[At 20, after guessing that "self-awareness" might be the key to experimenting on the essence of Martial Souls, you ordered the Spirit Pagoda to capture a number of Evil Soul Masters for testing.]
[At first, you tried inducing them with drugs, using the same opening experiment as you had with Gong Changshao.]
[But although the drugs worked, their effects were negligible, so you began experimenting with hypnosis and suggestion using Pseudo-Fenghuang Down.]
[The results were astonishing! On the last Evil Soul Master subject, who was a Titled Douluo, you successfully saw a Soul Ring appear!]
[What was more, the Soul Bone fused with that Evil Soul Master transformed along with him into the Martial Soul "Bloodthirsty Demon Bat," and fused into a 90,000-year-old right arm bone of the "Bloodthirsty Demon Bat"!]
[Ding! Side quest The Essence of Martial Souls completed perfectly!]
[At 21, with your support and help in her cultivation, the now 24-year-old Leng Yaozhu had broken through to the level of Titled Douluo! She had become the youngest Titled Douluo in the history of the Douluo Continent!]
[Meanwhile, Leng Yulai, who was the same age as you, had also reached level 79 with your help!]
[So, under the envious gazes of the Spirit Pagoda's other Titled Douluos, you directly appointed Leng Yaozhu as the Vice Tower Master, while Leng Yulai became one of the Four Spirit Envoys.]
[At 22, after completely finishing your research into the essence of Martial Souls, your ambition grew!]
[With the support of the Valkyrie Armor, you began to regard the Peak Douluos of the other powers on the continent as top-tier Soul Beast resources, one and all!]
[So, after consolidating all the Spirit Pagoda's resources, you devised a plan to unite the continent by force, calling it Enlighten the World!]
[At 23, after a year of planning and training, you set your sights first on the Federal War God Temple and its master, Vast Sea Douluo Chen Xinjie!]
"Martial Soul: the sea? Was this man Tang San's illegitimate son or the former Sea God's illegitimate son? What an interesting Martial Soul."
In the Spirit Pagoda's confidential meeting room, Ming Yue laid Chen Xinjie's file before everyone and looked around with keen interest.
"His origins are mysterious, but they have nothing to do with those gods."
Shaking his head, Qiangu Dieting picked up the thread. "He's now a level 99 Peak Douluo, just like this old man."
"Just in terms of Martial Soul quality, the Coiling Dragon Staff and the sea are both top-tier Martial Souls."
Except when it was necessary to use the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience to control them, Ming Yue otherwise felt that the original Spirit Pagoda council members and Tower Masters, who had retained their own free will, were more useful.
"Elder Qiangu is quite right. But don't forget, Elder—we also have the Valkyrie Battlesuits developed by the Tower Master."
"From what I know of the Federation, Chen Xinjie will certainly use his Battle Armor."
Following Qiangu Dieting's remarks, another council member offered his opinion.
"As for his Battle Armor, according to the resources available to my Leng Family, his helmet seems to have been forged for him personally by that Sea God, Tang San."
Hearing the council member mention Chen Xinjie's Battle Armor, Leng Yaozhu shared what she knew.
"Forged by Tang San himself? Heh. It seems our War God Temple Master, the Federation's Vice Speaker, isn't quite so devoted to the Federation after all."
Lifting his wineglass and gently swirling it, Ming Yue chuckled meaningfully.
"After all, he was born into the so-called Sea God Clan. And the former Sun Moon Imperial Family has been wiped out, so it's not wrong to call this Federation a different sort of Sea God power."
Recalling the records about Chen Xinjie in her family's intelligence, Leng Yaozhu said with scorn.
"Since that's the case, then we'll make him our first target. Elder Qiangu and Vice Tower Master Yaozhu will lead the team, and I'll oversee the operation myself."
Ming Yue settled the plan with a decisive word, then set down his wineglass, his expression turning serious.
"We obey the Tower Master's command!" ×N
Waves rolled across the broad sea. Yet over a stretch of water shrouded in mist, screams of agony rang out again and again.
Beneath the mist lay a vast, flourishing island!
But now, blood mist and cries of anguish rose from its verdant slopes every so often.
"...Qiangu Dieting! Spirit Pagoda! What are you trying to do? You're slaughtering our Sea God Clan! Aren't you afraid the Federation will retaliate? Aren't you afraid Lord Sea God will punish you?"
Having summoned every bit of his strength to block the staff strike Qiangu Dieting had directed at all the younger members, the old former clan leader of the Sea God Clan roared at Qiangu Dieting, who stood before him with an impassive face.
"Heh heh heh... The Federation will retaliate? The Sea God will punish us? For an old codger, you've still got quite an imagination."
Ming Yue's peerless, handsome figure gleamed in the sunlight, but his words left the old clan leader of the Sea God Clan trembling all over.
"When you slaughtered the Sun Moon Imperial Family back then, you must have known your own clan might suffer the same fate one day, right?"
As he spoke, Ming Yue toyed with Void Archives, which had taken the form of Fenghuang Down, and his smile grew ever gentler.
"The events of that year were complicated beyond anything a junior like you could understand. But you, junior... you're Qiangu Mingyue?"
After berating him, the old clan leader suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"This old man knows you. The youngest Tower Master in the Spirit Pagoda's history. Hmph! It's not too late to order your people to stop."
"Otherwise, once Xinjie returns with his people, the Spirit Pagoda will pay the price it deserves!"
As he spoke, he unleashed a powerful surge of Soul Power.
"Old codger, you're quite the schemer for your age. Most of what you've said is utter crap, but there's one thing you got right."
Ming Yue tossed Pseudo-Fenghuang Down playfully and continued in a gentle voice, "We're waiting for your dear son, Chen Xinjie."
Golden-orange feathers drifted down from the sky. With his arms spread wide among them, Ming Yue looked like a god, framed by Fenghuang Down!
The old clan leader of the Sea God Clan's eyes trembled violently. In the instant his mind faltered, Qiangu Dieting struck without mercy.
With a single blow of his Coiling Dragon Staff, he killed every younger clan member whom the old man had been protecting inside special Soul Tools.
"You're heartless!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face twisted with pain.
"A-Yue."
Just then, Leng Yaozhu, clad in "Origin," brought along several other Super Douluos and Peak Douluos from the Spirit Pagoda.
They had captured several Super Douluos and Peak Douluos from the Sea God Clan and brought them here.
"Well done." Ming Yue nodded and gave Leng Yaozhu a look, then began to manipulate and use Fenghuang Down.
"You traitors will at least serve a purpose as reserves for my Spirit Pagoda."
With a cold laugh, he issued his command. The old clan leader of the Sea God Clan and the other Super Douluos and Peak Douluos all activated their Martial Soul Avatars!
Having accepted the suggestion and been made to believe they were Soul Beasts, Ming Yue raised his hand and gave the order!
After an immense surge of Soul Power, several Soul Beast corpses, each between 100,000 and 190,000 years old, lay on the ground as their Soul Rings shimmered above them!
Before you continue