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On the Soul Guidance Train.
The two embarked on their journey back. Gu Yue, sensing the restrictions in her spiritual sea, said, "She's angry. She's going to reduce the time I can stay out."
"Don't worry, it'll all be over soon. When the time comes, I'll reshape a physical body for you," Bai Xu reassured her.
"I believe you. But since things have already turned out this way, what will you do when it's Na'er's turn?"
Bai Xu froze. Next time, it wouldn't be Gu Yuena who appeared—it would be Na'er! After a moment, he chuckled helplessly. "Naturally, I'll treat her the same."
"Good. We can't leave her out alone." Gu Yue shot him a teasing glance. "Wasn't this your plan from the beginning? Three women serving you alone—and in a way, we're all the same person. Now that your fantasy has become reality, how does it feel?"
"It's too intense, far beyond what I expected," Bai Xu admitted honestly.
"Yesterday, although Gu Yuena didn't appear… she was fully conscious, deep within the spiritual sea." Gu Yue smirked, as if still engaged in a battle of wills with her, seizing the moment to assert dominance.
Bai Xu was shocked. "So she saw everything?"
"Haha, worried she'll take it out on you when she returns?"
"Not exactly. I'm just afraid she might actually come up with another scheme to tie me up again." Bai Xu sighed. He never should have started this—it had led to things taking a bizarre turn.
As the train sped forward, Bai Xu remained oblivious to the slowly encroaching schemes around him.
After a moment of quiet intimacy, Gu Yue turned serious. "The continent's political landscape has been reshuffled. The hawkish factions, led by the Spirit Pagoda, are ruthlessly suppressing the remnants of the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. The bombing of Shrek City had far-reaching consequences—even the then-Parliamentary Speaker resigned in disgrace. Now, the Federal Assembly has undergone a massive restructuring, with over two-thirds of the current representatives newly elected."
"The Federal Parliament has always been divided between hawks and doves, with a small number of neutral factions. But the neutrals are few, barely twenty or so, and hold little sway in decisive matters."
"The hawks advocate aggressive, militant policies, favoring strength in external affairs. The doves, in contrast, lean toward moderation and conservatism, prioritizing stability and opposing conflict. They even resist excessive research into soul tools, believing it accelerates resource depletion and hinders human progress. However, the doves strongly support space exploration, seeking new habitable worlds beyond our planet."
"On this point, the hawks agree—but they argue that the Federation must possess overwhelming military power to colonize new frontiers. After all, who knows what other lifeforms might exist in the cosmos? Without strength, how can we defend ourselves?"
"The two factions have debated endlessly, yet no resolution has been reached."
"As for Shrek's reconstruction, the Federation undoubtedly opposes it. They have no desire to see a 'state within a state' reemerge."
Bai Xu remarked, "Honestly, whether it's the Tang Sect, Shrek Academy, or the Spirit Pagoda—all these organizations are essentially autonomous states. They maintain their own armies, develop their own weapons—some even surpassing the Federation's, like the Tang Sect's arsenal. Yet the Federation can't guarantee their leaders' loyalty. In times of war, these factions would act according to their leaders' decisions, not the Federation's."
"Take the Blood God Legion—they obey only Zhang Huanyun. The Spirit Pagoda answers solely to the Pagoda Master. The Tang Sect follows only its sect master. Each legion heeds only its own commander. These groups are highly self-governing, even cultivating their own ideologies, where allegiance to their faction supersedes loyalty to the Federation—or anything else. This is a distorted political system. But no one can dismantle it."
"You could," Gu Yue said softly.
"I have no interest in that. Just an observation."
"I've already reached Soul Douluo rank. The continent's situation is shifting like storm clouds, as if awaiting the final great conflict—the Federation's unification, the Abyss's invasion, the schemes of the God Kings. With foreknowledge, we hold the advantage. The soul beasts need only bide their time for the eventual counterattack."
"But something feels off about Pagoda Master this time. If he wanted to recall us both, he could've done so together. Why the urgent call to the Blood God Legion's commander, specifically emphasizing you?" Gu Yue frowned.
"What are you implying?" Bai Xu asked.
"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen to you. Call it intuition."
"Don't worry. We'll wait and see."
Gu Yue nodded. With Bai Xu's current power, no one could kill him unless he allowed it.
---
The Holy Spirit Cult.
The Ghost Emperor gazed down at the two men kneeling before him—the Demon Vine Douluo and the Evil Dragon Douluo, both at Rank 96. There had been a third, the Demon Blade Douluo, who had been operating in the Douluo Empire, but contact with him had recently been lost.
"I have a task for you," the Ghost Emperor said coldly.
"Your orders, my lord?"
With a wave of his hand, a holographic screen appeared before them, displaying Bai Xu's profile. "Go to the Douluo Empire. Kill him, and bring back his body—intact."
"A Spirit Pagoda member, Rank 77 Soul Sage… My lord, a mere Soul Sage could be handled by underlings. And we have collaborations with the Spirit Pagoda in the Douluo Empire…" The Demon Vine Douluo hesitated.
"I'm sending you two to ensure no mistakes. If you fail, don't bother returning. Understood?" The Ghost Emperor's eyes flashed, his demigod aura pressing down on them, filling the two with dread.
"Yes…"
"Depart at once."
The Ghost Emperor's gaze turned distant. He was curious—why had the Abyssal beings taken an interest in such an insignificant Soul Sage? Just because he could devour Abyssal energy? Weren't there two others who could do the same? Why him specifically?
---
Bai Xu and Gu Yue traveled leisurely, deliberately slowing their pace. They stopped in Bright City for a night, sharing another intimate evening before boarding a soul train back to Shrek City.
Gu Yue, now a Soul Douluo, had recovered her strength far faster than in the original timeline, having avoided splitting her spiritual seed and damaging herself. Her mental power was even more terrifying, having long reached the Spirit Domain realm, with her own spiritual field—Spatial Solidification—though she had never used it on Bai Xu.
Meanwhile, Bai Xu had entered the Foot Three Yang Meridians stage of his meridian-opening cultivation. Once these meridians were fully unblocked, leaving only the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, he would be ready to advance further. With the essence of the Five Elements circulating through his body, he could now maintain his Five Elements Awakened state for extended periods.
In this state, his body was enveloped in a radiant five-colored halo, like a divine avatar, with only his piercing black eyes visible.
The Eight Extraordinary Meridians could not be unlocked through effort alone—only by courting death could one find life.
As the ancient texts said: Only in death is there rebirth.