Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Zhang Peng sat at the end of the table, his fingers slowly tightening under the table until his knuckles turned white.

Oops.

This news was more significant and more devastating than any intelligence he had anticipated.

The Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament—that's the moment when the continent's most outstanding young geniuses gather.

If we were to round up and eliminate all of these people after the tournament...

This message must be delivered to the Evil Emperor immediately! No, not just the Evil Emperor, Di Tian, ​​Shrek Academy, the Spirit Pagoda… everyone must know!

After the meeting, Zhang Pengqiang calmly returned to the branch.

He did not set off for the Demon Forest immediately.

It's not that I don't want to, but I can't.

If he disappeared right after the meeting, Ye Xishui and Zhong Liwu, being suspicious by nature, would definitely become suspicious.

He had to stay at the branch for a few days, guiding Nana's cultivation as usual, and handling branch affairs as usual, making everything appear normal.

He is waiting.

Waiting for a "reasonable opportunity".

On the evening of the fourth day, Zhang Peng, as usual, guided Nana's training at the training ground. After the training, he returned to his room expressionlessly.

When the night was deep and quiet, he quietly slipped out of the window, transforming into a black shadow, and sped off towards the Demon Forest.

The night wind howled, making his black robe flutter.

Zhang Peng sped along, without stopping.

When he stepped into the core area of ​​the Demon Forest again, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

The morning mist hung heavy in the forest, carrying a damp chill. He ignored his breath and headed straight for the giant rock where the Evil Emperor often lingered, but there was no one there.

"Your Majesty the Evil Emperor!" Zhang Peng shouted.

"What's the panic?"

A lazy voice came from behind him.

Zhang Peng turned around abruptly and saw the Evil Emperor leaning against the branch of a giant tree in human form.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!" Zhang Peng rushed over in three strides, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The Evil Emperor glanced at him. "Judging from your face, did those bastards from the Holy Spirit Cult blow up the headquarters?"

"Ten thousand times worse!" Zhang Peng took a deep breath, speaking rapidly, "The day before yesterday, Ye Xishui convened a meeting of all core members and announced a plan—after the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament concludes, Xu Tianran and the Holy Spirit Cult will join forces to annihilate all the participating prodigies!"

"Shrek's geniuses and the elites of various sects—they're all on the list. And..." Zhang Peng's voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth, "Huo Yutong is the young tower master of the Spirit Pagoda, and she will definitely participate."

The languid look on the Evil Emperor's face vanished instantly, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, and his aura suddenly turned icy cold.

"Xu Tianran... Ye Xishui... you two scum, you have some nerve."

The Evil Emperor's voice was very soft, yet it seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

"Little Zhang." The Evil Emperor leaped down from the tree, his gaze fixed intently on Zhang Peng. "Are you sure? This isn't fake news spread by Ye Xishui?"

"I swear on my life!" Zhang Peng declared resolutely, "Ye Xishui has assigned tasks to everyone and even set deadlines. This isn't a test; she's serious!"

The Evil Emperor remained silent for a full ten breaths.

Less than an incense stick's time later, on the shore of the Lake of Life in the Starry Sky Forest.

Di Tian's voice came from the light screen:

"explain."

The Evil Emperor relayed the information Zhang Peng brought back word for word.

There was a long silence on the other end.

Just when the Evil Emperor thought the signal had been lost, Di Tian's voice rang out again. This time, the voice carried a chilling aura that could change the very fabric of the world:

"Xu Tianran... Holy Spirit Cult..."

"Di Tian, ​​don't panic," the Evil Emperor quickly said. "The most important thing now is how to break this deadlock. Zhang Peng took a huge risk to send this message back; we can't waste it."

What are your thoughts?

The Evil Emperor paused, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Brother Di Tian, ​​will Bi Ji and Zi Ji also be attending this competition?"

Di Tian's voice finally softened, "They will go as the leaders of the Spirit Pagoda."

"Furthermore—" The Evil Emperor looked at Zhang Peng, his tone turning serious, "Little Zhang, your situation is ten times more dangerous than before. Once Ye Xishui begins her operation, you, the 'insider,' will either be dragged onto the pirate ship or silenced. You must be even more careful after you return."

"Understood." Zhang Peng took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"And one more thing—" The Evil Emperor suddenly grinned, took something out of his storage soul tool, and stuffed it into Zhang Peng's hand.

It was a black dragon scale.

"This is Brother Di Tian's dragon scale. It can protect you from harm when you encounter mortal danger. It also bears my mark. I will definitely arrive within three breaths."

Zhang Peng gripped the dragon scale tightly, and felt the pressure that had been hanging over his chest finally ease a little.

"Thank you, Your Majesty the Evil Emperor. Thank you, Your Majesty the Beast God."

"Alright, hurry back." The Evil Emperor waved his hand.

Zhang Peng said no more, turned around and transformed into a black shadow, disappearing into the depths of the misty forest.

When I returned to the branch, it was already evening of the next day.

Zhang Peng pushed open the door, changed out of his dew-covered black robe as usual, and sat down at the table to pour himself a cup of tea.

Business as usual.

But only he knew that the taste of this cup of tea was different from before.

A storm is coming.

Six months later.

In the past six months, the most sensational news on the continent has been that the Heavenly Soul Empire has officially assigned Sunset Forest to the ownership of the Soul Beasts.

The banner of the Beast Alliance was planted on every inch of that ancient forest, proclaiming the first "legitimate" foothold of the soul beast forces within human territory.

Then, the Evil Emperor actually visited the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters in person once again.

"Master Zhongli, I have something to discuss." That massive spiritual voice echoed once again above the headquarters, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.

Zhongli Wu's expression darkened slightly, but he still personally went out to greet the Evil Emperor and led him into the main hall, where they took their seats as host and guest.

"As you all know, Sunset Forest recently changed hands." The Evil Emperor got straight to the point, skipping all pleasantries.

Zhongli Wu nodded but did not reply.

"That guy Di Tian changed the ownership of Sunset Forest without a word, and even talked about the Alliance of Ten Thousand Beasts."

The Evil Emperor snorted coldly, his words filled with undisguised dissatisfaction. "What happened to the agreement to work together from both sides? He's done it all by himself! I've been cooped up in the Demon Forest for so many years, why should he get all the meat while I don't even get the soup?"

"You have a partnership with Crown Prince Xu Tianran of the Sun and Moon, don't you?" The Evil Emperor changed the subject, his gaze fixed intently on Zhongli Wu. "I want the Jingyang Mountains. Help me make contact."

A glint of light flashed in Zhongli Wu's eyes, and he leaned forward slightly: "We can naturally contact each other. I wonder what Your Majesty, the Evil Emperor, would like to offer in exchange?"

"Isn't Di Tian and Bi Ji enough?" The Evil Emperor sneered. "Do you think I don't know? You've already discussed how to divide things with Xu Tianran. Since that's the case, what's the difference if there are a few other ferocious beasts—I want to be the sole ruler, is there a problem with that?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Zhongli Wu and Ye Xishui exchanged a glance, and the latter nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Alright. Please wait a moment." Zhongli Wu stood up, took out a specially made communication soul tool from his sleeve, and began to adjust the frequency.