Ordinary Alliance, Evening Water Alliance

Seeing the Red-Haired Girl,

Shangguan Wei'er frowned and asked softly, "Little Zi, who is this?"

Zi Yao told her about the Evil Soul Master attack they had encountered on the road and how he had happened to rescue the girl.

Shangguan Wei'er said nothing more and ordered someone to settle the Red-Haired Girl down. They would see whether she could recover her memories in a few days; if not, she could remain in the Ordinary Alliance.

"Alliance Leader Shangguan is truly kind-hearted and beautiful."

Wang Dong could not help praising her.

At first, she had thought this place could not possibly be respectable, but it had turned out to be far beyond her expectations.

Though their business was equally something that could not see the light of day, they did not force decent women into prostitution. They even took in some commoner girls with Soul Power.

They might have taken in and trained those girls for profit, but at least they had given them a chance to survive.

Judge deeds, not intentions.

Shangguan Wei'er froze for a moment, then laughed. "You really are adorable, little sister. It has been a long time since I received such praise in the Underground World."

"I wouldn't call myself kind-hearted. I merely gave my past self one more choice."

"I... I'm a man..."

Wang Dong stammered.

She was still dressed as a man, yet she had not expected to be seen through at a glance.

Shangguan Wei'er rolled her eyes coquettishly. "My ability to judge people does not rely solely on appearance. More importantly, I look at the desires in one's eyes. Ever since you saw me, your gaze has remained clear and pure. Either you are a girl, or you are..."

At this point,

she gave a mysterious smile and said no more.

"Fine, I'm a girl."

Wang Dong admitted it frankly.

Shangguan Wei'er smiled faintly. "Then could you please step outside first, little sister? Mr. Zi and I still have an unfinished transaction."

Wang Dong looked at Zi Yao suspiciously. "An unfinished transaction? What transaction?"

Shangguan Wei'er laughed alluringly and said teasingly, "Don't let your imagination run wild, little sister. Your sister here will not touch the meat on your plate. We are merely exchanging some intelligence."

"What do you mean, meat on my plate? I'm only keeping an eye on this guy to make sure he doesn't violate the School Rules!"

Wang Dong bristled.

School Rules?

Without changing her expression, Shangguan Wei'er noted this information. Zi Yao did not feel like a student to her at all; he was more like a seasoned, powerful Soul Master.

That was also why she addressed him as Mr. Zi.

"Enough. I'll be done in a moment. Wait outside first, and I'll take you back to the academy shortly."

Zi Yao flicked her forehead, reminding Wang Dong to leave quickly.

Wang Dong could only cover her forehead and stand outside the room, wondering whether she had said something wrong again.

"Please sit, Mr. Zi. We have plenty of time. In any case, your little girlfriend outside probably is not in much of a hurry."

Shangguan Wei'er's provocative joke did not stir any unusual emotion in Zi Yao. He simply sat calmly across from her, his hands folded on the table.

"Alliance Leader Shangguan, ask whatever you wish. In exchange for helping me find information on the Life Devouring Carving Knife, I can give you one piece of intelligence."

"And what intelligence does Mr. Zi have that might interest me?"

Shangguan Wei'er asked in return.

Zi Yao smiled faintly. "Evil Soul Masters. The Evening Water Alliance. Is Alliance Leader Shangguan interested?"

Shangguan Wei'er's beautiful eyes lit up.

As one of the three major powers in Ming Du's Underground World, the Evening Water Alliance stood above the rest. Even the Ordinary Alliance and the Aodu Chamber of Commerce joining forces found it difficult to keep it in check.

The reason was the endless stream of powerful Evil Soul Masters within the Evening Water Alliance.

This was an important reason why the Evening Water Alliance held a dominant position in the Arms Business.

Over the years, she had tried to uncover much information about the forces behind this faction, but she had always come up empty-handed. All she knew was that the Evening Water Alliance must have another force supporting it from behind the scenes.

"Please elaborate, Mr. Zi."

"Behind the Evening Water Alliance is an incomparably massive Evil Soul Master organization. It is even more terrifying than you imagine, an existence capable of overturning an Empire."

Zi Yao got straight to the point.

Shangguan Wei'er's eyes widened and her delicate brows furrowed.

Aside from those with special Light Martial Souls, ordinary Soul Masters of the same rank found it extremely difficult to deal with Evil Soul Masters. Their methods were strange and unpredictable, and their ability to preserve their lives was exceptionally strong.

Fortunately, Evil Soul Masters usually operated alone. They could not trust one another at all, so naturally they could not form an organization or become any great force.

But according to Zi Yao,

could it be that, while no one knew, these Evil Soul Masters had already quietly united and consolidated into a colossal entity?

"Alliance Leader Shangguan should have heard of Shrek's Inspection Team. It is responsible for searching for Evil Soul Masters throughout the Three Great Empires and exterminating them," Zi Yao continued.

"Of course I know. Ever since that Ultimate Douluo of Shrek emerged Three Thousand Years ago, Shrek's position as the number one academy was completely established. From that year onward, the Three Great Empires simultaneously befriended Shrek Academy and voluntarily ceded part of their investigative authority."

Shangguan Wei'er was exceptionally knowledgeable and had also seen the truth behind the Inspection Team.

"This matter is also one of the reasons Shrek's reputation is so great. Nearly every year, Martial Soul prodigies from the Three Great Empires choose Shrek whenever possible."

Zi Yao nodded. "That's right. But most of the Inspection Team's students are only Soul Emperors or Soul Saints. Setting aside how cruel and powerful Evil Soul Masters are, the students would suffer extremely heavy casualties. Yet they would inevitably frighten the Evil Soul Masters into scattering toward the one region Shrek could not reach—the Sun Moon Empire."

"The gathering of Evil Soul Masters further spurred the birth of an Evil Soul Master organization. That organization has now grown into a Giant Dragon capable of shaking the continent's foundations."

Shangguan Wei'er seemed to realize something.

The number of Evil Soul Masters appearing in the Three Great Empires had decreased year after year. She had thought Shrek's Inspection Team was responsible, but now it seemed that it had instead driven those scattered Evil Soul Masters to gather together.

"What if we tell the Imperial Family? Would the Sun Moon Royal Family really stand by and do nothing against an Evil Soul Master organization of such scale?"

"The die is cast. Even the Sun Moon Empire, the strongest in overall power, would have to pay a heavy price to eliminate that evil sect."

"So, I advise Alliance Leader Shangguan not to oppose the Evening Water Alliance for now. You alone are no match for them."

Zi Yao stood up and spoke evenly.

The Ordinary Alliance had powerful Sun Moon nobles backing it, and its status could be called extraordinary, but it still could never contend with the Holy Spirit Cult.

Once the Holy Spirit Cult emerged into the world,

what would great nobles matter?

In times of war, strength was the only truth. Crushing them would be no different from crushing an ant.

Though the original work had not specifically described the Ordinary Alliance's tragic fate, the Holy Spirit Cult could never spare it for the crime of secretly harboring a Descendant of an Angel.

Considering that all its members were women and it had accumulated immense wealth, the outcome would likely not be good.

Shangguan Wei'er's expression turned grim.

She had secretly harbored a Descendant of an Angel. Once those Evil Soul Master organizations learned of it, there would be no possibility of reconciliation.

What was more, the Ordinary Alliance and the Evening Water Alliance had been locked in constant conflict over the years. Only annexation was possible now; there was no room for peace talks.

"Unless Alliance Leader Shangguan is willing to choose another master."

Zi Yao added calmly.