Huo Yuhao raised his teacup and looked at the leaves inside. "Understanding the situation of the future War Temple Temple Master shouldn't be a problem, should it? Besides, a child adopted by a deity is always somewhat intriguing."
"War Temple Temple Master? I'll take your kind words."
Rong Lingji first chuckled, then shook his head. "Tianling is nothing special. If I had to say, it's just fate that we met. After all, I've lived in seclusion for years. The chances of meeting a child who catches my eye while out and about are very low."
Huo Yuhao looked up at Rong Lingji across from him. Seeing that the other had no intention of elaborating on the circumstances of adopting Rong Tianling, he didn't press further and simply smiled.
"Fate is indeed something hard to explain."
With that, Huo Yuhao stood up. "I've imposed on you enough today. We've talked for so long; it's time for me to take my leave."
Rong Lingji was slightly taken aback.
Leaving already?
He had thought Huo Yuhao would continue asking questions or shift the topic to the Abyss. He hadn't expected the other to leave so abruptly—so cleanly that it caught him off guard.
"Wait. We've exchanged information about each other. Shouldn't we now discuss the Abyss and the possibility of cooperation?"
Huo Yuhao stopped, turned around, and looked at Rong Lingji strangely.
"Cooperation? When did we ever say we were going to cooperate?"
Rong Lingji was almost at a loss for words from this unexpected counter-question.
"You came to see me, said so much—was it all just to investigate Tianling's and my origins?"
Rong Lingji frowned deeply.
Huo Yuhao looked at him and suddenly laughed.
"What else? What did you think I came here for? I was simply curious about the sudden appearance of a deity, so I came to investigate. I never once mentioned cooperating against the Abyss. That was your own idea."
Rong Lingji was momentarily speechless.
Indeed, from start to finish, Huo Yuhao had never mentioned cooperating against the Abyss.
He himself, because of the Abyss threat and Rong Tianling's desire to emerge into the world, had been prepared to make contact with these two reincarnated deities. He had originally planned to find an opportunity after the selection began to reach out, learn about their origins, and discuss the serious matter of jointly opposing the Abyss.
He just hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to come straight to his door.
But since he had come, shouldn't they discuss important matters like opposing the Abyss?
You just came to chat about everyday things?
Talk about my origins, Tianling's background, old stories from the Divine Realm—you chatted all afternoon, to the point where I almost considered you a friend, and then you tell me you just came for a visit?
Was this right? Was this appropriate?
Rong Lingji was utterly speechless.
It felt like preparing a full feast for an honored guest, only for them to come in, have a cup of tea, and then leave—leaving you alone staring at a table full of food.
"This place is very close to the Abyss Passage. I've been there to see it myself, and I'm certain the Abyss Plane is no weaker than the Douluo Continent. Its Plane Lord is likely an extremely powerful existence."
Rong Lingji took a deep breath and looked seriously at Huo Yuhao. "Faced with such a threat, you're not at all anxious? Do you already have a way to deal with him?"
Huo Yuhao's expression didn't change as he smiled. "Whether I have a way to deal with the Abyss Saint Lord doesn't seem to have much to do with cooperation, does it? After all, your daughter is about to join the Federation. When the time comes to face the Abyss, you'll definitely act too, won't you? You wouldn't want to see your adopted daughter come to harm."
Whether we talk about cooperation or not, you'll still act. So what's there to discuss? You might as well just join the Federation camp directly! What's there to negotiate?
Rong Lingji: "..."
That made so much sense he had no retort.
Huo Yuhao continued, "Moreover, although you didn't say it explicitly earlier, Lord Rong Lingji, after being stranded on the Douluo Continent, you never tried to find your family in other planes. It's not that you didn't want to—it's that your cultivation wouldn't allow it, right? Your cultivation has been suppressed by the plane. You're not at the divine level now."
Huo Yuhao stopped there without finishing the sentence, but his meaning was clear.
A peak quasi-divine—the Federation didn't lack for such strength.
Even if this quasi-divine could temporarily break through to the divine level, for Huo Yuhao and the others, he wasn't indispensable.
Cooperation was built on both sides having comparable strength and having something the other needed.
With Rong Lingji's current strength, was there really a need to talk about cooperation?
Don't be overconfident just because you're a deity.
Understanding Huo Yuhao's meaning, Rong Lingji fell silent. He felt he had truly learned something today.
Even if suppressed by the plane, his original cultivation was still at the divine level, with no injuries. And Huo Yuhao seemed to be only a reincarnated divine official whose cultivation hadn't even recovered—yet he was being looked down upon?
But Rong Lingji couldn't refute him.
Although he didn't know about Elder Electrolux's existence, the Federation's strength was clear. Setting aside Huo Yuhao, Emperor Tian, and the others, the Federation also had God-Slaying Grade Soul Tool Cannon Shells. Their strength far exceeded him, making him seem dispensable.
And since Rong Tianling had already emerged and was about to join the Federation, and he couldn't possibly abandon her, wouldn't joining the Federation side be the best choice?
"No, I almost got pulled in by you."
Rong Lingji suddenly realized.
First you use Tianling to make me realize I can't stay out of it. Then you downplay my value and strength, making me doubt myself. Finally, you conclude that I'm limited, there's no need for cooperation, and I might as well join the Federation directly.
This combination of moves had nearly led him by the nose.
"If my strength were only at peak quasi-divine, then joining the Federation and following your orders would be fine. But the problem is that I'm not. I am currently restricted by the plane, but my true cultivation is probably the highest on the Douluo Continent."
Rong Lingji said in a low voice. "Since you didn't leave immediately and said so much, you clearly don't truly think I'm dispensable, just someone who follows orders. Let's talk seriously. I want to know your thoughts and strategies for dealing with the Abyss Plane. Perhaps I can build on your foundation and help come up with better plans."
He wasn't seeking personal gain. He genuinely wanted to cooperate with these fellow Divine Realm deities against the Abyss Plane. And since it was cooperation, that meant being an equal partner in discussion and decision-making, not someone taking orders from below.
After all, in In terms of condition, he was currently the most intact deity on the Douluo Continent—no injuries, no damage, just suppressed by the plane. In terms of knowledge, he had a first-class deity for a father and had grown up immersed in that environment. His understanding of the Divine Realm, the elements, and the laws wasn't something an ordinary divine official could match.
Surely someone like him was capable of discussing major matters with them? How could he be a dispensable "soldier"?
Huo Yuhao looked at his expression, guessed what he was thinking, and hesitated.
Was there a possibility that when it came to opposing the Abyss Plane, he really was dispensable?
Your elders' assessment of you was "wisdom concealed by folly," but right now you're giving me the impression that after being cooped up for two thousand years, you've actually become dull.
Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.
"When the nest falls, no egg remains intact. You understand that principle well, Lord Rong Lingji. There's no need to mention cooperation again. I'll be waiting for you in Mingdu."
As his voice faded, his figure had already vanished—clearly with no intention of saying anything more.
Rong Lingji stood in place, staring at the empty doorway outside, not moving for a long time.
Gone.
He was really gone.
It wasn't a feint, wasn't retreating to advance. He genuinely felt there was nothing to discuss.
"He doesn't care about my existence at all. It seems they really are confident they can handle the Abyss. I wonder what their trump card is."
Rong Lingji stroked his chin. "So should I just wait here for everything to end, or follow them and coast to victory?"
With that thought, his gaze turned to the photo of the two in the room. Thinking of Huo Yuhao's words, "You wouldn't want to see your adopted daughter come to harm," he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Unless I drag Tianling back by force, it seems I don't have much choice."
"Yuhao, he's not that bad, is he?"
On the way back, Ice Empress spoke up from within his Sea of Spirit. "Even if suppressed by the plane, his strength shouldn't be underestimated. And given his relationship with Rong Nianbing, he might even be able to contact that former first-class deity. Was it really okay to just leave like that?"
"Even if he could contact Rong Nianbing, we can't place our hopes on them. We have to rely on ourselves. Besides, he's been trapped on the Douluo Continent for two thousand years. Whether he can even contact Rong Nianbing is uncertain."
Huo Yuhao's pace didn't slow, his tone calm.
"Moreover, the more composed we appear now, the more likely he is to come to us on his own. If he feels we desperately need his strength, he'll hesitate instead."
"That's true," Ice Empress nodded.
This reasoning wasn't hard to understand. If they lacked confidence, as the stronger side, they would have to lower themselves to invite him to join. Then Rong Lingji would surely think that while they appeared strong, they actually had no real confidence against the Abyss and still needed to gather forces.
Then Rong Lingji would doubt their capabilities. Faced with the Abyss threat, he might still join them, but at that point, everything would have to be negotiated.
But they had their own plans and sufficient strength. They didn't need to negotiate, nor could they share specific plans with outsiders. They only needed executors, not partners.
The initiative had to stay in their hands.
Huo Yuhao's attitude made that clear.
If he was willing to join, welcome. If not, so be it.
"Yuhao, you're becoming more and more assertive," Ice Empress remarked.
"Perhaps."
Huo Yuhao smiled. "In any case, there's no need to worry about Rong Lingji. He'll come eventually. What we need to focus on now is another matter. The Federation selection is about to end. Enough time has passed. It's time to pass the news of Ye Hui's location to the Holy Spirit Cult."
A glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes.
Once the matter with Ye Hui and Lan Fozi was settled, he would go into seclusion to forge.
As Huo Yuhao had predicted, the final result of the selection was Rong Tianling's victory, with Yuanen Zhentian falling short.
Having a quasi-divine take over the War Temple Temple Master position was naturally a great delight for the Federation. Without much hesitation, they kept their promise and granted the position to Rong Tianling.
Naturally, they also tried to recruit the others, especially the two Limit Douluo, Yuanen Zhentian and Qianku Qingfeng, offering them high-ranking positions. Qianku Qingfeng declined after some thought, but Yuanen Zhentian accepted.
Beyond positional rewards, treasures, soul tools, and Battle Armor were also distributed as promised.
Four-Word Battle Armor was naturally arranged for Rong Tianling and Yuanen Zhentian.
These two newly joined Limit Douluo, at the very least, needed to be equipped with Four-Word Battle Armor.
If Sima Jinchi hadn't been eliminated in the quarterfinals, the Federation would have wanted to give him Four-Word Battle Armor as a reward for this newly broken-through Title Douluo who was a loyal Federation member.
Sacrifice the Divine Craftsman a little; the Federation will take the blame!
Zhen Hua: "..."
Na'er, come help!
Your teacher might be struck to death by lightning!
While the Federation was overjoyed at gaining so many experts, the news brought worry to those in Xingluo and Douling.
Although they had lost the Possession Demons—their core infiltrators—there were still some Holy Spirit Cult forces within the Federation. Even without Lan Fozi, this core "mole," they could still obtain information on such a widely watched selection.
In fact, they had watched most of the Federation selection matches.
Facing the Federation's continuous emergence of geniuses and Title Douluo experts, the Douling royal family and the Xingluo Federation's high-ranking officials felt their blood run cold.
This was their opponent—the Douluo Federation!
After ten thousand years of development, the Federation's scale and foundation were ultimately beyond their reach.
Even after internal turmoil, it could still rapidly rally such terrifying strength. Did they really have any hope of victory?
This was the worry on the Xingluo Federation's side. On the Douling Empire's side, besides worry, there was also confusion.
"This Limit Douluo named Rong Tianling... why does she look so much like that former imperial consort?"
In the Douling Empire, a Title Douluo looked at the intelligence in his hands, then at the emperor in the palace, frowning in thought. He ultimately filed this matter away in his heart.
While the Douling and Xingluo sides were troubled, the Holy Spirit Cult's Ghost Emperor, upon seeing these bad news reports, also received some good news.
"You've found information on Ye Hui?"
The Ghost Emperor looked with some surprise at the photos sent back by Lan Fozi, the mole.
They showed a couple on the stage after Yuanen Yehui's match. The man was Yuanen Tiandang, and the woman was unmistakably Ye Hui—the former wielder of the Fallen Angel martial soul.
"Yes, it's definitely her."
Looking at the faces of Ye Hui and Yuanen Yehui, so similar, the Ghost Emperor felt a surge of joy.
This was a Title-level wielder of the Fallen Angel martial soul. If they could capture her, the Holy Spirit Cult would gain a powerful ally.
However...
After the initial joy, the Ghost Emperor felt some suspicion.
Why would Ye Hui, who had been missing for years, suddenly return to the Yuanen family and appear to have reconciled with them?
Had the problem with the Fallen Angel martial soul been solved? If so, how had Ye Hui managed it?
With this thought, the Ghost Emperor's gaze shifted to the message Lan Fozi had sent back...
***
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