Watching the group leave, Huo Yuhao tapped his fingers on the desk.
The situation at the Abyss Passage was still relatively stable for now. Perhaps after Wu Lin began devouring Abyss energy, the Abyss Plane would react, but it shouldn't be a major problem.
He would handle it.
As for Xingluo—they still had some national strength. The Federation could take a steady, measured approach.
As for Douling...
Huo Yuhao looked toward the doorway, where Rong Lingji had appeared silently.
"You're here. Are you ready?"
Rong Lingji didn't answer immediately. He studied Huo Yuhao for a few moments, recalling his adopted daughter's words and behavior.
After the Federation meeting, he'd met with Rong Tianling. She'd said Huo Yuhao's identity was special—even she'd been shocked. But she'd never explicitly revealed Huo Yuhao's identity, leaving him itching with curiosity.
Who exactly was Huo Yuhao? Was he the deity he'd guessed? He was very curious too.
Unfortunately, Rong Tianling was under restrictions—very thorough ones. She'd only expressed her amazement, with no intention of actually communicating his identity. So he could only investigate on his own.
But clearly, observing with the naked eye wouldn't reveal anything.
Should he just ask later?
With that thought, Rong Lingji walked in, shook his head with a hint of helplessness, and replied, "I'm ready. But you're really not shy about handing me such a troublesome task."
"Sending me to investigate and infiltrate Douling—in the past, that would've been one thing. But now, there's likely a deity there!"
"I've already explained the situation to you. Douling is the Holy Spirit Cult's most likely location for a blood sacrifice. We need someone there who can stop it at the critical moment."
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly. "And as you said, the Killing God's stronghold is there now. Very few people could intervene if something went wrong. Sending you shows how much I trust your abilities."
"Besides, your adopted daughter has ties to Douling. You're the most suitable person for this. You wouldn't want your daughter's homeland to be blood-sacrificed, would you?"
At the previous Federation meeting, the strategy for Douling had been set: primarily infiltration and investigation. While sending personnel to gather intelligence on blood sacrifices, Holy Spirit Cult strongholds, and the Killing God's movements, they would also covertly deploy experts to wait for the right moment to sabotage the Cult's plans.
Douling was currently unsuitable for a direct assault.
Douling's national strength was weak. If the Douluo Federation launched a fierce attack on Douling, the Holy Spirit Cult might simply resort to atrocity and begin the blood sacrifice immediately—by the time the Federation reacted, it would be too late. Hence the Federation's strategy of infiltration first, disruption second.
Hearing Huo Yuhao bring up his adopted daughter, Rong Lingji was momentarily speechless.
Seeing this, Huo Yuhao smiled and continued, "Since you're ready, prepare to head to the Douling Empire with the Dark Department personnel. I've already coordinated with them. Here's your credentials."
For infiltration missions, the Dark Department was responsible.
Rong Lingji shook his head helplessly. "Will this really prevent the blood sacrifice? A continent that large—there are only so many places we can protect. Besides, the Holy Spirit Cult's target might not even be the Douling Empire. Xingluo and the Douluo Continent could also be targets."
If the Holy Spirit Cult truly resorted to any means for blood sacrifice and soul harvesting, even the Douluo Federation couldn't protect its entire territory. There were too many cities and villages to guard.
"We're doing our best."
Huo Yuhao said. "And large-scale blood sacrifices require large populations. Focus on Douling's largest cities first, especially its capital, Tiandou City. As for the rest, don't worry—just wait for the right moment."
The Douling Empire's capital was also called Tiandou City.
In a sense, this world had a certain fondness for the name "Tiandou"—it had endured for so many years.
Hearing this, Rong Lingji met Huo Yuhao's gaze, pondering.
Were there other arrangements?
"Alright, I understand." He didn't press further. After receiving his credentials and the location of the Dark Department's base from Huo Yuhao, he turned toward the door.
Halfway there, he stopped and looked back at Huo Yuhao. "I heard you revealed your identity at the meeting. I'm quite curious too. Could you tell me? If it needs to be kept secret, I won't leak it."
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "There's no harm in telling you. My title is—Spirit-Ice!"
Rong Lingji had expected to hear Huo Yuhao's divine identity, not a title. For a moment, he was stunned.
Having lived on the Douluo Continent for so many years, he naturally knew its unique culture—every Title Douluo had their own title. But what did that have to do with Huo Yuhao's identity...
Wait—Spirit-Ice?!
Rong Lingji's eyes widened. "Isn't that the first-generation Spirit Transmission Tower Master's title? He's a famous figure on the Douluo Continent. Using his title—would the Spirit Transmission Tower allow—no, for Tianling to be that surprised by your identity..."
"Could you be the Spirit-Ice Douluo himself?!"
He quickly turned back, returning to Huo Yuhao's desk, staring at him with shock.
"You're the one who refused my father's divine seat ten thousand years ago? You're still alive?!"
How was that possible?
"That's right."
Huo Yuhao nodded, watching Rong Lingji's shocked expression with a smile. "To be honest, I was quite surprised to meet you too. I didn't have much interaction with Senior Rong Nianbing. After refusing the divine seat, he only gave me a few words of guidance before we lost contact. I didn't expect him to tell his descendants about it—nor did I expect it to pique your curiosity enough to come to the Douluo Continent from the Divine Realm."
Seeing Huo Yuhao admit it and recount the interactions between Rong Nianbing and the Spirit-Ice Douluo, Rong Lingji initially believed his identity. But his tone remained full of disbelief.
"But ten thousand years ago, didn't you fail to become a deity and die? Even if there was more to it and you survived, if you never became a deity, how did you live until now?"
His father had told him that after refusing the Emotion God's divine seat, the Spirit-Ice Douluo had attempted to create his own divine seat and ultimately died.
Even if this was something his father had heard from Sea God Tang San, surely the Sea God wouldn't be mistaken about the fate of the Douluo Plane's Son of Destiny.
And even if there was some mistake—if the Spirit-Ice Douluo hadn't become a deity—how could he have lived ten thousand years?
A Limit Douluo's lifespan was only a few hundred years, right?
A human living ten thousand years... that was harder to believe than if he'd actually become a deity!
If Huo Yuhao hadn't been the Douluo Plane's Son of Destiny, observed by both the Sea God and his father, Rong Lingji might have suspected that Huo Yuhao had secretly become a deity, or was himself a powerful reincarnated deity.
"I have my ways. I survived."
Huo Yuhao could see what Rong Lingji was thinking and smiled. "Are you curious about my methods?"
Rong Lingji was taken aback. He was indeed curious. But directly asking about someone's life-saving methods was hardly appropriate.
He smiled wryly and shook his head. "No need. Lord Spirit-Ice, you've achieved such means without becoming a deity—I admire you."
As he said this, a trace of awe crept into his gaze.
If Huo Yuhao was a deity, he could accept many things. But the Spirit-Ice Douluo hadn't been a deity back then.
An existence who wasn't a deity, yet had faked his death under the occasional watch of Divine Realm deities, lived from ten thousand years ago to the present, and forged that terrifying divine artifact—not a deity, yet possessing means that surpassed even deities—how could Rong Lingji not understand the significance?
How could he remain calm before such an existence, not feel fear?
To be able to become a deity yet choose not to, instead lying low on the Douluo Continent for ten thousand years... compared to the Holy Spirit Cult and the Abyss Plane, Rong Lingji felt the person before him was more like a hidden mastermind, scheming behind the scenes for ten thousand years.
If not for Huo Yuhao's righteous conduct and his father's connection to him, Rong Lingji would have fled with Rong Tianling immediately.
"You flatter me, sir. Is there anything else you'd like to know? I can tell you."
"No, I'd rather not know."
Rong Lingji's mouth twitched. He turned and left without another word.
Tianling and those Federation youngsters probably still thought Huo Yuhao was a deity.
He had to admit, sometimes ignorance was bliss.
As the door closed and the office fell silent, Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and leaned back in his chair.
He certainly wasn't placing all his hopes of disrupting the Holy Spirit Cult's blood sacrifice on the Dark Department and Rong Lingji—the truly critical piece was with Elder Electrolux.
But that couldn't be rushed.
Elder Electrolux still needed time to gain the Holy Spirit Cult's trust.
For now, his primary tasks were to modify those God-Slaying Grade shells, enhance his foundation, and—keep an eye on the Abyss Passage.
"I wonder if Wu Lin's actions will provoke the Abyss Saint Lord, like in the original story..."
Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
After leaving the Spirit Transmission Tower, Rong Lingji took the credentials Huo Yuhao had given him and sought out the Dark Department.
The Dark Department's offices were located three floors underground in a building north of the Federation Council. Plain on the outside, heavily fortified within.
After presenting his credentials, he was led by an expressionless Dark Department agent through several soul tool detection gates, eventually arriving at a sealed meeting room.
Nanaly and Harossa were both there.
When they saw Rong Lingji enter with Huo Yuhao's credentials, both their expressions shifted slightly.
"I thought that person would send an expert we'd recognize. I didn't expect an unfamiliar Limit Douluo. The Spirit Transmission Tower's depth is truly impressive."
Harossa studied Rong Lingji intently.
He sensed a threat from Rong Lingji.
Undoubtedly, this was a Limit Douluo!
Even Limit-level combat power was kept hidden. Clearly, the Spirit Transmission Tower had learned the Spirit-Ice Douluo's essence well—they probably had quite a few hidden assets. Good thing they were allies.
Otherwise, facing such sneaky opponents, who knew how they'd fall?
"Strictly speaking, I'm not a Spirit Transmission Tower Limit Douluo." Rong Lingji smiled and shook his head, handing over his credentials.
Harossa took them, carefully verified them, and returned them with a slightly softened tone: "Since you've arranged this with that person, the Dark Department will cooperate. How should we address you?"
"Rong Lingji."
Nanaly blinked, suddenly remembering something. "The Rong surname? That's quite rare. Sir, you and Temple Master Rong Tianling—"
"I'm her adoptive father." Rong Lingji answered briefly, with no intention of elaborating.
Harossa and Nanaly exchanged a glance. Seeing he didn't want to discuss it, they didn't press.
"Please, have a seat."
Nanaly gestured to the chair opposite and pulled out a file on the Douling Empire, her tone more formal than usual. "You'll be participating in the Douling operation. How familiar are you with the situation there?"
Rong Lingji sat down and got straight to the point: "Just the publicly known information, plus the knowledge that there's a deity there. Anything else I should be aware of?"
"With your strength, aside from that deity and the Holy Spirit Cult, there's nothing much to worry about. The Douling Empire itself is too weak."
Harossa, who had once spent years undercover in Douling, stated a fact that was painful for the Douling Empire but undeniable.
Of the three nations on the Douluo Plane, the Douluo Federation was the strongest, followed by the Xingluo Federation, with the Douling Empire last.
This was evident from their populations alone: the Douluo Federation's population was ten times Douling's; the Xingluo Federation's was three times.
And Douling's weakness was a historical legacy.
The Douling Empire originated from the Tiandou Empire. Over ten thousand years ago, the Tiandou Empire had split into the Tianhun Empire and the Douling Empire, greatly diminishing both sides.
And Douling was the worst off. After the split, among the three original Douluo nations—the Xingluo Empire, the Tianhun Empire, and the Douling Empire—Douling had always been the weakest.
Then, when the Sun Moon Empire emerged, neither the Tianhun nor Douling Empires actively studied soul tool technology. The former had the Body Sect to bolster its strength, but Douling was truly the weakest of the era.
Yet it was this weakest Douling Empire that first discovered the Douling Continent—a viable destination for immigration—and survived into this era alongside the Xingluo Empire through immigration.
But surviving did not mean growing stronger.
Douling's immigration preparations had been hasty—only about three thousand people were resettled. To rapidly expand their population, intermarriage was common in the early days, leading to frequent birth defects. Later development was also unsatisfactory, since martial souls were tied to bloodlines—a nation developed from such a small population naturally had fewer powerful martial souls.
Moreover, Douling had always lagged in soul tool technology, and the Douluo Federation had imposed a technological blockade on both the Douling and Xingluo empires. Even with the Tang Sect's support, the Tang Sect provided more finished products than technology, so soul tool development remained unsatisfactory.
All factors combined meant they couldn't even touch the threshold of catching up to the Douluo Federation.
The Xingluo Federation, on the other hand, had thoroughly prepared for immigration, relocating a large population with many excellent soul master bloodlines. Combined with the superior soul tool technology of its predecessor, the Xingluo Empire, it had developed far better than Douling.
In Harossa's view, Xingluo was capable of causing some trouble for the Federation. At the very least, the Dark Department would need to be more careful infiltrating there.
Though Harossa said there wasn't much to worry about, Rong Lingji still took the file from Nanaly and read it. The more he read, the stranger his expression became.
"Douling currently has only three Red-Grade Mecha units. Their strongest is a Level 98 Super Douluo—no Limit Douluo. They have a standing army of 400,000, about 10,000 mecha units, and two naval fleets. Why is the intelligence so detailed? Does the Federation have high-level spies there?"
Noticing Rong Lingji's gaze, Harossa's tone was odd.
"I led a team in once. But I never paid much attention to these details. This intelligence was all seized from Shrek. The Douling Empire had once placed great importance on the Tang Sect's assistance; the two sides had a very close relationship. Over time, some information was uncovered by the Tang Sect, and Shrek somehow kept records."
"There's intelligence on Xingluo too, but far less detailed."
Rong Lingji: "..."
He remembered Shrek had been destroyed for colluding with the enemy and betraying the nation, right?
And after being destroyed, they'd sold out Xingluo and Douling's secrets?
If you didn't know, you'd think they were double agents.
Shaking his head with amusement, Rong Lingji put down the file and looked up. "When does the Dark Department plan to depart?"
"Seven days from now."
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!