As the Soul-Breaking Spear, formed by Yang Podi's spiritual power, shot forward, the power of destruction and slaughter clashed, as if threatening to shatter the entire space itself.
After the strike, the entire world fell into a dead silence. No living being made a single sound.
On the opposite side, the Evil Emperor seemed to have suffered a severe injury. His enormous eye was filled with streaks of blood, which spread across the entire sclera, as if it were on the verge of shattering.
Yang Podi remained indifferent, his expression calm as ever. "So? Do you still wish to continue? Your strength is indeed formidable, and your spiritual power has nearly reached the divine level. But ultimately, you are still a notch below me."
Hearing this, the Evil Emperor seemed unwilling to accept defeat. "You are indeed powerful. I have never encountered anyone whose spiritual power surpasses mine. But I am the mighty Evil Emperor—I will never submit!"
As his words fell, his enormous evil eye suddenly began to contract, along with his countless tentacles, which rapidly shrank. He was clearly gathering all his energy for one final, all-out strike.
Yang Podi's expression grew slightly serious. "I must admit, in terms of attributes, you are truly unique. Unfortunately, I am even stronger than you."
With those words, Yang Podi's entire body turned golden. This was his true martial soul form. At the same time, seven blood-red spirit rings appeared around him. Even the Evil Emperor, who was preparing his final attack, sensed a significant threat.
Yang Podi's seventh spirit ring glowed. This was his Martial Soul True Body, which drastically enhanced all aspects of his abilities, including his spiritual power. This was the immense boost brought by a 400,000-year-old Martial Soul True Body.
With the full activation of his martial soul, his originally golden body turned blood-red. The entire sky and earth were enveloped in a crimson hue. The massive Evil-Eyed Tyrant Dominator now seemed trapped within a prison of blood—this was Yang Podi's martial soul-attached soul skill: Blood Prison.
The enormous prison materialized into countless blood-red chains, aiming to completely confine the Evil-Eyed Tyrant Emperor.
Yet, the Evil Emperor did not sit idly by. A beam of light that pierced through the heavens shot out, targeting the countless blood-red chains as if to obliterate everything in its path. This was the Evil Emperor's strongest ability: Light of Time and Space, a rare temporal attack technique.
As the heaven-piercing beam of light fell, Yang Podi suddenly felt an intense sense of disorientation. His body seemed to undergo a subtle transformation—his once-mighty form regressed into that of a small child, an infant who had just been born.
Within his mind, Yang Podi saw the trajectory of his entire life. From a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo, his soul power plummeted rapidly. He regressed to a Soul Douluo, then further down to an ordinary soul master, and finally, he became an infant, as if he had been reborn—his fate seemingly preordained.
Yang Podi let out a furious roar. "My fate is mine to decide, not the heavens! So what if it's destiny? I was born to defy it!"
As his roar echoed, the entire space shattered. Yang Podi coughed up a mouthful of blood. A massive wound had appeared on his chest—had it been any other Title Douluo, they would have perished on the spot.
On the opposite side, the Evil-Eyed Tyrant Dominator fared even worse. His colossal eye had lost all its radiance, his once-dominant presence completely faded. He was now barely clinging to life, on the brink of death.
Yang Podi carefully examined his wound. Even with his formidable martial soul's regenerative capabilities, he was unable to heal instantly.
Activating his first soul skill, Blue Silver Recovery, a green light enveloped his wound. However, he noticed two opposing forces clashing within the injury—an unfamiliar energy was preventing his recovery.
Yet, this energy lacked a stable source. After continuous clashes with his martial soul's powerful regeneration, the healing energy slowly gained the upper hand. It took a full three days before his wound finally began to close.
Normally, such a wound would have healed within an hour or two without even using a soul skill. This demonstrated just how unique and potent the opposing force had been.
Looking at the dying Evil-Eyed Tyrant Emperor, Yang Podi extended a thread of green light toward him as well, stabilizing his failing lifeforce.
Shaking his head, Yang Podi sighed. "Truly impressive. You live up to your title as the Evil Emperor. The way you wield the power of time and destruction in your spiritual illusions is extraordinary. I underestimated you."
The Evil Emperor, though barely alive, managed to speak in a hoarse and weak voice. "Human… you are far stronger than I imagined… Even in terms of spiritual power… What exactly do you want?"
Yang Podi exhaled lightly. "Your abilities astound me. I'll give you one final chance—sacrifice yourself to me, and you will have a chance to survive in the future. Otherwise, you will die."
The Evil Emperor, still struggling to hold on, questioned, "Why do you want me to sacrifice myself? With your power, you could simply kill me."
Yang Podi pondered for a moment. "It's quite simple. Although I have slain countless 100,000-year-old soul beasts, I bear no true malice toward your kind. Everything I do is for the sake of becoming stronger."
"You are called the Evil Emperor, the embodiment of evil itself. Yet, from you, I have seen the possibility of cooperation between humans and soul beasts—the potential for coexistence. That is why I am offering you this final opportunity. You have five minutes to decide. Do not consider escaping or harboring any schemes. My strength surpasses your imagination."
As Yang Podi stated, the Evil Emperor's cooperation with the Sun-Moon Empire and the evil soul masters was a rare instance of collaboration between humans and soul beasts. He had even become the totem of the Sun-Moon Empire, which was rather astonishing.
Unlike Tang San and Huo Yuhao, who ultimately manipulated soul beasts for their own gain, leading to their downfall, the Sun-Moon Empire's relationship with soul beasts was more akin to mutual benefit. Even after ten thousand years, soul beasts within the Sun-Moon Empire had not declined like those in the Star Dou Forest.
However, the Evil Emperor had chosen to side with the antagonists—the notorious evil soul masters and the Sun-Moon Empire, which opposed the protagonist faction. In the end, he met his demise.
After several minutes of contemplation, the Evil Emperor finally agreed to Yang Podi's terms.
After all, his spiritual power had been severely damaged, and his body was on the verge of collapse. There was no other way for him to recover.