Even with Long Xiaoyao's cultivation as a Limit Douluo, he suffered heavy injuries when passing through that dense web of destruction lightning.
When he finally passed through the last layer of thunder and revealed his true form, that body was already battered beyond recognition.
The black robe had long been torn into tattered rags, and much of the flesh on his body had been scorched away by the destruction lightning, revealing the pearly white bones underneath; his left arm had completely vanished from the elbow down.
His aura plummeted drastically, as if he would plummet from mid-air at any moment.
Ye Xishui raised a hand to catch him, half-embracing him in her arms. A rare trace of gentleness flashed in those aged eyes, and her voice was low and helpless: "Why must you do this..."
Long Xiaoyao forced a smile at the corner of his mouth, the expression carrying a sense of relief: "Love is just so unreasonable. I have also done quite a few evil deeds over the years, so dying here can be considered getting what I deserve. However, being able to die together with you can also be considered dying a worthy death."
Although the conversation between the two was quiet, it clearly reached Huo Yuhao's ears.
His expression was completely calm, neither touched by those words nor revealing any pity.
With just a slight movement of his mind, the web of destruction lightning surrounding them suddenly contracted inward, like a slowly closing giant palm, completely enveloping the figures of the two.
At the moment the lightning web contracted to its limit, a dazzlingly intense purple-black light burst forth, yet it did not produce any deafening sound.
Everyone only saw a flash of purple light, and immediately those two figures vanished as if evaporated, leaving not even a trace of remains behind.
By this moment, all the Evil Soul Masters present knew that the Holy Spirit Cult was finished.
The Supreme Cult Master and Chief Elder, who possessed the strongest combat power, had been reduced to ashes, and even the Evil Monarch, ranked second on the Vicious Beast ranking, had been slain on the spot.
Continuing to fight would only mean throwing away their lives in vain.
Therefore, those surviving Evil Soul Masters made the exact same decision almost simultaneously; refusing to linger in the fight, they darted off in different directions like a flock of startled crows.
However, how could Huo Yuhao let them get their way?
Annihilating the Holy Spirit Cult was his divine trial content; since he had already reached this step, he would absolutely never let any fish that slipped through the net escape from between his fingers.
"Eradicate evils completely!"
Huo Yuhao's voice echoed across the skies of the Demon Forest.
Hearing this, the powerhouses from the Three Douluo Nations instantly entered pursuit mode.
In that battle just now, they had witnessed with their own eyes the entire process of Huo Yuhao slaying the Evil Monarch and annihilating the two Limit Douluos, and deep down they had already developed a bit of conviction toward this young Tower Master.
Combined with the fact that Evil Soul Masters deserved to be killed anyway, they were naturally willing to follow Huo Yuhao's orders, successively chasing after the scattered and fleeing Evil Soul Masters.
As for those Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire, seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they had already quietly retreated taking advantage of the chaotic gap just now.
They secretly rejoiced in their hearts, thanking goodness that these Evil Soul Masters were so hated, which drew the vast majority of the attention from the Three Douluo Nations; otherwise, they might have lost their lives in this Demon Forest today.
At this moment, the entire Demon Forest was enveloped within Huo Yuhao's mental force, acting like an invisible net to ensure that not a single Evil Soul Master could slip away under his nose.
Having lost the presence of Limit Douluos to hold the fort and the support of the Sun Moon Empire Soul Engineers, the powerhouses from the Three Douluo Nations seized an absolute upper hand.
Before long, those Evil Soul Masters remaining on the battlefield were executed one by one, and the entire Demon Forest quieted down once again.
Afterwards, under Huo Yuhao's guidance, everyone entered the underground lair of the Holy Spirit Cult and finally found the target of their trip—those hostages abducted by the Holy Spirit Cult.
They were locked in several prison cells deep underground; although they looked exhausted and their auras were weak, they were still alive.
At the moment the Evil Monarch died, Huo Yuhao had already received the notification that the eighth trial of the God of Destruction's Divine Trials was completed.
However, right up until this moment, the seventh trial, "Annihilating the Holy Spirit Cult," still had not shown as completed.
This inevitably caused him to mutter inwardly, wondering what the exact judgment criteria for this "annihilation" actually were.
Just at this moment, Yun Ming walked to his side and spoke in a steady voice: "The Holy Spirit Cult still has some people stationed outside. Taking advantage of the fact that they do not yet know the news of the headquarters' annihilation, I must make a trip personally."
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao finally understood where the discrepancy lay, and he nodded: "Then I will have to trouble Elder Yun."
Yun Ming smiled: "What trouble is there? Annihilating the Holy Spirit Cult was something I had always intended to do anyway."
Sensing that someone was walking over this way, Yun Ming lowered his voice to Huo Yuhao: "Then I will take my leave first."
After saying that, he did not linger any longer, turning around and walking toward the exit.
From that direction, Princess Xu Jiujiu was walking over briskly. When the two brushed past each other, Princess Xu Jiujiu nodded slightly as a greeting.
After walking up to Huo Yuhao, Princess Xu Jiujiu's gaze couldn't help but glance toward the direction where Yun Ming had disappeared.
Then she turned to Huo Yuhao, her tone carrying a hint of tentative emotion: "I never expected the Spirit Pagoda to conceal such a powerful expert?"
Huo Yuhao naturally knew she was referring to Elder Yun, but he had no intention of saying much more about this matter, simply replying in an even tone: "Elder Yun was harmed into this state by the Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult, and he holds a bone-deep hatred for the Holy Spirit Cult."
Princess Xu Jiujiu heard that he did not want to say more, so she sensibly did not pursue the questioning further.
She took a deep breath, as if slowly smoothing down some complex emotion in her heart, and then suddenly bowed solemnly to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao hurriedly reached out to support her with a gesture: "Sister Jiujiu, what are you doing?"
Princess Xu Jiujiu straightened up, looking at him with a gaze carrying sincere earnestness: "This is something I must do. If it weren't for you, this operation could never have succeeded."
Her words were spoken with deep sincerity, yet as she looked at the youth before her—who once still needed the protection of the Star Luo Empire—an irrepressible shock still churned within her heart.
Unwittingly, the person standing before her had grown to this present level.
Now, this youth no longer needed to rely on the power of the Star Luo Empire, because he himself was his own backing.
Regarding Princess Xu Jiujiu's evaluation, Huo Yuhao smiled noncommittally: "We should return to Star Luo as soon as possible. Staying too long in the heartland of the Sun Moon Empire is ultimately not very safe."
Princess Xu Jiujiu nodded, clearly approving of his thought.
...
Qiangu Dongfeng had long since been handed over by the Spirit Pagoda to the federation for secret execution. This matter could not be considered much of a secret among the higher-ups of the continent, but for the general populace, these details were unknown.
They only knew that the Spirit Pagoda had changed to a new Tower Master, and this new Tower Master had broken the record for being the youngest in all previous generations.
When Huo Yuhao succeeded to the position, he was only nineteen years old.
Now a year had quietly passed, and everyone had already grown accustomed to this young new Tower Master.
His youth was no longer a topic of discussion, replaced instead by a gradually settling recognition.
After coming to power, Huo Yuhao successively issued a series of new policies.
He did not drastically alter the Spirit Pagoda's original power structure; instead, on the foundation of the original framework, he optimized many procedures.
These initiatives did not look earth-shattering, but they genuinely improved the operational efficiency of the Spirit Pagoda, thus earning unanimous praise from top to bottom within the pagoda.
Even the people from the Qiangu lineage would give a thumbs-up whenever Huo Yuhao was mentioned now.
During this period of time, Huo Yuhao's mental force had broken through to the God Origin Realm, and his Spirit Power had also steadily increased to level ninety-nine.
According to this World's judgment standards, his current strength had even surpassed that of a Quasi-God in the conventional sense.
However, he was still somewhat troubled; the Ninth Trial of the God of Destruction's Divine Trials had not descended yet, otherwise he could have already inherited a Divine Position and ascended to the Divine Realm.
Sometimes he couldn't help but think: could it be that the God of Destruction has regrets?
Wanting to get rid of the donkey after the millstone has been used after dealing with Tang San, and no longer planning to pass on the Divine Position?
However, thinking back on his feelings when interacting with the God of Destruction previously, he felt that the other party shouldn't be that kind of Divinity.
He decided that when he transmigrated back Ten Thousand Years into the past next time, he would proactively contact the God of Destruction through the Scepter of Destruction and ask clearly what was going on.
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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.