Suspicion

Star Luo Empire, Spirit Pagoda.

Gu Yuena looked at Di Tian standing to the side, "What's wrong?"

"My Lord, Yun Jingheng has already set off to return to Shrek."

"Are we going back already?" Gu Yuena put down what she was holding.

"Yes, my Lord, is our plan...?"

Gu Yuena smiled. "Since he's left, let's give it a try."

Di Tian accepted the order and left, his tall figure disappearing outside the door.

Gu Yuena lowered her eyes again, her fingertips lightly tapping the map spread out on the table.

Dusk was falling over Star Luo City outside the window, and the lights of thousands of homes lit up one after another, reflecting the eternal glow of the Soul Guidance Lamp inside the Spirit Pagoda.

She had no interest in appreciating the scenery; her gaze passed over the bustling city, as if piercing through thousands of miles of clouds, and landed on the distant border.

"Jing Heng... I must make humanity realize its mistakes."

"I said, Dad, is it really necessary for us to fly this fast?"

Yun Ming, with his arm around Yun Jingheng's shoulder, flew at high speed over the sea. "It's necessary. According to you, having obtained Godhood and begun the God Trial, you are now in a very dangerous phase."

Yun Jingheng tried hard to control his expression. "Is it dangerous? There was no one else around when I told you?"

Ya Li rushed to the father and son's side. "Jing Heng, you suddenly obtained a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring without any warning. This will arouse suspicion. Anyone with a discerning eye can easily deduce this."

"Mom, I know."

He took a deep breath, the sea breeze rushing into his face, salty and pungent. "But the situation was urgent, and the land of inheritance wouldn't give me a second chance."

Yun Ming frowned, glanced at his son, and asked, "You mean the inheritance of the ' Yue Shen '?"

"Yes."

Yun Jingheng nodded, "Upon completing the First Trial, I directly received a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring."

"Jing Heng,"

Ya Li took Yun Jingheng's hand. "The problem isn't the authenticity of the inheritance, but the 'timing.' You just returned from the Moon Domain not long ago, and you've already gained another Soul Ring —do you think those old fogies stuck at their limits wouldn't have thought of that?"

"If things are exposed, there will inevitably be people willing to take risks; you can't stop the thorn in people's hearts."

Yun Jingheng nodded. "I understand."

Yun Ming asked, "What's the content of the Second Trial?"

Yun Jingheng recalled for a moment, "The Second Trial was the Moon Bathing Body Tempering, which required me to draw the Lunar Essence into my body to temper my muscles and bones instead of using my Soul Power."

What are the standards for meeting the requirements?

"Hmm... It requires that all the meridians in the body be unblocked, the physical body absorb the power of the Moonlight, and achieve the initial formation of the Moon Body, free from all diseases and tainted by dust and dirt."

"What about the time limit?"

"Three months."

"We need to hurry back. Protect yourselves with your Soul Power. Let's speed up."

Tang Sect Headquarters.

The air in the hall froze the moment Zang Xin suddenly stood up.

The sound of tea splashing onto the table was crisp and abrupt, winding down the surface and dripping onto the floor tiles, leaving dark water stains.

He was completely oblivious, his phoenix eyes fixed on the purple-masked man kneeling on the ground, his gaze as cold and sharp as a drawn blade.

Say it again.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

The masked man's voice was deep and resolute, unwavering in the slightest, "When the support team reached the outer perimeter, Yun Jingheng retracted all six of his Soul Ring due to unstable Soul Power fluctuations. Two of them were bright red, with Soul Power levels around 100,000 years."

Zang Xin slowly sat back in his chair, his gaze falling on the tea stain on the table, and remained silent for a long time.

Inside the hall, only the soft crackling of the candlelight and the low roar of the pine trees on the mountain behind the Tang Sect could be heard.

"One hundred thousand years..."

He finally spoke, his voice so low it was almost a soliloquy, "How old is he? What grade is he in?"

The masked man didn't reply; he simply knelt quietly.

Are you sure?

"I have inquired with other fellow disciples who are also in the front row within the past week and confirmed this."

Standing next to Zang Xin was an elderly man with white hair and beard, Liu Boyuan, the head of the Tang Sect's Intelligence Hall.

He gently stroked his long beard and said slowly, "Vice Sect Master, if the information is true, Yun Jingheng can only obtain Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring in two ways—either by hunting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, or..."

"Godhood Inheritance"

Zang Xin picked up the conversation, tapping his fingertips twice on the armrest, "Which one do you think it is?"

Liu Boyuan pondered for a moment, "It's not impossible for Yun Ming to hunt down Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for him."

"There are no Soul Beast in the Moon Domain, but there Godhood Inheritance... He returned from the Moon Domain, and all the intelligence we've gathered points to the legacy of a god. Godhood is not impossible."

Zang Xin narrowed his eyes slightly, "Yue Shen..."

He stood up, walked to the window, turned his back to the two of them, and looked down into the valley below the Tang Sect headquarters.

In the darkness of night, countless Tang Sect disciples dressed in black were practicing in the Martial Arts Arena, the cold light of their Hidden Weapon shimmering like stars under the Soul Guidance Lamp.

This is the sect he has protected for most of his life, shared weal and woe with Shrek Academy for many years, and formed a mutually supportive relationship with the Sea God Pavilion.

But now, the only son of the Sea God Pavilion Master has suddenly gained a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Such a major event was not even announced to the Tang Sect in advance.

"Does his father know?" Zang Xin suddenly asked.

"Your Majesty Yun Ming and Your Majesty Ya Li flew back to Shrek this afternoon with Yun Jingheng," the masked man replied.

Liu Boyuan frowned. "Vice Sect Master, the Tang Sect and Shrek have been on good terms for many years, but the matter of Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring is no small matter."

"If Yun Jingheng obtained it through his own efforts or by chance, that's fine. But if it involves some secret pact within the Soul Beast faction..."

"You think he's colluding with Soul Beast?" Zang Xin turned around, his gaze calm.

Liu Boyuan hesitated for a moment, "This subordinate dares not make a hasty conclusion."

"But... intelligence suggests that Yun Jingheng's fifth Soul Ring came from the Star Dou Great Forest, Yun Ming may have reached some kind of deal with Star Dou..."

Zang Xin fell silent.

The candlelight in the hall flickered and danced, stretching and shortening his shadow several times, as if even the light itself hesitated whether to illuminate his emotionless face.

Liu Boyuan's statement, "Yun Ming may have reached some kind of deal with Star Dou," hung in the air like a taut string, ready to vibrate shrilly at the slightest touch.

"Master Liu."

Zang Xin finally spoke, his voice calm to the point of being cold, "How many years have you been in the Tang Sect?"

Liu Boyuan was slightly taken aback, then bowed and said, "Reporting to the Vice Sect Master, it is the thirty-seventh year."

Thirty-seven years.

Zang Xin turned around, his gaze falling on Liu Boyuan's graying temples. "Then you should remember what I said thirty-seven years ago when I took over as vice sect leader: the foundation of the Tang Sect is to investigate before acting, not to believe everything you hear."

Liu Boyuan's expression turned slightly solemn, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

"Let's find out more details."

Yes. ×2

The main hall was now empty.

Zang Xin walked back to the window, bracing himself against the windowsill with both hands. The night wind blew into his sleeves, causing his clothes to flutter.

He gazed at the disciples still training in the valley. Their young faces were full of vigor under the lamplight, and their every move was clean and crisp, which was the confidence and pride of the Tang Sect's ten thousand-year heritage.

But at this moment, a stone was weighing on his heart—he had vaguely heard about Yun Jingheng's fifth Soul Ring coming from the Star Dou Great Forest, but at that time he regarded it as an ordinary gain from training and did not investigate it in depth.

But things are different now.

The sixth Soul Ring, 100,000 years.

The fifth one is also 100,000 years old.

A young man who is not yet fifteen years old has two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

Looking at the entire history of the Douluo Continent, such examples are few and far between, and behind each name lies a story that cannot be easily explained.

"Yun Ming, oh Yun Ming,"

Zang Xin said in a low voice, "I understand your protectiveness of your son, but if you really made some kind of 'deal' with Star Dou... you should know what the consequences would be if word got out that the Sea God Pavilion Master made a deal with the King of Soul Beast."

He closed his eyes, and the image of Yun Ming's ever-composed face appeared in his mind.

He had known Yun Ming for decades and knew his old friend well. He was willing to give everything for his family, but precisely because of this, he was the one whose weakness was most easily exploited.

"I hope... I'm just overthinking it."

"Don't do anything foolish..."