Douluo Continent: Peerless Fusion Evolution

He decided to check the secret chamber again, hoping to find something. Huo Yuhao cautiously stood up, stretched his stiff limbs, and after confirming there was nothing unusual around him, he stepped towards the entrance. He gently pushed open the heavy stone door, and a cold, damp atmosphere rushed out, mixed with a faint smell of blood, making him nauseous. Huo Yuhao suppressed his discomfort and stepped into the secret chamber again, carefully searching every corner, hoping to find some clues. However, the secret chamber was empty, except for rubble and bloodstains scattered on the floor; nothing was left. He searched again, unwilling to give up, but still found nothing. Helpless, Huo Yuhao had no choice but to give up and turn to leave the secret chamber. He gently closed the stone door and returned to the courtyard. At this moment, from the entrance to the tunnel inside the room, faint, suppressed sobs could be heard—the holy servants had found the souls of their loved ones.

They were pouring out their hearts, their emotions a mixture of sorrow and joy. Huo Yuhao didn't disturb them. He knew these deceived ordinary people were innocent; they too were victims of the Holy Spirit Cult. He secretly resolved to expose the Holy Spirit Cult's crimes and bring these evil spirit masters to justice. After a moment's thought, Huo Yuhao quietly left the courtyard. A few minutes later, he quietly returned to his previous spot and waited patiently.

The tunnel entrance was dimly lit. Nana emerged from within, like a flower swaying in the darkness. She removed the hood that concealed her face, revealing a delicate, tear-streaked face, her eyes red and swollen, still wet with tears. She took a deep breath; the fresh air carried a faint scent of earth, which helped to clear her muddled thoughts. Nana walked heavily towards Huo Yuhao, each step feeling like a painful blow to her heart. When she reached him, she could no longer contain her overwhelming excitement and gratitude.

Her knees buckled, and she was about to kneel. Huo Yuhao reacted quickly, anticipating her movement, and caught her slender arm, preventing her from kneeling. Feeling the strength in her arm, Nana's heart warmed, and tears welled up again. She choked out, "Thank you, Master. You've helped me fulfill my greatest wish." Hearing the word "Master," Huo Yuhao paused, puzzled, and asked, "What Master?" Nana raised her head, meeting his gaze firmly, and said, word by word:

"I told you, if you could help me free my parents' souls, I would serve you like a slave. You not only did it, but you also purified the impurities from their souls, leaving me with no more attachments. This life-saving grace can only be repaid with a lifetime of gratitude." She paused, her tone even more resolute, "If you insist on refusing, then I have no reason to live in this world anyway, and I will leave this world forever." Hearing her resolute words, Huo Yuhao felt a mix of emotions. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but Nana's determined eyes silenced him. He could only watch helplessly as Nana turned around and shouted loudly towards the tunnel entrance:

"Come out, we're safe." As Nana's words fell, one after another, pale-faced figures with red and swollen eyes from crying emerged from the tunnel. They came to Nana's side and knelt down in unison, saying in hoarse voices, "We can never repay your kindness. We wish to follow you for life and serve you with our souls." These rescued people had almost all suffered similar fates to Nana; they were all pitiful people enslaved by evil soul masters. After witnessing Huo Yuhao perform a miracle and rescue their loved ones' souls, their hearts were filled with gratitude and awe for him. Although they didn't know Huo Yuhao before, their feelings for him at this moment were unimaginable.

Huo Yuhao looked at the group of people kneeling on the ground before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and for a moment he didn't know what to do. He looked at Nana for help, only to find that Nana was also looking at him helplessly. Nana smiled bitterly, "Master, I don't want this either. But we have been enslaved for a long time, and almost all of us are orphans. We have no relatives left in this world. If you don't want us, we don't even know what to do. I definitely can't go back to the academy. Master, please give us your orders. Even if it's just to..."

Nana took a deep breath, trying to calm her excited heart. She took a step forward, her gaze fixed intently on Huo Yuhao, her tone pleading: "We also hope to do something for you to repay your kindness. We'd even be willing to show you the way. Among the eight of them, the weakest has reached the level of a four-ring Soul Master, and four others are Soul Kings with even deeper soul power. Four of them are also skilled in crafting soul tools. If you don't take us in, we're afraid we won't escape the Holy Spirit Cult's pursuit." As she spoke, Nana could clearly hear her heart pounding with nervousness. She saw Huo Yuhao's brows furrow slightly after hearing her words, as if he were deep in thought. After a moment, Huo Yuhao shook his head with a wry smile, his tone tinged with helplessness:

"Then why are you so sure I can take you in? I'm just a student at Shrek Academy!" Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Nana's heart sank, but she still firmly said, "Because you're from Shrek, I believe in Shrek, and I believe in you even more!" Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then looked out the window, seemingly weighing something. He gently tapped the table, once, twice, three times… each tap striking a chord in Nana's heart. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; Nana could even hear her own heavy breathing from nervousness. Finally, Huo Yuhao turned around, looking at the expectant eyes of Nana and the others, and slowly said, "Alright, I won't refuse anymore. If you're willing to come with me…"

Huo Yuhao paused, then took out a metal token engraved with intricate patterns from his pocket and handed it to Nana. "Then, I'll give you a token. Leave Mingdu immediately and go directly to Shrek Academy. Find someone named Beibei; he'll make arrangements for you." Nana took the metal token with both hands; it was slightly cool to the touch, but she…

The metal plaque felt incredibly heavy, carrying both hope and the future. Huo Yuhao continued, "But you definitely can't enter Shrek Academy. If you're willing, you can join our sect, the Tang Sect, a sect with a ten-thousand-year history. The Tang Sect's headquarters are temporarily located in Shrek City. As long as you can get there, I can guarantee your safety. You don't need to pledge allegiance to me; just join my sect, and we'll be fellow disciples."

Huo Yuhao glanced at the group before him. Though their clothes were tattered and they were covered in dust, their eyes shone with unwavering determination. He could sense the steady and profound soul power fluctuations emanating from them, clearly indicating they were rigorously trained soul masters. The strange metal devices worn by several of them at their waists further confirmed that there were soul masters among them. The Tang Sect desperately needed such talent! Huo Yuhao thought to himself. He took a deep breath and announced loudly, "Time is of the essence, there's no time for further explanation! Everyone, take off your clothes and throw them here, then leave immediately!" The group was startled, exchanging bewildered glances. But seeing Huo Yuhao's serious expression, they silently began to unbutton their clothes. The sound of clothes hitting the ground rose and fell, mingling with the rustling of fabric. Soon, a small mountain of clothing had piled up on the ground. Huo Yuhao continued:

"Remember, you must cover up your tracks as much as possible and leave as quickly as possible! In about an hour, this place will be razed to the ground!" His tone was authoritative, carrying an irresistible air of authority. The group dared not disobey and nodded in agreement. "Do you all have flying soul tools?" Huo Yuhao asked, looking around. Five people, including Nana, raised their hands, indicating they possessed flying soul tools. Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: after you leave Mingdu, the five of you with flying soul tools should travel at full speed. After flying a certain distance, Nana, you can use their flying soul tools to return and pick up the others. This way, we can maximize our escape speed. The Holy Spirit Cult is not a god after all; it won't be easy for them to catch you."

"Yes, Master." Nana bit her lip gently, suppressing the surging emotions within her. She bowed slightly and rose with the other eight holy servants. The dim candlelight in the room illuminated her face, seemingly fading the sorrowful gloom that had enveloped her, replaced by a resolute radiance that added a touch of heroism to her delicate features. From this day forward, she would embark on an unknown path, facing new challenges. In truth, Nana had already made up her mind: regardless of whether the plan succeeded or failed, she would never return to this place filled with painful memories.

Her slender fingers gently caressed the storage soul tool at her waist, which held all her belongings and symbolized her severing ties with the past. Taking a deep breath, Nana bowed deeply to Huo Yuhao again, and the eight holy servants also bowed to him in farewell. Then, the nine of them removed their outer garments, symbolizing their holy servant status, revealing light and practical clothing underneath. They filed out one by one with firm steps and disappeared into the night. Huo Yuhao watched them leave, then turned and walked to the window, gazing at the deep night sky outside. A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness to the early summer night. He gently raised his right hand, his soul power surging at his fingertips. His handsome face gradually changed, instantly transforming into the "Second Holy Spirit" he had previously disguised himself as. He silently pushed open the window, leaped, nimbly vaulted over the courtyard wall, and quickly disappeared into the intricate streets. Half an hour later, he arrived at the place he had agreed to meet with He Caitou. This was a secluded alley, flanked by high walls that completely blocked the moonlight, with only a few faint rays filtering through the gaps in the walls. Huo Yuhao tiptoed, carefully listening to the surrounding sounds. After confirming there was nothing amiss, he lowered his voice and asked, "Second Senior Brother, how is it?"

"Uh..., that works too? I remember your soul skills weren't this powerful before!" He Caitou exclaimed in surprise as he watched Nana's departing figure, his clear voice echoing through the dormitory. Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and said, "That's one of the advantages of us mental-type soul masters; the power of our soul skills evolves as our mental strength grows."

What he said wasn't entirely wrong, but without Tianmeng's powerful spiritual essence seal merging with him, how could the simulation have evolved to such a formidable level? What He Caitou was seeing now was only a small part of Huo Yuhao's evolved spiritual soul skill. He raised his wrist and glanced at the time on his soul guide watch; a minute had passed. The simulated Nana walked steadily into the gates of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Huo Yuhao's spiritual detection remained locked on the simulated Nana, and only after confirming her safe entry into the academy did he quietly withdraw his spiritual power. A clean break, without arousing any suspicion. Moreover, it was essentially allowing Nana to return to the academy on the surface, making it even more difficult for the Holy Spirit Cult to track her down, and buying Nana and the others more time. Back in the dormitory…

Huo Yuhao immediately spread out paper and pen, dipped them in ink, and focused intently on writing down a detailed account of what he had encountered and seen that day, then handed it to Fan Yu. Fan Yu took the account, quickly glanced through it, his brows furrowing, and his expression becoming serious. He was equally shocked by the appearance of the Holy Spirit Cult and immediately tried to send the news out. If Mingde Hall was colluding with this Holy Spirit Cult, then it meant that the Sun Moon Empire and this religion, which was likely composed of evil soul masters, were also colluding.

The power of evil spirit masters is nothing new on the continent; the rumors about their cruel methods are enough to send chills down one's spine. Moreover, any action by these evil spirit masters would inevitably cause massive civilian casualties! Just then, a muffled rumbling sound came from afar. Huo Yuhao and Fan Yu simultaneously stopped their discussion and turned their gaze towards the direction from which the sound came. The sound was deep and powerful, like the roar of a giant beast.

It was like the collapse of a mountain, the sound echoing in the air, lingering for a long time. Huo Yuhao keenly detected a trace of an explosion, the unique smell of intense collision of soul power, mixed with a hint of burnt and sulfur, permeating the air. He knew it was He Caitou's handiwork; the timed and fixed-installation soul tool had finally unleashed its power. Huo Yuhao seemed to see the evil Holy Spirit Cult branch in the distance reduced to ashes in the towering flames, reduced to ruins. Huo Yuhao himself had actually gained quite a bit from this operation. Leaving aside the loyalty of Nana and the holy servants, the black skeletons formed from the two Holy Spirits alone were a considerable fighting force. (End of Chapter)