Human Hearts and Desires

"First is the 'Case of the Mysterious Disappearance of the Entire Sea God Clan.' As everyone knows, my Chen clan are loyal believers of the great Sea God Tang San."

"Aside from a few outstanding clansmen who venture out to contribute to the continent's prosperity, the rest of our people live in seclusion on the island."

"We have always lived in peace, yet precisely because our clan is so low-key, we have naturally become a thorn in the side of certain factions!"

Having set the stage, Chen Zeyu's calm tone shifted to one of bitter resentment:

"On the day the entire Sea God Clan vanished, my father, Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie, actually received a distress signal from our clan's elder!"

"After he left me this message and departed, days passed without a word. I had no choice but to head to our island myself."

He stopped abruptly, taking two deep breaths as if steeling his resolve.

"That's right. All the news about the Sea God Clan that initially circulated on the continent was spread by me, using every opportunity I could find."

"I had hoped that a major power would uncover the true culprit, but perhaps my father protected me too well."

His eyes grew moist before drying instantly, his voice turning icy:

"Five whole years have passed, yet the mastermind remains at large, growing even more prosperous and powerful!"

"I don't know what kind of deals you major powers have struck, but now! I want to point my finger right here, in front of all the soul masters watching this broadcast: the mastermind is the Spirit Pagoda!!!"

"I can even state with certainty, based on the methods used and the timing of their discovery, that the mysterious disappearance of the Tang Sect is also linked to the Spirit Pagoda!"

Speaking with ringing conviction, Chen Zeyu clapped his hands, and a semi-conscious Title Douluo was carried out by several powerful Title Douluo.

"I'm sure many of you think I've lost my mind, but since I chose to reveal the truth, I have naturally prepared accordingly!"

"This is Longtun Douluo, a genius from the Spirit Pagoda who reached the Title Douluo rank at the age of twenty-six!"

"With a powerful martial soul and exceptional talent, it is said he was destined to become a Spirit Pagoda councilor."

"But does anyone here know what this genius's third soul spirit is?"

As he spoke, he kicked Longtun Douluo's head hard, then pulled out a golden Soul Tool embedded with a sapphire and knelt down to stab it directly into the man's arm.

Within moments, Longtun Douluo's body began to convulse; as his soul rings flared, his soul spirit rapidly manifested.

Chen Zeyu then summoned his own martial soul: "Do you see this, everyone? This Spirit Pagoda genius, Longtun Douluo, has a soul spirit that is actually my own martial soul!?"

"What a preposterous joke! As everyone knows, my Sea God Clan's martial soul, Ocean, is always a conceptual manifestation of seawater!"

"Yet now, this Spirit Pagoda genius possesses a soul spirit identical to my clan's martial soul, one that can even resonate with my clan's ancestral Soul Tool?"

"I shouldn't need to explain what this implies, should I?"

With that, he pulled out the Soul Tool and stood up, raising his foot as if to crush Longtun Douluo's neck.

Only then did the Spirit Pagoda's Title Douluo 'rush' onto the scene, unleashing soul skills that blasted the broadcast equipment and Chen Zeyu.

As the equipment shattered, the entire soul network erupted like boiling water, detonated by Chen Zeyu's revelation!

Voices questioning the Spirit Pagoda began to emerge everywhere; conspiracy theories ran wild, and official channels were flooded with outrage.

Meanwhile, at a tea stall, Ming Yue had watched Chen Zeyu's entire performance, having restrained his two sisters several times when they wanted to intervene.

"Ah Yue?"

"Ah Yue! Why didn't you let us sisters take action?"

"The two Limit Douluo old ghosts from Shrek are hiding nearby. I don't want you two to get hurt."

"It seems I underestimated human nature and greed. Let's return to the Spirit Pagoda."

After soothing his sisters, he cast a calm gaze toward a certain spot, thinking to himself, It is not yet time.

[At 29 years old, after returning to the Spirit Pagoda from your date, you began investigating Longtun Douluo and quickly made several discoveries.]

[Following the trail upward, you found that many internal families within the Spirit Pagoda were also supporting this faction.]

[This made you frown. They could have enjoyed the benefits you provided by simply submitting, yet these people were so ungrateful.]

[You decided to start a purge. Beginning with the most conspicuous pawn, you ordered Qiangu Dieting and Snake Emperor Douluo to lead a cleanup of the young geniuses and internal families.]

[Perhaps your actions were too bold, or perhaps the remaining 'supporters of the Chen Zeyu broadcast incident,' now terrified, were driven by their own survival instincts.]

[Intelligence pointing directly to the mastermind behind everything was placed before you.]

"."

After reading the report, Ming Yue set the documents down and stared at the ceiling in silence for a while before letting out a sigh:

"They could have had a wonderful future just by lying low, yet they were driven by greed to do this."

"Very well, let me be the one to send you on your way."

He stood up and walked toward the door, snapping his fingers as he closed it, causing the intelligence on the table to spontaneously combust.

Just like their so-called blood ties, they turned to ash!

Night, Qiangu Family.

His memories of this place were still stuck at the time before his martial soul awakening ceremony at age six.

Entering the courtyard under the respectful gazes of the servants, his mother, who had aged with streaks of white hair after years of separation, stood there.

Together with Qiangu Dieting, she stood alongside Qiangu Qingfeng and Qiangu Dongfeng, all watching Ming Yue.

"You've returned."

They stared at each other for several minutes until a breeze drifted by, prompting Mother to finally break the silence.

She seemed to have much to say, but when the words reached her lips, they only amounted to a dry, hollow sentence.

"What, not welcome?"

In a daze, Ming Yue felt as if he had reverted to the mindset he held when he first started the simulator, yet the words that left his mouth were indifferent.

"Welcome, of course, how could a mother not welcome her son? Why are you just standing there? Come, let's all go inside and have a proper talk!"

A flash of awkwardness crossed Mother's eyes, but she quickly waved at Ming Yue with a feigned cheerfulness.

"I won't be going in. You should all know why I came today."

"Especially you two, Qiangu Qingfeng, and Qiangu Dongfeng."

Having flatly refused her, Ming Yue shifted his gaze toward the Qiangu brothers standing behind her.

Upon hearing this, both of them shuddered involuntarily, quickly lowering their heads to avoid Ming Yue's gaze as if fleeing from it.