In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

The Divine Guard Army was incredibly efficient; within three days, 123 people were brought back one after another.

One hundred and twenty-three people! A full one hundred and twenty-three people! All of them are official members of the Sea God Pavilion, gathered in port cities on the eastern coast of the Douling and Xingluo Empires.

Although he was mentally prepared, Huo Yuhao was still furious when the truth was presented to him.

There was nothing they could do. If he hadn't known, that would have been one thing, but now that he did, it would be unreasonable not to take action. The only recourse was to have the members of the Divine Guard spread the word that the Sea God Pavilion would be put on trial tomorrow at noon in Shrek Square.

Once the news spread, the group of old men who had turned off the lights couldn't sit still any longer. That very night, an elderly woman with white hair knocked on the door of Huo Yuhao's private studio.

With the outbreak of war, the Tang Clan's weapon production line was running 24 hours a day. As a filial son of the Tang Clan, Huo Yuhao made a statement. During this time, he ate and lived with the lower-level disciples. Apart from necessary cultivation, he spent the rest of his time carving soul guidance arrays, and he rested for less than two hours a day.

Hearing the knock, Huo Yuhao paused in his carving of the array, then called out in a somewhat impatient tone, "The door's unlocked, come in."

Upon hearing this, the white-haired old woman opened the studio door and walked in.

The moment Huo Yuhao saw the person's face clearly, his face twitched several times.

Indeed, the person who came was none other than Song Qingying, the matriarch of the Qingyanlong family, the head of the Qingying Shenying family, and Xian Lin'er's mother.

Hmph, isn't it a bit too late to beg him for mercy now? The car only turned after it had already hit the wall, what were you doing before?

Huo Yuhao didn't give Song Qingying a kind look, not even showing her the most basic courtesy, and continued to carve the soul guidance array as if he were doing his own thing.

Song Qingying tapped her phoenix-headed cane and said in an icy tone, "Hall Master Huo, I am, after all, a high-ranking member of the Sea God Pavilion. Over the years, I have been busy with the affairs of the Sea God Pavilion. Even if I have not made any great contributions, I have certainly worked hard. You don't even acknowledge me. Aren't you being a little arrogant?"

Song Qingying, true to her reputation as a seasoned veteran, saw that Huo Yuhao didn't take her seriously, so she started to act like she was old and powerful.

"My respect for Huo Yuhao is reserved only for respected elders. A beast in human form with no moral compass is not worthy of my respect."

As they were talking, Huo Yuhao suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, looked directly at Song Qingying, and said in a serious tone, "Song Qingying, do you know your crime?"

Upon hearing this, Song Qingying felt a little embarrassed. The logic was sound, but if Mu En had said those words, she wouldn't have had time to think about it; she would probably have already knelt down and begged for forgiveness.

The same words, spoken by Huo Yuhao, suddenly carried much less weight.

"Master Huo, you're exaggerating. We're just leaving a way out for our families. It's only human nature. Does that mean... after you become a god, Master Huo, you'd rather not resurrect your mother, Huo Yun'er, than resurrect the lower-level disciples of the Sea God Pavilion and Tang Sect who died in this war?"

Instead of discussing her own mistakes, Song Qingying launched into a probing question at Huo Yuhao, attempting to disrupt his thinking.

As expected, upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao was completely bewildered by Song Qingying's question. He had not considered resurrecting the Sea God Pavilion and Tang Sect disciples who had died in battle after becoming a god; instead, he was single-mindedly focused on resurrecting his mother, Huo Yun'er.

Aren't the lives of those Sea God Pavilion and Tang Sect disciples who died in battle lives too? Is Huo Yun'er's life more precious than others'?

"But... this is not a reason for you to openly embezzle military rations."

Huo Yuhao raised his head, staring intently at Song Qingying before him, and said in an icy tone, "After I, Huo Yuhao, become a god, resurrecting others is a favor, not an obligation. You, Song Qingying, have no right to condemn me in this matter!"

"Don't try to morally blackmail me. I, Huo Yuhao, won't fall for that. I, Huo Yuhao, am upright and honest, and I am wholeheartedly dedicated to bringing glory to the Sea God Pavilion and the Tang Sect. My sincerity is evident to heaven and earth, and you have no right to criticize me."

"Tell me, my senior Qingying, is there anything urgent that you need me to attend to at this late hour?"

Huo Yuhao rested his chin on his hands, watching Song Qingying with great interest. He realized that she was trying to trick him, Huo Yuhao, by using her seniority and moral blackmail to get him to talk and reduce the impact of those things on the Sea God Pavilion families.

Song Qingying: "..."

She came to persuade Huo Yuhao not to be so ruthless and to treat them, the "meritorious officials," better. But Huo Yuhao saw through her thoughts, so what else did Song Qingying need to say?

Song Qingying took a deep breath and said gently, "Master Huo, is there really no room for negotiation on that matter? Some things may seem insignificant on the surface, but once weighed, they can become incredibly heavy. Yes, we didn't do a good enough job, indirectly leading to the fall of Jialing Pass. We can definitely compensate you. We have money and resources; just name your price. As long as this matter can be suppressed, even if it means sacrificing most of my fortune, I, Song Qingying, won't hesitate!"

"This isn't something to be discussed; your families are clearly arrogant and disrespectful to the gods!"

Huo Yuhao roared, "Nothing you say will change anything! No matter what happens, even if the Sun Moon Empire's army attacks, tomorrow's trial will proceed as scheduled. You, Song Qingying, shouldn't be trying to obstruct the trial; instead, you should be thinking about atoning for your sins, doing what a Sea God Pavilion elder should do, and salvaging your already tarnished reputation!"

After saying that, Huo Yuhao didn't even glance at Song Qingying and continued carving the soul guidance array in his hands.

"Damn Huo Yuhao! I hope you won't regret your stubbornness."

Song Qingying snorted coldly, then leaned on her phoenix-headed cane and walked out of the Tang Clan headquarters without looking back.

"Since we failed to persuade Huo Yuhao, we can now activate the backup plan. Remember, some of you should go overseas as far as you can, and the rest... should go and seek refuge with Lin'er."

Song Qingying held a communication jade slip and issued orders to the family heads on the other end. They might not have the strength to fight against a Limit Douluo, but since they controlled nearly half of Shrek City's industries, they could completely paralyze the Sea God Pavilion, or even the entire Shrek City, by putting up a stall or going on strike.

Offending these elders of the Sea God Pavilion might be easy, but begging them to restore order to Shrek City would be... very difficult. (End of Chapter)