The hot weapons of my previous life had placed heavy demands on logistics and transport. But in this world, things like Storage Soul Tools existed, perfectly solving those logistical and transportation problems. The two combined were simply invincible.
"No, you can't do that."
Coming back to her senses, Ma Xiaotao tried to stop him. She absolutely couldn't let this evil bastard do such a thing.
Zhongli Wu and Feng Ling were speechless. How was this just about destroying Shrek Academy? He was going to wipe Shrek City completely off the map, too.
What a grudge!
"Can these things be mass-produced?"
Feng Ling had seized on the key point. If these things could be produced in unlimited quantities, they'd be terrifying.
The Sun Moon Empire's greatest strength lay in its Fixed Soul Guidance Shells. But those were extremely difficult to make and required many precious rare metals, so production was limited.
But now, these explosives were no weaker than Fixed Soul Guidance Shells, and they could be mass-produced...
She didn't dare imagine what that meant.
Zhongli Wu also caught on, and his heart couldn't help but burn with excitement.
"Can all these things be mass-produced?"
His gaze swept over the weapons the boy had used earlier. If they could be mass-produced, they would be enough for the Holy Spirit Cult to conquer the entire world.
"Most of the parts are made of ordinary steel. Only the barrels and bullets have higher requirements; they're made of Iron Essence. Of all the rare metals, Iron Essence is the cheapest and most abundant. As long as we have enough Iron Essence, these can also be produced in unlimited quantities."
As he spoke, Yang Hao handed over the sniper rifle he'd used earlier. It had the simplest design.
Zhongli Wu took it and examined it closely. The structure really was simple; he could understand it at a glance.
But that only shocked him more. A simple design meant it was easy to make, and since it required only the most common Iron Essence, it could be mass-produced without difficulty.
If they could produce a hundred thousand sets of these weapons, the millions of troops belonging to the four great empires would be a joke.
"Cult Master, this is the Tang Sect's core inheritance, the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. The Mysterious Heaven Skill inside can let people without Soul Power cultivate it, and its potential is considerable.
"Our Holy Spirit Cult could secretly gather orphans and teach them to cultivate. Combined with these weapons, we could form an army of a million, or even ten million. Then our Holy Spirit Cult could overthrow the four great empires, destroy Shrek Academy, unify the continent, and establish the Holy Spirit Empire..."
Yang Hao took out the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record and launched into a blunt, shameless pitch, all the while putting on an expression brimming with hatred.
His words were simple, but they struck right at Zhongli Wu's heart.
"You evil bastard! You can't do that!"
Ma Xiaotao grew even more frantic. If this evil bastard carried on, Shrek really would be destroyed, and her teachers would die, too.
"Do you have a grudge against Shrek?"
Long Xiaoyao, who had been silent until now, spoke up. He'd seen the hatred in the child's eyes. Clearly, he bore a deep grudge against Shrek Academy.
"My parents were killed by the Shrek Inspectorate. They cut off their heads and took them back as proof that they'd completed their mission, then left their bodies in the wilderness."
Yang Hao didn't hide the truth, laying out the cause of it all.
"Were they Evil Soul Masters?"
Feng Ling pondered the matter. The child had an Evil Martial Soul, which he'd likely inherited. His parents were probably Evil Soul Masters, and that was why the Shrek Inspectorate had targeted and killed them.
"How did you get the Tang Sect's secret technique?"
Zhongli Wu's gaze shifted away from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record, and he asked in puzzlement.
This was the Tang Sect's secret technique, said to be an inheritance left behind by the Sea God from ten thousand years ago.
Although the Tang Sect had fallen into decline, an inheritance like this shouldn't have been passed on to outsiders.
"My name is Yang Hao. Our branch descends from the Breaking Clan, and the Breaking Clan was part of the Tang Sect."
Yang Hao gave the answer he'd prepared long ago.
His surname was Yang, and his father's Martial Soul was a spear, so he could pass himself off as one of them. This identity could also lay the groundwork for later winning over the Death God Douluo.
Just as the saying went, when you were out in the world, you chose your own identity.
"The Breaking Clan!"
Zhongli Wu considered this. He knew a fair amount about both Shrek and the Tang Sect, especially Shrek Academy, which was now at its height.
The Tang Sect had indeed once had a Breaking Clan. According to the records, they were skilled at making all sorts of poisons and had inflicted heavy casualties on the Sun Moon Empire's army during the war four thousand years ago.
"Did you get it from the Tang Sect?"
Feng Ling understood. She knew more about Shrek and the Tang Sect than Zhongli Wu did.
"No. Our branch was only a collateral line of the Breaking Clan, and our Martial Souls underwent an adverse mutation and degraded, so we weren't qualified to receive this inheritance.
"I got it from Tai Wushuang, the Strength Clan's young master. They probably acquired it when the Strength Clan left the Tang Sect, or after the Tang Sect fell into decline."
Yang Hao shook his head, indicating that he'd taken it by force.
"Are you the child wanted by Shrek Academy and the three great empires?"
Long Xiaoyao recalled the name.
He'd always kept an eye on his old friend's affairs. The child's case had caused a huge stir, and Shrek and the three great empires had issued a joint warrant for his arrest. When Long Xiaoyao had gone to the Heaven Dou Empire a few months ago, he'd seen the wanted notice.
Although the child before him had changed considerably in appearance, his features did resemble the portrait on the notice.
Was this the child?
"Shrek and the three great empires issued a joint warrant for your arrest?"
Zhongli Wu was astonished. Those targeted by a joint warrant from the three great empires and Shrek were usually heinous criminals. What had this child done?
Feng Ling was surprised, too. Then she glanced at Ma Xiaotao, whose face had gone pale, and fell into thought.
That morning, she'd spoken with the girl and asked about her relationship with the little fellow. The girl hadn't said much, but Feng Ling had still gleaned some information.
They really were enemies of Shrek Academy, so it made sense that the child was now wanted. She just didn't know what he'd done.
"That's right. It's me."
Yang Hao nodded, neither avoiding the truth nor hiding anything.
He had no plans to conceal his identity. After all, he was here to sign on and join the ranks, climb the ladder, become the Holy Son and Holy Master, marry a rich beauty, and reach the pinnacle of life.
There couldn't be any problems with his identity, or it would be difficult to earn people's trust.
Especially since these people were naturally suspicious. That was a common trait among villains.
Chapter 21: Pig-Raising Tycoon
"My parents accidentally obtained a Soul Bone four years ago and gave it to my elder brother to absorb. But the Strength Clan grew suspicious and framed us, making my mother out to be an Evil Soul Master. The Shrek Inspectorate hunted her down and beheaded her.
"My elder brother was murdered by the Strength Clan, and they took the Soul Bone from him. I was badly injured, and my meridians were damaged. My Martial Soul was also tainted by evil power. After that, the Strength Clan used the excuse of taking me in and protecting me to confine me to their territory.
"Not long ago, I went with Tai Wuji to the Star Dou Forest to hunt for a Soul Ring. In truth, they wanted to use the hunt as a legitimate excuse to wipe out my entire family. But they were killed by the land mines I'd secretly made.
"After that, I ran into a group of Shrek teachers and students who were out hunting for Soul Rings. They sensed the evil power inside me, decided I was an Evil Soul Master, and then I killed them all. Finally, I escaped here to the Sun Moon Empire.
"In the Mingdou Mountain Range, this big-breasted, dim-witted woman set her sights on me. Then a pretty big sister found me and brought me here."
Yang Hao recounted his experiences in one breath, holding nothing back. Everything he'd said was true and would stand up to the organization's investigation.
"Who are you calling big-breasted and dim-witted?"
Ma Xiaotao glared at him. This evil bastard was awful.
Ignoring the girl's glare, Yang Hao continued.
"I can hand over the methods for making those several types of gunpowder and the design concepts for the weapons to our Holy Spirit Cult. I can also keep improving the gunpowder and weapons.
"All I want is for the Strength Clan and Shrek to be destroyed. That should align with the goals of our Holy Spirit Cult."
Yang Hao looked Zhongli Wu in the eye, his gaze filled with fierce hatred as he branded himself a member of the Avengers.
"No, I won't allow it."
Ma Xiaotao couldn't hold back. She absolutely couldn't let this happen.
"Thud!"
With practiced ease, he pulled out a wooden club and just as skillfully knocked the girl unconscious. Then Yang Hao continued staring at Zhongli Wu.
Watching this familiar scene, Feng Ling shook her head. That girl still needed training.
Zhongli Wu laughed.
"Shrek and the Star Luo Empire are our enemies, too."
This child was practically born for the Holy Spirit Cult.
Of course, they still needed to investigate carefully and make absolutely sure.
That was simply caution, not suspicion about the child's identity or background. Zhongli Wu didn't think the boy was a spy planted by some other faction, either.
If he really was a spy, Zhongli Wu could only say: send more of them. The Holy Spirit Cult would welcome them all.
"Child, would you be willing to become the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son?"
Zhongli Wu extended an invitation. He thought highly of the boy. Even if his cultivation talent was a little lacking, the new weapons he'd contributed alone could increase the Holy Spirit Cult's strength tenfold or a hundredfold. In the future, they could even dominate the continent and become its sole ruler.
"I'm willing!"
Yang Hao agreed without hesitation.
He'd contributed all these things so he could climb the ladder, become the Holy Son and Holy Master, marry a rich beauty, and reach the pinnacle of life.
Now that he was the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son, he would certainly enjoy more and better resources, as well as access to advanced knowledge.
Most importantly, he would get to meet the Death God Douluo. That was the massive, solid thigh he needed to cling to for peace of mind.
"Cult Master, I hope we can set up a laboratory and bring in some Soul Engineers. I still have lots of ideas for new weapons I need to put into practice.
"My circumstances used to be limited, so I could only make these things. Gunpowder has plenty of untapped potential. We can certainly develop even more powerful weapons to help the Holy Spirit Cult overthrow the four great empires, destroy Shrek, unify the continent, and establish the Holy Spirit Empire."
Yang Hao stated his demands with fervent enthusiasm, which would also help him increase his bargaining power so that he could earn more attention, resources, and, most importantly, protection.
"Grant him everything he asks for. Also, summon all the elders back to headquarters."
Zhongli Wu nodded with satisfaction, then decisively ordered Feng Ling to call the higher-ups together for a meeting.
These new weapons were powerful enough to change the world's current balance. The Holy Spirit Cult would need to change its old plans and draw up a new development strategy.
Most importantly, they needed to gather those materials and stockpile an unlimited amount of them.
Before you continue