Douluo Dalu 3: Legend of the White Fox

Holy Spirit Sect Headquarters

"Hmph, though we don't mind adding two War God's lives to our tally, it doesn't mean we enjoy being used as someone else's tool." The Ghost Emperor of the Holy Spirit Sect snorted coldly, his gaze piercing through the distance toward the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters in Shrek City.

He had previously cooperated with Qiangu Dongfeng of the Spirit Pagoda and was well aware of his ambitions.

When Sky Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu had someone investigate Lina earlier, Qiangu Dongfeng had even specifically sent a message asking what the Holy Spirit Sect intended by dispatching a Heavenly King.

The Ghost Emperor naturally assumed this was Qiangu Dongfeng's way of inciting conflict between the Holy Spirit Sect and the Federation Government.

"This matter ends here. Two War Gods, that's all. For once, we'll play along and serve as their pawn." A low voice rang out as the leader of the Holy Spirit Sect, shrouded in black, slowly stepped forward, her gaze also fixed in the direction of Shrek City.

But her focus was not on the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters—it was on the Star Dou Forest adjacent to Shrek City.

"So, at the brink of death, you finally decide to resist? I'll see what exactly you're trying to do." The leader of the Holy Spirit Sect snorted coldly. When Di Tian had investigated the Holy Spirit Sect last time, she had discerned his true identity.

Back then, both she and Di Tian had sensed each other's auras. While Di Tian failed to figure out her identity, she had already deduced his.

The Beast God—his name resounded across the continent.

It was nearly impossible not to know.

She surmised that the one who killed the War God Temple's War God was most likely Di Tian, not Qiangu Dongfeng.

For now, however, she did not wish to provoke Di Tian or stir up unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, she and the Star Dou Forest were not enemies; on the contrary, they could even be allies.

Shrek City, Spirit Pagoda Headquarters

Leng Yaozhu stared at the footage on the screen, replaying the scene of Lina willingly sharing her spiritual power with Xia Yi twice before deleting it.

With her deletion, the footage was irretrievable, even from the archives.

"Evil soul master! Dark Bell!" Leng Yaozhu's delicate fists clenched tightly, her beautiful eyes radiating a fierce, murderous aura.

"You'd better hope Yunlai's disappearance has nothing to do with you. Otherwise, I'll make sure you die without a trace."

Xia Yi had barely unleashed the Dark Phoenix ability when evil soul masters appeared in Eastsea City, targeting Xia Yi. It was hard for Leng Yaozhu not to suspect that the evil soul masters had come for her sister.

As one of the strongest figures of her time, Leng Yaozhu was acutely aware of how easily her sister's martial soul could lead her down the path of becoming an evil soul master.

As the Vice Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu held an immense hatred for evil soul masters.

She dared not even imagine what it would be like if Leng Rainlai were to fall into darkness.

If it ever came to that, she wouldn't know what identity she could adopt to face her sister.

In fact, when she learned that Lina was a Super Douluo-level evil soul master, she already had her suspicions.

She simply didn't want to admit it deep down.

Or rather, she still held on to a sliver of hope.

Compared to Leng Yaozhu's overwhelming murderous intent, Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion Elder and Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li remained much calmer. "Evil soul masters—your response is quicker than I expected. But since you've shown yourselves, Shrek Academy will be able to track you down and eradicate you."

Since the beginning of the incident involving Wu Zhangkong and Long Bing, Shrek Academy had suspected that the evil soul masters were reorganizing.

The academy had been quietly investigating ever since.

To avoid alerting the enemy and to preserve Shrek Academy's image, they hadn't even reported the matter concerning Long Bing to the Federation Government.

The lack of significant activity from the Holy Spirit Sect in recent times had left Shrek Academy with little to uncover.

"Crimson Dragon Douluo, inform Wu Zhangkong to monitor Wujin closely. If the Holy Spirit Sect contacts him again, report to the academy immediately. He is not to act alone," Sky Tower Douluo Yun Ming instructed Crimson Dragon Douluo Zuo Shi.

After Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li's return from Eastsea City, she had shared with the Pavilion elders the massive accumulation of resentful spirits within Wujin.

Naturally, these Sea God Pavilion Elders believed the appearance of evil soul masters in Eastsea City was tied to Wujin.

Compared to the Spirit Pagoda and Shrek Academy, the War God Temple was by far the most enraged. Losing two War Gods at once, Sea God Douluo Chen Xinjie was livid.

As the Sea God Douluo, he was not only the leader of the War God Temple but also the commander of the Sea God Army and the Federation Navy.

Almost all coastal cities in the Federation fell under his jurisdiction, including Eastsea City.

Yet, a Super Douluo-level evil soul master had appeared in Eastsea City, killing two of his War Gods.

To make matters worse, the culprit escaped.

This humiliation extended to the entire War God Temple.

This was the most disastrous failure Chen Xinjie had faced in recent years.

"Evil soul masters, you'd better hope you never fall into my hands!" Chen Xinjie roared toward the heavens, turning to shout at his subordinates, "Investigate! Find out where the evil soul masters' headquarters is, and also uncover the identity of the person who reported this!"

The event had unfolded too abruptly, catching the major forces on the Douluo Continent off guard.

Chen Xinjie suspected that the informant might also be an evil soul master, aiming to lure the War Gods out for an ambush.

Otherwise, if they could detect Lina as an evil soul master, they should at least have estimated her strength.

Why didn't the report include this critical information?

Even a slight warning could have prevented this catastrophe.

Except for Leng Yaozhu, who had connected Lina's appearance to Xia Yi, others hadn't made this association.

Because Lina appeared at Eastsea Academy, the Federation only had the academy's principal cooperate with the investigation. After confirming his ignorance, they released him without further trouble, avoiding public disclosure.

The Federation's intention was clear: the War God Temple's loss of two War Gods, with no tangible results, couldn't be publicly acknowledged. It could incite panic and undermine public confidence in the Federation and the War God Temple.

The cost would outweigh the benefit.

By this time, Di Tian had returned to Eastsea City. The leader of the Holy Spirit Sect was correct: Di Tian was indeed the one who struck down the fifth War God.

Although she hadn't understood Xia Yi's intentions at the time, after a moment of reflection, she quickly grasped his plan.

"This was excellently done—not only weakening the Federation Government and the War God Temple but also diverting the continent's leaders' attention toward the Holy Spirit Sect. Now, we can proceed with our plans boldly." Gu Yue's bright eyes sparkled. She had worried about drawing attention with their next moves.

Yet, the perfect opportunity had presented itself.

Gu Yue didn't believe the continent's leaders would have the capacity to focus on her after this.

"Master, should we inform Xia Yi of our plans?" Di Tian asked solemnly.

"Not yet," Gu Yue shook her head. "The Holy Spirit Sect hasn't given up on him. They'll approach him again eventually. Only if he withstands their trials and secures his position within their ranks will he qualify to know our plans. Otherwise, if he falls into their hands, our secrets will be fully exposed."

Gu Yue had anticipated Xia Yi's potential failure when she first sent him to engage with the Holy Spirit Sect.

Di Tian opened his mouth to speak further, but Gu Yue raised her hand to stop him. "That's enough. Go make the preparations. Your job is to ensure everything is in place. Once I recover my god-level strength, we'll act."

"Understood." Di Tian reluctantly nodded and left.

Once alone, Gu Yue took a deep breath. Seeing how effective Xia Yi's suggestion had been left her uneasy.

She was the ruler of soul beasts, after all.

From the moment in Skysea City when Xia Yi had "tested" her, she found dealing with him increasingly unsettling.

Each encounter seemed to leave her under his control.

This realization terrified her.

If she were just an ordinary hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, it might not matter. But as the sovereign of all soul beasts, being manipulated by another was intolerable.

Each time she met Xia Yi, she prepared to suppress him, yet mere moments into their meetings, she'd unconsciously lose the upper hand.

What frustrated her more was that she was starting to grow used to it.

For a being of her status, this was unacceptable.

Until she could figure out how to manage Xia Yi, she resolved to avoid unnecessary interactions with him.

She refused to let herself gradually transform into a submissive woman or an appendage to Xia Yi.

Gu Yue avoided Xia Yi, and Xia Yi, having no reason to seek her out, immersed himself in cultivation.

He spent his nights meditating, attended classes in the mornings, and devoted afternoons to the Blacksmiths' Association.

Xia Yi maintained a clear sense of self-awareness. Though his forging rank had reached Level Four, his foundation was far inferior to those like Tang Wulin and Mu Xi, who had been forging since childhood.

The same applied to other fields.

Gu Yue's absence allowed him to focus on bridging these gaps.

(End of Chapter)