"As far as I know, among the major Soul Master factions in the human world today, the Martial Soul Hall—worshippers of the Angel God—holds the greatest power. They have multiple Title Douluos within their ranks, not counting those who are hidden. Their Soul Masters account for more than 60% of the entire Soul Master community, giving them overwhelmingly strong overall strength."
"As for Tang Hao, the surname Tang, based on my investigation, it is the direct lineage surname of the continent's top sect in the past, the Haotian Sect, which has now retired from the public eye. Why would such a powerful sect suddenly withdraw? I suspect it's closely related to the Martial Soul Hall. The death of the previous pope coincides roughly with the birth of Tang San, combined with the sacrifice of the Blue Silver Emperor."
"My bold guess is that the Martial Soul Hall discovered the Blue Silver Emperor back then, and the pope personally led a team to hunt him down, which ultimately led to the Blue Silver Emperor's sacrifice."
"With such a deep blood feud, how could Tang Hao and his son not seek revenge?" Zhu Wu's eyes gleamed with determination.
The Silver Dragon King's eyes also flashed sharply. "So, you want to leverage the Martial Soul Hall's power to deal with Tang Hao and his son?"
"Exactly," Zhu Wu nodded.
"But how are we supposed to intervene and push this forward?" Di Tian, knowing she was likely the executor, asked.
"Fierce beasts can transform into human forms. As long as they don't expose themselves to humans possessed by divine consciousness or approach the place of inheritance, who can possibly see through them?" Zhu Wu didn't commit to whether a Title Douluo could see through them—he would wait for their answers.
"In that case, we just need to reach out to factions that don't have much to do with those possessed by divine consciousness," Zhu Wu continued. "We can recruit some and wipe out others—like completely destroying the Haotian Sect."
"With that, how could our sect's influence not spread?"
"Once momentum builds, naturally there will be those who fear it and those who want to ally with us. That's when we can seize our opportunity."
"In human terms, this is called 'fishing in troubled waters!'"
"That indeed is a viable approach." The Silver Dragon King nodded. The main difference between fierce beasts and the hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts is that fierce beasts' soul cores are fully stabilized, meaning they have a very high degree of control over their bodies and attributes and can completely suppress their aura. Unless the opponent has ascended to godhood or transformed their soul power into divine consciousness, they cannot see through the true form.
With this in mind, she looked at Zhu Wu.
"But there is still a missing entry point."
"Your Majesty, that entry point is naturally me," Zhu Wu answered promptly. "My Martial Soul allows me to freely switch between human and beast forms while possessed by it. If I can do it, why not my kin?"
"And as far as I know, the outside Soul Master world only knows that hundred-thousand-year soul beasts can transform into humans after cultivation but is unaware that fierce beasts can also disguise themselves as humans after becoming fierce beasts."
"This information gap is precisely what we can exploit."
"As for execution, I can make a show of force openly, while the fierce beasts display power covertly."
"Fierce beasts don't need to roam outside regularly, only acting when necessary to deal with certain people or factions, thereby proving the sect's existence."
"This also protects me when I'm outside."
"As long as the forces behind me remain unknown, I believe human factions won't dare act against me."
"After all, the sect behind me can easily wipe out a top-tier Soul Master faction."
"Do you have any thoughts on the sect's structure?" The Silver Dragon King went straight to the point.
Zhu Wu's aggressive strategy was exactly what she wanted to hear. Only by doing so could the soul beast clan maximize their gains. Hiding away despite their strength, doing nothing, and waiting for her to recover wasn't the future she wanted.
"How about calling it the Phantom Beast Sect?" Zhu Wu proposed. "Phantom beasts are Martial Souls with the innate talent to freely switch between human and beast forms. Regarding the origin of this talent, I have some ideas about the sect's background."
"Long ago, at the dawn of the world, spiritual energy was abundant, and all things evolved from it. Among them were some naturally born beings, blessed by heaven and earth, the original main players of the world. Nourished continuously by spiritual energy, they quickly evolved high intelligence and gradually became distinct races through reproduction."
"As the first races blessed by heaven and earth, these beings were born with incredibly strong bodies and cultivation talents. They didn't need to practice any techniques; just breathing in spiritual energy made them incredibly powerful."
This explanation made Di Tian quite surprised—could this be how the Dragon God was born?
Zhu Wu's reasoning was convincing enough that she almost believed it!
"At first, the population of these races was small, and their food demands were moderate. Plus, because they were scattered across vast territories due to different birthplaces, conflicts did not occur."
"But as their numbers grew, so did their need for food."
"To survive and reproduce, they had to expand their hunting range and territory."
"Thus, territorial disputes erupted."
"Different races fought fiercely over land, escalating into a massive war covering the entire world. Mountains were overturned, the earth split, and the heavens almost collapsed."
"The immense power of these beings ultimately caused irreparable damage to the land, which gradually lost its ability to absorb cosmic energy, convert it to spiritual energy, and retain it. As a result, the world's spiritual energy sharply declined."
Brother, I suspect you're not making up stories but telling history, Di Tian thought, growing more and more shocked.
She lamented being born too late to witness it.
The Silver Dragon King's eyes also flashed with astonishment, listening intently.
"This history relates to the founding principle of the Phantom Beast Sect: protecting nature," Zhu Wu continued. "It also explains why humans need to hunt soul beasts to obtain soul rings instead of directly absorbing spiritual energy to break through. The world's spiritual energy has been severely depleted by the constant warfare among living beings and can no longer sustain breakthrough cultivation."
"The soul rings generated by soul beasts store massive amounts of energy, perfectly fulfilling this need."
"This system is essentially a natural self-protection mechanism evolved by this world to limit the growth of internal beings, preventing their destructive power from surpassing the world's bearing capacity and causing another collapse."
"And to restore the world, the only way is to heal the earth's wounds and rebuild nature."
"This is the Phantom Beast Sect's duty."
"I see now!" Di Tian suddenly understood and nodded.
Brother, you really are a genius—connecting all these dots so well, and it sounds just like the truth.
The Silver Dragon King slightly nodded, waiting for more.
"Later," Zhu Wu continued his crafted story, "the greatest being among these creatures, the Dragon God, after enduring a long and bloody war, rapidly increased in power through fire and blood baptism. Ultimately, with his strength, he led his race to dominate the four seas, suppressing all rivals and ending the war. Consequently, he became the leader of all beings in this world."
No wonder the Dragon God's most loyal servant, Di Tian, scrutinized Zhu Wu anew.
That kind of flattery skill, he could never learn.
Elsewhere, the Silver Dragon King pondered.
Strange, how does this fabricated history match so perfectly with the Dragon God's life I remember from my legacy?
Parasite—this one might be a tapeworm inside the Father God's belly!
She didn't doubt Zhu Wu's identity. This information was unknown even to the Five Great God Kings. It made sense that Zhu Wu, a parasite inside her, would know it since he was constantly attached to her.
She guessed that fragmented memories or potential impressions triggered these associations.
(End of Chapter)
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