Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 404 Holy Spirit Cult Outpost, Heading to Haotian Sect

Jing Hongchen mobilized a great deal of manpower and resources to conduct a long and thorough investigation into the attack on Mingde Hall. Even Huo Yuhao was questioned repeatedly, but in the end, he found nothing and could not find any evidence of internal leaks.

The loss of the prototype humanoid soul tool and a large amount of rare metals—this huge culprit could only be firmly pinned on the Body Sect.

In order to boost morale after the destruction of Mingde Hall and to revitalize the academy's reputation, Jing Hongchen decided to hold an exchange battle tournament for Huo Yuhao, who has been making waves recently and has shown amazing talent with soul tools.

The rules are simple: any student from Sun Moon Academy can go on stage to challenge Huo Yuhao. If Huo Yuhao wins a match, he will receive a reward of one jin of rare metal.

The reward may seem meager, but Jing Hongchen's true intention was not the reward itself. He wanted to take this opportunity to see just how talented Huo Yuhao was in actual combat.

As for Gula? Jing Hongchen didn't even ask. He didn't believe any student in the academy could be a match for Gula, and having him participate would only disrupt the balance.

He is now even starting to worry about the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Competition—would the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy continue to be relegated to second place?

Looking at the two monsters, Gula and Huo Yuhao, he felt utterly powerless.

"Never mind, there are still almost two years left, I'll talk about it then." He shook his head, temporarily putting his worries aside.

As the exchange match began, Huo Yuhao and He Caitou put up an arrogant banner that read "Shrek is the best in the world," intending to attract more opponents to come and challenge them.

Gula didn't go to watch the match on the first day. It wasn't until he heard that Huo Yuhao had defeated Nana, the next regular member of Sun Moon Academy, that he came to the scene with great interest.

Huo Yuhao's opponent in this match is a young man named Ji Juechen.

This person's innate soul power was only level three, but with the help of a meteorite iron sword from outer space, he comprehended sword intent on his own and cultivated to the Soul Emperor realm with unimaginable perseverance. His fighting will and swordsmanship were in no way inferior to those geniuses with full innate soul power.

In the arena, Huo Yuhao's domineering fist intent clashed fiercely with Ji Juechen's pure and sharp sword intent. The domineering and extreme sharpness overwhelmed each other, dazzling the audience.

Gula's gaze lingered more on Ji Juechen, who was undoubtedly a true sword prodigy. If his martial spirit quality were even higher, his future achievements would be limitless.

Unfortunately, he was facing Huo Yuhao, the chosen one of destiny. In the fierce battle, Huo Yuhao once again broke through his own limits, his fist intent reaching new heights and subtly overpowering Ji Juechen's sword intent.

In the end, although Ji Juechen still had some soul power left, he readily admitted defeat and was completely convinced of his inferiority.

Seeing this, Jing Hongchen had no choice but to announce the results of the competition.

Gula shook his head with a hint of regret. Although Ji Juechen's sword intent was pure, he was still far from comprehending the unique "Sword Maniac Domain" that he would later develop.

He had hoped to take this opportunity to observe and learn from others, but now it seems that the opportunity is gone.

The next day, Huo Yuhao found Gula, his expression somewhat solemn: "Gula, there's something I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

“It’s Nana,” Huo Yuhao explained. “She was previously controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult, and her family suffered greatly as a result. She herself was also considered a servant of the Evil Soul Master. The Holy Spirit Cult has a secret stronghold near Mingdu, where they may be holding many people like her who are being controlled, or where they are carrying out some kind of evil ritual.”

“She wanted to destroy that place and rescue her parents’ souls, but she didn’t have the power, so she came to me… I think if you were here, the chances of success would be much greater.”

Nana, a girl with a somewhat gloomy temperament, was also present. Because her martial soul was a vengeful spirit, she looked at Nana with eyes full of hatred and pleading: "Those evil spirit masters deserved to die. I am willing to give anything to help you!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of interest flashed in Gula's eyes.

Although it's estimated to be just a small outpost, every little bit helps, and the life of the evil spirit master is a good supplement for both him and the angel spirit.

“Of course.” Gula readily agreed. “Evil spirit masters are enemies of everyone. It’s a good opportunity to stretch my muscles.”

The three had finalized their plan. Using Huo Yuhao's powerful simulation soul skill, they easily infiltrated the Holy Spirit Cult stronghold that Nana had mentioned.

The stronghold was dark and damp, filled with a faint smell of blood and an evil aura. Strange runes were carved on the walls, and painful groans could be faintly heard coming from the depths.

They ventured deeper into the area without hindrance, thanks to Nana's status as a servant of the Holy One. However, just as they approached the core region, a sinister voice suddenly rang out:
"Hmph! Where did this little mouse come from? Its smell... is truly nauseating!"

An old man dressed in a dark robe with a withered face emerged from the shadows, staring at Nana with greedy and evil eyes, especially focusing on her shadow.

He was the person in charge of this stronghold, a low-level leader, respectfully called the Great Holy Spirit, with a cultivation level of approximately Soul Emperor, and was exceptionally sensitive to life and the aura of light.

"We've been discovered!" Huo Yuhao shouted, immediately preparing for battle.

But Gura was faster than him!

"A worm hiding its head and tail doesn't even deserve to bark!" Gula sneered, too lazy to waste words, and golden light suddenly burst forth from his body.

"Possessed by an angel!"

The dazzling holy light instantly dispelled the darkness and evil in the cave, scorching the great holy spirit until it let out a painful roar.

Gula condensed a longsword of light and flame in his hand, flapped his wings on his back, and charged directly towards the Great Saint Spirit at the Soul Emperor level like an arrow released from a bow.

The evil spirit master tried to resist with evil techniques, but the ultimate light and ultimate fire were too much of a counter to him.

His protective soul power was easily torn apart by Gula's holy sword, like a hot knife through butter.

"die!"

Gula's eyes were icy cold, showing no mercy. A flash of sword light.

puff!

The evil spirit master didn't even have time to fully unleash his martial spirit before being beheaded by Gula with a single sword strike.

The head flew off, the face still bearing an expression of disbelief and terror, and the body quickly charred and annihilated in the sacred flames.

"This..." Nana was dumbfounded. She knew that Gula was strong, but she did not expect him to be this strong. She did not dare to release her martial spirit in front of him, for fear of being burned.

Gula, however, did not linger. Like a tiger among sheep, he charged into the midst of the other evil spirit masters who had come upon hearing the commotion.

He didn't need any fancy soul skills at all; his simple and direct light flame slashes, imbued with pure holy purification power, would inevitably purify an evil soul master amidst screams of agony with every strike.

Huo Yuhao reacted quickly and followed closely behind. Instead of launching a direct attack, he unleashed necromancy, casting purifying halos one after another.

The evil soul fragments that escaped after being slain by Gura will be further purified and released, preventing them from becoming evil spirits or being absorbed by other evil entities. At the same time, the souls imprisoned by them will also be purified.

Nana gritted her teeth and used her abilities to deal with the few who had slipped through the net and the various controlled holy servants within the stronghold.

The battle was almost a one-sided massacre. Faced with Gula, a Soul Emperor who possessed dual extreme attributes and completely countered evil Soul Masters, this Holy Spirit Cult stronghold was utterly unable to mount any effective resistance.

Moreover, their elders were not present, which made Gula somewhat disappointed.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all the evil spirit masters in the stronghold were wiped out.

They then rescued several innocent Soul Masters who had been imprisoned and tortured to the point of near death, and completely destroyed the stronghold.

Leaving the outpost, we see the light of day again.

Nana bowed deeply to Gula and Huo Yuhao, tears streaming down her face: "Thank you... thank you for avenging me and my parents."

Huo Yuhao comforted her.

Gula felt a sense of satisfaction from the angelic souls in the sea of ​​spirits. Although the quality of the evil soul masters in this stronghold was generally not high, their numbers made up a decent "extra meal".

After this incident, Nana became even more devoted to Huo Yuhao and Gula. Gula had no interest in creating his own faction and was recommended to the Tang Sect by Huo Yuhao.

This swift and clean crackdown did not attract much attention from the Holy Spirit Cult's leadership, who simply considered it an accidental exposure and annihilation.

The following days passed uneventfully.

Gula continued to immerse himself in his research on soul tools, while Ji Juechen and his little fangirl Jing Ziyan became frequent visitors to Huo Yuhao's training room, often seeking him out for sparring. Gula was happy to have some peace and quiet; he didn't want to be bothered by that sword fanatic.

Before we knew it, it was time for the Sun Moon Empire Academy to have its long holiday.

Gula had a good memory. He muttered to himself, "If I remember correctly, Wang Dong will come to see Huo Yuhao this holiday and invite him back to the Haotian Sect... Then, on the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Frost Jade Marrow Bed, the sealed Snow Emperor's essence will erupt, causing Electrolux to burn its last fragments of divine consciousness and completely dissipate..."

He raised his hand, and a seed with a jet-black outer skin, exuding a faint aura of death, appeared in his palm—the Flower of the Underworld.

"It would be such a pity to destroy a demigod-level divine consciousness like this. The death attribute born from ultimate light is even more rare..."

A strange light gleamed in Gula's eyes. "Using the power of death that dissipated when a fragment of a Grim Reaper's consciousness vanished as a source to nourish this flower of the underworld... what kind of incarnation will be born? It's truly something to look forward to."

But he immediately frowned slightly: "However, there must be Tang San's divine sense imprint within the Clear Sky Sect... and those two divine officials guarding it, Niu Tian and Titan..."

He didn't take the two Limit Douluo-level guardians seriously; the real boss was Tang San, who tested Huo Yuhao and turned himself into a villain.

“Fine,” he quickly decided, “let the clone go. At worst, we’ll lose one clone and this seed.”

Just as he was pondering this, there was a knock on the dormitory door, and Huo Yuhao's excited voice came from outside: "Gula, open the door quickly and see who's here!"

Gula swept his mental energy across the door and saw Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and... Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao standing outside!

Gula's expression froze instantly—he had completely forgotten that he had a girlfriend named Xiao Xiao at Shrek Academy.

He opened the door and looked at the graceful, smiling young woman in front of him, and naturally opened his arms.

Xiao Xiao's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still happily threw herself into his arms.

"Long time no see. How have you been at the academy?" Gula asked with a smile, as if the "forgetting" from just now had never happened.

Xiao Xiao stuck out her tongue cutely: "With you guys gone, Elder Xuan is really strict! The academy's on holiday, and Wang Dong came to see Yu Hao. I finally managed to get leave to relax a bit. How are you doing in the Sun Moon Empire?"

“Of course,” Gula laughed. “I would never compromise myself.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao and He Caitou, who were standing nearby, both twitched at the corners of their mouths—of course you wouldn't wrong yourself and only wrong others!
The two embraced for a while, oblivious to everyone else, until Wang Dong, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted:
"Gula, Yuhao said you took good care of him at the academy. We're going to my house to play, do you want to come with Xiaoxiao?"

If it weren't for Xiao Xiao's sake, he wouldn't have wanted to invite this super third wheel.

Gula, unaware that she had little standing in front of Wang Dong, readily agreed.

He Caitou said he was busy with his research on soul tools and wouldn't go. He said he wasn't familiar with Wang Dong, so it was fine with him.

The four of them went to ask their teacher, Fan Yu, for leave and to report their absence.

Looking at these students who were both the most troublesome and the most prideful to him, Fan Yu finally agreed, but he emphasized to Gula: "Don't do anything reckless outside."

Gula nodded earnestly: "Don't worry, teacher, I never do anything reckless."

Fan Yu nodded reluctantly, not believing a single word of it.

Jing Hongchen often complained to him about Shrek Academy being "inhuman" and sending him a "madman".

After leaving Fan Yu's office, the four equipped themselves with flight soul tools and prepared to depart.

Since Gula didn't have a ready-made level-five flying soul tool, he chatted with everyone while urging his clones in the Senhai demiplane to hurry up and finish the task.

Finally, before setting off, he gave Xiao Xiao a beautiful level 5 flying soul tool as a gift, which made Xiao Xiao happy to try it out all the way.

During the journey, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao, who hadn't seen each other for half a year, were unusually affectionate, flying hand in hand, which made Gula raise her eyebrows—after all, Wang Dong was still dressed as a man.

Xiao Xiao sighed from behind, "Wang Dong and Wang Dong have such a good relationship. If they weren't both men, I feel like they could be a couple."

Gula nodded, wondering if Huo Yuhao would still suffer those painful trials now that he had prevented the connection between Huo Yuhao and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
During the flight, as they passed over a mountain range, a violent explosion of a soul tool and shouts of killing suddenly came from below.

Huo Yuhao scanned the area with his spiritual power, and his expression changed slightly. He sensed that Ju Zi, who had once taken care of him, seemed to be in danger.

"There's something going on down there, I'll go check it out!" Huo Yuhao decided to go down and rescue the people.

Xiao Xiao then took the opportunity to boast to Gula, "Gula Gula, I've been training hard in the inner courtyard, and now I've broken through to the Soul King realm and caught up with you!"

Gula didn't say anything, but silently showed his spirit rings: purple, purple, black, black, black, black!

Xiao Xiao's mouth dropped open in astonishment: "Six rings?! Soul Emperor?! How did you break through so quickly? The cultivation environment in the Sun Moon Empire shouldn't be as good as the Inner Academy, right? And the color of your soul rings has even changed!"

"I encountered some fortuitous events," Gula said vaguely, then changed the subject. "It just so happens that you've broken through to the Soul King realm. You can find time to refine this 'Ultimate Wood' essence blood, nurture it in your heart, and cultivate it to the Soul Saint realm. That should be enough to help your Azure Phoenix Martial Soul undergo a fundamental transformation."

"Huh?" Xiao Xiao was stunned, completely not understanding. "How...how do I do it?"

“I will help you,” Gula said simply.

Xiao Xiao had absolute trust in Gula and obediently nodded: "Okay!"

By now, they were approaching the battlefield. Below them, a well-equipped army was pursuing a tattered squad of Soul Masters.

The shouts of soldiers could still be faintly heard: "Capture the Crown Prince's fiancée! A reward of a thousand gold pieces! A title of Marquis with ten thousand households!"

"Wow! It's the Crown Princess!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed.

Wang Dong looked at Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao said in a deep voice, "There is a friend of mine down there who has been kind to me, and I have to repay her kindness."

He and Wang Dong exchanged a glance, and the two of them tacitly swooped down at the same time, joining the battle.

Martial Soul Fusion Skills – Mantra in the Void, Mind Storm! And the Radiant Goddess of Light!

The arrival of the two instantly turned the tide of the battle.

The enemy leader was a seven-ring Soul Saint named Zhao Yang, whose martial soul was the Golden Bear. He was quite powerful, but with the combined efforts of Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, as well as interference from Xiao Xiao, he was forced to retreat steadily.

Gula watched the battle from the air, his gaze sweeping over the dead and wounded soldiers, a slight sense of regret in his heart.

If Huo Yuhao hadn't been there, he could have easily harvested these recently deceased souls to serve as nourishment for his followers, "Du'an, the Incarnation of Death."

Now, we can only watch them disappear on their own.

He also made a slight move, unleashing a "Solar Nuclear Fusion" attack. The blazing sword light, like a miniature sun, fell into the enemy ranks, instantly clearing out a large area.

Seeing how terrifying Gula's power was, Zhao Yang tried to rush over to stop him, but he was held back by Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong and ultimately died under their combined attack.

After the battle ended, Ju Zi stepped forward and sincerely thanked Huo Yuhao, but deliberately ignored Wang Dong, who she inexplicably disliked.

She had long harbored feelings for Huo Yuhao, but for the sake of revenge, she could only bury these feelings deep within her heart.

Xiao Xiao's eyes gleamed with gossip as she leaned close to Gula's ear and whispered, "What... happened between them?"

Gula whispered, "It's simple, a hero saves the damsel in distress. It seems this Crown Princess has taken a liking to Yuhao."

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide open: "Too...too exciting!"

In the end, Ju Zi only said "Take care" to Huo Yuhao before quickly leaving with the remaining troops.

Gula and his companions continued their journey, and after some flying, they finally arrived at Haotian Fortress, nestled among a majestic snow-capped mountain.

(End of this chapter)