Report of Corruption, Return to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well

"Musical rhythm?"

Long Zijin raised a single brow, recalling the chant he had just used to reprimand the twin sisters, and then connecting it to his past life...

He nodded and said, "Yes, I am indeed the most proficient in musical rhythm within my clan."

Reflecting on the past, among the Nine Sub-Dragon Kings:

Qiuniu loved music, and Pulao loved to roar.

It was only through his guidance that they had developed their absolute pitch and peerless vocal cords.

"Oh? Is that truly so?" Han Yun Douluo's eyes brightened.

Soul Masters who understood the intricacies of music and rhythm were rare, as the time required to master them was so vast that it often crippled one's meditative cultivation.

Furthermore, sound as an attribute belonged to neither the physical nor the spiritual realm; yet, once applied in combat, it could inflict dual damage upon both the enemy's body and spirit, and at a specific frequency, it could even shatter all things.

Consequently, whenever she encountered someone skilled in music or vocal arts, this female Super Douluo would always make an effort to get to know them—let alone when the youth claimed to be the best of his clan.

"I am skilled at playing, but I lack the talent for chanting. I wonder if you would be willing to get to know me?" Han Yun Douluo extended an invitation.

As she spoke, she held the Han Yun Guqin horizontally before her, making a gesture as if to play.

Clearly, this Super Douluo had already considered taking him as a disciple... or perhaps, forming an alliance.

But Long Zijin shook his head, stepped onto the shore, and said, "No, my cultivation is nearing level 30. Not only must I prepare for my third ring, but I am also in a hurry to find my next Soul Spirit."

"When I have some leisure time, I shall come to this floor to gather with Sister Xia again."

With that, he immediately walked toward the exit of the sixty-ninth floor.

However, Han Yun Douluo, Xia Zheng Leng, felt her eyes light up all the more after being politely declined.

Because just moments ago, she had observed his movements after emerging from the water; the way his feet exerted force as he stepped onto the shore was more unique and refined than any dancer in her social circle.

"To think, this child's foundation in dance is also so exceptional. Dongfeng, oh Dongfeng, what kind of wonder is this person you asked me to keep an eye on..."

Walking out of Qiangu Dongfeng's office.

Long Zijin and Di Guangming each held an additional Soul Guidance token in their hands.

These two items were, respectively, an identity badge for a candidate Spirit Envoy and an identity badge for an Honorary Vice Pagoda Master.

The structure of the high-level personnel in the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda was very simple:

One Pagoda Master, two Vice Pagoda Masters, four Great Spirit Envoys, and thirty-six Council Elders.

Among them, the two Vice Pagoda Master positions were split between one with real power and one honorary position.

The Vice Pagoda Master with real power had to manage the internal affairs of the pagoda daily, while the Pagoda Master, in most cases, focused on external diplomacy and was a figure rarely seen; thus, the internal affairs faced by the powerful Vice Pagoda Master were extremely heavy.

As for the honorary position, the Honorary Vice Pagoda Master was a figure who drew a salary without doing the work, equivalent to the position of a Venerable in the Martial Soul Hall or the Holy Spirit Cult.

But once they took action, it was always a world-shaking event—either the Spirit Pagoda headquarters was on the verge of falling, or they were declaring war on another faction backed by a quasi-god.

Therefore, the position of Honorary Vice Pagoda Master could only be held by the strongest within the pagoda.

Since the master of the Thunderous Hell-Prison Vine, Zhang Geyang, had been transferred to the Star Luo Continent, the position of Honorary Vice Pagoda Master had remained vacant for nearly twenty years.

Qiangu Dongfeng had considered appointing his elder brother, but Qiangu Qingfeng's command of the Shadow Department was of vital importance, as it was the only channel connected to the Holy Spirit Cult; thus, this appointment had been shelved until today.

On the crystal corridor of the eighty-first floor of the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda.

Golden Pupils overlooked the boundless First City of the continent.

Long Zijin suddenly gazed toward the east and switched his language to Dragon Tongue: "Report. What are the results of the investigation from this past month?"

Di Guangming lowered his head and sighed, "This humble king has failed the expectations of My Emperor."

"The hill you described, this humble king found on the very first day. There is indeed an ancient ruin on the summit, which has undergone many human repairs and is known as the Douluo Hall."

"Inside are enshrined the spirit tablets of those human Title Douluo from twenty thousand years ago; they are now referred to as cultural relics."

Long Zijin replied, "Douluo Hall atop Douluo Mountain, the center of the continent twenty thousand years ago, the ascension dojo of the Angel God."

"The first batch of tablets enshrined within are the Title Douluo who followed the first-generation Angel God in resisting the Ancient Desolate Beasts."

"I know this. The reason I sent you to search was for you to use your Ultimate Light and Ultimate Holiness to sense if you could make contact with the lost Angel God position."

"And thereby find the remnant soul of the last Angel God, Qian Renxue, who was struck down by the Asura Sea God Tang San twenty thousand years ago and died of old age in Martial Soul City."

"However..." Di Guangming paused for a moment and said:

"This humble king spent a month, yet I did not sense any soul fluctuations related to light or holiness."

"I even searched thousands of miles around Douluo Mountain, with my holy light shining three feet into the ground, yet I did not find a single trace of anything related to the angels."

"Tsk, is that so?" Long Zijin sighed softly.

"Forget it, this is not your fault. It seems that Qian Renxue's soul has already reincarnated and completely left this Douluo Plane."

"Fortunately, I have a substitute—the God of Thunder. Although not perfect, he was at least a deity once."

In terms of psychological expectations, the Dragon Emperor had always been open-minded; after all, having plotted for over ten thousand years, he could not have relied on only one plan.

"However, to find the burial pit where the God of Thunder fell, I must first go to the Star Luo Continent to catch Zhang Geyang, then borrow the Thunderous Hell-Prison Vine Soul Spirit to trace the origin, and only then can I find the place where the vine sprout first took root."

"Tsk, it's just too time-consuming... what a hassle."

"Emperor, there is just one thing; this humble one discovered an anomaly on the first day..." The Holy Dragon King hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he stated the truth: "Within the interior of Douluo Mountain, this humble one sensed the struggling of a vast number of Ancient Desolate Beast remnant souls. They seem to react intensely to the Light of the Holy."

"Moreover, hidden among these ancient beast souls is a fluctuation of corruption."

"A fluctuation of corruption?" The Dragon Emperor's interest was piqued instantly.

He confirmed repeatedly, "Are you certain? Not a fluctuation of the evil attribute, but... corruption?"

"Absolutely certain!" The Holy Dragon King's tone was resolute. "Although it is slightly faint, it is indeed a fluctuation of corruption."

"It is the specific fluctuation of corruption that only emerges when something divine falls toward evil."

"Good." The Dragon Emperor rubbed his palms together, his smile widening. "That settles it."

"It seems I had a blind spot in my own reasoning, but this saves me the trouble of searching for the God of Thunder's burial pit."

He swept away the Will of Destruction surrounding him and paced toward the red-level elevator. "Let's go. We'll head down to bid Tian Feng farewell, then return so you can pay your respects at the graves of Younger Brother Fire and Younger Sister Water."

Author's Note:

1. Ancient Desolate Beasts— There are three clearly defined in the original work: the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent and the Nine-Headed Blood Bat King from Douluo 1, and the Dragon-Eating Behemoth from Douluo 4. These Ancient Desolate Beasts lived before the Douluo Plane was nourished by divine power, and they benefited the most when divine power nourished the continent. After the first-generation Angel God ascended, they led the human race of the continent to defeat these beasts and used a sword to suppress them beneath Douluo Mountain. The second-generation Angel God pulled the sword, releasing the remaining beasts and vengeful spirits, which is why the Sea God stopped the second-generation Angel God from pulling the sword.

2. Corruption and the Corruption Attribute— Corruption is not the same as evil, which is why many Douluo fan-fiction works get the setting wrong. Corruption is the process of falling from the divine toward the evil; therefore, the corruption attribute is of a higher order than both the holy attribute and the evil attribute. Referencing the original plot: The Bright White Tiger was possessed by the God King of Evil, causing it to grow gray "corrupted" wings and transform into the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Ultimate corruption is equivalent to the ultimate divine falling toward the ultimate evil. Corresponding to corruption, the process of moving from evil toward the divine is called sublimation, but the original work does not mention a sublimation attribute. To reduce reader fatigue, this author has chosen to respect the original work and will not add a sublimation attribute.