Shrek City, the top floor of the towering Spirit Pagoda.
Qiangu Dongfeng sat in an extravagantly luxurious office. Beside him lay the Soul Guidance Communicator he had just used to speak with Leng Yaozhu.
"Super Douluo, the Ten Thousand Soul Banner..."
Qiangu Dongfeng fell silent. After a long while, he opened a drawer and took out an unremarkable Soul Guidance Communicator.
Qiangu Dongfeng expertly powered it on, then found the only number saved inside.
Beep, beep, beep...
After five buzzing tones, the call finally connected.
"Hello—"
A hoarse voice came through, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. Just hearing it was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.
"Ghost Emperor! What happened to your promise? You said it'd just be a performance, so you could take the medicine I gave you. But then your people went straight to Eastsea City and attacked its Spirit Pagoda and Blacksmith Association. What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Ke ke ke—Brother Qiangu, don't be so impatient. I only told them to retrieve the medicine. Who knew Shi Qian would go off the rails or whatever and actually attack Eastsea City?"
The Ghost Emperor's explanation came through the Soul Guidance Communicator. Anyone could hear that there wasn't the slightest hint of an apology in it—only a flippant attitude that made one seethe.
"Ghost Emperor! I'm warning you: if this happens again, you'll see what's coming to you!"
"Hey, Brother Qiangu, why must we be so hostile to each other? It was just an accident this time." The Ghost Emperor paid no mind to the threat. "Besides, we've always had the same goal. Don't you want to bring down that detestable Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect?"
"Hmph! Easy for you to say. That so-called Demon Empress of yours hasn't even shown her face. Or are you planning to challenge Yun Ming with just yourself and Ha Luosa? If so, we'd better cut ties now. I won't throw my life away."
Qiangu Dongfeng's expression darkened as he spoke coldly.
Though he was furious about the Holy Spirit Cult's attack, he held his temper. For the sake of his grand plan, these sacrifices were worth it.
After all, without the Holy Spirit Cult's support, how could the Spirit Pagoda hope to defeat Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect?
Of course, that was what he told himself, but Qiangu Dongfeng still wanted to test the Holy Spirit Cult's most mysterious figure, the Demon Empress. Unfortunately, he hadn't learned a thing.
The Holy Spirit Cult had one empress, two emperors, and four Dark Heavenly Kings—a total of seven high-ranking members. Below them were elders at the Super Douluo level.
Ordinary Titled Douluos didn't rate a seat at the table in the Holy Spirit Cult. At the very least, they weren't part of the true decision-making circle.
Qiangu Dongfeng had agreed to cooperate with the Holy Spirit Cult, but he had never met the so-called Demon Empress. He had barely even contacted Ha Luosa. The Ghost Emperor had always been the one to communicate with him.
He couldn't help wondering what sort of person could make the Ghost Emperor and the Underworld Emperor willingly serve beneath her. After all, they were both quasi-god-level powerhouses.
The Ghost Emperor understood the implication behind Qiangu Dongfeng's words, and his voice turned completely cold. "I told you from the beginning: once we developed a medicine that could completely calm the human mind, the Holy Spirit Cult would give you our full support against Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect. But what about you? Have you actually put any serious thought into it?"
"..." Qiangu Dongfeng sighed and rubbed his aching brow. "In that case, I'll recruit a group of pharmacists at the Spirit Pagoda branch on the Heaven Dou Continent and have them work with you on the research. It's far from the Douluo Continent, so we won't have to worry about being exposed."
"That'll do. Seems your influence on the continent isn't as great as you claim, Brother Qiangu..."
"That's none of your concern!" Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes sharpened. "In exchange, tell your people to keep a low profile for the time being! Don't let anyone notice anything suspicious."
"Yes, yes, Brother Qiangu. Of course..."
The Ghost Emperor chuckled ingratiatingly.
"Hmph!"
Qiangu Dongfeng snorted, ended the call, then clenched his hand and crushed the Soul Guidance Communicator to pieces.
He was starting to wonder whether cooperating with the Holy Spirit Cult had been the right choice. But the arrow had already left the bow; at this point, there was no turning back.
"Shrek Academy..."
Qiangu Dongfeng paced over to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Even through the night, he could still see the dazzling golden light in the distance.
"Just you wait..."
"Beep—beep—"
"What the hell! If your father weren't so powerful, you wouldn't dare talk to me like that!"
Hearing the busy signal from the Soul Guidance Communicator, the Ghost Emperor angrily hurled it to the floor.
The specially made Soul Guidance Communicator spun across the ground before coming to rest at the feet of an armored figure.
He wore gray armor and a cape. His armor shimmered, reflecting a strange light. His features were exceptionally handsome and delicate, and his long black hair hung loose behind him, stark against his snow-white face.
"Ha Luosa? What brings you here?"
The Ghost Emperor was taken aback. He had been so furious that he hadn't noticed Ha Luosa arrive.
Ha Luosa didn't answer. Instead, he picked up the Soul Guidance Communicator. "Were you just talking to Qiangu Dongfeng?"
"Hmph. Qiangu Dongfeng's a sly old fox. Unless I show him something real, he won't let this go so easily."
"I told you long ago that Qiangu Dongfeng may be a Limit Douluo, but he's more like a businessman. We can work with him, but we must never rely on him." Gray mist billowed around Ha Luosa. A skeleton climbed out of the ground, took the Soul Guidance Communicator from his hand, and silently began tidying the room the Ghost Emperor had tossed into disarray.
Ha Luosa himself headed for the door. "Come on. Her Majesty the Demon Empress just woke up a little, and she wants to see you. We'll talk about the rest on the way."
The Ghost Emperor had no choice but to follow.
Though he had made it sound as if the Demon Empress was little more than a figurehead in the Holy Spirit Cult during his conversation with Qiangu Dongfeng—and that was indeed mostly true—he still held her in the utmost respect.
In the Holy Spirit Cult, strength always came first.
"What happened with Shi Qian was something you arranged on purpose, wasn't it? He had no idea we were working with the Spirit Pagoda."
Ha Luosa phrased it as a question, but his tone was certain.
The Ghost Emperor remained silent. His colleague seemed indifferent to everything, and was even taciturn, but he saw through a great many things.
In fact, only he, Ha Luosa, and the four Dark Heavenly Kings knew that the Holy Spirit Cult was working with the Spirit Pagoda. He hadn't even told the Demon Empress yet.
Shi Qian's attack on the Spirit Pagoda had, of course, been partly at his instruction. But most of it had been Shi Qian's own doing. The Ghost Emperor had merely given him a nudge from the shadows.
He had foreseen that it might end this way. No matter what happened, he wouldn't lose out.
"And that young lady? Where did you send her?" Ha Luosa suddenly asked.
"Her?" The Ghost Emperor paused. "I told her not to go near the military bases. With the vastness of the seas and lands in this world, she surely won't run into any danger."
Ha Luosa shook his head. The two of them made their way through the twisting underground palace, finally stopping before a vast pit.
"We're here. Let's go down."