Douluo: Brains Over Bloodline

The Abyss!

Xu Shengqun took a deep breath.

At this moment, he had a vague sense of the truth.

"Uncle, the Abyss is special. Unlike the other plane we found at Shrek Academy that is on par with Douluo Star, the Abyss can be considered equal to Douluo Star—or even higher—because it exists in an extraordinary form: a plane composed entirely of energy."

An energy-based plane has one significant advantage—it can freely move through the universe, relocate itself, and after devouring the life energy of other planes, simply leave.

It was precisely this advantage that allowed the Abyss to develop rapidly. Its ruler, the Abyssal Sage King, possessed the power of a Tier-1 god and wielded a super-divine weapon, the Heavenly Void Abyss Halberd, nurtured by the Abyss itself.

However, because the Abyss was purely composed of energy, its ability to devour others was also more effortless.

"The Abyssal Plane, being energy-based, can easily devour other planes. Conversely, other planes could theoretically devour the Abyss as well—but the latter scenario is highly unlikely."

"This is because the Abyss has a plane master—the Abyssal Sage King—who controls the entire Abyss's power. Essentially, the entirety of the plane's strength is concentrated into one entity, maximizing its potential."

"This is why I say the Abyss's level surpasses ours. Their upper limit in true strength far exceeds ours. Therefore, for a material plane like Douluo Star, which only matches the Abyss in total energy, attempting to devour the Abyss is nearly impossible."

Xu Shengqun nodded slowly.

This was easy to understand.

Imagine two masses of energy—one a cohesive whole with self-awareness and control, the other an unconscious mass. When they collide, the self-aware and controlled energy will inevitably devour the other.

"But nothing is absolute."

"Between two planes, if one has a plane master, their top-tier combat strength is overwhelmingly dominant, making it extremely difficult for them to be devoured."

"Yet, why hasn't the Abyssal Master truly descended upon Douluo Star for so many years?"

"Did we really manage to completely block him back then?"

Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

"I find it hard to believe that a Title Douluo aiming to seize the assets of a family whose highest-ranking members are no stronger than Soul Sages would fail—especially when the opposing side had no external reinforcements. Even if their initial assault was delayed by dozens or hundreds of self-sacrificing Soul Sages, prolonged attrition shouldn't have left room for the enemy to catch their breath."

Xu Yuan's analogy was flawed—a family with dozens or hundreds of Soul Sages but no Soul Douluos or Title Douluos didn't make logical sense.

However, in the current context of Douluo Star and the Abyss, this was indeed the case.

How many Limit Douluos were there on Douluo Star? How many Limit Douluos and near-gods sacrificed themselves six thousand years ago? Could you count them on one hand?

And yet, over six thousand years, Douluo Star continued to develop safely. The top-tier strength kept accumulating, and even the existence of the Abyss remained hidden from the soul master world—a looming crisis unknown to all.

"So you're saying the Abyssal Master is wary of something?" Xu Shengqun quickly caught on.

"Precisely. He must be wary of the divine realm. Just as we refuse to believe the divine realm vanished without a trace, the Abyss dares not take risks, fearing the divine realm might merely be hiding temporarily."

"Therefore, over the past six thousand years, the Abyss has been testing us repeatedly. Now, having accepted the disappearance of the divine realm, the Abyss likely has nearly made up its mind."

Xu Yuan didn't give Xu Shengqun a chance to interject, instead laying out his thoughts in one breath.

"As for why I believe a decisive opportunity will arise within ten years, it's because of Tang Wulin's existence. He carries the power of the Sea God, which I witnessed in the Dragon Valley—a true deity's power. I suspect the Sea God may also be plotting against the Abyss."

"Of course, these are just conjectures. You might think my reasoning is too contrived, believing the Sea God's lingering power was solely meant to protect Tang Wulin."

"In reality, everything corroborates each other."

"I have another hypothesis: our plane must already have a true master." Xu Yuan sealed the surrounding space with his mental energy, descending his dreamscape and locking down everything around him.

Simultaneously, his Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear martial soul hovered above his head, its fourth soul ring glowing emerald green, radiating a unique force that sealed off the surrounding area.

This was the power of the Golden Ancient Tree.

"My teacher, Yun Ming, likely suspected this as well."

"A master has appeared in the Douluo plane—and aside from existing deities, I can't think of anyone else who could fulfill this role."

"Spirit Ice Douluo left no record of intervening in Douluo Star's affairs, so I personally lean toward the idea that the Sea God is behind this. As for who specifically holds this position, I'm uncertain."

"But it must be someone very close to him—close enough for him to trust leaving Tang Wulin alone on Douluo Star."

"And the people closest to the Sea God... I'm thinking of his parents."

"To verify this, I reflected on the development of the soul master system on Douluo Star and discovered the emergence and evolution of the forging system."

"Forging is truly miraculous—creating entirely new life forms. This isn't just the inherent ability of forging; it's permitted by a higher law. I attribute the rise of forging to the need for Hao Tian Douluo to further integrate with the Douluo plane."

"As for Tang San's mother, she was originally a Blue Silver Emperor, possessing unparalleled life attributes. She might be connected to the Golden Ancient Tree—but she isn't the tree itself. Still, she should have some association with it."

"After all, if Hao Tian Douluo were to serve as the plane's master, his wife would likely stay alongside him as support. In this case, I feel she becoming the core of the new life force would be fitting."

"The Golden Ancient Tree, on the other hand, seems redundant."

Xu Shengqun looked at Xu Yuan with evident concern.

He feared his nephew had gone mad.

These deductions carried too much personal bias.

But Xu Yuan kept talking.

And Xu Shengqun kept listening.

In fact, Xu Yuan's wording was consistently precise. Wherever assumptions were made, they were clearly stated as such, followed by attempts to corroborate them from other angles.

When coincidences pile up, nothing is truly coincidental anymore.

"Uncle, you haven't forgotten, have you? Two Godslayer Missiles have already fallen into the hands of the Holy Spirit Sect."

Xu Shengqun's pupils contracted.

"With two Godslayer Missiles, I don't know if Shrek Academy will survive—but the Golden Ancient Tree is surely reaching its end."

"Both Tang Wulin and I have received blessings from the Golden Ancient Tree. The difference is, I received pure opportunity, while Tang Wulin became the 'Child of Nature.'"

"At first, I thought 'Child of Nature' was just the name of a soul skill. But the nine Dragon Kings knew better."

This was true. After Tang Wulin obtained this soul skill and learned its effects under Yun Ming's guidance, naming it accordingly, the nine Dragon Kings mentioned the 'Child of Nature' within Xu Yuan's dreamscape, explaining its significance.

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