Jiang Qingtong turned to Huo Yuhao and said:
"Yuhao, once the Body Sect arrives in the Sun Moon Empire, some of the soul tools that require field testing can be entrusted to them. Cultivators of body martial souls possess physiques far superior to ordinary soul masters."
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up as he nodded eagerly:
"Alright! If Teacher learns of this, he'll be overjoyed!"
Xuan Ziwen and Huo Yuhao were in the midst of researching a type of soul tool armor that could be worn directly, augmenting a soul master's combat power — essentially granting the functions of external spirit bones. But the research was fraught with difficulties, one of the greatest being the lack of suitable testers.
The bodies of ordinary soul masters were simply too fragile.
If the Body Sect joined, it would be different! A powerful body martial soul cultivator possessed a physique far beyond that of common soul masters — born to be the best test subjects.
The Demonic Forest, headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult.
When Zhongli Wu and the others returned, the cult members stationed there immediately realized something had gone wrong. Their group had set out in full force, yet only a few returned — and in such miserable condition!
Vice-Cult Master Feng Ling had lost an arm. Cult Master Zhongli Wu's entire side bore scars like frostbite. Even Ye Xishui, the Limit Douluo, looked worse for wear!
Adding to this, Long Xiaoyao's grim expression — and his well-known disdain for evil soul masters — left no one daring to approach and ask questions.
Eventually, Zhongli Wu himself ordered the higher-ups to be gathered.
Soon, aside from the Titled Douluo and several Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters dispatched to Xu Tiannan, every senior member of the Holy Spirit Cult assembled before Zhongli Wu.
As his eyes swept over the crowd, his chest rose and fell with barely suppressed fury. Though low-level evil soul masters remained plentiful, there were fewer than thirty at the Soul Sage level and above!
As for Titled Douluo — excluding Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, and subtracting himself, Feng Ling, and the one sent to Mingdu — the Holy Spirit Cult had only three left. All were ordinary Titled Douluo. Not a single Super Douluo remained!
Over seventy percent of the cult's high-end combat power had been wiped out by Jiang Shengyu and Jiang Qingtong.
Among the gathered, someone finally found the courage to whisper:
"Cult Master, what… what happened? Weren't you and the Supreme Elder going to bring back the Holy Son and Holy Daughter? How could it…"
The words made Zhongli Wu's face darken further. He turned toward the speaker, inhaled deeply, and declared coldly:
"From this moment on, no one is permitted to speak of Jiang Shengyu or Jiang Qingtong again!"
His voice was frigid, and though doubts churned in everyone's hearts, none dared push further under his oppressive aura.
"Send word to all members outside — remain hidden, avoid exposure at all costs. Our cult has suffered a grievous wound; we must rest and recover."
"Yes, Cult Master!"
Though Zhongli Wu hadn't explained the details, his words made the situation clear enough: those who had gone with him… were all dead.
But why?
It was only two youngsters, neither even Soul Emperors yet. How could it come to this? Did they have an limit Douluo protecting them? But wasn't Ye Xishui there as well?
Even so, they hadn't managed to capture them?
Eyes darted and schemes turned in the minds of the evil soul masters. But when Zhongli Wu released a suffocating aura — stronger than even an ordinary level 98 Super Douluo — all those schemes were forced back down.
"Cult Master, your cultivation… has improved again?"
Two of the Titled Douluo stared at him in astonishment.
At this moment, Zhongli Wu's presence almost rivaled Ye Xishui's!
Did this mean he was about to break through to limit Douluo?
If so, the Holy Spirit Cult would soon boast three limit Douluo. What an unimaginable power that would be!
Even if Long Xiaoyao refused to fully involve himself, with Ye Xishui and Zhongli Wu together, the cult could already surpass all others and claim dominance over the continent.
At the side, Feng Ling stirred as if to speak, but only moved her lips before falling into silence.
Zhongli Wu glanced at her briefly, then nodded and addressed the crowd:
"This time, I have suffered a heavy setback. But it has also granted me deeper insight into cultivation. I believe that before long, I will surely break through to limit Douluo! By then, the losses we have suffered will be easily regained."
Whether or not Zhongli Wu could truly ascend to limit Douluo, his current strength was undeniable. With this display, any flickers of dissent among his followers were instantly extinguished, replaced by renewed loyalty.
After dismissing the assembly, Zhongli Wu stopped one of the Titled Douluo and asked:
"How is the Phoenix Saintess that the Dragon Emperor Douluo brought back from Shrek?"
The Titled Douluo bowed and replied:
"Her martial soul has completely transformed into one of darkness. We are erasing her memories and suppressing her soul. It won't be long before she becomes a true evil soul master."
Zhongli Wu nodded in satisfaction, his stern expression easing slightly.
"Good. Once she matures, a peerless evil soul master of the Ultimate Fire attribute will be enough to sustain our cult's glory for centuries! Your responsibility is great — do not grow lax."
"Yes, Cult Master!"
Deep in the Demonic Forest, Di Tian found the Evil Eye Tyrant Master — the Evil Emperor — residing there.
A dense mist of violet and black swirled around the Evil Emperor's body. From within it, its many eyes glared at Di Tian as it growled:
"Beast of the Star Dou Forest, what business do you have here?"
Ever since its defeat at Di Tian's claws thousands of years ago, the Evil Emperor had never again left the Demonic Forest. It could not imagine what Di Tian wanted here — the Demonic Forest was far inferior to the Star Dou Forest. Surely there was nothing here worth coveting.
Ignoring the countless Evil Eyes lurking in the mist, Di Tian fixed his gaze on the Evil Emperor itself and declared his purpose:
"I want you to lead all the soul beasts of the Demonic Forest to submit to the Star Dou Forest. When necessary, you will obey its commands."
"Impossible!"
The Evil Emperor rejected him without hesitation.
"The Sun Moon humans respect us. They revere us. The Demonic Forest and my children have no need to become your Star Dou Forest's vanguard and cannon fodder."
It assumed Di Tian sought to launch a new Beast Tide and wanted to use the Demonic Forest's beasts as sacrifices. Thus, it refused outright.
But Di Tian did not waste words. Instead, he produced a silver scale — a scale of the Silver Dragon King — and said coldly:
"Evil Emperor, this is an order from our Lord."
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