area51novel Chapter 262 is finally here.
Chapter 262 is finally here.
The word "resentment and malice" is a fairly common adjective, but many people don't really have a precise understanding of what constitutes resentment and malice. However, in the instant this soul turned around, whether it was Zhang Lexuan witnessing it firsthand, or Long You and He Caitou seeing it through the camera, everyone realized that the soul about to be roasted by the flames was the epitome of resentment and malice.
The soul's mouth opened and closed, clearly trying to say something, but due to the special nature of the subspace barrier, not a single wails of the vengeful spirit could be heard. However, this was not important, as Long You's lip-reading ability had essentially reached its maximum level.
“I’ve remembered what you look like. The Holy Church will not let you go.”
"I'm so sorry, Senior Sister, but this evil spirit master probably mistakes you for one of us. Judging from his behavior, he might have some backup plans at the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters, and he might retaliate against you."
The evil spirit, a synonym for "vengeful poison," was burned to ashes shortly after uttering the classic villainous line. After confirming that the flames in the subspace barrier would continue to burn for at least another hour, Long You conveyed the vengeful spirit's words to Zhang Lexuan with some apology.
"It doesn't matter. If the Holy Spirit Cult wants to come, I will reunite them. Although I didn't see the scene in this small mountain village, this is not the first time I have encountered evil spirit masters. Even hell probably wouldn't want to take in these beasts."
"That's fine then. Senior Sister, you don't need to stand there in the cold wind. I'll send you my location, so you can come over and rest for a bit."
Ten minutes later, Zhang Lexuan, who had concealed her presence, arrived at the campsite where Long You and He Caitou were staying. Because the luxury sphere on Long You's side was still undergoing upgrades and renovations, and it was foreseeable that it would take quite a while, the campsite was currently arranged around He Caitou's luxury sphere.
After verifying Zhang Lexuan's soul fluctuations and soul power fluctuations, He Caitou granted access to the deluxe sphere.
"No matter how many times you enter and exit, the feeling of entering this luxury sphere is very magical, but in my long experience, it is absolutely unique to set up a Soul Guidance Workshop directly in a luxury sphere used for rest."
It has to be said that the deluxe bouncy ball that He Caitou prepared for himself was so personalized that even the usually gentle and dignified senior sister couldn't help but complain. Other people's deluxe bouncy balls have all kinds of leisure and entertainment facilities plus high-end sleep equipment, but He Caitou's is just a rest room with a few beds added to various work facilities. It's so rudimentary that it can't be called a deluxe bouncy ball at all.
Although he roughly understood why He Caitou behaved this way, Long You still couldn't help but make a few comments when he first saw the scene. Just like Zhang Lexuan now, there was no ill intent; it was purely an instinctive reaction.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time He Caitou had been criticized for this issue, so he didn't react much to Zhang Lexuan's rare display of emotion. He simply chuckled and led his senior sister to the actual resting room. Originally, Long You was supposed to sleep on this fairly comfortable bed, but since Zhang Lexuan was there, the bed naturally went to her. Long You and He Caitou went to the outside workshop to find two ergonomic chairs, laid them flat, and made do with them for the night.
The next morning, the subspace barrier at the small mountain village had disappeared due to functional problems and Long You's craftsmanship issues. Of course, the fire started by the gasoline incendiary bombs also disappeared along with it.
The entire small village had been reduced to ashes by this time, and the foul smell could not be eliminated for the time being. However, the hellish scene that had once existed was no longer visible as one walked. After leaving the luxury sphere, Long You did not head towards the small village. Instead, he directly controlled the detection soul guides deployed around the subspace barrier to conduct another overall survey of the village's location.
After confirming that there were no more obvious soul power fluctuations in the entire small mountain village area, Long You controlled the drone to retrieve the subspace barrier generator left behind. During this time, He Caitou also packed up the campsite from the previous night. Next, the two brothers and Zhang Lexuan would need to travel for about an hour to reach Dilong City and find a suitable inn to stay in.
Long You had gathered everyone here specifically to go to the Earth Dragon Gate. As a sect with top-tier Soul Douluo as its backbone, it was perfectly reasonable for them to have a city named after them in the original Douluo Continent's Three Kingdoms. Therefore, after Bei Bei suggested that everyone disperse and fight independently, the meeting point was directly set at Earth Dragon City.
After braving wind and rain for several days with constant anxiety, I really need to find a place to stay in the city and get some rest. Nothing else matters; what's important is relaxing both my mind and body. Although the city isn't absolutely safe these days, having my brothers with me is definitely much safer than wandering alone in the wilderness.
However, Long You was reluctant to give up on the game they were playing together, so after looking around for a while, he pulled He Caitou and started wandering around the courtyard entrance they had arranged.
Longyou had already shared the location and name of this courtyard in the communication group. Now, Longyou and He Caitou are setting up various methods here, ostensibly to train their friends to be vigilant against "telecom fraud".
Well, although this is an excuse that Long You just came up with, it's no secret that Shrek Academy has a real-time communication soul tool. It's hard to guarantee that people from the Sun Moon Empire won't think of using this real-time communication method to hunt down Shrek Academy students in a planned way. It's still necessary to give everyone a heads-up.
After a busy half hour, a completely undetectable soul-guided trap was successfully set up. The next step was to wait for the prey to fall into the trap. Of course, to avoid harming innocent bystanders, Long You went to the innkeeper after the trap was nearly complete and told him not to let the waiters come to the courtyard for the next few days. While he was at it, Long You also prepared identification tokens for himself, He Caitou, and Zhang Lexuan. With the tokens, there was no need to worry about their own people accidentally triggering the trap.
Looking at the jade-like wristband in her hand, Zhang Lexuan's flowing eyes scanned Long You up and down. After a long while, she said, "You always manage to come up with breakthroughs that no one else can think of. I'm actually a little grateful to your family elders for refusing your request to learn about soul tools. Otherwise, given your love for soul tools, I don't know how much the Sun Moon Empire's foundation would have increased!"
"Sister Lexuan, the widespread use of soul tools is a choice of the times. More advanced, more convenient, and more capable of unleashing human power will inevitably replace the simple soul master production of the past. In my opinion, if it weren't for the academy, the Sun Moon Empire would have unified the entire continent long ago. If we disregard the interests of the nobles of those countries and only look at the interests of ordinary people, letting the Sun Moon Empire complete the unification of the continent as soon as possible is actually the most advantageous solution."
Even if the academy intervenes, there's not much it can actually do. After all, the Sun Moon Empire is located on the Douluo Continent; they are no longer invaders but competitors on the same continent. It wouldn't be entirely justifiable for the academy to get involved.
The academy can only be an academy, and cannot become a political protective force within the original Douluo Continent. Its target should never be the entire Sun Moon Empire, but solely the group of evil soul masters within the Holy Spirit Cult.
Silence fell, and as soon as the words left his mouth, Long You regretted them slightly. Shrek Academy was indeed, to some extent, a guarantee of the rule of the three kingdoms of the original Douluo Continent, so Long You had never openly said that he did not support the academy's opposition to the Sun Moon Empire. However, this time, in front of Zhang Lexuan, Long You accidentally let his guard down.
Faced with Long You's somewhat abrupt confession of his inner thoughts, Zhang Lexuan was momentarily at a loss for words. Although she was the senior disciple of the inner academy, Zhang Lexuan didn't actually have much say in her own life. If Zhang Lexuan's experiences were to be briefly summarized, her life could be divided into the following stages: growing up with Elder Mu's help, displaying her talent, protecting Beibei according to Elder Mu's arrangements, and completing tasks according to the academy's assignments.
Despite appearing to have experienced a great deal, Zhang Lexuan's life has actually been more like that of a puppet on strings, with very few opportunities to make her own decisions. Now, with Long You suddenly suggesting something that requires deeper consideration, Zhang Lexuan instinctively felt that Long You's thinking was wrong, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Perhaps, deep down, Zhang Lexuan also agreed with Long You's view that the academy is just that—the academy—and shouldn't get too involved in national politics.
After a long pause, Zhang Lexuan finally spoke, saying, "Perhaps you are right, but the academy's current status is inseparable from the original Three Kingdoms of Douluo Continent. The academy will probably find it difficult to remain unaffected."
Zhang Lexuan's words made sense, and Long You was aware of the situation, but he didn't care. Whether the academy should participate in the war was the academy's decision; if Long You didn't want to go, he didn't have to. Even if a rift developed between him and the academy, so what? Ultimately, this was a world where power belonged to oneself.
In the early stages of his development, Long You did indeed need the support of Shrek Academy. However, at this stage, Long You's foundation is complete, and he only needs to proceed step by step. Shrek Academy can provide him with less and less assistance. Just like Long You's grandfather, Long Guozhang, although he still holds the position of honorary elder of Shrek Academy, he rarely interacts with the academy. This is because his own strength and foundation are already established, and Shrek Academy can no longer provide him with any help.
Although Long You doesn't yet possess the same strength as the old man, after discovering the New World, he truly has no shortage of resources for future development. While Shrek Academy's experience is valuable, its absence is not essential. In any case, Long You believes he probably can't become Huo Yuhao in the original timeline, and can't truly gain Shrek Academy's complete trust (most importantly, Long You himself wouldn't give his all to Shrek Academy).
"Sister Lexuan is right. I was just saying. I don't really care how the academy plans to operate. I will do my best to do what I'm supposed to do, that's all."
Explaining his ideas to Zhang Lexuan might not be difficult, but Long You didn't want to waste that effort at this time. He had been exchanging ideas with He Caitou a lot these past few days, and now was a time when inspiration was flowing freely; this leisurely period was the perfect opportunity to put those ideas into practice.
Of course, Long You did not forget to arrange some invisible soul tool scouts at the entrance of the Earth Dragon Gate. To achieve his goal, Long You first needed to ensure that no one got there first, and secondly, he had to meet the sect leader of the Earth Dragon Gate, Nan Shuishui. Fortunately, both of these could be determined by sending out invisible soul tool scouts in advance.
Two days passed in a flash, and Long You looked at the fully upgraded luxury sphere in his hand with satisfaction. The luxury sphere was now the mobile accommodation and rest place that Long You truly desired. After incorporating the laws of space, the internal space of the luxury sphere was greatly extended, and all communication was no longer affected. All kinds of wirelessly controlled soul tools could also be used smoothly.
If the luxury sphere Longyou used before was like a farmhouse villa deep in the mountains, then this luxury sphere is probably on par with the Humble Administrator's Garden. Not only is the space larger, but the entire environment is also more unique and beautiful, making it a great place to relax and unwind.
However, Long You's cheerful mood wasn't solely due to the successful creation of the new deluxe ball; it was also because Bei Bei and the others, who had been dawdling on the road for two days, were finally arriving. To ensure his safety, Long You had placed numerous detection soul tools around Earth Dragon City before beginning his seclusion. As soon as Bei Bei and the others arrived, Long You immediately sensed their presence.
Now that the person he was waiting for had arrived, Long You was finally about to obtain the high-level soul tool crafting materials he had been longing for, which was what made him most happy. While the deluxe sphere was nice, what Long You most wanted to upgrade was his battle armor and soul-guided powered mecha. He had already prepared all the design blueprints; the only thing he lacked now was high-quality materials like the Ice Extreme God Crystal.
After watching Bei Bei and the others enter Earth Dragon City from the soul-guided display screen, Long You looked expectantly at the gate of the rented courtyard. Over the past two days, Long You and He Caitou had added some new features to this soul-guided trap. The lethality hadn't increased, but the variety had increased considerably, with the core features being the "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers Ribbon Machine" and the "Inchless Bubble Machine."
The doorbell at the entrance of the courtyard rang.
Long You had already sent the location of the courtyard to Bei Bei and the others through the communication group. The entire Dilong City was not a super metropolis like in later times, so although the current communication group could not achieve the location sharing function, Long You did not need to worry about Bei Bei and the others not being able to find the location.