After pondering for a long while, Yu Guanzhi sighed.
It was better not to think about these things. Whether Gu Yi could step out of the shadows after learning the full story was another matter.
However, a Titled Douluo had a lifespan of at least two hundred years. The previous Gu Yi clearly could not have broken through to Titled Douluo. Now it was almost certain. Having lost more than twenty years of time and gained over a hundred years and a Titled Douluo cultivation, whether it was fortune or misfortune was unclear.
If he was thick-skinned enough, stepping out of the shadows should be fine, right?
Thinking this, Yu Guanzhi looked at the others gradually awakening in the room. "Since they are awake, I will inform all parties."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Please do as you wish, Your Majesty."
After Yu Guanzhi sent out the news, all parties immediately sent people to pick up their respective "Pillars of Support."
Then, the North Sea Legion, which had come to pick up its member, was stunned.
Where had their legion's great Pillar of Support gone?
What, you say that was a Possession Demon?
No, I do not believe it.
Other forces had retrieved their own Pillars of Support. Only they had lost a Pillar of Support, and were told that that Pillar of Support was a mole. Who could accept that?
The North Sea Legion Commander, Shen Yuncheng, who had already been preparing for retirement, received the news and came to the Spirit Transmission Tower. After personally confirming Gu Yi's situation, he saw black and almost fainted on the spot, wishing he could pretend he had not heard the news.
Heaven knows, he was already old and just wanted to find a suitable person to hand over his position to and retire. And this was what he got?
A Possession Demon. Simply, simply.
After thinking for a long time, Shen Yuncheng could not think of what to curse the Possession Demon for. He was extremely frustrated.
The military woman who had accompanied Shen Yuncheng noticed his expression and quickly comforted him, "Second Grandfather, do not rush. Take care of yourself."
Shen Yuncheng took a deep breath and waved his hand. He looked at the nervous Gu Yi, then turned back to the military woman, Shen Yue, and said, "Yue'er, be prepared. In the future, you may have to take over the North Sea Legion."
Shen Yue's eyes lit up, but she quickly suppressed her excitement, resuming her calm and capable demeanor. She said in a deep voice, "I will strive to live up to the family's and the legion's expectations. However."
Her gaze flicked toward Gu Yi. "What about Gu Yi?"
"I have my own plans." Shen Yuncheng interrupted.
Given Gu Yi's situation, he could only try to train him first. If it really did not work, he would let him advance to Titled Douluo and then arrange a leisurely position, letting Shen Yue become the North Sea Legion Commander.
But even though Shen Yue was the only junior in the North Sea Legion second only to Gu Yi, the Possession Demon, and was his own relative, Shen Yuncheng did not actually want things to develop that way.
The Shen Family, as one of the Four Great Military Families, had considerable influence in the Federation. Just as the Southern Legion almost belonged to the Angel Family, the Shen Family's influence in the North Sea Legion was equally deeply rooted.
Added to that, Shen Yuncheng's elder brother, the current Shen Family Patriarch, was the Federation Military's Chief of Staff, a General of the Federation. The Shen Family's influence in the military could be imagined.
(Note: In the original work, it was said to be the rank of Grand General, but the Grand General setting changed three times. Initially, it was said there were two Grand Generals. Then it was said there were three. Then it was said there was only one. Finally, it became that no Grand General had been appointed for many years, and the highest rank in the military was now General. Here, we use the final setting.)
If Shen Yue were also to take over as North Sea Legion Commander, the Shen Family's influence in the military would reach a peak. But it would also easily attract dissatisfaction and checks from other families and even the Federation Council.
Originally, with the Shen Family's power and strength, they would not have needed to worry about this. But they were the Dove Faction. Their ideology was not to start a war with Xingluo. And they had previously been close to Shrek Academy.
Now, with Xingluo's ambition and collision with evil soul masters, eyeing the continent covetously, and Shrek's support of an enemy nation being destroyed, all of the Shen Family's previous decisions had been wrong. They had to Keep a Low Profile. Otherwise, someone would inevitably Carve Meat off the Shen Family.
If he wanted Yue'er to smoothly take over as North Sea Legion Commander, his elder brother should probably step down.
Thinking of this, Shen Yuncheng could not help looking at Gu Yi again, sighing inwardly.
He would not have had to struggle so much.
If Gu Yi, the Possession Demon, had not been a mole, he would have been the best candidate for legion commander. If he had become legion commander, Shen Yue could have assisted him, not hindering her future while allowing the Shen Family to stay low key.
Now. Shen Yue had the ability and the opportunity. He could not deliberately suppress this younger family member and prevent her from taking the legion commander position, could he?
Rather than that, it was better for them, the old ones, to make room. Even if his elder brother was In His Prime and could still serve for decades, he should give the younger generation a chance.
After gradually sorting out his complicated thoughts, Shen Yuncheng was about to take the two away when Huo Yuhao's voice suddenly sounded from the side, attracting their attention.
"Commander, please wait a moment."
Hearing this, Shen Yuncheng immediately pulled himself together, turned to face Huo Yuhao, and bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty Huo Yuhao, is there something you need? Please speak. The North Sea Legion is deeply grateful for Gu Yi's treatment."
If not for the other's serious expression, Huo Yuhao might have thought he was being sarcastic.
"No need to be so formal."
Huo Yuhao said politely, then continued, "In a few days, I will be going overseas and passing through the North Sea Legion's jurisdiction. I would ask for your convenience."
Shen Yuncheng, hearing this, looked surprised but did not pry. He simply nodded. "You are too kind, Your Majesty. The North Sea Legion can provide any necessary assistance."
He could not miss a good opportunity to befriend a reincarnated deity.
Receiving the expected reply, Huo Yuhao exchanged a few more words with Shen Yuncheng, watched the three leave, and let his gaze linger on the departing, aged back for a few seconds, looking thoughtful.
So that was it. One of the reasons that Possession Demon had not chosen to possess the North Sea Legion Commander was that he was too old, right?
After possessing someone, a Possession Demon could not solve the lifespan limit either. Rather than finding an old general who might "fall" at any time due to old age, it was better to choose a promising, young rising star, cultivate them from scratch, and gradually rise to a high position, which would also arouse less suspicion.
"He was a prudent fellow. If I had not been in such a hurry to deal with him, I might have been able to exchange some insights with him."
A whimsical thought arose, and Huo Yuhao could not help shaking his head with a smile.
Possession Demons had three possession opportunities. Obviously, each was very important to them. They would never waste a possession opportunity unless necessary.
Most of the Possession Demons he had encountered had possessed once or twice. He had not yet seen one that had possessed three times.
Perhaps the one inside Heaven Favored Douluo in the Holy Spirit Cult had reached that stage?
Thinking this, Huo Yuhao fell into thought.
Speaking of the Holy Spirit Cult, so much time had passed, and the Possession Demons inside Douluo had sent no news. If the two sides had close contact, the Holy Spirit Cult should already know about this, right?
Without the Possession Demon spy network, his informant could play a greater role.
Not to Reciprocate Is Discourteous. Since the Holy Spirit Cult had planted spies in the Spirit Transmission Tower, they could not blame him for embedding a Nail in the Holy Spirit Cult.
A little later than Huo Yuhao had expected, a day later the Holy Spirit Cult finally reacted to the fact that the Possession Demons they had planted in the Douluo Federation had been completely wiped out.
On the Douluo Continent, Demon Lord angrily contacted Ghost Emperor, who was far away in Xingluo.
"Ghost Emperor, information exchange and compilation are your subordinates' responsibility. What have they been doing? My entire clan was wiped out before they even reacted."
"This matter was my oversight."
Ghost Emperor, located in Xingluo, also had a dark expression. The Possession Demons had been involved in many Arrangements. Their complete loss meant that all their Hard Work over the years had Gone Down the Drain. He was also burning with anger now.
So he did not refute Demon Lord's words. He just said through gritted teeth, "But to have swept away your entire clan in such a short time, the Douluo Federation clearly had preparations in advance. They probably locked up all your clansmen beforehand. This also shows that they already have a way to distinguish Possession Demons."
Hearing this, Demon Lord forcibly suppressed his anger and did not continue to question. After all, he was equally confused.
"The Douluo Federation has not discovered our clan's infiltration into the Douluo Continent for so many years. How did they suddenly learn of this? And how did they develop a method to distinguish our clan?"
Ghost Emperor inexplicably remembered the lost one time divine weapon. A bad feeling arose in his heart. The anger in his heart subsided considerably.
The Possession Demons being wiped out might be his fault.
Thinking this, Ghost Emperor felt somewhat guilty. He could only subtly change the subject.
"Without your clan's intelligence, it is difficult to see the full picture through guesswork alone. Let us put that aside for now. For now, let us think about how to handle the situation ahead without this intelligence network and after a hundred years of Arrangement have been destroyed in one fell swoop."
Pausing, Ghost Emperor asked in a heavy voice, "Since the Possession Demons died inside the Douluo Continent, their Abyss energy probably cannot be recycled by the Abyss. Can the Abyss plane still give birth to new Possession Demons?"
Demon Lord snorted coldly, his tone icy. "You know nothing of the Plane Lord's power. As long as the Saint Lord wishes, gestating some Possession Demons through the imprint our clan left on the plane is a trivial matter. But what would be the point?"
As the Plane Lord of the Abyss, not to mention gestating those Possession Demons, if the Possession Demons had died near the Abyss passage, even if the Abyss energy composing them had disappeared, resurrecting them would not be difficult for the Abyss Saint Lord. At most, the resurrected beings would lose some intelligence. (Refer to the resurrected Spirit Emperor, Blazing Emperor, and other Abyss Emperors.)
But in Demon Lord's view, under the current circumstances, having more Possession Demons was meaningless.
"Now that the Douluo Federation is on guard and has methods to find and eliminate Possession Demons, it will be difficult for us to repeat our old tricks. And I do not have the face to ask the Saint Lord to personally breed Possession Demons."
Hearing the words from the other end, Ghost Emperor opened his mouth, but ultimately did not speak.
His original intention had actually been for the Abyss to send other reinforcements. But Demon Emperor was clearly angry now. It was better to drop it for now.
After a moment, Ghost Emperor spoke again. "With the Possession Demons dead, our Arrangements in the Federation are destroyed. Our Chance of Victory has invisibly decreased by several tenths. We must find more help."
Demon Lord raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind? Do you want to seek help from the Six Great Perilous Lands, or do you have other ideas?"
Ghost Emperor said, "You know about the Demon Plane, right?"
Hearing this question, Demon Lord seemed to know his plan. "You want to help the Demon Plane open a planar passage and cooperate with them?"
It was not only the Abyss plane that had set its sights on the Douluo plane. After the divine realm disappeared, aggressive planes had begun to act.
The Demon Plane, through some means, had shielded the Douluo plane's Plane Lord and projected the Fallen Angel martial soul onto the Douluo plane. As long as someone with the Fallen Angel martial soul reached the ninth ring, they would open a passage connecting to the Demon Plane.
This seemed more clever than their Abyss plane's methods. But in truth, the seeds were entirely dependent on luck to be planted, and the risk was great.
After all, once a connection was established, it was not so easy to break it unilaterally. If the Douluo experts were unwilling and found a way to stabilize the connection between the Fallen Angel and the Demon Plane, with the Demon Plane being weaker than the Douluo plane, it was uncertain who would be invading whom then.
The passage their Abyss plane had established with the Douluo plane was truly a unilateral connection. As long as the two planes did not completely overlap, they could flee at any time if they could not win. It was still quite stable.
However, although from this perspective the Demon Plane was truly Bad But Loved to Play, it was still a plane that had developed for a long time. No matter how weak, it was still stronger than the Xingluo Federation and the Douluo Continent combined, not counting the Holy Spirit Cult.
If they could reach cooperation with the Demon Plane, their strength could increase considerably.
And according to the intelligence Demon Lord knew, there was indeed a Fallen Angel martial soul possessor in the Douluo Federation now. However.
"Surely you are not targeting that Yuanen Yehui of the Douluo Federation, are you?"
Demon Lord let out a sneer. "She is already a member of the Federation's Dark Department, and she is close to those two reincarnated deities. It will not be easy to touch her. Moreover, her current cultivation is too low. It will be some time before she grows to Titled Douluo."
He also knew quite a bit about Yuanen Yehui's intelligence. After all, she was someone close to the two reincarnated deities. It was always good to gather more intelligence.
"We may not be unable to wait."
Ghost Emperor said this first, then smiled. "And she is not the only choice. Her mother also has the Fallen Angel martial soul."
"Her mother? Is she not alrready dead?"
Ghost Emperor's tone was quiet. "I had your clan check. Yuanen Yehui's mother, Ye Hui's, grave is empty."
You actually had my clan members do grave robbing work?
Demon Lord's brows twitched, but Ghost Emperor's information attracted him, making him temporarily forget these unpleasantries.
"Why did you think to look for a dead person's trail? I have not received any such messages. Do you have other intelligence channels in the Douluo Federation?"
Faced with this question, Ghost Emperor was silent for a long time before answering, "It was intelligence sent back by Lan Fozi."
Lan Fozi. Demon Empress's daughter?
Demon Lord frowned. "Lan Fozi is weak in character and does not like the Holy Spirit Cult's style. Moreover, she was close to those two reincarnated deities for a while. Is the intelligence she sends back reliable?"
Ghost Emperor said, "The Douluo Federation does not have intelligence on Demon Empress either. And within the Spirit Transmission Tower, there are spirit beasts in every position. Even if her true identity is discovered, it would be difficult for the Spirit Transmission Tower to suspect us. Not to mention deities who know even less about Douluo than we do."
"Betrayal is also unlikely. She has been transmitting intelligence through the Holy Cult for quite some time. The initial messages were all given to Demon Empress. The content transmitted was entirely based on Lan Fozi's own thoughts, like chatting about everyday matters. It was only because some messages were valuable that I noticed and, using Demon Empress's name, had her help investigate intelligence."
"I also compared some of the intelligence she gave with the intelligence from the Possession Demons. Apart from being not detailed enough, there were no major problems."
Lan Fozi could not possibly betray even Demon Empress, could she?
Hearing this, Demon Lord suppressed his unease.
That was also true. How could intelligence that Ye Hui was not dead possibly be sent by an enemy? Otherwise, what would be the point? Using Ye Hui to set an ambush?
It would be better to hide the news of Ye Hui's survival and use Yuanen Yehui to set an ambush. After all, protecting one person is much simpler than protecting two.
"All I know now is that Ye Hui is not dead. Lan Fozi has not yet investigated the rest. But we cannot rush this."
Ghost Emperor's tone was low. "Your clan has suffered heavy losses. Lan Fozi is a valuable intelligence channel. Perhaps we can use her to establish a new intelligence network. Whether it is to find Ye Hui, get in touch with the Demon Plane, or learn more intelligence about the Douluo Federation, it would all be for the best. For this, I need the power of your sea spirit beasts."
After all this, it turned out he was asking for help.
Demon Emperor was somewhat speechless, but after thinking it over, he still agreed.
The Possession Demons' role was not just to establish an intelligence network and make Arrangements in the Federation. Possession Demons could also possess spirit beast leaders, thereby controlling spirit beast clans. No matter how poorly the sea spirit beasts had fared over the years, they were still a vast force.
Finding some hundred thousand year sea spirit beasts to defect to the Douluo Federation and assist Lan Fozi in establishing an intelligence network was something Demon Emperor could do. It was just that the loyalty of these creatures was hard to guarantee.
He would try it for now.
"My lord, I have already transmitted that intelligence back to the Holy Spirit Cult."
Hearing Lan Fozi's voice, Huo Yuhao stopped what he was doing and looked up at her.
"Very well. Later, find a time to Show Your Cards to the person contacting you using your mother's name. You can play yourself, fully showing your disgust of the Holy Spirit Cult. Without the Possession Demons, you, a spy lurking in the Spirit Transmission Tower, will be highly valued. He will try every means to persuade you to serve the Holy Spirit Cult."
***
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