Douluo Continent: The Underworld Emperor Halosa Lets Three Fly

Chapter 148 Soul Forging Body, Leng Yulai

"Tower Master! Stop!!!" A hoarse yet fanatical scream suddenly rang out! It was the old researcher with gray hair and thick soul-guided glasses!

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the several previously silent screens on the control panel, now frantically pulsating with bizarre data streams. His face was contorted with a mixture of fear and extreme excitement. "There's a reaction! Deep energy structure! Law resonance frequency! Unprecedented data stream! Quick! Record at maximum power! Analyze! Analyze it!"

The Dragon-Shaped Staff, imbued with destructive power, was abruptly halted in mid-air! The raging dragon-shaped soul power on the staff roared in resentment.

His face was ashen, his eyes flashing intensely. In a flash, this ruthless man made a decision! He forcibly reversed his soul power, and the destructive golden light on the Panlong Staff instantly subsided, instead bursting forth with countless fine strands of soul power, like golden chains!

The staff technique instantly shifted from the ultimate "breaking" to "sealing"! Countless golden chain phantoms emerged like snakes from their holes, coiling around the control cabin in an attempt to reinforce the seal and prevent the strange fluctuations from spreading, rather than directly destroying the target.

"Quick! Analyze! Tell me what that is!" Qian Gu Dongfeng's voice was filled with suppressed roar, his gaze sweeping over the researchers who were frantically operating the equipment like a hawk.

The isolation room instantly filled with an even more tense and frenzied atmosphere.

The beeping of instruments and the researchers' urgent commands mingled together. The gray-white light in the eye sockets of the skull figurine, which had been temporarily "pacified" by the golden soul power chains, did not go out. Instead, it flickered like breathing, and each flicker triggered even stronger data feedback from the sophisticated soul-guided instruments in the control cabin.

Time passed by, second by second, feeling as long as an eternity.

Finally, the elderly researcher with gray hair abruptly removed his glasses, rubbed his bloodshot eyes vigorously, and his voice trembled uncontrollably with extreme excitement: "Tower Master! The preliminary analysis is complete!"

He pointed to the complex three-dimensional models and energy diagrams that were refreshing like a waterfall on the main control screen, which were incomprehensible to ordinary people, and said rapidly and incoherently, "Unbelievable—it completely overturns our understanding! The core material of this Target B (the skull figurine) is not any known biological skeleton or mineral! It is a 'synthetic substance' that has never been recorded before, exhibiting a perfect crystal structure at the microscopic level, yet containing strange life activities! Its energy conduction efficiency and law affinity are terrifyingly high! Most importantly, what is engraved inside it is not a soul guidance array! But a kind of natural, seemingly directly imprinted rule of 'life form stability and adaptability'!"

The veteran researcher grew increasingly excited, gesturing wildly, completely forgetting his fear: "Master! We're confident! We can replicate at least 98% of this substance! Although the required materials are extremely rare and expensive, and may even require the use of certain forbidden elements from the strategic reserve—but! If we succeed!"

He took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with a light sharp enough to scorch steel: "This means that our Spirit Pagoda will usher in a completely new era! We can 'forge bodies' for spirits! Not to simulate the form of spirit beasts! But to create a perfect 'body' for them, just like this Target B, capable of bearing their soul essence, enhancing their characteristics, and even granting them entirely new possibilities! Just like a spirit master wearing battle armor! When spirits wear this 'forged body,' they will completely shed their weaknesses of being fragile, difficult to control, and unsuitable for high-level combat and research! Spirit technology will undergo a true qualitative leap! We—we name it—the 'Spirit Body Forging' Project!"

"Soul forging body" Qian Gu Dongfeng repeated these four words, and the gloom and solemnity on his face melted away like ice and snow, replaced by a fervent, scorching light as if he saw the Spirit Pagoda reaching the pinnacle of the continent!

All the previous losses, humiliations, and immense pressure seemed to find an outlet at this moment! He stared intently at the skull figurine inside the control room, which still shimmered with a grayish-white light, as if it were not the source of calamity, but a golden key to supreme authority!

Half-step Divine Realm? So what if you four are Yun Ming!

"Good! Good! Good!" Qian Gu Dongfeng exclaimed three times, his voice booming so loudly it echoed throughout the isolation room. A long-lost, triumphant smile spread across his face. "At all costs! Draw up the list of required materials! The future of the Spirit Pagoda rests on this!"

Shrek Academy, Poseidon Island, Poseidon Lake.

A gentle breeze rippled across the lake, reflecting the lush ancient trees on the shore and the distant Sea God Pavilion, a symbol of the academy's highest glory. The air was filled with the unique freshness of the lake and the fragrance of the vegetation, tranquil and peaceful.

Yun Ming stood quietly on the shore, dressed in an elegant white robe, his figure as upright as a pine tree. However, his once gentle and handsome face, admired by countless people, was now shrouded in an unyielding gloom. His deep eyes gazed at the calm lake surface, yet seemed to pierce through the water, seeing into an endless abyss.

A middle-aged man dressed in the attire of a Sea God Pavilion steward stood respectfully half a step behind him and reported in a low voice: "Pavilion Master, urgent report from the Far North branch. Several powerful auras of evil soul masters have been detected, breaking through the defense line and moving rapidly towards the inland core area. Target unknown. Additional personnel have been dispatched to track them."

Yun Ming's gaze remained fixed on the lake's surface, as if the answer lay hidden within its shimmering waves. He remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his voice calm and even, yet carrying a heavy weariness: "I understand."

He paused, without turning around, and asked, "Is there still no news from Master Craftsman Yuanhua?"

The steward behind him stiffened almost imperceptibly, his head bowing even lower, his voice filled with deep helplessness and a hint of fear: "Pay homage to Mr. Yuan Hua and his family, along with all his direct disciples and core students, since their last public appearance decades ago, they have vanished as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth. We have used all the Sea God Pavilion's overt and covert channels, and even secretly contacted the Tang Sect's intelligence network, but we still cannot find a single trace. It is as if an invisible hand has completely erased all traces of them."

Yun Ming's breath hitched almost imperceptibly. He didn't speak, but his gaze towards the lake deepened, as if a monstrous beast lurked beneath the calm surface. After a long while, he finally let out a very soft sigh, yet one that seemed to carry the weight of an immense burden: "Ah, I understand. You may leave."

The steward, feeling as if granted a pardon, bowed respectfully and quickly withdrew, leaving Yun Ming alone to face the vast lake.

Tranquility returned, but it couldn't suppress the turbulent waves churning in Yun Ming's heart.

"Holy Spirit Cult, Harossa, what exactly are you plotting?" The silent question roared in his heart. "Star Luo Continent, the entrance to Dragon Valley is permanently sealed, severing the path of inheritance. Shrek Academy's foundation, the Golden Tree, is damaged, its essence is being lost."

"The unique laws upon which the Devil's Islands depended for survival have quietly vanished, and the Seven Old Demons have also disappeared."

"Yuan Hua, the foremost master craftsman on the mainland, and his entire family, along with their lineage, vanished without a trace."

"The foundation of the Tang Clan, the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire, has been destroyed, and all the immortal herbs have perished."

"Evil spirit masters are like wildfire, growing stronger the more they are suppressed."

Each seemingly isolated event appears to be driven by an invisible, cold hand, aiming directly at the foundation and legacy of the Douluo Continent!

What puzzled Yun Ming even more was: "Why?! Why guide the four of us to the half-step god realm again?!"

This power, like poison coated in honey, granted him the strength to protect, but also allowed him to see a deeper darkness and bear a heavier burden! Is this a gift, or a deeper scheme?

His price was losing Yali, and Shrek was attacked repeatedly. What about the other three?

His gaze involuntarily turned to the back of the Sea God Pavilion, to the colossal tree that, even from a great distance, exuded a powerful life force—the Golden Ancient Tree. Its light seemed slightly dimmer than before, carrying an indescribable sense of weakness.

"Am I doing the right thing?" A question buried deep in my heart, never uttered to anyone, now clung to me like a poisonous vine.

In order to fight against the increasingly powerful threat of death and to obtain enough power to protect Shrek Academy and the continent, he chose the path that was considered taboo by successive leaders of the Pavilion, and even tried to refine the vast life essence of the Golden Tree!

This is undoubtedly a desecration of the sea god faith and a betrayal of the heroic spirits of past generations! But did he have a choice?

An unprecedented sense of confusion and heavy guilt, like icy lake water, slowly engulfed him.

But soon Wen disappeared, replaced by determination and resolve. He was Yun Ming, a prodigy of his generation, and extremely proud.

The Holy Spirit Cult's secret stronghold, a luxurious and secluded room constructed from shadow energy.

Ye Lan leaned lazily against a large recliner covered with an unknown black animal hide.

She wore only a gossamer-thin, dark purple silk nightgown with a very low neckline, revealing large expanses of her fair and delicate skin and a breathtaking cleavage. Her long, straight legs were crossed, gleaming like ivory in the dim light.

The sash of her robe was loosely tied, and with her soft breathing, the curves of her full breasts and slender waist were faintly visible, exuding a fatal allure that could make any man's blood boil.

Power breeds people. So many years of holding power have brought about great changes in Ye Lan, both in terms of his strength and the feeling he gives off, especially his temperament.

About three meters in front of her stood a woman, also dressed in a black, tight leather outfit, with an extremely hot figure. She had a stunningly beautiful face, but her demeanor was completely different.

She possessed less of the languid, controlling allure of Ye Lan, and more of a chilling, dangerous edge, like a poisoned dagger. She was none other than Leng Yaozhu's younger sister, the Dark Phoenix Douluo of the Holy Spirit Cult, Leng Yulai.

Ye Lan half-closed her eyes, a strand of long, black hair twirling between her fingers, her voice languid and hoarse afterward: "Is Leng Yaozhu, the deputy tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, your sister? We're old acquaintances."

Her red lips curved slightly, a hint of amusement in them. "Then, you'll be in charge of leading the team for this 'cooperation' with the Spirit Pagoda."

Upon hearing the word "sister," a subtle stiffness flashed across Leng Yulai's exquisite face, as if she had been pricked by a needle. However, she immediately lowered her head, concealing the emotional fluctuations in her eyes, and said in a respectful yet icy voice, "Yes, Your Highness! I will certainly not fail in my duty."

"Hmm," Ye Lan hummed in satisfaction, seemingly a little sleepy. She casually waved her hand. "Remember to 'remind' your good sister to find a way to 'send' that 'Undead Bone Seed' they're holding to Shrek Academy or Tang Sect as soon as possible. Since they're 'partners,' we can't let the Spirit Pagoda bear the risk alone. We have to lend a hand, right? If there's to be chaos, everyone should join in the fun." Her words were casual, yet they revealed a mischievous sense of wanting to stir up trouble.

Leng Yulai understood immediately and replied, "Your subordinate understands! I will certainly convey the message 'properly'!"

Ye Lan waved her hand again, indicating that she could leave.

However, Leng Yulai remained standing in place, not leaving immediately. She lowered her head slightly, seemingly hesitating about something, her body appearing somewhat tense beneath her tight leather outfit.

After waiting a while without any movement, Ye Lan lazily raised his eyelids, his captivating eyes landing on Leng Yulai with a hint of inquiry: "What? Is there something else?"

Leng Yulai took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, raised her head, and looked directly into Ye Lan's deep eyes. Her voice carried a hint of barely perceptible tension and longing: "Your Highness, I dare to ask—after the Lord's return—I wish to request an audience with the Lord!"

The "Master" she spoke of was none other than the mysterious and unpredictable Hades Emperor Harosa, who ruled over a region of the divine realm.

For this name that existed only in Ye Lan's awe-inspiring descriptions, Leng Yulai was filled with an irrepressible curiosity. What kind of being was he? Was he a demon god as cold and ruthless as the abyss? Or a supreme ruler as unfathomable as the universe itself? That curiosity, like vines, entwined her heart, even subtly overshadowing her awe of Ye Lan.

Ye Lan's languid expression faltered slightly, a faint hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, quickly transforming into a playful scrutiny. She looked at Leng Yulai, her red lips curving into an enigmatic smile, her voice trailing off:

Qu's soft hum made Leng Yulai's heart leap into her throat.

"Want to see the Lord?" Ye Lan chuckled lightly, the laughter like a feather brushing against the heart, yet carrying a hint of detached coldness. "When this Holy Maiden will be able to pay homage to the Emperor is still unknown. How can we presume to know the Lord's whereabouts? If he wishes to see you, he will summon you. If he does not wish to..."

Ye Lan shrugged, her casual demeanor carrying an undeniable air of finality. "That means I don't want to. Go down."

The light in Leng Yulai's eyes dimmed instantly, replaced by deep disappointment. She dared not say another word, and could only bow her head deeply: "This subordinate takes her leave."

She turned and left the quiet room with somewhat stiff steps. The heavy, shadowy door closed silently behind her, shutting out the suffocating yet alluring atmosphere within.

In the quiet room, only Ye Lan remained. She gazed in the direction Leng Yulai had disappeared, her fingers unconsciously tightening the strands of hair twirling around her. A faint, complex emotion, imperceptible even to herself, flickered in her deep eyes. She, too, felt a mixture of awe and longing for the man who controlled everything.