Yan Shaozhe bowed his head respectfully and said, "This disciple knows his mistake."
Mu En turned his head away, not wanting to look at Yan Shaozhe any longer. "You aren't wrong; I am the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have had any confidence in you all."
"From today onward, you are free. Infight however you want, do whatever you want. Just act as if I don't exist."
Yan Shaozhe grew anxious. "Teacher, you can't!"
Mu En's eyes suddenly widened. "I have labored for Shrek my entire life; can't I finally enjoy myself!?"
The terrifying pressure of a Limit Douluo descended, causing Yan Shaozhe to stagger and fall to the ground.
He looked at Mu En in a daze, as if he were meeting this teacher for the first time.
Mu En waved his large hand, and a low dragon roar sounded. "Get lost! Don't block my sunlight!"
Yan Shaozhe turned into a streak of light and flew out once again, falling into Sea God Lake.
This was the second time this month he had been knocked into the lake by Mu En...
Then, Mu En rolled over, seemingly finding a comfortable position for himself.
Back to sleep, back to rest...
...
"What? The Fire Phoenix Holy Maiden was snatched away by people from the Body Sect!?"
Feng Ling nodded with some frustration. "Correct, it was that old fellow, the Body Entity Douluo, Du Busi."
"Truly strange," Zhongli Wu muttered to himself. "How did the Body Sect get mixed up with people from Shrek Academy?"
This operation by the Holy Spirit Cult, whether in tactical execution or combat results, was actually close to perfect. However, they hadn't expected that the Fire Phoenix Holy Maiden, who was already in their hands, would be lost again...
Zhongli Wu was also quite annoyed. Had he known, he wouldn't have split their forces into two paths. He had feared that old fellow Mu En would lead a pursuit against them, so he intentionally took the other Holy Spirit Cult enshrinements on a detour to buy time for Feng Ling to leave.
Who could have guessed the Body Sect would suddenly jump out...
Feng Ling gave a faint smile. "Please rest assured, Lord Leader. The Fire Phoenix Holy Maiden has been tainted by my Evil Phoenix origin power. The process of the martial soul's blackening is irreversible. Even if Shrek Academy finds the Holy Maiden again, it will be to no avail. Besides, the relationship between the Body Sect and Shrek hasn't reached that level of friendliness yet."
Zhongli Wu shook his head with regret. "A pity. I expect those eccentric fellows from the Body Sect will likely strike the Holy Maiden dead. Hmph! This meddlesome group—this Lord Leader will settle the final debt with them sooner or later! This place is not suitable for a long stay; let us return to Radiant City first. Xiao Feng, you used the Holy Emperor's personal 'Ring Burst' secret technique; rest for a while. Leave the matters of the Sunset Water Alliance to Nan Gongwan and the others."
"Yes, Lord Leader!"
...
Heaven Dou City, capital of the Heaven Dou Empire.
A group of people slowly descended. Along the way, Du Busi had used his powerful soul power to carry Huo Yuhao and the others in flight, ensuring they didn't suffer from the wind.
Du Busi stretched his body and looked at the curious Huo Yuhao with a smile. "Little Huo, you haven't been to Heaven Dou City before, have you?"
Huo Yuhao nodded honestly. "I haven't. Is the Body Sect located in Heaven Dou City?"
Du Busi said nonchalantly, "Not exactly. Our Body Sect is the Guardian Sect of the Heaven Dou Empire, so I had to bring you here to meet some people."
Aside, Ma Xiaotao cried out in surprise, "What? The Body Sect has also joined the Heaven Dou Empire!"
The Body Sect, Shrek Academy, and Illustrious Virtue Hall were known as the three major powers of the continent. The Body Sect was further known as the continent's most mysterious sect, with overall strength arguably even above Shrek Academy—this was something Ma Xiaotao knew.
But what Ma Xiaotao hadn't expected was that the Body Sect was also the Guardian Sect of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Du Busi gave Ma Xiaotao an annoyed glare. "Yan Shaozhe's little girl, this old man only brought you along for the sake of Little Huo. Remember to watch your mouth; otherwise, don't say I didn't give him face."
Ma Xiaotao pursed her lips and tightened her grip on Huo Yuhao's arm.
After being saved by Huo Yuhao once again that day, Ma Xiaotao refused to return to Shrek no matter what was said.
To be honest, she was also a bit scared... especially after hearing many things that day she shouldn't have known. The glorious status of Shrek Academy in her heart had completely collapsed.
So it turned out that from the Sea God Pavilion Master at the top, to the Deans in the middle, down to the ordinary students, everyone at Shrek Academy was ambiguously connected to evil soul masters!
Especially knowing that Yan Shaozhe had once had a history with that Feng Ling, the Vice Leader of the evil Holy Spirit Cult, it made Ma Xiaotao feel completely disappointed in her master.
Since it was Huo Yuhao who saved her, Ma Xiaotao felt she might as well just follow her good younger brother from now on.
Accompanying them was also Long Qiu'er. Originally, Huo Yuhao thought Du Busi would have some slight objections to him bringing another person, but to his surprise, Du Busi agreed very readily.
Although Long Qiu'er's martial soul was not a body martial soul, her Golden Dragon specialized in blood essence, which was a match made in heaven for the Body Sect. Ten thousand years later, Tang San's good son Tang Wulin would demonstrate this point perfectly; if not for the Body Sect's innate secret techniques, Tang Wulin likely wouldn't have survived the impact of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline essence.
For a genius delivered to his door like this, why would Du Busi not accept her?
He wasn't a fool like Xuan Zi, who still wanted to test whether someone was "sincere" to the academy. If you don't give benefits but expect people to pour their hearts out, there aren't that many idiots in the world.
Long Qiu'er rolled her eyes at Huo Yuhao, whose arm was deeply buried in Ma Xiaotao's embrace, let out an indifferent huff, and turned her head away.
After letting Jin Peng, Lang Ya, and the others return to the Body Sect first, Du Busi glanced at Ma Xiaotao clinging to Huo Yuhao's arm.
"Alright, alright, you young couple don't need to show off your affection every second. Let's go."
As soon as Ma Xiaotao let go of his arm, Huo Yuhao felt a soft, warm little hand slide into his, their fingers interlacing tightly.
Looking to the side in surprise, he saw the expressionless Long Qiu'er.
Ma Xiaotao: "..."
Dammit, I was one step too slow.
Upon entering Heaven Dou City, Huo Yuhao's first impression was that the city was very ancient and grand. There were many thick ancient trees and quaint buildings; the climate was mild, making it very suitable for tourism and living.
Du Busi was very familiar with Heaven Dou City. Along the way, he led them straight toward the imperial palace in the city center. Huo Yuhao was happy to enjoy the leisure, holding hands with Long Qiu'er as they walked and looked around, quite content.
Suddenly, a distinct building caught his attention.
It was a wide gatehouse about two zhang high and five zhang wide. A one-zhang-high wall extended twenty meters outward from both sides of the gatehouse. The vermilion paint was exceptionally striking, carrying a sense of solemnity.
On the ground lay a plaque shattered into four or five pieces, stained with a significant amount of dark, fishy blood. The courtyard inside the gatehouse still showed traces of battle, with blood everywhere, and various strange iron objects scattered across the ground.
Looking at the broken plaque on the ground, Huo Yuhao read the words on it: "...Iron Blood Sect?"
Du Busi glanced at it casually: "Just a small sect, barely two hundred people. It seems they were exterminated by an evil soul master two weeks ago. It's truly bad luck, so the authorities here in Heaven Dou City haven't had time to deal with it yet."
"An evil soul master?"
As if thinking of something, Huo Yuhao quickly pulled Long Qiu'er and Ma Xiaotao forward, picking up one of the iron objects from the ground to inspect it.
Ma Xiaotao pointed at the dart-like object and asked, "This is?"
Huo Yuhao sighed. "Now I understand why you were found by the evil soul masters, Sister Xiao Tao."
"Why..." Ma Xiaotao asked instinctively, but she quickly reacted as well.
"You mean!"
Huo Yuhao nodded silently and tossed the dart aside. "I've seen these. These things on the ground are, without a doubt, the hidden weapons of the Tang Sect."
"The Tang Sect only has a handful of members. Bei Bei and Lan Xuanyu are both participating in the tournament. As far as I know, Wang Dong doesn't really know how to use hidden weapons and only has the title of a Tang Sect disciple. So, it can only be the Sect Master of the Tang Sect from the outer court, Tang Ya."
Ma Xiaotao's tone instantly turned cold. "It's her..."
Huo Yuhao shrugged. "Most likely, while she was massacring the disciples of the Iron Blood Sect, she was discovered by evil soul masters. Then, she probably handed over all the intelligence regarding Shrek Academy in one go, and while she was at it, she 'offered up' you, the Evil Phoenix."
After a long pause, Ma Xiaotao spoke with a somewhat raspy voice: "...I really don't know what Bei Bei sees in her."
Huo Yuhao said, "I don't care about that. I just hope that when Shrek monitors the continent in the future, they can strike hard against evil soul masters."
Ma Xiaotao nodded silently. "Marry a dog, follow a dog"—since she had already run off with Huo Yuhao, she should listen to him.
Du Busi held an extremely high status in the Heaven Dou Empire. As soon as he brought Huo Yuhao and the others to the palace gates, someone bowed to him; by the looks of it, they were likely a high-ranking official.
Before long, a graceful figure stepped out.
It was a soft-featured young girl. Although she wore brocade palace attire, she gave off an extremely peaceful feeling. Her temperament, besides being elegant, had a faint, lingering gentleness.
The girl took light steps, walked up to Du Busi, and performed a graceful bow, saying gently, "Grandfather, you've returned."
A kind smile appeared on Du Busi's face. "Wei Na, girl, let me introduce you; this is your new fellow sect junior brother. Huo Yuhao, he has twin martial souls like you, with the body martial soul Spirit Eye."
The girl named Wei Na looked at Huo Yuhao with some surprise.
He was certainly very good-looking. Even Princess Wei Na, who had met countless people, had to admit that Huo Yuhao was much more handsome than her fiancé, Long Aotian.
But wasn't he a bit too young? Even with twin martial souls, was he really worth her grandfather personally headhunting him?
Du Busi chuckled: "Little Huo, don't underestimate Wei Na. She is not only a Princess of the Heaven Dou Empire but also a disciple of my Body Sect."
Oh? A princess too?
Huo Yuhao's expression flickered strangely; he still had a gift from the Star Luo Princess in his storage soul tool...
"Greetings, Princess Wei Na. I am Huo Yuhao."
Princess Wei Na gave him a polite smile. "Hello. In the future, we will all be disciples of the Body Sect, so there's no need to call me Princess. Just call me Wei Na. My martial souls are the Brain and the Snow Lotus."
The Brain? The Snow Lotus?
Huo Yuhao then remembered that the inherited martial soul of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family seemed to be the Snow Lotus. However, this princess was actually a twin martial souls genius as well. The Brain? Among body martial souls, that was absolutely top-tier.
Speaking of which, I wonder how the Snow Emperor's cultivation is going...
After being introduced to Huo Yuhao, Wei Na's gaze uncontrollably drifted toward Ma Xiaotao and Long Qiu'er beside him.
It was hard for the two of them not to be noticed, especially Long Qiu'er. Even Wei Na, who was always confident in her own looks, felt a sense of self-inferiority in her presence.
"These two are..."
Du Busi said boisterously, "...They are your Junior Brother Huo's little girlfriends. They were worried this kid would suffer a loss in my hands, so they followed along."
Little girlfriends?
The corner of Wei Na's mouth twitched several times. She looked down at her own toes—where exactly do you see that they are "little"...
Regarding Du Busi's claim, neither Ma Xiaotao nor Long Qiu'er denied it; only a few faint clouds of blush drifted onto their faces.
As a princess, Wei Na's upbringing was quite good. She hurriedly came over to smooth things over. "Please follow me into the palace to rest. Grandfather, Father is already waiting for you."
Du Busi waved his hand. "Fine, you young people chat amongst yourselves on the way. Tomorrow, we head back to the sect to cultivate."
It must be said, the treatment of Body Sect disciples in the Heaven Dou Empire was indeed high. The dinner was so sumptuous that even Ma Xiaotao, who had lived in the Shrek inner court for a long time, was full of praise.
Lying on a luxurious large bed, Huo Yuhao felt that he had made the right choice in coming here.
At least the Body Sect was quite honest and attentive toward its disciples. If nothing else, who would tell someone they just met that they had twin martial souls? And she was a princess to boot.
But Du Busi and Wei Na had said it just like that, perfectly candid, not at all afraid of exposing their trump cards.
It was no wonder the Body Sect disciples were exceptionally united. Fine, having fewer schemes and power struggles was a good thing.
As for why the Heaven Dou Emperor called Du Busi to the palace alone, Huo Yuhao guessed it was because of that hundred-thousand-year embryo from the Starlight Auction?
Thinking of the Body Sect's reputation on the continent, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.
Could it be they plan to... Huo Yuhao scratched his head with a bit of a headache.
It was no wonder the Body Sect's reputation on the continent was so poor. With such a domineering style of doing things, it was truly easy to make enemies.
The next day.
Under Du Busi's lead, in the distance, a mountain ten thousand ren high, shrouded in clouds and mist, came into view.
Looking down from the sky, within this towering and majestic mountain, there was only a single narrow path forcibly carved through a crack, leading to a level basin halfway up the mountain.
Huo Yuhao swallowed and pointed downward. "This basin... could it be that the Body Sect excavated it manually?"
Du Busi gave a proud smile but said nothing.
So strong!
Even Long Qiu'er couldn't help but click her tongue in admiration. Manually excavating a basin between two mountains, with the sea behind them—logically, as long as the pass was held, even ten thousand horses and men would find it difficult to conquer. It was no wonder they said the Body Sect's location was a natural fortress.
The heaven-and-earth primordial energy here was extremely dense, even exceeding that of the Shrek Academy outer court. Rows of orderly buildings stood in the basin, all of them simple yet practical two-story small houses.
The view was open. Perhaps because it was near the sea, the air had a slightly salty, fresh scent. It could be called a divinely chosen ocean-view property.
After setting them down, Du Busi clapped his hands. "Your quarters have already been arranged. Put away your luggage first, and then I'll take you to meet the disciples of our sect."