Watching Leng Yaozhu's figure disappear outside the door, Qiangu Dongfeng's expression finally turned completely gloomy.
He no longer hid it, nor did he need to.
His handsome face was now twisted and hideous, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly, his lips pressed into a cold, straight line, his gaze filled with sinister malice and violence.
The side door next to the office silently pushed open a crack, and a middle-aged man with an extremely ordinary appearance walked out quietly.
With Leng Yaozhu's cultivation base, she hadn't even noticed someone hiding here just now, which showed that this person was definitely not simple.
He stood with his hands hanging by his sides in front of Qiangu Dongfeng's desk, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Qiangu Dongfeng's breathing was rapid and heavy, his voice low and hoarse: "What is going on? Is the Holy Spirit Cult all trash? How can you not even handle two teenagers?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's heart trembled violently, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
He had followed Qiangu Dongfeng for many years and knew this Tower Master's temper well.
He hurriedly lowered his head even further, carefully weighing every word, and replied cautiously: "The Holy Spirit Cult should have gone all out this time; even an existence like the Sky-Supporting Douluo has fallen."
"As for Gu Yue and Huo Yuhao, it is highly likely that they hid inside the Sea God Pavilion and survived thanks to the protection of the Golden Tree."
He paused, raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat that had unknowingly seeped onto his forehead with his sleeve, and bit the bullet as he continued: "If it weren't for the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo arriving in time to stop those two additional Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Shells that the Holy Spirit Cult added at the end of the attack, they would not have survived today."
Qiangu Dongfeng was silent for a moment, the hideousness on his face slowly receding slightly, returning to that inscrutable gloom.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the desk, making dull, rhythmic sounds.
Leng Yaozhu's words just now were absolutely correct; the reason he chose to act today was to borrow the Holy Spirit Cult's blade to eliminate Leng Yaozhu's two gifted Prodigy Disciples.
His own grandson, Qiangu Zhangting, had completely failed in pursuing Gu Yue. Since he could not "abduct" Gu Yue, he could only cut the weeds and eliminate the roots.
This should have been a perfect plan to kill with a borrowed knife, but unfortunately, it fell short in the end.
However, in the end, Gu Yue and Huo Yuhao were just two juniors who had not grown up yet; they could not stir up any big waves, and there would be plenty of opportunities to strike in the future.
Yun Ming was dead, and that was the biggest gain.
Thinking of this, Qiangu Dongfeng suppressed the trace of unwillingness in his heart and asked coldly again: "Are you sure all those old guys from Shrek Academy are dead?"
The middle-aged man dared not speak too definitively, but facing Qiangu Dongfeng's cold, knife-like gaze, he had to bite the bullet and answer in a low voice: "There might be a few lucky survivors from Shrek Academy, but definitely not many."
"Given the style of those people at Shrek Academy, for the sake of so-called Shrek pride, those elders, teachers, and powerhouses would definitely not hide behind the Students when the shells fell."
"You saw it too; even Yun Ming fell because of this. Even if there are one or two lucky ones who survived, they must be seriously injured and are not to be feared."
Qiangu Dongfeng was silent for a moment after hearing this, clearly thinking about every aspect of this matter and any potential flaws left behind.
A moment later, he spoke slowly: "Clean up all the loose ends immediately. You know how to arrange the non-core personnel who participated in this operation."
"Then, release an emergency notification in the name of the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. The Spirit Pagoda expresses its grief over the attack suffered by Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect Headquarters. Starting today, the Spirit Pagoda will do its utmost to cooperate with the Federation to crack down on Evil Soul Masters and will never be lenient."
"At the same time, allocate special funds and supplies to fully assist the victims of Shrek City and their families, and help the survivors rebuild their homes."
"Remember, the gesture must be sufficient, the momentum must be built up, and the entire continent must see that in this catastrophe, the Spirit Pagoda stands on the side of justice."
"Yes, I will handle it immediately."
The middle-aged man bowed to accept the order, and after Qiangu Dongfeng waved his hand expressionlessly, he exited the room quietly, as if he had been granted an amnesty.
After leaving Qiangu Dongfeng's office, Leng Yaozhu first stood for a moment in front of the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor.
Suppressing the surging anger in her chest, and after the frost on her face melted slightly, she sent someone to call Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue to her office.
After the three of them sat down, the cold aura around Leng Yaozhu that was almost enough to freeze the air finally slowly receded, and her expression gradually softened.
Huo Yuhao had been observing the changes in Leng Yaozhu's expression. He hesitated for a moment before asking: "Aunt Leng, did you just... go to see the Tower Master?"
Leng Yaozhu was not surprised that Huo Yuhao could guess where she had gone so quickly.
This Disciple was meticulous and possessed insight far beyond ordinary people. There was nothing to hide in front of the two children she had brought up herself, so she nodded directly and decisively.
"You have seen the scale of the Holy Spirit Cult's attack this time with your own eyes. Those Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Shells were not three or five, but hundreds, and there were even those two Grade 12 God-Slaying shells that should have been sealed in the Federation's secret arsenal."
"To transport so many spirit cannon shells into Shrek City without anyone knowing, it would be absolutely impossible without internal assistance."
"Moreover, the target of this attack by the Holy Spirit Cult was only Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect Headquarters, and only the Spirit Pagoda was unscathed. This in itself is not normal, so I suspect that Qiangu Dongfeng was involved in this matter."
Leng Yaozhu raised her eyes to look at her two proud Disciples opposite her. She had long since stopped treating them as ignorant children, so she did not intend to hide this matter, but instead brought it out into the open to discuss with them.
Leng Yaozhu was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "This person, Qiangu Dongfeng, has great ambition and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals."
"This time, he went to such great lengths, even colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult to launch this attack, and it was not just aimed at Shrek Academy. He also wanted to borrow the Holy Spirit Cult's blade to eliminate both of you."
Without Leng Yaozhu needing to explain further, Huo Yuhao and Gu Yue immediately understood the crux of the matter.
Gu Yue's expression darkened slightly, and a cold light flashed in her purple eyes as she asked: "Then what should we do next?"
Leng Yaozhu looked at her: "I have already been to see him. Just now, I made things clear to his face, so he shouldn't dare to attack you again in the short term."
"People like him are best at forbearance and disguise; he won't take risks without being absolutely certain."
She paused and added: "However, you must also be prepared. Gu Yue, you need to improve your strength as soon as possible. When the time comes, I will arrange the assessment for a Reserve Spirit Envoy for you in my capacity as Vice Tower Master."
"Once you obtain the status of Reserve Spirit Envoy, even Qiangu Dongfeng, this Tower Master, will not dare to touch you easily. This can be considered a safeguard."
Gu Yue nodded without saying anything more.
But she had already made up her mind that she really needed to improve her strength as soon as possible.
Now it seems that the situation on this continent is changing too fast and too much; even a behemoth like Shrek Academy could be wiped out in a single day.
Without enough strength to rely on, let alone completing her original plan, even self-preservation might not be achievable.
After finishing with Gu Yue, Leng Yaozhu turned her gaze to Huo Yuhao.
Her tone was much softer than before, and she asked: "What about your side? How is the research on that matter going?"
Huo Yuhao met her gaze, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he answered calmly: "Within a year, there will definitely be results."
Upon hearing this, Leng Yaozhu, whose face had been tense ever since the attack on Shrek City, finally revealed her first genuine smile.
She nodded, her tone filled with undisguised expectation: "Good, as long as you can produce solid research results, I will submit a special application to the council in my capacity as Vice Tower Master to grant you the status of Spirit Envoy as an exception. There will be absolutely no problem."
Gu Yue listened from the side, completely confused. She looked at Leng Yaozhu and then at Huo Yuhao, always feeling that there was a tacit understanding between these two, while she was kept in the dark.
However, she quickly thought of the matter that Huo Yuhao had confidently told her about before, so she could not help but ask: "Teacher, Yuhao, what kind of research are you two talking about?"
Leng Yaozhu and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned to look at Gu Yue's curious face, the corners of their mouths lifting in meaningful smiles, and they said in unison: "It's a secret for now."
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.