The night passed in the blink of an eye, and before long, dawn had arrived.
Ning Yao rose early, as usual.
He had stopped paying attention to the Divine Realm the night before.
After all, the seed needed a little time to sprout. They would have to wait.
As for exactly how long it would take, when the time came, the Rakshasa God would naturally come knocking.
"Starting today, you two don't need to wait for me to return to Pope Hall."
After breakfast, Ning Yao called Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo over.
At first, when the two were summoned by Ning Yao, they thought he had something to assign them. They were glad he was finally willing to put them to use, but then they heard him say this.
They both froze, frantically trying to recall whether they had done anything wrong lately.
"Is Your Excellency dissatisfied with how Yu Xiaogang was dealt with?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo ventured to speak, his eyes fixed on Ning Yao as he considered what to do.
But Ning Yao merely shook his head.
"You two don't need to overthink it. I really am grateful for your care these past two days."
"I simply have some personal matters to take care of."
As he spoke, Ning Yao glanced at the two of them.
"As pillars of Spirit Hall, have you heard what's been happening in the Star Dou Great Forest lately?"
At his words, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, who had been racking their brains, both froze.
They exchanged a glance.
"Are you referring to the Soul Beast in the Mixed Zone?"
As the duo who worked hand in glove, they naturally knew what even the merchants outside had heard—and knew far more than those merchants.
"Are you talking about the Hundred-Thousand-Year Plant Type Soul Beast with the Life Attribute?"
Ghost Douluo asked gravely.
Ning Yao nodded.
"Looks like you know about it. That's the one."
"To be frank, that Soul Beast has something to do with me. I need to go and deal with it."
At this, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo fell silent.
In truth, when they had first heard the words "Life Attribute," they had thought of Ning Yao, but quickly dismissed the idea.
After all, Ning Yao was human. How could he have anything to do with a Soul Beast?
But now, to their surprise, Ning Yao had confessed it to them outright.
"Your Excellency, I'm afraid now isn't the best time to go."
Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke hesitantly.
"You may not know this, but because it's rooted in the Mixed Zone, many Soul Masters who went to hunt for Soul Rings have seen it. Its existence is no longer a secret."
"That includes Spirit Hall, as well as the major families and sects."
Ning Yao listened and nodded, but didn't speak. Instead, he motioned for Chrysanthemum Douluo to continue.
"Word within our ranks is that Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has taken the lead. Several Titled Douluo are already willing to clear away that Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast rooted in the Mixed Zone, which has been blocking countless Soul Masters."
The more Chrysanthemum Douluo said, the darker his expression grew.
This kind of thing should have been led by Spirit Hall. They should have played the heroes and further burnished their image among common Soul Masters.
But the news had come suddenly, and their Pope, Bibi Dong, was currently in seclusion and unable to oversee major affairs. So Ning Fengzhi had seized the opportunity, having caught the scent of a prize.
Ning Yao listened the whole time.
Yet his expression barely changed.
Clear it away?
If there were enough Titled Douluo, and their ranks were high enough, they could indeed defeat that Withered Wood.
But "clear it away" was pure nonsense.
That was something he had personally blessed.
Even if it could be defeated, no one on this continent could kill it.
The power of Abundance had granted it the trait of immortality.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have planned to make the trip to the Star Dou Great Forest himself.
But he wouldn't explain all that to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Ning Yao shook his head gently and smiled at them.
"Thank you for the information, but don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing that Ning Yao still seemed set on going, Chrysanthemum Douluo fell silent for two seconds before looking up again.
He gazed at Ning Yao with a complicated expression.
"Is Your Excellency going to help them hunt down that Soul Beast?"
Ning Yao shook his head.
"My trip has nothing to do with anyone else. I'm not going to help either side."
"I'm simply going to resolve a problem I caused. That's all."
"All right, there's no need to try to talk me out of it. Don't come looking for me for a while. I'll be on my way."
Before his words had even faded, Ning Yao vanished from where he stood, leaving only his voice echoing through the hall.
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at the now-empty hall and gave a wry smile.
He had actually been about to suggest that Spirit Hall could organize a team to follow Ning Yao and suppress that Soul Beast.
But now, it seemed that Lord Abundance had no need of them.
Once again, Chrysanthemum Douluo felt a deep sense of helplessness and defeat.
In Ning Yao's eyes, perhaps these imposing figures were nothing but weaklings who could only get in the way.
"Old Ghost, do you think Lord Abundance will deal with that Soul Beast before Ning Fengzhi and the others?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Ghost Douluo.
Lately, he and his partner had been talking more.
After coming back to life, Ghost Douluo had grown noticeably more cheerful and talkative.
But when he heard Chrysanthemum Douluo's question, Ghost Douluo didn't answer.
Instead, he fell silent and pondered for a long while.
"I think he can. This lord's strength is probably far beyond what we can imagine."
There was something Ghost Douluo had never told Chrysanthemum Douluo.
He felt as if he had become much stronger, and not only that—his Martial Soul seemed to have evolved again.
Still, it would probably take some time before the evolution was complete.
Yet even this early sign of change had already raised his cultivation by a large margin, bringing him to the very brink of a breakthrough.
All of this had made him realize one thing.
They had probably misunderstood Lord Abundance from the very beginning.
This lord was definitely more than just a Level 95 healing-type Titled Douluo.
Hearing Ghost Douluo say this, Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't respond. He only stared thoughtfully at the doors of Pope Hall for a while.
"Forget it. We'll discuss this again once the Pope comes out of seclusion."
"Since the lord has already given his instructions, there's no need for us to go making ourselves useful."
Ghost Douluo nodded beside him, agreeing with Chrysanthemum Douluo.
The two chatted back and forth, while elsewhere, Ning Yao had already traveled far from Spirit City.
Since he didn't have much time this time, he didn't take a carriage. He flew straight toward the Star Dou Great Forest instead.
That Withered Wood was no ordinary person's problem to handle.
At least for now, he didn't want to see a group of Titled Douluo die and the entire continent grind to a halt.
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