The Newly Advanced Limit and the Possession Demon Detector (4,000 Words)
Upon hearing this, Hua Yichen gradually calmed down.
It wouldn't do to lose face in front of those old acquaintances.
Hua Yichen tidied his appearance, got ready, and quietly waited for the online meeting to begin.
When the time came, the seat beneath him transformed into Simulation pod similar to the one used in the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Seeing this, Luo Yanglu also withdrew in time and stood guard outside to prevent any urgent matters from disturbing the meeting or uninvited guests from barging in.
Hua Yichen leaned back in the cabin, an electronic voice ringing in his ears, "Identity verification—East Sea Spirit Pagoda Master, Carefree Douluo, Hua Yichen. Connecting to the temporary meeting space—please relax."
The next moment, a slight feeling of weightlessness and spatial displacement came over him, Hua Yichen was already sitting in a chair in a conference room.
Beneath my feet lies a smooth, mirror-like floor, imbued with soul-guiding array patterns, its texture incredibly realistic. All around me stand majestic pillars and towering domes, bathed in soft, bright light, and an indescribable, calming aura permeates the air.
A huge conference table is located in the center, with dozens of chairs on each side in addition to the head seat.
Because the matters to be discussed at this meeting are very important and there are a large number of participants, this virtual meeting room was used directly.
With the technology of the Spirit Pagoda, the conference room can naturally be made into a virtual space similar to the Spirit Ascension Platform. Such a conference room, in terms of both confidentiality and immersive participation, is far superior to ordinary soul guidance communication.
Hua Yichen had already attended many meetings. Facing the surrounding scene, his expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept over the numerous figures that appeared.
As one of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars, East Sea Spirit Pagoda's seat was located in the middle to front section. As soon as he logged in, he saw many familiar faces, as well as some newly appeared seats after the permission changes.
The most eye-catching seats were naturally those of the two newly appointed Spirit Envoy, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena. They were located closer to the core area than the ordinary seats, adjacent to the seats of the Tower Master and Deputy Pagoda Master.
At this moment, the seats representing Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena were lit up, and two familiar figures sat in them. Seeing Hua Yichen's gaze, the two smiled and nodded.
The higher-ups of the Spirit Pagoda who came online one after another all lingered on Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena for a moment, their eyes filled with complex emotions, including awe, curiosity, solemnity, and friendliness.
In a short period of time, he went from a promising young prodigy to someone comparable to mythical figures. This dramatic change in status made it difficult for many of the higher-ups of the Spirit Pagoda to adapt.
But for those who know some of Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena's background, it has no impact.
Although this was Huo Yuhao's first time participating in a high-level meeting of the Spirit Pagoda in this era, he recognized many of the people present.
Besides Snow Empress, Di Tian, and Hua Yichen, several Ferocious Beast were also listed, including Xiao Bai (Ice Bear King), Myriad Demon King, and Scarlet King.
Huo Yuhao's gaze met those familiar figures, among whom Xiao Bai was the most agitated.
Over the years, Huo Yuhao has maintained contact with many Ferocious Beast and has also spoken with Xiao Bai. However, since Xiaobai is guarding the Extreme North in place of Snow Empress, this face-to-face scene is the first time since Huo Yuhao's return.
However, due to the occasion, Xiao Bai refrained from saying anything inappropriate.
When the main Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda tower, the heads of various functional departments of the headquarters, and the core high-level members of the Spirit Pagoda, including the Spirit Envoy, were all present, Qian Gu Dong Feng had also taken his seat. He did not appear at the deadline, nor did he act like a big shot.
In official business, he is the Tower Master, but in private, he has to address many people as "senior." Everyone respects him as the Tower Master in official matters, so he naturally has to give them face as well and not get carried away. Otherwise, if someone Limit to challenge him in private, he'll be in trouble.
Moreover, the Spirit Pagoda is different from other forces in Douluo. There are quite a few people with prestige who can become Tower Master. For example, if Snow Empress Di Tian are recommended to become Tower Master, there will definitely be supporters.
It can be said that, apart from Su Tong and the first tower master, all subsequent tower masters of the Spirit Pagoda felt immense pressure. After all, becoming a tower master only means you have the ability, not that you are the most suitable, much less that you can do whatever you want.
This delicate power dynamic is one of the hidden cornerstones that has enabled the colossal Spirit Pagoda to maintain its relative internal balance and stand firm through Ten Thousand Years storms.
Before the meeting began, Qian Gu Dong Feng's gaze fell on Huo Yuhao and Gu Yuena, and he stood up and nodded to them.
"I apologize for not having had time to visit you both before. Today, taking advantage of this meeting, I would like to express my personal respect to you both, as well as the Spirit Pagoda's sincere welcome to these two deities."
As the Tower Master, it would normally be impossible for him to be the first to express his respect to the two newly appointed Spirit Envoy in an official setting, especially at such a high-level meeting of the Spirit Pagoda. But at this moment, no one felt it was inappropriate.
Those unaware of Huo Yuhao's and the other's true identities felt this was the respect due to a reincarnation of a god. Those who knew their identities considered it a matter of course, and some even felt that Qian Gu Dong Feng's gesture was insufficient.
Some people were trying not to laugh at this scene.
For example, Xiong Jun, and for example, the mermaid Yi Li Ya who has just awakened.
"The current head of the Spirit Pagoda welcomes the first head on behalf of the pagoda?"
In Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea, Li Ya's usually reserved expression broke down, and she couldn't help but smile.
"This scene is so interesting! Is this the kind of scene you usually see?"
"More or less." Tian Meng had become accustomed to such scenes and answered calmly, "This sense of temporal dislocation has caused quite a few laughs."
Upon hearing this, Li Ya's smile gradually faded as she watched Huo Yuhao respond to "Qian Gu Dong Feng" and the meeting begin; she appeared somewhat sullen.
"So why didn't Yuhao wake me up sooner?!"
Her spot was almost taken by that Immortal Herb!
The minor incident within the Spiritual Sea did not affect the progress of the external meeting.
Qian Gu Dong Feng looked at the empty seat and, facing everyone's gaze, said, "The first topic of this gathering is something you all know. As you can see, the Spirit Pagoda has also been invaded by Possession Demon!"
Many people had noticed that someone was missing, and upon hearing Qian Gu Dong Feng's words, their hearts sank.
Those present were all high-ranking members of the Spirit Pagoda who had been vetted and ruled out as possessed by Possession Demon. They knew some of the inside stories, but they never expected that one of their colleagues or friends would actually fall victim to Possession Demon.
Hua Yichen looked at the empty seat, his expression also unpleasant. That was the seat of Green Wood Douluo, Mu Qingfeng head of the "Soul Spirit Management Department" at headquarters!
Mu Qingfeng is a low-key and pragmatic person who is in charge of one of the core businesses of the Spirit Pagoda. He is responsible for the registration, allocation, tracking, contract status monitoring, and resource allocation of the branch's Soul Spirit. This position may not seem as cutting-edge as the research and development department, but it is directly related to the daily operation and stability of the Soul Spirit System and the vital interests of spirit masters. He also has access to a massive amount of data on the matching of spirit masters and Soul Spirit, so its importance is self-evident.
The damage caused to such a person, who was possessed by Possession Demon, is unimaginable.
However, given that the Possession Demon had already entered the continent, it was fortunate in a way that only one member of the Spirit Pagoda's high-ranking members was harmed. After all, Soul Masters below the Spirit Domain Realm are simply no match for the possession of Possession Demon.
"It seems the flow of Soul Spirit into the Star Luo Continent is indeed related to our internal affairs."
Hua Yichen thought to himself.
"Besides Green Wood Douluo, four other key personnel at headquarters were also harmed and are now all under surveillance."
The voice of Qian Gu Dong Feng was cold and hard as iron; every word he uttered was like Ice Cone striking the hearts of the attendees.
The methods Spirit Pagoda Headquarters to screen for Possession Demon are naturally not as simple and crude as Di Tian's examination of Ji Xuanqiu, where he simply threw the Life Crystal to someone else.
Previously, the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters allowed its personnel to come into contact with Life energy by recruiting volunteers for Life energy research and by leaking Life energy through experiments, thereby identifying Possession Demon.
Although Life energy can only protect one person from being Possession Demon and cannot save a possessed person, it can be used as a means of identification because Possession Demon extremely abhor Life energy.
After all, all native Douluo Continent people love Life energy, even those with Evil Martial Soul like Underworld King Douluo. Anyone who feels uncomfortable upon contact with Life energy naturally becomes a suspect.
It was precisely because of this characteristic that the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters was able to quickly complete the investigation without alerting the enemy or revealing that they had discovered the Possession Demon.
Snow Empress then spoke up, "The Federation Parliament, with the cooperation of the Divine Brush Douluo and the Dark Department, also conducted an investigation and discovered three members among the councilors."
She had been keeping an eye on those three people for a while, because they were all involved in the proposal to democratize Soul Spirit; she really made the right choice in catching them.
After a pause, Snow Empress continued, "However, the theft of the Eternal Heaven Kingdom involved many councilors. Those councilors disappeared before facing Federation trial. The Federation initially believed they fled to avoid punishment, but now they believe it's more likely that the Possession Demon changed its identity."
"So, in Mingdu, there are at least eight Possession Demon?"
Xiong Jun frowned and snorted coldly, "These guys seem to have been infiltrating Douluo Continent for some time now. The total number of Possession Demon doesn't exceed thirty-six; I'm afraid more than half of them are lurking throughout the Douluo Continent."
The Spirit Pagoda was one of the four major powers in the Douluo Continent before, and one of the three major powers now. The Possession Demon wouldn't ignore it, let alone the Federation.
There were probably others within Shrek before, but they withdrew beforehand after hearing that the Federation was going to target Shrek.
The crowd remained silent for a moment, silently receiving the information. Finally, an elder, one of the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars, asked first, "Now that the screening by headquarters and the council is complete, should we immediately begin investigating other branches, cities, and gathering places of Soul Beast?"
For other branches, only the Branch Pagoda Master and other key personnel have been identified; the middle-level managers and lower-level staff have not yet been investigated.
Besides the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars of the Spirit Pagoda, other potential infiltration targets include the Ming De Hall, the War God Temple, the Dark Department, the city governments and military districts of the Federation, and gathering places for Soul Beast. The Possession Demon's purpose is clearly to disrupt the stability of the continent and seize key intelligence and resources. Therefore, these hubs of power, strength, and resources are bound to be among its covetous targets. We cannot let our guard down just because the higher-ups seem to be alright.
But if the Spirit Pagoda's interior is one thing, but if other places are identified using Life energy, even if they don't have that much Life energy and energy, the Possession Demon will definitely notice something is wrong.
So the old man's question was essentially asking if headquarters had developed a more convenient method of identification.
Leng Yaozhu looked at the old man who had raised the question— Mind Image Douluo —and felt the faint aura emanating from him. Her expression turned solemn.
Spirit Domain Realm Divine Power ----
Has this Mind Image Douluo quietly advanced to the Limit? Even his Divine Power, enhanced by his Martial Soul, has directly reached the peak of the Spirit Domain Realm typically possessed only by Quasi-God.
As expected of the brain of the Body Martial Soul.
However—that's my Limit. I'm almost at that level myself. I'll go into seclusion after I've dealt with the Possession Demon.
Leng Yaozhu thought to herself.
Huo Yuhao also glanced at the Mind Image Douluo, a powerful figure who had appeared in the original novel.
In a conventional sense, this person is the most qualified to reach the Divine Origin Realm. It can only be said that the most formidable figures in the Dragon King's Legend are concentrated in the older generation. Unfortunately, the original Spirit Pagoda had a tragic ending, and this person didn't appear in many scenes.
Faced with the question about the Mind Image Douluo, Qian Gu Dong Feng looked at the head of the Soul Guidance Research Institute, who stood up and adjusted his glasses.
"Regarding how to find Possession Demon, thanks to the remnants of a one-time-use Divine Tool provided by the Snow Empress Pagoda Master and His Majesty Huo Yuhao, combined with our research on Life energy, we have achieved results and developed Possession Demon Detector."
"It can emit wave frequencies similar to Life energy, performing a broad-spectrum, low-intensity scan within a kilometer. Only Possession Demon will appear on the detector; normal Soul Masters and Soul Beast will not appear within the detector's warning range."
Hearing this, everyone felt relieved Fist Emperor Douluo, ranked among the Eighteen Heavenly Pillars, laughed and said, "Your Soul Guidance Research Institute has done a great service this time! With this detector, it will be much easier for us to screen those branch towers below. At least we have a clear direction and don't have to rely on intuition and background checks like headless flies anymore."
The Fist Emperor Douluo was a burly old man with a booming voice and a straightforward personality. At this moment, his face was full of smiles, clearly very satisfied with the appearance of the detector.
"You flatter me. Without research subjects, it would be difficult for us to produce results so quickly."
The head of the Soul Guidance Research Institute shook his head, glanced at Snow Empress and Huo Yuhao, and did not take credit.
Without research material, many things can only exist in theory.
"Now that we have the detector, we don't need to worry about not finding the Possession Demon."
The Soul Suppressing Douluo frowned and said, "But after finding all the Possession Demon, what should we do with the people who are possessed? Should we kill them with Divine Tool?"
The Fist Emperor Douluo had initially shown joy, seemed to have been doused with cold water, and his mood was not very good.
The Mind Image Douluo also sighed softly.
Among those possessed, some were their colleagues, and some were their friends. Because the Possession Demon were forced to betray them and they had to deal with them, they were naturally in a bad mood.
However, without exception, all those who have been possessed throughout history have been treated as dead; there has never been a case of them being saved.
Just as they were thinking this, Huo Yuhao, who had been silent all along, spoke up with a smile, "Leave it to me. I'm confident I can free the soul of the person who's been possessed."
These words were like a torch suddenly lit in the darkness, instantly dispelling the gloom that filled the conference room. Everyone's eyes were focused on Huo Yuhao, and many of them were filled with disbelief and surprise.
Can a person who is possessed really be saved?
The Mind Image Douluo's eyes lit up slightly.
That's right, finding and killing Possession Demon is already difficult for them, but with gods around, perhaps they can ask for more!