Night had fallen deep. All of Heaven Dou City blazed with glaring, deathly-white lights, yet for all their brilliance, not a trace of warmth remained.
The evil in the streets had not let up. Large numbers of Evil Soul Masters and the remaining soldiers continued to rampage everywhere, frantically capturing the elderly, the young, the sick, and the disabled who had been left behind. They dragged and herded them roughly toward the square, one group after another, to refill the altar's dried-up crimson Blood Pool.
Beneath the heavy night sky, Qian Daoliu and his companions concealed their auras and quietly hid high above the altar in Heaven Dou City's central square.
They fought to contain their anger, suppressing every trace of Soul Power and aura as they held their breath and watched from above, keeping their eyes fixed on the Evil Soul Masters at the altar as they waited for the best moment to launch their late-night assault.
Just as Qian Daoliu and the others waited in silence.
Atop the altar in the center of the enormous square at the heart of the city.
The Holy Spirit Cult's black-clad, Level 98 Titled Douluo said to a Titled Douluo beside him, "Mask, go to the Tianhun Imperial Palace and contact Du Busi. Tell him the Death God Soul Guidance Device has stored enough energy for thirty attacks!"
"He can gather his forces and prepare to deal the Sun Moon Empire's army outside Heaven Dou City a fatal blow!"
"Yes, Cult Master!"
The Titled Douluo named Mask replied respectfully to the black-clad man before him.
Then he disappeared from the altar.
Qian Daoliu quietly listened to their conversation from nearby.
"Holy Spirit Cult Master, Zhongli Wu!"
From their conversation and the black-clad man's cultivation, Qian Daoliu deduced his identity.
He was none other than the current Holy Spirit Cult Master, Zhongli Wu.
A cold glint entered Qian Daoliu's eyes.
He also learned from Zhongli Wu's words that the Holy Spirit Cult had killed around three hundred thousand people this time.
From his discussion with Kong Deming, he knew that using the Death God Soul Guidance Device once required the soul energy of more than ten thousand people.
And the thirty attacks Zhongli Wu had mentioned meant the lives of three hundred thousand innocent people.
But Qian Daoliu did not act at once.
Instead, he had Bo Saixi lead the others in following Mask Douluo.
They arrived at the Heavenly Soul Empire's imperial palace.
Qian Daoliu saw seven Titled Douluo fly out from within the palace.
At their head was Du Busi of the Body Sect, whom Qian Daoliu had met a year earlier. Standing beside him were six other Titled Douluo and a young woman at the Soul Saint level.
Mask Douluo said to Du Busi and the young woman beside him, "Sect Master Du! Princess Wei Na!"
"Our Cult Master sent me to tell you that the Death God Soul Guidance Device has finished charging!"
"Tonight is the perfect opportunity for us to wipe out the Sun Moon Empire's army in one fell swoop."
When Du Busi heard that the Death God Soul Guidance Device had finished charging, delight showed in his eyes.
Princess Wei Na, on the other hand, looked troubled when she heard about the device.
But in the end, reason prevailed over emotion, and Princess Wei Na replied to Mask Douluo, "Understood, Your Excellency Mask!"
Du Busi also said to Mask Douluo, "Mask, go back and report to Zhongli Wu. Tell him I'll gather the Heavenly Soul Empire's Soul Master Legion at once!"
"Tell Zhongli Wu to keep the Death God Soul Guidance Device with him and be ready to deal the Sun Moon Empire's army a fatal blow!"
"Very well!"
Satisfied, Mask Douluo left the Tianhun Imperial Palace.
Beside him, Princess Wei Na could not help asking Du Busi, "Teacher, do you really think what we're doing is right?"
Du Busi gave her a firm answer. "Wei Na, remember: we're facing a national vendetta and a family feud!"
"Don't let misplaced compassion cloud your judgment!"
"Go gather the imperial Soul Master Legion at once. I'll gather the Body Sect's experts!"
"Afterward, we'll meet outside the palace!"
Although Qian Daoliu could not hear Du Busi and Mask Douluo's conversation, he connected it with Zhongli Wu and Mask's earlier discussion and could more or less guess that Du Busi and Zhongli Wu were plotting an attack on the Sun Moon Empire's army.
Fortunately, Qian Daoliu and the others already knew most of their plan.
Qian Daoliu began to consider when it would be safest to carry out Ye Guyi's plan.
Beside him, Bo Saixi, Fire Phoenix Douluo, and the others wore grim expressions.
Faced with the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, they did not want to wait another moment. They wanted to charge in at once and fight those scum to the death.
In the end, Bo Saixi nudged Qian Daoliu. "Qian Daoliu, the time is about right! Let's move!"
"Remember, every second we wait, countless innocent people die at the hands of the Evil Soul Masters!"
"And their strength grows with every passing moment!"
Qian Daoliu knew Bo Saixi was right.
But he was still waiting—for a chance to crush the Heavenly Soul Royal Family in one fell swoop.
Just as Qian Daoliu raised a hand to signal everyone to stay calm,
his divine-level spiritual power swept over the area, and he discovered that the Heavenly Soul Empire's ten-thousand-strong Soul Master Legion had gathered outside the palace's southern gate.
The Body Sect experts led by Du Busi had arrived as well.
The Body Sect was small, with fewer than a hundred people.
But they had no fewer than five Titled Douluo, while everyone else was at the Soul Douluo or Soul Saint level.
Even Qian Daoliu had to marvel at the Body Sect's deep reserves.
Once the Heavenly Soul Empire's ten-thousand-strong Soul Master Legion had joined up with the Body Sect experts, they headed for Heaven Dou City's central square. They were about to come within five kilometers of Zhongli Wu and his men.
At that moment, Qian Daoliu finally gave the order.
Qian Daoliu said to Fire Phoenix Douluo, "Luan Feng, protect Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, and the others!"
"Bo Saixi, make sure you protect Guyi!"
Then Qian Daoliu shouted to Ye Guyi and Bo Saixi:
"Let's go!"
The two of them immediately raced toward Zhongli Wu and the Death God Soul Guidance Device, following the route taken by the Heavenly Soul Empire's Soul Master Legion.
The three groups were moving along the same line.
Fire Phoenix Douluo acknowledged the order.
She activated her Level 8 Defensive Soul Tool and her invincible shield.
As for Qiangu Zhenyue, Qiangu Zhenxie, Jin Lin, Guang Yao, and the others, they all activated their Level 9 Defensive Soul Tools and their own invincible shields.
Fire Phoenix Douluo watched them with envy and jealousy, though she couldn't quite bring herself to hate them.
After Qian Daoliu finished speaking, Bo Saixi and Ye Guyi both replied, "All right!"
Then the two Limit Douluo stopped holding back.
Qian Daoliu fully unleashed his Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Angel True Body!"
The Angel Domain burst into the open.
Qian Daoliu activated his "Ninth Soul Skill—Breath of the Angel!" and hurtled toward the central square of Heaven Dou City.
Of course, so Ye Guyi could claim the kills, Qian Daoliu's Breath of the Angel was just for show. The real attack depended on Bo Saixi's Ninth Soul Skill, "Sea God Imprisonment!"
Bo Saixi also fully unleashed her Sea God Martial Soul.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Sea God True Body!"
The Sea God Domain burst into the open.
Bo Saixi activated her "Ninth Soul Skill—Sea God Imprisonment!" and followed Qian Daoliu toward the Evil Soul Masters in Heaven Dou City's central square.
As for Ye Guyi, she too was giving her all, unleashing her Holy Angel Martial Soul.
She was ready to follow Qian Daoliu's instructions and kill the Evil Soul Masters at the crucial moment, gaining enough cultivation and faith power to raise her strength and prepare to become a god through faith in the future.
The divine pressure crashed down without warning, sweeping across the entire square and shaking every Holy Spirit Cult Evil Soul Master to the core.
Blazing Angel Divine Light tore through the heavy darkness, bearing down with an immense power that could purify all things. The Evil Soul Masters, who had been rampaging wildly, instantly broke ranks and scattered in panic.
Zhongli Wu's expression changed. His heart sank. He knew how devastating Qian Daoliu's Breath of the Angel was. If it reached him, the entire Evil Soul Master force would be wiped out in an instant.
He had no time to worry about his fleeing subordinates. Acting on instinct, he channeled his Soul Power and rapidly formed hand seals, taking full control of the Death God Soul Guidance Device suspended above the Blood Pool. He aimed it at the charging Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi and, in the very nick of time, unleashed a pitch-black Death God Beam.
"Boom!"
The cold, black beam, carrying the resentful souls of more than ten thousand dead, ripped through the thick night and hurtled toward the two of them with enough force to destroy everything.
The blinding light collided with a deafening crash, and a terrifying shockwave swept in every direction.
Zhongli Wu stared at the battlefield. When he saw the beam hit the two Limit Douluo dead on, the tension drained from him at once. Cold sweat broke out across his back as he thought, with lingering fear, that if he had hesitated even slightly, he and the entire Holy Spirit Cult force would have been the ones destroyed.
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