Chapter 342

On the other side, Tang Wulin's side has already been loosened.

Translation: "On the other side, Tang Wulin's side had already been loosened." But need natural English: "On the other side, Tang Wulin's side had already been loosened." Could be "On the other side, Tang Wulin's side had already been loosened." Keep same meaning. Probably "On the other side, Tang Wulin's side had already been loosened." That's fine.

Feng Ling smiled and said to Tang Wulin:

Translation: "Feng Ling smiled and said to Tang Wulin:" Keep colon? The Chinese includes colon after saying. We'll output: "Feng Ling smiled and said to Tang Wulin:" (including colon). Keep single line.

"Jian Yechen, I know you have a lot of grievances against us right now, but please understand: the Sect Master is also overly eager for Meng Yao's talent. As long as she grows up smoothly and listens obediently, she could even naturally succeed to the Sect Master's position in the future."

"……"

Tang Wulin didn't speak, just glared at Feng Ling fiercely.

Feng Ling wasn't the slightest bit surprised by his expression; after all, they had just treated the two that way. If Tang Wulin heard her persuasion here and chose to reconcile with them, Feng Ling would instead suspect he was acting.

She sighed helplessly and said to an old man beside her whom Tang Wulin had never seen before: "Lao Er, go fetch that thing."

"Yes."

The old man called Lao Er respectfully bowed, then quickly left.

Tang Wulin watched his retreating back, firmly committing his appearance to memory.

Obviously, the old man called Lao Er by Feng Ling is the Second Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect.

Noticing Tang Wulin's gaze, Feng Ling introduced: "This is Nangong Wan, our Holy Spirit Sect's Second Elder and also the leader of the Evening Water Alliance. You'll have plenty of interactions with him in the future, so be sure to get on good terms."

"……What did you have him fetch?"

Tang Wulin spoke, his voice full of wariness.

Feng Ling smiled faintly.

"No need to be so afraid; rest assured, what I had him fetch is absolutely something you never expected, something you'll definitely like."

"……"

Tang Wulin stopped speaking and fell into silence.

Not long after, Nangong Wan returned, holding a huge box in his hands; just looking at it, you could tell it was heavy.

Nangong Wan carried the box to everyone, set it down in place, and bowed again to Feng Ling.

"Vice Patriarch, we've brought the item."

Feng Ling nodded and smiled at Tang Wulin, saying:

"Guess what's inside?"

"……I don't know."

Tang Wulin eyed the box warily on the surface, but inside he was filled with shock.

After obtaining the Light Dragon King's skull, his perceptual ability greatly increased; although it couldn't compare to Huo Yutong's mental detection, such a box obviously couldn't shield his perception.

And when he tried to sense what was inside the box with his own mental power, his soul couldn't help but tremble slightly.

He could feel that the aura of whatever was inside the box was extremely terrifying; he even faintly sensed that his Natural Son aspect felt some aversion to that aura.

Feng Ling stopped beating around the bush, placed her hand on the box's lid, and opened it.

Instantly, a fierce aura emanated from within; Tang Wulin instinctively stepped back a pace, his eyes snapping wide open.

"Th-this is……?"

"Exactly, just as you imagined."

His shocked expression obviously pleased Feng Ling greatly; she nodded lightly and smiled triumphantly:

"This is a nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell, named the Doomsday Storm."

Inside the box lay a single artillery shell, just resting there, and Tang Wulin felt immense pressure.

Over the past two months, he had also seen many high-level soul-guided devices beside Xuan Ziwen; he had encountered a few eight-level ones, but none gave him the feeling that this device did.

He never dreamed the Holy Spirit Sect would produce a nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell at this time.

Although his knowledge of soul-guided devices wasn't extensive, even the most basic common sense had been covered in the Extreme Individual Soldier course.

As a single-use nine-level soul-guided device, the nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell's power is outrageously strong; one such shell can destroy a small city, instantly kill an Honored Douluo-level powerhouse, and if paired with a nine-level soul-guided cannon, it could even strike across half a continent.

Mu En had once told Tang Wulin that the explosive power of a nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell even matched his peak attack strength.

Keep in mind that Mu En at his peak was an Extreme Douluo; if this thing exploded here, even a top-tier metropolis like Mingdu would suffer severe devastation.

Such a thing is even a strategic weapon among strategic weapons in the Ri Yue Di Guo; the Holy Spirit Sect being able to produce it suggests their infiltration of the military may have reached a chilling extent.

Feng Ling's alluring voice sounded in Tang Wulin's ear.

"How about it, feeling tempted? This is our sincerity. Jian Yechen, as long as you are willing to wholeheartedly work for us, I can hand over this nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell to you."

Tang Wulin asked with some difficulty:

"What does 'wholeheartedly' mean?"

Feng Ling's smile grew even sweeter.

"You've probably guessed it yourself, haven't you? Naturally, it means discarding those boring past feelings and acknowledging us as your new masters; as long as you help us capture Shou Mengyao, this nine-level fixed-installation soul-guided artillery shell is just the beginning."

"……!"

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up for a moment, but he seemed to quickly realize it, hurriedly shaking his head and saying urgently: "You're dreaming; I will absolutely not betray Miss." "Is that so? What a pity." Feng Ling sighed helplessly, closed the box's lid, and said: "However, we'll keep this Doomsday Storm for you; come back whenever you change your mind to claim it, but note that the time we're holding it for you is limited—if, before you come to me, your Miss has already completely fallen, then I can only say sorry."

Tang Wulin's gaze remained fixed on the Doomsday Storm in the box until the lid was fully closed, only then did he reluctantly look away, repeating:

"I'll say it again: I will absolutely not betray Miss."

To his bluster, Feng Ling merely smiled amusedly.

Having spent so many years in the Holy Spirit Sect, she had seen too many people turn against each other over interests—relatives, close friends, lovers—and she didn't think this obviously greedy young man could be any exception.

From Huo Yutong's recent behavior, it's clear she values and trusts Tang Wulin above all; if we can control him and have him as an aide, the time needed to corrupt Huo Yutong and make her a true Holy Maiden could be at least halved.

Just then, a sound of footsteps came from the passage behind; Feng Ling froze for a moment, then her face lit up with joy.

"I didn't expect it to be this fast; it seems she's truly suited to be our Holy Maiden."

"Miss!"

As she muttered to herself, Tang Wulin couldn't help but rush forward.

Her steps were staggering, obviously extremely weak.

This time, several elders didn't stop him, and he smoothly held Huo Yutong in his arms.

Her condition looked terrible, her face pale, sweat continually seeping from her forehead.

He glared angrily at Zhongli Wu and the black-clad woman beside him.

"What did you do to her?"

Zhongli Wu replied nonchalantly: "Don't worry, I've only preliminarily made her our companion; it's harmless to her."

"……" Tang Wulin gritted his teeth, then lifted Huo Yutong, his voice leaking from between his teeth: "I'm taking my young lady back."

Zhongli Wu frowned, about to refuse, but Ye Xi Shui suddenly asked with interest: "Kid, do you know the one in your arms is an Evil Soul Master?"

As soon as she spoke, Zhongli Wu had no choice but to step back a few steps, yielding the floor to her.

Tang Wulin didn't understand why Ye Xi Shui suddenly asked that, and he retorted: "I know, what's wrong, is that not allowed?"

"Nothing wrong." Ye Xi Shui narrowed her eyes, then asked a question that sounded somewhat bewildering to Tang Wulin: "Kid, is your martial soul a dragon-type martial soul?"

"Yes."

"Hehehe..."

Hearing Tang Wulin's affirmative reply, Ye Xi Shui suddenly laughed.

Zhongli Wu also seemed to suddenly understand something, and he had a sudden realization.

"Could it be that Mother, you want to introduce him to Dragon Uncle?"

"Mm." Ye Xi Shui laughed freely, affirming Zhongli Wu's question: "Isn't that great? We will let their talents flourish to the fullest."

She gazed at Tang Wulin tightly holding Huo Yutong, and for the first time felt the wonder of fate.

In the vision imprinted before their eyes, the figures of Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong seemed to slowly twist, turning into two other people.

A genius dragon-attribute soul master and the Holy Spirit Sect's Holy Maiden who plays with souls—this combination is very familiar.

This coincidence made her mood surprisingly good.

She said to Zhongli Wu: "Xiao Wu, let them go; I reckon they can't stir up trouble even in Mingdu."

"Yes."

Zhongli Wu still seemed somewhat reluctant, but since Ye Xi Shui had spoken, he dared not disobey.

Tang Wulin gave Ye Xi Shui a deep look, then carried Huo Yutong away from the competition venue.

After entering an inconspicuous alley, he asked in his mind:

"Yutong, where should we go next?"

Huo Yutong quickly gave an answer.

"To the hotel we prepared in advance."

"Okay."

Tang Wulin asked no more, holding her as he hurried toward the destination.

Their target was a very inconspicuous rental house, which they had rented as soon as they arrived in Mingdu, so they would have a place to go when facing this situation.

Upon arriving at the rental house, Tang Wulin set Huo Yutong down, closed the doors and windows to prevent anyone from spying.

Meanwhile, Huo Yutong stood up; as her gray soul ring lit up, the strained chant of an incantation filled the room, and an invisible mental barrier unfolded.

Immediately after, she dared not relax; the black door opened, and two people walked out from within.

The two people's appearances were exactly the same as how they were currently dressed.

Side note: I got emotionally overwhelmed, have to get up early tomorrow, no mood to write, went to sleep early.

I'll try to release eight chapters tomorrow night, though I might not manage it.

(End of chapter)