Chapter 298: Evil Thoughts Heihe

The deepest part of the Dark Cave.

The heaven and earth here seemed to exist in a state of tearing apart, the world's energy extremely violent and terrifying, constantly transforming into all manner of natural disasters, with earth, water, wind, and fire surging together. Under natural disasters of this level, even a Marquis-level powerhouse would not dare to step inside.

And at this moment, amid the boundless tribulation of earth, water, wind, and fire, a golden lotus was blooming, and upon the lotus, a human figure sat quietly in meditation.

He wore the robe of the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy, with stars outlined in golden thread on the garment, resplendent and mysterious.

That appearance was none other than the principal Li Luo had met earlier, Pang Pang Qianyuan.

At this moment, his slightly closed eyes slowly opened, his gaze deep as an abyss. He turned his head to glance toward the outer perimeter of the Dark Cave, a faint smile surfacing at the corner of his lips.

"This little fellow from the House Luolan Mansion is rather interesting."

"His temperament is completely different from Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan."

Pang Pang Qianyuan had previously had contact with Li Taixuan and Dantai Lan. Li Taixuan came from the Li Li Tianwang branch of the Inner Shenzhou, with deep foundations, so even though he himself was only at the Marquis Realm, when facing Pang Pang Qianyuan, who was at the King level, he still showed not the slightest reverence.

And Li Taixuan himself was a top-tier heavenly pride; with his talent and foundations, stepping into the King level in the future was not impossible, so their interactions were on equal footing.

As for Dantai Lan... this woman was even more peculiar. Her background was actually quite ordinary, but her talent was so strong that even a top-tier heavenly pride like Li Taixuan was suppressed by her. It was said that back when she had not yet reached the Marquis Realm, she had already stirred up quite a storm in the Inner Shenzhou, attracting the admiration of countless heavenly prides there. No wonder that for her sake, even someone as proud as Li Taixuan was willing to give up many things and come with her to this remote corner of the Eastern Region Shenzhou.

Whether it was Li Taixuan or Dantai Lan, their temperaments were extremely sharp and unrestrained. Of course, perhaps it was because they themselves were too outstanding—even if they tried to hide it, they couldn't, so they simply let it all out without restraint.

Compared to the two of them, Li Luo seemed far more reserved. However, having witnessed the previous incident at the stronghold, Pang Pang Qianyuan could also see clearly that this kid understood well the art of hiding his capabilities.

This kind of temperament was completely different from his parents, but he was absolutely not someone to be bullied.

His thoughts turning, Pang Pang Qianyuan's gaze shifted forward to the seemingly torn heaven and earth. There, a distorted rift could be seen, the rift resembling an endless abyss, within which there seemed to be the sound of floodwaters rushing. With his strength, he could pierce through the miasma and see that deep within the distorted rift, there seemed to be a black great river flowing, its length and width unknown.

In the Heihe, the river water was thick and pitch-black, with endless evil thoughts floating and sinking within.

Looking at that Heihe, even Pang Pang Qianyuan's expression grew much more solemn. That was the River of Evil Thoughts—rumor had it that all the evil thoughts in the world gathered within it.

It was said that at the very center of the Dark World, there was a Sea of Evil Thoughts, and the River of Evil Thoughts extended out from it.

Even for a King-level powerhouse like Pang Pang Qianyuan, this so-called Evil Thoughts Heihe was filled with wariness, because once one fell into it, even a Marquis-level powerhouse would be polluted by the endless evil thoughts into a mindless monster.

And it was precisely the existence of this Evil Thoughts Heihe that caused the heaven and earth rift to appear here, giving birth to troublesome things like the Dark Cave.

As Pang Pang Qianyuan's gaze pierced through the distorted rift, watching the Evil Thoughts Heihe, a pair of eyes suddenly opened within the Heihe, locking gazes with Pang Pang Qianyuan.

The instant their gazes met, even across an extremely distant distance, the void still trembled.

The world's energy roared, transforming into all manner of natural disasters, sweeping across ten thousand miles.

"Hehe."

It seemed as if a faint, indistinct laughter came from within the Heihe, piercing straight through space and falling into Pang Pang Qianyuan's ears.

And Pang Pang Qianyuan remained expressionless, withdrawing his gaze. The existence within the Heihe had been battling him for many years, and they understood each other extremely well.

The two sides had been locked in magical combat, laying down many contingencies—it all came down to who slipped up first.

Pang Pang Qianyuan's gaze was deep. In fact, compared to the evil creatures filled with evil thoughts, he felt that what was more troublesome was humanity itself. The mingling of good and evil thoughts made people unfathomable, and being unable to see through them meant being unable to respond.

He had not appeared in Daxia or the academy for quite a few years now—not because he was unwilling, but because he had been completely pinned here.

In Daxia, in the academy...

Undercurrents were also surging.

He wondered whether the "Dragon Bone Holy Grail" could be retrieved this time. If he had that thing in hand, things would be much easier for him.

His thoughts turning, Pang Pang Qianyuan finally sighed in his heart and slowly closed his eyes.

When Li Luo came back to his senses, he had already withdrawn from that dark space. A contemplative glint flashed through his eyes—his gains from Pang Pang Qianyuan this time were quite substantial.

He raised his head and saw a pair of clear, beautiful golden eyes staring at him. Upon noticing his awakening, those eyes casually drifted away.

"How did it go?" Jiang Jiang Qinge withdrew her gaze and asked nonchalantly.

"It really is something the principal left for me." Li Luo smiled. He had just been about to recount the details when he saw Jiang Jiang Qinge wave her hand.

"The principal being so cautious this time must mean there's something special. You don't need to tell me for now."

Li Luo heard this, thought for a moment, and then nodded. Whether it was the matter of the Three-Tailed Heavenly Wolf or the principal wanting some of his essence blood, saying it out loud didn't seem appropriate—not because he didn't trust Jiang Jiang Qinge, but because he was afraid she'd worry.

She might even take control of the sealing bracelet to prevent him from taking risks.

As for wanting his essence blood, that was even more debatable. For his safety, Jiang Jiang Qinge would very likely be extremely cautious.

As for these matters, Li Luo had his own considerations in mind, so there was no need to say too much to Jiang Jiang Qinge for now. Once he was stronger in the future, he could discuss these things with her.

"By the way, do you know about the 'Holy Grail War'?" Li Luo suddenly asked.

"The Holy Grail War?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge was taken aback, then slightly nodded her delicate chin: "Of course I know. It's the most intense clash among the major academies in the Eastern Region Shenzhou—arguably the greatest event among academies."

"Generally speaking, the Holy Grail War happens once every four years. Counting the time, it seems like the end of this year will be a new edition."

"The ultimate victor of the Holy Grail War can obtain the so-called 'Dragon Bone Holy Grail'? Which academy won the Holy Grail in the last edition?" Li Luo asked again.

"The academy that won the Dragon Bone Holy Grail last time was the 'Sacred Bright King Academy' of the Divine Sun Wang Chao. That academy is extremely powerful, often dominating the many academies of the Eastern Region Shenzhou. In the history of clashes between the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy and it, the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy has mostly lost and rarely won." Jiang Jiang Qinge thought for a moment and said.

"Divine Sun Wang Chao, Sacred Bright King Academy..."

Li Luo's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't paid much attention to such information before. He hadn't expected that the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy, which he had thought so powerful, had repeatedly lost to this Sacred Bright King Academy.

Is the Sacred Bright King Academy really that terrifyingly strong?

"In the Eastern Region Shenzhou, there are a total of five Holy Academies. Apart from the Sacred Bright King Academy, the other three Holy Academies are no pushovers either. Moreover, the academies participating in the Holy Grail War aren't limited to these five Holy Academies—there are other major academies that, while not qualified to bear the 'Holy' character, are also not to be underestimated in strength."

Li Luo felt a chill in his heart, because the Holy Grail War seemed even more difficult than he had imagined. He immediately asked: "Has the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy ever won the Dragon Bone Holy Grail?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge recalled for a moment and said: "It should have in the past, but in the last thirty-plus years... it seems the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy hasn't successfully won the Dragon Bone Holy Grail."

Li Luo's heart turned completely cold.

Wow, principal, the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy hasn't won the Dragon Bone Holy Grail in over thirty years. What makes you think the Sacred Phoenix Star Academy has a chance this time?

Forget it, I don't want the lower volume of the Tian Si Zhou either. I'll just make do with this upper volume and have some fun.