Douluo Dalu II: The Peerless Tang Sect

Chapter 389 Vulcan: Waaaaah, why is my life so hard?! (4.4k views)

Before the meeting began at Tianyuan Pavilion, Zhu Ziyang found Xuanzi and learned more details about the mysterious black-robed man who had blocked their way.

According to Xuanzi, the black-robed man possessed immense power, his aura deep and steady, leaving him feeling utterly powerless. Xuanzi emphasized that the sense of powerlessness the black-robed man instilled in him was even greater than that felt by Mu En!

Zhu Ziyang was almost certain that the mysterious man in black robes was the Titan Giant Ape. For some reason, he inexplicably thought of the burly man they had met when they first went to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He had a feeling that the burly man was related to the Titan Giant Ape, and that they might even be the same person.

After asking the questions, Zhu Ziyang left Xuanzi's room and told him that he no longer needed to worry about academy affairs and could just focus on recovering from his injuries. After all, his injuries were quite serious. Although he was outwardly unharmed, his internal organs had shifted to some extent. If it weren't for his strong cultivation, he would have collapsed long ago.

After leaving Xuanzi's room, Zhu Ziyang went straight to the main hall of Tianyuan Pavilion. Lin Lao, Zhuang Lao, Yan Shaozhe, Cai Meier, and Ma Xiaotao were already in place. Why was Ma Xiaotao there? Because even though Ma Xiaotao, with her Ultimate Flame Martial Soul, hadn't yet reached the Super Douluo level, her combat strength already matched that of a Super Douluo, thus qualifying her to attend the Tianyuan Pavilion meeting.

The content of this Tianyuan Pavilion meeting was actually very simple, consisting of only two things.

First, we will fully advance the Cloud Sky Project and strive to build a Tianyuan Academy in every town on the original Douluo Continent within the next five to ten years.

Secondly, there is the Empress's Arrival Plan. Currently, the Empress's Plan is only one step away from final success. When to take this final step is no longer a question. The only issue they need to discuss now is when the Sun Moon Empire under Zhang Lexuan's rule will be able to unify the continent.

Only a unified continent aligns with Shrek Academy's ultimate plan for change.

The meeting did not last long and ended abruptly. The meeting members left the Tianyuan Pavilion hall one after another, leaving only Zhu Ziyang sitting in the same spot.

He looked thoughtful; in fact, there were several important matters he hadn't yet brought up for discussion.

The first thing to be affected is naturally the development of soul guidance technology at Shrek Academy. He still has a level nine fixed-position soul guidance shell, but since the two deans of the soul guidance department are not present, this matter can only be postponed.

Secondly, there's the matter of Soul Spirits. He wanted to promote Soul Spirits, but the benefits of the Soul Spirit system were too great, and it involved the Soul Beast race. Whether the Soul Beast race would accept the Soul Spirit system was still unknown, and he needed to communicate with them personally. The entry point for this matter was Fifth Huan'er. Judging from Fifth Huan'er's attitude towards Soul Spirits, she was inclined towards them. With the endorsement of this woman of destiny from the Soul Beast race, Zhu Ziyang felt that the promotion and establishment of the Soul Spirit system should not be a big problem.

Then there were Zhu Ziyang's views on the current development of the Soul Master world, and a series of fundamental issues concerning the Soul Master world, such as the definition of the relationship between the Soul Master world and the secular world. He did not mention any of these, firstly because he only had a preliminary idea and it had not yet fully taken shape, and secondly because of his strength. If he were to reform the Soul Master world according to his ideas, then the Limit Douluo would not be enough. Only a god could make everyone willing to comply.

Zhu Ziyang thought for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his head, a smile appearing on his lips, and murmured, "They're here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huo Yuhao's voice came from outside Tianyuan Pavilion, "Senior Brother, are you there?"

"Come in."

Huo Yuhao entered Tianyuan Pavilion and went straight to Zhu Ziyang, his face filled with hope and urgency. He called out, "Senior Brother, what happened to Xiao Xiao's soul?"

"Xiao Xiao's soul has vanished from her body, which is the root cause of her coma and the continuous draining of her life force," Zhu Ziyang said. "And the reason for the disappearance of her soul is related to the Qiankun Wenqing Valley!"

"Qiankun Wenqing Valley?!" Huo Yuhao's face showed pain, clearly indicating a very poor impression of Qiankun Wenqing Valley. He asked, "Senior brother, do you mean that Qiankun Wenqing Valley captured Xiao Xiao's soul?"

"More or less." A glint flashed in Zhu Ziyang's eyes as he said, "To be precise, it's only one possibility that the deities in Qiankun Wenqing Valley abducted Xiao Xiao's soul. Another possibility is that Xiao Xiao's soul was already shattered and dissipated into the world within Qiankun Wenqing Valley."

"This, this..." Huo Yuhao's face instantly turned grim. He said, "Senior brother, Cupid abducted Xiao Xiao's soul, didn't he? Why would she do that?"

Huo Yuhao selectively ignored the second possibility. Although he didn't know what the second possibility meant, the idea of ​​a shattered soul sounded more serious than having one's soul taken away, and he resisted this possibility in his heart.

"Ha!" Zhu Ziyang wasn't surprised by Huo Yuhao's reaction. He sneered and said, "The God of Love has long since fallen. How could he possibly have kidnapped Xiao Xiao's soul? Therefore, the one who attacked Xiao Xiao can only be another deity who has usurped the throne and seized control of the Valley of Love!"

"Senior brother, you know which god it is, right?" Hearing Zhu Ziyang's certain tone, Huo Yuhao felt a surge of hope and immediately pleaded, "Please, tell me!"

"Yuhao, with your current strength, even if you knew which god it was, what could you do?" Zhu Ziyang told Huo Yuhao the answer, but then asked.

"I..." Huo Yuhao froze, then a smile more painful than a grimace appeared on his face as he murmured, "Yes, I'm just a Soul King, how can I possibly contend with a god?"

"Therefore, you only have one choice: to become a god!" Zhu Ziyang gripped Huo Yuhao's shoulders, his gaze fixed intently on him, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Only by becoming a god can you save Xiao Xiao; otherwise, Xiao Xiao will die because of you!"

"Become a god?" Huo Yuhao's eyes were filled with confusion, for the goal of becoming a god was both familiar and strange to him. But when he saw Zhu Ziyang's burning gaze and heard that Xiao Xiao would die because of him, the confusion in his eyes vanished instantly. For the first time, he was so determined. He stood up and shouted with unwavering resolve, "That's right, I will become a god! I must become a god!"

"Very good." Zhu Ziyang nodded with satisfaction and said, "With your talent, becoming a Limit Douluo is not difficult. After becoming a Limit Douluo, you will have hundreds of years to search for the relics of the gods. Therefore, your most urgent task right now is to improve your cultivation. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Huo Yuhao seemed to wake from a dream, his face filled with fighting spirit and hope. He said, "I will definitely work hard in my cultivation!"

"Hmm, good fighting spirit." Zhu Ziyang smiled and patted Huo Yuhao on the shoulder, saying, "Go on, in a few days your senior brother will take you somewhere that can lend you a hand!"

"I understand, Senior Brother!" Huo Yuhao nodded heavily and said.

Then, Huo Yuhao turned to leave. Just as he was about to walk out of Tianyuan Pavilion, Zhu Ziyang spoke again, saying, "Yuhao, take some time to think about what your teacher said before he passed away. The answer you're looking for is in there!"

Huo Yuhao paused, then nodded and left.

Zhu Ziyang watched Huo Yuhao's departing figure without the slightest ripple in his heart. He had no doubt whatsoever about whether Huo Yuhao could become a god. After all, Huo Yuhao was the chosen one, someone even the Sea God Tang San desired. How could the gods of the God Realm remain indifferent? Moreover, the Sea God had already invested so much effort in him. If Huo Yuhao failed to become a god, wouldn't the Sea God suffer a huge loss?

Therefore, from any perspective, Huo Yuhao has a high probability of becoming a god; it's just a matter of whether it goes smoothly or not. What Zhu Ziyang needs to do is guide Huo Yuhao and lead him in the direction that Zhu Ziyang wants to see.

"Ziyang, do you think so highly of Yuhao?" Not long after Huo Yuhao left Tianyuan Pavilion, a golden figure suddenly appeared beside Zhu Ziyang, looking in the direction Huo Yuhao had left, his voice full of questions.

"Teacher, it's not that I favor Yuhao, but that the Sea God favors Yuhao!" Zhu Ziyang wasn't surprised at all by the golden figure, but his way of addressing the figure revealed its identity.

Dragon God Douluo Mu En!

It turns out that when Moon perished, his physical body vanished from the world, but his soul merged into the Golden Tree. This was the unanimous choice of all the successive leaders of Shrek Academy: to merge their souls into the Golden Tree after death. This meant that they could continue to protect the academy, but it also meant that they completely lost the possibility of rebirth and reincarnation.

Therefore, regardless of anything else, the feelings that the successive leaders of the Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion had for Shrek Academy are beyond reproach.

"Sigh! It's really incomprehensible. How did that person become like this? Why does he make things difficult for us mortals?" Mu En sighed, then said, "Oh, right, Ziyang, this is for you."

Mu En tossed a blue-gold jade stone to Zhu Ziyang. Zhu Ziyang caught the jade stone, and instantly, a vast and boundless energy appeared before his eyes. The jade stone emitted a special, profound, and enduring energy. He opened his eyes slightly and instantly realized what this energy was.

Divine power!

Zhu Ziyang looked at Mu En in disbelief, but Mu En smiled calmly and explained, "You're right, there is indeed a divine power within this jade. This is a blessing bestowed by the Sea God four thousand years ago when the Golden Crow Douluo led the original Douluo Three Kingdoms to defeat the Sun Moon Empire and established the Sea God Pavilion under the Golden Ancient Tree."

This contains the three divine powers of the Sea God, each of which can unleash a powerful beam of Sea God's light. The first two divine powers were used in the beast tides of the past, and the Beast God Di Tian suffered losses twice, which is why he has been behaving himself for so long.

Now, only one strand of the Sea God's power remains. With you here, Ziyang, this power is dispensable to the academy. I'll give it to you; perhaps it will allow you to understand the difference between divine power and soul power."

"So that's how it is!" Zhu Ziyang looked enlightened, then a playful smile appeared on his face as he said, "So, the Sea God did indeed protect the academy at first. Then why did he become like this? Was it his true nature being revealed? Or is there another reason? Tsk tsk, I'm getting more and more curious."

"Haha, I'm curious too, old man, but unfortunately I won't be able to witness it. I can only rely on you, Ziyang." Mu En couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"Alright, teacher, once I ascend to the realm of gods and figure out the reason, I will definitely pass it down to you as soon as possible," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.

The master and apprentice were very happy, and the Tianyuan Pavilion hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

-

Spirit world.

The sea god inside the temple was in a terrible mood, because he had used so many trump cards, yet none of his plans had been successfully completed. This was a huge blow to his image as a wise and powerful sea god who was always in control of the world.

Therefore, he was currently reviewing the reasons for the failure of his operation.

First, he violated the laws of the divine realm by restoring the power of the Great Ming priest to intercept and kill Zhu Ziyang and the inheritor of the Fire God, thus eliminating these two variables. However, he did not expect that the Great Ming was so useless that he was actually killed by two mortals! This was a huge disgrace to him as the Sea God.

However, the Sea God was a man of great righteousness, so how could he blame the Ming Dynasty? The blame should fall on that Fire God, who actually gave the divine artifact to a mortal! Openly violating the laws of the divine realm, he was already courting death. Let's remember that for now!

Secondly, he personally interfered with the Valley of Love and Destiny, trying to bring Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er together and eliminate the third party between them. Such a pure act of love was actually met with a backlash from that scoundrel God of Love. It's truly hateful. If it weren't for that scoundrel God of Love interfering, how could he have failed at the last minute?

They were just one step away from winning Huo Yuhao's heart over Wang Dong'er!

Fortunately, he was more skilled! The sea god stretched out his hand with great pride. In his palm, a soul was curled up. The soul could be vaguely seen to be a petite woman, but her appearance was not clear.

A hint of hatred flashed in his eyes; he had already come to hate Cupid.

That bitch! She's already fallen, yet he, as the Sea God, presided over the Valley of Love and Destiny for her—such a gesture of respect, and she still wouldn't accept it! Humph, she truly is a bitch. As punishment, she, the Goddess of Love, can forget about returning to the divine realm from now on. A mere first-level god, how dare she defy him, the Sea God! She deserves to be punished!

Finally, the sea god stretched out his other hand, and in the palm of this hand, another soul was curled up. A rare tenderness appeared in his eyes, and he murmured, "Little Seven, it's almost time. Just wait a little longer! Daddy has already chosen a lover for you. He is definitely the most suitable person for you!"

Meanwhile, in another palace in the realm of gods.

"I really didn't expect that Tang San would be so shameless!" the God of Fire said angrily, while the God of Water beside him tried to comfort him with a helpless look in his eyes.

"Alright, don't be angry. We've known the Sea God's character for so many years, haven't we?" the Water God said gently. "Besides, isn't Ma Xiaotao quite promising? To be honest, this girl has even captured my heart, but unfortunately, she's not suitable for my divine position!"

"If I hadn't kept a backup plan, that beast might have really lost my successor!" The Fire God was still very angry. He hugged the Water God's waist, pressed his head against the Water God's chest, and complained like a child, "Water God, why am I so unlucky? Every successor I like always causes trouble."

The first time was with Ma Hongjun; I even gave him special treatment, and he still failed. The second time was with Ji Dong, my most favored successor, but he was snatched away by the Evil Lord. This time, Ma Xiaotao was even intercepted and killed by the Sea God!

Waaaaah, why is everything so hard for me!

"Alright, alright, it's all in the past now!" The Water God embraced the Fire God, his eyes full of tenderness, and gently comforted him. "Ma Xiaotao has already completed the eighth trial, hasn't she? With that Death God's successor by her side, I think she'll soon complete the ninth trial. Then, we can leave the confines of the God Realm and seek true freedom!"

"Mmm!" The God of Fire left the God of Water's embrace, his face full of anticipation.

(End of this chapter)