After Huo Yuhao fully completed his transformation into a Borin (Abundance) person, the followers of the Holy Spirit Church also successfully finished their transformation.
A group of werewolves appeared in the dim underground city. Grey fur grew on their bodies, which were covered in mysterious dark blue markings, each one exuding a chilling aura.
These terrifying werewolves roared toward the sky, their voices echoing through the underground city as if they would shatter the confined space.
"The Bountiful Heart of the Abundance, the Proliferation of the Ambrosial Arbor, the Devotion of the Gardener, Ascent to the Utmost Bliss." (x3)
For a time, the Holy Spirit Church headquarters erupted in fanatical cheers, the sound resonating like surging tides throughout the entire underground city.
Zhongli Wu and others were immersed in this insane joy. Although the converted Borin werewolves among the Holy Spirit Church followers did not display Huo Yuhao's terrifying immortality or overwhelming strength, limb regeneration was no longer a difficult task for them.
Moreover, every Borin werewolf possessed a special form of pressure. Weaker Evil Soul Masters would have their strength severely crippled under this pressure.
Their sharp claws and teeth, strong physiques, and unparalleled recovery ability seemed to form an undying legion.
It wasn't hard to imagine how terrifying such a legion would be on the battlefield.
"Hahaha, good, excellent!"
Zhongli Wu burst into laughter, his heart filled with delight.
With this Borin legion, the Holy Spirit Church would have nothing to fear, even if they parted ways with the Sun Moon Empire. They now had sufficient confidence to walk openly under the sun.
Furthermore, this was just the beginning. As long as Hoolay was still around, the Abundance's blessings could be provided continuously. As time passed, the scale of the Borin legion was bound to expand.
Not only that, the higher-ups of the Holy Spirit Church also had the opportunity to transform into Borin.
Huo Yuhao's transformation demonstrated that after becoming a Borin, one's martial soul power would be integrated, and their strength would increase significantly.
Moreover, they would possess a lifespan that was nearly endless, as long as they weren't utterly annihilated. This kind of treatment, which was close to that of a god, made them feel that the profession of a Soul Master was utterly insignificant, even beneath their contempt.
However, compared to the fanatical Holy Spirit Church members, Long Xiaoyao frowned deeply, a flicker of worry occasionally flashing in his eyes, followed by a helpless sigh.
Ye Xishui, while happy, couldn't help but feel a moment of hesitation, even doubting if her initial decision had been correct.
While the Holy Spirit Church was previously despised as Evil Soul Masters, they were at least human, unlike the clear boundary between Soul Beasts and humans.
But now that the Holy Spirit Church had chosen to transform and no longer existed in human form, their future path was truly unpredictable.
Yet, it was too late to regret.
Hoolay's power was terrifying, and his personality was brutal. He was a textbook dictator.
Moreover, he had already gained the approval of the majority of the Holy Spirit Church members. Trying to stop him was virtually impossible.
Even Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao lacked the power. They knew they simply couldn't defeat Hoolay, a realization steeped in deep helplessness.
However, given the current situation on the Douluo Continent, even if the Holy Spirit Church hadn't accepted Hoolay, they would have been eliminated sooner or later.
The Holy Spirit Church, as the state religion, was well aware of the various changes occurring in the Sun Moon Empire.
The terrifying power hidden in the shadows struck fear even into a deeply cunning Evil Soul Master like Zhongli Wu.
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao's acquiescence to the Holy Spirit Church submitting to Hoolay was precisely because they sensed this far more terrifying threat.
Faced with that unknown, powerful deterrent, choosing Hoolay seemed inevitable.
"The Lord of Destruction, hmph!"
Hoolay looked at the newly formed Borin crowd in a frenzy, a cruel smile on his lips.
But then, when he thought of the mysterious power hidden within the Sun Moon Empire, his eyes instantly flashed with deep dread and solemnity.
The Borin and the Antimatter Legion were not allies; in fact, the Antimatter Legion would actively launch destructive attacks against the Borin.
Take Stellaron for example, she once actively requested the Xianzhou Alliance to cooperate with her to eradicate the Wingweavers' planet.
One could say that neither side was good, and they were fundamentally opposed.
Hoolay had found traces of Destruction in the Sun Moon Empire. Although he wasn't sure if the summoned Servant was truly the Lord of Destruction, any entity capable of manufacturing Voids (Stellaron Hunters' minions) was at least at the level of a Calamity's Harbinger.
If the Lord of Destruction truly manifested, Hoolay felt that this planet, and even the entire star system, would face utter annihilation.
However, anyone summoned to this world was just a memory construct and couldn't possess the full power of the main body.
At best, they were equivalent to the level of Gods in this universe, just like himself, who was no longer at his peak.
Even so, the Lord of Destruction was still a cosmic-level calamity. Destroying a planet was not difficult for such an entity.
Moreover, the Sun Moon Empire had apparently formed a partnership with the suspected Lord of Destruction, ensuring a continuous supply of material for destruction.
Who knows how many terrifying Voids would surge out of the Antimatter Furnace, possibly even terrifying weapons like the Doomsday Beasts, which targeted entire stars.
In terms of rapid military production, the Antimatter Legion was exceptionally professional, second only to the Propagation Swarm.
After all, as one of the three great cosmic calamities, the Antimatter Legion's reputation was well-earned.
Aside from the suspected Lord of Destruction, that terrifying woman, Jingliu, also filled Hoolay with fear.
Whenever Hoolay recalled the information he had gathered about Jingliu, his eyes would flash with deep terror.
He had never been this frightened, even when facing the suspected Lord of Destruction.
While Jingliu's strength might not match the Lord of Destruction, compared to the utterly unknown entity, Jingliu had left an indelible psychological scar on him.
During the centuries he was imprisoned, he tried everything to find a way to counter Jingliu, but he always failed.
Therefore, just hearing Jingliu's name caused a severe stress reaction in him, which was a crucial reason why he urgently wanted to create a Borin legion to enhance his side's strength.
Not to mention the Emissary of Erudition (Qingque).
The small planet of Douluo Star had actually gathered a group of famous figures from their universe.
An Emissary of Erudition, a Luofu Swordmaster, a Borin War-Chief, and a Lord of Destruction—each was a figure that shook the cosmos, now all gathered on this small planet.
Even Hoolay couldn't help but feel a little pity for this planet.
The only fortunate thing was that they were likely not their main bodies, otherwise, this world would truly be finished and completely unplayable.
In a dark corner, a fox-eared girl with cherry-colored hair leaned silently against the wall, watching the chaotic scene unfold with a flicker of helplessness in her eyes.
Her Master, Tang Ya, was now just a puppet who had lost her self-awareness. Because of this, she was forced to remain in this lair-like Holy Spirit Church headquarters.
The actions of those Evil Soul Masters thoroughly disgusted her; several times, she had almost given in to the urge to draw her sword and slaughter them all.
But remembering her controlled Master, she forcibly suppressed her anger and chose to endure.
Fortunately, perhaps because she made no secret of her disdain for the Evil Soul Masters, and because those Evil Soul Masters needed her power, they usually behaved with restraint in front of her.
Otherwise, she truly didn't know if she could resist taking action.
"Big Sister, these people are so scary!"
A two-headed, small loli with pink hair and fox ears suddenly popped up, clinging to Yae Sakura's shoulder, her gaze toward Hoolay clearly filled with fear.
Hearing the title "Big Sister," Yae Sakura's expression stiffened slightly. She really disliked that address, but Pinky (Higokumaru) always failed to change, which was quite frustrating.
"Big Sister, why don't we just take Little Ya and run? I keep feeling like that big guy wants to eat me!"
Pinky kept chattering in Yae Sakura's ear, making Yae Sakura's brow twitch.
How could she not want to take Tang Ya and flee this horrible place? But aside from Hoolay, the strength of Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao was considerable; they were both capable of stopping her.
Furthermore, Tang Ya had taken the Holy Spirit Church's secret medicine and was now riddled with toxins. Leaving the Holy Spirit Church would undoubtedly be suicide.
Moreover, the controlled Tang Ya wouldn't go with her anyway.
Yae Sakura knew her strength was not particularly outstanding among the Servants; at least Hoolay was far stronger than her.
At most, she could draw with Long Xiaoyao or Ye Xishui, giving her no ability to force the Holy Spirit Church to let Tang Ya go.
"Not now. We can't take her."
Yae Sakura shook her head helplessly, then took a deep look at the group of werewolves. Her figure gradually merged into the darkness and disappeared.
"Fine!"
Pinky drooped her head, her fox ears also flopping down softly, clearly very unhappy.
She had long disliked this dark and oppressive Holy Spirit Church headquarters and longed to go out and see the beautiful scenery of the exotic world. But now, it seemed the time was not ripe, and she could only continue to endure.
Hoolay casually glanced at the dark corner, a flicker of disdain in his eyes.
In his opinion, Yae Sakura was merely a naive woman. Although her strength was decent, that was all there was to her.
Moreover, her fox ears reminded Hoolay of the weak fox-people enslaved by the Borin.
If not for the fact that Yae Sakura's Master was a mere puppet and her power might be needed at some point, he would have mercilessly devoured her long ago.
After all, as fellow Servants, they were both condensed from negative energy. Devouring her would surely enhance his own power.
Haiyuan City. Lu Jingming had just seen off the reluctantly departing Meng Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen, who came personally to pick up his daughter, took the opportunity to reveal numerous critical pieces of information to Lu Jingming.
Recently, with the strong support of a mysterious, unknown force, the Mingde Hall achieved a major breakthrough: the successful development of humanoid mecha, and colossal mecha at that.
Now, under the full mobilization of the Sun Moon Empire, these giant mecha have begun mass production, and they are forming a sizable mecha legion.
Notably, the energy source driving these giant mecha did not come from soul tools independently developed by Mingde Hall, but from energy furnaces supplied by that unknown force.
According to Jing Hongchen's detailed description, these energy furnaces had extremely peculiar characteristics, filled with terrifying, destructive power.
While they could serve as powerful energy sources for the mecha, their contaminating nature was intensely destructive.
Mecha pilots, if exposed to it for an extended period, were highly likely to undergo frightening mutations, with unthinkable consequences.
During this time, Mingde Hall conscripted a large number of soul tool researchers, focusing on these destruction-filled furnaces as the core to develop many soul tools with immense destructive power.
Jing Hongchen even witnessed a tragedy: a Soul Engineer, who was overly obsessed with the powerful energy contained in the Destruction Furnace, failed to take adequate protective measures during research.
As a result, he was mercilessly eroded by that terrifying destructive power, instantly transforming into a pure killing weapon.
This corrupted and transformed Soul Engineer obeyed instructions solely from the unknown entity, completely degenerating into a tool specialized for destruction. He lost his self-awareness and became a perfect war machine.
Just a Grade 7 Soul Engineer, after the transformation, displayed terrifying combat power, requiring the intervention of a seated Grade 9 Soul Engineer to barely subdue him.
Surprisingly, this tragic Soul Engineer was not immediately eliminated by Mingde Hall; instead, he was quickly retrieved by personnel sent by the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family.
Clearly, the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family must possess some special means to effectively control these war machines that lack emotion and consciousness.
The information Jing Hongchen brought was not a coincidence; it was deliberately conveyed to Lu Jingming by Kong Deming (Jing Hongchen's teacher).
Kong Deming's intention was clear: to force Jing Hongchen to define his position and choose a side.
After all, Jing Hongchen, that calculating old fox, had never clearly stated his stance, constantly observing and wavering between the various factions.
But with Kong Deming personally intervening, Jing Hongchen, as a disciple, knew he had no choice but to make a decision.
Ultimately, Jing Hongchen chose to bring all this information, completely and without reservation, directly to Lu Jingming. This action undoubtedly signaled that he had made his decision and choice.
Compared to his esteemed teacher and Lu Jingming, whom he already favored, the increasingly crazed Xu Tianran genuinely filled Jing Hongchen with fear.
While Jing Hongchen could barely tolerate the previous cooperation with the Holy Spirit Church, the actions of the force behind Xu Tianran had made Jing Hongchen keenly aware of a massive threat—a giant beast hiding in the dark, ready to devour everything at any moment.
As the Hall Master of Mingde Hall, Jing Hongchen's Hongchen Family possessed its own independent intelligence sources, thanks to its deep foundation and extensive network.
According to his knowledge, the surface of Mingdou (Bright Capital) appeared peaceful, yet upon close inspection, one could sense an unusual atmosphere quietly spreading, as if an invisible pressure was enveloping the city.
However, the other cities in the Sun Moon Empire, outside of Mingdou, were not so peaceful.
Large numbers of people were inexplicably disappearing, as if they had vanished into thin air—a chilling phenomenon.
The situation in the Jingyang Mountain Range was even more severe. This mountain range was the Sun Moon Empire's largest Soul Beast gathering place, second only to the Evil Demon Forest. Yet, the number of Soul Beasts there had sharply dwindled recently.
Historically, Soul Masters going to the Jingyang Mountain Range to hunt soul rings would always find a harvest. But lately, even finding a Thousand-Year Soul Beast had become exceptionally difficult, almost impossible.
Only a select few knew this shocking news; Jing Hongchen was one of them.
The Sun Moon Empire had strictly sealed off this information, and most citizens were unaware that, in a sense, the Soul Beasts in the Jingyang Mountain Range were nearly extinct.
As for where those extinct Soul Beasts went?
Connecting this to the Soul Engineer who was eroded by negative particles from the Destruction Furnace and transformed into a war machine, a shocking conjecture formed in Jing Hongchen's mind.
The large number of disappearing people in the Sun Moon Empire and the mysteriously vanishing Soul Beasts in the Jingyang Mountain Range were likely both related to the mysterious force behind Xu Tianran.
Under these circumstances, how could Jing Hongchen possibly remain calm?
In fact, when he learned this news, the disappearances and the anomaly in the Jingyang Mountain Range had already been occurring for a long time. Clearly, Xu Tianran had been hiding his unspeakable dealings from the Sun Moon Empire's ancient families.
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi