Poison Undying was furious to hear that Shrek's second-in-command was an Evil Soul Master, a traitor who had infiltrated their ranks. He wished he could tear Xuan Zi limb from limb.
It must have been hard undercover at Shrek for over two hundred years, wouldn't it? How many orthodox Soul Master geniuses did you harm for the Evil Soul Masters?
"No wonder Shrek has no successors! That little brat Yan Shaozhe is almost a hundred years old, but there isn't a single young, strong Super Douluo below him! So, you old bastard killed them all, didn't you?!"
"Damn it, if I calculate the time, that old scoundrel Xuan Zi became the deputy head of the Shrek Supervision Group about sixty or seventy years ago. Old Man Mu En didn't bother with anything, so he took advantage of his position to send students one by one to the Evil Soul Masters to be harmed. What vicious methods, what a venomous heart!"
Poison Undying counted on his fingers and was surprised to find that the vacuum period of Shrek having no successors perfectly coincided with Xuan Zi's time in power.
On the Douluo Continent, becoming a Titled Douluo before forty wasn't considered too young; top geniuses could achieve the title in their thirties, and it would take at most ten or twenty more years to cultivate into a Super Douluo.
Shrek's foundation was considered top-tier in the world, even if not unrivaled, and it gathered countless geniuses. Yet, for several decades, not a single newly promoted Super Douluo appeared. A chill ran down Poison Undying's spine.
No doubt, they were all sent away by that old bastard Xuan Zi!
Xu Xiaoyun's disciples and great-grandchildren couldn't escape his poisonous hands, and the White Tiger Family's eldest son was crippled, let alone other geniuses?
This was just as the second-in-command. If Mu En died and he became the Sea God Pavilion Master, then the targets he harmed wouldn't just be Shrek's geniuses! People from the former three empires, or even the entire continent, could be killed by this undercover agent!
The Evil Soul Masters could reach their current scale without being discovered because he, the deputy head of the Supervision Group, covered for them!
The Sun Moon Empire was an enemy, but their attitude towards Evil Soul Masters was normal. Jin Peng mentioned that a daring young man in the Sun Moon Empire aimed a Fixed Soul Cannon at an Evil Soul Master Super Douluo and fired. The cannon fire was incredibly fierce, almost affecting Jin Peng himself.
Even with their differing stances, Poison Undying had to admit that kid was something else. He had bombed a Level 96 Super Douluo with an Evil Phoenix Martial Soul.
Wait… Evil Phoenix Martial Soul? Didn't I hear about a romantic rumor involving Yan Shaozhe years ago? Light and Darkness Dual Phoenix? The dark attribute could very likely degenerate into an evil attribute.
Poison Undying's face darkened as he turned to Jin Peng, asking definitively, "I recall that decades ago, there was a rumor in the Soul Master world about a Light and Darkness Dual Phoenix. The Light Phoenix was Yan Shaozhe, and the Dark Phoenix was a female Soul Master? Was her name Feng Ling?"
"At the time, some joked that Yan Shaozhe was going to follow in his master's footsteps and marry that Dark Phoenix, abandoning his girlfriend Xian Lin'er at Shrek?"
Jin Peng paused, then nodded in response:
"Yes, there was such a rumor back then. Yan Shaozhe was enjoying great success and had quite a few romantic entanglements across the continent. However, not long after that rumor, they went their separate ways, and the specific reasons are known to very few."
Poison Undying's eyebrows almost furrowed together as he slowly articulated his guess:
"You're saying that Feng Ling might be the Evil Phoenix Super Douluo you encountered in Star Luo City? Their ages and cultivation levels match up."
"This… it's possible."
Jin Peng's expression froze, then he looked puzzled. "But how did a Dark Phoenix turn into an Evil Phoenix? If Yan Shaozhe discovered something was wrong with her Martial Soul, why didn't he eliminate her sooner?"
A Titled Douluo elder from the Body Sect, listening in, his eyes lit up and he interjected,
"Old Jin, you don't understand this. This kind of elemental Martial Soul can mutate under the stimulation of other attributes. The evil attribute of some Martial Souls awakens under intense stimulation."
Jin Peng looked at the Body Sect elder, unconvinced. "What kind of stimulation? How does it stimulate?"
The Body Sect elder revealed a knowing smile, the kind men understood, and chuckled,
"It's about that thing. When the two deeply merge, the Light Phoenix's light aura can certainly stimulate the Dark Phoenix's deeper powers."
"Oh~" the Body Sect experts exclaimed in unison.
After a knowing smile, Poison Undying's face immediately turned as dark as water. He looked at the Body Sect elder and asked,
"So you're saying that Yan Shaozhe played around with a woman and created a top-tier Evil Soul Master, and he didn't even deal with her, letting her cultivate to the point where even he couldn't defeat her?"
"Sect Master's insight is profound."
"Profound insight, my ass! That bastard Yan Shaozhe! He's just like that old scoundrel Long Xiaoyao!"
Poison Undying, inadvertently, cursed both Yan Shaozhe and his grandson, his anger boiling over.
"I remember the reason those Evil Soul Masters appeared in Star Luo City was to snatch back Yan Shaozhe's arena-killing disciple, right? Good heavens, the connection between Shrek and the Holy Spirit Church is passed down through generations, isn't it?"
"Mu En and Ye Xishui were old lovers back then, Yan Shaozhe and Feng Ling were former lovers, and now there's an Evil Fire Phoenix. Do I still have to thank that kid from the Sun Moon Empire for being ruthless enough to chop her down in advance, cutting off a future general of the Evil Soul Masters?"
"She was already killing maniacally before becoming an Evil Soul Master, so wouldn't she set the world ablaze if she became one? Was Yan Shaozhe planning to cultivate a successor for the Holy Spirit Church all along?"
As his words fell, Jin Peng and the other Body Sect experts paused, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty. Huo Yuhao, whose expression was quite a spectacle, also felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.
So, from the Elders at the top, to the Dean in the middle, and the students at the bottom, everyone at Shrek is somehow involved with Evil Soul Masters?
It's a good thing I left early, otherwise I would definitely have been harmed by Evil Soul Masters. That rotten Shrek isn't a place to stay even for a single day, Huo Yuhao thought with some relief.
"And that old bastard Xuan Zi, fortunately, Brother Xu crippled him in advance. Otherwise, if he had taken over from Mu En, the orthodox Soul Masters of the continent would have faced untold dangers."
Wiping away sweat, Poison Undying cursed in bewildered anger. The more he thought, the more a sense of dread washed over him. Could it be that Shrek and the Holy Spirit Church are actually one family?
During the great battle in Star Luo City, they were the first to stir up the battlefield, forcing the Sun Moon Empire to react defensively, leading to chaos everywhere. The Evil Soul Masters took advantage of the situation to cause trouble. If not for the Xuanming Sect and the Body Sect being present, Star Luo City would have been utterly destroyed!
In the midst of the battle, even the younger generation of the Sun Moon Empire knew to seize the opportunity to strike hard at those Evil Soul Masters. After the fight, the leaders of the Sun Moon Empire also intimidated the Evil Soul Masters, telling them to scram. What was Shrek doing? They showed no reaction at all!
There was even a statue of Sea God Tang San at the entrance of Shrek, so what kind of monstrous thing was the Holy Spirit that those Evil Soul Masters worshipped?
"Damn it, the more I think about it, the more scared I get. You guys take Yuhao back to the sect, I'm going to Vast Sea City."
Pushing Huo Yuhao towards Jin Peng, Poison Undying transformed into a streak of green light and sped away, intending to discuss the important matter of dealing with Evil Soul Masters with Xu Xiaoyun.
After much thought, Poison Undying realized that the only trustworthy senior expert left in the world was Xu Xiaoyun. Fortunately, the old turtle could be relied on in critical moments; otherwise, he would have despaired, perhaps even considering joining forces with the Sun Moon Empire to suppress the bandits and eliminate Shrek.
No matter how despicable the Sun Moon Empire might be, they wouldn't dare to commit such a heinous act as slaughtering civilians. However, Evil Soul Masters were utterly shameless beasts, capable of anything.
Huo Yuhao watched Poison Undying's figure disappear, then sighed in a daze.
His fate had been quite tumultuous these past few years. He hoped he could finally settle down in the future.
...
In the God Realm, specifically the Sea God Temple.
Tang San observed everything happening at Shrek through Wang Dong's and Huo Yuhao's perspectives, his brow furrowing with displeasure.
Only a few minutes had passed in the God Realm, yet so much had changed at Shrek. More than half of its forces were lost, and even Huo Yuhao had been snatched by the Body Sect?
And the Xuan Zi from Shrek, was he truly the Holy Spirit Church's mole within Shrek? Had these two major powers already merged without him noticing?
However, from what he heard, Ma Xiaotao, whom he had secretly swapped out and allowed the Holy Spirit Church to serve well, was dead. That crazy woman certainly got off easy.
Tang San continued to extend his Divine Sense towards the Douluo Plane, surprised to find that his perception of it had become much more difficult. The plane's resistance to his Divine Sense seemed to be growing more intense, deliberately concealing information.
In an instant, a cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes.
Undoubtedly, the plane's consciousness had heightened its resistance against him, preventing him from exploring the Douluo Continent. For now, he could only rely on his Divine Sense as feelers to observe the surrounding situation.
"Damn it, I should have left more bloodline descendants when I was still in the lower realm. This wouldn't be so troublesome then."
Anger surged within him. Tang San cursed the foolish, uncooperative Douluo Plane in his mind, while simultaneously pondering his next steps.
Shrek was in constant trouble, the Holy Spirit Church was like a rat crossing the street, and Da Ming and Er Ming of the Clear Sky Sect couldn't be easily moved. He no longer had a strong leverage to control the continental situation.
If this continued, the Sun Moon Empire would likely crush and replace the original Three Great Empires of the Douluo Continent.
Although he could forcibly descend to the lower realm to stop the Sun Moon Empire's army when it attacked the Three Great Empires, the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire had already caught Destruction's eye. If he intervened without a good reason, Destruction would surely stop him.
In the end, it would still be up to the mortal factions to handle their own grievances. Without the Tang Sect's help, the Three Great Empires certainly wouldn't be a match for the Sun Moon Empire. He also didn't know if the descendants of Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing would be able to grow strong enough before then.
If not... it would inevitably impact his control over the continent and even his grand plan spanning ten thousand years.
The thought of such a consequence made Tang San feel a disgusting sense of paving the way for others. Unable to accept this outcome, he racked his brain, finally realizing that he had a sufficiently powerful and absolutely loyal force on the Douluo Continent, or more precisely, in the ocean.
Sea God Island, the Sea God Family!
"Back when the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent collided, I, as the God King, considered that the people on the Sun Moon Continent could also provide Faith Power, which is why I prevented the Sea God Family from interfering. Now it seems I truly nurtured a tiger to cause trouble. I suppose I can only let them get involved..."
With this thought, Tang San settled his mind. He used his most familiar Sea God's Light, connecting his consciousness to the oceans of the Douluo Continent.
The Sea God originated from the Douluo Continent itself. Although Tang San hadn't made any visible innovations after inheriting his position, he still possessed mastery over oceanic power. He quickly located Sea God Island's position from back then and sent down a divine decree.
"Sea Soul Masters' combat power greatly diminishes on land, making them inferior to land Soul Masters. However, I left them the Sea God Helmet back then. Sea God Douluo's combat power will greatly increase when using it. A Limit Douluo among land Soul Masters shouldn't be able to defeat him..."
"They can't act too obviously, lest Destruction notices something amiss..."
Shrek was incompetent, the Holy Spirit Church was unusable, so the Sea God Family had to emerge!
...
Deep within the azure oceans of Douluo Star, a sacred, vast pillar of light descended from the sky, landing on an island.
Powerful waves of spiritual energy surged and churned, moving towards the island's center.
The Sea God High Priest, a white-haired but vibrant elder, stood at the forefront. Dressed in ancient azure robes and holding a Scepter, he led the powerful Sea Soul Masters in kneeling reverently, listening to the divine command.
How many years had it been? Since the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent collided, had the contemporary Sea God, who ascended to the God Realm, finally remembered their Sea God Family and was now issuing them orders?
The vast pillar of light materialized in the air, forming two lines of large characters:
"The Sun Moon are rampant. Make preparations for now. Seize the opportunity to enter the continent and assist the Three Great Empires in assassinating Xu Tianran!"
"We humbly obey the divine decree—!"
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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