Several hours later, at the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, in the top-secret conference room.
"BANG!!!"
A conference table made of ten-thousand-year-old Chen silver shattered into tiny metal fragments under Qiangu Dongfeng's palm.
The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.
Every senior Spirit Pagoda official held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Qiangu Dongfeng stared at the charred fragment of the Coiling Dragon Staff on the tray.
His silver hair stirred without a breeze, and bloodshot veins filled his eyes, making them terrifying to behold.
That was his most beloved grandson!
The future successor whom the Spirit Pagoda had poured countless resources into nurturing!
And now he had vanished without a trace in the East Sea!
"Investigate... Find out who did this! I want their entire clan exterminated!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's voice sounded like that of an evil spirit crawling out of the deepest pits of hell.
It was hoarse and filled with murderous intent.
"L-Lord Pagoda Master."
The head of the intelligence department reported in a trembling voice.
"The spatial coordinates at the scene were completely shredded by someone.
All the electronic surveillance logs were also completely erased by an unknown electromagnetic pulse."
"We... we couldn't find any direct video evidence..."
"Useless!"
Qiangu Dongfeng whipped around and glared at him.
But just as everyone expected the Pagoda Master to lose control and go on a killing spree,
Qiangu Dongfeng suddenly took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rampaging Soul Power within him.
Never underestimate the intelligence of a ruthless leader capable of commanding the entire Spirit Pagoda.
Grief had not destroyed Qiangu Dongfeng's mind.
Instead, it had made his thoughts clearer and colder than ever.
"No clues—that's the biggest clue of all."
Qiangu Dongfeng narrowed his cloudy eyes, a venomous glint flashing in them.
"The way the spatial coordinates were erased was extraordinarily precise.
That means the other side has an expert with the utmost mastery over spatial elements."
"And the electronic logs were erased, which means they have hacking skills far beyond the Federation's usual standards."
With his hands behind his back, he paced around the conference room, his mind racing.
"What was the East Sea First Armored Legion's top-secret mission yesterday?"
Qiangu Dongfeng stopped abruptly and asked in a cold voice.
"Reporting to the Pagoda Master, it was to intercept Tang Wulin, who was fleeing back from the direction of the Star Luo Empire, as well as the Shrek Academy remnants!"
"Exactly.
Tang Wulin..."
Qiangu Dongfeng ground out the name.
"But even if those little brats from Shrek were tied together, there's no way they could instantly kill Zhang Ting, who had Three-Word Battle Armor!"
"Much less turn the seabed crust into glass!"
"To unleash that level of firepower, at least five Level 10 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannons would have to detonate at once!"
"Pagoda Master, do you mean... the Star Luo Empire was involved?"
One of the elders asked, uncertain and alarmed.
"Pass on my order! Activate our highest-level sleeper agents in the Star Luo Empire immediately!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's instincts were frighteningly sharp.
Less than ten minutes later, an encrypted report appeared on the conference room's massive screen.
The report was brief, but it made every senior Spirit Pagoda official present draw a sharp breath.
[The Star Luo Empire's newly appointed Imperial Son-in-law, Luo Feng, piloted an unknown mecha, the 'Vanguard Titan,' and annihilated three of the Federation's main fleets in a single strike off the coast of Star Luo!]
[At present, Tang Wulin has formed an alliance with him!]
[The mecha appears to be capable of creating Level 10 Soul Guidance Cannons—or even higher-level ones—with its bare hands!]
"Luo Feng... Vanguard Titan..."
Qiangu Dongfeng stared at the unfamiliar name on the screen.
His fingers dug into his palm until it bled.
At last, all the clues fit together perfectly.
Tang Wulin's return, the East Sea Legion's interception, Luo Feng stepping in to wipe them out.
"What a Shrek! What a Star Luo Imperial Son-in-law!"
Qiangu Dongfeng laughed in fury, his laughter echoing through the hall and sending chills down everyone's spine.
"You killed my grandson and still think you can rebuild Shrek on the Douluo Continent? Dream on!"
"Pagoda Master, now that we've identified the target, should we immediately send the Spirit Pagoda's elite mecha corps to hunt them down?"
"Idiot!"
Qiangu Dongfeng gave a cold snort.
"That Luo Feng can annihilate three fleets in an instant. The firepower at his disposal is terrifying."
"Even if we could win, we'd lose most of the Spirit Pagoda's strength!"
"Besides, we have no concrete evidence."
"If we brazenly deploy a large-scale armed force on the continent, those old foxes at the War God Temple and the Federal Military will seize the chance to weaken us!"
"Then... what about Young Master Zhang Ting's death?"
"Of course we'll avenge him. We'll leave them dead without a complete corpse!"
A crazed, perilous glint flashed in Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes.
"If we can't move against them openly, then let our 'friends' do it for us. They're always hiding in the shadows, eager to kill."
Late that night, deep within the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, in a secret chamber.
Qiangu Dongfeng stood alone at the center of an extremely bizarre, dark-red magic circle.
As he poured a large quantity of pure Soul Power into the circle,
a nauseating stench of blood gradually filled the air.
At the center of the circle, a vague, distorted shadow slowly appeared, radiating an intensely cold and sinister aura.
"Heh heh heh... Lord Qiangu, what a rare guest."
"To use this highest-level, one-way channel so late at night—does the Spirit Pagoda have some big business for the Holy Spirit Cult?"
The shadow's voice sounded like fingernails scraping across glass, shrill and grating.
It was unmistakably a high-ranking core member of the Holy Spirit Cult!
"I need you to kill a few people."
Qiangu Dongfeng said without expression, as if discussing something trivial.
"Oh? For Lord Qiangu to borrow someone else's blade, the target must be quite extraordinary. Shrek's remnant, Tang Wulin?"
"Not just Tang Wulin."
Qiangu Dongfeng replied coldly.
"There's also a Star Luo Empire Imperial Son-in-law named Luo Feng, and the mecha at his side, called the 'Vanguard Titan.'"
"I want every one of them dead!"
"Especially Luo Feng. I want his soul torn out and burned in the nether flames for ten thousand years!"
"Luo Feng?"
The Holy Spirit Cult's shadow fell silent for a moment, then let out a sinister laugh.
"Lord Qiangu, your intelligence network is extensive, but so is ours."
"That Luo Feng is a tough nut to crack. He's a monster who can make Level 10 Soul Guidance Cannons with his bare hands. Killing him would be too risky."
"It'll cost extra."
"All the Soul Beasts in the Spirit Pagoda's three large Soul Beast Protection Zones along the East Sea coast. Tonight, all surveillance there will go offline for two hours."
Qiangu Dongfeng offered a staggering bargaining chip.
"Deal!"
The shadow's voice brimmed with unrestrained greed and fervor.
"The sacrifice of every living thing in three large Protection Zones... Lord Qiangu, you're certainly generous!"
"To show the Holy Spirit Cult's sincerity, I'll personally dispatch the Four Heavenly Kings this time!"
"The Four Heavenly Kings..."
Qiangu Dongfeng's eye twitched slightly.
The Holy Spirit Cult's Four Heavenly Kings were notorious, super-powerful figures with countless lives on their hands.
Every one of them was an exceptionally bizarre and troublesome peak Evil Soul Master!
With all four Heavenly Kings attacking, even a Limit Douluo would have to give them a wide berth!
"Very good. I'll await your good news. Don't disappoint me."