Douluo Continent: The Underworld Emperor Halosa Lets Three Fly

Chapter 143 Undead Bone Seed, Leng Yaozhu (Part Two)

The chaos in the seventh isolation room was like a drop of boiling oil thrown into water, exploding instantly, but then being forcibly ended by an irresistible and terrifying force in the next heartbeat!

The undead bone seed, which was sealed by layers of restrictions, and the figurine in Leng Yaozhu's hand that was bursting with the same rebirth power, seemed to be crushed by an invisible giant hand!

They did not collide physically, but rather merged in an incomprehensible way at a higher level of "existence"!

Buzz!

A chilling, soul-shaking sound, not from the material world but directly vibrating the soul, instantly drowned out all the alarms! Time seemed to have been paused.

The researchers' expressions froze in horror, the flashing red alarm light remained fixed in a blinding moment, and even the dust particles floating in the air seemed to hover eerily.

The pause is lifted the next moment!

Fusion complete!

Leng Yaozhu felt her hand suddenly go empty; the scalding hot skull figurine had vanished. In its place erupted a terrifying energy surge from the direction of the control pod, like a supernova collapsing!

There was no blinding burst of light, only a pure, heavy, and suffocating gray-white energy that spread out like a tangible tide!

Crack! Boom!

The special transparent control cabin, which was said to be able to withstand the attack of a Limit Douluo, exploded into dust like glass struck by a heavy hammer!

The level 10 soul tool, the Spirit Sealing Platform, let out a mournful cry of being unable to bear the burden. Its profound soul guidance array broke inch by inch, and the entire base twisted and deformed. It was directly blown away by the gray-white energy tide and crashed hard into the thick alloy inner wall, creating a deep crater!

The first to be hit were the Soul Researchers closest to the control room. Before the horror on their faces could even turn into fear, their bodies were instantly reduced to the finest dust particles, like sand sculptures thrown into a shredder, leaving not a trace of blood or a piece of clothing behind!

The expensive soul-guided analysis equipment was like a paper toy, twisted, melted, and vaporized in the energy tide, leaving only charred and twisted metal debris and hissing energy short-circuit sparks.

The entire seventh isolation chamber looked as if it had been brutally kneaded by an invisible giant hand! The sturdy alloy walls caved inward and were covered with spiderweb-like cracks; all the soul-guiding lights on the ceiling shattered, leaving only the emergency light sources casting a pale red glow in the smoke and dust; the air was filled with ozone, the acrid smell of molten metal, and a chilling, deathly aura that penetrated to the bone!

Leng Yaozhu, the military lieutenant general from the Federation with a calm and steady demeanor, and the elder from the Sea God Pavilion with a blue robe and sharp eyes were the only three people who unleashed their Limit Douluo-level protective soul power at the first moment!

Even so, under the terrifying impact of that half-step god-level force, the three of them were like fallen leaves in a storm, sent flying by the fierce wolf!

puff!puff!puff!

Three muffled thuds. Leng Yaozhu crashed into the dented alloy wall, a sweet taste rising in her throat, and a mouthful of scalding blood spurted out, staining the gorgeous red dress on her chest. The blazing phoenix flames on her body flickered and dimmed.

The Federation lieutenant general's uniform was torn, revealing his strong muscles, which were covered with fine bloodstains. He knelt on one knee, panting heavily, his resolute face filled with horror. The Sea God Pavilion elder's blue robe was ripped, his hair was disheveled, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth. The sea-blue longsword in his hand was propped on the ground, its blade humming, clearly having withstood immense pressure.

"Huh?" Leng Yaozhu endured the excruciating pain of her displaced internal organs, struggling to see the center of the explosion. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a blurry, skeletal phantom made of pure gray-white energy flashed by, and the terrifying half-step divine aura receded like a tide, as if it had never existed. Only the twisted remains of the Spirit Sealing Platform and a scene of utter devastation remained.

"Alarm! Highest threat! Energy out of control in Isolation Room Seven! Personnel signals lost on a large scale! Repeat! Highest threat!" The piercing alarm finally broke through the previous energy suppression, echoing wildly in the dilapidated isolation room and throughout the entire Spirit Tower headquarters!

The support arrived faster than expected!

The heavy alloy door was forcibly blasted open from the outside by a violent force! Several figures exuding powerful auras rushed in like lightning. The leader was none other than another deputy tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, along with several elders! Following closely behind were reinforcements from the Federal Special Operations Bureau and the Sea God Pavilion.

When they saw the hellish scene inside the isolation room—the floor littered with metal debris, the research area completely empty (not even a body), the three seriously injured Leng Yaozhu, and the chilling, deathly stillness lingering in the air—everyone's face turned extremely grim.

The ensuing suppression and cleanup were a long and arduous battle. It wasn't against a physical enemy, but against the lingering, stubborn aura of high-level death, preventing its spread and contamination, while simultaneously salvaging precious data remnants (though few remained) and stabilizing the distorted spatial force field. The core area of ​​the Spirit Tower headquarters was temporarily placed under semi-lockdown.

Yunming arrived in person afterward.

The cost was devastating. The Spirit Pagoda lost all members of its top-tier seventh research group on soul spirits and a large amount of valuable equipment, its reputation was ruined, and the Federation and the Sea God Pavilion also paid the price of personnel injuries and resource depletion.

The issue of who should be granted the research qualification for the Undead Bone Seeds sparked a heated argument at a subsequent meeting among the four parties (Spirit Pagoda, the Federation, the Tang Sect, and the Sea God Pavilion). Representatives from the Federation and the Tang Sect strongly demanded that the Spirit Pagoda be stripped of its research qualification, accusing it of major oversights in security management that nearly led to an irreparable disaster.

The tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, his face so grim it could drip water, sat in the main seat, his knuckles white from clenching his fists, listening silently to the accusations from all sides. Only when someone proposed "disqualification" did he abruptly raise his head, his eyes sharp as knives, his voice low yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"The initial agreement, in black and white! Whoever's research on the 'Undead Bone Seed' encounters problems will bear the responsibility, but the research qualification remains unchanged! This was signed and sealed by all four parties! What? Are the Federation and Tang Sect trying to tear up the agreement and kick us when we're down?!"

He slammed his hand on the table, the loud noise silencing the conference room instantly. "My Spirit Pagoda will bear the losses! We will pay compensation! We will bear all the responsibilities we should bear! But no one can take away our research slots!"

His tough stance and the constraints of the initial agreement ultimately forced the Federation and Tang Sect representatives to back down, leaving them with no choice but to accept the fact that the Spirit Pagoda would retain its research qualifications, but with the addition of even stricter, almost harsh, oversight clauses.

The Spirit Pagoda headquarters, top floor, highest decision-making conference room.

The massive, circular metal conference table gleamed with a cold, matte finish. The air was heavy, like lead, making it hard to breathe. There were no windows, only the dim light simulated by the dome, which only added to the oppressive atmosphere.

Qian Gu Dongfeng sat in the main seat, his back ramrod straight, like a stone sculpture suppressing his rage. His face was expressionless, but the sinister flames flickering in his deep-set eyes made the temperature in the entire conference room seem to drop to freezing point.

The other high-ranking members and elders of the Spirit Pagoda sat on either side, each keeping their eyes down, afraid to even breathe, lest they attract trouble. The air was thick with the heavy pressure of defeat, shame, and enormous losses.

Leng Yaozhu sat near the end of the table. She had changed out of her blood-stained red dress and was now wearing a plain white outfit. Her face was still pale from her serious injuries, and her lips were almost bloodless. She lowered her head slightly, her thick eyelashes casting a small shadow under her eyes, concealing the complex emotions surging within them—self-blame, grievance, lingering fear, and an unvented anger.

At this moment, she was like a prisoner awaiting trial.

"Lord Leng," Qian Gu Dongfeng's voice finally broke the silence. The voice wasn't loud, even somewhat low and hoarse, yet it felt like a cold knife scraping against everyone's eardrums. "Having caused such a huge mess, killed so many core members, and destroyed the most advanced laboratory, you have nothing to say?!"

brush!

All eyes instantly focused on Leng Yaozhu. Those gazes held inquiries, discontent, and sympathy, but more than anything, they were scrutinizing and pressured.

The Spirit Pagoda has suffered a major setback this time, not only in terms of material losses, but also in the erosion of its reputation and foundation. Leng Yaozhu, as the person directly in charge, bears the brunt of the damage.

Leng Yaozhu's body trembled almost imperceptibly. She raised her head to meet those gazes, her beautiful face drained of color, leaving only a stubborn pallor.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the soreness and grievance in her throat. Her voice trembled slightly, yet remained exceptionally clear and firm: "I will take full responsibility."

"You'll take responsibility?!" Qian Gu Dongfeng slammed his fist on the table! The loud bang made the projector on the table jump! He stood up abruptly, staring down at Leng Yaozhu, his suppressed anger erupting like a volcano, his voice suddenly rising, filled with a sharp interrogation:

"How are you going to take responsibility?! Huh?! Those who died were the precious gems of the Soul Spirit Research Institute! The Seventh Group! The entire Seventh Group! Not a single hair was left! Do you know how many resources and how much time it takes to train a qualified core researcher?! It's built with soul bones, top-tier soul tools, and the century-old reputation of the Spirit Pagoda! What do you have to take responsibility for?! Do you even know how to research soul spirits?! Can you bring them back with their lives?! You've trampled the Spirit Pagoda's reputation to pieces! Tell me, how are you going to take responsibility?!"

Every word was like a dagger to the heart! Every sentence was like a hammer blow! It struck Leng Yaozhu's delicate body violently, her face turning from white to ashen. She bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled. Qian Gu Dongfeng's words lashed at her heart like a whip, making all her defenses seem pale and powerless.

Yes, how could she bear it? What could she possibly use to bear it? A tremendous sense of suffocation gripped her like a poisonous vine, almost suffocating her. The image of that grey-robed figure, the man who had brought all this strangeness to her, uncontrollably resurfaced in her mind!

Harosa! The skull figurine was given to him by him back then, so he can't just throw it away.

A nameless rage suddenly surged within her, burning her heart with pain. She clenched her teeth, silently accusing him in her mind: "It's all your fault! It's all that damned guy's fault!"

But instead of resentment, she only blamed him. But emotions shouldn't be like that. Living beings admire strength, especially females. No one knows what impact Harosa's strength and conquest had on Leng Yaozhu. Almost habitually, and subconsciously seeking solace under extreme emotional repression, her hand under the table unconsciously reached for her storage soul tool, wanting to touch the skull figurine that had always been with her and brought her a moment of peace when she was agitated.

He instinctively rubbed his fingertips together, expecting to touch nothing—after all, that thing had been personally suppressed by Yun Ming in the Sea God Pavilion afterward.

However, the sensation from her fingertips made her freeze!

Cold! Hard! Familiar curve!

She looked down sharply, her pupils contracting abruptly! The small, rough, and antique skull figurine lay quietly and perfectly intact in her palm! As if it had never left! As if the earth-shattering fusion and destruction before had been nothing but an illusion!

How is this possible?!

Leng Yaozhu's mind went completely blank with a "whoosh." Shock, confusion, and disbelief instantly overwhelmed her. "Leng Yaozhu!" Qian Gu Dongfeng's hoarse roar, fueled by rage, exploded again, filled with thunderous fury. "This Tower Master is asking you a question! Are you listening?! Or do you think you can still remain uninvolved at this point?!"

This roar, like a thunderclap, not only startled the dazed Leng Yaozhu, causing her to jolt up and raise her head abruptly, but also sent a collective shiver down the spines of all the tense executives in the conference room! The Tower Master of the Ancient Tower had never lost his composure like this before!

Leng Yaozhu's heart pounded wildly at the shout. Almost instinctively, driven by a desire to prove something or to vent her immense shock and humiliation, she inexplicably raised the hand holding the skull figurine from under the table! The movement was even somewhat stiff and abrupt.

"Listen to it, it's here," she said hoarsely, her voice carrying a bewilderment she herself was unaware of and a hint of barely perceptible fear.

Swish!

Just like Moses parting the sea!

The Spirit Pagoda's high-ranking members, who had been sitting upright and trying to minimize their presence, instantly changed their expressions upon seeing the familiar yet strangely shaped skull in Leng Yaozhu's hand! Their movements were astonishingly synchronized! The chair legs scraped against the alloy floor with a screeching sound, and everyone was thrown backward as if branded with a hot iron! Some even crashed into the wall behind them, frantically releasing their spirit rings, their martial spirit phantoms flickering behind them, their eyes filled with fear and vigilance!

They had witnessed, or rather, personally experienced, the destructive power of this thing that erupted in the seventh isolation chamber, comparable to that of a half-step god! The scene of that gray-white tide of death swallowing everything was still vivid in their minds!

The entire conference room fell into a comical yet extremely eerie silence. Only the heavy breathing of the group and the faint sound of air currents caused by fluctuations in soul power could be heard.

Qian Gu Dongfeng was also stunned. His furious expression froze on his face, his brows furrowed tightly, and his sharp gaze shot like a searchlight at the skull figurine in Leng Yaozhu's hand. He could clearly sense that the thing had no energy fluctuations at the moment, just like the most ordinary craftwork.

"This thing..." Qian Gu Dongfeng's voice, filled with deep surprise and lingering anger, broke the deathly silence. "How could it still be in your hands? Didn't Yun Ming personally suppress it in the Sea God Pavilion?"

All eyes were fixed on the small, hollow skull. It lay quietly in Leng Yaozhu's pale palm, its rough surface gleaming with a cold and eerie matte sheen under the dim simulated daylight.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, Qian Gu Dong Feng let out a loud, cackling laugh, a stark contrast that left everyone speechless.