Success The protests lasted for half a month. When the people's anger reached its peak, an imperial decree was swiftly issued from the palace.
Within Mingdu, a complete purge of evil spirit masters was ordered, leaving no survivors.
After receiving the imperial decree, the Second Prince Xu Tianming quickly led the powerful figures of various noble forces to launch a targeted crackdown.
In half a month, they discovered eight strongholds of evil spirit masters and sealed off as many as 90% of the Holy Spirit Cult's properties in Mingdu.
During this operation, any developments would be immediately reported to the people of Mingdu, except for the amount of money... But even so, it still elicited strong cheers from the people.
What they sought was an attitude from the royal family, and now it seemed that His Majesty still cared for the common people.
Amidst the ruins, Xu Tianming stood in a pile of rubble. Before him was a collapsed house, the chilling aura gradually dissipating under the sunlight.
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?" The eldest son of Duke Tianhan approached, a smile on his face, as their operation had gone perfectly.
"Nothing." Xu Tianming shook his head, watching the Soul Masters beside him carrying away the corpses of evil Soul Masters, a strange unease rising in his heart.
They had spent a day wiping out the Holy Spirit Cult's forces in Mingdu, but what was puzzling was that they hadn't encountered any strong resistance from beginning to end, as if the Holy Spirit Cult was reduced to nothing but these worthless rabble.
"Your Highness, my father has sent word that he hopes you can come to the manor for a gathering."
Xu Tianming, who had been pondering, suddenly felt a surge of emotion and subconsciously turned to look at the young man beside him. Their eyes met, and after a long while, Xu Tianming's unease subsided, replaced by excitement.
This was a signal from Duke Tianhan; from now on, Duke Tianhan would be a member of Xu Tianming's faction vying for the throne.
"I think that besides my father, others also have their own ideas, so please wait and see, Your Highness," the eldest son of Duke Tianhan chuckled.
Xu Tianming nodded heavily, his gaze fixed on the sky, full of vigor.
"Your Highness, something's happened."
Just as the two were talking, a figure flew down from the sky and landed behind Xu Tianming. It was a member of the City Defense Army's Soul Master Regiment.
Xu Tianming's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "What happened?"
"A mysterious evil soul master appeared at a Holy Spirit Cult stronghold in the Qingshui District, rescued the evil soul master inside, and now we don't know where he's escaped to," the man quickly replied.
Hearing this, Xu Tianming frowned, then waved his hand, "Never mind, they're just a bunch of scoundrels anyway, no need to chase them. Tell your commander to lay the evil soul master's body on the ground and let the people go and see it."
"Yes, sir." The Soul Master replied, then flew back into the air and headed into the distance.
"This evil soul master is truly stubborn," the eldest son of Duke Tianhan said coldly.
"The Holy Spirit Cult was wiped out too easily. I suspect there's a trap. You must all be careful to protect yourselves, lest these guys cause trouble in secret," Xu Tianming said in a deep voice.
"Your Highness, rest assured, we've been prepared from the moment we chose to deal with the Holy Spirit Cult,"
Xu Tianming nodded, saying nothing more.
At the same time, gatherings occurred in different parts of Mingdu. The people of Mingdu orderly arrived at the Holy Spirit Cult's strongholds, and looking at the evil soul masters lying on the floor like dead pigs, everyone wore smiles.
However, no one noticed that several figures were watching all this with intense killing intent in their eyes, but with the arrival of the city defense army, they could only quietly leave.
Rewind time.
An hour earlier, in Qinghe District, inside a Holy Spirit Cult stronghold.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh." Ear-piercing soul light rays continuously pierced through, frantically tearing apart the walls of the houses, with debris scattering everywhere.
Occasionally, powerful soul-guided cannons would blast through the air, each shot like a thunderclap, unleashing a powerful surge of soul energy that sent dust billowing out.
"Roar!"
Within this area surrounded by over fifty soul masters, several evil soul masters fought back relentlessly. Wraiths danced in the air, trying to devour every ray of soul light; crimson flesh formed walls to block the soul-guided cannons; and glaring white bones, like deadly scythes, sought to reap the lives of their enemies.
The air was thick with a dark green poisonous fog, forcing the city's defense forces' soul masters to refrain from close combat.
"Damn it, we're completely surrounded!" Within the poisonous fog, a colossal, dark golden skeleton wielded a bone hammer, its empty pupils glowing with a chilling light.
With each swing, countless bone spikes sprouted around the dark golden skeleton, forming a dense forest of bones that tore apart the incoming soul light rays.
"Young Master, we must retreat. Otherwise, when even stronger Soul Masters arrive, we will surely die," shouted a half-rotten, zombie-like evil Soul Master.
Hearing this, Tang Dai's face turned cold. He was about to speak when suddenly, several scarlet rays shot towards him. Instinctively, he activated his bones, transforming them into bone armor that adhered to his body.
"Sizzle." With a crisp piercing sound, the zombie-like evil Soul Master was torn in half at the waist, countless pieces of flesh scattering, much of it landing on Tang Dai, emitting a foul stench.
Tang Dai's bone armor was almost completely pierced, his body showing signs of cracking, and burn marks appearing on the surface of his bones, demonstrating the immense intensity of the ray.
Tang Dai's pupils contracted. He turned his head and saw four Soul Masters in the uniforms of the City Defense Army Soul Master Corps, each carrying a fiery red cannon barrel on their shoulders, from which a faint glow of Soul Power could be seen seeping.
Meanwhile, in other directions, the soul cannons on the bodies of other soul masters were almost fully charged, ready to unleash powerful energy projectiles at any moment.
At this point, retreat was virtually impossible unless his master personally arrived to rescue him.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have brought people here on this mission," Tang Dai cursed inwardly, a fierce glint in his eyes, thinking he would use the lives of his comrades to protect him as he escaped.
"Prepare..."
The city defense army's soul masters wouldn't give Tang Dai much time to think; one of the middle-aged men shouted loudly.
The next moment, all the soul masters shone with various colored soul power lights, causing the air to ripple.
Seeing this, all the evil soul masters in the courtyard were shaken, a sense of death washing over them.
"Whoosh."
However, at this critical moment, several ghostly figures rushed in, attracting the attention of the city defense army's soul masters. Some quickly turned their cannons, but soon, everyone froze.
The figures weren't human, but rather puppet-like beings, each carrying a corpse, which they hurled at the group like javelins.
This sight made the leader of the Soul Master team's captain's heart tighten, for the thrown corpses were shimmering with dense, dark red light.
"Everyone, activate your Soul Guidance Shields immediately!" the middle-aged man roared urgently.
This sudden turn of events gave the evil Soul Masters in the courtyard a glimmer of hope. Just as a pale yellow glow appeared on the Soul Masters, the corpses suddenly swelled up, and the next moment, a terrifying explosion erupted.
The sky seemed to shatter, turning blood red. The terrifying shockwaves impacted all the Soul Masters; even those who withstood the blast were still uncontrollably thrown backward.
The group scattered like severed wheat, leaving a gaping hole.
"Follow me." Just as Tang Dai and the other evil Soul Masters saw hope, a steady voice entered their ears.
Hearing the sound, Tang Dai rushed over and saw a mysterious figure in black robes. Without hesitation, he immediately gave the order to retreat.
Inside the stronghold, the six surviving evil spirit masters hurriedly fled through the gap, moving as fast as they could, wishing they had extra legs.
The city guards, who had recovered, could only watch helplessly as the group of evil spirit masters disappeared.
After leaving the stronghold, Tang Dai and his group, led by the mysterious figure in black robes, quickly fled in a concealed direction.
Weaving through streets and alleys, the group soon hid in a very secluded house.
Inside, everyone gasped for breath; the feeling of surviving a disaster was truly exhilarating.
"You are..." As soon as he closed the door, Tang Dai looked warily at the mysterious figure.
The mysterious figure in black robes removed his hood; his face was ordinary, but it was covered with a number of bright golden patterns—not many, but conspicuous.
"My name is Blackwater, and I'm one of you," the mysterious man introduced himself. "We're safe here for now. We'll leave when night falls, but we can't stay in Mingdu any longer; we'll have to move to another city."
Hearing "one of you" and "a few others," the evil spirit masters relaxed somewhat, but Tang Dai was different. He looked puzzled and wary. "I sense a strong aura of light on you."
Hearing this, the other evil spirit masters, who had been slumped in their chairs, instantly perked up, hastily standing up, their soul power surging, ready to erupt at any moment.
"My martial soul is inherently of the light attribute, so even after becoming an evil spirit master, this layer of light still exists," Blackwater explained calmly. "However, the light attribute is too conspicuous within the sect; this is the first time I've used it."
"So, you're a light-attribute evil spirit master?" Tang Dai was shocked. "When you transformed into an evil spirit master, your original attribute wasn't erased?"
Upon hearing this, the other evil spirit masters who were about to attack were startled and quickly withdrew their soul power.
A light-attribute evil spirit master—this was extremely important within the sect.
"I don't know about that. When I became an evil soul master, I was seriously injured and completed the transformation while unconscious," Blackwater shook his head.
Tang Dai took a deep breath and looked at Blackwater with the eyes of someone looking at a treasure. "Big brother, when it gets dark, do you want to come with us somewhere?"
"Where?" Blackwater asked, puzzled.
"The main altar," Tang Dai explained.
"The main altar?" Blackwater's expression changed slightly. He was helping this group mainly to infiltrate them, hoping to make contact with higher-level members of the Holy Spirit Cult and facilitate his future entry into the Holy Spirit Cult's main altar to complete his master's mission. But he didn't expect this boy who could turn into a dark golden skeleton to directly want to take him to the main altar. It was so easy! He said,
"I remember that you need a recommendation to enter the main altar. Now that the elder of my stronghold has been killed, I'm afraid I can't get into the main altar."
"Don't worry, as long as you ask, I can take you there," Tang Dai said confidently.
"You..." Blackwater hesitated.
Seemingly sensing that Hei Shui didn't believe him, Tang Dai smiled calmly, "My teacher is a sixth-ranking elder, a super Douluo powerhouse with the title Scorpion Tiger. Now, brother, do you believe I'm qualified?"
Hei Shui was taken aback. Had he helped a disciple of a Holy Spirit Cult elder?
"If we can enter the main altar, brother, I'll thank you in advance," Hei Shui said gratefully. "Consider it a favor I owe you."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Tang Dai's eyes, but he said, "No need for a favor. We were able to escape the stronghold this time thanks to you, brother. By the way, what methods did you use to deal with those Soul Masters?"
"Nothing much, just Corpse Explosion," Hei Shui said with a smile. He had killed quite a few evil Soul Masters during this period, but since he had blamed them all on the city defense army, no one would care about him. At the same time, he had collected all the corpses. The Corpse Explosion Soul Skill from the original owner's memories was useless, and it came in handy today.
"Corpse Explosion." The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, surprised. This skill was extremely rare even within the sect, possessing immense power. It could even kill someone several levels above their cultivation level if used in a pre-arranged ambush. They hadn't expected Blackwater to possess it.
Wait, such a talent—why hadn't the stronghold elder reported it to the main altar?
If the sect leader found out, he'd skin them alive.
Oh, that elder's ashes were probably scattered by now; there was no skin left to skin.
"This is my private resting place. You can rest and recover your soul power. We'll leave tonight to avoid the city guards tightening their defenses, which might make it difficult to leave later," Blackwater said solemnly.
"Alright," Tang Dai and the others nodded in agreement.
They then found a spot to sit cross-legged and recover their soul power.
Watching Tang Dai recover his soul power, a subtle smile flickered across Blackwater's lips. "
...
Yes, my lord, we have already helped thirty-six souls reunite with their families."
On the dormitory balcony, Huo Yuhao sat in a rocking chair gazing at the sky. His spiritual sea was connected to the sun mark on Nana's body. Listening to her words, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment and asked, "What is the situation of these people's families?"
In a small town five hundred miles away from Mingdu, Nana sat respectfully in a chair. "Reporting to my lord, the families of these thirty-six souls total seventy-five people, mostly elderly and children. They are sincerely grateful to you for allowing us to bring back their family members' souls. After observing them for several days, I can confirm that their character is excellent and they deserve your bestowal of cultivation techniques."
Huo Yuhao nodded slightly and said, "Find an opportunity to gather them together and preach in the name of the Sun God Cult. At the same time, select one person from this group to be in charge of managing them. Currently, the cult is newly established, so don't reveal too much. When the time is right in the future, I will appear in the form of a god using the sun mark."
"Yes, sir," Nana replied respectfully.
After ending his chat with Nana, Huo Yuhao sensed another fluctuation emanating from the Sun God Pillar. He raised an eyebrow; it was Hei Shui.
Among the believers who had obtained the improved version of the Xuan Tian Gong technique, Nana and Hei Shui were the only two he had bestowed with the ability to trigger the Sun Mark and contact him.
Half a month had passed since the stronghold was destroyed, and Hei Shui had finally made a move.
"How have you been lately?" Huo Yuhao's thoughts stirred, and his mental energy triggered the Sun Mark on Hei Shui's body.
The howling evening wind blew past them, and behind them lay the city lights of countless homes. Hei Shui mingled among the evil soul masters, who were heading towards the main altar. In their hearts, they silently communicated with Huo Yuhao, while also recounting how they had saved the six disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Upon learning that Hei Shui was heading to the Holy Spirit Cult's main altar, Huo Yuhao was also taken aback. This casual rescue turned out to be the disciple of that Scorpion Tiger Douluo guy; Hei Shui's luck was simply too good.
"If nothing unexpected happens, I should be able to successfully infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters and complete the task you assigned me," Blackwater said respectfully.
"The mission is important, but you need to be more careful about your own safety. Don't die," Huo Yuhao instructed.
Hei Shui smiled slightly but said nothing. His newborn life was given to him by his master; for the sake of the mission, even death wouldn't matter.
After the conversation, Huo Yuhao pulled himself out of his thoughts and left the balcony, intending to draw up the soul tool blueprints he had obtained from Mingde Hall that day.
Little did he know that a battle sweeping through Mingdu was gradually approaching. The
side quests were almost finished, the exchange student storyline would soon be over, and of course, the storylines involving the male lead and several female leads were coming soon.
The only current challenge was writing the Sea God's Fate storyline, since the male lead already had Ma Xiaotao and Wang Dong'er as his official girlfriends…
............................
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(End of Chapter)