Gu Yuena took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "And we will collect the debt with interest sooner or later."
She had not awakened back then. Now was different.
She would collect it back with interest.
"We will."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, but inwardly he fell into thought.
Over the past two years, through the relevant information provided by Snow Empress, his understanding of the Abyss Plane's strength had become clearer. He also better understood how difficult it had been for Emperor Tian and the others to hold it back over six thousand years ago.
The Abyss had a total of one hundred and eight layers. The last thirty-six layers had douluos, whose strength roughly corresponded to human Title Douluos. The mid thirty-six layers had strength comparable to Super Douluos.
The most formidable were the Emperors ranked in the top thirty-six layers. Their strength was equivalent to human Limit Douluos.
And besides these, there were the powerful powerful races of each Abyss layer.
One must know that apart from the Sacred Lord, who had no race, the Emperors of each other layer were basically the strongest of their race. But that did not mean their race had no other powerful individuals besides these strongest.
Take, for example, the Possession Demons of Abyss layer seven. They were among the Abyss's most powerful beings. Although they lacked direct combat power, they possessed the ability to possess others. Once possessed, there was no defense except for those with Spirit Domain realm spiritual power.
Even for those with the Spirit Domain realm, they would be very severely affected. They would need to struggle with all their might to possibly break free from control. And during the process of struggling against it, it would be very difficult to move.
In other words, this thing could participate in Limit-level battles. If it possessed a Limit Douluo while they were fighting an Abyss a powerful powerful being, that would be certain death. There was even a risk of being controlled.
Not only that, besides this ability, the most terrifying thing about this creature was that it was almost impossible to kill. Whether it was physical attacks, spiritual attacks, or energy attacks, they would be absorbed and transformed into its own control power. It was a very troublesome opponent.
Over the years, through the Federation's confirmation, the total number of Possession Demons was thirty-six. They could possess three times in their lives. Their natural death and respawn conditions were unknown.
According to Snow Empress, during the Abyss War over six thousand years ago, the Emperors of the Abyss Plane had not been deployed in great numbers. Only Lie Di of Abyss layer three had served as commander, leading some Abyss Emperors and Abyss creatures into battle.
In that war, more than half of the Limit Douluos on the Douluo Continent who had been killed in battle had died because of the Possession Demons. Some Limit Douluos had been possessed by them during battle and, while fighting the control, had been killed by Abyss powerful powerful beings. Some had been sneak attack by possessed Super Douluo comrades-in-arms. Others had been outmaneuvered by a single move because the Possession Demons could control their attacks.
Although the Federation had now found ways to combat possession, it required external means and was not foolproof. Moreover, even if the possession ability could not be used, the Possession Demons' ability to control various attacks was still a nuisance.
"Besides the Possession Demons, the Spirit Dragons were also not to be underestimated. Fortunately, six thousand years ago, the commander was Lie Di, not Ling Di."
Huo Yuhao thought to himself.
The Spirit Dragon race was one of the The most powerful race among Abyss creatures. Their numbers did not exceed fifty. They belonged to Ling Di of layer two. They were born powerful, possessing innate Spirit Domain realm spiritual power.
Although their individual strength was not as great as that of the Abyss Emperors above layer thirty-six, they were still more powerful than the Emperors of the other seventy-two layers. They could certainly rival a Level 98 Super Douluo. Moreover, their greatest strength lay in enhancing Abyss creatures. Their effect on the battlefield was far more terrifying than those Limit-level beings. (The original work stated that each Spirit Dragon was stronger than the Emperors of the following seventy-eight layers. That seemed to be a retconned setting. Here, it is changed to say they are only stronger than the Emperors of the following seventy-two layers.)
Moreover, the spiritual power of Spirit Dragons could be linked and stacked. together, they could also fight Limit-level beings.
Over six thousand years ago, because Ling Di had not participated in the war, these Spirit Dragons had not been deployed. They were still one of the Abyss's hidden trump cards. If they had appeared together with Ling Di back then, given their bonus bonus to Abyss creatures and their own strength, the Douluo side would have suffered even more losses.
After all, the Abyss was a mighty powerful plane, and a unified one under the Abyss Sacred Lord. Its strength was intolerable
Not to be underestimated.
"Yuhao, what's wrong?"
Huo Yuhao snapped back to the present, looked at Gu Yuena beside him, and shook his head slightly. "Nothing. I was just thinking."
There was no denying the Abyss Plane's combat strength. For the Douluo Continent to have withstood the first invasion of such a mighty plane over six thousand years ago was truly no small feat. The people and beasts who had made that sacrifice deserved everyone's respect.
If not for them, what the Douluo Continent would look like now I'm afraid no one knew.
"If I get the chance, I'd like to go pay respects."
Gu Yuena was taken aback by Huo Yuhao's sudden words. Then she smiled. "Okay. If you go, they will probably be very happy."
Beside them, Xu Xiaoyan, seeing that they had temporarily stopped talking, finally walked over.
"Na'er, I want to try a technique my teacher taught me. Would you be my practice partner?"
A flicker of something passed through Gu Yuena's eyes. She nodded and walked with Xu Xiaoyan to the center of the training ground.
In the ice attribute, she had taught Xiaoyan a bit more. But in the star attribute, Yuhao had taught more. Strictly speaking, Xiaoyan was considered a disciple of both of them. Well, an honorary one, since they hadn't passed on their real skills yet.
For a Tool Martial Soul to master the Elemental Heart was very, very difficult. After all, it was not a pure pure elemental martial soul. To mobilize external elemental forces, one could only rely on one's own spiritual power. Xiaoyan certainly had not mastered it yet. So what she was about to do was a technique Yuhao had taught her, right?
Although she seemed a bit lazy, she was still working hard.
Gu Yuena smiled inwardly.
Huo Yuhao glanced at them, then turned and walked toward Tang Wulin. "Wulin, the thing you needed is ready."
"Really?"
Tang Wulin's eyes lit up, then he quickly thanked him. "Thank you, Yuhao."
"It's nothing. Good luck in the match." Huo Yuhao handed him a box, then turned his head and saw Xie Xie looking at him with an envious expression.
"Boss, when are you going to help me..."
"Here."
Huo Yuhao patted his storage ring and took out several boxes, manipulating them to land in the hands of Xie Xie, Wang Jinxi, and Zhang Yangzi.
"I've prepared yours and Xiaoyan's too. But try not to use them in this match. Strictly speaking, this isn't your strength. Except for Wulin."
Xie Xie's smile faded. "I understand. This is your and Wulin's strength, Boss. Besides, I want to win on my own this time."
Wang Jinxi and Zhang Yangzi exchanged a glance. Although they felt that coasting was not good, they still accepted them.
Among their peers, the one who stood at the pinnacle of secondary professions was right beside them. Just as Xiaoyan had said, learning repair was best for them. That way, they would also have more energy to cultivate. It was just a bit embarrassing to trouble Yuhao and Wulin.
Nearby, Yuanen Yehui, who had been about to leave the training ground to find a Spirit Soul, paused. She looked at them with some surprise.
What was in those boxes?
Thinking this, the answer was revealed by Xie Xie the next moment.
"Mine are leg armor parts?" Xie Xie looked at the components in his hand with surprise, his eyes lighting up.
"Battle Armor components?"
Yuanen Yehui's eyes widened. She looked at Huo Yuhao, suddenly remembering something.
It was true. She had heard that Huo Yuhao had dual secondary professions. Plus Tang Wulin's forging talent, the two of them together could complete Battle Armor.
Thinking this, Yuanen Yehui felt a surge of desire, but also some hesitation.
Should she be thick-skinned and ask him? She was a repairman, already at Grade Four. She had a Spirit Alloy too. Now she lacked a suitable person to design and manufacture it for her.
The designers and manufacturers in her class were all somewhat distressed by her Twin Martial Souls. They needed someone more excellent.
But she did not have as close a relationship with Huo Yuhao as the Class Zero members. Asking questions was fine, but asking him to design and manufacture Battle Armor...
"If you're in trouble, come find me."
Nanaly's laughter echoed in her mind.
Yuanen Yehui's expression instantly went blank.
Oh, right. She also had a person she could ask for help. She would just have to "sell herself."
Three days passed quickly.
Led by Luo Meng, Le Zhengyu and his group arrived at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and saw the statues at the entrance.
In the morning light, a row of statues stood quietly, radiating a cold luster.
"That's Silver Moon Douluo, isn't it? Who are the others?" Le Zhengyu recognized the front figure and looked at the other statues with some confusion.
Long Chen indicated with his eyes. "There are names below. Xiao Hongchen, [number]th Continental Spirit Master Competition Champion..."
As he read, his voice gradually lowered.
The Continental Spirit Master Competition had not been held for a long time. And these statues, placed together with Silver Moon Douluo, were probably
from ten thousand years ago, weren't they?
That was on the eve of the Sun Moon Empire's unification of the continent.
"I know them."
Ye Xinglan's cool voice suddenly rang out, drawing the attention of her other classmates. "Ten thousand years ago, our academy was somewhat weakened. And they were the ones who, at that time, defeated the academy and took away the champion champion's glory."
Luo Meng, Lan Muzi, and Tang Yinmeng, the three elders, stood to the side, falling into silence.
Even though they had long known about the situation at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, seeing these statues, their expressions still appeared somewhat unnatural.
As teachers and inner courtyard disciples of Shrek Academy, they had heard the story of Yuehua Douluo. They knew that when she had been at the height of her power, she had suffered for the title "Silver Moon." The culprit needed no thought. There was only one possibility.
And who the statues around Silver Moon Douluo were, they naturally also knew, even better than Ye Xinglan.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy placing these statues here was, to them, a provocation.
If they were young and energetic students, they would have already acted impulsively.
Lan Muzi took a deep breath. "Let's go. Don't think too much."
Tang Yinmeng nodded and, together with him, led the way toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. The other students looked at the statues, then frowned and followed.
As Senior Apprentice Sister Tang Yinmeng had said, they were playing away. They had to endure this kind of making things difficult.
At the entrance of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, someone had already received word in advance and come to welcome the Shrek Academy group.
One thing was the grudge grudge. Another thing was social etiquette. Among these people were Three-Word Battle Armor Masters. They could not simply ignore them.
At the front of the welcoming team was a tall, straight middle-aged man. He had a gentle smile, his gaze gentle yet not without majesty.
"Welcome to Shrek Academy." He nodded slightly. "I am Lin Jiayi, the teaching director of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
Lan Muzi stepped forward. "Hello. I am inner courtyard student Lan Muzi."
"Atlas Douluo's successor, I have long heard of your name." Lin Jiayi made a "please" gesture. "Let's skip the pleasantries. The preparation for the exchange match is complete. The students will just need to wait a moment in the competitors' tunnel, and we can begin. As for you, Lan Muzi, you can come with me to the VIP box to watch the match, how about that?"
"Certainly."
Lan Muzi gave his students a meaningful look. Accompanied by a teacher, he walked with Tang Yinmeng and Luo Meng toward the direction of the arena.
The students were led to the competitors' channel channel.
Seeing this, Lin Jiayi looked at Lin Qinghan beside him. "How are our students prepared?"
"All ready." Lin Qinghan nodded.
"And the Mingdu media?"
"Also informed."
Lin Qinghan said somewhat hesitantly, "But is it really a good idea to broadcast the match live across Mingdu? We don't have a guaranteed chance of winning."
A flicker of something passed through Lin Jiayi's eyes. "If we lose, it will motivate our students to work harder. If we win, it will also complete the task from above. Besides, this exchange match has already drawn a lot of attention. The news has already spread. Having more media coverage doesn't matter much. However, we need to appease our students properly. Don't put too much pressure on them."
"Yes!"
On the way to the competitors' passage, Le Zhengyu passed through the hall alone. Seeing the situation around him, he instinctively frowned.
There were very few people here now. That was not normal. So where had all the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy students gone?
He could only think of one possibility.
Le Zhengyu quietly said to his teammates beside him, "You can imagine the situation we're about to face."
A flicker of cold passed through Ye Xinglan's eyes, but she said nothing. It was only when she saw two figures that her composed mentality suddenly vanished. Her pupils contracted.
"Huo Yuhao, Gu Yuena?!"
Her gaze landed on two figures that often appeared in her mind. They were walking from a corner with some others in another direction, seeming not to notice them.
Or perhaps, they did not care?
Ye Xinglan unconsciously clenched her fists.
Le Zhengyu noticed her gaze and also noticed Huo Yuhao and the others. He frowned.
"They're going to the VIP seats. They're probably not our match opponents."
Huo Yuhao... he had heard of him. If the other was participating, they probably would not be a match. Fortunately, he was not.
"..."
Ye Xinglan pressed her lips together, quickly calmed her emotions, and made her way to the competitors' channel channel.
Then... everyone's mood soured.
Because of the sound coming from the match venue.
An impassioned voice echoed, "Students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, let us work together and cheer for our competitors. First-year juniors, go for it! Let those Shrek people know who the truly spirit master academy on the continent is. They are outdated!"
Ye Xinglan and the others' eyelids twitched. Anger burned in their hearts.
At the same time, on the opposing competitors' channel, Xie Xie's expression was strange.
"So this is home field advantage? But why do I feel like we're the villains in a storybook?"
They were covered in negative flags.
***
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