Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Villain Life Simulator

Most people in the Spirit Hall recognized Su Cheng. Seeing him appear in the heart of the battle unscathed and with such ease, they immediately realized his extraordinary strength.

They exchanged glances, signaling to each other to retreat from the immediate area and head off to assist in other parts of the battlefield.

Su Cheng didn't seem to care about the changing environment. He only looked at Zhu Zhuqing and spoke again: "So, do you want to come with me?"

"…" Zhu Zhuqing didn't respond verbally, but she felt an increasing sense of unease, her heart pounding in her chest as though a strange, indescribable emotion was swelling up inside her, ready to erupt at any moment.

But when it reached the breaking point, something suppressed it, leaving that feeling swirling futilely at the brink, unable to find release.

This strange contradiction made her extremely uncomfortable, even pained.

The sounds around her began to gradually fade.

The distant roars, the clashes of battle, even the gentle breeze by her ear—all disappeared, like an invisible hand was slowly wiping them away.

Her hearing faded first, then her sight.

Everything before her began to blur, as though she were looking at the world through frosted glass.

Only the figure of the young man standing before her remained clear.

The suffocating, twisted sensation almost made her feel physically nauseous; she wanted to gasp for air, to retch…

At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly realized that this decision was of utmost importance to her.

Would she leave with Su Cheng, or remain on the battlefield, fighting back the Spirit Empire's forces?

In the eerily silent world around her, a voice suddenly broke through clearly.

It was Su Cheng, speaking.

"Zhuqing, I understand you. You've never been someone with grand ambitions. That's your nature, in this world and any other.

"I can tell you plainly: the Spirit Empire's goal isn't for the Spirit Hall to dominate all resources. It's to create a fairer environment for everyone, to give those commoner Spirit Masters with exceptional talent more opportunities—just like what the Spirit Hall has always strived to do."

"Think about it: with the Hell Civet spirit of the Zhu Clan, what difference does it make who's in power? The limits and boundaries of your family were set long ago.

"Staying in the Star Luo Empire, competing for power, isn't just a shackle for you; it's not necessarily a good thing for your family, either. No matter what achievements you might reach in the future, you'll eventually have to leave the Zhu family.

"Do you truly understand the principle behind the Hell White Tiger spirit? Are you sure this powerful and unique spirit can be passed down like an ordinary spirit…?"

"Enough!" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly shouted, her expression irritated, her eyes glimmering with a struggle. "Don't talk to me about such nonsense!"

She didn't understand why she felt so agitated.

She'd always had a sense of vague reverence for the mysterious Su Cheng, always careful to maintain her boundaries.

And the moment Su Cheng appeared, her instincts had given a fleeting but intense warning—this man's strength was beyond imagination; he could easily take her life.

Yet, she still followed her heart and spoke out.

After saying it, Zhu Zhuqing felt an instant relief, as if she had the right to question him in this way.

Su Cheng was slightly taken aback by her expression and fell silent.

"Just answer me… do you truly want me to go with you?" Zhu Zhuqing asked softly after a long silence.

As her words left her mouth, she realized there was a subtle change in her tone.

"Of course. I gave you my answer ten years ago."

"Alright, I'll go with you…"

But before she could finish, Zhu Zhuqing's face changed.

Whoosh—

The glass wall between them and the world shattered.

A faint breeze stirred somewhere nearby.

The breeze quickly grew into a gale, then a whirlwind, swirling around them both…

"As expected…"

Watching the young woman before him, whose aura was rapidly intensifying and whose energy was shifting, Su Cheng finally confirmed his hypothesis.

Changing their fates was closely linked to the progress of their spiritual awakening.

Ah Yin's case was the simplest, as her unique existence freed her from the limitations of a physical body.

Zhu Zhuqing's fate had already been marked the moment she awakened the Hell White Tiger spirit.

Later, in Maple Town outside the Star Dou Forest, Su Cheng's intervention had disrupted the bonds within the Shrek Seven Devils, causing an irreparable rift early on. Thus, the seed of change began to germinate.

Before the journey to Seagod Island, the Shrek members who hadn't received celestial herbs, even if they obtained external spirit bones, did not fundamentally alter their abilities, and their differences in potential grew wider.

Until now, when Zhu Zhuqing made her final choice, everything connected, and the source of power hidden deep within her soul finally began to awaken…

Not long after, the wind died down, quickly gathering into a pair of long, elegant wings that extended behind Zhu Zhuqing.

Her long hair took on a faint red tint, and her eyes were no longer pure as before, glimmering coldly as they scrutinized Su Cheng.

She remembered everything.

Along with her memories came a power and talent surpassing that of her mortal self.

"Su Cheng, you're really something."

Boom—

A golden figure shot down from the sky, only unfurling its six wings just before hitting the ground, slowing its descent just enough.

Even so, it crashed hard onto the city wall, creating a deafening impact.

Qian Renxue steadied herself with her sword, raising her head skyward, a trickle of golden blood running down the corner of her mouth.

But the real damage came not from the impact but from the small hole piercing her chest, right through her heart.

"Tang Sect's finest hidden weapon, Avalokiteshvara's Tears."

Tang San landed softly nearby, looking at Qian Renxue on the wall with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

By all accounts, with his god-level spirit power, using the powerful Avalokiteshvara's Tears as a sneak attack should have killed her.

But somehow, an unusual energy within the newly-awakened Angel God had erupted, suppressing the weapon's explosion, allowing her to survive.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter.

With her severely injured, victory was just a matter of time.

"So weak."

From a distant mountain peak, Zhu Zhuqing watched the weakened Qian Renxue, a gleam of schadenfreude in her eyes.

Just moments ago, Su Cheng had roughly explained the current situation to her, and now, they stood together, silently observing the distant battlefield.

Zhu Zhuqing glanced sideways at Su Cheng, "Why don't you go kill Tang San and help Qian Renxue? Isn't she your former lover?"

"I've told you already, Xiao Xue is in the same situation you were—she hasn't yet recovered her memories from the real world. As for Tang San…" Su Cheng's eyes glimmered with an unusual light. "He still has his uses."

He wasn't holding back for Tang San's sake.

With Su Cheng's current power, he was no longer concerned with so-called "fate line corrections," because now that he possessed the Eye of Trajectory, he fully understood the concept of "fate" in this world.

Each creature's fate only binds them to a certain extent. Reaching a higher level of power allows one to transcend these lower-level constraints.

Whoever may be backing Tang San, Su Cheng was unafraid, for his next target was the potentially descending God of Asura.

Su Cheng's goal was to ensure that both Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue could awaken their memories through this opportunity. Only when they had control over their real-world powers would Su Cheng have the confidence to initiate a probing challenge against the Divine Realm in this simulation. If he could reach the Divine Realm even once, it would give him significant intelligence advantages for his plans upon returning to reality.

Otherwise, he would be left defending the Douluo Star against the gods, which was far too passive.

Moreover, he needed to borrow Tang San's strength.

Su Cheng had already noticed the Shura God power hidden within Tang San. This meant that, without interference, Tang San still had a solid chance of achieving dual god status.

Once Tang San became the Shura God, his power would be far superior to that of the Angel God and Rakshasa God combined. This was due to a difference in levels: even a newly ascended Shura God would possess the power of a second-level god. Plus, the Shura God, as an Enforcer God, held a unique advantage against other deities. Thus, even with Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong joining forces, they'd still face the threat of death against him.

Only by confronting a powerful and deadly common enemy would Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue be forced to set aside past grievances and unite. In a dire situation where they might need to sacrifice themselves for each other, these two stubbornly independent people might finally realize the indispensable role the other played in their lives.

This was the best multi-beneficial solution Su Cheng could come up with.

Of course, if things didn't go as planned, he would still choose to intervene.

As for now, the energy hidden in Qian Renxue's body had been fully consumed during the recent clash, but Qian Daoliu could still protect her if needed.

As for why Su Cheng chose to align with Bibi Dong in this world rather than Qian Renxue...

"Hm?" Zhu Zhuqing suddenly turned her head to gaze at the distant sky before glancing back at Su Cheng suspiciously. "What are you scheming this time?"

If even she could sense a shift in the aura, Su Cheng had certainly detected it as well.

It was Bibi Dong—the newly ascended Rakshasa God—who had finally arrived at the battlefield.

"Oh, nothing much. Just hoping this would give them an opportunity to resolve their differences."

"…"

Zhu Zhuqing was initially puzzled by his words. However, memories and suspicions she had long harbored began flashing through her mind.

The subtle yet ambiguous way Bibi Dong acted in reality, that lingering suspicion she'd had more than once, and the rumors she'd heard in this world...

Her expression suddenly changed as she glared at Su Cheng, declaring coldly, "Pervert."

"…"

The distant battle resumed, but the pair had already shifted their attention away from it.

Now that Bibi Dong had arrived, Tang San could not possibly stand a chance against two opponents; his defeat or even death was merely a matter of time.

"Disgusting!" Seeing Su Cheng remain silent, Zhu Zhuqing's suspicions only deepened, and she grew even more enraged.

"Su Cheng! How could you… Are you even human?!"

"Alright, alright. We'll talk about this later. Let's at least get through the current situation first, then you can say whatever you want to me."

"You're so shameless." Zhu Zhuqing ground her teeth in frustration, feeling helpless yet resigned.

Though she had mentally prepared herself for this outcome, facing it head-on was still difficult.

"And who's this 'Su Yue' anyway? Since when do you have a sister?"

"Uh, it's a long story."

"Make it short."

"Alright, she's an ancestor of the soul beast clan with a grudge against the God Realm. She's my natural ally."

"Ally?" Zhu Zhuqing's lips twisted into a mocking smirk, though her gaze held no amusement. "I think it's more than that. From the moment I saw her, I had a problem with the way she looked at you."

"Sigh, let's talk about it once we're back in the real world. By the way, have you noticed any changes in your power?"

"…Yes, I have."

"Share a bit with me."

"Why should I?"

Su Cheng didn't argue, instead taking her hand directly, transferring his energy to initiate the exchange.

She symbolically resisted for a moment, then simply allowed it to happen.

"You're only this bold around me." Zhu Zhuqing scoffed as she looked down at their joined hands.

"Nonsense. I'm also bold around Ah Yin." Su Cheng secretly countered in his mind.

Of course, he wouldn't dare say that out loud.

He just chuckled and said, "Because you treat me the best. I'm well aware of that."

"Hmph."

"…"

As their energies intertwined, Su Cheng could clearly sense his bloodline power completing itself further.

It was the power of wind.

When Xiao Wu appeared in front of Tang San to shield him from a fatal blow, sacrificing herself as a blade pierced through her, a massive, blood-red vortex emerged in the skies over Jialing Pass.

Bibi Dong looked toward the crimson light, her eyes trembling slightly in shock.

Qian Renxue, noticing her mother's expression, asked with a frown, "What's wrong?"

"The Shura God… how is this possible…"

Ignoring her daughter's question, Bibi Dong murmured incredulously to herself.

She knew that Su Cheng had abandoned his chance to inherit the Shura God position and that Tang San, who held the Killing God Domain, had just begun to qualify for the Shura God inheritance.

But it had only been a short time since Su Cheng gave up the position—how could Tang San already be completing the Shura God trials so quickly? And, on top of already inheriting the Sea God position, how could he suddenly possess an additional god position?

In Bibi Dong's understanding, god positions were mutually exclusive. No one could inherit two god positions simultaneously.

On a distant mountain peak, a slender, silver-haired, purple-eyed figure appeared beside Su Cheng and Zhu Zhuqing. The newcomer stared solemnly toward the battlefield, murmuring softly, "The Shura God?"

Then she looked at the two beside her, particularly eyeing the tall, full-figured beauty among them.

This was a familiar face—someone she knew from youth, a person whose presence had always seemed powerful.

However, the woman seemed drastically different from before.

It wasn't just her hair color and aura that had changed; her entire demeanor and the energy she emitted felt as if they had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Su Cheng greeted Su Yue proactively, asking, "Did you ascend?"

"Yes," Su Yue nodded, though her face showed no sign of joy.

Time had been too short. To make it to this battle at the agreed time, she had no choice but to follow Su Cheng's previous advice, ascending without using the full bloodline of the Dragon God.

Although she was now stronger than the Silver Dragon King, the result still fell short of her expectations, so she was not particularly happy.

However, this approach did have some advantages.

Without the trials of divinity, she avoided the risk of undergoing a potentially deadly ascension process. Plus, this path offered more future potential, although it likely capped her ultimate power below that of a full Dragon God.