Besides, she's already taken you as her disciple, so be careful from now on."
After giving that final warning, Zhongli Wu had to admit he had no way of dealing with that mother of his, and he couldn't fathom her thoughts.
"Get some proper rest first. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Supreme Sect Leader."
Feng Ling spoke, then nodded to Zhongli Wu before leaving.
The two returned to their quarters, and Feng Ling's expression turned cold.
"The Great Enshrined can no longer be trusted."
This incident had started because of Long Xiaoyao, and Long Xiaoyao indeed disapproved of their plans, especially the Shrek Destruction Plan targeting Shrek Academy.
There was no problem for now, but once they launched their war of unification in the future, he might well leak information—or even defect outright to Douluo Continent and Shrek Academy.
He was the Holy Spirit Cult's chief enshrined, and knew far too many secrets, including the location of their main altar.
The Supreme Sect Leader had placed a soul restriction on everyone else to prevent them from revealing the main altar's location, but Long Xiaoyao had never been restricted.
Partly, that was because of their special relationship. More importantly, Long Xiaoyao was powerful enough that such a secret-art restriction couldn't hold him.
"We need to secretly establish another main altar. We should also split off a group of those children and train them in secret."
After some thought, Zhongli Wu decided they needed to prepare to abandon the main altar.
Next was the collection and training of children. They had already begun making arrangements, mainly by gathering orphans. Orphans were especially common near the borders between the three nations.
They had even sent their people into Douluo Continent to gather orphaned beggars and bring them back for secret training.
Now, they needed to conceal a group and train them in secret. The fewer people who knew, the better. This would be one of their trump cards.
Even if Long Xiaoyao really did betray them in the future, they would still have the strength to respond.
"Let's go report to Mother about that child."
In the end, she decided to visit her mother. She had to make her understand how important that child was.
Chapter 28: Godhood Notations
"I heard you were in danger yesterday?"
The next day, Ma Xiaotao came with Feng Ling, her regret plainly written on her face.
Wouldn't it have been wonderful if that bastard had died young? It would have been a shame, but a lot fewer people would die that way.
"Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not dead. Shrek Academy is destined to fall by my hand."
Yang Hao retorted coldly, making it clear that his hatred remained unchanged.
"Can you stop targeting Shrek all the time?"
Ma Xiaotao gritted her teeth. That bastard kept his eyes fixed on Shrek. He'd already come up with more than a dozen versions of the Shrek Destruction Plan.
"No!"
Yang Hao answered without the slightest hesitation. There was no need to hesitate or think about it.
"Let's go."
Feng Ling spoke, then led Yang Hao to that person's residence, offering him plenty of reminders along the way.
"Be careful."
She stopped outside that person's residence and gave him one final warning.
"Pretty big sis, you can go back. I'll be careful."
Yang Hao nodded and stepped into the blood-red palace.
The Holy Spirit Cult's main altar had been built underground, but years of development had expanded it into something like an underground city. The residence of Ye Xishui, the Supreme Sect Leader, was a palace in its own right.
Aside from being a little gloomy, the place was all right.
As he entered the palace, the first thing he saw was a massive blood pool, giving off a sweet, rank smell.
Yang Hao could understand. After all, her First Martial Soul was the Blood Soul Demon Puppet. This was probably an artificial environment she'd created to aid her cultivation.
"Teacher!"
Yang Hao called out respectfully to let her know he had arrived.
"Splash..."
A hideous blood-red puppet rose from the pool, unleashing a tremendous soul pressure. It bore six black and three red Soul Rings, nine in all. Ye Xishui sat on the Blood Soul Demon Puppet's palm, and her high heels were especially unusual, displaying her pale, shapely feet to perfection.
Fortunately, Yang Hao wasn't into feet, nor did he have a thing for older women. Otherwise, he'd probably have been drooling.
Wait, why had those awful words even crossed his mind?
He was here to cling to a powerful backer and seek protection, not to hit on older women!
He was still a child who hadn't even turned ten!
It had to be the influence of that evil Soul-Devouring Spider Leg Bone. He'd known that the Soul Bone from such an evil Soul Beast would have side effects.
And this teacher of his had a terrifying, evil charm about her too. No wonder she was the King of Evil Soul Masters!
"Teacher!"
Yang Hao forced himself to bow beneath that terrifying soul pressure and overwhelming allure.
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
Ye Xishui was curious. She couldn't sense any fear in the boy.
"Ever since I died once, I haven't been afraid anymore."
Yang Hao replied calmly, showing the kind of fearless resolve a vengeful person had in the face of death.
He had plenty of references for this sort of characterization, like that Sasuke Uchiha from the Hokage world next door.
Ye Xishui fell silent. Zhongli Wu and Feng Ling had given her a detailed account the day before. The child had indeed died once back then; surviving had been a miracle.
Most importantly, what he'd gone through could truly help him overcome his fear.
Still, his precocious composure couldn't help but make one feel sorry for him.
He was only a child who hadn't even turned ten.
"Teacher, this is a notebook left behind by my Yang family's ancestors. It records the growth of the Shrek Seven Devils, the Angel God and Rakshasa God from the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, as well as how they became gods.
"Though many details are missing, the general account should be accurate. I hope it can give you some insight, help you break through the limits of Soul Masters, and let you become a god."
Yang Hao took out the notebook he'd prepared in advance and presented it to her. If he wanted to earn her affection—no, her trust—he had to demonstrate enough value.
Aside from her regrets, one of the few positive thoughts she still had was probably to cultivate and grow stronger. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spent decades building the Death God Tower.
Besides, he also needed a god-level powerhouse to protect him.
He had been at odds with Shrek ever since the Shrek Inspectorate killed his parents.
And standing behind Shrek were Sea God Tang San and the six others from ten thousand years ago—seven gods in all.
God King Tang was especially underhanded and ruthless, skilled at scheming and plotting, and possessed of astonishing wisdom. He had intervened in the Douluo Plane many times. Here, he also had those two loyal dogs, Da Ming and Er Ming, along with the whole crowd from Shrek and the Clear Sky Sect.
If Yang Hao faced them in the future, they would probably use their strength to bully someone younger and weaker.
Then there was Huo Yuhao, who should awaken his Martial Soul this year. He'd become a god in just twenty years.
Yang Hao was a Cheater himself, but becoming a god within twenty years would still be far too difficult.
Besides, there were only two paths to godhood for Soul Masters now: gathering Faith Power to create a godhood for oneself, or inheriting one through a God Trial.
The Faith Power route could be ignored. First Generation Sea God Poseidon had spent over a thousand years gathering it. If Yang Hao started now, even a thousand-year-old daylily would have withered by the time he was done.
What was more, the Douluo Plane was already the private garden of Tang San and the Shrek Seven Devils. The faith of both the sea and the continent was in their hands. How could they possibly let anyone else compete for it?
If Yang Hao really tried to spread his faith, one of Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong's God Trial tasks would probably be to kill him, the heretic.
So he needed a god-level backer who could stand against them, and Ye Xishui was the best choice.
She was a Limit Douluo at level ninety-nine, just one step away from becoming a god at level one hundred.
What was more, her Second Martial Soul, the Bright Phoenix, still had no Soul Rings. With the right approach, she had a good chance of breaking through her limits and becoming a level-one-hundred god.
Once she reached godhood, she would surely gain new insights into cultivation. Maybe she could even help him find a new path to godhood.
Besides, making her stronger would draw God King Tang's attention and make Yang Hao seem less significant by comparison.
The benefits were many, and giving her the notebook wouldn't cost him anything.
Even the Immortal Grasses at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had all gained sentience at this point. It was anyone's guess whether they could still be consumed.
He might as well let her go there, dig them up, and refine them into Soul Rings to increase her strength. All she had to do was bring the Soul Bones back to him.
She should already have a complete set of six Soul Bones, so she couldn't use any more. She'd have to bring them back for someone else.
He was her only disciple now. If she didn't give them to him, who would she give them to?
"Oh?"
Ye Xishui knew nothing of the boy's sinister plans. The notebook intrigued her. She beckoned, and it flew into her hand. After glancing at the boy, she opened it and began to read.
At first, she didn't pay it much attention, but as she read on, her expression gradually turned grave.
The information it contained was extremely valuable. It included the existence of God Trials and the key to the rise of the Sea God and the Shrek Seven Devils.
There were two key points: Immortal Grasses and Sea God Island.
The notebook also mentioned Bibi Dong, the Spirit Hall Empire's empress and a new-generation Rakshasa God, as well as Angel God Qian Renxue. The two were mother and daughter, and Angel God had been born after Bibi Dong was violated.
Reading that, Ye Xishui couldn't help feeling sympathy. Bibi Dong, the Rakshasa God, had gone through much the same thing she had—almost exactly the same.
Back then, she'd done those things only because she didn't want Old Ghost Zhongli to go after Mu En and Xiaoyao. She'd even borne him a child.
But she'd been far luckier than Bibi Dong. At least Xiaoyao, the man she loved, had stayed by her side.
The Grandmaster whom Bibi Dong had protected, on the other hand, had fled like a coward. He'd even found someone new soon afterward and raised a group of enemies who killed her. In the end, she'd been forced to cast aside her dignity and reveal the scandal from all those years ago to win sympathy for her disciple and daughter—and save her own life.
How tragic!
"Why are you giving this to me?"
"If what's written here is true, the opportunities it describes could help you grow quickly, even become a god."
After reading the notebook, Ye Xishui was puzzled.
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