Chapter 277 The Incompetent Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao.
In the dark world, in the squares of major cities, Soul Masters looked at the sky, their discussions gradually subsiding, and all eyes were focused on the images that were about to be played.
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
At the edge of the wasteland, darkness began to fall.
Huo Yuhao led the rescued sect disciples eastward for dozens of miles until they saw several carriages parked ahead. These were the waiting party arranged by Bai Xuanzi, and several teachers from Shrek Academy were standing beside the carriages.
"Huo Yuhao, over here." A teacher waved to him.
Huo Yuhao nodded, then turned to the sect disciples and said, "Get in the carriage. They will take you back to your respective places."
The disciples expressed their gratitude repeatedly, some even trying to kneel and kowtow, but Huo Yuhao stopped them.
"You're welcome," Huo Yuhao said. "It's good that you're all safe."
Once everyone was on the carriage, Huo Yuhao unfolded the flight wings of his battle armor, transforming into a deep purple streak of light and flying towards Shrek Academy.
Two days later, Huo Yuhao returned to Shrek Academy.
He went straight to the Sea God Pavilion, where Bai Xuanzi was sitting and drinking tea. Seeing him enter, Bai Xuanzi put down his teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"You're back?" Bai Xuanzi asked.
"I'm back." Huo Yuhao walked up to Bai Xuanzi and bowed. "Teacher, the mission is complete. All six Holy Spirit Cult elders have been killed, and all the imprisoned disciples have been rescued."
Bai Xuanzi nodded: "Well done. I'm very satisfied with your performance this time."
Huo Yuhao stood there, not responding.
Bai Xuanzi looked at him and asked, "What's wrong? You seem unhappy."
"It's not that I'm unhappy," Huo Yuhao said. "I'm just thinking that I was only able to deal with this opponent because Master eliminated all those powerful figures. Without Master's help, I wouldn't even have been able to enter the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters."
Bai Xuanzi was silent for a moment, then said, "So?"
"So I'm not strong enough yet," Huo Yuhao said seriously. "With my current strength, I can handle Title Douluos around level 90, but I'm helpless against those above level 95. Not to mention Limit Douluos, or Tang San from the God Realm."
"Yes," Bai Xuanzi did not deny it.
"I want to reach level 90 as soon as possible," Huo Yuhao said. "Then I'll upgrade my two-word battle armor to a three-word battle armor. Only when I reach the Title Douluo level, with the added boost of the three-word battle armor, will I be qualified to face Tang San."
Bai Xuanzi looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded: "It's good that you have this idea. The worst thing in cultivation is complacency. The fact that you can see your own shortcomings shows that you are truly growing."
"So the teacher agreed?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"I agree," Bai Xuanzi said. "However, breaking through to level ninety isn't easy. Your current soul power is level eighty, which is ten levels away from level ninety. This isn't something you can quickly improve through hard work; it requires an opportunity, it requires enlightenment."
"I know," Huo Yuhao said, "but I will try my best."
"Alright." Bai Xuanzi stood up and patted his shoulder. "Rest for a few days, then continue cultivating. Once you reach level ninety, I'll arrange the three-word battle armor."
"Thank you, teacher." Huo Yuhao bowed again, then turned and left the Sea God Pavilion.
Bai Xuanzi watched his retreating figure, standing with his hands behind his back, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
In the plaza of the Dark World, the Soul Masters witnessed this scene, and their discussions arose once again.
"Bai Yuhao is truly outstanding." A Soul Master exclaimed, "He completed such a difficult mission, killed six Title Douluos, and saved so many people. After returning, he was not arrogant at all. Instead, he said that he was not strong enough."
"Yes," the person next to him nodded. "He made it very clear that if Bai Xuanzi hadn't eliminated those powerful figures, he wouldn't have even been able to get through the gate. Such a clear self-awareness is rare."
"Moreover, his goals are very clear," another Soul Master said. "First, he'll raise his level to ninety, then upgrade his Battle Armor to the three-word level. He'll take it one step at a time, without rushing or being reckless. This mindset is far superior to Huo Yuhao's in the underworld."
"What is Huo Yuhao like in the underworld at this stage?" someone asked.
"Huo Yuhao from the underworld is still gloating over the Three Wonders of Haodong." The person next to him sneered, "How can he have the vision of Bai Yuhao? He can't even get close to becoming a Title Douluo, let alone think about a three-word battle armor."
"So it still comes down to the teachers," an older Soul Master said. "The disciples taught by Bai Xuanzi know their shortcomings and know what to do next. The disciples taught by Hei Xuanzi can't even find their direction."
"Alright, alright, stop dragging Hei Xuanzi into everything," someone said. "Judging from the sky, there should be more to come."
All eyes were once again focused on the sky.
[In the scene depicting the sky.]
At the same time Huo Yuhao left the Sea God Pavilion, the situation at the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters was completely different.
Two dark purple streaks of light flew from afar and landed on the ruins in front of the Holy Spirit Church's headquarters.
[It was Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao.]
They stood at the city gate, gazing at the scene before them, and remained silent for a long time.
The once majestic black city gates have collapsed, and the evil spirit runes on the walls have been eroded beyond recognition by the ice. The streets inside the city are littered with ice shards and shattered ice sculptures, and low-level evil spirit masters huddle in corners, trembling.
Ye Xishui walked into the city and looked at the mess everywhere; her face turned extremely ugly.
"All six elders are dead," Long Xiaoyao said in a low voice, following behind her. "The people in the dungeon have also been rescued."
Ye Xishui didn't answer. She walked to the ice shards, squatted down, and picked up a piece of ice with her fingers. Within the ice, she could still see remnants of the old man with the bone staff's clothing.
"It's that kid's domain," Ye Xishui said, "an ice-attribute rule-based domain."
"I know," Long Xiaoyao said. "A junior at level 80 killed six Title Douluos using his domain. Although he was only at level 90, that's still a terrifying feat."
Ye Xishui stood up, threw the shards of ice in her hand on the ground, and looked up in the direction of Shrek Academy, her eyes filled with anger and resentment.
"It was Xuanzi," Ye Xishui said through gritted teeth. "He sent that kid here, and he's also the one who sent us away. He treated our headquarters as his disciple's training ground."
Long Xiaoyao was silent for a moment, then said, "What do we do then? Go back and settle the score with him?"
Ye Xishui remained silent.
Who could she possibly seek revenge against? Bai Xuanzi was a God-King level being; he could teleport them thousands of miles away with a flick of his finger. If they really fought, they wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move.
"Let's go," Ye Xishui finally said, her voice filled with a weary helplessness. "The people are dead, and we've saved them. What's the point of keeping them here?"
"What about headquarters..." Long Xiaoyao asked.
"No, I don't want it anymore." Ye Xishui turned around and walked out of the city without looking back. "As long as Xuanzi is here, this headquarters will not survive. Rather than staying here and being used as a target again, it's better to start over somewhere else."
Long Xiaoyao watched her retreating figure, sighed, and followed her.
The two transformed into streaks of light and vanished into the horizon.
The headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult, once the lair of evil spirit masters that struck fear into the hearts of countless people, has been abandoned.
All that remained were shards of ice and broken ice sculptures, slowly melting in the afterglow of the setting sun.
(End of chapter)