Han Tianyi remained on the first floor of the Spirit Pagoda. He did not need to make any redundant movements; just standing there, that dense aura belonging to a Super Douluo was enough to make everyone settle down.
Those staff members who had originally wanted to sneak away consciously pulled back their steps upon feeling that invisible oppression, staying obediently in place, not even daring to glance more in that direction.
Perhaps because a secret research institute was hidden underground in this Branch Pagoda, there weren't many people coming and going to begin with.
Coupled with the swift actions of Leng Yaozhu and the other two, it didn't attract too much external attention, saving a lot of trouble.
Led by Hua Tao, Huo Yuhao and Leng Yaozhu walked into the entrance of the underground research institute. After passing through the identification and authentication of various checkpoints, they finally entered the underground laboratory.
As he walked, Huo Yuhao secretly observed the surrounding environment, feeling a bit more agreement in his heart toward Hua Tao's previous words.
Many ordinary staff members of the Spirit Pagoda truly should not know what was hidden underground.
The design of these checkpoints was extremely strict, with permissions separated layer by layer. Ordinary people were simply unable to step foot into this area.
Along the way, they did run into a few personnel wearing white work clothes walking outside. Huo Yuhao gave each of them a Spiritual Impact, with just the right amount of force, enough to let them sleep peacefully for a whole day.
As for those three Evil Soul Masters, Huo Yuhao dealt with them in the same way.
He did not deal a fatal blow; these people were the most direct criminal evidence of Qiangu Dongfeng colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult.
He needed them to live, to live until it was time for them to speak.
Ultimately, led by Hua Tao, the two arrived before the door of a laboratory.
Through the transparent glass window on the door, one could see about a dozen researchers wearing white lab coats inside, each busy with their own tasks.
Someone lowered their head to operate a precision soul guidance device, someone surrounded a test bench discussing something in low voices, and someone was holding a test tube filled with light blue liquid against the light to observe the color change.
Leng Yaozhu's gaze slowly swept across the room through the glass layer, her brows slightly furrowed as she asked, "What on earth are you guys helping the Holy Spirit Cult research?"
Hua Tao had already resigned himself to his fate at this moment, naturally telling everything he knew: "It should be a kind of emotion-suppressing potion. I don't know the specifics either. This is the Pagoda Master's order, and the specific research content was also provided by the Holy Spirit Cult."
Leng Yaozhu did not answer immediately. Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao stood beside her, his gaze similarly falling upon that laboratory, yet it suddenly tightened slightly.
His line of sight crossed those busy figures wearing white lab coats and stopped on two people by the window. They were a middle-aged man and woman, whom Huo Yuhao had seen before.
Of course, he hadn't truly met them in person; rather, he had seen their photos at Tang Wulin's place before.
They were Tang Wulin's adoptive parents, Tang Ziran and Lang Yue.
Tang Wulin had always been searching for them, but had never found them.
Huo Yuhao never expected that he would encounter these two people here, in this secret laboratory hidden underground in the Lingbo City Spirit Pagoda.
His gaze lingered on the two for a moment, his brain spinning rapidly, before he withdrew his line of sight with a normal expression.
Huo Yuhao did not immediately rush in to reveal his identity and say that he knew Tang Wulin.
He knew that these people could be considered saved now. Once the matters here were settled, the Spirit Pagoda would naturally arrange for them to return to their respective homes.
However, he still silently noted down this matter, planning to notify Tang Wulin after finishing this current spell and tell him this good news.
After taking a tour around the underground research institute, the three of them took the soul guidance elevator directly up to the very top floor of the Spirit Pagoda.
This office was not small in area, and its decoration was quite exquisite. Dark wooden furniture matched with warm-toned soul guidance lamps carried a sense of steady composure belonging to a person in real power.
The Pagoda Master of the Lingbo City Branch Pagoda was a middle-aged man named Zhao Qing, a ninety-second-level Titled Douluo.
At this moment, he was standing obediently in front of the desk, his face tinged with a trace of terrified paleness. Huo Yuhao had likewise put a Spirit Power suppressor on him.
Leng Yaozhu sat down behind the desk, her spine straight and her hands crossed and placed on the desktop.
Her gaze slowly swept over the two people in front of her, and she asked, "Where are the people of the Holy Spirit Cult? Do you know?"
Zhao Qing subconsciously glanced at Hua Tao beside him, then quickly withdrew his gaze, his lips moving but making no sound.
He truly didn't know; he was only the nominal person in charge of this Branch Pagoda, and Hua Tao handled the specific matters.
He wondered if he could only be considered as withholding information of which he was aware. He definitely hadn't colluded with the Holy Spirit Cult!
Hua Tao's gaze flickered. A moment later, he raised his head, a trace of cautiousness in his tone as he said, "If I speak out... would it count as meritorious service to atone for my crimes?"
Leng Yaozhu's voice turned cold: "Right now, you do not yet have the qualifications to negotiate conditions."
Hua Tao trembled all over, and the bargaining thoughts that had just popped up were mostly extinguished by this single sentence.
He quickly lowered his head, his speed of speech a bit faster than just now: "I know two of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult are on the Douling Continent."
Leng Yaozhu pursued the question: "Which two?"
Hua Tao's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and he said, "Dark Bell and Dark Phoenix."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yaozhu's gaze contracted slightly, silently thinking to herself that as expected.
She immediately followed up by asking, "Where are they? Are there other people from the Holy Spirit Cult on the Douling Continent?"
However, Hua Tao shook his head: "I truly don't know where specifically. Previously, they always took the initiative to come to the Spirit Pagoda to find me."
Leng Yaozhu was silent for a moment, as if judging the truth or falsity of Hua Tao's words.
Although Leng Yaozhu was eagerly longing to see her younger sister, she was not blinded by it.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze pausing for an instant on Hua Tao's face piled with a wry smile, before speaking: "Contact the Holy Spirit Cult and say that the research has made some progress. They should come over to take a look, right?"
Hua Tao's expression was somewhat uncertain: "Should... be able to come?"
Leng Yaozhu did not give him more time to hesitate, directly handing his soul guidance communicator back into his hands. Her tone was flat yet carried an unquestionable weight: "Contact them right now, and don't play any tricks."
Hua Tao took the communicator, his fingertips rubbing against the smooth fuselage for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "How would I dare?"
He took a deep breath, flipped out that unmarked number in the address book, and pressed the dial button.
The speed at which the communication connected was faster than he had anticipated, and a cold voice came from the microphone: "What is it?!"
As soon as Leng Yaozhu heard it, she judged that the person on the other end of the communicator was precisely her younger sister, Dark Phoenix Leng Yulai.
Hua Tao subconsciously glanced at Leng Yaozhu, then made his tone maintain its usual calmness: "The research has made some progress. Do you guys want to come over and take a look?"
The other end of the communication was silent for an instant, then Dark Phoenix Leng Yulai's voice sounded again: "I will send someone to fetch it."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yaozhu immediately gave Hua Tao a look, and Hua Tao understood tacitly.
He understood that Leng Yaozhu's target was Dark Phoenix Leng Yulai herself, so naturally he couldn't let the other party just send a subordinate over to perfunctorily wrap things up.
His mind spun rapidly, and within a few breaths, he organized a set of rhetoric: "The laboratory is also preparing to move to another place. You'd better come over personally to take the people away."
The other end of the communication fell silent once again. That silence was even longer than before, so long that Hua Tao's fingertips grew slightly cold.
A moment later, Dark Phoenix Leng Yulai's voice came again: "Why does the laboratory need to change places? You didn't discuss it with us beforehand."
Hua Tao righteously picked up the conversation: "Isn't it because the commotion you guys made earlier was too big? The entire continent is hunting down the Holy Spirit Cult right now, and the headquarters will recently send people over. Putting the laboratory under the Spirit Pagoda is no longer safe."
Dark Phoenix Leng Yulai's side became quiet for a few more breaths, as if weighing something.
Finally, her voice sounded once more, loosening up a bit compared to before: "Alright, I'll come over tomorrow morning. Have your side ready."
Hua Tao secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, while outwardly maintaining that unhurried tone: "No problem. Tomorrow morning, I will wait for you guys at the Spirit Pagoda."
After ending the communication, Hua Tao let out a long breath.
He looked at Vice Tower Master Leng, squeezing out a hint of ingratiating smile on his face: "Vice Tower Master Leng, was my performance alright?"
Leng Yaozhu merely glanced at him indifferently, turning instead to look at Han Tianyi: "There's no problem on the Spirit Pagoda's side, right?"
Han Tianyi leaned against the window, gently nodding upon hearing this: "Rest assured, no news will leak."
Leng Yaozhu nodded, her gaze falling outside the window with a trace of anticipation and melancholy in her tone: "Then get ready. Tomorrow is the real show."
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.