Xu Tianran nodded contentedly and said, “I have the same intention too. To defeat our external foes, we have to pacify opposition within our borders first. I want to take care of the internal situation and take this opportunity to exterminate traitors. For this, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you, Imperial Tutor.” At this point, a cold gleam crossed Xu Tianran’s eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched as he betrayed a strong killing intent.

  The mysterious Imperial Tutor said plainly, “That’s right. Some people must be held accountable for this incident. As for those who are faultless, we can say that they perished in the explosion. I’ll follow the list that you gave me earlier?”


  “Yes,” said Xu Tiaran as he nodded.

  The Imperial Tutor said, “Then, let me take this chance to congratulate Your Majesty on your premature ascension to the throne.”


  Xu Tianran said sincerely, “When the Sun Moon Empire unites the continent, the Holy Ghost Church shall be the national religion. At that time, I’ll name the Founder of the Church as the National God. All shall hold you in reference, and you shall be elevated on a divine pedestal.”


  “That’s for later, let’s take care of things one step at a time,” the Imperial Tutor said. He did not appear very excited. He nodded at Xu Tianran and then turned to leave.

  When he reached the entrance, he stopped and turned around.

  “We can’t devote all our strength over at the Western Mountain yet. However, I’ve already activated the Mysterious Land there. We’ll trap them there and then take care of them later. By then, Shrek Academy will be totally drained. It’ll be impossible for them to resist us anymore.”


  Xu Tianran said, “I had the same plan. However, can we really trap them?”


  The mysterious Imperial Tutor intoned, “That place imprisoned my grandfather for 100 years. He was not weaker than Uncle Long. In the end, he managed to take some things out from there, but they were just a small portion of the Mysterious Land. Mere mortals cannot resist that place. Once something goes wrong, it’ll result in imprisonment spanning decades until death. After I activate it, even a Titled Douluo can’t fly there. He can only leave after going through various trials and tribulations. My grandfather made three errors when he was there, and hence, he was trapped for 100 years. Did we not try it before? Among those whom we threw inside, less than 10% of them survived. I’ve already instructed Little Feng to bypass the Western Mountain, and got four of my elders to guard the exit. Even if they escape, they will still be killed.”


  “Good,” Xu Tianran said as he nodded his head. “It’s all up to you, Imperial Tutor.”


  ……


  The sky gradually lit up.

  When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes once more, purple and gold light shone in his eyes. His energy was indescribably vibrant!

  The mysterious three-way cultivation?had aided him, Wang Dong’er, and Wang Qiu’er immensely. While they only cultivated for around four hours, Huo Yuhao was able to increase his soul power by cultivating the difficult Ultimate Strength martial soul. Furthermore, the combined power of the purple and gold soul power was able to erode the Ultimate Ice, the origin energy of heaven and earth, in his lower limbs at twice the usual speed. It was akin to cultivating after ingesting distilled wine.

  Wang Dong’er and Wang Qiu’er opened their eyes too. Their two highly-similar eyes, which reflected vastly different personalities, also shone with a layer of purple and gold light.

  Wang Dong’er experienced the greatest increase in soul power because she did not have an Ultimate martial soul. Wang Qiu’er and Huo Yuhao both possessed Ultimate martial souls and hence, their increase was less than Wang Dong’er’s. However, it was still substantial.

  The three of them looked at each other. An odd atmosphere permeated their surroundings.

  Even Wang Dong’er sensed that something felt wrong.?Does this mean that the three of us are ‘together’? But, but…


  Huo Yuhao touched his nose, nodded at Wang Qiu’er and said, “Thank you.”


  Wang Qiu’er stared at him, then shook her head as she said, “It’s fine. This benefits all of us.” With that, she turned and walked away.

  Wang Dong’er’s gaze turned soft. While Huo Yuhao thanked Wang Qiu’er, he said nothing else to her. It was clear who he was close with, and who he was not. She liked how Huo Yuhao did not try to beat about the bush. This clearly indicated to Wang Qiu’er that there was no chance between Huo Yuhao and her. Hence, she would not develop false notions. While this might appear hurtful, it was better to suffer less in relationships.

  Huo Yuhao raised his head to look at the sky. He was instantly surprised, because he realized that the sky was shrouded by fog five meters from the ground. Furthermore, he realized that the fog in the sky was changing color.

  “Since you have all woken up, come over.” Elder Xuan’s voice wafted over. Quickly, assisted by Wang Dong’er, Huo Yuhao entered his human-shaped soul tool. Then, he walked over to Elder Xuan.

  The rest had already gathered. There was a solemn expression on Elder Xuan’s face.

  Huo Yuhao subconsciously released his Spiritual Detection. However, he was soon surprised. Despite having released Spiritual Detection, its radius was no more than 5 meters. Any further, and he felt like a clay cow in the sea. Not only could he not sense anything, but he could also feel something eating away at his spiritual power.

  How can this be? My Spiritual Detection can’t even see as far as my eyes.?Huo Yuhao had never experienced this before. Even in the Setting Sun Forest, which had been saturated with a toxic miasma, he had still been able to use his Spiritual Detection!

  Elder Xuan looked at Huo Yuhao and said, “You can feel it too, right? Our sensory abilities have been greatly weakened. The fog above our heads is like a cage, trapping us here. If we can’t escape, we’ll truly be caught in a rut.”


  Wang Qiu’er could not help but ask, “Can we not fly?”


  Elder Xuan shook his head and said, “I tried, but it doesn’t work. When I tried, it was as if the entire sky was resisting me. A powerful pressure forced me to land. The strength of this pressure surpasses what a normal person can resist. Even Long Xiaoyao, an Ultimate Douluo, would find it impossible.”


  When they heard Elder Xuan’s words, everyone could not help but gasp.

  The Martial God Douluo Xian Lin’er frowned and said, “This is strange indeed. However, why did we not detect this when we flew over?”


  She and Elder Xuan had personally flown over the Western Mountain. In one day, they had surveyed the entire Western Mountain, and yet they did not realize that there was something amiss.

  However, this transformation had now trapped everyone here. How could she and Elder Xuan not fault themselves?

  Elder Xuan intoned, “This area appears to be enveloped by a mysterious power. Even the ground is different. I tried to control the earth and burrow through the ground, but I failed. We appear to be trapped in an unbreakable prison.”


  Elder Xuan’s martial soul, the Godly Taotie Bull, was an Earth-type martial soul. It could manipulate the ground very well. He had tried to use his powerful strength to alter his surroundings and break through the obstacles. However, he failed.

  “Does anyone have any plans? Speak,” said Elder Xuan, who was depressed and perplexed. However, he managed to keep a straight face. At this moment, he could not panic. If he did, these kids would panic even more.

  “Elder Xuan, should we split into groups and explore? We can divide ourselves into smaller groups. This may not be a prison, but a maze instead. Perhaps we can walk out?” Dai Huabin asked.

  Before he could finish his sentence, Bei Bei spoke, “No, we can’t split up at this time. If you’re right and this is indeed a maze, this is still a maze the Sun Moon Empire constructed for us. What if evil soul masters from the Holy Ghost Church are in here with us? The moment we split up, we’ll become sitting ducks for them.”


  Dai Huabin’s face twitched. However, he did not dare to say anything to Bei Bei. In the inner courtyard, while Bei Bei’s position could not compare with Zhang Lexuan’s, he was still one of the more powerful members of the younger generation. In particular, his performance against the Holy Ghost Sect team left a deep impression on everyone.

  Elder Xuan looked at Huo Yuhao and said, “Speak, Yuhao.”


  Huo Yuhao said, “I’ve just tried it, and the radius of Spiritual Detection is no more than five meters. It’s no better than our sight. You’re right. Here, we are under the suppression of a mystical power, which can’t be resisted by mere humans. However, I don’t think that it’s purely a cage. It must have its secrets. Since it’s not something that humans can resist, it was definitely not built by the Sun Moon Empire. Their soul tools have not yet reached this level. Even a Class 10 soul tool could not cover such a huge mountain. Hence, this is a natural formation. The Sun Moon Empire can only control it. Since its made by nature, it’s not a death trap. There’s bound to be an escape.”


  “I agree with elder brother. At this time, we can’t split up. Everyone should concentrate on one direction. Even if we return to where we started off, we’ll make observations and discover new things. With these clues, we can improvise further. This is our last resort.”


  “Right,” Elder Xuan said as he nodded. “Alright, let’s consume some of our rations and set off. Yuhao, come with me, I want to ask you something.”


  “Yes,” Huo Yuhao said as he quickly walked over to Elder Xuan in his human-shaped soul tool.

  “How’s your recovery?” Elder Xuan asked.

  “I’m fine,” Huo Yuhao replied.

  Elder Xuan nodded and said, “That’s good. While I believe you, you need to provide me with an explanation for the powers you revealed yesterday at the Radiant City Elite Soul Engineering Tournament. Also, what happened to the person who possessed the Holy Angel? Did you really kill her?”