"The Evil Soul Masters are a malignant tumor rooted throughout the Douluo Continent. They fester deeper with every passing day. If we don't deal with them now, they'll become an endless scourge."
He raised his eyes and met Xu Tianran's gaze, open and unwavering.
"I know you've been working with the Holy Spirit Cult for a long time. In the games of court politics and power, using shadowy forces to keep things in balance is nothing unusual, so I've never questioned it. But, Brother, the Evil Soul Masters are a double-edged sword. Keep holding them for too long, and sooner or later, they'll turn on you and strike at the foundations of the Sun Moon Empire."
The study fell silent. Only the soft crackle of the candle flames remained.
Flickering light played across Xu Tianran's face, casting it in shifting shadows that made his true thoughts impossible to read.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "What do you plan to do?"
"We'll take two approaches." Xu Yanli held up two fingers and laid out his plan with crisp clarity. "In the open, we'll establish a new official agency under the Sun Moon Empire's court, tasked specifically with wiping out Evil Soul Masters. That will give us legitimate grounds to restore order."
"In secret, I'll deploy my Angel Legion to strike with precision and eliminate every Evil Soul Master faction operating outside the Holy Spirit Cult."
"Leave the Holy Spirit Cult alone?" Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow.
"For now." Xu Yanli's tone was firm. "With Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao, two Limit Douluo, holding down the Holy Spirit Cult, its foundations run too deep. A direct clash at this stage would cost us more than we'd gain—a pure waste of our nation's strength and manpower. But the scattered Evil Soul