Dark Currents

Sun Moon Empire, underground palace of the Evil Demon Forest, Holy Spirit Cult headquarters.

The walls of the secret chamber were built entirely from black jade. The soul-tool lamps had been dimmed to their lowest setting, barely illuminating the outlines of human figures.

The air carried an indescribable scent of decay, like an old cotton quilt left too long in a damp corner. It was nauseating.

Zhongli Wu stood in the secret chamber, his gray-white hair draped over his shoulders. The wrinkles on his face ran as deep as knife-carved ravines. His eyes were half-lidded and so murky that no emotion could be seen within them.

He held an intelligence report that had just arrived, sent by Xu Tianran, the crown prince of the Sun Moon Empire.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open without a sound.

A figure in a dark purple robe entered, her steps so light that she made almost no noise.

The newcomer was Ye Xishui, the Holy Spirit Cult's Supreme Elder.

She was wrapped in a voluminous dark red cloak. Beneath it, her features were exquisite and sharply defined, her brows and eyes bewitching and profound. Her eyes usually held a dark crimson tint, but when enraged, her pupils turned completely blood-red, the baleful aura of a sea of blood churning in their depths. Yet one could still see the foundation of the beauty that had once toppled cities and kingdoms. Time had settled into a cold, stunning elegance between her brows. Her hair, however, had turned completely white. Silver strands fell to her waist, framing her expressionless face and making her resemble an ice sculpture of peerless beauty.

She sat across from Zhongli Wu without asking what the report said, as though she already knew.

"Mother, a Soul Beast embryo appeared at an auction in the Star Luo Empire," Zhongli Wu reported respectfully. His voice was hoarse, as though scraped by sandpaper. "Yan Jingzhe of Shrek bought it. Does the Holy Spirit Cult need to make a move?"

Ye Xishui's brows twitched slightly. The motion was tiny, but it had indeed happened. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "That newly advanced Limit Douluo?"

"Yes, him." Zhongli Wu tapped the table twice with his fingers. "According to intelligence, he brought Shrek's competing team to the tournament and bought the item at the auction while he was there. Three hundred million Gold Soul Coins, without even blinking."

Ye Xishui lifted the cup of tea on the table and took a sip without responding. "Yan Jingzhe. Light Phoenix. Heh, not bad."

"It is not a good thing for us that the embryo has fallen into Shrek's hands," Zhongli Wu continued. "If they truly manage to fully study that thing, especially if it ends up in the hands of someone like Yan Jingzhe..."

"You're worried he'll use it on himself?"

"Yes." Zhongli Wu's voice deepened. "One Limit Douluo is troublesome enough. If he truly succeeds in obtaining a second Martial Soul, then even if you and Uncle Long joined forces, defeating him in a short time would likely be impossible."

Ye Xishui set down her teacup and asked, "So what do you intend to do?"

"Send someone to probe his capabilities," Zhongli Wu said. "No direct confrontation, no revealing our identity. Just test his true strength. He has not truly fought since advancing to Limit Douluo, and the Holy Spirit Cult's understanding of him is still based on intelligence from when he was Rank 98."

"Who do you want to send?"

"Uncle Long."

Ye Xishui's gaze shifted slightly. Long Xiaoyao, the Holy Spirit Cult's chief worshiper, a Rank 99 Limit Douluo whose Martial Soul was the Dark Sacred Dragon.

She fell silent for a while before nodding. "Fine. But he cannot act in the name of the Holy Spirit Cult. It is not yet time for the Holy Spirit Cult to emerge into the open."

"Of course," Zhongli Wu said. "Let Uncle Long test the strength of Yan Jingzhe, this newly advanced Limit Douluo. There is no need to linger in battle. Given our current situation, it would not be wise to expose too much in public."

"Mhm. And what about the embryo?" Ye Xishui asked flatly.

"Let's wait and see." Zhongli Wu leaned back in his chair, his gaze falling into the darkness of the secret chamber. "Once Uncle Long has tested Yan Jingzhe's true capabilities, we can decide our next step. If he is weaker than expected, a fake Limit Douluo, then we will directly storm Shrek and seize the item. If he is stronger than expected..."

He did not finish, but Ye Xishui already understood.

If he was stronger than expected, they would play a different game.

Ye Xishui rose and headed for the door. After taking two steps, she stopped. Without turning back, she merely tilted her face to the side. "I'll speak to Long Xiaoyao."

"Mhm, thank you, Mother," Zhongli Wu replied. He said nothing more.

The door closed silently. The secret chamber returned to its decaying silence, with only the dim yellow light of the soul-tool lamps continuing to flicker.

At the same time, within the Heaven Soul Empire.

The Body Sect's main hall.

Nine people sat in the hall.

In the seat of honor sat a burly middle-aged man with thick brows, broad eyes, and a short beard around his jaw. His shoulders were as broad as door panels. He wore a dark gray short jacket with its sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing arms covered in knotted muscle.

To his right sat a lean, tall old man. His hair was streaked with gray, but he was full of vigor, and his eyes shone sharply. The others were somewhat younger, but the fluctuations of their soul power had all firmly reached the level of newly advanced Titled Douluo.

The burly middle-aged man was the Body Sect's leader—Du Bushi, a Rank 98 Titled Douluo.

"You've all heard the news?" Du Bushi spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried immense authority. "The embryo that served as the grand finale at the Starlight Auction was bought by Yan Jingzhe of Shrek for three hundred million Gold Soul Coins."

The lean, tall elder nodded. "I heard. That thing should have been one of our targets, but someone bought it first."

"It is not just the embryo." Du Bushi raised two fingers. "During this tournament, we also discovered a member of our Body Sect family—Huo Yuhao."

When he spoke the three words "Huo Yuhao," a trace of something else entered his tone.

"That little fellow with the Spirit Eyes Martial Soul?" the First Elder, Jin Peng, asked.

"That's right, him." Du Bushi leaned back in his chair. "And he has twin Martial Souls. His first Martial Soul is Spirit Eyes, and his second is the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion. His potential is extraordinary."

Jin Peng fell silent for a moment. "You want to bring him into the Body Sect? But will Shrek let him go?"

Du Bushi smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in that smile. "Whether they let him go or not, we must make the Body Sect's stance clear. Besides, that newly advanced Limit Douluo may have only been pushed up by some fortunate encounter. His foundation might not be solid. If we can take that boy and the embryo from his hands, this deal will be a huge profit."

Du Bushi paused, his gaze sweeping across those present. "Who wants to give it a try?"

The First Elder, Jin Peng, pondered briefly. "I'll go. Unless I am absolutely certain, I will not act."

Du Bushi glanced at him and nodded. "Fine. Mind your limits. Don't lose your head easily."

"Rest assured." Jin Peng rose to his feet and rolled his wrists. "I know what I'm doing."

Two undercurrents from different directions were converging on the same target. The Holy Spirit Cult and the Body Sect—one bearing killing intent, the other driven by covetousness—each dispatched people toward the Star Luo Empire.