"Since when did you two get so close?"
Tang Wutong instinctively retorted, "Who's close with her!"
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize something was off. She turned toward the source of the voice.
By the lounge's sofa, Huo Yuhao was observing them with a somewhat peculiar expression.
He still seemed to carry the residual aura from his seclusion. Though he stood there quietly, Tang Wutong felt as if Yin-Yang Dual Qi flowed around him. He was like a divine sword freshly quenched and drawn—its edge restrained yet overwhelmingly oppressive.
"You're done with your seclusion?" Tang Wutong instinctively stepped back half a step, her voice unconsciously softening.
"Just came out."
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and looked around—this was the lounge he'd entered the Undead Plane from. "How long was I in seclusion?"
Gu Ruiqiu fiddled with her soul tool camera and answered, "About two months. Quite a long time."
Huo Yuhao nodded, then glanced at Tang Wutong, who was glaring fiercely at Gu Ruiqiu. "And what's going on between you two now?"
"Since everyone else has their own things to do, the task of looking consciousness after this Butterfly God's divine fell to me. After going back and forth, we've gotten familiar." Gu Ruiqiu shrugged, then turned to Tang Wutong. "Too bad she doesn't seem to like me. I was just trying to persuade her to go see her brother, and she turns on me so quickly. All I did was take a picture of her. Was that really necessary?"
Tang Wutong was grinding her teeth, itching to punch her, but since one of her backers was right there, she could only hold back.
"She's the Auspicious Beast of Star Dou and the Spirit Transmission Tower—strong backing, strong strength. For Aunt Rongrong and Oscar Uncle's sake..." Tang Wutong repeated to herself, trying to convince herself. "I'll endure."
Gu Ruiqiu, you've messed with me, and that means... you've met a pushover.
Just from Tang Wutong's expression, Huo Yuhao could tell things weren't as simple as Gu Ruiqiu made them out to be. But since it looked like harmless banter between friends, he didn't immediately intervene. Instead, he asked, "Has anything major happened recently?"
"Nothing."
Gu Ruiqiu counted on her fingers. "The Federation is still preparing. The Holy Spirit Cult is still waiting. The Abyss is still brewing trouble. In the two months you were in seclusion, nothing major happened at all. I have to say, I'm actually impressed. You people who do big things sure have patience."
The Holy Spirit Cult had lain dormant for ten thousand years. The Abyss Plane had prepared for over six thousand years to attack Douluo Star. And Huo Yuhao, despite having opportunities, had apparently chosen not to become a deity and had remained dormant until now.
Such patience was truly astonishing.
If it were her, she'd have lost it long ago.
"Nothing? Good."
Huo Yuhao ignored the second half of Gu Ruiqiu's teasing remark. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and headed for the door.
As the door closed, a sentence reached both of them.
"Keep your roughhousing in check. Don't go too far."
Gu Ruiqiu frowned at this, then looked at Tang Wutong, whose eyes had lit up.
She knew Huo Yuhao was reminding her not to truly provoke Tang Wutong, least things get out of hand.
But those words could also be translated another way: as long as it wasn't excessive, Huo Yuhao wouldn't interfere or take sides.
In other words, Huo Yuhao had just given Tang Wutong the right to "fight back."
"Tch. Was that intentional, or just careless?"
Seeing Tang Wutong cracking her Knuckles and looking eager, Gu Ruiqiu felt uneasy.
She was supposed to be on Huo Yuhao's side. Wasn't he just setting her up? Why would he do that?
Had she ever wronged Huo Yuhao?
Oh, actually she had.
Well then, never mind.
Huo Yuhao was just settling a personal score!
Huo Yuhao walked out of the lounge and headed toward another room.
The corridor was quiet, with only the echo of his own footsteps. At this hour, most people were working. Occasionally someone passed by and greeted him with a respectful nod. Huo Yuhao smiled back but didn't stop.
He arrived at a cultivation chamber and stopped.
Before he could knock, the door opened from the inside.
Xu Xiaoyan stood at the entrance. Seeing Huo Yuhao, she looked amazed.
"Incredible. Yuhao, do you and Na'er have some kind of telepathy? How did she know you were coming?"
"Maybe we do."
Huo Yuhao smiled and entered the room with Xu Xiaoyan.
Inside, besides Xu Xiaoyan, there were two others—Gu Yuena and Jia Lin.
Gu Yuena sat by the window, guiding Jia Lin on fire element cultivation points. Jia Lin listened attentively, a small flame flickering in her palm.
Hearing the commotion, Gu Yuena turned her head, a stunning smile on her lips.
Jia Lin looked up and saw Huo Yuhao. Her eyes lit up, and she almost blurted out "Master." But remembering Xu Xiaoyan was there, she changed it at the last moment and said crisply, "Brother Yuhao, are you done with your training?"
Though in her heart she regarded them as family, she had always addressed Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena as "Master." But in front of Xu Xiaoyan and others, she called them "big brother" and "big sister."
"Yeah, I'm done."
Huo Yuhao nodded to her and sat down across from Gu Yuena.
Xu Xiaoyan, taking the hint, pulled Jia Lin aside to give the two space to talk.
Because Jia Lin called Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena "brother" and "sister," Xu Xiaoyan actually didn't know the exact relationship between this innate level-twenty super-genius and them. When she asked Gu Yuena, she only got a vague answer about family.
But whatever the relationship, Jia Lin acted like a child, not a reincarnated deity. Clearly, she wasn't suited to hear Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena discuss serious matters. Besides, she wouldn't want to interrupt a couple's time together.
Jia Lin reluctantly stood up, Her eyes darting between Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, before obediently following Xu Xiaoyan aside to cultivate.
Watching this, Huo Yuhao's lips curled slightly as he turned to Gu Yuena.
"They've been cultivating very diligently lately, especially Xiao Yan. She wasn't like this before."
"Blame yourself. Hearing that even a deity like you is working so hard has influenced her."
Gu Yuena teased, then shifted the topic. "Still, that might not be the only reason. She almost topped the Spirit King points ranking in the selection. That probably also ignited her fighting spirit."
Huo Yuhao was briefly taken back, then nodded in understanding.
In the Spirit King-level selection, Xu Xiaoyan had started strong, winning streak after winning streak. During that time, she was full of confidence, even harboring thoughts of topping the rankings.
And to be fair, if not for Wu Lin, she might well have succeeded. After all, even Xie Xie and Yuanen Yehui had lost to her. Even in her match against Wu Lin, she'd given him considerable trouble.
Perhaps thanks to her predecessors and inherited Spirit Souls, the configuration of her first five star-attribute spirit abilities was simply too good. And since Xu Xiaoyan herself had the heart for offense, none of her star-attribute spirit abilities required coordination with teammates—they were all control and support abilities she could use to switch attributes on her own.
Star Wheel Chain: Absolutely effective, can forcibly immobilize a target for at least one second.
Absolute Star Curtain: Absolute defense, can block any form of attack in an instant.
Starlight Brilliance: Area-of-effect spirit ability, irreversible forced pause for one second.
Starlight Protection: Instantly switches between star and ice attributes.
Star Extinction Divine Light: Ignores defense, can forcibly banish an enemy into a vacuum to erode their spirit power, and can teleport an enemy anywhere within a hundred-meter radius.
These star-attribute spirit abilities were full of survival and control capabilities. Used together, even getting close to Xu Xiaoyan was difficult. If caught by a forced control, one could easily be taken out by her combo. Her opponents had very little margin for error, while she had Absolute Defense, giving her plenty.
However, she obviously couldn't defeat Tang Wulin right now. His body was too strong. Even controlled, defeating him wouldn't be easy.
The mechanics-focused fighter had met a stat monster and, despite giving it her all, ultimately couldn't win.
But clearly, the selection results had given Xu Xiaoyan considerable confidence and, for once, ignited her fighting spirit.
"That's a good thing." Huo Yuhao chuckled and shook his head. "Her prospects are very bright. Having motivation is good."
The absolute effectiveness of her star-attribute spirit abilities meant Xu Xiaoyan could still affect even existences like the Blazing Emperor and Spirit Emperor. Even the Demon Empress, a true deity, couldn't fully resist her star-attribute abilities.
The mechanics were truly absurd.
What if Xiao Yan herself became a deity?
Huo Yuhao was genuinely looking forward to it.
After Ning Rongrong and Oscar became deities, their support abilities remained effective. The former could provide percentage-based boosts to God Kings and first-class deities, while the latter needed no elaboration.
If Xiao Yan's abilities further improved after becoming a deity, her future was truly bright.
Hearing this, Gu Yuena couldn't help but nod before changing the subject. "How were your recent gains? Will you be going into seclusion again?"
"I gained quite a bit. My comprehension of laws has improved, and my cultivation has reached Level 86. But I've more or less absorbed all the enlightenment there. I won't need to go into seclusion next time—just steady improvement." Huo Yuhao leaned lazily against the sofa, staring at the ceiling. "It feels like I suddenly have free time."
Recently, he'd either been running around dealing with various matters or engaged in intense cultivation. Having this rare moment of leisure actually felt somewhat unfamiliar.
"Free time?" Gu Yuena looked Huo Yuhao up and down, seemingly contemplating something.
Just as she was about to speak, Snow Empress's voice reached them.
"Yuhao, the Holy Spirit Cult is making a move." Snow Empress's divine consciousness suddenly appeared beside Huo Yuhao and informed him.
Huo Yuhao's lazy posture instantly sharpened. He was like a blade suddenly drawn from its sheath—razor-sharp.
He glanced at Xu Xiaoyan and Jia Lin, who were staring blankly in their direction. After a moment's thought, he erected a barrier to shield them before continuing. "What are they doing?"
"Lan Fozi just sent word. The Holy Spirit Cult isn't going to wait any longer. They plan to first expose the Yuanen clan's connection to the Titan Giant Ape and Shrek Academy, stir things up, and fish in troubled waters."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
"The Ghost Emperor is getting anxious."
He pondered for a moment. "It seems telling them about the Federation's plans to conquer the Demon Plane had an effect—or rather, too much of an effect. I'd originally planned to wait until we'd fully taken the Demon Plane before having the Holy Spirit Cult connect with Ye Hui. Now it seems we'll need to move that up. But the Holy Spirit Cult doesn't have evidence, right? How do they plan to make a scene?"
Most of the information the Holy Spirit Cult had regarding the Yuanen clan and the Titan Giant Ape had been provided by them—without solid evidence.
As for the Yuanen clan's connection to Shrek Academy, that was easy to find out, but it was from before Shrek's destruction. With Shrek gone, dredging up those old scores wouldn't be very effective.
Snow Empress shook her head. "I'm not sure either. Lan Fozi's message didn't include the Holy Spirit Cult's specific plans—only the parts where they need his assistance. I haven't had time to investigate further."
Gu Yuena: "..."
It was really a just-arrived message? She found that hard to believe.
"What makes the Holy Spirit Cult think they've found a handle on the Yuanen clan..." Huo Yuhao thought for a moment, his eyes flickering. "The Yuanen clan probably did something unnecessary after Shrek's fall. We'll just ask Ye Hui directly later. Did Lan Fozi mention when the Holy Spirit Cult plans to act?"
"They plan to act in ten days." Snow Empress said. "A few days ago was the student holiday for various spirit master academies. Though Yuanen Yehui and her mother show no sign of leaving Mingdu, the Holy Spirit Cult may still be holding out hope."
With students on break, it was possible they'd go home or travel elsewhere—undoubtedly the best opportunity. Unfortunately, the relationship between Yuanen Yehui's family and the Yuanen clan was awkward. Not going home was expected, but a family trip wasn't impossible.
And if no opportunity presented itself—if Ye Hui and her daughter stayed in Mingdu and went nowhere—the Holy Spirit Cult would clearly have to create their own opportunity.
Yuanen Zhentian, a Limit Douluo, and Yuanen Tianhong, a Level 98 Super Douluo, had both participated in the Federation selection and received military ranks of Lieutenant General and Major General respectively, giving them Federation positions.
If the Yuanen clan were to get into trouble, they would clearly face Federation investigation, reducing the protection around Ye Hui and her daughter to a minimum—a decent opportunity.
"Ten days... plenty of time. I originally wanted to settle things in one battle, but now I'll capture some demons to use as extras first."
After hearing Snow Empress's words, a smile appeared at the corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth.
Even without demons as extras, Elder Electrolux could still fool the Holy Spirit Cult. But since conditions allowed, it was better to give Elder Electrolux—now the new master of the Demon Plane—some proper spectacle.
Summoning and dismissing quasi-divine-level Demon Lords with a wave of his hand would surely be quite intimidating for ordinary experts.
The question was whether Elder Electrolux would enjoy such theatrics. But since he could deliver those iconic lines, he probably didn't mind, right?
In a house outside the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Elder Electrolux, temporarily staying there, inexplicably shuddered.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
Looking out the window at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, now sparsely populated, he frowned.
Could the Holy Spirit Cult be about to act?
***
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