Chapter 310: The Demon Empress
The black‑robed figure was lost in her dark fantasies of overturning both Douluo Continent and the Divine Realm.
Suddenly, the gray mist surrounding her surged violently with excitement, and within the spectral altar projection beside her, the gray threads devouring faith power began swallowing it at an accelerated pace.
A faint, bone‑chilling sucking sound filled the air.
Buzzing resonances echoed. The space next to her rippled without warning.
A pair of blood‑red skeletal eyes materialized abruptly in midair.
Inside the hollow sockets was no pupil—only swirling darkness and streams of crimson vapor that devoured all light around them.
Boom!
An indescribable pressure erupted from within those eyes, distorting the space itself into trembling folds.
The gray mist enveloping the black‑robed woman instantly weakened and scattered, as if meeting its nemesis.
Her expression froze, excitement replaced by shock and wariness.
She instinctively stepped back half a pace, her raspy voice tinged with disbelief. "Who are you?!"
"So quick to forget me?"
The crimson skull eyes slowly turned toward her; the overwhelming pressure eased slightly.
Then the woman's form shifted. The robe's shadow receded, revealing a pale, beautiful face—the identity of the black‑robed figure was now clear.
She was the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's widow—the Demon Empress.
The aura she had hidden for years erupted completely, her soul power breaking past the ninety‑ninth rank and stabilizing upon the divine threshold of the hundredth level.
Though she had yet to condense a godhood, her newfound divine strength alone was enough to shake the continent.
"Heh… it seems your progress hasn't disappointed me."
A trace of approval flickered in the skeletal eyes as the piercing voice scraped like bones grinding together.
"The hundredth level—finally enough power to rival Tang San. How is the Blood‑God Demon Art I granted you?"
The Demon Empress clenched her fists, nails digging into flesh as hatred ignited in her eyes. "It serves me well."
Memories of her husband's death at Tang San's hands, her long years of humiliation—all resurfaced, and whatever joy she had felt from her breakthrough was devoured by hatred.
"If I had obtained that art sooner, I would never have endured until now!"
The skull eyes gave a low, sinister chuckle. "Do not forget our pact. I elevated your strength; in return, you will seize the plane core of Douluo Continent for me. Killing Tang San is merely a convenient bonus."
"I remember."
The Demon Empress's voice seethed with madness.
"As long as I can kill Tang San, I care nothing for consequences. Even if Douluo Continent itself collapses, I will not regret it! I lost everything long ago—revenge is all I have left."
Her burgeoning divine energy surged, carrying a destructive aura. Her hatred for Tang San had long rotted her soul.
The skull eyes shimmered with crimson satisfaction.
"Good. Now that you've reached the hundredth level, the time to act has come. The Human Altar is continuously drawing faith energy. With the right manipulation, we can turn that power into a weapon to corrupt the plane's core."
"When Tang San steps in to contain it, your chance will arrive."
A fierce glint flashed in the Demon Empress's eyes. "Understood."
The skull eyes pulsed approvingly. Indeed, she was his perfect choice.
He did not belong to this plane—directly devouring the plane's core would bring immediate rejection. Only through a native intermediary like her could his plans proceed.
The Demon Empress was perfect—her hatred for both the Divine Realm and Douluo Continent burned hotter than any loyalty.
And now, with the existence of the Human Altar, he had found the perfect conduit to seize Douluo Continent's source.
…
While the two plotted in the shadows, far away in the Star Auction Pavilion, Jiang Li stood on the balcony of its highest floor, a faint strand of golden faith energy coiling around his fingertips.
He frowned. Just moments ago, he had sensed a strange tremor ripple through Douluo Continent's plane core.
It felt… tainted.
"Hm?"
With a thought, his divine sense followed the link between him and the Human Altar.
At its heart, amid the once‑pure golden faith energy, faint traces of gray mist slithered.
Those wisps clung like rot beneath flesh—slowly but steadily polluting the faith energy, and through it, seeping toward the plane's foundation.
"What is this…"
Jiang Li's gaze hardened.
The Human Altar, though not a divine artifact, operated on a unique law that surpassed typical god‑tools. Ordinarily it was impossible for foreign energy to infiltrate its system.
Yet now, those gray currents had slipped inside and were quietly corrupting the very core, hidden under the altar's cover. Someone was manipulating it.
As the holder of the altar's supreme authority, Jiang Li knew that by right, no one could interfere without triggering his awareness.
But whoever stood behind this had done it—and used his altar to poison the world's essence.
"The waters run deeper than I thought."
Power flared around him, golden light rippling outward as his divine energy poured into his link with the altar.
He invoked its highest protocols to trace the source of the corruption.
Visions flashed in swift succession before his eyes:
Faith energy streaming across the continent, converging into the altar…
The altar's inner conversion of faith into energy…
A trace of gray seeping from a hidden node inside the core…
The sequence accelerated—until it froze.
Before him appeared a grim, blood‑soaked space filled with dense mist.
The ground was carpeted with bones, the air thick with resentment and decay.
Just as Jiang Li tried to observe further, a burst of overwhelming crimson power detonated from the scene like an explosive barrier, severing his perception instantly.
"Hm?"
His eyes sharpened with surprise.
Though only recently ascended, Jiang Li was a fully fledged hundredth‑level god. With his unique martial soul and ring configuration, not even first‑rank gods could block his probing.
Yet the power he'd just encountered had not only blocked him—it had done so effortlessly.
"That aura… unfamiliar and vile."
He rubbed his fingers together thoughtfully. "No one on Douluo Continent wields such energy. Nor would any God King from the Divine Realm tamper with these forces."
"Could it be… an intruder from another plane?"
The possibility stirred unease in his heart.
Whoever it was, they were clearly using the Human Altar to corrupt the plane's core—weakening the continent and perhaps targeting even the Divine Realm beyond.
Worse yet, they had dared to use his creation to do it, treating him like a pawn in their game.
"Bold indeed."
Murderous light flashed in Jiang Li's eyes. He raised his voice toward the void behind him. "Soul Heaven Emperor."
The moment he spoke, a silent figure in purple‑gold robes appeared behind him—cold‑eyed and still as a shadow.
"Pavilion Master," the man said, bowing deeply.
Jiang Li extended a thread of scarlet energy—the remnant of what he had sensed—and sent it directly into the Soul Heaven Emperor's mind.
(END CHAPTER)
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