News of Huo Yuhao's Breakthrough to Titled Douluo swept through the entire Spirit Pagoda like a gust of wind, yet some rejoiced while others worried.
Naturally, the most worried person at this moment was the current Pagoda Master, Qiangu Dongfeng.
Sitting alone in the spacious yet desolate office on the top floor, with several files spread out before him, he could not take in a single word.
Huo Yuhao was growing far too fast, so fast that it completely exceeded his prior expectations.
Following this trend, it would not be long before Huo Yuhao stepped into the realm of a Super Douluo, and a Limit Douluo might not even take ten years.
By then, given Huo Yuhao's strength and the prestige he had accumulated within the Spirit Pagoda, his position as Pagoda Master would likely become shaky.
Yet now that Huo Yuhao had grown to this extent, he no longer had sufficient means in his hands to stop the other's rise.
Thinking of this, the irritation in Qiangu Dongfeng's heart shot up like a lit fuse, and he couldn't help but curse the Holy Spirit Cult from top to bottom once again.
If they hadn't slipped up back then and missed the best opportunity to kill Huo Yuhao, he wouldn't have to be in such a dilemma now.
And now, who knew what the Holy Spirit Cult was plotting; he had tried to contact them several times recently, but not once had he succeeded.
Just as Qiangu Dongfeng was feeling extremely annoyed by this, the soul guide communicator on his desk suddenly rang with a rapid chime.
That chime sounded exceptionally harsh in the quiet office, interrupting his chaotic thoughts.
He picked it up casually, his tone carrying a trace of impatience after being disturbed: "Hello."
However, the voice coming from the other end of the communicator spoke only a few words before Qiangu Dongfeng's expression changed abruptly.
He abruptly straightened his body, his voice raising a notch: "With the Blood God Great Array in place, how is it possible for the abyss to launch a full-scale invasion?"
The voice on the opposite side continued to come through, his expression growing increasingly gloomy as he asked the next sentence almost through gritted teeth: "What? Members of the Holy Spirit Cult actually managed to sneak in?!"
Until this moment, he finally understood why he hadn't been able to contact the Holy Spirit Cult recently; turns out they had actually colluded with the abyss.
Qiangu Dongfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock in his heart, and then said solemnly into the other end of the communicator: "The Spirit Pagoda will dispatch strong practitioners to provide support as soon as possible."
The abyss was the common enemy of the entire Douluo Continent.
Six thousand years ago, the continent had paid an immeasurably heavy price to completely repel the invasion of the abyss plane.
In the six thousand years since then, the Douluo Federation had continuously guarded the Blood God Great Array that sealed the abyss plane at the cost of countless lives.
Yet now, the Holy Spirit Cult had sneaked into the core of the Blood God Great Array and destroyed it from within, allowing the army of the abyss plane to take advantage of the weakness and launch the most violent attack in six thousand years.
The Blood God Legion guarding the Endless Mountains in the far west retreated steadily and had no choice but to issue an emergency distress signal, putting the Douluo Continent in danger of destruction once again.
Upon receiving the news, Qiangu Dongfeng immediately convened an emergency mobilization meeting.
Standing at the very front of the conference hall with a heavy expression and a forceful tone, he called upon the strong practitioners of the Spirit Pagoda to head to the Endless Mountains as soon as possible to halt the footsteps of the abyss's advance.
He spoke with righteous indignation, every word ringing with resolute force, as if he viewed all of this as his unshirkable responsibility.
Yet in his heart, he also had his own calculations.
Huo Yuhao's rise was gradually diminishing his prestige as Pagoda Master, and he needed a feat of sufficient weight to prove himself.
And this war to resist the abyss was precisely the best stage for him to showcase himself.
He wanted everyone to remember that Qiangu Dongfeng was the hero who stood up in times of crisis to save the continent.
After the mobilization, the strong practitioners of the Spirit Pagoda did not set off immediately.
Going to the Endless Mountains this time, life and death were uncertain; even high-cultivation Spirit Masters could not guarantee that they would return alive.
Everyone returned to their respective quarters to pack their equipment, say goodbye to their loved ones, and make final preparations for themselves.
The corridor grew much quieter, with people occasionally brushing past one another and nodding silently in mutual acknowledgment.
Leng Yaozhu stood beside Huo Yuhao, watching the dusk gradually sinking in the distance. She turned her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of regret: "What a pity, I won't be able to celebrate with you tonight."
Huo Yuhao shook his head indifferently; he never had much obsession with those formal celebrations anyway.
Immediately after, his gaze turned firm as he said: "Aunt Leng, I'm going with you."
Hearing this, the smile on Leng Yaozhu's face slowly faded.
She looked at Huo Yuhao, her gaze carrying a rare solemnity, and when she spoke, her tone was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for any negotiation: "No."
Huo Yuhao, however, did not give up just like that, saying: "Aunt Leng, I am already a Titled Douluo now, and my combat power is definitely not inferior to a Super Douluo. If I follow you, I will definitely be able to help."
Leng Yaozhu, however, remained unmoved. She shook her head: "Your understanding of the abyss is still far too little. Not to mention a Super Douluo, even a Limit Douluo cannot necessarily retreat unscathed on a battlefield facing the abyss."
Seeing Huo Yuhao's stubborn expression that still refused to yield, her expression softened slightly, and she earnestly transmitted her voice: "You currently possess the Legacy of the God of Destruction. As long as you complete the divine trials, you can become a true deity, and a God King at that. Before that, absolutely nothing can go wrong with you."
Huo Yuhao opened his mouth as if he still wanted to say something: "But..."
He had only spoken two words when he was interrupted by a wave of Leng Yaozhu's hand: "There are no 'buts'. The strength of the abyss plane is far greater than the Douluo Continent. If we all fail, you are our last hope."
Her gaze fell upon Huo Yuhao's face; there was no reprimand in those eyes, only a nearly pleading earnestness: "Do you understand?"
Meeting her gaze, Huo Yuhao fell silent for a moment.
The urge to head to the battlefield churned within his chest for a moment, but in the end, he slowly suppressed it.
He clenched his fists, then spoke solemnly, every single word carrying a heavy weight: "Rest assured, Aunt Leng, I will definitely become a deity, and I will never let the abyss plane devour the Douluo Continent."
Hearing these words, a smile finally bloomed once more on Leng Yaozhu's face, a smile filled with a sense of relief and gratification: "Aunt Leng believes in you. Wait for me to return."
Finishing these words, she turned around, not looking back once, and strode away into the distance.
Standing in place and watching that receding figure, Huo Yuhao couldn't help shouting out once more: "Aunt Leng, you must come back!"
Leng Yaozhu did not look back, merely raising her right hand high and waving it casually in the midair as she said: "Rest assured, I still have to come back to celebrate with you!"
Watching Leng Yaozhu's figure completely disappear around the corner ahead, Huo Yuhao finally slowly withdrew his gaze, shifting his line of sight to Gu Yue, who had been standing quietly beside him.
At this moment, the joy from his Breakthrough to Titled Douluo was completely gone from his face, replaced by an undisguised layer of worry.
He was silent for a moment before asking: "Do you think... Aunt Leng and the others can return safely?"
Huo Yuhao had never been to the Endless Mountains in the far west, nor had he ever truly dealt with the so-called abyss creatures, but he had read the records in federation history about that war six thousand years ago more than once.
Although the edges of those words had long been worn away by time, they could still make readers feel the tragedy and heaviness of the war back then.
The strength of the abyss creatures was never an exaggeration.
Hearing this question, Gu Yue did not answer immediately. She lowered her eyelids and remained silent for a while.
She likewise had never been to the Endless Mountains, but in a sense, she could be considered to have "seen" abyss creatures, because at this very moment, Na'er was engaging abyss creatures head-on on that battlefield.
The period when Na'er returned from the Blood God Legion to Shrek Academy could only be considered a vacation.
She had only stayed in Shrek for a little over three months before receiving the legion's recall order, returning to those Endless Mountains shrouded in wind, snow, and the flames of war year-round.
Now that the abyss had launched a full-scale invasion, Na'er, as a member of the Blood God Legion, had long since thrown herself into the battlefield.
Through that special connection between the two of them, Gu Yue was able to perceive the situation on that battlefield using Na'er's perspective, and thus knew more clearly than Huo Yuhao just how violent this abyss offensive was.
She was silent for a moment, and when she finally spoke, her tone carried a deliberate lightness: "Teacher is a Limit Douluo, after all; she will definitely be fine."
Huo Yuhao nodded unenthusiastically and said nothing more.
He lowered his eyes in silence for a moment, then spoke: "I am going back to cultivation."
His cultivation speed was already unimaginably fast in the eyes of others, but at this moment he still felt it wasn't fast enough.
He wanted to become stronger, strong enough that the next time he faced this kind of situation, he wouldn't have to stay behind and wait.
He had already figured it out; the next time he transmigrated back to the World of Ten Thousand Years ago, he would go to the Clear Sky Sect at the very first moment to complete the second trial of the God of Destruction's Divine Trials.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.