Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Staring at the two dragon souls exuding an overwhelmingly powerful aura, Tai Tan's eyes were filled with shock. Immediately after, a pressure originating from the depths of his soul surged forth, and he felt a stabbing sensation in his head, plunging him into dizziness.

As Tai Tan fell into a daze, his spirit—which he had fused with—instantly shattered, accompanied by a muffled sound as he was forced to stagger back a few steps involuntarily.

"Just from suppressing my martial spirit alone, he's reduced me, an eighty-sixth-level Spirit Douluo, to such a pathetic state. Who exactly is this guy?" Tai Tan was stunned, his entire being thrown into disarray.

The pressure in the air suddenly vanished, but Nash, lifted his hand, bringing an even more overwhelming force down upon Tai Tan. In an instant, this mighty Spirit Douluo, whose strength rivaled that of a Titled Douluo, dropped to his knees, completely immobilized by the pressure.

"I told you, you're nothing but an Ant." Nash's gaze was cold as he looked at Tai Tan, who knelt before him, glaring defiantly. He spoke in a voice devoid of mercy.

"Who on earth are you? I've been in Heaven Dou City for a long time, and I've never even heard of someone like you!" Tai Tan's eyes gleamed with defiance. Despite his immobilized state, his long-standing pride forced him to lift his head and glare at Nash.

Watching Tai Tan kneel like a towering mountain, Cheng Xiao frowned and spoke indifferently, "Who he is doesn't matter. What matters is how you plan to compensate us."

"Compensate? You beat up my son and my grandson, and you still want compensation? Dream on!" Tai Tan shouted angrily.

"Tsk, tsk. If you're not interested in compensating, I'll just have to do what I know best." Cheng Xiao's gaze grew sharp as a sword. A long sword, formed from black smoke, materialized in his hand, and he swiftly thrust it toward Tai Tan's forehead.

"You're courting death!" Seeing Cheng Xiao attack without hesitation, Tai Tan roared in fury. His eight spirit rings instantly lit up, with the seventh and eighth rings flashing simultaneously.

Forced to protect his life, Tai Tan had no choice but to fight with all his might.

"Who allowed you to move!" Watching Tai Tan prepare to counterattack, Nash immediately lashed out with a powerful kick. With a resounding "bang," Titan's mountainous body was sent flying, crashing into the ground and creating a crater.

"Cheng Xiao, wait! Don't kill him just yet." As Cheng Xiao prepared to have Nash kill Tai Tan, Xiao Wu suddenly stepped in front of him.

"What's the matter?" Cheng Xiao frowned. Just now, he'd been planning to kill Tai Tan and turn him into a shadow soldier. After all, it had been a while since his shadow army last expanded.

"Cheng Xiao, if you kill him, it could bring trouble. As I understand it, Tang San has already informed Tai Tan to investigate you. I'm worried that if you kill him, it might…" Before Xiao Wu could finish, a loud noise came from the crater where Tai Tan lay.

Xiao Wu looked back in surprise, only to see Tai Tan being lifted by Nash like a rag doll. At that moment, Xiao Wu suddenly realized that her caution might have been unnecessary…

"Your Majesty, this old fellow's skin is quite thick. Should I just use my dragon breath to incinerate him?" Nash hesitated, suggesting to Cheng Xiao when he saw that Tai Tan was still alive.

"Go ahead and burn him. It makes no difference if he dies and comes back to life." Cheng Xiao waved his hand dismissively. He understood Xiao Wu's concern, but his current strength was no longer what it once was. Nash's immense power was evident—he was the only shadow soldier whose abilities were not entirely limited by Cheng Xiao's own strength. Because of this, Nash could display such terrifying force.

In the next second, under Xiao Wu's shocked gaze, Nash's mouth began to glow, and with a breath of scorching dragon fire, the towering Tai Tan was pierced through, left undeniably dead.

"Your Majesty, it's done." Casually tossing Tai Tan's charred body to the ground, Nash turned to Cheng Xiao and respectfully reported.

"Good." Nodding slightly, Cheng Xiao turned to Xiao Wu and softly said, "Let's call it a night. Head back for now; Nash and I will handle his corpse. After all, he was a Spirit Douluo, and his death could cause a stir."

Xiao Wu instinctively wanted to protest, but when she saw the cold glint deep in Cheng Xiao's eyes, she bit her lip, turned around, and disappeared down the street after a few quick steps.

Watching Xiao Wu's departing figure, Cheng Xiao took a deep breath, then turned to Tai Tan's corpse. After a brief moment of silence, he commanded, "Arise."

In the next instant, black smoke surged from Tai Tan's body, and Cheng Xiao's shadow energy was rapidly consumed. Soon, a shadowy hand wrapped in black smoke emerged from Titan's body, followed by a figure clad in black armor, with eyes like dark voids, filled with endless wails—a shadow soldier in Titan's form stood before Cheng Xiao.

"Tai Tan greets Your Majesty." After being resurrected, Titan knelt respectfully before Cheng Xiao.

"Good, your strength is decent, on the level of a general." Sensing Tai Tan's strength, Cheng Xiao nodded in satisfaction. Pointing to the unconscious Tai Nuo lying on the ground, he said, "I haven't made your son my soldier, but that doesn't mean I won't in the future. I'm giving you time; say your goodbyes to him."

Without a backward glance, Cheng Xiao walked away with Nash.

Watching Cheng Xiao leave, the shadow soldier Tai Tan looked down at his pitch-black hands. After a moment, he gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and retrieved a token engraved with the character for "Strength" from his deceased self. He stared at it quietly for a moment, then placed it inside Tai Nuo's pocket, alongside a few other keepsakes.

After completing this final act, Tai Tan took a deep breath and then laughed lightly. "Perhaps following this king will bring more glory than serving my former master."

With these words, Tai Tan's body gradually dissolved into black smoke, vanishing into thin air.

Shortly after Titan disappeared, Tai Nuo, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes. Struggling to sit up, he was horrified to find his father lying motionless on the ground, with a gaping, blood-stained cavity where his chest had been.

"No!" Tears streamed from his eyes as Tai Nuo's vision blurred. Overcome with grief and rage, he let out a heart-wrenching scream before fainting again.

---

After a series of unexpected events, Cheng Xiao finally returned to Seven Star Academy in the dead of night.

This academy had been renovated and rebuilt under the arrangements of Xue Qinghe. Originally, it had been the base of a sect, but after the sect's mysterious destruction, it had lost its former glory.

The teaching building at Seven Star Academy had been designed by Cheng Xiao to resemble a modern school, with four floors. The top floor housed the dean's office and similar rooms. Behind the teaching building were the dormitories for students, and the academy's gate prominently displayed eight gold-embossed characters: Seven Star Advanced Spirit Master Academy.