"...In the end, the evil soul master from a hundred years ago was no match and was sent flying by tower master Bear Lord. The claw marks on the square were left at that time."
Zhao Yao lightly tapped the ferocious crack that ran across the entire white jade square, her tone carrying a hint of pride unique to a disciple of the Spirit Pagoda.
Evil soul master?
Tang Yinmeng slightly furrowed her brows. This term inexplicably feels familiar to her, as if she had heard a similar story somewhere, only with the main character's identity slightly changed...
A hundred years ago... a Limit Douluo... broke into the Spirit Pagoda headquarters...
In a flash, her eyes suddenly contracted, and her fingers unconsciously clenched her sleeve.
—Isn't this talking about her teacher, the Light and Darkness Douluo, Long Yeyue?!
Who else but her teacher, Long Yeyue, would dare to break into the Spirit Pagoda headquarters alone a hundred years ago as a Limit Douluo?
Teacher Long Yeyue = evil soul master?
Tang Yinmeng suddenly turned to look at Zhao Yao, trying to find a trace of deliberate provocation on the other's face.
But this receptionist from the Spirit Pagoda had a normal expression, even leading her and Gu Ruiqiu into the Spirit Pagoda, enthusiastically introducing other sights within the tower, as if she had just casually mentioned an insignificant piece of unofficial history.
—Did she really not know?
Tang Yinmeng felt slightly suffocated in her chest, unsure how to respond.
If the Spirit Pagoda had long since classified that conflict as an "evil soul master attack," and had told the younger generations of the Spirit Pagoda, passing it down through the ages...
If her teacher found out, she would probably go mad, right?
She closed her eyes.
But, from another perspective, the Spirit Pagoda had no choice. After all, if the outside world knew that a top expert from Shrek Academy had forcibly broken into the Spirit Pagoda, even if there was a reason, in the eyes of those who didn't know the truth, it would only become ironclad evidence of Shrek Academy bullying others.
Changing it to an evil soul master breaking in was, no matter how you looked at it, better than the Deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion storming the Spirit Pagoda headquarters.
After much thought, Tang Yinmeng could only face the two with a polite smile, finally feeling a temporary sense of relief upon entering Leng Yaozhu's office.
"I didn't notice it before, when did you become enemies with Shrek Academy?"
Zhao Yao watched Tang Yinmeng enter the room, smiling as she looked at Gu Ruiqiu, "If you still want to vent, I can help you."
The latter shakes her head, "No need, let it be. What's important now isn't her..."
At this point, Gu Ruiqiu paused, looking towards a certain floor of the Spirit Pagoda, "...but those books."
While Huo Yuhao is at the Icefire Yin Yang Well, we need to clear them out as soon as possible!
...
At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, some time had passed since the match ended, and everyone gathered in the corridor, casually discussing the Icefire Yin Yang Well.
After all, within Huo Yuhao's domain, they weren't worried about their conversation being exposed.
However...
Xu Xiaoyan suddenly noticed a blind spot she hadn't paid attention to before, giving Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena a strange look.
Since Huo Yuhao's domain could prevent outsiders from seeing what was happening inside, and could even create illusions, what were they usually doing?
Could they be...
"Xiaoyan, what's wrong?"
Gu Yuena's voice brought Xu Xiaoyan back to reality, and she quickly shook her head, a blush appeared on her face, "N-nothing, I just suddenly thought of something."
"Focus a bit." Gu Yuena didn't pay it much mind, "Although you may not be able to do much at the Icefire Yin Yang Well, don't ignore it, listen carefully to what Yuhao has to say."
"..."
Xu Xiaoyan instantly puffed out her cheeks, "Nana, hearing you say that, I feel like my joy from winning has diminished."
Although it's the truth, don't pour cold water on our excitement.
Gu Yuena lifted at her, placing her hand on her hair and gently rubbing it, the corner of her mouth slightly raised, "What, can't the truth be spoken? You still have a long way to go, what's there to be proud of just for defeating Shrek Academy?"
Xu Xiaoyan, having her hair rubbed, immediately softened like a stroked kitten, her puffed-up expression instantly deflating, muttering softly, "But we did win fair and square..."
Huo Yuhao groaned beside her, gently holding Gu Yuena's hand, "Alright, Nana, Xiaoyan and the others performed very well in the match, they deserve recognition, no more talk."
Seeing him speak, Gu Yuena nodded, ending her lecture.
Xie Xie and the others, hearing Huo Yuhao's praise, also showed smiles.
Seeing the atmosphere become lively again, Huo Yuhao continued to talk about matters related to the Icefire Yin Yang Well, pointing out various things to pay attention to.
After listening, Tang Wulin was somewhat puzzled, "Since tomorrow is the day we go to the Icefire Yin Yang Well, why hasn't the teacher come?"
Isn't Bear Lord also going to the Icefire Yin Yang Well? Why isn't he here to gather with us?
Huo Yuhao didn't explain in detail, "Tomorrow, only the Tower Master Heavenly Phoenix and my teacher will accompany us to the Icefire Yin Yang Well. Bear Lord will join our team after we reach Heaven Dou City."
"Yuhao's teacher, Tower Master Snow Empress?"
Xie Xie and the others extracted the key information from Huo Yuhao's words.
They had briefly met the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo in Skysea City, but the Snow Empress, the legendary ruler of the far north, even knowing she was Huo Yuhao's mentor, remained a mysterious figure to them.
Fortunately, the group had interacted with many influential figures, being well-traveled and knowledgeable, so they weren't very nervous, more curious instead.
What kind of person is she?
Time arrived quickly the next day, and their questions were answered.
The Spirit Pagoda headquarters' airport was enveloped in a thin mist in the morning, a silver-gray soul guide aircraft quietly parked on the tarmac.
Xie Xie and the others had already been waiting here, occasionally glancing towards the headquarters.
"They're here!" Xu Xiaoyan suddenly pointed into the distance.
Four figures were seen approaching from the direction of the Spirit Pagoda. Leading them was the Snow Empress, wearing an ice-silk long dress, her sleeves fluttering as if snowflakes were scattering.
Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, shimmering with moonlight in the morning light.
Besides her was the familiar Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, dressed in a fiery red dress, a bright smile on her lips, complementing the Snow Empress's coolness, like a beautiful duet of ice and fire.
Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena followed closely behind. The young man wore a dark blue outfit, his features sharp like a sword; the young girl had silver hair and purple eyes, her skirt fluttering. Although slightly behind, they exuded a unique aura.
The four walking together formed a stunning picture, the Snow Empress's cool detachment, the Heavenly Phoenix's vibrant fire, Huo Yuhao's gentle jade, and Gu Yuena's ethereal fairy-like presence. The morning light gilded them, as if even the air had stilled.
"This…" Xie Xie inhaled sharply, "This is too dazzling."
Everyone nodded.
Four people with such striking appearances and auras walking together were indeed too dazzling, drawing the attention of everyone at the airport.
If they were on the street, this group would surely turn heads.
The Heavenly Phoenix Douluo stopped in front of the group, smiling, "Have you been waiting long?"
"We just arrived!"
Xu Xiaoyan quickly waved her hands, but her eyes couldn't help but glanced at the Snow Empress.
So beautiful, so ethereal, and with such a majestic aura...
Is this the ruler of the far north from the legends?
It completely matched her imagination, even exceeding it slightly.
The Snow Empress noticed Xu Xiaoyan's gaze, nodding slightly and greeted the group.
The group wasn't very familiar with her, but she had already seen them many times through her divine sense.
At the same time, another group approached from a different direction.
It was the Shrek Academy group.
To Xie Xie and the others' surprise, there were more than just Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng; three others had come as well.
They were Ye Xinglan, Yue Zhengyu, and Xu Lizhi.
Xie Xie nudged Tang Wulin with his elbow, whispering, "What are they doing here? Wasn't this trip to the Icefire Yin Yang Well an apology from Shrek?"
"Maybe Shrek Academy wants to cultivate new talents?" Tang Wulin scratched his head, "I don't know, why are you asking me?"
The two groups finally converged, the atmosphere somewhat tense.
Enemies meeting, eyes blazing.
Shrek Academy had just lost yesterday, and Yue Zhengyu had been ganged up on, so naturally, he couldn't look too pleased. But before coming, Lan Muzi had already warned them, several lords would also be present.
So Yue Zhengyu still managed to keep his expression from looking too bad, and along with Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng, he bowed to the Snow Empress and Leng Yaozhu.
The Snow Empress and Leng Yaozhu nodded slightly in return.
Seeing this, Lan Muzi straightened up, "We apologize for troubling the Spirit Pagoda to arrange the soul guide aircraft."
Leng Yaozhu shook her head, "It's nothing, this way is faster."
At this point, she also looked at Ye Xinglan and the others, narrowing her eyes, "And they are?"
Lan Muzi smiled, "Since the Icefire Yin Yang Well is about to be opened, we thought to let our juniors come along and try their luck. It's the master's intention."
Although he smiled, he felt somewhat helpless inside.
Originally, the three he had in mind were Ye Xinglan, Yue Zhengyu, and Long Chen.
But in this competition, one of his most promising candidates, Long Chen, had been suppressed by his bloodline, showing no effectiveness at all, and based on the initial rules set, he couldn't be included in the selection, so Long Chen had to wait for the next time.
Leng Yaozhu frowned but ultimately said nothing.
The Icefire Yin Yang Well was their territory; if they wanted to bring their own people, others had no grounds to question it.
"By the way, isn't Bear Lord here?" Lan Muzi glanced at the arrival of the Spirit Pagoda group, somewhat puzzled.
Leng Yaozhu replied calmly, "Bear Lord wasn't at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters earlier, and yesterday Tang Yinmeng told me the Icefire Yin Yang Well is near Heaven Dou City, so naturally, he wouldn't come here."
As they chatted, Ye Xinglan's gaze focused on Huo Yuhao. Noticing this, Gu Yuena slightly furrowed her brows and stepped forward, blocking her line of sight, "Ye Xinglan, is there something you need?"
"..."
Ye Xinglan remained silent for a while, then said in a low voice:
"I'm sorry, my attitude two years ago was too arrogant."
Behind her, Xu Lizhi and Yue Zhengyu looked at her in surprise.
Sister Xinglan/Ye Xinglan apologized?
Xie Xie and the others were also somewhat surprised.
Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow, equally surprised that the other party wanted to apologize, but she quickly regained her composure, "There's no need to apologize, after all, Shrek has already offered their apology."
Tang Yinmeng's eyelids twitched; she suddenly knew the other party was referring to the trip to the Icefire Yin Yang Well and the spirit bones.
Little girl, couldn't you be a bit more tactful?
Ye Xinglan opened her mouth, but Gu Yuena had already turned to look at the soul guide aircraft, clearly not intending to engage further.
Ye Xinglan stared at the backs of Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao, saying nothing more.
Seeing this, Xie Xie walked over to Xu Lizhi, seems having forgotten that he had chased the other to fight yesterday, and asked:
"Has she changed her personality? Where's her former pride?"
"..."
Xu Lizhi looked at him with a complex expression.
Neither side had held back yesterday, so anything said now felt somewhat awkward.
But reminded that Xie Xie had treated him well two years ago, Xu Lizhi still lowered his voice, "Sister Xinglan has changed a lot since losing two years ago, and yesterday..."
Yesterday's defeat seemed to have brought about another change in Ye Xinglan.
Time passed as they conversed, and the time for the soul guide aircraft to take off arrived, with everyone boarding one after another.
Soon, the soul guide aircraft pierced through the clouds, speeding towards Heaven Dou City.
...
At the Tang Sect headquarters, the Amorous Douluo looked at Yun Ming beside him, smiling helplessly, "They're coming, and three peak powerhouses are arriving at once, they really don't trust us."
"Don't we also trust them?" Yun Ming sobbed, "Three peak powerhouses, if they directly use their strength to pressure us, those immortal grasses won't have a choice... I'll go."
The Amorous Douluo said, "Among them is Tower Master Leng..."
"…" Yun Ming's expression became somewhat unnatural, "In that case, you go, I'll stay here as insurance."
The Amorous Douluo shook his head, turning and walking out of the Tang Sect base.
...
Several hours later, on the outskirts of Heaven Dou City, Huo Yuhao and the others sat in the Tang Sect's combat vehicles, heading out of the city.
Among the group was also a burly, strong figure.
They had already met up with Bear Lord, who naturally had much to say upon seeing Huo Yuhao and the others. But considering the importance of the matter, they didn't delay, quickly arranging everything and following along.
Three Tang Sect combat vehicles drove on the rugged road, while those inside complained.
"Really, is the location of the Icefire Yin Yang Well that important?"
Xie Xie looked at the dark car windows and the partition in front, utterly speechless, "Even the route needs to be kept secret like this?"
"Isn't the key point something else?" Xu Xiaoyan whispered, "The main issue is that such arrangements are useless against powerhouses, right? After all, they can just use their spiritual power to trace the route."
Xie Xie rolled his eyes, "Who knows? I just feel like I'm seeing people wearing masks at an auction house."
As Xie Xie complained, in another vehicle, as he wished, nothing was concealed.
Perhaps because of this person's presence.
Huo Yuhao looked at the driver in front, pondering.
This subtle aura... it's the Limit Douluo stationed at the Tang Sect headquarters, right?
Originally, the Tang Sect headquarters in the third part was split into two, one in Shrek City, one in Heaven Dou City.
Now it seems, in a sense, nothing has changed.
In this era, Shrek Academy is a sort of alternative Tang Sect headquarters, while Heaven Dou City is the true Tang Sect headquarters.
After all, this is the birthplace of the Tang Sect, and with the Icefire Yin Yang Well as a key location, naturally, the Tang Sect will invest effort in building it up.
Moreover, the Clear Sky Sect is just outside Heaven Dou City, so setting up the headquarters here facilitates communication and mutual support between the Clear Sky Sect and the Tang Sect.
Huo Yuhao noticed the driver's issue, as did the three powerhouses also sitting in this vehicle. Bear Lord twitched the corner of his mouth, "Amorous, when did you become a driver?"
"With three lords from the Spirit Pagoda visiting, acting as a driver and guide to lead the way to the Icefire Yin Yang Well isn't beneath me, is it?"
The Amorous Douluo smiled slightly, "As long as you all don't cause a scene at the Icefire Yin Yang Well later, I'll be grateful."
"Instead of worrying about that, why not just give us a satisfactory answer."
Bear Lord said boldly, "One immortal grass per person, and we won't say a word. You, coming from the military, can't you be more generous?"
The Amorous Douluo, upon hearing this, smiled without speaking.
Only when the vehicles arrived before a hazy, indistinct boundary did he speak again:
"We're here, please disembark."
The group looked up, seeing through the illusion before them.
This was undoubtedly a highly skilled illusion, but to stop them, it wasn't enough.
Their gazes penetrated the illusion, seeing the scene within.
A silver-white high wall reflects a cold metallic sheen under the sunlight. Soul guide inscriptions were carved into the wall's surface, faint energy flowing within, clearly equipped with soul guide weaponry.
Looking at this high wall seems built to protect the Icefire Yin Yang Well, Huo Yuhao inexplicably felt as if he was seeing the core area of the original Star Dou Great Forest.
Caged Soul Beasts…