Having regained her composure, Qian Renxue donned her sacred palace attire once more. Although a hint of allure lingered in her eyes, her demeanor had transformed back into that of the aloof and supreme Angel God King.
"I heard the show over there has reached its climax."
Returning to Douluo Star, the atmosphere here is noticeably more tense than it was ten years ago.
Above Heaven Dou City, although soul-guided flying vehicles still shuttle back and forth, the ubiquitous holographic projection advertisements have been replaced by the federal government's "emergency martial law order" and high bounties for " Tang Sect remnants" and "heretic Huo Yuhao ".
Xuan Ming and Qian Renxue concealed themselves and strolled along a somewhat desolate street.
"Looks like that kid's made quite a stir these past ten years."
Xuan Ming looked at a wanted poster torn in half by the roadside. Although Huo Yuhao's portrait on it looked a little immature, the determination in his eyes was impressive. "Ten years ago, he was just a little mouse being chased everywhere. Now, he can actually make the Federation so wary of him?"
"It's more than just fear."
Qian Renxue chuckled, her tone tinged with admiration, " Huo Yuhao truly Child of Fortune as the chosen one. In these ten years, with the matchmaking of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and the tutelage of a powerful necromancer from another dimension, his growth has been nothing short of meteoric."
"He has now reached the level of Level 99 Limit Douluo. Moreover, his Divine Power is terrifying, and he has even touched the threshold of Divine Origin."
"But..."
Qian Renxue changed the subject, " The Douluo Federation is no pushover either. After all, it's a plane that's close to God Star, and its foundation is there. Those Demigod Level old monsters hiding behind the Federation and the Church, although nearing their end, are still not to be underestimated in terms of combat power."
"Although Huo Yuhao has become Limit Douluo, he still can't beat those old guys who have already stepped into the God Level in a head-on confrontation."
"But what's clever about this kid is that he doesn't try to out-brute force those old monsters."
"His talent in Soul Tool and Battle Armor technology is simply genius. He combined the knowledge of that otherworldly necromancer and created a unique combat system of his own. Even if he can't beat those Demigod, he can run away, and he can even turn the tables on them."
"Now, he has raised the banner of the Spirit Pagoda, gathered a group of like-minded young Soul Master and Soul Beast who do not want to die, and even... some of your old acquaintances."
"An old acquaintance?" Xuan Ming frowned slightly. "Didn't I order those old guys from the Angel Temple and Sea God Island to stay out of this? Ning Fengzhi and the others dare to disobey my orders?"
"Of course not them."
Qian Renxue shook her head. "It's someone else's legacy. That thing is called the Tang Sect."
" Tang Sect?"
Upon hearing these two words, Xuan Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. " Tang San?"
That was a name from a long time ago. So long ago that if Qian Renxue hadn't mentioned it, he would have almost forgotten the original protagonist.
"That's right."
Qian Renxue explained, "Back then, for Tang Yuehua's sake, you granted a general amnesty, sparing those people from the Clear Sky Sect."
"That old bastard Xu Hong finally softened. After all, Tang San and his granddaughter already had a child. So after the Douluo Federation was established, Xu Hong brought Tang San back to the Sun Moon Imperial Family."
"Under Bai Chenxiang's mediation, the Strength Clan, who possessed forging skills, and the Clear Sky Sect's Soul Master, who had mastered the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, began to transform. They abandoned traditional cold weapons and Hidden Weapon weapons, and instead turned to the combined development of Soul Tool and Hidden Weapon."
"At the time, this was an extremely forward-thinking decision."
"Ten thousand years ago, with the strong support of Xu Hong and the Sun Moon Imperial Family, Tang San founded the Tang Sect. The core technology of the earliest God-Slaying God Level Fixed-Installation Soul Cannon in the Douluo Federation came from the Tang Sect. At that time, the Tang Sect was a guest of honor of the Federation and an absolute authority in the field of weapons research and development."
At this point, Qian Renxue sighed, somewhat wistfully.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long.
"Five thousand years ago, with the retirement of Ning Fengzhi and Bai Chenxiang, the Tang Sect lost its greatest political backer. And the core technologies they possessed were the envy of everyone."
"Later, the federal high command, citing the malicious development of weapons of mass destruction and threats to federal security, began to relentlessly suppress the Tang Sect. They wanted to seize the Tang Sect's technology, but were unwilling to give the Tang Sect the status it deserved."
"After thousands of years of being slowly boiled like a frog in lukewarm water, the Tang Sect of today has long lost its former glory. Even its lineage is nearly severed, leaving only a handful of members, clinging to life in dark corners."
"Until Huo Yuhao appeared."
"I don't know how this kid got involved with the current leader of the Tang Sect Clan. Two people who were both driven to the brink by the Federation hit it off immediately."
"They combined Huo Yuhao's Soul Spirit System, Necromancy, and the Tang Sect Sect's top-secret blueprints to develop a very interesting and powerful weapon."
Chapter 516 Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus
"What is that?" Xuan Ming asked, intrigued.
If Qian Renxue calls it a "powerful weapon," then it's definitely not an ordinary thing.
"Called Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus."
Qian Renxue slowly uttered four words.
" Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus?" Xuan Ming was taken aback. "That Hidden Weapon Tang San used back then?"
"No."
Qian Renxue shook her head, "It's just borrowing a name. That's not Hidden Weapon, but an extremely terrifying Soul Tool."
"Some time ago, Huo Yuhao was besieged by the Federation, the Angel God Church, and the Sea God Church. The other side dispatched five Limit Douluo, dozens of Titled Douluo, and even brought a Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon, clearly intending to blast him into dust."
"As a result, in that battle, Huo Yuhao, with a cultivation level of ninety-seven, gathered the full power of his seven Soul Spirit and forcibly activated the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus."
"The power that erupted in that instant... how can I describe it?"
"It tore apart the space within a hundred miles. That red, lotus-shaped energy wave not only destroyed the physical body, but also annihilated the soul."
"Those five Limit Douluo didn't even have time to scream before they vaporized on the spot. The remaining dozens of Titled Douluo on the outer perimeter were either dead or crippled."
"That battle truly hurt the Federation, and it instilled fear in them."
"According to my assessment, that thing is powerful enough to instantly kill an ordinary Divine Officer. Even Third-Class Deity, if carelessly hit head-on, would be severely injured, if not killed."
"Mortals possess the power to slay gods."
Qian Renxue looked at Xuan Ming, "This is Huo Yuhao's trump card right now. It's also the reason he dares to challenge the whole world."
Xuan Ming listened and remained silent for a moment.
"That's interesting."
"It seems this kid is even more promising than I imagined. He's managed to fuse technology, magic, and Soul Power to such an extent."
"But..."
Xuan Ming looked at the still heavily guarded Federation Parliament building in the distance. "Having powerful weapons is useless. Weapons can only deter, not govern."
"If his only goal is to become a terrorist, then this Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus is his death warrant. The Federation will stop at nothing to eliminate this threat, even if it means destroying half the continent."
"But if he wants to establish a new order..."
"Then he needs to understand when to use his fists and when... to use his brain."
Let's go.
Xuan Ming took Qian Renxue's hand, and his figure gradually disappeared into the void.
"Let's go see the Tang Sect, and also meet that... Tang Sect that our great hero Huo would risk going against the world to protect."
"By the way, I also want to see if the little bit of incense left behind by Tang San back then can still ignite a prairie fire."
The space rippled gently, like the surface of a lake to which a pebble has been thrown.
In the next instant, Xuan Ming and Qian Renxue had already crossed countless mountains and rivers, arriving from the highly developed Heaven Dou Province to this desolate continent located on the other side of Douluo Star.
Unlike the Douluo Continent, where land is incredibly valuable, and the Sun Moon Continent, which is highly industrialized, this new continent, discovered only a few thousand years ago, is still largely covered by primeval forests and towering mountains.
The air was less filled with the smell of engine oil from the operation of the soul-guided machinery, and more with the fresh scent of earth and grass.
"Is this the place?"
Qian Renxue hovered in mid-air, looking down at the cluster of buildings hidden among the mountains below. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. "This place... why does it look like an antique?"
As far as the eye can see, there are no towering metal buildings, no dazzling neon lights, and no flying soul-guided vehicles.
Yes, there are, but they are just blue bricks and black tiles, with upturned eaves and corners.
The winding bluestone path connects the quaint courtyards, wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, and the distant sounds of blacksmithing and the synchronized shouts of young men practicing their skills can be faintly heard.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Qian Renxue would have thought she had traveled through time and returned to the old era ten thousand years ago, when there were no Soul Tool and only pure Martial Soul.
" The Tang Sect... is quite interesting."
Xuan Ming's gaze was calm, and his Divine Consciousness spread out like mercury, instantly enveloping the entire Tang Sect's territory and even the entire continent.
In his perception, beneath the seemingly calm and peaceful ancient architectural complex, undercurrents were actually surging.
Countless intricate underground fortifications, defensive arrays, and soul-guided defense towers, though outwardly retro in appearance, are intricately designed at their core, all cleverly hidden among the mountains and rivers.
This is a war fortress draped in the cloak of an old era.
"Are they being nostalgic?" Qian Renxue was puzzled. "Why not use perfectly good advanced technology instead of making it look like it's from ten thousand years ago? Is it to commemorate Tang San?"
"Perhaps it's a commemoration, or perhaps... it's a disguise."
Xuan Ming said calmly, "In this era where Soul Guidance Technology reigns supreme, the more primitive and backward something appears, the more easily it is overlooked by the arrogant Federation people. Who would have thought that the world-shaking god-slaying weapon was actually created in this remote mountain forest where there are hardly any electric lights?"
As he spoke, Xuan Ming took Qian Renxue's hand, and his figure slowly descended, landing on a thousand-year-old tree outside the Tang Sect's base.
Through the dense foliage, they could clearly see what was happening on the training ground.
There, hundreds of the Tang Sect disciples dressed in tight-fitting clothes were training. The weapons in their hands were varied, including the traditional Godly Zhuge Crossbow and modified Soul Guidance Ray Gun.
In the very center of the training ground, a young man in a wheelchair was bending down, adjusting a delicate metal sphere in his hand.
The young man had delicate features, yet he exuded a sense of vicissitude and fortitude that belied his age.
It was Huo Yuhao.
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes. "You seem quite composed. Despite being wanted worldwide, you can still calmly conduct your research here."
He had to keep his composure.
Xuan Ming's lips curled into a playful smile, his gaze piercing through the metal ball in Huo Yuhao's hand, and also through the Tang Sect's treasure trove buried deep underground.
It was completely empty there.
"Those old fogies in the Federation were terrified by that Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus. They thought the Tang Sect Clan still had a lot of stock, so they were hesitant to launch a full-scale attack, only daring to blockade the perimeter."
But they didn't know...
Xuan Ming pointed to Huo Yuhao below, "This kid is playing the 'empty city stratagem' now."
"The Empty City Stratagem?" Qian Renxue was taken aback.
"That's right." Xuan Ming nodded. "That Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus exhausted all the rare metals that the Tang Sect had accumulated over the past few thousand years, and even overdrawn all the energy of the miniature divine vein beneath the Tang Sect."
The Tang Sect is dirt poor right now.
"Let alone a second Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, they wouldn't even have enough materials to build another Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon."
Upon hearing the truth, Qian Renxue couldn't help but gasp.
"This kid... he's got some nerve."
She looked at the calm young man in the wheelchair, her expression changed, "He's holding an unloaded gun, yet he's managed to scare a group of fully armed Demigod into immobility?"
"That's called a gamble," Xuan Ming said. "He's gambling. Gambling on the Federation's fear of death, gambling on the Church's greed, and gambling... on his own life."
He knew very well that as long as he didn't show weakness, and as long as he appeared more assertive and mysterious, the Federation would be less likely to touch him.
But this is still walking a tightrope.
"Lies always get exposed eventually. Once the Federation realizes what's happening, or some hothead dares to test us... this seemingly impregnable Tang Sect will be reduced to ashes in an instant."
Chapter 517 The Tang family really likes to go against me.
Xuan Ming, holding Qian Renxue's hand, strolled leisurely through the Tang Sect's layered defensive formations like two transparent ghosts.
The infrared sensors and Soul Power detection waves around them, which were supposedly "so strong that even mosquitoes couldn't fly in," passed right through them as if they were air the moment they touched them.
The Godhead power of " Negation " revealed its most domineering and bizarre side at this moment.
Xuan Ming did not use that earth-shattering Destruction power; he simply issued a " Negation " command regarding his and Qian Renxue's state of being.
Therefore, according to the rules and understanding of the mortal realm, they do not exist.
If it doesn't exist, how could it be detected? Unless Supreme God with the same power to break the rules personally arrives, even if God King came, he would be completely blind to it.