Holy Spirit Cult! Spirit Pagoda!

In the years that followed, Meng Xinghe disguised himself as an elderly Soul Master and traveled through the human world, awakening Martial Souls for the children of commoners free of charge. In secret, he also supported a Soul Master organization—the Holy Spirit Cult.

This Holy Spirit Cult was not that Holy Spirit Cult. It was not a refuge for evil Soul Masters.

Of course, in this era, there was not yet a term for evil Soul Masters. They should have been called Fallen Ones.

This was a Holy Spirit Cult in the truest sense. Only Soul Masters with sacred or light attributes could join it.

Its purpose for existing was singular: to awaken Martial Souls for the children of commoners free of charge.

This act earned the Holy Spirit Cult immense prestige among the people, but it also drew the displeasure of certain factions. Under the banner of preventing Spirit Hall from rising from the ashes, they sought to destroy the Holy Spirit Cult.

Seeing this, Meng Xinghe acted as the Holy Spirit Cult's mysterious founder and forcefully killed the leaders of those factions. There were even Titled Douluo among them.

Nor was he afraid of exposing his identity as a Soul Beast.

Qian Renxue had been able to see through his identity partly because she had once been a god, and partly because he had not deliberately concealed his Soul Beast aura.

After this display of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, no one dared set their sights on the Holy Spirit Cult again. They could only watch as it continued to grow stronger.

As time passed, the Holy Spirit Cult's influence in the Soul Master world grew ever greater, until it was even comparable to the two mighty powers at the height of their glory: Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.

Yet in the hearts of the continent's common people, the Holy Spirit Cult's prestige far surpassed that of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect.

Without the Holy Spirit Cult, they would not even have known what a Martial Soul was. How could they speak of Soul Master Academies or Soul Master organizations?

Soon, six thousand years passed.

The collision between Douluo Continent and Sun-Moon Continent arrived as scheduled.

Shrek Academy joined forces with the Soul Masters and armies of the three great empires—Star Luo, Heavenly Soul, and Dou Ling—and defeated the Sun Moon Empire, forcing it to cede territory, pay reparations, and sign a series of humiliating unequal treaties.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Holy Spirit Cult expanded its influence into the Sun Moon Empire.

Of the three great powers, only the Tang Sect declined due to the rise of Soul Tools. Countless Tang Sect disciples chose to leave the sect, and Meng Xinghe seized this opportunity to obtain and study the Tang Sect's secret arts from several elders who had left it.

In the blink of an eye, another four thousand years passed, and the Son of Destiny, Huo Yuhao, was born in the White Tiger Duke's Estate.

The era remained the same, but the continent's landscape had undergone earth-shaking changes because of the Holy Spirit Cult's emergence.

Evil Soul Masters still existed, and they had also established an organization called the Holy Spirit Cult.

However, that was merely what they called themselves. With the orthodox Holy Spirit Cult already setting the standard, the evil Soul Masters' Holy Spirit Cult was known to the world as the Wild Holy Spirit Cult—an illegitimate organization that used the Holy Spirit Cult's name to swindle people.

After all, every true member of the Holy Spirit Cult was a Soul Master with a sacred or light attribute. To prove oneself a clergyman of the Holy Spirit Cult, one first had to be a Soul Master, and second, possess a sacred or light attribute.

Of the former three great powers, the Tang Sect had completely declined. It was even destroyed by an obscure little sect.

The Body Sect rose abruptly to prominence, replacing the Tang Sect. Together with the Holy Spirit Cult and Shrek Academy, it was known as one of the three great powers of the Soul Master world in the former three nations of Douluo.

Yet in this era, Shrek Academy seemed utterly out of place among the three great powers.

Because Shrek Academy's strongest expert—the current master of Sea God's Pavilion, Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi—was merely a Rank 98 Titled Douluo.

Meanwhile, Du Busi's elder brother, Du Bisi, had not only survived but had gone a step further, breaking through to become a Limit Douluo.

As for the Holy Spirit Cult, it had two Limit Douluo:

Director of the Inquisition: Dragon God Douluo Mu En;

Chairwoman of the Cardinal Council: Minghuang Douluo Ye Xishui.

Furthermore, Ye Xishui's husband, Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao, was also a Limit Douluo. However, because he was not a Soul Master with a sacred or light attribute, he was not a clergyman of the Holy Spirit Cult.

The current Holy Spirit Cult Pope was Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui's great-grandson, Long Shaozhe—the original Yan Shaozhe. He was also Mu En's direct disciple, possessed the Light Phoenix Martial Soul, and was a Rank 98 Titled Douluo.

Eleven years later, eleven-year-old Huo Yuhao broke through to Rank 10 Soul Warrior. He quietly left the White Tiger Duke's Estate and obtained the greatest opportunity of his life in the Star Dou Great Forest—the million-year Soul Beast, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

At the same time, Meng Xinghe successfully intercepted another of Huo Yuhao's opportunities—the Holy Necromancer Electrolux.

Without Bei Bei, Tang Ya lacked the ability to enter the Star Dou Great Forest and hunt Soul Beasts. Thus, Huo Yuhao did not join the Tang Sect or Shrek Academy, instead becoming an independent cultivator.

During the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, Meng Xinghe mingled among the Holy Spirit Cult members and personally witnessed from the spectator stands the collapse of the undefeated myth. The invincible Shrek Academy fell in the quarterfinals.

It was said that when Xuan Zi, who remained at Shrek Academy, learned of this, he flew into a furious rage. It was terrifying...

In the Far North, Sky Dream Ice Silkworm desperately released his aura but still failed to draw Ice Empress out. Left with no choice, he hunted an ordinary Ice Jade Scorpion, allowing Huo Yuhao's second Martial Soul to take shape.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, Huo Yuhao did not encounter the Emperor Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Instead, through a "fortunate coincidence," he obtained a mysterious inheritance.

Years later, Huo Yuhao, now the Spirit Ice Douluo, founded the Spirit Pagoda with the mysterious inheritance he had obtained back then. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit Cult, he "persuaded" the various Soul Beast habitats to participate in the Spirit Soul Project.

"Yuhao, are you all right? I feel like you've become a different person lately."

Tang Wutong blinked as she looked at the "lover" before her.

"I'm fine, Dong'er. It's just that after inheriting the Divine Position, I'll ascend to the God Realm to meet my father-in-law. I'm a little nervous, that's all."

Huo Yuhao looked at the "lover" before him, as though trying to discern something.

Hearing that, Tang Wutong frowned. "Don't call me Dong'er. I've told you, that's my alias. My real name is Tang Wutong."

She did not see that, the moment she said those words, the final trace of hope buried deep within Huo Yuhao's eyes was completely extinguished.

"Mm." Huo Yuhao nodded. "There can be no mistakes in inheriting the Divine Position. I need to adjust myself to my best condition, and that will take some time. You should return to the God Realm first. Once I inherit the Divine Position, I'll go up and find you."

Tang Wutong raised her brows, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure:

"Fine, then. I'll return to the God Realm and find my father first. Don't make my father and me wait too long."

With that, she did not wait for Huo Yuhao's reply. She used the Sea God's divine sense within her body to instantly return to the God Realm, as though if she lingered for even one more second, she would never see her father again.

Seeing such a touching display of father-daughter affection, Huo Yuhao was deeply moved—so moved that he nearly threw up last night's meal.

After returning to his cultivation room, Huo Yuhao carefully took out the mysterious inheritance he had obtained years ago and turned to its final page. It recorded an extremely dangerous secret technique, but he had no other choice.

"I'm the Son of Destiny. Heaven will bless me with success, right?"

"But if I had a choice, I'd rather never have been the Son of Destiny!"

Huo Yuhao's heart was filled with grief, but he quickly composed himself and began cultivating the secret technique. This would be his only hope of turning the tables from the brink of despair.

Far North.

A tall man walked against the wind and snow into the core region of the Far North, known as the "Forbidden Zone of Life."

"I came as agreed. You can return the Auspicious Beast to our Star Dou Great Forest now, can't you?"

The tall man who spoke was Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, leader of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts of the Continent, with 890,000 years of cultivation.

As he spoke, his gaze toward the man and woman before him was filled with wariness.

Humans only knew that he, Di Tian, was the continent's number one fierce beast. But who could have imagined that Snow Empress, ranked third, had encountered some unknown opportunity? Not only had her cultivation advanced greatly, but she had also successfully condensed a Yin-Yang Complementary Dual Soul Core. Even he feared her strength.

The woman among the pair was Snow Empress. Like her, the man was also a humanoid Soul Beast. His exact cultivation was unknown, but when they had fought before, Di Tian had lost to him in only three moves. He could only watch helplessly as the other man took away the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

Fortunately, the other party had left behind a promise. Once the time was right, he would return the Emperor Auspicious Beast to the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Since you're here, sit for a while. The Auspicious Beast is probably playing in the snow with Little White Bear right now. I've already sent Ice Empress to call her over. She'll be here soon."

Meng Xinghe smiled as he invited Di Tian to sit. An ice-crystal chair appeared out of thin air behind Di Tian.

He was the one who had gone to the Star Dou Great Forest, defeated the fierce beasts led by Di Tian, and then taken away the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

If the Emperor Auspicious Beast lived in the core region of the Far North, she would not encounter Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er, nor would she be trapped in Tang San's scheme. The Soul Beast destiny carried by the Emperor Auspicious Beast would likewise not be intercepted by Tang San.

Now that both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er had ascended to the God Realm, Meng Xinghe sent a Soul Beast to inform Di Tian that he could come to the Far North and take the Emperor Auspicious Beast back to live in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Di Tian sat down without ceremony.

The Emperor Auspicious Beast carried the destiny of the Soul Beast race. Not only could she accelerate the growth of Soul Beasts, but she could also help fierce beasts survive their Heavenly Tribulations.

Thus, he was not worried that the other party would harm the Emperor Auspicious Beast.

As if recalling something, Di Tian looked at Meng Xinghe while they waited and asked, "What do you think of the Soul Spirit Method?"

"The Soul Spirit Method is good, but it cannot fundamentally resolve the predicament of the Soul Beast race."

Seeing Di Tian bring up the subject, Meng Xinghe spoke bluntly:

"Leaving aside Soul Beasts below one hundred thousand years, the Heavenly Tribulations faced by Soul Beasts over one hundred thousand years are a problem the Soul Spirit Method cannot solve."

"The Soul Spirit Method's greatest purpose is not to help Soul Beasts, but to help Soul Masters. It prevents Soul Beasts from going extinct, so that after Soul Masters lose their source of soul rings, the profession of Soul Master will not vanish from history alongside the Soul Beasts."

"Of course, I do not deny that the Soul Spirit Method helps the Soul Beast race continue. However, it ultimately treats the symptoms rather than the root cause and cannot change the essence of Soul Beasts serving Soul Masters."

The smile vanished from Di Tian's face.

How could he not know all this? It was simply that under the current circumstances, reproduction and survival were the most urgent issues the Soul Beast race needed to solve.

As long as they lived, anything was possible. Once they died, there was nothing left.

The Soul Spirit Method truly could not cure the Soul Beast race's predicament at its root, but it was indeed the only viable solution currently capable of addressing the problem of their reproduction and survival.

"As for that..."

Seeing that Meng Xinghe had not finished speaking, Di Tian calmed himself and listened attentively.

"I have a plan. I wonder whether you are willing to represent the Star Dou Great Forest and join..."