"So that was the infamous crown prince, huh?" Huo Yuhao commented after Xu Tianran, and the literal shadow bodyguard, had left the Imperial Consecration Hall.
The Titled Douluo bodyguard of Xu Tianran might be able to hide from even Transcendent Douluos, but Huo Yuhao easily saw him with just his spiritual power.
Even if he hadn't seen him, he wouldn't be surprise to know that there was a powerful expert protecting the crown prince from the shadows and would be a Titled Douluo.
Kong Deming frowned and unhappily asks, "What are you doing here, sect master Huo Yuhao? You almost got both of us in trouble."
Huo Yuhao casually waved his hand, replying. "Sorry about that, I got a bit of a situation. Tell me, what's your opinion on evil soul masters?"
"...I don't like them. Given the chance I ever encounter their kind, I would either capture or kill them. Preferably the last bit. Gods, this world would be in a far better state without those scums roaming this land." Kong Deming sneered, his eyes showing not a lick of kindness or sympathy for evil soul masters.
Which is fair considering their heinous actions and how far they would go to indulge in their twisted desires of increasing their cultivation.
There was not much information about demons in the Douluo Continent, whether it was the Three Douluo Empires or the Sun Moon Empire, but the Evil Soul Masters were the closest description of what a demon is.
The Sun Moon Empire might be less prejudiced against Evil Soul Masters, but that doesn't mean they love and respect them. Heck no.
But because of some schemes in the background, no doubt the work of the Holy Spirit Cult and their partners, most of the populace of the country don't hate them as much as the rest of the people in the continent.
Huo Yuhao sighed deeply in relief, dramatically. "Phew, that's good. Sorry for doubting you, but I just wanted to be sure."
"...What did you do?" He had a bad feeling.
"Hey, I didn't do anything wrong. I just saved some kids from Evil Soul Masters and they were so grateful to me that they decided to join our organization, so, I brought them here!" Huo Yuhao said with a smile and tilted his head. "I almost forgot to mention, but the base of those Evil Soul Masters is in the city and, honestly, just a few blocks from here."
"They're also just a branch of their organization, I also found several other secret branches in the city but taking them down would cause a pretty big commotion. So I was wondering—"
"YOU WHAT?! AND THERE ARE WHAT IN THE CITY?!" Kong Deming shot up from his seat, his face flushed with fury and disbelief. His hands clenched tightly, soul power fluctuated heavily from his body.
Huo Yuhao flinched theatrically, raising both hands as if to shield himself from an incoming blow. "Whoa! Calm down, Elder Kong, calm down! I understand your fury, but seriously? You never noticed them? Even though the crown prince is conspiring with the Holy Spirit Cult?"
Kong Deming opened his mouth, but froze upon hearing the rest of Huo Yuhao's words. His heated blood chilled almost instantly. "Y-You... How did you know about the crown prince's collaboration with the cult?"
"You wanna know how I learn about it?" The corner of Huo Yuhao's lips curved and leaned forward, and said; "It's a secret~"
Of course he knew about it because he has the cult's vice sect master under his control as his loyal undead soldier, but Huo Yuhao wasn't going tell him that.
"...." Kong Deming narrowed his eyes but didn't press further. He was thoroughly traumatized by Huo Yuhao's Infinite Tsukuyomi Spirit Domain, he didn't want another false reality terrorizing him.
Just the thought of living a blissful life with everything that he ever dreamed achieved in the palm of his hands, only to be taken away in an instant, plus with interest, made his skin crawl.
He clenched his fists tightly, forcing his breathing to steady. 'This is real, I am real. This is my true reality if I'm dealing with this brat. If I let him drag me into his rhythm again, I'll lose myself.'
"What do you want?" Kong Deming was resigned, sitting back on his seat.
Huo Yuhao smirked and pressed his fingers together.
"It's great that you understand quickly. From now on, the Imperial Consecration Hall would act as a base of operation for our sect's subsidiary organization called the Shadow's Order—they are a special group of people for gathering intel of such. I'll be relying on you for a while, Elder Kong, on providing some resources."
He raised his hand, "I understand that this might feel as unfair. I'm a honorable man. So, as per our agreement, here's a bit payment for the troubles I'm bringing you."
Without waiting for Kong Deming's reply, Huo Yuhao appeared right before him in a sudden burst of speed and pressed his right index and middle fingers at the old man's forehead.
A sudden wave of otherworldly images and knowledges flashed into Kong Demin's heart and mind.
"T-This is...!" Kong Deming gasped, digesting the literal flashes of inspirations in his head.
Huo Yuhao might not be as skillful at soul engineering as him, yet. But his knowledge was literally out of this world, certain images and information would be enough to advance a soul engineer's capabilities by leaps and bounds.
This was the carrot that he was using to keep the Silver Moon Douluo pacified and obedient. Compared to any authority or cultivation resources, his attainment in soul engineering holds far more value.
'If I continue providing him knowledge of my previous life and Teacher Electrolux's world, when he becomes a Transcendent Douluo, he'd likely create a Class 11 Soul Tool.' Huo Yuhao thought as he finished the transfer.
The entire exchange happened in a single breath.
But to Kong Deming, it felt like hours had passed. His vision was hazy, but his mind was sharp and clear. It was as if a brand new world had opened to him!
At that moment, basking in this enlightenment, he couldn't help but think that working for Huo Yuhao was worth it.
"By the way, I need your help in getting rid of those other branches of the Holy Spirit Cult. I heard that the crown prince is planning on making them the national religion, well, that still in the works so I'm sure you won't get any backlash from Xu Tianran. Welp." Huo Yuhao brushed his hands, as if saying he did a job well done. He turned around and started heading to the door.
"I'll be going now, see you later Elder Kong!"
Unbeknownst to him, just a few seconds that he left, someone barged into Kong Deming's office with a panicked expression. The latter quickly turned pale upon hearing what he had said.
Huo Yuhao didn't immediately leave the Imperial Consecration Hall.
He first went back to inform and leave some instructions for Na Na and the other rescued Holy Servants before heading back to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
"Hm?" When Huo Yuhao entered the lab, the room was deathly silent and somber.
Everyone was present looking all gloomy and pale; Xuan Ziwen, Juzi, Ke Ke, and Zi Mu.
'Sheesh. Did someone die or something?' Huo Yuhao thought as he walked up to Xuan Ziwen.
"Yo, teach. What's with the atmosphere here? Did someone die?"
Upon hearing his words, Xuan Ziwen unexpectedly knitted his brows deeper.
Huo Yuhao's eyes behind the blindfold raised in surprise. "Ah, shit. Someone really did die?! I was just joking..."
"Yuhao..." Juzi spoke up, looking straight at Huo Yuhao. "It wasn't just one person who died. We just received news a few minutes ago. A-An entire mid-sized city was wiped out! And it was done in under a few minutes!"
"What?! Which city was attacked? Which empire actually—"
Ke Ke interrupted, shaking her head intensely and causing one of her twin-tails to accidentally struck Zi Mu on the face.
"No! It was from none of the three empires or even from Shrek Academy! The one who did it came from the sea!"
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute, did you say they came from the sea? And it was just "one"?"
Xuan Ziwen nodded, pinching his temple with a look of fear flashing across his eyes.
"According to the messengers, the one who had destroyed Oak City had called himself, no, he arrogantly proclaimed himself as the Sea God's Apostle!"
.....
In the ruins of what was once the vibrant Oak City. Now sunk to become a part of the vast seabed of the ocean.
Every building had collapsed under the crushing weight of the tides, their shattered frames half-buried in sand and coral that spread unnaturally fast, as if the sea itself had claimed the city as its own.
Roads that once rang with the sound of carts and footsteps had turned into trenches filled with drifting schools of fish.
Statues, fountains and advanced soul tools were broken, smoothed over by currents, their stone faces eroded within hours as though centuries had passed.
Above the sunken city loomed an unnatural stillness.
No waves disturbed the surface. No storms lingered in the sky.
The sea was unnervingly calm, calm in a way that felt oppressive, as though the ocean itself held its breath in reverence to the one standing amidst the devastation.
At the heart of the drowned city, atop the remnants of what used to be Oak City's central plaza, a lone figure stood upon the waters as if it were the ground.
Cloaked in flowing white garments streaked with violet and indigo, his attire resembled the endless waves, fluid yet untouchable, rippling with otherworldly light. The edges of his robes seemed alive, dissolving into faint streams of water qi that trailed him like tides obeying their master.
Upon his head rested a crown wrought not of gold, but of jagged coral and abyssal horns, an unholy coronet that radiated dominion. His face was hidden in shadow, yet his eyes glowed with a sharp, cold brilliance; like the abyss of the ocean itself staring back at the world.
In his hands, he bore a trident unlike any mortal weapon. It pulsed with divine power, its blades shifting hues of azure and violet, constantly swirling with the essence of the deep. Ethereal ribbons of energy danced around it, leaving streaks of phosphorescent light across the sea like the trails of leviathans cutting through the ocean.
Circling above him was his ever-present companion, a monstrous sea wyrmling, armored in jagged fins and blades of oceanic steel. Its eyes glowed with the same unnatural light as its master's, and its body shimmered with slick, dark scales that seemed to drink in the dim glow of the surroundings. The creature was no mere soul beast; it was tethered to his power combined with his Lord's divine power.
Behind him, spectral fragments floated; shards of weaponry, jagged and radiant, hovering in obedience as if they too were bound to his will. Each piece hummed with a deep, oceanic resonance, the sound of distant tides crashing against unseen shores.
Petals, or perhaps scales, drifted around him in an endless spiral, painting the air crimson as though the sea itself bled in reverence. But if anyone were to truly get close and personal, they would be struck by a sense of endless loneliness and longing; images of a mysterious woman would unceasingly filter into their hearts and minds.
He was both regal and terrifying, a prophet wrapped in majesty yet steeped in cruelty.
"Ten thousand years... slumbering... awaiting for my master's call..." His voice was like waves grinding mountains to sand, sounding calm yet wrathful at the same time.
"Now, I have heard your commandment, my Lord...." His grip on the trident tightened, glowing with the brilliance of submerged suns. "And I shall be the harbinger of Your will!"
He raised his weapon, and the ocean seemed to breathe with him, each ripple thrumming with infinite malice.
"For the sea is eternal... and all that walks upon the land is but prey."
His voice rose into a thunderous litany, every word a judgment call:
"Suffer not the heretic to breathe."
"Suffer not the false idol to stand."
"Suffer not the shore to resist the tide."
With every proclamation, his aura grew heavier, stronger, until it seemed the very seabed groaned beneath his pseudo-divinity.
He was no longer a man—he was the Apostle of the Sea God.
"Let the Child of Destiny know this truth..." His glowing eyes burned like abyssal lighthouses, searing through the void and stared straight at a certain white haired boy who was thousands of kilometers away.
Huo Yuhao's hair stood up straight as he felt a foreign gaze tear through space itself and lock onto him.
His breath hitched.
He recognized this pressure—it was of divine nature.
And then he heard a voice.
"The Sea does not ask for obedience. It demands it."
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
AN: Wooo! We're finally in chapter 300! Man, I didn't think I would write this far. Thank you all for staying with me and this story of mine for so long.
Spoiler alert, the next few chapters would be a mini arc that concerns the situation in the divine realm. It would tell the reason why Indra's soul arrived in the Douluo and why Tang San couldn't interfere as much as possible.