Gu Yuena took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "And sooner or later, we'll take it all back with interest."
At that time, she hadn't awakened, but now it was different.
She would take it all back with interest!
"Yes."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, but his mind was lost in thought.
Over the past two years, through the intelligence provided by Snow Empress, he had gained a clearer understanding of the strength of the Abyss Plane and realized how difficult it had been for Di Tian and the others to hold it off over six thousand years ago.
The Abyss Plane had one hundred and eight layers. The emperors of the last thirty-six layers had strength roughly equivalent to human Title Douluo. The emperors of the middle thirty-six layers were on par with Super Douluo.
The most fearsome were the emperors of the top thirty-six layers. Their strength was comparable to human Limit Douluo.
And besides these beings, there were also the powerful races of each Abyss layer.
It was worth noting that except for the Abyss Saint Lord, who didn't belong to any race, the emperors of each layer were generally the strongest of their respective races.
However, this didn't mean that aside from these strongest individuals, there were no other powerful beings in those races.
For example, the Possession Demons of the seventh Abyss layer were one of the most powerful creatures in the Abyss.
Although they lacked direct combat ability, they possessed the power of possession. Once possessed by them, only those with Spiritual Domain-level mental power could resist.
Even Spiritual Domain-level individuals would be greatly affected and would need to fight with all their might to break free from the control. During this struggle, they would find it difficult to move.
In other words, these creatures could participate in extreme-level battles. If a Limit Douluo was possessed by one during a battle with an Abyss powerhouse, they would face certain death, and there was even a risk of being controlled.
Moreover, besides this ability, the most terrifying aspect of these creatures was that they were almost impossible to kill.
Whether it was physical, mental, or energy attacks, they would absorb and convert them into their own control power, making them troublesome opponents.
Over the years, the Federation had confirmed that there were a total of thirty-six Possession Demons.
Each could possess three times in their lifetime, and the conditions for their natural death and renewal were unknown.
According to Snow Empress, during the Abyss War over six thousand years ago, not many Abyss emperors had participated.
Only the Ardent Monarch from the third Abyss layer had led some Abyss emperors and creatures into battle.
In that war, more than half of the Limit Douluo from the Douluo Continent side had died because of the Possession Demons.
Some Limit Douluos had been possessed during battle and were killed by Abyss powerhouses while struggling against the control.
Others had been ambushed by possessed Super Douluo comrades, and some had been outmaneuvered due to the Possession Demons' ability to control attacks...
Although the Federation had now found a way to counter possession, it required external assistance and wasn't foolproof. Even if the possession ability couldn't be used, the Possession Demons' innate ability to control various attacks remained a problem.
"Besides the Possession Demons, the Spirit Dragons are also not to be underestimated. Fortunately, six thousand years ago, the leader was the Ardent Monarch, not the Spirit Monarch..."
Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
The Spirit Dragon race, one of the strongest races among the Abyss creatures, numbered no more than fifty. They belonged to the Spirit Monarch of the second layer and were naturally powerful, possessing innate Spiritual Domain-level mental power!
Although their individual strength wasn't as great as the Abyss emperors of the top thirty-six layers, they were stronger than the emperors of the other seventy-two layers, easily comparable to 98th-level Super Douluo.
Moreover, their most formidable aspect was their ability to enhance Abyss creatures, making them even more terrifying on the battlefield than those Limit Douluo.
(The original text said that each Spirit Dragon was stronger than the emperors of the following seventy-eight layers, which seems like a retcon since that would imply each Spirit Dragon was a Limit Douluo. Here, it's adjusted to only be stronger than the following seventy-two layers.)
Furthermore, the mental power of Spirit Dragons could connect and stack, allowing them to join forces and take on Limit Douluo.
Over six thousand years ago, since the Spirit Monarch didn't participate in the war, these Spirit Dragons hadn't taken the field.
They were one of the hidden trump cards of the Abyss. If they had appeared alongside the Spirit Monarch back then, given their enhancement of Abyss creatures and their own strength, the losses on the Douluo Continent side would have been even greater.
After all, the Abyss was a powerful plane, unified under the Abyss Saint Lord, and its strength was not to be underestimated.
"Yuhao, what's wrong?"
Huo Yuhao snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Gu Yuena beside him, shaking his head slightly. "Nothing, just some thoughts."
The combat power of the Abyss Plane was truly formidable. It was no small feat for the Douluo Continent to withstand the initial invasion of such a powerful plane over six thousand years ago. The people and beasts who sacrificed themselves for this deserve everyone's respect.
If it weren't for them, who knows what the Douluo Continent would be like now.
"If there's a chance, I'd like to pay my respects."
Huo Yuhao's sudden statement made Gu Yuena pause for a moment before she smiled. "Sure, if you go, they'd probably be very happy."
Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoyan, seeing that they had temporarily stopped conversing, finally walked over.
"Nana, I want to try out the technique my teacher taught me. Can you be my sparring partner?"
Gu Yuena's eyes flickered, and she nodded, walking with Xu Xiaoyan to the center of the training field.
She had taught Xu Xiaoyan more about the ice attribute, but Huo Yuhao had taught her more about the stellar attribute. Strictly speaking, Xu Xiaoyan was a disciple of both of them... Well, a nominal one, since they hadn't passed on their true skills yet.
It was very difficult for an artifact soul master to grasp the heart of an element, as they weren't pure elemental soul masters. They could only rely on their own mental power to manipulate external elemental forces. Xu Xiaoyan definitely hadn't mastered this yet, so she must have completed the technique Huo Yuhao taught her.
Although she seemed a bit lazy, she was still putting in effort.
Gu Yuena smiled inwardly.
Huo Yuhao glanced at them and then turned to Tang Wulin, who was standing nearby. "Wulin, the thing you needed is ready."
"Really?"
Tang Wulin's eyes lit up, and he quickly thanked him. "Thank you, Yuhao."
"It's nothing. Good luck in the competition." Huo Yuhao handed him a box and turned to see Xie Xie's envious expression.
"Boss, when are you going to help me..."
"Here."
Huo Yuhao patted his storage ring and took out several boxes, controlling them to land in the hands of Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi.
"I've prepared yours and Xiaoyan's, but try not to use them in this competition. Strictly speaking, this isn't your own strength... except for Wulin's."
Xie Xie's smile faded as he said, "I understand. This is your and Wulin's strength, and this time I want to win on my own."
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged glances. Although they felt a bit guilty about taking advantage, they still accepted the boxes.
Having a peer who stood at the pinnacle of auxiliary professions right beside them, as Xu Xiaoyan had said, learning maintenance was the best option for them. This way, they could also focus more on cultivation... Though it was a bit embarrassing to trouble Huo Yuhao and Tang Wulin.
Nearby, Yuanen Yehui, who was about to leave the training field to find her soul spirit, paused and looked at them in surprise.
What was in those boxes?
As she wondered, Xie Xie revealed the answer in the next moment.
"Mine are leg armor?" Xie Xie looked at the parts in his hand with a pleasantly surprised expression.
"Battle armor components?"
Yuanen Yehui's eyes widened as she looked at Huo Yuhao, suddenly remembering something.
She had indeed heard that Huo Yuhao was a dual-class soul master, and with Tang Wulin's forging talent... The two of them could complete battle armor.
Thinking this, Yuanen Yehui felt a surge of desire but also some hesitation.
Should she swallow her pride and ask them for help? She was a maintenance master and had already reached the fourth rank. She had spirit alloy, and now she just needed someone suitable to design and manufacture her battle armor.
The designers and manufacturers in her class were all troubled by her twin martial souls and needed to find more capable individuals.
But her relationship with Huo Yuhao wasn't as close as the Zero Class members. Asking questions was fine, but designing and manufacturing battle armor...
"If you have trouble, come find me."
In her mind, Na Nali's laughter rang out.
Yuanen Yehui's expression instantly turned blank.
Oh, right. She had another person she could turn to for help, but it would require "selling herself."
...
Three days passed quickly.
Under Luo Meng's lead, Le Zhengyu and the others arrived at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy and saw the statues at the entrance.
In the morning light, a row of statues stood quietly, exuding a cold luster.
"Is that the Silver Moon Douluo? Who are the others behind her?" Le Zhengyu recognized the figure at the front but was puzzled by the other statues.
Long Chen glanced at them. "There are names below. Xiao Hongchen, champion of the *th Continental Soul Master Grand Championship..."
As he read, his voice gradually trailed off.
The Continental Soul Master Grand Championship hadn't been held for a long time, and these statues were placed alongside the Silver Moon Douluo, so they must be from ten thousand years ago.
That was around the time the Sun Moon Empire unified the continent...
"I know them."
Ye Xinglan's cold voice suddenly rang out, drawing the attention of the other students. "Ten thousand years ago, our academy was in a weak state, and they were the ones who defeated the academy and took away the championship glory."
Luo Meng, Lan Muzi, and Tang Yinmeng, the elders, stood to the side, falling into silence.
Even though they had long known about the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy's situation, when they saw these statues, their expressions still turned somewhat unnatural.
As teachers and inner court disciples of Shrek Academy, they had heard the story of Moonlight Douluo and knew that during her time of glory, she had suffered because of her "Silver Moon" title. There was no need to guess who the perpetrator was, there was only one possibility.
And they naturally knew who the statues around the Silver Moon Douluo were, understanding them even better than Ye Xinglan.
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy placing these statues here was a provocation to them.
If they were hot-blooded young students, they might have already acted impulsively.
Lan Muzi took a deep breath. "Let's go, don't think too much about it."
Tang Yinmeng nodded and led the way toward the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. The other students glanced at the statues and followed with furrowed brows.
As Tang Yinmeng had said, they were in hostile territory and had to endure such provocations.
At the entrance of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, people had already received word and came to welcome the Shrek Academy group.
Grudges were one thing, but hospitality was another. Among these people were three-word battle armor masters, and they couldn't be ignored.
At the front of the welcoming group was a tall, middle-aged man with a gentle yet authoritative demeanor.
"Welcome, everyone from Shrek Academy." He nodded slightly. "I am Lin Jiayi, the director of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy."
Lan Muzi stepped forward. "Hello, I'm Lan Muzi, an inner court disciple."
"The successor of the Atlas Douluo, I've long heard of you." Lin Jiayi gestured with his hand. "Let's skip the pleasantries. The preparations for the exchange match are ready. The students can wait at the competitor's entrance, and the match will begin shortly. As for Lan Muzi and the others... Would you like to join me in the VIP box to watch the match?"
"Of course."
Lan Muzi gave the students a meaningful look and, led by a teacher, headed toward the competition venue with Tang Yinmeng and Luo Meng.
The students were taken to the competitor's entrance.
Seeing this, Lin Jiayi turned to Lin Qinghan beside him. "How are the students' preparations?"
"They're all ready." Lin Qinghan nodded.
"What about the Mingdu media?"
"That's been arranged too."
Lin Qinghan hesitated. "But is it really a good idea to broadcast the match live across all of Mingdu? We don't have a guaranteed victory."
Lin Jiayi's eyes flickered. "If we lose, it will motivate our students to improve. If we win, we can accomplish the task assigned by the higher-ups. Plus, this exchange match has already attracted a lot of attention, and the news has spread. Having more media coverage isn't a big deal. Just make sure to comfort the students and not put too much pressure on them."
"Yes!"
...
On the way to the competitor's entrance, Le Zhengyu and the others passed through the hall and, seeing the surroundings, couldn't help but frown.
There were very few people around, which was clearly not normal. Where had all the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy students gone?
He could only think of one possibility.
Le Zhengyu whispered to his teammates, "I can imagine the situation we'll face later."
Ye Xinglan's eyes turned cold, but she didn't say anything. However, when she saw two figures, her calm demeanor instantly vanished, and her pupils contracted.
"Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena?!"
In her line of sight were two figures who often appeared in her thoughts. They, along with a few others, were walking from around a corner toward another direction, seemingly not noticing them.
Or perhaps they just didn't care?
Ye Xinglan instinctively clenched her fists.
Le Zhengyu noticed her gaze and also saw Huo Yuhao and the others, frowning.
"They're heading to the VIP seats... They probably aren't our opponents."
Huo Yuhao... He had heard of him. If he were participating, they likely wouldn't stand a chance. Fortunately, he wasn't.
"..."
Ye Xinglan pursed her lips and quickly calmed herself, continuing toward the competitor's entrance.
Then... Everyone's mood soured.
Because of the voices coming from the competition venue.
An impassioned voice echoed: "Students of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy, let us unite and cheer for our competitors. First-year juniors, give it your all and show Shrek Academy who the top soul master academy on the continent is. They're outdated!"
Ye Xinglan and the others felt their eyelids twitch, their anger rising.
At the same time, in the competitor's entrance across from them, Xie Xie's expression turned strange.
"Is this the home-field advantage? But why do I feel like we're the villains in a storybook?"
It felt like they were covered in flags... Negative buffs stacked to the max.