"Boom!" Silver-white soul power swirled in the spacious dormitory, each strand possessing intense spiritual fluctuations.
On the floor, Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged, his eyes glowing with a faint golden light, while a faint mist emanated from his body, condensing a layer of frost in the air.
"Level 50..." Concealing his aura, everything returned to calm. Huo Yuhao raised his hand to look at his right hand, and with a gentle clench, he could clearly sense the immense power within.
He got up and went to the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the cool air drifted into the dormitory, a breath of which brought a sense of relaxation.
"Time to go eat breakfast. I'll talk to Dean Qian and the others about the need to acquire soul rings, and I'll also send out another batch of blueprints." After a moment's thought, Huo Yuhao turned and went downstairs to the cafeteria for breakfast.
When he arrived at the cafeteria, there were only a few people inside. He casually picked up his tray, found a seat, and immediately began to eat.
For the past six months, things have gradually calmed down, and no further incidents have occurred.
Yes, more than half a year has passed since the Mingdu protest. During this time, according to Blackwater, who has secretly joined the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, the Holy Spirit Cult has no plans to return to Mingdu for the time being.
However, the Holy Spirit Cult hasn't assigned Blackwater any special tasks yet, but because of his light attribute, his status within the Holy Spirit Cult has risen sharply.
Blackwater also informed Huo Yuhao that the Holy Spirit Cult seems to be secretly preparing some plan, but nothing is yet known.
But these aren't the key issues. What truly frustrates Huo Yuhao is that six months have passed, plus the time spent in the Sun Moon Empire, which exceeds the timeline of the Body Sect's attack on Mingde Hall in the original story. In other words, the Body Sect really isn't coming to Mingde Hall.
The only progress is that Nana and the others have successfully helped the four hundred or so souls reunite with their families, and the number of followers of the Sun God Cult has reached over a thousand.
Among them were those with extremely poor talent, who would never be able to break through to the first-ring Soul Master in their lifetime. They successfully broke through their shackles with the help of the Mysterious Heaven Technique, reaching level ten. With the help of Nana and others, they obtained their first Soul Ring, even if it was only the lowest-level ten-year Soul Ring. But the feeling of leaping from an ordinary person to a Soul Master was completely different.
On that very day, Huo Yuhao gained a considerable amount of faith power. The believers held an indescribable sense of worship for this Sun God they had never met.
Huo Yuhao had no doubt that these believers would instantly become fanatical followers. In the Douluo Continent, no one would question how strong the desire of ordinary people to become Soul Masters was. Now Huo Yuhao had given them that opportunity, especially since some had actually broken through to Soul Master after cultivating the improved version of the Mysterious Heaven Technique.
This kind of success, witnessed before their very eyes, was even more moving.
Not to mention that Huo Yuhao had also helped them reunite with their families.
Putting his food back, Huo Yuhao left the cafeteria, went downstairs, released his Soul Guidance Bicycle, and rode off with a surge of Soul Power.
Downstairs, there were rows of shared soul-guided bicycles, manufactured by Lin Jiayi after purchasing Huo Yuhao's technology. Each grade's dormitory area and teaching building had them.
Along the way, many students greeted him. Because of developing the soul-guided bicycles, Huo Yuhao's reputation at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, which had previously faded, had once again become a hot topic.
Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi didn't change the developer's name, stating it explicitly.
Before even reaching Mingde Hall, Huo Yuhao encountered Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu, who were also traveling. Upon seeing them, he immediately went over.
"Dean Qian, Teacher Fan Yu."
Hearing the call, the two instinctively turned around, just as Huo Yuhao stopped his bicycle in front of them.
Before Qian Duoduo could speak, Huo Yuhao stated his purpose, "Dean Qian, we need to find some time to go out. My soul power has broken through to level 50."
"You've broken through to level 50?" Qian Duoduo and Fan Yu looked surprised, but then their faces lit up with joy. Qian Duoduo said, "Why don't we set off tomorrow? You're a spirit-attribute soul master, and there are plenty of spirit-attribute soul beasts in the Sun Moon Empire's Demon Forest. I'm sure you can easily find a suitable soul beast for you."
"Whatever you say," Huo Yuhao nodded.
The three walked and talked, and when they arrived at the entrance of Mingde Hall, a scene made them stop in their tracks.
Dean Lin Jiayi was standing there, and someone was handing him something. Judging from Lin Jiayi's expression, he seemed reluctant to accept it, but under pressure or something else, he finally took the gleaming object.
"His Highness has prepared a banquet and is waiting for the Hall Master to attend. Farewell," the middle-aged man in front of Lin Jiayi said with a smile, and then left.
Looking at the gold-embossed invitation in his hand, Lin Jiayi couldn't help but sigh. The Second Prince had handled the protest incident six months ago perfectly and was now highly regarded by the Emperor. Even the Crown Prince had to avoid him, and now the Emperor even considered trying to win over the Hall Master.
Not going would easily offend people, but even if he didn't intend to join the Second Prince's camp, outsiders probably wouldn't believe him.
It was a difficult situation. This was a classic example of an open scheme.
Footsteps approached, and Lin Jiayi's heart stirred slightly. He calmly put the invitation away before looking towards the direction of the sound. Seeing it was Qian Duoduo, he immediately smiled and said, "Dean Qian, Teacher Fanyu."
Qian Duoduo didn't seem to care that Lin Jiayi was hiding the conspicuous invitation, but said, "It just so happens that Director Lin is here. I'd like to ask you to ask for leave for Yuhao." "
Leave?" Lin Jiayi asked. "Where are you going?"
"Nothing much, just running some errands," Qian Duoduo replied without specifying.
Lin Jiayi glanced at Huo Yuhao. For the past six months, Huo Yuhao had been researching civilian soul tools, and even the hall master hadn't paid much attention to him anymore.
Since Qian Duoduo had spoken, he couldn't refuse. Lin Jiayi immediately smiled and said, "With Dean Qian leading the way, I'm relieved. I'll get a leave slip for Yuhao later."
"Thank you, Director Lin," Huo Yuhao thanked him.
Lin Jiayi waved his hand. "How about we go in together?" he gestured.
"Let's go together then," Qian Duoduo chuckled.
The four of them then underwent inspection together and rode the soul tool elevator into the Mingde Hall soul tool base. Even though it was still early, many soul tool masters were already inside conducting research.
Qian Duoduo and the others left separately, while Huo Yuhao went to his lab table alone.
Today, Teacher Xuan had taken Ju Zi and Ke Ke out of the academy for a practical course and wasn't in Mingde Hall.
Lin Jiayi didn't linger too long and gave Huo Yuhao the leave slip.
After carefully putting away the leave slip, Huo Yuhao resumed his work for the day. He had memorized most of the Soul Masters' ideas and was now replicating them all.
...
From the pitch-black depths, a rumbling sound echoed as hard stones were repeatedly scraped away and placed into storage soul rings. Once one ring was full, the next was inserted, and the digging continued deeper and deeper. Upon closer inspection, several such tunnels stretched in different directions, each exceptionally profound.
Soft light illuminated the dark tunnels, revealing a group of people, all wearing masks that concealed their faces. The only certainty was that their auras were at least Soul Saint level or higher.
"How's the digging going?" a voice came from outside the tunnel, seemingly from a great distance.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, we expect to be ready by 3 PM today. At that time, we can directly plant the bombs for a surprise attack," the middle-aged man replied. If Huo Yuhao were here, he would be astonished; this middle-aged man was none other than Yu Tao of the Body Sect, the Soul Douluo powerhouse whose martial soul was his right arm.
"Three o'clock…" a voice came, tinged with thought, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, prepare for the demolition immediately after digging through. Let's give Mingde Hall a big surprise."
Hearing this, the group digging the tunnel exchanged smiles.
…
Inside Mingde Hall, there was no such thing as a midday rest. When Huo Yuhao recovered from his meditative state, what he saw was still the same group of soul masters in the underground base, tirelessly researching and manufacturing soul tools.
The air was filled with the smell of metal.
He quickly got up and continued to replicate the soul tool technology, unaware that a group of uninvited guests had arrived inside Mingde Hall.
In the magnificent lounge, Jing Hongchen looked at the two people in front of him with a complex and wary expression.
He recognized the person on the left; it was the Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult. However, he was unfamiliar with the woman in the long robe on the right, guessing that she was probably the Grand Elder's attendant.
"Mingdu is still searching for evil soul masters. You still dare to come to Mingde Hall?" Jing Hongchen spoke coldly.
"With my strength, what place in Douluo Continent can't I go?" Gui Wujing said, completely unfazed by the coldness in Jing Hongchen's tone. "But you, Hall Master Hongchen, have you forgotten our past cooperation?"
Mentioning this, Jing Hongchen's expression changed instantly.
There was a secret many didn't know: after becoming Hall Master Mingde, he was commissioned by His Majesty to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult on a certain project, primarily researching medical soul tools. Although their time together was short, it was an indelible stain on his history.
"His Majesty likes to discard those who have served their purpose, which is very bad. If it weren't for the good temper of our Holy Spirit Cult's higher-ups, Mingdu might have been used to bury corpses," Gui Wujing sneered.
"You dare?" Jing Hongchen's face darkened. "Even if the Holy Spirit Sect is powerful, I, the Hall Master, guarantee that if the Holy Spirit Sect acts recklessly, there will be no place for you to hide on the Douluo Continent."
"Why are you so agitated? I was just saying that." Gui Wujing shook his head, his gaze drifting to a gold-embossed invitation on the coffee table. "Speaking of which, Hall Master Hongchen, are you planning to pledge allegiance to that Second Prince?"
Jing Hongchen's eyes changed slightly, only then remembering that Lin Jiayi had given him the invitation that morning, which he had casually tossed onto the coffee table without taking it.
"This has nothing to do with you, does it?" he said coldly.
"Of course it has nothing to do with me." Gui Wujing chuckled. "But it has a great deal to do with the Crown Prince."
"The Crown Prince..." Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted, staring at the smile on Gui Wujing's lips, seemingly understanding something, a huge wave surging in his heart.
Seemingly guessing that Jing Hongchen understood his meaning, Gui Wujing said intentionally or unintentionally, "Hongchen Hall Master, your Hongchen family has risen again under your leadership. Surely you don't want it to decline again, do you?"
"What do you mean?" Jing Hongchen had a bad feeling.
Gui Wujing flicked his finger, and a soul-guided envelope flew out. "This is what His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to give you. Take a good look; it must contain some heartfelt words."
Jing Hongchen held the envelope, his hand trembling slightly, as if the envelope were extremely heavy. He took a deep breath. "His Highness the Crown Prince cooperating with you is already a major taboo. And you still met with me, the Hall Master, so openly. Aren't you afraid I'll leak it?"
Gui Wujing couldn't help but laugh. "Jing Hongchen, when you cooperated with me, I used a recording soul-guided device. Guess what kind of uproar it would cause in the Sun Moon Empire if these recordings were leaked, saying that you, Jing Hongchen, had cooperated with evil soul masters?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, let me think. The Empire's most important soul-guided device research base and the Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, this evil organization, were once partners. Wow, quite eye-catching indeed."
"You..." Upon hearing this, Jing Hongchen's expression quickly turned ugly. His soul power was ignited by anger, like a cannonball about to explode.
The recording soul tool itself isn't scary; even if it were publicized, he could simply claim it's fake. But if the Holy Spirit Cult were to forcefully stir up public opinion, the common people wouldn't care whether Jing Hongchen was entrusted by the emperor or not; he'd definitely be the first to take the blame.
If the emperor makes a mistake, the ministers will also say he's right, that they're the ones at fault—that's the public narrative. How things are handled privately is another matter entirely.
Jing Hongchen's silence made Gui Wujing nod inwardly. He didn't actually have a recording soul tool; he'd only fabricated the story after hearing the cult leader use one to remember Crown Prince Xu Tianran.
It seemed this thing was quite useful; he should probably make one.
"I've said what I needed to say. Whether you understand or not is up to you, Jing Hongchen," Gui Wujing said with a smile, sitting down on the sofa. Jing Hongchen's expression, however, was uncertain.
The Crown Prince was here to warn him.
Being threatened was unpleasant, but he had no choice but to endure it. If he were the only one in the family, he wouldn't be worried, but he had grandchildren to care for.
Feeling utterly helpless, Jing Hongchen carefully accepted the envelope Xu Tianran had Gui Wujing give him. As for the Second Prince's invitation, he could only refuse, knowing that this would inevitably offend the Second Prince.
Seeing this, Gui Wujing nodded in satisfaction. He glanced at the silent woman beside him, his eyes flickering slightly, and said with a faint smile, "It's been two or three years since I've been to Mingde Hall. I wonder if Hall Master Hongchen could show me around?"
"You..." Jing Hongchen frowned, about to say something.
But the instant the word "you" appeared, the expressions of the three people in the lounge changed drastically.
A faint, deathly silence filled the air.
The next moment...
"Boom boom boom boom..." The terrifying roar of the explosions, like an earthquake, echoed throughout the entire underground research institute of Mingde Hall. The powerful impact shook the walls, and even the rest room trembled uncontrollably, as if an earthquake had struck.
Jing Hongchen, standing still, could feel the shaking, demonstrating just how terrifying the explosions were.
"Beep beep beep."
In an instant, countless alarms blared, and blinding red lights spread throughout the research institute, alerting everyone inside to the impending crisis.
"Attack!"
Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted instantly, and he reacted in a flash, his cold gaze sweeping over Gui Wujing and the woman.
Gui Wujing frowned and immediately said, "We didn't do this."
"You two shouldn't act rashly. I have my limits."
Jing Hongchen gave Gui Wujing a deep look before quickly leaving the lounge. As the head of Mingde Hall, he was the first person responsible if anything happened here.
"What happened?" The woman couldn't help but ask, watching Jing Hongchen's departing figure.
"Mingde Hall was attacked." Gui Wujing muttered with a strange expression, "Could it really be them? Only these lunatics would be so bold."
"Gui Wujing, this is a good opportunity." The woman ignored Gui Wujing's mutterings; she seemed quite anxious.
"No rush, let's wait until they start fighting." Gui Wujing said in a deep voice.
The woman paused for a moment, then quickly understood Gui Wujing's meaning. The more chaotic things were, the better it would be for her to find someone.
The woman was none other than the Demon Emperor, and besides accepting Xu Tianran's commission to deliver a message, they also had the idea of finding someone at Mingde Hall.
Rewinding time.
One minute ago.
Rubbing his tired brow, Huo Yuhao closed his eyes to rest. After a morning and afternoon of replication, he had accumulated twelve more soul tool technologies and manufacturing processes in his mind.
Opening his eyes again, he looked at the soul-guided train structure diagram on the lab table and smiled. He hoped he could create one, but this was only the beginning; the road ahead was long.
"Be careful."
Just as Huo Yuhao put away the diagrams, a clear and sharp warning voice rang out—it was Electrolux.
Huo Yuhao's muscles tensed, and the events of the original story involuntarily flashed through his mind.
The Body Sect attacked Mingde Hall.
But shouldn't they be gone?
The timeline is already too late.
Huo Yuhao was utterly puzzled.
Despite his thoughts, the moment Electrolux reminded Huo Yuhao, the latter immediately activated his incredibly powerful Ice Emperor Body Protection Soul Skill, lying prone on the ground. Ice crystal diamond particles covered his entire body, and his trigger-activated invincible shield was ready to activate at any moment. Of course, he also used his soul power to block his hearing and protect his eardrums; in such a confined space, the sonic effects of the explosion were extremely terrifying.
Just as Huo Yuhao completed this series of actions, within the Soul Tool Manufacturing Base, in this vast, square-shaped area, the four corners suddenly exploded. Terrifying shockwaves and extreme heat waves swept inwards from the ground, like the scythe of death, sweeping across.
Unsurprisingly, the areas swept by these shockwaves were all where researchers were gathered. In the area at the epicenter of the explosion, nearly a hundred Soul Masters were engulfed by the heat wave before they could even react, instantly vaporized by the intense heat, leaving no trace of their bodies.
The shockwave tore apart numerous experimental tables, carrying a chilling metallic glint, like the sharpest blade slicing through everything.
In an instant, screams and wails erupted as metal fragments flew in all directions. Those Soul Masters closest to the core blast zone were the first to fall, like wheat being cut down.
Even on Huo Yuhao's side, far from the blast's epicenter, the powerful shockwave caused his experimental table to shift sideways by more than ten meters.
Using his mental detection Soul Skill, Huo Yuhao sensed everything with alarm. From his perspective, the explosion had affected nearly a third of the people at the Soul Tool Manufacturing Base, killing over a hundred people instantly, including many Soul Masters whose technology he had secretly replicated.
One second they were alive, the next they were either vaporized into nothingness or reduced to blood and flesh.
But most people survived. The death toll from the explosion didn't escalate. Instantly, countless beams of soul power shone. As soul masters, they naturally possessed trigger-activated soul shields, which prevented the Mingde Hall members from suffering aftershock damage.
Overall, there were many seriously injured, but few dead.
Inside the vast base, the lights were broken, and scattered metal fragments and burning flames lit up the scene. The dim firelight reflected the bloodstains on the ground.
The survivors' faces were filled with terror.
On the undamaged walls and the base's dome, gaps appeared, and powerful offensive soul tools emerged.
These soul tools were spiral-shaped, resembling electric drills, over five meters long, with the thickest part exceeding two meters in diameter. They spiraled upwards with blue-purple light, and violent soul power fluctuations began to gather, but seemingly unguided, they didn't launch an attack immediately.
After the four corners of the wall were breached, a series of mysterious figures dressed in black, their faces obscured, leaped out from the openings.
A chilling aura spread.
One of the tall, black-clad figures coldly surveyed the carnage inside Mingde Hall and coldly transmitted his soul power: "Kill!"
Nine soul rings rose beneath him, terrifyingly, three of them being 100,000-year-old level rings.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh." In the blink of an eye, over a hundred people leaped out from the blasted holes, each possessing at least seven soul rings, all of them Soul Masters at the Soul Saint level or higher. This
even included seven Title Douluos.
The moment these mysterious figures appeared, it was clearly pre-arranged; except for the Title Douluos, everyone else activated their Martial Soul True Body and immediately launched an attack on the Soul Masters who hadn't yet recovered from the explosion.
Already in a state of panic, the Mingde Hall Soul Masters had no time to react, and soon a hundred of them fell into pools of blood.
Huo Yuhao, using his mental detection, witnessed a mysterious figure with a thick right arm smashing the head of a Mingde Hall member.
But the death of their comrade spurred all the Mingde Hall Soul Masters. A Soul Douluo-level researcher immediately stepped forward, releasing a golden shield to protect himself while shouting, "Everyone, inject your soul power into your identity cards!"
Hearing this, the remaining Mingde Hall Soul Masters, who had been grouped together to resist the mysterious figure's attack, reacted instantly. Each of them pulled out their identity cards, injected a wisp of soul power, and the soul tools protruding from the wall seemed to be triggered, visibly emitting energy rays.
With the identity cards authenticated, the soul tools on the wall automatically locked onto the enemy and launched an attack on the Body Sect members.
Blue-purple lightning appeared, striking the members of the Body Sect. The Body Sect was generally unfavorable to soul tools, and most of them simply tried to defend with their soul power. However, when their bodies were actually hit, they experienced intense numbness.
Even Title Douluo-level powerhouses felt momentarily stunned under its terrifying power, and their bodies even smelled of burning.
This immediately surprised the Body Sect members, forcing them to pay closer attention to the soul tool attacks from the dome and walls, temporarily halting the attack.
Seizing the opportunity, the soul masters of the Mingde Hall immediately launched a well-organized counterattack, instantly tearing several Body Sect members to shreds with soul cannons or soul beams.
"Hmph." At this moment, a low, angry snort rang out. Under Huo Yuhao's perception, the tall, mysterious figure who had initially issued the kill order was suspended in mid-air, with a vast expanse of dark green mist spreading from his body. This mist touched the soul tools on the wall, and in an instant, a large number of soul tools melted away, demonstrating its immense power.
"Poison Undying." Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly, and he also sensed several powerful auras approaching. Without a doubt, it was Jing Hongchen and the other level-nine soul masters.
Huo Yuhao had no time to concern himself with these matters. He released his dark golden claw with his right hand and began digging into the floor. Of course, all of this was done under the premise that the monitoring soul tool was already broken.
As soon as he started digging, Huo Yuhao understood why the Body Sect had chosen to attack from underground. It was no exaggeration to say that the Mingde Hall, which seemed to be an impregnable fortress, had a surprisingly fragile ground surface. Five meters underground, his mental detection detected a hollow area.
Not long after, the excavation began from the surface of the base, reaching a depth of five meters. Huo Yuhao's legs gave way, and he fell to the ground, landing safely. He cautiously used his mental detection to search his surroundings, only to find a tunnel just wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side.
"How long has the Body Sect been digging this?" Huo Yuhao thought to himself, gazing at the deep, dark tunnel. But instead of running around aimlessly, he used his detection to quickly head towards the exit. As he moved, he quickly disguised himself, covering his face with a fake human skin and using a simulated soul skill to make himself look like Poison Undying.
He hadn't forgotten that the Body Sect attacked Mingde Hall to obtain soul beast embryos, and had sent a Soul Douluo to find the Conferred God Platform beforehand. Although the Snow Empress hadn't been captured in this life, that unfortunate Deep Sea Demon Whale had.
Above him, loud rumbling sounds continued to echo, clearly indicating that Poison Undying and Jing Hongchen were fighting. But realizing the sounds were growing fainter, Huo Yuhao knew he was far from the direct line of fire below the battleground.
The terrifying battle caused the soil to collapse, burying most of the area.
But this had little to do with Huo Yuhao.
He practically sprinted, eventually circling around until he left the tunnel, emerged, and arrived at a passageway with an alloy floor and soul-guided lights. The monitoring soul-guided devices were all broken, none of them intact.
"This is deeper into Mingde Hall." Increasing his mental output, Huo Yuhao quickly locked onto a door, inside which lay a product of Mingde Hall Project One:
a half-finished mecha.
He advanced fifty meters to the left through the passageway, arriving at a large black door. The door's authentication had long been lost; it opened automatically upon detecting someone approaching.
Huo Yuhao quickly entered, and before him stood a massive laboratory, a hundred meters in diameter and over thirty meters high. In the center of the laboratory stood a humanoid soul-guided device over fifteen meters tall.
To be precise, it was the prototype of the mecha from the Dragon King Legend era.
The mecha was activated, its components and core array clearly visible.
Around the mecha were more than a dozen platforms, clearly designed for human operation. On the platform at the very bottom, beside the mecha's feet, sat a blue crystal-like protective mirror.
Faint silver-white patterns emerged, containing wisps of soul power fluctuations. Clearly, this was not just a pattern, but also a core magic array. At its center was a palm-sized blue gem, its interior radiating a soft blue glow, as if a shooting star had streaked across it, flashing six long streaks of starlight, giving it a mesmerizing charm.
Huo Yuhao, disregarding its beauty, grabbed it and poured his soul power into it. Instantly, like a whale devouring a krill, this storage soul tool called the Starlight Sapphire began to frantically devour Huo Yuhao's soul power.
The devouring was finite. Sensing the loss of soul power, Huo Yuhao ignored it. Having done this, he glanced at the nascent mecha. Unlike in the original story where he took it with him, this time Huo Yuhao had no intention of taking it with him.
Shrek Academy lacks the capability to manufacture and research such a thing. Rather than taking it away as scrap metal, it's better to leave it in the Sun Moon Empire. Besides, given the Sun Moon Empire's technology, it would be many years before
they could truly create a mecha, by which time they would have already become gods. In fact, at this stage, mecha research would consume even more of the Sun Moon Empire's resources, keeping them bogged down in mecha manufacturing and unable to focus on anything else.
Given the current pace of advancement in soul tools in Douluo Continent, it would still be many years before they could create a mecha with extremely high destructive power.
On the contrary, Kong Deming's research on the humanoid soul tool is truly powerful, significantly enhancing a soul master's combat strength. By the end of Douluo Continent, it was already widely deployed.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the prototype of battle armor.
With a thought, Huo Yuhao placed the Starlight Sapphire storage soul tool into his original ring soul tool.
He then quickly left the laboratory and returned to the labyrinthine passageways. As he rushed towards the entrance to the Mingde Hall, at the same moment, an excited man in black ran in from another direction.
He held an object in his right hand—none other than the Conferred God Platform that had appeared at the Starlight Auction House.
Inside, a sea-blue bead floated, wisps of light emanating from it.
Poor Deep-Sea Demon Whale.
"Did you succeed?" Huo Yuhao stepped forward, his tone mimicking Poison Undying, unusually serious.
The man in black was startled for a moment, about to attack, but upon seeing the newcomer, he immediately became respectful. "Reporting to the Sect Master, I succeeded."
"Let me see it," Huo Yuhao said in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir." The man in black hurriedly handed over the tray. Huo Yuhao carefully examined the sea-blue bead within the white protective shield. A powerful being resided within, but it was sealed inside and unable to move.
"Perfect," Huo Yuhao exclaimed, immediately ordering, "Go and notify everyone to evacuate Mingde Hall. I still need to loot some of the treasures Mingde Hall left in these laboratories."
The man in black had no reason to doubt Huo Yuhao. Upon hearing this, he respectfully departed, disappearing shortly afterward through the tunnel entrance his sect had dug.
"Phew." Watching the Soul Douluo leave, Huo Yuhao breathed a sigh of relief. In the original story, because the battle aura of the Undying Poison emanated from above the base, this Soul Douluo immediately saw through Huo Yuhao's disguise. In this life, he was lucky; it seemed his act had succeeded.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao summoned a small Gate of the Dead and placed the Conferred God Platform inside, as storage soul tools couldn't hold it.
The path he took to get there was the same path he would take to return. Even though the path he came by had collapsed, it wasn't impossible to enter. Where there were completely blocked areas, the Dark Gold Terror Claws quickly broke through.
"Damn it!" Just as Huo Yuhao was drilling deeper, a furious roar came from somewhere.
Huo Yuhao paused in his tunnel-digging, a smile playing on his lips. It seemed the Soul Douluo he'd tricked had finally realized what was happening.
But it was too late.
Ignoring the roar, Huo Yuhao seized the opportunity while the experts from the Body Sect and Mingde Hall slowed their attacks to avoid causing Mingde Hall's complete collapse. He quickly returned to the area beneath the tunnel he had dug. Looking up, he saw many obstacles inside. He quickly broke through them and climbed up.
Luckily, when he returned to the base's surface, he was still in the same spot. Looking at the hole he had dug, Huo Yuhao immediately poured in the soil he had collected from his storage ring, completely sealing it. Then he found a metal plate and forcibly covered it, pretending nothing had happened.
Finally, all he had to do was activate his mental detection to watch the show.
The fierce battle continued, but both the Body Sect and the Mingde Hall's soul masters intentionally reduced the damage. Mingde Hall was located a hundred meters below; if it collapsed entirely, everyone except for Du Busi and a few titled Douluo powerhouses would likely be buried.
The underground base was now a scene of utter devastation. Less than a fifth of the experimental tables remained intact, and the ground was littered with metal, corpses, and the ongoing battle between Body Sect soul masters and Mingde Hall soul masters.
The losses suffered by Mingde Hall were immeasurable.
Jing Hongchen stared with bloodshot eyes as beams of red light continuously erupted from his fiery lotus-like soul tool behind him.
Opposite him, Du Busi calmly withstood Jing Hongchen's attacks, swirling clouds of poisonous soul power around him. Whenever a terrifyingly penetrating ray struck, the poisonous clouds instantly melted it.
"Du Busi," Jing Hongchen gritted his teeth and shouted.
Du Busi naturally ignored Jing Hongchen, his mind preoccupied with whether his subordinates had found the soul beast embryo.
Just then, a middle-aged man with an uneasy expression ran out of the cave. He looked up and saw his sect master fighting with Jing Hongchen. He anxiously transmitted his voice through his soul power, "Sect Master, the soul beast embryo is gone."
"What?" With a flick of his finger, a cloud of dark green poisonous mist engulfed a blazing energy blast. Poison Undying, hearing the telepathic message, paled slightly. Suddenly, a jolt went through him. While everyone else was distracted, he noticed a wisp of black energy swirling around the corpse on the ground.
"An evil soul master?" Poison Undying's eyes widened in surprise. He glanced deeply at Hongchen, then his two-hundred-year-old yellow soul ring lit up. With a wave of his hand, endless, tidal waves of poisonous mist spread in all directions.
Anything touched by the poisonous mist melted, even rare metals were not spared.
Second Soul Skill, Poisonous Cloud Tide.
"Retreat," Poison Undying growled.
In an instant, the members of the Body Sect, who were engaged in fierce combat with numerous soul masters, gathered together, taking their fallen comrades with them. Under the cover of Poison Undying's soul skill, they burrowed into the ground and fled.
Inside the underground base, witnessing the terrifying power of the spreading poisonous cloud, Jing Hongchen and the other two level-nine soul masters, along with twelve level-eight soul masters, all felt their eyelids twitch.
Working together, led by Jing Hongchen, they released a soul tool shaped like a chessboard. Black and white light shone forth, containing terrifying sealing power. In an instant, just as the soul masters of Mingde Hall were fearing the poisonous cloud, a flash of black and white light appeared, and the poisonous cloud released by Du Busi vanished instantly.
At the same time, the remaining toxins were completely wiped away. Even so, the vast research base was already riddled with holes and corroded in many places.
"Immediately launch a rescue operation!" Jing Hongchen stared in the direction the Body Sect had left, his fists clenched tightly. If looks could kill, Du Busi would have died countless times over. But suddenly, as if remembering something, a chill ran down his spine, and he rushed impatiently towards the lower levels of the base.
As Jing Hongchen's loyal subordinate, Lin Jiayi immediately gathered the uninjured to begin the rescue. He also took the opportunity to calculate the losses so he could inform Jing Hongchen later.
The painful cries of agony grew clearer as the battle ended; most of the Mingde Hall's soul masters were injured.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
"Yuhao!" Just as Huo Yuhao was silently observing everything, an extremely anxious voice rang out—it was Qian Duoduo.
Huo Yuhao quickly got up, traversed the ruined base, and found Qian Duoduo, who was looking around frantically.
"Dean Qian," he called out.
Qian Duoduo's body trembled. He quickly looked over, and seeing the unharmed Huo Yuhao, he almost burst into tears. Huo Yuhao was the future of the academy; if something had happened to him, he didn't know how to face Elder Mu.
"Good, good, good," Qian Duoduo patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder excitedly.
Huo Yuhao asked in a low voice, "Dean Qian, is everyone alright?"
"Everyone's fine." Mentioning this, Qian Duoduo's expression also turned strange. He could easily tell who the attacker was. "We've been here for quite a while, come and help. Mingde Hall has suffered too many losses this time."
Although the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and Mingde Hall were enemies, seeing so many young people die, Qian Duoduo felt a pang of sadness.
"Okay." Huo Yuhao didn't refuse and joined Qian Duoduo and the others from Shrek Academy to help deal with the situation.
However, no one noticed that the souls of some of the corpses were strangely disappearing.
At the same time, a cryptic figure darted through the crowd, seemingly searching for something. She quickly headed in the direction Jing Hongchen had gone.
As the wind blew, Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, his eyes meeting the woman's. They quickly looked away, each continuing with their own tasks.
...
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