Shrek City Spirit Pagoda Headquarters.
Qiangu Dongfeng's office is at the top of the tower, with an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling glass for panoramic views. If it weren't for the Heaven-Supporting Pillar, this would be the place with the best view in the entire Shrek City.
He sat behind his ebony desk, his hands crossed under his chin, squinting as he looked out the window.
Across the entire Shrek City, the silver-white tower to the north gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.
Heaven-Supporting Pillar.
That tower only appeared a few years ago. When construction began, Qiangu Dongfeng even laughed, thinking that some ignorant fool dared to open a company right under Shrek City's nose.
He can't laugh now.
On the Heaven-Supporting Pillar, the price of Soul Spirit has been driven below the cost line, Spirit Pagoda's revenue to drop by 30% this quarter.
The heads of several families below had spoken to him privately twice, and their messages conveyed the same message: Tower Master, are you really capable?
As the saying goes, a man cannot say he can't, so Qiangu Dongfeng had no choice but to cede some of the profits from other industries to appease the heads of several families.
There's an old saying that goes, "Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents." Although Qiangu Dongfeng Qiangu Dongfeng n't actually kill his parents, this still made him grit his teeth in hatred.
So at this moment, Qiangu Dongfeng stared at that tower, his back teeth grinding together.
"Waste."
He slammed his hand on the table.
The teacup on the table jumped, spilling half a cup of tea.
"A bunch of useless trash!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's chest heaved violently, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He had just returned from that damned stone chamber; he hadn't even taken off his cloak, and the damp, musty smell of stone still lingered on him.
" Level 98 Super Douluo, wielding Three-Word Battle Armor, was killed by a Level 78 brat. What are you lot good for, the Holy Spirit Cult? Are you just freeloaders?"
He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, and stood up and walked around the desk twice.
"That old bastard Ghost Emperor, what was he doing slamming his fist on the table? As if I wanted to beg him. If it weren't for that little bit of dirt he had on me, I, the Spirit Pagoda, would sit at the same table with him drinking cold tea."
"He's just a worthless Evil Soul Master, and he doesn't even deserve to sit at the same table as me! Screw him!"
He picked up the teacup to take a sip, only to find the tea spilled halfway across the table, so he slammed it back down.
"The Tower Master."
There was a gentle knock on the office door three times.
"Enter."
A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses pushed open the door, holding a thin file in his hand. He walked silently, his leather shoes making the wool carpet feel like cotton.
He was Qiangu Dongfeng's secretary, and had been with him for almost forty years.
"Tower Master,"
The secretary placed the file on the corner of the table and stood obediently to the side.
"The latest intelligence from the Heaven-Supporting Pillar has just been handed over by our informant."
Qiangu Dongfeng waved his hand, indicating that he should speak.
The secretary adjusted her glasses.
"We've basically figured out the twelve Titled Douluo."
"Um."
"The first two..."
The secretary paused, seemingly considering his words, but the strangeness in his eyes was quite obvious.
"His identity is somewhat special."
Qiangu Dongfeng raised his eyelids, glanced at him, and nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.
"Explain."
"First place, the chief of the Heaven-Supporting Pillar, titled First Knight, Martial Soul: Dark Bell, Level 99 Quasi-God."
The secretary's voice was very low.
"According to our undercover agent within the Holy Spirit Cult, this person is none other than Na Nali, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult back then."
Qiangu Dongfeng raised an eyebrow.
He definitely recognized the name Na Nali; after all, there were only so many prominent figures on the continent, and even Evil Soul Master was someone who deserved a place among them.
"And the second one?"
"Second place, titled Second Knight, Martial Soul Ultimate Dark Phoenix, Level 99 Demigod."
The secretary swallowed hard, seemingly hesitant to speak as if considering something.
" Dark Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yulai "
There was a three-second silence in the office.
Qiangu Dongfeng's expression froze.
He truly hadn't expected that this person could be Leng Yulai.
He slowly sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers twice on the table.
Who are you talking about?
" Leng Yulai."
The secretary repeated it.
" Dark Phoenix Douluo Leng Yulai. According to the undercover agent's description, her features—purple-red eyes and dark purple phoenix flames—match perfectly. Moreover, her strength is even greater than when she was in the Holy Spirit Cult; she has already touched the threshold of Demigod."
The Qiangu Dongfeng remained silent.
Leng Yulai.
He knew that name all too well. So well that every time he heard those three words, a chill ran down his spine.
Because this is Leng Yaozhu's younger sister.
"Continue."
The sound of the Qiangu Dongfeng reveals no emotion.
"According to information from the Holy Spirit Cult,"
The secretary continued.
"Some time ago, these two joined forces and attacked the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters. The specifics of the battle are unclear, but the Ghost Emperor went into seclusion for half a month afterward. Our undercover agent said that when the Ghost Emperor emerged from seclusion, his expression under his cloak was not good."
The Qiangu Dongfeng spoke slowly, its eyes filled with disbelief.
In other words...
" Dark Phoenix Douluo and Dark Bell, the two of them, beat up the Ghost Emperor."
That's what I mean.
Qiangu Dongfeng leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling.
That's interesting.
Two of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult have come out to become bodyguards for his rival, the one who would later Qiangu Dongfeng.
Not only did he act as a bodyguard, he also went back and beat up his former employer.
Moreover, the two of them are not evenly matched in strength; there was that guy, Na Nali, before.
He had been stuck at level 98 for decades, so how did he suddenly reach level 99 and even break through to the Quasi-God?
It's important to know that there are only a handful of Quasi-God in the entire Douluo Continent; in fact, you could count Quasi-God numbers on one hand.
What kind of operation is this?
"Wrong."
The Qiangu Dongfeng frowned.
"Why are people from the Holy Spirit Cult acting as bodyguards for Qing Linyun? There's something fishy going on here."
He turned to look at his secretary.
"You're saying those two Evil Soul Master were recruited by that kid? How could a Level 78 Soul Saint subdue two Level 99 Quasi-God?"
The secretary did not respond.
Because he didn't know either.
Qiangu Dongfeng shook his head, muttering to himself in bewilderment.
"How is that possible? Two Quasi-God, one at Level 78, you can't beat them, you can't suppress them. Unless..."
He paused.
The secretary noticed a change in the tower owner's expression.
That expression was hard to describe; it was as if he had suddenly figured something out, or as if he couldn't quite believe what he had figured out.
"The tower master?"
The secretary took half a step forward, lowering her voice even further.
There's something I want to say, but I'm not sure if I should.
"Speak."
The secretary scratched her face.
He had worked for Qiangu Dongfeng for nearly forty years and had seen it all. But he still found it a little difficult to say what he was about to say.
He walked around the desk and leaned close to Qiangu Dongfeng's ear.
"Tower Master, the relationship between these two people and that Qing Linyun seems somewhat improper."
The office fell silent again.
Qiangu Dongfeng's expression became extremely interesting.
He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He opened his mouth again, but still no sound came out.
Frankly speaking, the Qiangu Dongfeng, which has already taken a serious stance, has no reason to panic.
But now he admits he panicked.