"Do you still remember what the bodies looked like? Can you draw them?" Yali asked as she took the Green Skull token from the elder's hand.
"Their bodies were blown apart by soul tool shells. What we cremated were only fragments of the corpses, so we didn't pay much attention," the elder answered truthfully.
"Fragments of the corpses… Do you at least remember what they were wearing?" Yali continued asking.
"They were all stained red with blood, so we didn't notice. However, we did find a ring at the scene, and we were preparing to hand it over to the main tribe," the elder said as he took out a silver ring. The ring was engraved with a sword radiating starlight. Even though it was just an engraving, it still gave off an incredibly sharp aura.
"This is Xinglan's storage ring." Yali's body trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red. A powerful killing intent erupted from her almost immediately.
These people from the small tribe might not recognize a storage soul tool, but how could she not?
"Honored one…!" The elder of the small tribe was startled by the terrifying aura coming from Yali.
He couldn't understand—since when did soul masters from the Changsheng Tribe become so frightening?
"I'm fine," Yali clenched her delicate fists tightly, but she still tried to soften her voice.
This small tribe consisted of ordinary people; Yali wouldn't vent her anger on them.
Nor would she ever harm them.
"Star Luo Empire! Green Skull Organization!" Yali gritted her teeth. Although she was enraged, she did not lose her rationality.
This could very well be a scheme by the Star Luo Empire—using one enemy to take down another.
"I will find out the truth!" Yali vowed in her heart before soaring toward the center of the Tianhu Domain.
"You have crossed the line, Holy Spirit Douluo."
A cold voice rang out as multiple figures appeared. Leading them was Tianhu Douluo Xin Yuekui, accompanied by all six elders of the Green Skull Organization—each one a Hyper Douluo.
"I will take responsibility for trespassing into the Tianhu Domain. I only have one question—did your Green Skull Organization kill the students from Shrek Academy?" Yali asked coldly, raising the Green Skull token she had just obtained.
"There were no missions assigned to the Green Skull Organization today," Xin Yuekui replied indifferently.
"How do you prove that?" Yali's voice remained icy.
"Prove? This is the Tianhu Domain. Who do we need to prove anything to? Hahaha." Xin Yuekui laughed coldly before continuing, "Now, shouldn't you explain how you plan to account for your intrusion into the Tianhu Domain?"
"I will give you an explanation after I uncover the truth," Yali took a deep breath and said.
"An explanation? What do you have to offer as an explanation?" Xin Yuekui questioned coldly.
"You have done business with the Tang Sect before. If you help me uncover the truth behind my Shrek Academy students' deaths, and if it turns out that they were not killed by the Green Skull Organization, I am willing to offer your organization 500 kilograms of Life Godstone as an apology," Yali stated.
She knew exactly what the Green Skull Organization wanted.
The Green Skull Organization had previously purchased a large amount of Life Godstone from the Tang Sect.
These Life Godstones all came from Devil Island.
Devil Island belonged to Shrek Academy.
So how could Yali not be aware of this transaction?
Lest anyone forget—she was still the Pavilion Master of Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion.
Even Shrek Academy had yet to fully understand the Life Godstone and Destruction Godstone from Devil Island.
Even the Tang Sect was unsure why the Green Skull Organization was purchasing Life Godstones.
The only speculation was that they were used to aid the soul masters of the Changsheng Tribe in their cultivation.
Regardless of the reason, both Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect were happy to do business.
The Life Godstones on Devil Island were abundant and had no clear use yet—so why not trade them for some valuable rare metals instead?
"500 kilograms of Life Godstone?"
Even Xin Yuekui was taken aback.
Over the years, the highest amount of Life Godstone they had purchased from the Tang Sect in a single transaction was only 100 kilograms.
And now, Yali was offering 500 kilograms in one go.
"If we could offer the Heavenly Sacrificer 500 kilograms of Life Godstone at once, he would definitely be delighted," Xin Yuekui thought to herself.
"Very well, we agree," Xin Yuekui nodded and then turned to the only female elder in the Green Skull Organization. "Elder Liuyue, you will stay behind and cooperate with Holy Spirit Douluo. The rest of you, follow me—we are going to meet the National Preceptor of the Star Luo Empire."
"Understood, High Priest!" Elder Liuyue nodded.
Xin Yuekui also nodded before leading the other elders of the Green Skull Organization away.
She had complete confidence in leaving this matter to Elder Liuyue.
Elder Liuyue was a master of diplomacy.
She knew exactly what to say—and what not to say.
At the Crystal Mountain of the Tianhu Domain, Linghu Douluo Xin Yuehu arrived before Xia Yi. She slightly bowed and softly asked, "Lord Angel, I have a question. May I trouble you to clarify my doubts?"
"Go ahead," Xia Yi looked at the gentle woman before him.
Her demeanor and actions made it seem as though she could melt into water itself.
Despite being a Hyper Douluo, she gave off an aura of extreme fragility.
Xin Yuehu sat across from Xia Yi, raised her head, and asked, "Lord Angel, as you know, my sister and I possess the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox martial soul. If you need a reference, you can think of Monster Academy's Su Mu. We can utilize our bloodline power. I have noticed that your martial soul is also a fox, and it is evolving toward a nine-tailed form, yet your cultivation path seems completely different from ours."
"My martial soul is different from yours," Xia Yi smiled. "Your martial souls evolve automatically as your cultivation grows. Mine, on the other hand, requires an immense amount of energy to evolve each time."
"We already knew that," Xin Yuehu chuckled softly. "Tian must have also told Lord Angel about our Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox lineage's Void Perception Pool. Only those with our martial soul can absorb Void Perception Power from it. Lord Angel's martial soul may be different, but it is still a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. Would you be interested in trying the Void Perception Pool?"
"How long would I need to stay inside?" Xia Yi asked.
"The longer you stay, the deeper your understanding of Void Perception Power. I stayed for half a month, and my sister stayed for twenty days. Her Void Perception Power is far superior to mine, which is why she serves as Tian's priestess," Xin Yuehu explained with a smile.
"I don't have that much time right now. Maybe next time," Xia Yi shook his head.
Once this matter was settled, he still had to return to Haibin City to board the Ocean Voyager back to the Douluo Continent.
If he were to test the Void Perception Pool, it would have to wait until he was already aboard the ship.
"Oh, by the way, I'd like Yue'er to enter the Myriad Phenomena Pool for cultivation. Would that be possible?" Xia Yi asked.
"I can discuss it with the Elemental Tribe. They shouldn't object. However, whether she gains anything from it is uncertain, so don't get your hopes up too much," Xin Yuehu replied.
"It's just an experiment," Xia Yi laughed heartily.
"Then it's settled. But there's one more thing—why didn't Lord Angel allow me to hand Yuanen Yehui and Ye Xinglan directly to Holy Spirit Douluo?" Xin Yuehu asked in confusion.
"We need the Star Luo Empire to believe they have succeeded. That way, they'll feel secure about their cooperation with you. When the Sun-Moon Federation representatives come to negotiate, you'll have better bargaining power—and you can deliver a harsh blow to the Star Luo Empire," Xia Yi chuckled.
"Without giving them hope, they might surrender to the Sun-Moon Federation first. If that happens, you won't even have the chance to negotiate," he added mischievously.
Xin Yuehu sighed, "Lord Angel, we are discussing a very serious matter—could you not laugh like that? It makes you seem unreliable."
"I'll try, I'll try. Haha!" Xia Yi let out an awkward laugh.
"Lord Angel, what do you think will happen to the Eight Kings' Domain after surrendering?" Xin Yuehu suddenly asked in a solemn tone.
This was what she was most concerned about.
As the chief of the Tianhu Domain, she had the responsibility to secure a good future for the Eight Kings' Domain.
"The Tianhu Domain has a fair number of strong individuals, but you lack sufficient battle armor and mechas, and soul tools are even scarcer," Xia Yi sighed and continued, "Your army is no match for the Xingluo Empire's army in direct confrontation, let alone the Sun-Moon Federation's army. I suggest you form an elite force and request to join the Blood God Legion under the Sun-Moon Federation to fight against the Abyssal creatures."
"The Blood God Legion is the most elite force of the Sun-Moon Federation. If you join them, you will be able to equip yourselves with the Federation's most advanced soul weapons, gain firsthand experience of modern warfare's terrifying power, and have the opportunity to learn and adapt. Moreover, the Abyssal battlefield is critical for protecting the entire Douluo plane. By proactively sending elite forces to participate, you can ease the Federation's vigilance toward you and even break through some of their technological restrictions."
"However," Xia Yi added, "the Abyssal battlefield is extremely brutal. If you join the Blood God Legion, you must be prepared for casualties."
"The Abyssal battlefield exists to protect the entire Douluo plane. Our warriors are not afraid of death—they are just as willing to protect the Douluo plane as they are to protect the Tianhu Domain." As she spoke, a cold glint flashed through Xin Yuehu's gentle, water-like gaze, and her voice turned icy. "What I am concerned about is whether our warriors will die unjustly."
"You don't need to worry about that," Xia Yi reassured her. "As long as Zhu'er is still in the Blood God Legion, no one will deliberately target the warriors of the Tianhu Domain."
"In that case, there is no issue," Xin Yuehu nodded. "As for the exact number of warriors we can send, I will need to discuss with the chiefs of the various tribes after this battle with the Sun-Moon Federation concludes."
"Heh heh, you should send more powerful individuals from the Changsheng Tribe. The battlefield is always in dire need of healing-type soul masters. And among all types of soul masters, healers are the ones who can most easily earn the trust of others," Xia Yi added with a chuckle.
(End of Chapter)