golden and crimson specks of light were forcibly stripped from the void, frantically converging and compressing towards his palm.

A fist-sized, blindingly bright sphere of light instantly formed, its core a chilling, blazing white, while its outer layer was a restless, golden-red flame that seemed ready to break free at any moment.

Inside the sphere of light, terrifying energy surged and collapsed wildly, emanating an aura of annihilation.

Sixth Soul Skill - Solar Nuclear Explosion!
With a gentle clench of his hand, the terrifying orb of light vanished silently, as if it had never existed. Only the lingering scorching and distorted sensation in the air and the brief "void" left after the light and fire elements were instantly drained proved the existence of that world-destroying power.

With a golden body forged from ice and fire and a Soul Emperor cultivation level of sixty, Gula returned to Shrek Academy.

For the next six months, the small woods behind Shrek Academy, the quiet lakeside, and even the empty simulated training grounds became places where Gula's figure frequently appeared.

Xiao Wu's liveliness and agility, Zhu Zhuqing's aloofness and stubbornness, and Ning Rongrong's intelligence and naivety all intersected with him to varying degrees.

Sometimes they discuss the mysteries of martial spirits, sometimes they share their cultivation experiences, and sometimes they simply stroll under the moon, whispering to each other.

Gula's vast knowledge and profound understanding of the essence of martial souls attracted them like a magnet.

As Dai Mubai watched Zhu Zhuqing and Gula approach, his expression shifted between anger and uncertainty, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Oscar and Ma Hongjun's envy was practically overflowing.

One evening, Gula gathered the group on a vacant meadow behind the academy. He casually took out several rare herbs of various shapes, each radiating astonishing spiritual energy and a magnificent glow, from his storage soul tool.

"The extraordinary chrysanthemum,..."

……

……

“Xiao Wu…” Gula looked at her, smiled slightly, and took out a piece of immortal herb essence. “Go back to your room to refine it; it will take quite a while.”

Looking at the chrysanthemum in his hand, which was entirely golden and seemed to be cast from pure gold, Dai Mubai sat down and took it with some skepticism.

When he woke up, he looked up at Gula, and then glanced at Zhu Zhuqing standing quietly beside Gula. All the gloom and resentment on his face melted away as quickly as ice and snow under the scorching sun.

He took a deep breath, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Gula: "Brother Gula, Dai Mubai will remember this kindness!"

At this moment, any resentment towards his fiancée seemed insignificant in the face of absolute power and the future.

Ma Hongjun's reaction was much more direct. He had lost a lot of weight and become much more handsome. His cheeks trembled with excitement, and he immediately knelt down, hugging Gula's leg and howling:
"Old Gu! From now on, you are my brother, no, you are my father! Fatty will follow you from now on! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west..." The exaggerated behavior caused a burst of laughter from the crowd, and even the aloof Zhu Zhuqing's lips curved into a slight smile.

Gula smiled slightly, observing Ma Hongjun's changes, and finally confirmed that this was the Douluo comic universe, at most the plot was closer to the original work, while the character personalities and some settings were closer to the comic.

Six months passed in the blink of an eye. When Gula rose from the snow-covered ground at dawn, he knew it was time to leave.

The grand plan of harnessing the power of faith cannot be delayed any longer.

The morning he left Shrek Academy didn't attract much attention. However, at the academy gate, a figure with silver hair and purple eyes was already leaning against the wall—it was Gu Yue.

She watched Gula emerge, a sneer playing on her lips, her cool voice echoing in the morning breeze: "Oh, so you've finally decided to leave your paradise?"

Gula shrugged, his skin as thick as a city wall, completely unconcerned: "The pleasures of the brothel are tempting, but business is more important." He looked at Gu Yue, "You've found out the location, haven't you? It's time to set off."

Gu Yue snorted coldly, and with a flash of silver light, his figure appeared in front of him.

Gula smiled and followed.

After communicating with Gu Yue's consciousness, the Silver Dragon King's true form, carrying with it the heavy and dark understanding of the future of soul beasts, hurriedly returned to the core of the Star Dou Great Forest to heal its wounds.

At this moment, only Gu Yue is with him.

Their destination was the most filthy and bloody corner of the Douluo Continent—the Slaughter City.

We crossed a desolate wasteland and stepped into an underground entrance that seemed to be made of congealed blood and bones.

A cold, sticky wind, carrying the metallic smell of rust, swept over me, and the air was filled with a nauseating sense of despair and madness.

This is a paradise for outlaws and a crucial part of the Gura Project.

He needs to draw upon the accumulated, dense, and impenetrable killing intent and the dark, underworld aura hidden deep underground here as the core "nutrients" for shaping his seventh incarnation.

This incarnation bears a heavy responsibility. It must possess strong self-protection capabilities to cope with various uncertainties that may arise in the future.

It needs to have the potential to grow on its own, eventually ignite the divine fire, and ascend to godhood. Gula's goal is to directly endow this incarnation with the same starting point as himself—a six-ring Soul Emperor.

(End of this chapter)