A massive white cloud floated nearly ten thousand meters high in the sky, with the deep blue abyss of the North Sea stretching below.
Upon the cloud, Jing Shaoyu and the five girls sat in a circle, each face brimming with novelty and excitement. While flight was effortless for them, this was their first time sitting so comfortably at such an altitude without needing to sustain themselves with Soul Power.
"Shaoyu-gege, this cloud is so convenient!" Xu Xiaoyan cheerfully patted the cloud beneath her, her voice filled with excitement. The cloud was soft yet resilient, like a cotton-woven quilt, offering an excellent tactile experience.
"Absolutely!" Ye Xinglan nodded repeatedly. "Brother Yu, your mastery of wind elements surpasses even Gu Yue's."
"Hahaha, don't praise me too much—I might just float away," Jing Shaoyu laughed heartily.
The five girls joined in with melodious laughter, their joyous atmosphere drifting across the ten-thousand-meter-high sky.
"By the way," Jing Shaoyu said after the laughter subsided, "once we return to the academy, you must immediately begin crafting your Two-Word Battle Armor. There's no more time to delay."
At his words, the girls' expressions turned serious. Mo Hentian spoke up, "No problem. I've already forged all the metal everyone needs. I can even handle the Soul Forged Alloy required for Three-Word Battle Armor now."
"My Two-Word Battle Armor is just two pieces short of completion. Once we're back at the academy, help me finish it first, okay?" Wu Siduo said, her gaze settling on Xu Xiaoyan. "Xiaoyan, no issues, right?"
"No problem at all!" Xu Xiaoyan immediately thumped her chest in assurance. "At most a month, and Maomao, you'll be a Two-Word Battle Armor Master!"
"I can also start working on Xiao Mo's Two-Word Battle Armor," Ye Xinglan suggested, looking at Mo Hentian.
"Great! Thank you, Xinglan-jie," Mo Hentian replied with a sweet, guileless smile.
Listening to their plans, Jing Shaoyu nodded in satisfaction before turning to Lan Fozi beside him. A thought crossed his mind, and he asked, "Fozi, do you want to transfer your Two-Word Battle Armor production to our team?"
"Huh?" Lan Fozi seemed distracted, and Jing Shaoyu's question startled her. She waved her hands hurriedly. "Wouldn't that trouble everyone? It's better not to."
"If you're unwilling, I won't force you," Jing Shaoyu said with a smile, inwardly amused. This little whale was truly entertaining. Fine, let's see how long you plan to keep hiding.
By now, he was certain Lan Fozi hadn't truly transformed into a human but had temporarily assumed human form through some secret technique. Her actual strength was likely at the Titled Douluo level, with her Soul Rings acting more like layers of seals.
Jing Shaoyu had no intention of exposing her—he still planned to use her to locate the Demon Empress.
His Doomsday Divine Spear Martial Soul still lacked three Soul Rings. Currently, on the Douluo Continent, only two Soul Beasts were suitable. He had no plans to target Di Tian—first because of Gu Yue and Na'er, and second because of the Dragon God. As the only remaining direct descendant of the dragon race, Di Tian had a role to play in the future.
Thus, the Demon Empress was the only option left.
The Demon Empress was likely the only Soul Beast to have broken through to god-level, though her divine cultivation was largely due to the Abyss. Still, becoming his Soul Ring would be more than sufficient.
As for whether this would hurt Lan Fozi, Jing Shaoyu could only say that the little whale wasn't that fragile. Besides, having the Demon Empress become his Soul Ring would be nothing but beneficial—for him, for her, and even for the Demon Empress herself.
First, the Demon Empress had colluded with the Abyss to invade Douluo Star—that alone was enough to sentence her to death. Second, Lan Fozi herself opposed the Demon Empress's actions (though there was a possibility she had been brainwashed by someone). And finally, Jing Shaoyu had a need for Soul Rings. He was the Planet Spirit, the future master of a God Star. Becoming his Soul Spirit would guarantee at least a second-tier Divine Throne in the future—something countless Soul Beasts could only dream of!
Out of consideration for Lan Fozi, Jing Shaoyu planned to try diplomacy first. But if the Demon Empress refused to see reason, he wouldn't hesitate to resort to force. After all, his relationship with Lan Fozi was only that of friends.
Lan Fozi felt an inexplicable gaze fixed on her, making her uneasy, as if something was about to slip away. It was strange. She shook her head and then noticed Jing Shaoyu staring at her with an odd expression. Puzzled, she asked, "Shaoyu-ge, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"Nope," Jing Shaoyu smiled. "I was just curious—we've known each other for so long, but I've never asked about your family. Why don't you tell us about them now?"
"Yeah, yeah! Fozi, if Xiaoyu-ge hadn't mentioned it, we wouldn't have realized it either. We've known you for ages, but you've never talked about your family!" Xu Xiaoyan immediately chimed in.
"Ah? Well, um..." Lan Fozi's expression twisted with hesitation and sorrow as she stammered, "My family... My father passed away. I live with my mother."
"Oh no! Fozi, don't be sad," Xu Xiaoyan quickly comforted her.
"It's fine. I'm used to it," Lan Fozi forced a smile. "My mother and I get by just fine."
"True. Even if you end up alone in the future, you should still live earnestly," Jing Shaoyu nodded. His words immediately left Lan Fozi speechless.
"Xiaoyu-ge, that's not how you comfort someone!" Xu Xiaoyan scolded, lightly punching his arm.
Ye Xinglan immediately defended him. "What Yu-ge said isn't wrong. We're all adults now—we should be independent. Look at me, look at Duoduo, look at Xiao Mo, and even Yu-ge. Aren't we all parentless orphans?"
The moment she said this, Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian rolled their eyes in exasperation.
"My parents may be gone, but I still have my grandfather and great-grandmother. I'm not an orphan, thank you very much!" Wu Siduo retorted.
"I also have my grandfather. Not an orphan either," Mo Hentian added with a nod.
"Right, right! Xinglan, don't you have grandparents too?" Xu Xiaoyan countered, bringing up Ye Xinglan's family situation.
"Hahaha, so I'm the only real orphan here!" Jing Shaoyu shrugged helplessly.
"Brother Shaoyu, you still have Aunt Jing and Aunt Lin, don't you?" Xu Xiaoyan immediately chimed in. "So you can't really be considered an orphan!"
After this little episode, the tension among the group on the cloud dissipated, and Lan Fozi no longer shied away from mentioning her family.
"Fozi, how about visiting your home sometime? Would that be welcome?" Jing Shaoyu asked cheerfully, revealing his true intention.
"Well... that might be possible," Lan Fozi replied, her heart tightening even as she maintained a calm smile. Panic surged within her as she added, "I'll need to ask my mother first before I can give you a definite answer. Sorry about that, Brother Shaoyu."
"No worries, I've got plenty of time to wait," Jing Shaoyu assured her.
"Um, Class President..." Mo Hentian fidgeted slightly before speaking up. "You should come visit my home too. My grandfather has been wanting to meet you for a while now."
"You're welcome at my place as well," Ye Xinglan quickly added. "My home isn't far from Shrek City."
"Even though you've already been to my place, I wouldn't mind hosting you again," Wu Siduo said with a smile.
"Hehe," Xu Xiaoyan giggled smugly. "Then I won't compete with you all—Brother Shaoyu just visited my home recently."
Seeing the hopeful gazes of the girls, Jing Shaoyu couldn't possibly refuse. He nodded and declared, "No problem! After we return to the academy and before we enlist for military service, we can arrange visits to each of your homes. Be sure to prepare a warm welcome!"
"Yay!" Wu Siduo, Ye Xinglan, and Mo Hentian cheered excitedly.
Lan Fozi watched the scene unfold with envy, resolving to contact her family in the sea as soon as they returned to the academy.
The cloud soared swiftly through the sky, carrying the six of them across the North Sea in no time, arriving above North Sea City.
Meanwhile, at the Spirit Transfer Pagoda headquarters...
Leng Yaozhu sat in her office, her gaze flickering with mild disinterest as she regarded her disciple before her. "Well? What's so urgent this time?" she asked, her tone slightly dismissive.
"Can't I see you without a reason, Teacher-Sister~?" Gu Yue retorted, irritation flaring at Leng Yaozhu's increasingly languid demeanor. The woman was truly infuriating, and her words carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Either call me 'Teacher' or 'Sister.' What kind of strange hybrid is 'Teacher-Sister'?" Leng Yaozhu tilted her head slightly, her voice lazy yet undeniably alluring.
"Why was the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform project halted?" Gu Yue had no patience for semantic debates and cut straight to the point. "You know the development was progressing smoothly. Why stop it now?"
Leng Yaozhu chuckled melodiously at Gu Yue's bristling reaction. "See? Always so impatient. While the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform is important, your health is far more precious. If you exhaust yourself, how will I explain it to A Yuan?"
"Nonsense!" Gu Yue's face flushed with indignation. "I don't feel tired at all—what gives you the right to decide that for me? Reopen the platform immediately!"
"Hehe~" Leng Yaozhu remained unfazed, her smile radiant. "Fine, but it'll have to wait a few more days."
"Why?" Gu Yue's expression relaxed slightly at the concession, but her brow furrowed again in suspicion.
"I haven't been in good condition these past few days and need some rest," Leng Yaozhu said. "I'll reopen the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform when I'm in a better mood."
"You..." Gu Yue gritted her teeth in anger, her voice laced with irritation. "Who knows when your mood will improve? What if it takes a whole year? Are you saying the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform won't reopen for a year?"
"Maybe!" Leng Yaozhu's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips curling into a smirk. "Perhaps my mood will improve when A Yuan returns."
"...Hmph!" Gu Yue let out a cold snort, her expression icy as she turned and walked away without another word, making it clear she had no interest in further argument.
Watching Gu Yue storm off in a huff, Leng Yaozhu remained unfazed, her eyes shimmering with an increasingly dreamy light.
Douluo Star, an unknown location.
Before Tang Hao, father of Poseidon, stood a massive blue plant woven into a cocoon-like shape, pulsing intermittently with light as though breathing. On the other side of the plant stood a woman in a blue dress, her gentle aura mirroring the plant's presence.
Both she and Tang Hao had their eyes closed, their hands extended over the blue plant as pure energy flowed from their palms, fully absorbed by the plant.
After a long while, their faces grew pale, and they finally ceased the energy transfer. Supporting each other, they slumped to the ground, sitting cross-legged as they began to recover.
"Whew..." Tang Hao exhaled deeply, his voice low and weary. "It's finally over. A whole year, but Wu Lin's body is finally restored."
"Yes, at least we can give Xiao San some peace now," the blue-clad woman replied, her voice tinged with relief. Her identity was unmistakable—A Yin, the Blue Silver Empress and mother of Poseidon.
For the past year, the couple had done nothing else, dedicating themselves entirely to saving Tang Wulin's life.
The Golden Dragon King Essence and bloodline were overwhelmingly potent. Having resided in Tang Wulin's body for eighteen years, his physique, bloodline, organs, and meridians rapidly withered and atrophied as the essence was extracted, nearly condemning him to death.
Tang Hao and A Yin couldn't possibly let Tang Wulin die before their eyes. They paid an immense price to reverse the withering of his life force, then spent an entire year continuously channeling energy to rebuild his body and reignite his bloodline.
In the process, Tang Hao's cultivation regressed, and A Yin's state became fragmented—losses too severe to ignore.
"All of this is Shrek Academy's fault!" Tang Hao's face twisted with hatred. "Ungrateful traitors—they've crossed the line!"
"Hao-ge, we must endure for now," A Yin quickly grasped his hand, urging. "In our current state, we can't afford further conflict. Not long ago, you suffered backlash from the world's laws, and I've lost partial authority over the planet's core. Right now, securing our control over Douluo Star is the priority."
"I know, San-mei," Tang Hao replied, calming slightly, though his voice still seethed. "I'm just venting. I won't recklessly seek revenge on Shrek Academy."
About a year ago, shortly after he had brought Tang Wulin back to their secluded retreat, unusual disturbances suddenly occurred on Douluo Star. As the Plane Master, Tang Hao, and A Yin, who had replaced the Core of Life, both suffered backlash. This filled him with terror, thinking it was a counterattack from the world's consciousness due to his injuries.
However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the world's consciousness had completely dissipated. Overjoyed, he dismissed the disturbances on Douluo Star as mere instinctive reactions following the disappearance of the world's consciousness and paid no further attention to it, especially since Tang Wulin's life was of greater importance.
Thus, even when he sensed that part of his authority as the Plane Master had diminished, he harbored no suspicions.
"Alright, these are just minor issues," A Yin, whose thoughts were far clearer than Tang Hao's, said. "Once Xiao San's plan succeeds, we can always rebuild Shrek Academy. So let's not dwell on these matters anymore."
"Yes, you're right!" Tang Hao nodded immediately. The thought that his recklessness had already caused deviations in Xiao San's plan filled him with dread. He absolutely couldn't afford to complicate things further, so he said honestly, "We should go into seclusion now and restore ourselves to peak condition as soon as possible. There must be no more mistakes in Xiao San's plan!"
A Yin agreed, then glanced at the Blue Silver Grass nearby and asked, "What about Wu Lin? How should we arrange for him?"
"Send him to the Haotian Sect and let Da Ming and Er Ming take care of him," Tang Hao replied without hesitation. "It's also a good opportunity for him to learn the Clear Sky Hammer."
"That works." A Yin didn't oppose her husband's arrangement and nodded. "Da Ming is meticulous and reliable, while Er Ming is bold and cheerful. It'll be good for Wu Lin to spend time with his two uncles."
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