Huo Yuhao didn't immediately return to the base. Instead, he made his way to the Sun Moon Imperial Harem, intending to take control of the palace maids in De Concubine's quarters.
Looking for Bei Bei was a task assigned by Zhang Lexuan, but Huo Yuhao couldn't afford to delay his own missions. So far, he still hadn't completed his investigations of the Empress, the Imperial Noble Concubine, and another concubine.
As for his main body clone, since there were no tasks assigned for the night, he wandered around Mingdu—not aimlessly, but scouting the homes of various nobles and officials, seeking out individuals with promising bloodlines or martial souls. He was also on the lookout for rare resources.
With no mission constraints, the clone focused solely on profit, raising his blade once again.
That night, two more families were wiped out.
To be honest, only two families being annihilated in a single night almost made the various factions feel oddly relieved.
After all, there used to be at least three families or powers each night!
Though more than a dozen families and powers in Mingdu had been destroyed recently, the city had no shortage of such groups. With recent developments in the investigation and the Sun Moon Emperor's decision to deploy a soul engineer corps to hunt down the perpetrator, many factions were still able to keep their composure.
Some even believed that the killer had started to grow afraid—why else would only two families fall last night?
Due to this ongoing bloodshed, the atmosphere in Mingdu had shifted. Besides the heavy oppression, the various factions had grown increasingly irritable.
Assassinations and ambushes were becoming the go-to methods of conflict resolution.
After all, someone had set the example.
Even Tang Ya was close to snapping when she heard the killings were still going on, barely managing to suppress her inner fury.
It felt like she had shot herself in the foot.
Had she known things would spiral this crazily, she would've never let Huo Yuhao take the job. Now, whether or not he actually accepted new missions at the Elegant Pavillion, the killings would be pinned on them regardless. A pile of mud falling into one's pants—whether or not it's actually feces, it sure looks the part.
"That kid... doesn't he know how to restrain himself?" the Sleeper Elder's eyes gleamed coldly. "Your Holiness, why not let me handle him once and for all?"
Tang Ya stopped the Sleeper Elder—not out of concern for Huo Yuhao, but out of concern for the elder himself. Even if the Sleeper Elder had his own schemes, he was still the only Titled Douluo under her command. She couldn't afford to lose him.
"Stay calm, Elder Sleeper. These actions definitely aren't from the Armor Emperor. More likely, they're from someone who came with him from Shrek Academy."
"And from what I know, among Shrek's strong fighters, the only one powerful and insane enough to do something like this is the Gluttonous Douluo, Xuanzi—a Rank 98 Super Douluo!"
The Sleeper Elder fell silent at this, now weighing how best to retreat and preserve his benefits.
Tang Ya looked at him with only disdain.
But truthfully, this was something she had to consider as well.
Perhaps the recent chaos had taught her an important lesson: sometimes, you have to pick your battles.
If the Tang Sect hadn't stubbornly stuck to training Blue Silver Grass soul masters or clung so hard to their hidden weapons, maybe the sect wouldn't have perished.
As usual, Huo Yuhao didn't return to the base until just before dawn.
He immediately reported the upcoming mission to raid Mingde Hall to Zhang Lexuan. Zhang Lexuan then sent a message to Xian Lin'er.
Xian Lin'er rushed to the base, and the three of them gathered in a secret room for a meeting.
Huo Yuhao was finally about to become a core member of the Evening Water Alliance—an important step in his mission to find Bei Bei. While Zhang Lexuan and Xian Lin'er were happy about his progress, they were equally worried about the danger: Huo Yuhao would be joining the Evening Water Alliance in an attack on Mingde Hall.
Mingde Hall was Sun Moon Empire's counterpart to Sea God's Pavilion—it was no easy target.
Even though it wasn't as strong as Sea God's Pavilion in terms of combat prowess, it was heavily fortified on home turf. Even Sea God's Pavilion would struggle to benefit from a direct assault.
The place was packed with defensive soul tools and hidden soul cannons. Its defenses were so formidable that even a Super Douluo would struggle to break through the gates quickly.
(They had learned this from Fanyu, who passed the information to Xian Lin'er after joining Mingde Hall as a student.)
The idea of the Evening Water Alliance launching an assault on Mingde Hall sounded like a band of monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain planning to storm the heavens. Laughable.
"Yuhao, if it's too dangerous, then drop the mission," Xian Lin'er said seriously.
"No way," Huo Yuhao replied decisively. "If I miss this chance, I may never get into the core circle of the Evening Water Alliance again. This is clearly a test for me!"
"But don't worry, you both know my strength. If things go south, I'll retreat right away. After all, in the underground world, there's no such thing as loyalty."
He laughed, trying to reassure them both.
Xian Lin'er and Zhang Lexuan fell silent. In the end, they could only accept his decision. They bombarded him with safety reminders, begging him to return unharmed.
Even so, they both knew he was walking into the jaws of death.
They had to do something.
Xian Lin'er returned to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy to contact Fanyu, hoping he could secretly watch over Huo Yuhao.
When Fanyu received the message, he was utterly floored—he hadn't even known that Huo Yuhao and Zhang Lexuan were in Mingdu!
Now he was supposed to protect Huo Yuhao during an assault on Mingde Hall?! He had no idea where to even begin venting his frustration.
Fanyu: Holy sht, these young people!*
Still, out of loyalty to Shrek, Fanyu readily accepted the task and vowed to keep Huo Yuhao safe.
As for Huo Yuhao, he began preparing for the mission—and relaxing a little, too.
I mean, if he was about to risk his life, could you blame him for wanting to unwind?
Zhang Lexuan, as usual, found an excuse to leave and gave him some privacy with the four maids. The four maids pulled Huo Yuhao into the bath.
The bath was quite spacious. The maids even dragged a waterbed into the room—they clearly intended to engage in some rather unorthodox multitasking: dirty while washing, washing while dirty.
But they hadn't expected a surprise guest.
SPLASH—
The bathroom door suddenly burst open from the outside.
Huo Yuhao and the four maids were startled and quickly turned to the door—only to see Zhang Lexuan standing there in a flowing moon-white gown, like a pure and celestial goddess. She gazed at the chaos inside, her serene presence making everyone feel ashamed.
The maids turned pale, visibly shaken as they looked at her. Jin'er quickly tried to explain:
"Saintess! It's not what it looks like! It has nothing to do with Yuhao—it was us who—"
Zhang Lexuan wordlessly stepped into the bathroom. She walked up to Huo Yuhao and gazed at him with emotionless eyes.
Huo Yuhao looked away. "Senior sister, I, I…"
But to his shock, Zhang Lexuan suddenly knelt down and grabbed his weakness.
"Yuhao, you're risking your life for me and Bei Bei. The only thing I can do in return… is this."
She brushed her bangs aside, lowered her head—
"Hssss~~~~~!"
She was probably just acting on impulse.
Zhang Lexuan may have acted on impulse, but she still maintained her boundaries.
Her sudden intrusion had caught everyone off guard, and afterward, she left quietly without saying a word.
In the bathroom, only Huo Yuhao stood there stunned, alongside four dazed maidservants.
Without paying attention to the others, Zhang Lexuan returned to her room, swallowed the viscous liquid completely, rinsed her mouth with tea, then gulped down even the tea used for rinsing.
The technique she used had been secretly learned from the four maids. But the act of swallowing—that came naturally to her.
She could taste a sweet flavor spreading in her mouth, awakening a primal craving from deep within. In the end, she swallowed it all.
"No wonder they like it so much. So this is what it tastes like," she thought. With no prior experience, Zhang Lexuan misunderstood what happened with Huo Yuhao. She had no idea he was... unique.
Though he still looked human on the outside, he was no longer an ordinary person. Even his blood had turned golden—and other bodily fluids were just as strange.
Zhang Lexuan sat in a chair, deep in thought.
What she did earlier could be seen as a form of compensation for Huo Yuhao, who was about to embark on a dangerous mission. Perhaps there were some hidden emotions involved, but she wouldn't admit it.
What surprised her even more was what this impulsive act led to.
"The emotional suppression placed on me... it's really started to dissolve!" Her expression shifted to one of slight surprise and joy.
She clearly sensed a wisp of that suppressing aura, which had long shackled her emotions, fade away—and it didn't seem like it would return.
"So it really works," she thought, though her mind now felt tangled with the flood of emotions she was beginning to regain.
And that wasn't all.
When she attempted to meditate and stabilize her mood, she discovered that her cultivation speed had significantly increased. Her efficiency in channeling world energy was far higher, and her strength grew at a faster pace.
The improvement was even more obvious and tangible than when she had merely kissed him.
A warmth bloomed in her stomach, as if she had just consumed a rare elixir, triggering mysterious effects.
At this pace, she could reach Titled Douluo level within half a year!
Maybe even sooner!
No wonder Ma Xiaotao and the four maidservants were advancing so fast. No wonder they were so captivated. No wonder Huo Yuhao himself advanced at such a miraculous pace.
With such a unique physique, his abilities didn't just benefit his partners—it could empower an entire faction!
In the end, Zhang Lexuan sighed.
"Since I've already had my first time with Yuhao, I'll have to rely on him to help me progress. If it's just using my mouth... it should be fine…"
That night, Huo Yuhao prepared to set off.
He had received the mission notice the night before, and it was already due tonight—proving just how last-minute his inclusion was. Tang Ya's team had clearly planned everything well in advance.
Inviting Huo Yuhao now was an obvious test.
So he couldn't decline.
Zhang Lexuan's eyes showed a faint trace of worry. With her emotional suppression weakened, she could now reveal slight concern. But beyond reminding Huo Yuhao to be cautious, there was little she could do.
At most, she could wait outside the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, ready to assist if necessary.
As Huo Yuhao was about to leave, Zhang Lexuan reminded him,
"Yuhao, if things go wrong, make sure you prioritize your safety. If you can escape from the academy, both I and Dean Xian Lin'er are ready to back you up."
"Don't worry, Senior Sister. I'll be fine. Wait for my return," Huo Yuhao smiled. Then he blushed and quickly left.
Apparently, still embarrassed by what had happened earlier.
The four maidservants didn't know the details of his mission. They simply assumed he was heading out to scout the Ghost District, as usual.
Once Huo Yuhao departed, only Zhang Lexuan and the four maids remained in the base.
Due to what had happened in the bathroom, the maids all felt awkward around Zhang Lexuan. Thankfully, she didn't say much—just gave them routine instructions to hold down the fort, and then left herself. She was heading to the Sun and Moon Academy's outskirts to make preparations.
After she left, the maids finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Sister Jin, what exactly is going on between Her Holiness and Yuhao?" Huo'er couldn't help asking.
"Silence!" Jin'er glared at her. Huo'er shrank her head back. Then Jin'er swept a stern glance at the other three and warned,
"We don't speak about anything between them. Our job is to do what's expected of us. We are Her Holiness's maids—for life."
"What about our relationship with Yuhao?" Shui'er timidly asked.
"Since Her Holiness hasn't objected, we carry on as usual," Jin'er said seriously. Then she smiled and added,
"Actually, maybe it's because she didn't object, we won't have to sneak around in the future."
"Huh? Really?" Mu'er asked blankly.
Jin'er tapped Mu'er's forehead with her jade-like finger, chuckling.
"You really want to, don't you?"
"I-I... uh…" Mu'er's voice turned as small as a mosquito's, her face flushing red.
How bold could they be?
But if they didn't have to sneak behind Her Holiness's back anymore… or even if, someday, she joined them—
What a scene of ultimate bliss that would be.
Accompanied by the night, Huo Yuhao arrived at the designated meeting place.
It was a small courtyard on the outskirts of Mingdu.
Far from the Sun and Moon Academy, and far from the Ghost District.
The moment he entered, he sensed over twenty powerful Evil Soul Masters—several of them were Titled Douluo, and at least two were Super Douluo.
"Elders and worshippers of the Holy Spirit Cult?" Huo Yuhao mused. He remained calm and collected.
Even when evil weapon spirits were pressed to his neck, he showed no concern. His eyes merely lifted and locked onto Tang Ya, as if to say—you think these people scare me?
Tang Ya appeared at that moment. She was dressed in tight-fitting combat gear, clearly prepared for action. She smiled to ease the tension.
"Everyone relax, he's one of us. This is a member of my Duskwater Alliance."
With her reassurance, the Evil Soul Masters lowered their weapons. Those who had reacted were all Soul Douluo-level, but in this gathering, they were the lowest tier.
None of the Titled Douluo had moved. They were instead watching Huo Yuhao with interest—clearly already informed of his arrival.
Tang Ya was still in disguise. She smiled as she approached Huo Yuhao and asked in a caring tone,
"What took you so long?"
"Do I have a habit of arriving early?" Huo Yuhao replied coldly.
"…" Tang Ya was stunned into silence.
"Why you little—!" One of the Soul Douluo-level Evil Soul Masters growled, ready to attack.
But at that moment, a raspy voice came from inside the building—
"Now that everyone's here, let's begin the operation."
Upon hearing the voice from inside the room, the Soul Douluo who was about to attack hurriedly stopped, his expression stiff and nervous as he quickly pulled back, afraid he'd acted even a second too late.
Huo Yuhao looked in the direction of the voice. From the door emerged a figure.
The figure was clad in black armor, which was engraved with fierce-looking dragon patterns and faintly emanated soul power fluctuations—it was clearly soul tool armor.
He had short black hair, a strong and tall physique. A black iron mask covered the upper half of his face, making his full appearance hard to discern. However, judging from the exposed skin, he was quite young—likely the same age as Tang Ya. Yet behind the iron mask were a pair of blood-red, icy eyes devoid of emotion, eyes that made anyone who looked into them instinctively uncomfortable. There was also a chilling aura emanating from him.
As Huo Yuhao sized up the young man, the young man skipped over everyone else and stared straight at Huo Yuhao, as if drawn to him by some unique force.
The young man felt that Huo Yuhao seemed inexplicably familiar, though he couldn't recall knowing him. That sense of familiarity and curiosity was quickly suppressed by a blood-colored power. A flash of red crossed the young man's eyes, and he returned to his cold demeanor, retracting his gaze from Huo Yuhao.
Once the young man stepped out of the room, everyone around—including two Title Douluo—stood up respectfully and bowed.
"Greetings, Holy Son!"
Tang Ya also bowed like the others and respectfully called, "Holy Son," acting as though she were merely an ordinary evil soul master.
Huo Yuhao's thoughts were amused.
"Holy Son? My brother Beibei is the Holy Son now?"
Indeed, despite the drastic change in appearance and aura, Huo Yuhao immediately recognized the young man—his long-lost elder brother: Beibei!
The once gentle and refined young man had now become a cold and imposing figure. But Huo Yuhao could still recognize him at a glance.
Beibei: Martial Soul – Evil Dragon, Soul Power Rank 75, Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult!
After Beibei appeared, Tang Ya had been secretly observing Huo Yuhao. When she noticed his breathing momentarily falter—though it was just for an instant—she knew immediately that he had recognized Beibei.
This surprised Tang Ya, prompting her to reevaluate the relationship between Huo Yuhao and Beibei. Only someone deeply familiar with Beibei could recognize him in his current form at a glance.
Still, a smile played on Tang Ya's lips.
"So you've seen him now—this is the Beibei of today. I can only imagine the faces of those old geezers at Sea God's Pavilion when they find out Beibei has become an evil soul master. Just thinking about it brings me such joy! Too bad I might not get to see it for myself."
At the same time, Tang Ya found herself growing more interested in Huo Yuhao.
"If he's close to Beibei, then torturing him should be even more entertaining."
Beibei ignored everyone else and simply declared,
"The plan begins. Success only—failure is not an option."
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone responded in unison.
They all followed Beibei back into the room.
The Soul Douluo who had nearly attacked Huo Yuhao earlier shot him a glare, as if issuing a warning, then said no more.
Inside the room, they discovered a surprising sight—a tunnel leading underground.
Beibei took the lead, jumping into the tunnel. The others quickly followed.
Tang Ya made sure to walk at the end of the group, coming up beside Huo Yuhao. She whispered,
"Our plan is to use this tunnel to launch a surprise attack on Mingde Hall from below."
Wasn't this the Body Sect's plan?
Huo Yuhao glanced at her, though he wasn't too shocked. After all, the Holy Spirit Cult was full of capable people. It made sense they'd think of something the Body Sect had also considered.
"Interesting," Huo Yuhao remarked.
Tang Ya then asked,
"Emperor of Armor, did you recognize the ones who tried to attack you just now?"
"Evil soul masters," Huo Yuhao replied calmly.
"As you can see, we're all evil soul masters. I hope that doesn't bother you?" Tang Ya asked teasingly.
"You're paying me, I'm doing the job. Your identities are irrelevant. You could all be shapeshifted black cats for all I care." Huo Yuhao replied coldly.
"…"
Tang Ya nearly broke character but managed to hold it together. She continued,
"Would you be interested in fully joining us?"
"And become an evil soul master? I'm not looking to live like a sewer rat just yet."
"Are you referring to me?"
"Who else? Even criminals get to see the sun sometimes. Evil soul masters die on sight in Mingdu, don't they?"
"…"
Tang Ya turned her head away, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
Damn it, he hit a nerve!
Although the Sun Moon Empire wasn't particularly strict about evil soul masters, openly revealing themselves in public still attracted soul masters and soldiers to hunt them down.
Killing evil soul masters was considered righteous across the soul master world.
That was a universal truth.
Tang Ya quickly composed herself and switched tactics. With a sigh, she said,
"If we had a choice, who would want to be an evil soul master? I'm just a low-ranking member, a gofer. They asked me to bring you in because the higher-ups want to test your strength—and maybe recruit you. You're just too talented to ignore."
Huo Yuhao looked at her pitiful expression without any sympathy—he even felt like laughing.
Like hell you're just a gofer in the Holy Spirit Cult!
He wasn't sure whether she'd warned the others ahead of time not to reveal her identity, or if she was acting under a disguise. After all, not every evil soul master had seen the famous Blue Silver Saintess. Plus, her appearance was currently disguised.
Huo Yuhao didn't respond to Tang Ya's faux innocence. He just walked silently.
Tang Ya stomped her foot in frustration.
But it was all part of her act. She wanted to appear dramatic and shallow in front of Huo Yuhao—completely lacking in depth.
If Huo Yuhao thought he could see through her so easily, well… she'd give him quite the surprise.
But in truth, Huo Yuhao really had seen right through her.
The Holy Spirit Cult had dug a very long and deep tunnel under Mingdu.
Without a special martial soul like the Mutant Frost Centipede, creating such a tunnel would have taken immense time and effort—unless they had a powerful expert involved.
Their tunnel didn't intersect with Huo Yuhao's tunnel network, which wasn't nearly as deep.
Huo Yuhao's tunnels were just for moving through the city and were only slightly deeper than Mingdu's sewer systems, often connecting with them.
Even some noble families' secret passages were deeper than his.
The Holy Spirit Cult's tunnel was designed to connect directly to the deeply buried foundations of Mingde Hall—hence it was much deeper.
Huo Yuhao had once dug a similar tunnel to the bottom of Mingde Hall with one of his centipede-leg clones, but from a different direction. He wasn't sure whose tunnel went deeper.
Everyone in the team was a high-level soul master, so their travel speed was fast. Though Beibei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao were all Soul Sages, none lagged behind. Beibei remained firmly in the lead.
Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel.
Ahead of them—was Mingde Hall!
Two Title Douluo personally struck down the metal wall blocking their way, leading a group of evil soul masters into Mingde Hall. And once inside, they went straight for the core area of the hall.
This was the soul engineers' work plaza, a massive area filled with over ten thousand workstations used by soul engineers for their craft, capable of accommodating over ten thousand engineers working simultaneously. At any moment, there would be engineers laboring here—this was the busiest part of Mingde Hall.
Even at night, the soul lamps burned brightly. Over a thousand engineers stayed up late carving and practicing diligently.
Unfortunately, their hard work would cost them their lives tonight.
With a deafening blast, all of Mingde Hall trembled. Over twenty evil soul masters stormed the plaza and began slaughtering indiscriminately.
Though they numbered just over twenty, their power was monstrous: two Title Douluo, five Spirit Douluo, and the rest all powerful Contra-level masters.
Only Huo Yuhao, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei held back, displaying soul saint–level strength. But none of them were ordinary soul saints.
Many engineers froze in terror. Some died in the first wave. Others tried to flee or counterattack in fury.
But their retaliation was laughably weak.
After all, those soul engineers practicing in the plaza were often the less combat-ready ones. The truly powerful engineers trained privately in their research labs.
Still, even these "lesser" engineers were considered prodigies in the outside world.
Mingde Hall's defenses were activated immediately, but the protective soul tools were destroyed within moments by the two Title Douluo. The security team hadn't had time to organize a proper counterattack before the evil soul masters were upon them.
Any soul engineer rushing in for backup was swiftly cut down. They stood no chance.
Only then did Huo Yuhao, Tang Ya, and Bei Bei walk slowly into the hall. Standing behind Bei Bei, the three of them did not take part in the slaughter.
The entire plaza had become a blood-soaked killing ground, filled with a sinister aura. The evil soul masters' killing methods were distinctively cruel and clearly unnatural.
Tang Ya observed Huo Yuhao quietly. His expression remained calm, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner turmoil.
She chuckled to herself, "This kid sure knows how to put on a show. Shrek's teachings wouldn't allow him to just watch this calmly. The more he sees, the more tormented he'll feel inside."
In truth, Huo Yuhao did feel pained. The souls and flesh of these engineers were being grotesquely harvested by the evil soul masters.
Some were indeed collecting blood and souls as they killed, but to Huo Yuhao, their methods were crude—utterly wasteful.
Still, once he reaped these evil soul masters later, much of that loss would be compensated.
In the original storyline, the Body Sect had once invaded Mingde Hall too, but they hadn't slaughtered their way through. Their aim had been sabotage. But these evil soul masters? Massacre was their calling card.
Regardless of sabotage or slaughter, the goal remained the same: draw out Mingde Hall's defensive forces.
Those who could enter Mingde Hall were prodigies and elites—many with powerful backgrounds. Their deaths would force a painful response from the Hall and the Empire.
Some evil soul masters, bored of the general bloodshed, had already started wandering the halls, seeking out private research chambers to hunt down the truly elite talents.
Killing higher-value targets gave these mentally twisted killers a sense of twisted satisfaction.
Finally, a thunderous roar echoed through the plaza.
"Evil soul masters, you're courting death!"
The Hall Master, Jing Hongchen, arrived with a team of soul engineers and plunged into the chaos.
Seeing so many of his people slaughtered, Jing Hongchen's eyes were bloodshot. With fury in his heart, he unleashed deadly attacks.
At his peak, Jing Hongchen would've been unfazed by two Title Douluo, possibly even capable of defeating both.
But ever since the "Dark Dragon Incident" and the Mingdu explosion, he had taken a direct hit from a ninth-level fixed-installation soul tool, severely injuring him and destroying most of his gear.
Now, not only was he not fully healed, but his equipment hadn't been fully restored. Even holding his own against one Title Douluo proved challenging.
The second Title Douluo was held back by other elite soul engineers in the hall.
Thankfully, Mingde Hall had enough elite members to limit the evil soul masters' rampage.
At that moment, Bei Bei finally spoke, his voice still calm and emotionless, as if the chaos around him didn't affect him in the slightest.
"It's time for us to move."
Now that the defenders had been drawn out, it was time to sneak into the depths.
Bei Bei produced a compass-like soul tool, engraved with fierce, grotesque beasts. At its center was a bone from some unknown creature—clearly the core of the device.
Seeing Huo Yuhao glance at the device, Tang Ya smiled and explained, hoping to prepare him for what came next.
"This is the Eighth-Level Soul Tool: the Dim Compass. It's crafted using the corpse of a special soul beast and refined with secret techniques. It conceals one's presence and aura. Unless someone's very close, even a Title Douluo won't detect the user."
Bei Bei activated it. Light twisted around the three of them, and their bodies slowly disappeared.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed as he instantly understood the compass's principle: camouflage through light manipulation combined with aura masking via soul power. It worked well—unless someone got too close.
Very similar to his own spiritual mimicry.
In a world full of magical soul beasts, it made sense that some would possess unique abilities, and those abilities would eventually be harnessed into soul tools.
Huo Yuhao was slightly intrigued by the secret crafting method behind the Dim Compass—but not overly so. It was likely a technique known only to the Death God's Envoys, a sect he hadn't encountered even in the Holy Spirit Cult.
From what he could tell, the method touched on some aspects of true forging, but as long as it was stuck within the soul tool framework, it would take ages before it could evolve into true forging techniques.
With the Dim Compass shielding them, the trio easily slipped deeper into Mingde Hall.
Finally, Huo Yuhao turned to Tang Ya and asked:
"So... are you finally going to tell me what your mission target is?"
Indeed, until now, Tang Ya hadn't revealed the goal to him.
She grinned mischievously, then her expression turned serious.
"Alright. It's about time you knew. Just don't be too shocked."
She leaned in and declared:
"Our mission is to uncover the deepest secret of Mingde Hall—
the Sun Moon Empire's top secret!"