Tang Wulin turned to discover Gu Yuena standing in the corner with teary eyes, and his heart stirred as he immediately rushed over to her.

He looked at the lips that he had once kissed and the body that he had once held, and a sense of desire welled up in his heart. However, the notion that Na'er's soul was the one currently occupying this body made him rather hesitant and reserved.

"You still like her more, don't you?" Gu Yuena asked with a displeased pout.

Tang Wulin cleared his throat in a slightly awkward manner and dodged the question. "Why are you here? Did you follow me to the Star Luo Continent?"

Gu Yuena replied, "I'm here on behalf of the Spirit Pagoda. I didn't follow you here, but I knew that you had come here. Mistress finally made her breakthrough; I'm so happy for her."

Tang Wulin sighed, "She still really misses you."

Gu Yuena also heaved a faint sigh. "I deceived her and Teacher; I no longer have the courage to meet her again, and I don't know what identity I should present to her. I heard your conversation just now; Mistress really is the kindest person in this world. I'm really glad that you asked her to become your godmother; she's always really wanted a child of her own."

Tang Wulin nodded in response before answering Gu Yuena's original question. "There are too many people outside, and I would risk exposing everyone else by traveling with them, so I'm leaving on my own."

Gu Yuena said, "I came to see you to advise you to take extra care and travel with everyone else if possible. Zhang Geyang isn't just going to let you off the hook after you took his soul spirit, and Qiangu Dongfeng has also taken an interest in you. After finding out that you and Gu Yue were once classmates, he asked me to tell him everything I know about you, so you should be very careful when you get back to the federation."

Tang Wulin's heart stirred upon hearing this. "Is the Spirit Pagoda really fully colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult?"

Gu Yuena shook her head in response. "I'm not sure; only Qiangu Dongfeng's most trusted subordinates know the answer to that question. However, I trust that everything you saw was real. As for the extent of their collusion and their joint objective, that's beyond me. Of course, on the surface, the Holy Spirit Cult has nothing to do with the Spirit Pagoda. Over in the federation, the Spirit Pagoda has been heavily impacted by the recent controversy. In contrast, the Tang Sect is gaining a lot of support, and your performance during this Trial of Five Gods is further contributing to that trend."

Tang Wulin nodded before asking, "Do you know what the situation is like with the federal military? When are they planning to deploy their troops?"

"I'm not sure. The federation has made this information strictly confidential, and the entire eastern coast is currently under lockdown; I doubt even Qiangu Dongfeng knows when the military is planning to deploy its troops. What's concerning is that this level of strict lockdown could well indicate that the federation is already making preparations for a big move, so go back as soon as you can once you take care of things here. If a war really does happen, try not to get swept up into it. I heard from Qiangu Dongfeng that the federation is very determined. The lack of resources on the Douluo Continent is already severely hampering the development of soul technology, so their objective is to conquer the other two continents at all costs."

Tang Wulin nodded in response, but he knew that if a war were to actually eventuate, there was no way that he would be able to stay out of it.

Gu Yuena took one final glance at him before turning to depart. "I'm going now."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth to say something, but remained silent in the end.

Just as Gu Yuena was about to leave, she suddenly stopped before turning back to face Tang Wulin. "If my consciousness completely fuses with Gu Yue's someday, and she becomes the dominant consciousness, will you miss me?"

"I don't want that!" Tang Wulin immediately blurted out in response.

A wide smile appeared on Gu Yuena's face upon hearing this, and she dove into his arms before locking him in a tight embrace, pressing herself flush against his body. "That's all I needed to hear, Big Brother. I don't know what will become of me in the end, but just know that neither Gu Yue nor Na'er will ever hurt you."

After her voice trailed off, Gu Yuena gently pushed him away before vanishing amid a flash of silver light, leaving Tang Wulin to stare blankly at the spot where she had been standing just a moment ago.

He had intended to ask Na'er why she was unwilling to leave the Spirit Pagoda, but he didn't get a chance to do so.

Na'er and Gu Yue; what exactly was going on with them?

In any case, it was definitely a good thing that she was also on the Star Luo Continent.

......

"The Tang Sect Master is on the Verge of Defeating an Entire Empire on His Own!"

Similar headlines were being released by all major media outlets in the Star Luo Empire, and the hype around Tang Wulin had reached an all-time high. His name had become synonymous with the word "hero" in the eyes of the empire's citizens, and many people were only now realizing just how powerful the Tang Sect was.

This new Tang Sect Master was truly a freakish prodigy, but of course, in the wake of Tang Wulin's four consecutive victories, there was no shortage of dissenting and accusatory voices that had appeared, most of which were directed at the imperial family.

Tang Wulin was only a young man in his early twenties, and he wasn't even a Titled Douluo yet; why was it that the empire was being beaten so comprehensively by him? If things were to continue in this fashion, the entire empire was going to lose to a single person; who was going to be held responsible for such a disgraceful outcome?

In ancient times, the loser of the Trial of Five Gods would have to pay a heavy price; did this mean that the empire would have to pay a price to the Tang Sect if it were to lose the final match as well?

For many years, the empire had been nurturing outstanding talents and promoting the concept of individual heroism; how had these efforts resulted in four consecutive losses in this Trial of Five Gods?

Monster Academy was also being made to look like a downright third-rate academy. A young man in his early twenties from Shrek Academy was enough to embarrass the entire empire to such a degree; why was there such a vast disparity between the two academies?

All types of criticisms were being aimed at the imperial family and Monster Academy, and this entailed that if the empire were to lose this final match, even the reputation of the imperial family could be negatively impacted.

Dai Tianling was feeling quite frustrated. He didn't think that things would turn out like this. This was supposed to be an arrangement that allowed him to kill multiple birds with one stone, but it turned out that he had shot himself in the foot instead.

If he had known that Tang Wulin was this powerful, he would've implemented an age restriction and made this a contest between those of the younger generation. At the very least, the losses wouldn't be so embarrassing then.

Now, he had been backed into a corner. To put it more accurately, he had backed himself into a corner. This Tang Wulin really was a troublesome brat!

He had intended to teach Tang Wulin a lesson, but the roles had been reversed and Tang Wulin was teaching him a lesson instead! At the same time, this Trial of Five Gods had served to forge a resounding reputation for this new Tang Sect Master. The empire had no choice but to send out the Holy Dragon Douluo for the final match, but there was no glory in winning such a lopsided battle!

Right at this moment, a familiar voice rang out. "Your Majesty."

En Ci had the special privilege of entering and leaving the imperial palace as he pleased, and he was now appearing before Dai Tianling.

"What is it, Teacher?" Dai Tianling was in a foul mood, and even the sight of En Ci didn't change his mood in the slightest.

En Ci replied in a serious voice, "I believe it's necessary for us to reconsider some things. Not long after you left, that healing system Hyper Douluo from Shrek Academy made a breakthrough to become a Limit Douluo."

"What?" Dai Tianling abruptly rose to his feet with an astonished look on his face.

He was naturally well aware of just how rare Limit Douluos were, and he had always treated En Ci with respect precisely because he was a Limit Douluo. However, two new Limit Douluos had appeared before him in just the span of two days; what the hell was going on with this world?!