Chapter 9: Who Exactly is the Holy Spirit Cult?
[Douluo 2 Era]
Shrek Academy. A deathly silence fell over the plaza.
Han Ruoruo's eyes were vacant, and tears fell silently like broken strings of pearls.
So... that's how it was.
It turns out all that moving sentiment was just a meticulously designed scam!
On the plaza, the students who had been defending Teacher Wang Yan just moments ago were now all plunged into a deathly silence.
They had vowed to defend Teacher Wang Yan before.
But now, those words felt like loud slaps across their own faces.
"It's... it's a lie, right..."
A female student's voice trembled, unable to believe the facts before her eyes.
"He... how could he do this..."
"How terrifying. This person... he has no heart at all!"
Meanwhile, students like Xu Sanshi, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan, who had once received "favors" from Teacher Wang Yan, felt a chill through their entire bodies, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
They couldn't say a single word.
Huo Yuhao's fists clenched until they creaked, his face ashen.
He had always regarded Teacher Wang Yan as his mentor.
But now that the true face of this mentor had been revealed, he discovered that he was a demon!
"Why... Teacher Wang... no, Wang Yan! Why did you do this!"
He stared intently at the figure protected by the golden light, his eyes filled with rage and confusion.
The complexions of Yan Shaozhe, Xian Liner, and the other Sea God Pavilion Elders had turned extremely ugly.
What a humongous disgrace!
A remnant of the Spirit Hall had actually been masquerading right under their noses for over a decade!
...
On the sky screen, the images did not stop.
Teacher Wang Yan's cold monologue continued.
[A teacher with mediocre combat strength but profound theoretical knowledge is perfect for Shrek. They won't have any wariness toward me.]
In the image, Wang Yan put on glasses, donned a teacher's uniform, and stood on the podium.
His personal monologue sounded coldly.
[A powerful Soul Master is only a threat to Shrek.]
[But a teacher can destroy their geniuses generation after generation from the very root!]
[I enjoy the worshiping gazes of the students, the praise of my colleagues, and even more, the trust of the higher-ups.]
[And all of this is merely to allow me to better carry out my plan.]
The scene shifted. Teacher Wang Yan was standing respectfully before Elder Xuan, presenting his various theoretical papers.
Elder Xuan nodded repeatedly as he read, his eyes full of approval.
[This Taotie Douluo seems shrewd, but is actually foolish.]
[I promised to put his name on my various theories, allowing him to be remembered in history.]
[Unsurprisingly, the old fellow was tempted.]
At a Sea God Pavilion meeting, Elder Xuan announced publicly.
["Teacher Wang Yan has made outstanding contributions to Martial Soul theory research; he is truly a pillar of our Shrek!"]
["Today, I shall take you as an Named Disciple. I hope you will continue to shine for the academy in the future!"]
In the image, Wang Yan was so "excited" that tears filled his eyes as he bowed.
[Not long after, I was promoted to Director of the Spirit Research Lab.]
[The plan proceeded exceptionally smoothly.]
[Now, all sorts of archives in Shrek Academy, even some confidential materials of the Sea God Pavilion, have opened their doors to me.]
[However, just when I thought everything was under control, an unexpected turn of events occurred.]
[That night, I was browsing through an encrypted file.]
[Suddenly, a mysterious person appeared behind me like a ghost.]
The figure was extremely tall but shrouded in a large black robe, making his face invisible.
["Teacher Wang Yan, it's so late, and yet you're still exhausting yourself for the academy's future?"]
The visitor's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a heart-palpitating majesty.
Wang Yan's pupils constricted. He turned abruptly, the Coiling Dragon Rod already in hand!
[This person could silently infiltrate Shrek's core restricted area; his strength is definitely far beyond my imagination!]
[A storm surged in my heart as my mind raced to think of a countermeasure.]
The mysterious person let out a soft chuckle, one that carried a hint of approval.
["Not a bad temperament."]
["However, your ambition isn't limited to being a mere research lab director, is it?"]
Wang Yan didn't answer, only staring coldly at the other person.
The mysterious person didn't seem to care and said to himself:
["I know everything you've done."]
["You are a smart man, and an ambitious one. I know you want to climb higher."]
["And I can give you that opportunity."]
Saying this, the mysterious person took out a black jade slip and tossed it over.
["Inside, some special cultivation methods are recorded.]
["It can guide those Martial Souls with extraordinary potential onto a faster shortcut, allowing them to erupt with unimaginable power in a short time."]
["Of course, it also has a small side effect."]
The mysterious person's voice carried a hint of playfulness,
["Those who cultivate it will have a brand planted in the depths of their souls."]
Wang Yan took the jade slip. After probing it with Soul Power, his expression changed instantly.
His inner monologue exploded across the sky screen!
[This is... an Evil Soul Master's method!]
[A secret technique that can guide a Soul Master to fall, distort their Martial Soul, and eventually transform them into a puppet.]
[This extremely cold aura, it can't be wrong... it's the Holy Spirit Cult!]
[Who exactly is he?]
[Within Shrek, there's actually a high-level member of the Holy Spirit Cult hidden?!]
[He wants to use me to train Shrek's future geniuses into puppets of the Holy Spirit Cult!]
[Hahahaha! Heaven is truly helping me!]
[I originally wanted to slowly erode Shrek bit by bit. I didn't expect such a good thing to be delivered to my doorstep!]
[Use him! I must use him! Use the power of the Holy Spirit Cult to accelerate my revenge!]
[They think they've controlled me, but they don't know that I am also using them.]
[I will combine this evil technique with my Martial Soul theories to create a more perfect poison.]
[I will make Shrek's proudest geniuses push this academy into the abyss with their own hands!]
Wang Yan put away the jade slip and gave the mysterious person a deep bow:
["This junior... is willing to serve you, Senior!"]
The mysterious person gave a satisfied low laugh. His figure slowly faded and disappeared, leaving only one sentence behind.
["Very good. Do not disappoint me."]
The image on the sky screen froze there.
But outside the sky screen, things had already boiled over!
...
[Douluo 2 Era]
"Holy Spirit Cult!!!"
Elder Xuan let out a World-shaking roar, and a terrifying Soul Power storm swept across the entire plaza with him at the center!
His eyes were crimson, and the phantom of a Taotie loomed behind him, as if it wanted to devour everything!
"Within my Shrek, there's actually a high-level member of the Holy Spirit Cult lying in ambush!!!"
Yan Shaozhe, Xian Liner, and the others were also pale.
They looked at each other, and they could all see the horror in each other's eyes.
The Shrek Guardian Group hunts Evil Soul Masters all over the World.
Yet their own nest has actually been infiltrated by the Holy Spirit Cult until it's like a sieve!
This is simply a colossal joke!
It's like taking Shrek Academy's face and rubbing it against the ground repeatedly!
Moreover, this mysterious person even said he could help Wang Yan, which means this mysterious person holds an extremely high position within Shrek!
"Who is it? Who exactly is it!"
Elder Xuan roared, his gaze sweeping over every Elder present.
The suspicion and killing intent in his eyes made everyone's hearts turn cold.