Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Moon changed into a brand new white robe, the fabric shimmering softly in the sunlight.

His spine was straight; he was no longer the hunched-over Dragon God Douluo, bent over by the years and old wounds.

Long Xiaoyao's sacrifice not only repaired his battered body, but also infused his aged form with the pride that belonged to the Black and White Twin Holy Dragons.

Di Tian retained the characteristics of a soul beast, with rugged dark gold dragon horns on his head, dragon wings slightly folded behind him, and a long dragon tail hanging down to the ground. Every sway carried the natural pressure of a beast god.

Those golden vertical pupils were like two blazing suns; when they swept across the entire scene, no one dared to meet their gaze.

The two stepped onto the ring together.

Moon took a deep breath and spoke.

"Gentlemen—"

His voice was no longer hoarse or weak, but carried a long-lost depth and composure befitting a Limit Douluo, each word clearly resonating throughout the entire Soul Arena:

"The first thing I, Mun, want to say standing here today is—"

He paused, his gaze becoming deep and distant:

"Thank you."

"Thank you to all those who gave their lives in this battle—whether human or spirit beast."

"But what I really want to talk about is something else."

"I have lived for over two hundred years. In those two hundred years, I have witnessed humans hunting soul beasts, soul beasts attacking human villages, the hatred between the two races continuing from generation to generation, and blood staining every inch of the land. I once thought—this was destiny. Humans and soul beasts were destined to be natural enemies."

"But the Battle of the Demon Forest told me—no."

"When the Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Academy's Soul Master Corps charged alongside the various Soul Beasts led by the Evil Eye Tyrant Clan, when human Soul Guidance Artillery and Soul Beasts' Claws tore through the Holy Spirit Cult's defenses simultaneously—I saw another possibility."

"It's not about killing, it's not about hatred, it's not about life and death—"

"It's about standing side by side."

He turned to the side and looked at the dark golden figure beside him.

Di Tian took a step forward, his dragon wings slightly unfurled, and his golden vertical pupils surveyed the entire scene. The oppressive aura belonging to the strongest person on the continent was not deliberately concealed, nor was it hostile; its mere presence was enough to make everyone hold their breath.

"This battle is a joint war between humans and soul beasts." Di Tian's voice was deep and resonant, echoing in everyone's ears like a dragon's roar. "It is the first time that humans and soul beasts have cooperated."

"For the past ten thousand years, we have been enemies. But from this day forward—"

"That will become history."

"Today, I hereby declare—the Star Dou Great Forest, the Demon Forest, the Far North, and all the soul beast races—from this day forward, we are willing to establish an equal pact with humanity. We will not invade each other, but coexist for mutual benefit."

"Lord Mu'en is right—it's not fate."

"From now on—humans and spirit beasts will surely join hands and move forward together!"

After he finished speaking, the entire arena fell into a moment of silence.

Then came applause from the entire audience.

After the applause subsided slightly, Moon raised his hands, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the room, finally settling on a figure in the corner.

"Gentlemen, the reason we were able to achieve such a great victory in this battle is—"

"It's all thanks to a hero."

The entire audience held their breath.

"He is—Zhang Peng, the Scorpion Tiger Douluo!"

As soon as the name was mentioned, a murmur of discussion arose in the audience.

Many of the younger contestants exchanged bewildered glances. Scorpion Tiger Douluo? Never heard of him. Even some of the Three Kingdoms Title Douluos frowned. When did Shrek Academy produce such a figure?

"Zhang Peng—please come to the stage."

Moon's voice was gentle yet firm.

In the corner, a thin, gaunt old man slowly stood up.

He was wearing an ordinary gray cloth robe, and if Moon hadn't called him out, no one would have paid any attention to this unremarkable old man.

The moment he stood up, all eyes turned to him like a tidal wave—thousands of gazes, some curious, some doubtful, some scrutinizing.

The combined weight of those gazes made Zhang Peng's legs tremble slightly.

Throughout his life, he had been used to hiding in the shadows and being forgotten. He had never experienced so much and such intense scrutiny before.

But he took a deep breath and straightened his back.

Step by step, he walked from the audience to the ring.

Every step felt like walking on cotton, every step felt like traversing decades of forbearance.

When he finally stood before Moon, Moon looked at him, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

"I imagine many of you here don't know who Zhang Peng is." Mu En surveyed the entire room, his voice becoming deep and resonant. "How could a Title Douluo remain unknown for decades?"

"This is my fault."

"Decades ago, I received news that a Soul Master with an evil martial soul was hunting Soul Beasts and drinking their blood in the Soul Hunting Forest. When I arrived, I saw Zhang Peng. He was indeed drinking Soul Beast blood, but he had never harmed any innocent people or refined any vengeful spirits."

"But back then, I—" Mu En closed his eyes, his voice filled with guilt, "I only saw his martial spirit, and the blood on his hands. I thought that those who possess evil martial spirits would eventually fall into darkness. So I gave him two choices: either have his martial spirit destroyed, or go into hiding, leave the crowd forever, and cultivate alone in a remote mountain area."

Zhang Peng stood there, his body trembling slightly.

"Zhang Peng chose the latter. He lived in seclusion in the deep mountains for decades, hiding his identity. No one knew his name, no one knew his title. He lived like a ghost, spending his entire prime of life in darkness."

Moon turned around, facing the entire audience, and his voice suddenly rose:

"But Zhang Peng—with his life, proved to me that my judgment back then was wrong!"

"Either possessing an evil martial spirit, or being an evil spirit master!"

"There are no evil martial souls—only evil soul masters!"

Mu En looked at Zhang Peng, slowly bent down, and bowed to a man he had misunderstood for decades.

"Zhang Peng, what happened back then—it was my fault. I'm sorry."

Zhang Peng was stunned. His mouth was agape, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He waited for those words for decades. From his prime to his old age, from being treated like a monster to being forgotten—

He thought he would never receive an apology in his lifetime.

"To eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult—" Moon straightened up, his voice regaining its composure, yet tinged with a sob, "Zhang Peng disregarded his own safety and infiltrated the Holy Spirit Cult as an undercover agent! He brought us countless intelligence reports about the Holy Spirit Cult—the locations of its branches, the movements of its elders, the list and strength of its evil spirit masters… Without his intelligence, this battle would not have been won so decisively!"

"He could have quietly cultivated himself in the deep mountains until he died of old age. But he chose to step forward. Because he said—"

Moon looked at Zhang Peng, his eyes filled with respect:

"I don't want more people to be labeled as evil spirit masters just because they possess evil martial spirits."

There was a three-second silence.

Then Moon led the applause.

Di Tian clapped his hands as well.

Kong Deming clasped his hands together and gave a steady round of applause.

Xuanzi clapped his hands vigorously. Du Busi clapped even louder than anyone else.

The soul masters from Shrek Academy and the Three Kingdoms stood up, the young contestants stood up, and the soul beasts also stood up, including Ilex and the soul spirits in Huo Yutong's spiritual sea. The entire Soul Arena erupted in thunderous applause.

It lasts a long time.

Standing in the center of the ring, Zhang Peng burst into tears the moment Moon clapped.

He raised his hand to wipe away his tears, and smiled at Moon, and at the entire audience.

The applause in the arena continued.

The Empire of the Sun and Moon arc is complete.