Tang Hao: Could the Silver Dragon King Be Behind This?

A massive sphere of light floated in the middle of the vast hall, continuously radiating the most bizarre spatial power. Silver light filled the air, brilliant as a galaxy.

Researchers clad in white walked everywhere, moving among the era's most sophisticated instruments.

The surrounding walls had long since activated their highest-level defense systems. Even a Limit Douluo who broke in would gain nothing here.

At that moment, an elderly man hurried over to Qian Gu Dongfeng, who stood with his arms folded and a grim expression.

"Pagoda Master, we've identified the source of the anomaly in the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Qian Gu Dongfeng quickly asked, "Was it the headquarters or a branch?"

"A branch." The old man held a tablet-like soul tool as he explained, "After inspection, the first city to report an issue was Heaven Dou City. Its Spirit Ascension Platform's core formation was affected by an untraceable force, causing brief lagging."

"Because Heaven Dou City is of such high rank and has a second-tier Spirit Ascension Platform, the problem there indirectly affected headquarters, which in turn affected Spirit Ascension Platforms across the entire continent."

"The Pagoda Master of the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda Branch has stated that they are conducting a comprehensive inspection to determine whether the Spirit Ascension Platform's core formation was damaged. They have also contacted the federal government for joint patrols, hoping to determine as soon as possible whether that unknown force was the work of a Soul Master."

Qian Gu Dongfeng furrowed his brow.

Mingdu, Star Luo City, and Heaven Dou City were the Federation's three most important cities. The first was controlled by the Phoenix Family, while the latter two were controlled by the Qian Gu Family.

With something like this happening, those councilors who liked to band together would probably be unable to resist jumping out again.

Qian Gu Dongfeng said solemnly, "Have you found out why Soul Masters can't awaken from the Spirit Ascension Pods?"

The old man's expression was grave. "Since the birth of the Spirit Ascension Platform, there have been cases where Soul Masters failed to awaken from Spirit Ascension Pods. That is why researchers of every generation continuously improved them. By now, it should have been impossible for a pod to malfunction."

"I suspect it was caused by the mysterious force that attacked the Heaven Dou Spirit Pagoda. The strange thing is that, from beginning to end, neither the Spirit Pagoda's outer defenses nor its internal defenses were ever activated."

Upon hearing that the defense systems had not activated, Qian Gu Dongfeng's expression abruptly changed.

As though he had thought of something, his face darkened and lightened in turns. He spun around and left. "Keep investigating."

Brain Domain Douluo Han Tianyi watched the Pagoda Master's departing back but said nothing. As both a councilor and the Minister of Scientific Research, he was extremely busy at the moment.

Qian Gu Dongfeng took the elevator upward until he reached the one hundred and seventh floor. This place belonged exclusively to the Pagoda Master. Without his permission, no one could enter.

Soundproofing, Spiritual Power seals—Qian Gu Dongfeng had arranged every possible measure.

Only after finishing all that did he coldly take out a deep-blue pearl and inject a thread of Soul Power into it.

As light flickered within it, a hoarse voice emerged a moment later. "I was just about to speak with you, yet you came looking for me first."

"Ghost Emperor." Qian Gu Dongfeng got straight to the point, asking coldly, "Did you go to Heaven Dou City?"

"Heh, Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie sure worked fast. Even your Spirit Pagoda knows already." In a dark basement far away, where only the light of a Whale Pearl provided faint illumination, Ghost Emperor gave a cold laugh.

"Yun Ming? Chen Xinjie?" Qian Gu Dongfeng was somewhat puzzled upon hearing those two names.

Ghost Emperor suddenly realized something. "They weren't the ones who leaked that I appeared in Heaven Dou City?"

"No," Qian Gu Dongfeng said heavily.

Ghost Emperor was immediately confused. Since he had something to discuss anyway, he explained, "I did go to Heaven Dou City, but I only confronted Yun Ming and that old bastard Chen Xinjie for a while before leaving."

"So you didn't go to the Spirit Pagoda?" Qian Gu Dongfeng asked with a frown.

Ghost Emperor immediately understood why he had come looking for him and denied it. "I may not be a good person, but I understand that mutual gain comes first during a partnership. I have never been to your Spirit Pagoda."

Qian Gu Dongfeng did not argue. He knew full well that the other man's objective aligned with his own. Before it was accomplished, Ghost Emperor would definitely not act recklessly. There was no reason for him to lie.

Ghost Emperor said sinisterly, "Compared to the so-called Heaven Dou City Spirit Pagoda, I think you should pay more attention to Yun Ming. Or rather, we all should."

Qian Gu Dongfeng's heart tightened. "Could it be that his cultivation improved during his confrontation with you?"

Ghost Emperor's voice took on a trace of gravity. "He hasn't broken through yet, but something that could enable him to break through has appeared."

"What is it?"

"A heavenly tribulation."

"A heavenly tribulation?" Qian Gu Dongfeng's agitated emotions suddenly calmed. "A Quasi-God can summon one voluntarily. Yun Ming has tried so many times—when has he ever succeeded?"

Ghost Emperor lowered his voice. "What if this heavenly tribulation has no suppression?"

The words were like Big Ivan, exploding into towering waves within Qian Gu Dongfeng's sea of consciousness. His expression instantly froze.

Qian Gu Dongfeng was still a demigod at the Limit Douluo level. To attempt ascension to godhood, he had to take another step forward and become a Quasi-God. Everything he knew about the experience of ascension tribulations came from his father, Qian Gu Dieting. The heavenly tribulations of the Douluo Plane clearly possessed some unbreakable shackle that prevented anyone from transcending and ascending.

The most widespread explanation at present was that the God Realm had vanished, leaving nowhere to receive those who ascended. That was why no one could break through that final barrier.

But it was only a rumor. Thus, learning from Ghost Emperor that an abnormal heavenly tribulation had appeared naturally shocked him.

"How I know that this heavenly tribulation has no suppression is something I cannot tell you. Believe it or not, it's up to you." Knowing how astonishing his words were, Ghost Emperor's tone grew subtly persuasive.

"Thinking about it, we both know exactly why you and I hit it off so quickly."

"The reason I went to Heaven Dou City was because I sensed an exceptionally unusual power of heavenly tribulation. I happened to run into Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie."

"Whether Yun Ming was wary of me or insufficiently prepared, he did not rashly enter the tribulation. But regardless, the change has already occurred. If several more heavenly tribulations like this appear and Yun Ming truly ascends, then our plans will be ruined."

"You dream of having the Spirit Pagoda completely replace Shrek Academy's position, but that will be nothing more than wishful thinking."

"You don't need to provoke me." Qian Gu Dongfeng truly feared Yun Ming, but he was not so easily riled. "I have never changed my mind about destroying Shrek."

"Since you've never changed your mind, then I'll be direct." Ghost Emperor laughed darkly. "The main plan against Shrek Academy need not be rushed, but we must speed up the side operations. As an Evil Soul Master, I have to do things befitting my identity, don't you agree?"

"Besides, if Yun Ming breaks through, the first trouble he'll come looking for will be our Holy Spirit Cult. I have no desire to face an opponent at the level of a god."

"And besides, Pagoda Master Qian Gu, you wouldn't want the world to know that you're involved with Evil Soul Masters, would you?"

"What do you want to do?" Qian Gu Dongfeng's pupils contracted, his voice icy.

"Simple." Ghost Emperor said indifferently, "Just as Shrek Academy and that damned Tang Sect conduct targeted purges of us Evil Soul Masters, I will conduct a targeted cleansing of Shrek Academy's students. During that time, you will be responsible for preventing the Federation from intervening. Given your connections with the Sun Moon Federation's upper ranks, that should not be difficult."

"Fine."

Qian Gu Dongfeng put on a thoughtful expression, but an unusual smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth.

Ghost Emperor only knew that he wanted to destroy Shrek Academy. He had no idea that Qian Gu Dongfeng's ambitions went far beyond that.

Simply destroying Shrek Academy was not enough to make him curry such favor with the Federation's authorities, even at the cost of ceding so many benefits and provoking dissatisfaction among the Spirit Pagoda's internal factions.

Since you're so eager to be my blade, I'll grant you that wish.

"Very good." Ghost Emperor smiled in satisfaction.

"Don't be so quick to smile." Qian Gu Dongfeng interrupted him. "There's something I need to inform you of."

Ghost Emperor was already looking forward to Yun Ming's expression when he saw his students die miserably. In high spirits, he asked, "What is it?"

Qian Gu Dongfeng said blandly, "Your Holy Spirit Cult's Dark Hummingbird caused trouble in Shrek City not long ago, stirring fear among many civilians. To ease public sentiment, Shrek Academy has decided to cooperate with the Federation. And our Spirit Pagoda cannot ignore public opinion. Even if it's only for appearances, we have to participate. An internal meeting will discuss this matter shortly. For the next half year, perhaps even the next several years, there will be strict investigations across the continent. If you show yourselves now, I can't help you."

The smile in Ghost Emperor's eyes faded.

Qian Gu Dongfeng added, "Once things die down, I'll notify you to act."

Suddenly, the pearl in his hand dimmed.

Qian Gu Dongfeng put it away in his Storage Soul Tool and looked toward one side of the wall.

A painting hung there.

It depicted a magnificent palace.

In one corner of the painting were several bold characters.

Spirit Hall Empire

If Spirit Hall could establish an empire, why couldn't he?

Ring ring ring!

Suddenly, an urgent call sounded.

Qian Gu Dongfeng took a deep breath. "Speak."

"Pagoda Master, all the councilors have arrived." A respectful female voice came through.

"I understand. I'll be there shortly."

"Mingdu Television Station reports. Following this session of the Federal Council, the plan for humanity's advance into space has received a preliminary blueprint. According to the Federal Chairman..."

The television flickered in a dim, airtight room. Clear news broadcasts continued to sound. A short-haired, smartly dressed anchor presented the day's news to viewers with a serious expression.

On the sofa, an extraordinarily handsome, even beautiful young man stared unblinkingly at the television. Smooth black hair cascaded down the back of his head. In stark contrast, his face was completely bloodless, making him look particularly unsettling.

"You have called for me repeatedly. What is it you seek?"

Suddenly, a deep and overwhelmingly imposing voice instantly froze the entire room.

A trace of life returned to Ha Luosa's icy face, and the room seemed to brighten slightly. With faint respect in his tone, he said, "I wanted to clarify something with you."

"Speak." The deep voice seemed to be suppressing something and was somewhat unstable.

Ha Luosa said, "To repay your aid, I have always done my utmost to fulfill your instructions, causing slaughter across the world. Later, one day, you told me to temporarily cease acting, so I remained dormant for a hundred years, seeking only the path to godhood."

"But you said that because the God Realm no longer existed, compounded by the abyssal invasion, the plane laws had become uncontrollable, leaving no one able to follow either of the two normal paths to godhood."

"Afterward, you instructed me to join the Holy Spirit Cult, saying that there was a special path to godhood here. I trusted you and joined, but after all these years, I have yet to see any hope. Instead, several days ago, I saw an opportunity to form a godhood on my own."

"An opportunity?" The deep voice abruptly intensified, seemingly drawn in by this news.

Ha Luosa said solemnly, "When the God Realm existed, mortals could either inherit a godhood or overcome a heavenly tribulation to form one themselves. Either path allowed them to ascend to godhood. With the God Realm gone, godhood inheritances were cut off. As for forming a godhood independently, the loss of the God Realm and the Abyss's suppression threw the plane laws into disorder, leaving no one able to condense a godhood through heavenly tribulation."

"But two days ago, I sensed a special power of heavenly tribulation. There was no feedback of suppression within it. Had I not sensed that its power could kill me, I would have already entered it."

"May I ask whether the path to godhood is truly as you said—that joining the Holy Spirit Cult is the only route left?"

Ha Luosa voiced the doubt in his heart.

Yet the existence communicating with him from the shadows fell silent.

At the same time, a pair of eyes opened within a chaos-like space.

Tang Hao, who had been refining and suppressing the Plane Spirit, revealed intense killing intent in his eyes. "A special power of heavenly tribulation?"

Looking at the ball of light beneath the Clear Sky Hammer, compressed to less than a third of its former size, Tang Hao suddenly understood. "No wonder you were willing to endure severe injuries from me just to forcibly tear open several Spatial Nodes."

As the primary plane, Douluo Star naturally attracted some Lesser Worlds. As long as the Spatial Nodes remained stable, neither side would interfere with the other. But once something went wrong with the nodes, Lesser Worlds would cling to it like magnets, becoming extremely difficult to remove.

If too many Lesser Worlds appeared, gaps would inevitably form in Douluo Star itself, allowing cosmic laws to leak in through them.

Cosmic laws were inherently stronger than local laws, but if left unused for long enough, they would gradually assimilate and become nourishment for the plane. However, before the cosmic laws were assimilated, if someone attempted to undergo tribulation and ascend, the heavenly tribulation they summoned would be primarily governed by cosmic laws.

To Tang Hao, it seemed that the Plane Spirit was trying to use such a method to forcibly create a god and catch him off guard.

"If Ha Luosa hadn't proactively awakened me, I'm afraid I would still be in the dark. If someone truly becomes a god, they will inevitably be sensed by the Abyssal Sage King. Whether he leaves out of wariness or launches a full assault, Xiao San's ten-thousand-year plan will be destroyed."

Convinced that he had figured everything out, Tang Hao could not help sneering. "All this effort will only hasten your death."

After a pause, Tang Hao's gaze passed through space and fell upon Ha Luosa, whom he had taken over from the plane consciousness. "The power of heavenly tribulation you sensed can indeed be used to form a godhood independently."

Ha Luosa maintained a calm expression, as if he had known that the Plane Spirit, which had helped him since childhood, would answer him.

Sure enough, his eyes lit up upon hearing the reply. But before he could speak, Tang Hao continued, like a bucket of cold water ruthlessly extinguishing the fire in his heart that yearned for godhood.

"However, the source laws contained within that heavenly tribulation power do not belong to the Douluo Plane. They belong to Lesser Worlds clinging to the Douluo Plane. Their power is inherently incomplete. If you attempt to use it to condense a godhood, there will be only one result: your godhood will shatter, and your divine soul will be destroyed."

Ha Luosa's pupils trembled, and his face darkened.

He trusted the Plane Spirit completely and did not question it.

"I know you are eager to become a god." Tang Hao guided him as he always had. "But the Blood River God-Slaying Array is your only chance to become one. Don't be impatient. That day is not far off."

"Understood."

The rise and fall of Ha Luosa's chest gradually settled.

Within the chaotic space.

Having successfully deceived Ha Luosa, Tang Hao's expression turned cold. Having already seized control of eighty percent of the plane's origin, his Spiritual Sense immediately pierced through space and swept across the entirety of Douluo Star.

As he sensed the feedback provided by his Spiritual Sense, a trace of surprise gradually appeared on Tang Hao's face.

He could not sense any cosmic laws at all. Even the number of Lesser Worlds was roughly the same as usual, nowhere near enough to create a breach.

Then where had the special heavenly tribulation Ha Luosa described come from?

"Could it be the Silver Dragon King?" Tang Hao tried to reason it out. If it's her, then using special means to conceal my senses while introducing cosmic laws is not impossible.

"Could she have noticed the abnormality within the Douluo Plane?"

"But I am at a critical juncture and cannot act easily."

Tang Hao's expression was grave. Looking down at the ball of Plane Spirit light beneath the Clear Sky Hammer, an idea arose in his heart.

After transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, Chen Ming relied on his soul Martial Soul to reincarnate life after life, accumulating a profound foundation.

In his first life, however, Shrek branded him an Evil Soul Master because of his Martial Soul. After being hunted repeatedly, his foundation was severely damaged. He was stopped at the Titled Douluo level, with no hope of godhood. He studied the mysteries of the soul and reincarnated to cultivate anew.

In his second life, his soul was heavily injured, but he successfully reincarnated. Awakening the Tombstone Martial Soul, he relied on his understanding of Martial Souls to evolve it into the Soul-Sealing Stele. Yet due to his soul injuries, he was stopped at Soul Sage.

In his third life, his Martial Soul was a coffin. It evolved into the Soul-Nourishing Coffin and repaired his soul injuries, but his lifespan was limited, leaving him stopped at Soul Douluo.

In his fourth life, his Martial Soul was Blue Silver Grass.

In his eighth life, he rose to godhood with overwhelming force, entered the God Realm, and used the Gate of Reincarnation to detonate the Time God's godhood, throwing the God Realm into chaos.

In his ninth life—

"This time, I succeeded!"

"My success truly came from my own efforts!"

"I am the Reincarnation God King. Tang San, die!"

Note: He does not join Shrek, opposes Tang San, and does not follow the Sun Moon path. It is perfectly reasonable for a four-nation struggle to have five nations, right?