Chapter 360: Huang Zheng and Mo Ke

In the time that followed, Tang Wulin discussed the current situation again with Huo Yutong.

About an hour later, Zhong Li Wu and the others returned.

Interestingly, this time Ye Xi Shui and Long Xiaoyao did not accompany Zhong Li Wu back; only he and Feng Ling came.

Seeing that Huo Yutong was already awake, he let the corner of his mouth lift slightly, stepped forward with a smile and said, "Dead Spirit Holy Maiden, you must have suffered a lot this time. I sincerely hope you won't act recklessly like this again; it would be better for both of us."

Huo Yutong glared at him coldly; her complexion was extremely pale, as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

"I have nothing to say to you, and stop calling me Holy Maiden all the time; I have a name."

Her voice was hoarse, filled with deep displeasure and resistance.

Zhong Li Wu was not surprised at all.

He knew perfectly well how painful it is to violate the Holy Spirit Sect's prohibition; Huo Yutong must have endured great torment these past days, and now she surely harbors no goodwill toward the Holy Spirit Sect.

That doesn't matter; after this busiest period passes, he has plenty of ways to make her willingly become the Holy Spirit Sect's Holy Maiden.

If even ordinary members of the Holy Spirit Sect can turn someone into an Evil Soul Master, then it's even more so for her, who is already an Evil Soul Master.

Thinking this, Zhong Li Wu smiled gently and waved at the two.

"Let's go; the Mingdu Soul Guide Elite Competition will start in less than an hour. We'll head to the finals venue first."

After speaking, he turned with Feng Ling and walked toward the door.

Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong exchanged a glance; both looked hesitant, but in the end they reluctantly followed Zhong Li Wu.

Seeing the two catch up, Zhong Li Wu smiled and said, "Little Feng, introduce them to the finals' competition rules first."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

Feng Ling bowed respectfully, then turned to the two and said:

"Today's finals will be jointly hosted by our Xi Shui Alliance, the Ordinary Alliance, and the Ao Du Guild, with the venue in the western suburbs."

"Each of the three sides will send three participants. Each person has three hours to craft a Soul Guide Device; the materials are unrestricted, but only one device may be made. After three hours, when the devices are finished, the nine will compete in three matches. The first tests skill, and the lowest‑ranked is eliminated."

"The second round tests actual combat; in this match…"

Feng Ling explained in great detail, and it was easy to understand; even though Tang Wulin didn't know about Soul Guide Devices, he could grasp the gist.

From her words, one could tell that the underground competition's difficulty was not low, and the schedule was extremely tight.

What Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong didn't know was that all three underground powers placed great importance on this championship, and the Ordinary Alliance and Ao Du Guild subtly intended to join forces against the Xi Shui Alliance. Thus, regarding the finals' format, the three sides had countless negotiations before settling on this arrangement, which relies as much as possible on the strength of each side's Soul Guide representatives.

Of course, overall the Ordinary Alliance and Ao Du Guild had the advantage, since they had six people, making tactical arrangements much easier.

Unfortunately, the Xi Shui Alliance's representative this time was Huo Yutong, so they were destined to have no chance at the championship.

When Feng Ling finished explaining the rules and precautions, the group stepped out of the Qingse Inn.

At the inn's entrance, a carriage was already parked there.

Zhong Li Wu went up first, followed by Feng Ling, and finally Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong.

The carriage's interior was quite spacious; when the group entered, there were already several people seated inside.

Among them were two people Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong recognized: the Second Elder and the Third Elder from before.

Sitting beside the two were two youths; recalling Feng Ling's earlier rules, it was easy to guess they were the other two Xi Shui Alliance participants.

Given their close demeanor toward the Third Elder, they were most likely Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Sect.

When the others arrived, they quickly stood up and gathered their belongings.

"Sect Leader."

Zhong Li Wu waved his hand. "No need for formalities. This is our Holy Spirit Sect's new Holy Maiden; from now on, call her Dead Spirit Holy Maiden. When you see her in the Holy Spirit Sect, see me as well."

Hearing this, the two youths' gazes instantly fixed on Huo Yutong.

They had actually heard of Huo Yutong; recently, anyone with some standing in the Holy Spirit Sect had heard about the new Holy Maiden.

But after scanning her up and down, they saw nothing special and felt a bit puzzled.

What could be special about her to merit such treatment from the Sect Leader?

Nevertheless, since it was the Sect Leader's words, they kept nodding.

"Yes, understood, Sect Leader."

Feng Ling explained to Huo Yutong, "Their names are Huang Zheng and Mo Ke; they are companions joining you in this competition, and you may dispatch them at will."

Huo Yutong asked in surprise.

"Really?"

Feng Ling smiled and nodded.

"Indeed, of course, provided your orders serve the Xi Shui Alliance's bid for the championship."

This is not only to give Huo Yutong a stronger sense of belonging to the Holy Spirit Sect, but also because her Soul Guide Device might truly be the strongest among everyone present.

"Alright, I understand."

Huo Yutong said no more, casually found a seat and sat down.

Huang Zheng and Mo Ke were both stunned by her action.

Zhong Li Wu and Feng Ling, the highest‑ranking persons present, hadn't even taken seats yet. How dare she? Yet what shocked them was that Zhong Li Wu and Feng Ling seemed completely unfazed by Huo Yutong's overstep, and they both sat beside her.

Tang Wulin sat opposite Huo Yutong, next to Mo Ke.

There was already little space beside Mo Ke; his sitting made the area even tighter.

Mo Ke frowned, glanced at him, and said:

"It's a bit cramped; move aside for me."

Saying that, he reached out forcefully to push Tang Wulin.

In his view, Tang Wulin was merely a follower of Huo Yutong; a Holy Maiden's servant is still just a servant, incomparable to him as a disciple of an elder.

But unexpectedly, his push failed to move Tang Wulin at all; the somewhat handsome young man seemed rooted to his seat, unmoved no matter how hard he tried.

He was instantly irritated.

"You looking for trouble?"

Tang Wulin gave him a light glance and didn't answer.

Mo Ke's anger flared up even more.

He was about to say something when Huang Zheng suddenly tugged him.

He turned around and saw Huang Zheng shake his head at him.

"Tch, forget it..."

Mo Ke clicked his tongue in annoyance and said nothing more.

Zhongli Wu saw all this but said nothing.

Side note: Will try to resume normal updates tomorrow (end of chapter)