Chapter 231: Questioning Huo Yuhao—Don't You Know You've Been Manipulated?
High above the mortal plane, within the ethereal expanse of the God Realm, Tang San sat in absolute silence. His slender fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his divine throne—tap, tap—before coming to an abrupt halt.
His azure eyes remained locked onto the shimmering surface of the Water Mirror. Although Liu Yuan's retreating figure had already dissolved into the thick, swirling mist within the projection, the echoes of the previous encounter played on an endless loop in Tang San's mind.
When Liu Yuan had uttered the words "Imperial Auspicious Beast," his tone had been entirely too calm.
It lacked the hesitation of a blind guess or the probing inflection of a bluff. It was absolute certainty. It was as if the youth had known exactly who Wang Qiu'er was from the very beginning, seeing right through to her true, primordial form.
A rare fracture formed in Tang San's absolute confidence. The logic simply did not align. The fact that Wang Qiu'er was the Imperial Auspicious Beast was a closely guarded secret, something almost no entity below the God Realm possessed the qualifications to know. Her disguise was not some common transformation technique that could be pierced by a sharp gaze; it was a fundamental shift originating from her own Auspicious Beast Origin.
That level of disguise was something even a Rank 98 Super Douluo like Du Busi had failed to see through. So how could Liu Yuan, a mere Rank 62 Soul Emperor, possibly perceive the truth?
Tang San leaned back, his mind rapidly tracing the complex web of his original arrangements. Wang Qiu'er was a vital pawn on his chessboard. Years ago, he had forcefully torn away a wisp of his own daughter's Divine Sense and planted it deep inside Wang Qiu'er's body. He had done this specifically to forge an invisible tether, a tool he would eventually use to completely tame and control Huo Yuhao.
Wang Qiu'er's sudden appearance by Yuhao's side was no accident. It was a calculated inevitability, carefully designed by the Sea God himself. She was meant to appear before the boy at the exact right time, in the exact right place, bearing the exact right identity. The goal was to slowly cultivate trust, forcing Yuhao to gradually develop a deep, unbreakable dependency on her.
He had planned this sequence for years, running countless simulations of every single link in the chain. He had believed it to be entirely foolproof.
But now, because of a single, casually dropped sentence from Liu Yuan, Wang Qiu'er's identity had been laid bare. Huo Yuhao would no longer trust her. She had lost all justification to remain by his side. In an instant, a king-tier pawn had been rendered utterly useless.
A shadow passed over Tang San's usually placid features. His jaw tightened imperceptibly.
His frustration did not stem merely from the loss of Wang Qiu'er. It stemmed from the chilling realization that he had fundamentally miscalculated a single variable.
This youth, Liu Yuan. From a discarded Shrek Academy outcast to the undisputed successor of the Body Sect. From the champion of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Duel Tournament to a Rank 62 Soul Emperor who had already condensed a First Soul Core. Every step the boy took was terrifyingly steady, and every single step fell completely outside of Tang San's divine vision.
Tang San remembered his previous decision—that he would deal with Liu Yuan only after he had finished molding Huo Yuhao. But now, a seed of doubt took root. Had he gotten the order backward?
Liu Yuan was infinitely more difficult to control than Huo Yuhao.
Every one of Yuhao's steps fell neatly within his calculations. Tang San saw the boy's emotional weaknesses with crystal clarity and knew exactly which strings to pull to manipulate him. But Liu Yuan was a different breed entirely. This youth possessed no obvious emotional tethers. He didn't covet empty fame or fortune, he didn't fear absolute power, and he didn't even give a monolithic entity like Shrek Academy any face whatsoever.
Such a person was nearly impossible to tame.
What worried Tang San even more was the cascading effect Liu Yuan might have on his subsequent plans. Taming Huo Yuhao wasn't a task that could be accomplished in a single stroke; it required a long, agonizing process of breaking and rebuilding. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was merely the first crucible. There were many more trials waiting in the wings.
If Liu Yuan remained by Yuhao's side, or worse, continued to actively interfere in his fate, Tang San's grand design would be torn to shreds.
Tang San's brow furrowed tighter, forming deep creases.
Tai Tan, standing like a mountain of muscle behind the throne, observed the shifting micro-expressions on the Sea God's face. "Lord Tang San," Tai Tan rumbled cautiously, "do I need to descend to the Lower Realm to keep an eye on this Liu Yuan?"
Tang San remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he shook his head.
"No need. Descending now won't change the current variables." Tang San's voice had returned to its customary calmness, but Tai Tan's sharp ears caught the dangerous intensity suppressed just beneath the surface. "Let us see what he does next. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is not a place one simply walks into. How long he can survive inside, and what resources he can actually extract, remain unknown."
Tai Tan bowed his head in acknowledgment and stepped back into the shadows.
Tang San's gaze drifted back to the Water Mirror. The projection showed nothing but swirling, impenetrable mist. The silhouettes of the mortals were long gone.
He stared into the gray fog, his fingers resuming their rhythmic tapping against the armrest. Tap. Tap.
"Liu Yuan..." he whispered into the empty hall, rolling the syllables over his tongue as if dissecting a particularly venomous poison.
Deep within the Sunset Forest, the descent into the abyss was treacherous.
Huo Yuhao trailed carefully behind Liu Yuan, handling the sheer, near-vertical stone wall. The rock face was slick with centuries of accumulated moss, making every foothold a gamble. He kept his center of gravity low, moving with extreme caution.
Du Busi led the vanguard. Even with his left shoulder still bearing the lingering effects of his recent injury, this kind of hazardous terrain meant absolutely nothing to a Super Douluo. He practically glided down the cliffside. Long Aotian took up the rear flank beside Liu Yuan, his sharp eyes occasionally scanning the gloom above to ensure they weren't being tracked.
As Yuhao carefully picked his way down, he maintained a steady mental conversation with Electrolux.
The phantom of the Holy Necromancer drifted effortlessly beside Liu Yuan, refusing to retreat into Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness. The elder's condition had improved drastically since their last encounter. His spectral form was far more solid, no longer flickering like a dying candle in the wind. Even the weathered lines of wisdom etched into his ancient face were sharply defined.
"Elder Yi, how are you feeling now?" Yuhao asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.
Electrolux smiled, the expression radiating a gentle warmth. "Much better, child. That boy Liu Yuan has procured many extraordinary things for this old man. The pure nourishment provided by the gold of life has been far more effective than I ever anticipated."
A heavy knot in Yuhao's chest began to loosen. Back then, he had been forced to let Electrolux go simply because his own cultivation was too weak to sustain the elder's fragmented divine soul. Seeing his mentor recovering so well under Liu Yuan's care washed away a significant portion of the guilt that had been eating at him.
"That's good," Yuhao breathed out. He shifted his gaze to Liu Yuan's back. "Thank you for taking care of Elder Yi."
Liu Yuan didn't even break his stride. He didn't turn around. "Save your thanks," he replied, his tone entirely pragmatic. "Elder Yi has provided me with very useful assistance. Ensuring his recovery is simply a matter of returning the favor."
Yuhao pressed his lips together, saying nothing more.
The group pressed deeper into the ravine. The incline grew steeper, and the surrounding atmosphere shifted. A faint, sickly green mist began to swirl around their ankles, steadily rising higher. It carried an indescribable, cloying scent. It wasn't immediately pungent, but breathing it in for more than a few seconds made the edges of Yuhao's vision blur with dizziness.
Noticing the miasma, Du Busi casually waved his uninjured hand. A thin, shimmering barrier of soul power expanded outward, enveloping the entire group and completely isolating them from the toxic erosion.
They descended in silence for several more minutes before Liu Yuan suddenly came to a halt.
"Huo Yuhao," Liu Yuan spoke, his voice cutting through the quiet gloom. "Did you mention earlier that your sole reason for coming to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was because you received a letter?"
Yuhao paused on a narrow ledge, nodding. "Yes. A letter from my two uncles, Tai Tan and Niu Tian. They wrote that Dong'er suffers from a severe innate hidden ailment, and that the only thing in the world capable of curing her is the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb."
Liu Yuan slowly turned around, his dark eyes locking onto Yuhao.
"Are you absolutely sure this is true?" Liu Yuan's tone was flat, lacking any inflection, yet the question struck like a physical blow.
Yuhao frowned, a flicker of defensiveness rising in his chest. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Liu Yuan replied, his gaze unwavering. "Have you actually confirmed that Wang Dong'er possesses this life-threatening illness? Have you asked her about it yourself? Or did you simply take a piece of paper at face value and blindly believe it?"
Yuhao opened his mouth to argue, to defend his actions, but the words died in his throat. A cold realization washed over him. He hadn't confirmed a single thing.
When he had first read that letter, a blinding panic had seized his mind. The only thought echoing in his skull was the desperate need to save her. He had been so utterly consumed by anxiety that he hadn't stopped to think, analyze, or question. He had simply packed his things and rushed headlong into danger.
"You didn't even tell Wang Dong'er you were leaving, did you?" Liu Yuan pressed, his voice surgically precise.
Yuhao lowered his eyes. The silence stretching between them was answer enough.
He hadn't told her. He had convinced himself that he was doing it to spare her from worrying, and deep down, he knew she would have tried to physically stop him from taking such a suicidal risk. He had foolishly wanted to play the hero, to secure the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb first and return to present it to her as a grand surprise.
Liu Yuan looked at the silent, conflicted youth and slowly shook his head. "Huo Yuhao, you act far too rashly. Your emotions blind your logic."
Yuhao's frown deepened into a scowl. He despised the condescending, lecturing tone Liu Yuan was using, but a bitter taste coated his tongue because he couldn't find a single logical thread to refute the accusation.
"Let's break this down," Liu Yuan continued, turning slightly to face him fully. "How much do you actually know about these two uncles, Tai Tan and Niu Tian? Do you comprehend their true level of strength?"
Yuhao nodded stiffly. "Of course I do. They are incredibly strong. Far stronger than almost anyone I've ever encountered."
"Then right there lies the glaring flaw in your narrative." Liu Yuan's voice remained measured, neither fast nor slow, as if he were dissecting a basic arithmetic problem for a stubborn child.
"If they are truly that powerful, and they knew for a fact that Wang Dong'er possessed a hidden injury requiring the Lovesick Heartbroken Herb... why didn't they come to this forest to pluck it themselves?"
Yuhao blinked, stunned.
Liu Yuan didn't give him a chance to recover. "Perhaps you'll try to argue that the herb has special requirements, that it demands a specific type of person to harvest it, and they didn't qualify. Fine. I'll entertain that excuse."
Liu Yuan took a slow step forward. "But let's take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Even if they physically could not pluck the herb themselves, they could have easily escorted you here. With their overwhelming strength, carving a path through the Sunset Forest and delivering you safely to the edge of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would require minimal effort. Wouldn't you agree?"
Yuhao opened his mouth, his mind racing to formulate a defense, but his throat felt completely dry. There was nothing to say.
"But they didn't do that," Liu Yuan stated coldly. "They simply handed you a piece of paper, pointed you toward one of the most lethal forbidden zones on the continent, and sent you off to face it entirely alone."
Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you were to die down here in this miasma, what exactly would happen to Wang Dong'er? Wouldn't she be entirely beyond saving then? Ask yourself, Huo Yuhao—are those two men truly acting in Wang Dong'er's best interest? Or are they using her condition to manipulate you?"
Yuhao stood frozen on the mossy ledge, completely incapable of uttering a single syllable.
His brain was firing at maximum capacity, desperately searching for a loophole, a flaw, a single crack in Liu Yuan's ruthless logic. But he found nothing. Every question posed was devastatingly clear. Every deduction was a direct strike to the foundation of his blind trust. He couldn't deny a word of it.
Off to the side, Electrolux remained silent, offering no interjection. The ancient necromancer looked at Yuhao's pale, stricken expression and let out a very soft, almost imperceptible sigh.
At the front of the formation, Du Busi hadn't bothered to turn around, but his sharp ears had caught every word of the exchange. The corner of the old monster's mouth twitched upward slightly. Whether it was a sneer of disdain for Shrek's golden boy or a smirk of pride for his own disciple's sharp mind, it was impossible to tell.
Long Aotian simply stood beside Liu Yuan, his gaze shifting from the paralyzed Yuhao back to his junior brother, remaining entirely silent.
The sickly green mist continued to swirl around their ankles as a heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the ravine, stretching on for a very long time.
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