"Is this... the real Empress...?"
Bibi Dong muttered to herself, the light in her eyes dimming.
Her proud empress-like demeanor paled in comparison to Wu Zetian's overwhelming imperial majesty, making her seem like a ridiculous country bumpkin.
Meanwhile, the titled Douluo and cardinals belonging to the Spirit Hall felt their knees go weak.
That sense of submission, emanating from the depths of their souls, made them almost unable to control their bodies, wanting to kneel down and worship the figure in the sky.
It's not that they lack determination.
Rather, it is that imperial dragon aura that has a natural suppressive effect on any soul master who is attached to power.
Looking at the golden pillars of light filling the sky, and at the powerful empress, Tang San's already despondent heart sank even further.
She's another woman who's ridiculously strong.
and...
Tang San struggled to turn his eyes and look at Qian Yu in the air.
Qianyu looked at Wu Zetian in the picture, her expression even gentler than when she had seen Gu Yuena earlier.
Tang San was all too familiar with that look in his eyes.
That was definitely not the look one would give a powerful stranger.
It's the look of satisfaction one gives when looking at a capable assistant, or even a subordinate one has trained.
Qianyu nodded slightly and chuckled softly:
"Meiniang's ultimate move was quite well executed."
Mei Niang?
Hearing this title sent chills down the spines of everyone present.
The powerful and domineering Empress Wu Zetian was actually referred to as "Meiniang" in Qianyu's words?
What kind of relationship is this?
What kind of status does that require?
Tang San felt his vision go black, and a mouthful of blood stuck in his chest, which he couldn't spit out.
If looks could kill, he would probably have torn Qianyu to pieces by now.
On what grounds?
Why is it that all these top-ranked experts on the Golden List seem to be Qian Yu's people?
Gu Yuena nodded to him in goodwill.
He called Wu Zetian "Meiniang".
What's the point of fighting now?
This is not even a battle on the same level!
Tang San felt like a clown, leading a group of frogs in a well, jumping around under the feet of a giant, and even thinking he could shake the giant's toes.
Little did they know, in the eyes of the giants, they were not even worth a speck of dust.
"No...I don't believe it..."
"This is all fake...this is all an illusion..."
Tang San buried his face in the soil, muttering unconsciously, trying to escape the cruel reality through this self-deceptive method.
But the overwhelming imperial pressure descending from the sky, and Qian Yu's tangible contempt, constantly reminded him of this.
All of this is true.
His pride, his dreams, his revenge.
At this moment, it became a complete joke.
That cry of "Meiniang" echoed like a curse over Jialing Pass for a long time.
Tang San felt as if his head had been hit hard by a heavy hammer, and it was buzzing.
He lay prone in the muddy pool of blood, his hands gripping the ground tightly, his fingernails even curling up and oozing blood.
But the physical pain was far less intense than the turmoil in his heart.
Wu Zetian.
That was a supreme emperor throughout history, a terrifying being who could decide the life and death of ten thousand people with a single word and possess the ability to strike across the entire map.
In the mouth of that man named Qianyu, she was simply called "Meiniang".
The intimacy and casualness in their conversation were obvious even to a fool.
The feeling of despair, like the smoke of gunpowder permeating the battlefield, seeped into every pore of the Shrek Seven Devils.
Oscar hid behind the bunker, his face, which usually wore a cynical smile, now stiff as a piece of dried-out bacon.
He looked at Ma Hongjun, his voice trembling, as if squeezed out from between his teeth:
"Fatty...are we dreaming?"
"It must be a dream, right?"
Ma Hongjun did not answer.
He stared blankly at the sky, his once fiery rage seemingly extinguished by the cruel reality.
Ning Rongrong was even more pale, the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda in her hand dimmed, and she almost couldn't maintain her Martial Soul True Body.
Just as everyone was still immersed in the suffocating feeling brought by the third place, the scene in the sky changed again.
The golden-red radiance that had once filled the sky, symbolizing the pinnacle of imperial power, began to recede like the tide.
Instead, darkness did not prevail.
It's a kind of coldness.
A kind of coolness that penetrates to the bone marrow, yet is pure to the extreme.
There was no howling wind, nor any thunderous roar.
All sounds in the world seemed to be drawn away by some mysterious force at this moment.
The once bustling and fierce battlefield of Jialing Pass suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
Immediately afterwards.
A bright moon appeared in the sky without warning.
That wasn't the cold moon that people usually see at night, but a huge, illusory moon that seemed to be right in front of them.
It emitted a faint blue halo, the light of which was not dazzling, but carried a captivating magic, enveloping the entire Douluo Continent in a dreamlike veil.
As light and shadow intertwine, the ancient seal characters on the golden list slowly coalesce.
Every stroke is as if it were sculpted with the purest moonlight.
[Second place on the Celestial Golden List.]
Upon hearing these words, Bibi Dong's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
The third place already belongs to Wu Zetian, the greatest emperor in Chinese history. So who will be the second place, who is above imperial power?
Everyone's attention was completely drawn to the enormous scroll painting.
The scene shifts, no longer depicting the primeval wildness of the Starry Sky Forest, nor the majestic grandeur of the Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace.
What comes into view is a sea.
But this sea is completely different from the sea controlled by Poseidon.
There are no turbulent waves or crashing surf here.
The sea here is as calm as a giant mirror, reflecting the eternal, ever-shining moon in the sky.
The seawater has a strange, glassy color, clear and deep, as if it contains endless secrets.
Sea Moon Empire.
This unfamiliar name did not appear in the written introduction of the list, but the moment the screen unfolded, those four words inexplicably came to everyone's mind.
That was a kingdom that existed only in legends and dreams.
Where the sea meets the sky, a figure slowly walks towards them.
She wasn't wearing shoes.
Those two bare feet, as white as jade, gently trod on the calm sea surface.
With each step she took, the seawater beneath her feet rippled with pale blue waves, as if the ocean itself was carefully supporting her, afraid of disturbing this goddess under the moon.
The camera slowly pans upwards.
Everyone unconsciously held their breath.
She was a woman whose beauty was almost unreal.
She wore a flowing, iridescent dress, the hem of which seemed to be woven from the thinnest clouds, leaving a long trail of moonlight behind her as she walked.
What's most striking is her skin.
That is not the flesh and blood that a human being should have.
It had a translucent, glass-like texture. Under the moonlight, one could even vaguely see that what flowed beneath the skin was not blood, but the pure power of the moon.
Its body is made of crystal, untouched by dust.
She walked alone on the vast and boundless sea.
Cold and desolate.
Aloof and proud.
It was as if all the world's prosperity and hustle and bustle had nothing to do with her.
She is the master of this moonlight, and the sole ruler of this silent sea.
[Queen Haiyue, Haiyue. ]
The words on the list of successful candidates became clearer.
Another empress?
Bibi Dong's fingernails dug deeply into her palm.
Both being empresses, if Wu Zetian embodies a masculine beauty that exudes dominance and power, then...
The woman before us, Haiyue, embodies a feminine beauty that takes gentleness and mystery to the extreme.
That kind of nobility is not built up by royal robes and scepters, but stems from a fundamental difference in the level of life.
In the scene, Haiyue slowly stopped walking.
She slightly raised her head, her glassy eyes gazing quietly at the enormous illusory moon overhead.
At that moment, her eyes no longer held a coldness.
It was not so much a devout fanaticism, but an intense and inseparable longing.
Her red lips parted slightly, her voice ethereal and otherworldly, as if it came from the depths of distant time and space, resonating directly in the soul of everyone.
"Moonlight, please use this body as my guide."
As the chant ended.
The whole world seemed to turn upside down in that instant.
The scene suddenly changed.
The once calm sea suddenly began to boil.
That was not boiling in the physical sense, but rather the distortion and reorganization of space.
The illusory moon in the sky began to slowly descend, eventually merging with the sea below.
A huge pillar of light enveloped Haiyue.
Immediately afterwards, a blurry enemy phantom appeared opposite Haiyue.
Before the enemy could react, Haiyue simply raised her glass-like arm and pointed it into the void.
Buzz!
Space tremors.
The enemy was instantly pulled into a strange space composed entirely of water and moonlight.
There is nothing else in there.
Only the moon over the sea, and that pale moon hanging overhead, radiating a deadly oppressive aura.
This is a form of absolute isolation.
A domineering and extremely powerful force of rules.
They forcibly dragged him into an illusion, a fight to the death.
In this realm that belongs to her, she is an absolute god.
Three enormous moon discs appeared behind her, transforming into sharp blades capable of cutting through space as she moved her fingertips, piercing the enemy's body time and time again.
There are no flashy explosions, only the ultimate precision and elegance.
The enemy, who might appear powerful to outsiders, is like an insect trapped in amber within this illusion, helplessly awaiting death.
Unbeatable in one-on-one combat.
Although these four words were not written on the list of successful candidates, they were deeply engraved in the hearts of every Soul Master who witnessed this scene.
Poseidon Island faction.
Poseidon, who had maintained an inscrutable demeanor, could no longer keep her composure.
Her hand holding the scepter trembled slightly.
They're both playing in the water.
It also relies on the power of the sea.
She is the high priestess of the sea god, known as invincible on the sea, able to mobilize the vast power of the ocean to crush her opponents.
But looking at the methods that Haiyue displayed in the picture, Poseidon felt her mouth go dry.
That's a completely different level of power application.
If we say that Poseidon controls the material world of the ocean, the weight and impact of the seawater.
What Haiyue controls is the soul of the sea, the rules of the illusion formed by the perfect fusion of water element and spiritual power.
"The ultimate in spirit and illusion..."
Poseidon muttered to himself, his eyes filled with bitterness and self-reproach.
She could sense that if she were pulled into that space called "Water Moon Illusion".
Even if she possesses the light of the sea god, even if she has unparalleled cultivation at level ninety-nine, she will probably still be unable to escape defeat.
Because there, all the rules are set by Haiyue.
The courage and realm to transform oneself into glass, using one's body as a conduit to bear the power of moonlight, is a height she can never reach in her lifetime.
"Is this... the strength of the second-place player?"
"Even the Sea God Douluo admits his inferiority..."
On the Shrek Seven Devils' side, everyone's hearts had already sank.
Dai Mubai's body was barely cold, and Tang San was still struggling in the mud.
However, the enemy's strength became more and more despairing with each encounter.
Just then.
The scene in the sky shifts again.
The suffocating sense of oppressive battle has disappeared.
Instead, a heartwarming scene unfolded, almost too beautiful to bear.
The backdrop remains the same dreamlike Sea Moon Palace.
Haiyue suppressed the terrifying fluctuations of her soul power and sat quietly on a throne carved from crystal.
Beside her, a blonde girl was affectionately holding her arm.
The girl was a familiar face to everyone present.
It was Qian Renxue, the former young master of the Spirit Hall, who was now nestled beside Qian Yu.
The Qian Renxue in the picture is completely devoid of her usual aloofness and reserve.
She was like a little girl who hadn't grown up, practically clinging to Haiyue, her face beaming with a bright smile, chattering away.
And that aloof and proud Queen of the Sea Moon, who regarded all things as dust.
At this moment, however, he showed no impatience whatsoever.
She let Qian Renxue hold her arm, and the ice in her glassy eyes melted away, turning into a pool of gentle spring water.
She reached out her hand, which was powerful enough to tear through space, and gently tidied the stray hairs by Qian Renxue's ear.
In the scene, Qian Renxue's clear laughter could be faintly heard:
"Sister Haiyue, your trick of pulling people into the moon just now was truly amazing!"
"If anyone dares to bully me in the future, lock them up and never let them out!"
Upon hearing this, a faint blush appeared on Haiyue's exquisitely beautiful face.
She did not answer Qian Renxue's question.
Instead, she turned her head slightly, her gaze passing over Qian Renxue and looking at the other end of the screen.
Although the image does not show who she is looking at.
But everyone knows it.
She was looking at Qianyu.
That look in his eyes.
How can I describe it?
That wasn't the respect a subordinate showed to their superior, nor was it the appreciation between friends.
It is a love that is unreserved, a love that completely dedicates one's body, mind, and even soul.
She is the master of the moon.
But at this moment, the man named Qianyu seemed to have become the only sun in her world.
As long as that man is there, she, this cold and aloof moon, is willing to conceal all her sharpness for him, shining only for him.
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