At Ning Fengzhi's words, both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo grew tense.
They had watched Ning Rongrong grow up and had long since regarded her as their own granddaughter.
If this senior truly harbored ill intentions, they would protect Ning Rongrong even at the cost of their lives.
At the very least, they would bite a chunk of flesh off him.
Seeing how tense they were, Gu Yuan smiled faintly. "I have no instructions for you. There are merely a few things I'm curious about."
"I invited you here today simply to chat."
"Have seats."
As his words fell, he lightly waved his arm, and several tables and chairs appeared along both sides of the great hall.
Ning Fengzhi thought for a moment, then took the lead in walking over and sitting down.
As long as he harbored no ill intentions toward his daughter, things were fine.
At this moment, Gu Yuan was indeed a little curious about Ning Rongrong.
Tang San had been born ahead of time, but he was an illegitimate child.
Tang Hao had fathered him with a female Blue Silver Grass Soul Master while traveling through the Soul Master World.
With that illegitimate status, he had neither a rightful name nor a legitimate standing, so Tang Hao had never dared breathe a word of it.
But Tang Xiao knew of the illegitimate child's existence.
The brothers were close, however, so he had never brought it up himself.
Ning Rongrong was different. She was no illegitimate daughter, but the child of Ning Fengzhi's lawfully wedded wife.
It had simply happened much earlier.
He communicated with the Douluo Heavenly Dao through his divine sense to get a clear answer.
Sure enough, just as he had thought, it was another of the Douluo Heavenly Dao's wild maneuvers.
The Douluo Heavenly Dao was the type that lacked ability but worked excessively hard.
This world had nearly been played to the point of collapse by numerous transmigrators, yet the Douluo Heavenly Dao was still striving to repair it.
Besides them, there was another mastermind behind the scenes.
It was likely an expert from the myriad heavens and worlds.
Even so, the Douluo Heavenly Dao was still dutifully striving to make repairs.
But its lack of ability had caused all sorts of characters to appear ahead of time, throwing the timeline into even greater confusion and completely tangling the threads of karma.
Take Shrek Academy, for example. That thing had only just been founded.
Yet in Ning Rongrong's karmic thread, she would still join at twelve.
In other words, Ning Rongrong would join six years after Shrek was founded.
But in the original story, Ning Rongrong, Tang San, and the others had only joined Shrek Academy twenty years after its founding.
That was more than a decade early.
Now seated, Ning Fengzhi saw that Gu Yuan was pondering something and grew restless.
Was this really just a chat?
Probably not!
An expert like this would not summon them for no reason. There had to be something else.
After a long wait, just as he could barely endure it any longer, Gu Yuan returned to his senses.
"All right, tell me what you think of the Clear Sky Sect's plans this time."
"Tell me your most honest thoughts."
Sure enough, it wasn't that simple!
Ning Fengzhi inwardly drew a sharp breath and immediately voiced his thoughts.
"Senior, when Tang Hui summoned us, he never mentioned the matter of the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth in Spirit City. He only revealed his purpose after we arrived."
"He proposed joining forces with the various powers to pressure Spirit Hall. It was indeed a very good proposal, and it might have succeeded."
"But our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would not agree, because Spirit Holy Mountain is Spirit Hall's rightful territory."
"Seizing it through such means is not the conduct of a gentleman."
"Now that I have witnessed your power, Senior, I know all the more that Tang Hui's plan could never succeed."
"I admit that when I first heard the plan, I wavered for an instant."
Hearing this, Gu Yuan nodded slightly.
"You are honest."
He could see through Ning Fengzhi's little thoughts at a glance.
Spirit Holy Mountain was now the finest sacred ground for cultivation. Any Soul Master faction would covet it.
It was hardly surprising that Ning Fengzhi had entertained the thought.
But he understood very clearly that he should not entertain such thoughts.
So he had quickly dismissed the idea and chosen his side after Huyan Zhen objected.
That was where Ning Fengzhi's cleverness lay, and why the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could go further.
One correct choice outweighed decades of effort.
Huyan Zhen stood, scratched his head, then cupped his fists in salute. "Senior, I'm rather straightforward, so I'll speak plainly."
"Tang Hui is a petty villain. I can't stand the way he acts. It's that simple."
Gu Yuan chuckled. "You're honest too. Not bad."
"The Elephant Armor Sect isn't strong, at least not compared to the Clear Sky Sect."
"It took courage to be the first to stand up in opposition and expose his true face."
"Since that is the case, I'll give you a little reward."
With that, he flicked a finger, sending a speck of golden light straight toward Huyan Zhen.
Seeing the golden light flying toward him, Huyan Zhen felt very tense.
But he did not move even half a step.
He had never supported Tang Hui's decision from beginning to end. Gu Yuan should have no reason to strike at him.
Sure enough, the golden light instantly entered his body.
His Soul Power then began to soar wildly.
In just ten seconds, it had already risen to Level 90!
After he reached Level 90, a golden beam descended from the sky and enveloped Huyan Zhen.
Vast heavenly might surged forth, making even experts like Sword Douluo tremble.
Within the golden beam, a scarlet Soul Ring slowly drifted down and finally settled around Huyan Zhen.
The moment the Soul Ring descended, its absorption was completed.
Then the golden beam dissipated.
An utterly terrifying surge of Soul Power erupted from Huyan Zhen's body.
"Level 91, Level 92, Level 95!"
"Is that... a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?"
Sword Douluo was utterly shocked.
He could casually raise someone's Soul Power and even bestow a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?
A deity. This lord truly was a deity.
Only a deity could possess such tremendous power!
"A hundred thousand years? No, this is a five-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring!"
Huyan Zhen roared with laughter as nine Soul Rings rose beneath him.
The five-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring radiated an especially terrifying presence.
Then he knelt before Gu Yuan and kowtowed three times, his head striking the floor resoundingly.
"Thank you for granting me this, Senior! The Elephant Armor Sect is willing to pledge allegiance to Spirit Hall, without the slightest disloyalty!"
With someone who could casually bestow such power upon him, Spirit Hall's strength was already beyond anyone's ability to shake.
Even the Two Great Empires and every Soul Master faction combined probably would not be enough to match a single finger of Gu Yuan's.
"Allegiance? You certainly know how to pick your moment."
"Very well. I'll give you the opportunity to pledge your allegiance."
"Dong'er, appoint Huyan Zhen as an official elder of Spirit Hall and grant him the opportunity to join the Myriad Worlds Organization."
"Yes, Brother Gu Yuan."
Bibi Dong nodded.
A Level 95 Titled Douluo was indeed qualified to become an official elder of Spirit Hall.
Such strength would surely allow him to do more for Spirit Hall.
Moreover, the entire Elephant Armor Sect would come under Spirit Hall's command.
But to Huyan Zhen, the most precious thing was neither the five-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring nor the Soul Power, but the opportunity to join the Myriad Worlds Organization.
Only by joining the Myriad Worlds Organization would he qualify to follow Gu Yuan into the myriad heavens and worlds in the future.
This was the consensus among Spirit Hall's higher-ups.
"Senior, what sort of organization is this Myriad Worlds Organization you mentioned?"
Ning Fengzhi sensed that there was something to this, and perhaps an enormous opportunity!