More than half a month later, the Evil Eye Tyrant Forest, Ye Xishui's place of secluded cultivation.
"Mother... what did you say?"
Within the somewhat empty underground space, the Sect Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult—a man who had weathered great storms and reached Level 98 in cultivation—actually looked as if he were losing control of his expression.
"Did you not hear me clearly?! I said, Long Xiaoyao hasn't returned!"
Ye Xishui's already unstable mental state showed faint signs of slipping into a frenzy.
A century of companionship meant Ye Xishui knew Long Xiaoyao better than anyone; that man would absolutely never stay away for this long without a word!
Something had definitely happened!
"Is there any change at the Spirit Transmission Pagoda?" Ye Xishui asked suddenly. Blood-scented soul power inadvertently leaked out, causing Zhongli Wu to feel a sense of oppression.
"No... the news from our spies in Shrek City says everything at the Spirit Transmission Pagoda is normal, without any changes," Zhongli Wu answered truthfully.
In the darkness, Ye Xishui's killing intent surged.
If Long Xiaoyao hadn't returned, there were only two possibilities: he was either dead or captured.
Regardless, either outcome meant that one or more "over-spec" powerhouses currently resided within Shrek City!
Mu En? It was possible. If his injuries had recovered, capturing Long Xiaoyao with the help of the Golden Ancient Tree shouldn't be an issue.
But Long Xiaoyao's goal was the Spirit Transmission Pagoda! No matter how poorly things went, he should have had enough strength to strike the Spirit Transmission Pagoda once and level it to the ground!
Unless Mu En had been guarding the Spirit Transmission Pagoda personally, or there was at least one other Limit Douluo stationed there who worked with Mu En to kill or capture him...
Two or even more Limit Douluos.
Ye Xishui's gradually fragmenting mind began to clear up inch by inch.
She was mad, but not stupid. She wasn't going to rush in and seek death knowing Shrek City hid such powerhouses!
Long Xiaoyao had already fallen; was she supposed to follow him as a sacrificial lover?
In the distance, Zhongli Wu didn't even dare to breathe. He knew how terrifying his mother was when she went insane. Before, someone could at least stop her, but now...
"...Withdraw all the Holy Cult's forces from the outside, especially those in the Three Douluo Empires. Bring them all back.
"Additionally, temporarily hide our cooperation with the Sun Moon Empire!
"Cut the blood rations for all cult members by half and send it all to me!
"The Spirit Transmission Pagoda might not know of the Holy Spirit Cult's existence yet, and they might not be fully committed to researching 'Purification Devices.' Right now, we can only gamble!
"We'll gamble on whether the Spirit Transmission Pagoda creates a 'Purification Device' that can threaten me first, or if I complete the 'Death God Tower' first to trample Shrek City!"
Killing intent billowed. Even in a somewhat rational state, Ye Xishui predictably chose the most extreme plan!
"...Yes... Mother."
Zhongli Wu bowed stiffly in response and turned to leave without hesitation.
The underground space returned to silence. Ye Xishui's eyes were dark as thoughts churned in her mind.
Long Xiaoyao's failure to return meant that even if the Holy Spirit Cult deployed everyone, they might not take the Spirit Transmission Pagoda. Thus, she had to gamble!
Gamble on finishing the Death God Tower first!
In the silence, Ye Xishui took out several books.
Soul Tool Soul-Fusion Method, Ring-Shaping Soul Tool Method, and Prototype Type III · Soul Armor.
These were provided to Zhongli Wu by Xu Tianran, who then passed them to her. Let's gamble, then!
With madness flickering in her eyes, Ye Xishui decided to go all-in! Just like in the past!
...
"Hiss—Yuhao, gent... gentler, it hurts a bit."
Meng Hongchen braced her hands against the metal experiment table, her voice halting.
Despite expecting it, she couldn't help but let out a sound when the moment actually came.
"Okay, I'll be gentler."
Huo Yuhao spoke softly. While carefully mounting soul tool components onto Meng Hongchen, he used a strand of mental power to control a pen and paper, recording problem areas for future modification.
After a moment, Huo Yuhao stepped back slightly from Meng Hongchen, who was now fitted with his self-developed Prototype Soul-Powered Armor · Generation I.
Currently, Meng Hongchen's upper body was covered in a layer of silver-white, form-fitting soul tool light armor. On her back, Huo Yuhao had installed a Class 5 light flight soul tool and four Class 5 miniature "soul power storage devices" for energy supply.
Below was a full set of soul tool leg armor covering her entire lower half. The leg armor followed the contours of Meng Hongchen's legs perfectly; it didn't look bulky but rather accentuated her long legs.
Furthermore, several thrusters were attached to the feet to increase turning speed and displacement while using the flight soul tool.
The entire prototype armor was supported by a "bionic spine" acting as the central hub.
"It's a bit... heavy."
Miss Meng raised her hand, giving her feedback after feeling the weight.
"That's normal. Try activating it."
Meng Hongchen nodded. Her soul power touched the switch, and a hum sounded in the next instant.
The "soul power storage devices" on her back started up according to the programmed sequence. Attribute-less soul power surged out, and the "bionic spine" lit up segment by segment. Deep blue soul power lines surfaced, revealing an indescribable sense of technology.
"Whoa... Yuhao! You can't play favorites! I want this too! It's too cool!"
Sitting to the side, Xiao Hongchen—who had been sent by Jing Hongchen to monitor Meng Hongchen and prevent her from "eating" Huo Yuhao too early—could no longer sit still.
As the third wheel, he had been ready to make an escape, but seeing this high-tech soul-powered armor truly made his heart skip a beat!
"Don't worry, big brother Xiao, you'll have one."
Huo Yuhao said, then looked at Meng Hongchen: "Sister Meng, let's test according to the original plan."
Meng Hongchen nodded and began testing.
"Weight issue is gone... once the armor is active, soul power reinforces the body, so that's fine.
"The storage devices on the back are running normally and can replenish my consumption at any time. No problems there.
"Besides that, the amplification soul tool arrays are also functioning. My ice attribute power is amplified by about 30%.
"Also..."
For every sentence Meng Hongchen spoke, Huo Yuhao recorded it.
As a prototype, the most important thing was confirming the basic framework. Once the framework was solid, future improvements would be much easier.
A moment later, the initial tests were over, and the group headed to the testing grounds for combat trials.
Xiao Hongchen, having been a third wheel all morning, finally found a way to be useful.
However, Meng Hongchen clearly held a massive grudge against her brother for ruining her private time with Huo Yuhao.
Clad in the soul-powered armor, the Level 49 Meng Hongchen proceeded to repeatedly beat the Level 52 Xiao Hongchen for ten straight minutes.