Tang San frowned. "You're a Quasi-God King, aren't you?"

"En," Ru Shenqi affirmed.

"That's great!" Gu Xingyun cried. "We stand an even better chance of defeating Spirit Empire now!"

He grabbed his beloved's hands only to see they were even icier than her body. Concern flashed in his eyes. "Xiao Shen, why are you so cold?"

"Because... I'm more of a ghost than a living being. I exist as a God, but as a Ghost God. I don't have a heartbeat. I'm still technically dead."

"Eh, WHAT?!" her friends cried.

"In her home world, Milky Continent¹Milky Continent is the name I give for the world Tang San originally came from since I don't believe it was ever named by Tang Jia San Shuo. It also references the Milky Way Galaxy, since it seems Tang San originally came from our world in ancient times, Yi Xiangli is known as the Goddess of Ghosts, not Souls. Hence why she's a Ghost God. And only someone who has died can inherit her God seat."

Self-guilt flashed in Gu Xingyun's watery eyes. "It's all my fault, Xiao Shen. If I hadn't been so jealous of Yong, if I hadn't been misled by the Rakshasa God, you wouldn't have had to join Spirit Empire and make yourself everyone's enemy. You wouldn't have had to die in order for me to become the God of Storms."

She shook her head sadly. "Yi Fengyu²易风雨 - given name literally means "Wind and Rain" but can figuratively mean "Trials and Hardships" is the younger brother to Yi Xiangli. And he's your predecessor, Xingyun, the former God of Storms. Perhaps this was all destined from the beginning."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Ru Shenqi explained, "Yi Xiangli was the Saintess of their sect. Yi Fengyu was their Sect Leader. For him to become a God, she had to sacrifice herself, much like Head Flamen Bo Saixi and Head Flamen Qian Daoliu and myself. After he became a God, she was approached by the God of Souls before her and became a Ghost God also."

Everyone gaped at her. Suddenly, Tang San cleared his throat. "Xiao Shen, come with me."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

She nodded and meekly followed after him. They walked away from the camp and came to the forest boundary when he finally stopped.

Turning towards her, he asked, "What sect were Yi Xiangli and Yi Fengyu from? Do you know?"

"She mentioned something about Xianli Sect³先例 - meaning "Precedent". Why?"

An indescribable look crossed Tang San's face. It seemed to be a mixture of relief, sorrow, and longing but Ru Shenqi couldn't tell for sure. She tilted her head.

"Sect Leader?"

"Hmm? Oh, Poseidon once told me of some realms beyond Douluo Continent. I wondered if the Yi siblings were from one I knew about. It turns out... they are."

Out of the top two assassinry sects, Tang Sect was considered the stealthier, and Xianli Sect was the more unorthodox. It was rumored that their techniques came from the long extinct kingdom of Nanjin⁴南近 - meaning "South Near". Everyone in the Jianghu always debated on which of the two were more fearsome, Tang San recalled.

Ru Shenqi frowned in confusion. "Sect Leader? Sect Leader? Sect Leader?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Xiao Shen. I was just pondering something."

"Then, may Xiao Shen ask something?"

"Go ahead."

"Yi Xiangli told me of her home world a bit. She mentioned a sect that specialized in hidden weapons that always competed with Xianli Sect in being the best. According to her, it was called Tang Sect. Sect Leader, do you know of this sect?"

A long sigh escaped Tang San's lips. "It seems you really are quite keen, Xiao Shen. Since you've already figured it out, I suppose nothing I say to dissuade you will work. Yes, I've heard of Tang Sect. In a past life, I was adopted into it and grew up as an Outer Disciple. Since I was the third ranked, my name was Tang San. Although I never knew Yi Xiangli or Yi Fengyu, I do know of Xianli Sect. I'm quite surprised they became Gods but it makes sense if they really did study sorcery techniques from Nanjin."

"Then how did you come to Douluo Continent?"

"I died. And was reborn as Tang San, again, but this time, I was on this Continent. I also somehow had all of my memories from my past life. Hence, how I can recreate Tang Sect's hidden weapons here."

Ru Shenqi's eyes widened. "So that's what it is..."

He nodded. "I haven't even told Xiao Wu or the other Devils. Xiao Shen, if you could keep this secret--"

She smiled. "Don't worry, Sect Leader. Xiao Shen won't breathe a word."

Relief washed over his features. "Alright, then. Let's go back."

She nodded and followed him back to the camp. As they approached the others, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian, and Feng Changzhi walked up to the large group.

Huo Wu glared at her niece. "Traitors don't belong here."

"Aunt, forgive me. I'm not really for Spirit Empire. I did what I had to do to help Xingyun become a God."

But her aunt wasn't stubborn for nothing. Her spirit released, and she shot her fire at Ru Shenqi. Clear Crystal Armor launched.

"Aunt, I'm a Quasi-God King now. Do you really think you can defeat me?"

"You work for Spirit Empire! Of course I'll defeat you!"

But then, Feng Xiaotian held her back. "Huo Wu, don't you notice something's off with Xiao Shen?"

"Xiaotian, what do you mean?" she cried as she tried to squirm out of his hold.

He breathed into her ear, "Although she's standing here before us, she doesn't look... entirely alive. I think she might've actually died the other day and wasn't just faking it."

Huo Wu took a closer glance at her niece before frowning. "Xiaotian, did she really?"

Hearing it all, Ru Shenqi sighed. "Yes, I died."

Feng Xiaotian's eyes widened. "Then did you manage to revive like Tang San?"

"Not quite."

Then, she explained everything all over again. When she had finished, the Dean and Vice-Dean of the School of Four Elements were stunned. Gu Xingyun wrapped an arm around his beloved's shoulders.

"Dean Feng, Vice-Dean Huo, it's all my fault. If you want to blame someone, then blame me."

"Xingyun, no. I chose to switch sides. That part's not on you."

"But if I hadn't-"

Ru Shenqi shook her head. "It's no use dwelling on it now. What's happened has happened. We can only work towards a brighter future for Douluo Continent."

No one could argue with that.

<><><>

For the next few days, Spirit Empire kept eerily quiet. The unexpected peace allowed for Xue Beng, Tang San, and Ru Shenqi to plan their next attack. As the Emperor of Heaven Dou Empire, the most powerful person on Douluo Continent, and the person who had lived under Spirit Empire's roof, this trio had the influence needed to restore the moral of the joint army. Inside the large meeting tent, the three held a meeting with the Emperor of Star Luo Empire, Yu Xiaogang, and Ning Fengzhi. Ru Shenqi cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"Everyone, I must warn you. Despite failing the Goddess of Nine Stars Inheritance, Hu Liena is still a Limit Douluo at the peak level with all six spirit bones and an evolved spirit. She cannot be taken lightly. Her spirit fusion skill with Xie Yue, Charm Genie, has also drastically improved. We cannot underestimate the Golden Generation. They were, after all, taught by the Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong, herself. If she could successfully cultivate twin spirits and become a God, who knows what her disciples are capable of."

The others nodded. Tang San added, "Xiao Shen is right. Xiao Wu and I fought Hu Liena, which led to her Charm Fox spirit evolving into the Three-Tailed Charm Fox. Hu Liena is definitely the strongest out of the three, but underestimating Xie Yue's Moon Blades or Yan's Flame Lord would be a mistake. As for the new Elders and Flamens... we've seen some of their skills. They're stronger than their predecessors."

Yu Xiaogang surmised, "Spirit Empire's power this time around is unfathomable. But Xiao Shen, what do you know of the new Elders and Flamens?"

She gave a cold smile, eyes glinting with the promise of death. "Hu Liena hand-picked them. I'll give you all a run-down of who's who and what their spirits and systems are. After that, we can plan from there."

"What do you know, Xiao Shen?" Ning Fengzhi asked.

"Xie Yue and Yan are now officially Elders of Spirit Empire. There's three others who are all Beast spirit masters: a Twilight Cougar, a Wind-Chirping Oriole, and a Chilled Copper Serpent. All of them are at the ninety third rank. As for the Flamens..."

Everyone waited for her to continue. She took a deep breath and sighed. "They're all Tool spirit masters at the ninety seventh or ninety eighth ranks."

Xue Beng and the Emperor of Star Luo Empire's eyes widened. Ning Fengzhi's grip tightened on his staff. Tang San and Yu Xiaogang shared an indescribable look.

Ru Shenqi added, "Out of all the Flamens, the one you should pay attention to the most is Xiang Yuezu, the Fourth Flamen and Arcana Douluo. Her Arcane Harp can manipulate people's thoughts and desires. The scariest skill is her domain. Her Sound System of Arcana can lull anyone into sleep, slowly killing them in a dreamscape. Unless you're of the same rank as her, you have no chance of breaking free."

The others all choked. Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Can not even Yong stop her?"

"He's the God of Music. His Melody and Harmony Domain is divine whereas hers is still mundane. But if Yong tires out, and Xiang Yuezu chooses to release her domain... then the tides will turn in Spirit Empire's favor."

Tang San glanced at her. "Xiao Shen, do you have any skills that could help?"

She lowered her head. "I haven't figured out most of my skills yet. I only know of the few because Yi Xiangli used them on me. And until she teaches me the others, I fear I may lose control and not use them correctly. That cannot happen, no. Matter. What."

"Why's that?" Xue Beng wondered.

"They're overbearing. If I can't control the intensity of them, then people besides our enemies will suffer."

"Then it's better to not use them yet," Yu Xiaogang said. "Don't worry about it."

The Emperor of Star Luo Empire cut in, "What about the other Flamens?"

"Hu Liena drew them from a list of Titled Douluos. They were forced to fight and kill their opponent to gain the position of Flamen. So for the six new Flamens to be chosen, six Titled Douluos of Spirit Empire died. Do not underestimate these Flamens. If they can kill opponents of the same rank or higher than them, then their power can only be described as tyrannical."

Everyone's eyes widened.

Ru Shenqi swallowed. "Spirit Empire knows of all my spirit skills and domains. They'll surely be planning how to defend against me. So if we fight, I cannot be the vanguard. They'll do everything in their power to restrict me. Let's let the Shrek Seven Devils and the Shrek Six Tyrants give them a scare. With the combined attacks of Gods, Titled Douluos, and Spirit Douluos, surely we can hit them hard."

Tang San nodded. "I think that'll work. Although they know what Xiao Wu and my Coexistence of Two Gods can do, it's also nearly impossible to break. Even Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong struggled to. Let alone mortals. We'll take the lead, then Boss Dai and Zhuqing's White Tiger of Netherworld can force them into a corner. Under Rongrong and Oscar's support we can all do some damage. Fatty can coordinate with Xiangxiang to attack from the sky."

"I'll talk with the other Tyrants to see what they can do."

When things had been planned out, Ru Shenqi left the tent and wandered around, trying to find her friends. When she finally came across them at the edge of the gorge, she walked up and cleared her throat politely. They turned around.

"Xiao Shen, what's up?"

She filled them in on the battle plan before asking, "What do you guys want to do?"

"How do you think we can help Seniors the best?" Liao Suyin wondered.

Ru Shenqi shook her head. "I'm not leading this battle. I think you all should decide together. I'll just be here to guide your plan."

Liao Suyin, Fang Youyou, Shu Jiaxiang, Bai Shanxin, Ming Yong, and Gu Xingyun all shared one thought, Xiao Shen really has changed.