Chapter 338.3: Ju Zi's Reminder
Huo Yuhao had been concentrating his spiritual power ever since Nangong Wan pressed his palm against the trunk. He relied on his impressive spiritual power to forcefully memorize Nangong Wan’s rapid tapping and its frequency. Even though it might not be useful in the future, memorizing the pattern was still a potential opportunity.
Nangong Wan tapped continuously for twenty seconds before he lifted his hand, and the screen popped back into place. Faint cracking sounds could be heard as the trunk began to split open from the center of its lid.
The Third Elder was standing beside Nangong Wan, and he raised his hand as a hemispherical barrier enveloped everyone inside. He was also inside this hemisphere, as was Mocke.
Huo Yuhao and the two other contestants drew a cold breath from the moment this crack appeared on the trunk, and they understood at the same time why Third Elder had to barricade everyone inside.
There was an indescribably somber and desolate aura emanating from within, and it seemed to stem from the bravery and majesty of an entire army in shining armor.
The Third Elder and Nangong Wan had no reaction, while Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, Huang Zheng, and Mocke turned pale as intense astonishment broke out across their faces.
Huo Yuhao’s sensations were the deepest, as he possessed the strongest spiritual power. It was because of how mighty his spiritual power was that he felt the greatest impact.
He felt as if he were facing a metal torrent formed by an enormous army, and this torrent carried hysterical hostility and killing intent as it surged towards him. This torrent was so strong that it almost made him lose control over his spirit. A pale golden light emerged over his body, and his Spirit Eyes were immediately unleashed, and only then could he calm and steady himself.
However, Huo Yuhao managed to use his Imitation in the nick of time so that his actual soul rings weren’t revealed in front of everyone.
“This…” He Caitou blurted out. He suddenly recalled the agreement he had with Huo Yuhao after uttering one word, and hurriedly closed his mouth. However, the bewilderment in his eyes was a lot more intense than before.
The trunk had completely opened up at this moment to reveal its contents. Special filters made of a material was known as jade rubber filled its inner layers. The rubber itself was white, but it was extremely tough and bouncy. Jade rubber was typically used as a cushion or buffer.
There was something in the center of all the blocks of jade rubber inside the trunk.
This item was roughly one and a half meters long, and had a cylindrical body. It had a conical tip, and a ringed groove at the back. The entire item had no cracks or kinks, and it seemed like everything blended together into one integrated body. The item was pale gold in color, and it shone with a metallic luster.
The violent and hysterical killing intent and fearsome aura came from this item, and everyone felt as if this sensation was becoming worse over time. Huo Yuhao and the others felt their hearts tremble even though they were only looking at it.
Mocke swallowed some saliva as he stammered, “This, this is…”
Huang Zheng could no longer maintain his composure, and he blurted out, “Class 9! It’s a Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell.”
What did a Class 9 stationary soul cannon mean?
It was evaluated as Class 9, and that meant it was a Class 9 soul tool in itself. It was also a Class 9 soul tool that could only be used once. This cannon shell could even be fired over half the entire Continent at a target when used with a Class 9 soul cannon, and it could also be detonated at a shorter distance without a Class 9 soul cannon. However, there was a prerequisite, as the person detonating this cannon had to have some way to distance himself or herself from the explosion, as the user would vanish from the face of the earth otherwise.
A Class 9 stationary cannon shell’s destructiveness was enough to instill fear in even Transcendent Douluo. The only outcome that could happen when normal Titled Douluo faced one of these was death!
The Sun Moon Empire was the only entity capable of manufacturing Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells at the moment. Only those at the higher levels of the empire knew how many there were, but there couldn’t possibly be that many.
Why did the Body Sect, Shrek Academy, the Star Luo Empire and the other powers choose to break through the western front when they discussed how the Sun Moon Empire was locking down the Radiant City? What did they fear so much?
It wasn’t because they didn’t consider that dangers could arise on the western front. Instead, it was because they didn’t dare to take the risk of travelling on the other three roads. It had been confirmed that there were at least five Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells stationed in the other three regions.
Even Titled Douluo had no chance against a frightening entity of this level if they were the ones who were locked on. What was even more frightening was that Class 9 cannon shells had an extremely large area of effect, and an explosion would eradicate an entire area around it, not just a single spot.
If five Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells were stationed in one direction, even powerful beings like Elder Xuan would be wary. Perhaps he might have the ability to survive this ordeal, but there was no way he could protect the people around him.
Every single person in the world considered Class 9 stationary cannon shells priceless and inestimable. Not in their wildest dreams did Huo Yuhao and the others expect that the Duskwater Alliance would take out such a reward so that they could win this tournament. Huo Yuhao had learned from Chen An before this that the Duskriver Alliance would give out a share of their profits from all the bets and wagers, but this cannon shell was more generous than all the shares they could give, the reason being this cannon shell couldn’t be valued with money, as money couldn’t even buy such an item.
Huo Yuhao had heard from Xuan Ziwen that the Sun Moon Empire didn’t possess more than fifty Class 9 stationary cannon shells. Some were reported openly, while some were hidden away in secret, and only the emperor himself knew the exact number. But what was certain was that a single shell could eradicate an entire small city, while two shells were enough to annihilate a mid-sized city.
Radiant City was the greatest city on the Continent, but even a city as large as Radiant City couldn’t possibly take more than ten shells. It wasn’t hard to see how terrifying these cannon shells were.
One of the main reasons why the Sun Moon Empire dared to go up against the Douluo Continent’s three native empires one versus three was because of their Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells. This was also one of the most substantial reasons why the other three empires hadn’t invaded them yet.
The Duskwater Alliance, or perhaps the Holy Ghost Church, had too much influence and might. They actually managed to obtain a national-level strategic weapon!
Huo Yuhao had unswerving will and determination, but even he felt his heart pounding vigorously in his chest. His eyes grew hot and passionate. This wasn’t just a cannon shell in his eyes, this was also a sample! If he could study and scrutinize this cannon shell through and through, he could possibly enable the Tang Sect to craft Class 9 stationary soul cannon shells of its own. At the very least, he could probably make it easier for teacher Xuan to break through in his research.
There was one problem: was this stationary cannon shell that easy to get? Was winning this championship more important than this cannon shell?
“I’m sure you guys have already realized… yes, this is a Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell, and it’s called Annihilation Storm. I will only tell you its effects and how it’s used when one of you returns with the championship. I can guarantee that we will present you with this gift on the spot when you clinch the championship. So, you guys have to work hard.”
Nangong Wan waved his sleeve as he spoke, and the trunk closed up again. That violent and crazed aura was swiftly covered up.
Huo Yuhao and the others could finally breathe easy. However, there was only vengeance and hatred in Mocke’s eyes as he glared at Huo Yuhao. His defeat to Huo Yuhao in the previous round meant he no longer had the opportunity to vie for this cannon shell, and he had even been forced to relinquish his ranked carving knife, his Darkness Green Dragon!
Huo Yuhao didn’t care about his gaze at all. His heart and emotions had settled down by now, and his eyes became clear and transparent just like before, though He Caitou was still a little exhilarated behind him.
“Work hard, youngsters.” Nangong Wan spoke with a faint smile on his face. However, his eyes were fixed on Huo Yuhao from beginning to end as he uttered these words. He was momentarily stunned when he saw that Huo Yuhao’s eyes had become clear and transparent once more, and nodded in his direction.
“Let’s go!”
Nangong Wan swung his hand through the air. He and the Third Elder took point, while Huo Yuhao and the three others followed behind them, and throngs of men dressed in black flanked and escorted them.
Third Elder naturally couldn’t let these men in black carry the Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell, and he stowed it away within his storage-type soul tool. They headed towards the western suburbs once they departed the Green Hotel.
Huo Yuhao didn’t have any opinions about where the tournament was to be carried out. However, his eyes were starting to close at this point, as if he were trying to concentrate and calm himself down so that he could prepare himself mentally for the tournament.
He Caitou fully recovered only when the cold wind outside billowed against him as he exited the hotel. A strange look appeared on his face, and he shook his head from side to side before his eyes returned to normal.
Huang Zheng was in a similar state. As for Mocke, there was only hatred in his eyes. It wasn’t easy for him to calm himself down.
The Green Hotel was located near the city center, and Radiant City had such a large surface area. They couldn’t just walk over directly. That would be too slow.
Extravagant and magnificent carriages drawn by wildebeests had been prepared outside the hotel.
The three participating members – Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and Huang Zheng – took one carriage, while Nangong Wan, the Third Elder, and Mocke took another one. The remaining men in black loaded the miscellaneous rare metals on relatively simpler carriages as they got on their respective horses. A majestic company of more than a hundred people journeyed towards the western suburbs.
------
Inside one of the carriages...
Mocke was full of righteous indignation as he asked, “Master, do we really have to use a Class 9 stationary soul cannon shell as reward?”
The Third Elder frowned and snapped, “Shut up. Are you even worthy to comment?”
Mocke was unwilling inside, but he immediately withdrew his emotions when he saw the annoyance on his teacher’s face. He knew that his teacher was very short-tempered; one of his senior brothers had spoken out against his teacher for a sentence or two some time ago, and his brain was instantly blown to smithereens.
Third Elder turned towards Nangong Wan and asked, “What do you think, second brother?”
Nangong Wan’s eyes were tinged with a layer of silver-grey light. The lighting inside the entire carriage became a little brighter, as if everything was covered with silver-grey hues.
“That kid is very sophisticated. He managed to recover so quickly after his initial temporary surprise, and this means that he has very strong spiritual power. Our guess should be right; he should be an evil soul master who leans towards spiritual summoning abilities. However, he may not be from the Sun Moon Empire. After all, with our sect’s strength and influence and after so many years of searching and recruiting, it is impossible for us not to pull a prodigy like him to our side.”