Soul Cleansing Operation

The Federation Supreme Council's resolution was like a massive boulder cast into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring up towering waves. As General Chen Xinjie's proposal was formally approved, a lightning operation codenamed "Soul Cleansing" swept across the Federation with thunderous speed.

The Sea God Douluo, renowned for his iron fist, personally assumed command of the operation. The War God Hall's elite under his command became swords drawn from their sheaths, aimed directly at the festering tumors hidden in the shadows—the Evil Soul Master strongholds.

From the very outset, the operation struck with overwhelming force. This was no longer scattered, minor skirmishes, but precise, deadly large-scale raids.

Under Chen Xinjie's personal supervision, the intelligence departments operated with unprecedented efficiency.

One Evil Soul Master hideout after another, concealed within abandoned factories, dark underground spaces, or even disguised as ordinary estates, was uprooted beneath the Federation Soul Engineer Corps' overwhelming firepower and the War God Hall Soul Masters' spearhead assaults.

Deafening explosions, the thunderous clashes of soul skills, and shrill screams became the dominant soundtrack in certain remote regions of the Federation during this period.

The intensity of the fighting far exceeded expectations. The Evil Soul Masters knew that the Federation was serious this time. It was no longer going through the motions as before; it was determined to eradicate them completely.

Thus, their resistance was exceptionally frenzied. Vicious curses, foul Evil Soul Master secret arts, evil arrays that used living beings as sacrifices... they emerged one after another. Military forces across various regions were even frequently mobilized because of this. The Eastsea Legion, where Liu Tianran was stationed, was ordered several times to intercept ships carrying fleeing Evil Soul Masters.

To cover the retreat of core members or destroy evidence, several Evil Soul Master elders at the Title Douluo level even personally remained behind, engaging the Federation's Title Douluo powerhouses in earth-shattering duels.

The sky was torn apart, and the earth trembled. The aftershocks of Title Douluo-level clashes leveled the areas around the battlefield, and their brutality made even many hardened veteran soldiers pale.

Amid the smoke and ruins, one of the operation's greatest gains was the rescue of a large number of innocent hostages who had been imprisoned, tortured, and even used as "materials."

When heavy iron doors were smashed open and dark cages illuminated, the sights that greeted the Federation soldiers were horrifying: emaciated civilians, vacant-eyed children, and Soul Masters ravaged by abuse... When they were rescued, many could not even adapt to the light after enduring darkness and terror for so long, letting out frightened screams.

Healing System Soul Masters and support personnel accompanying the forces swiftly intervened, pulling these pitiful souls back from the brink of hell.

However, once the rescued victims' identities were compiled, verified, and cross-referenced against the Federation Political Department's internal database, a shocking fact came to light: a large portion of them closely matched the "missing persons" lists reported by the Political Department in recent years!

In the past, most of these missing-person cases had been brushed aside by local officials with excuses such as "population movement" or "voluntary departure," or simply suppressed and never reported, becoming a series of muddled accounts.

When this weighty list and the cold statistics were placed on General Chen Xinjie's desk, the military giant, always known for his composure, was utterly enraged. He slammed his palm onto the desk, and the surface forged from Deepsea Sinking Silver instantly filled with spiderweb cracks.

He summoned the heads of every relevant department and convened an unprecedented emergency meeting.

The pressure in the conference room was terrifyingly low. Chen Xinjie's face was as dark as water, and his sharp, hawk-like eyes swept across every official present as though they could see through all the filth buried within their souls.

"Look at these figures!" His voice was not loud, yet it carried a chill that could freeze the soul. "Look at these compatriots we rescued! They did not vanish into thin air! Their families reported their disappearances to you time and again, begging you for help! But what did you do?"

He suddenly raised his voice, and it boomed like thunder. "You turned a blind eye! You went through the motions! You were lazy! You neglected your duties! You were derelict in your responsibilities! You sit in these positions, enjoying the authority granted to you by the people, yet you cannot even fulfill your most basic duties. You let these demons run rampant beneath our very noses and slaughter our citizens!

Can you face the uniforms you wear? Can you face the Federation's trust?!"

Chen Xinjie's rebuke struck every official's heart like a heavy hammer. Quite a few turned deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down their faces. But this was only the beginning.

In his fury, Chen Xinjie revealed his ruthless side. On the spot, he announced that every official involved in this matter who had clearly neglected their duties, regardless of rank, would be suspended and investigated!

For a time, the Federation's political scene was shaken as dozens of officials were stripped of their positions on the spot.

A deeper investigation soon uncovered an even more chilling truth. Nearly half of the dismissed officials had not merely been guilty of "laziness and neglect."

The investigation team discovered countless connections in their private communications records, secret accounts, and even lists seized from certain Evil Soul Master strongholds.

Some had accepted bribes from Evil Soul Masters, providing them with protection and intelligence;

Some had been compromised by Evil Soul Masters and forced to serve as informants;

Others had gone even further, directly participating in certain Evil Soul Master "businesses." Exploiting their official authority, they facilitated the kidnapping and transport of "materials" for the Evil Soul Masters, becoming their accomplices in full!

The exposure of these parasites gave the entire Soul Cleansing operation even greater significance.

This was no longer merely a campaign to eliminate external Evil Soul Masters. It was also a purge that scraped poison from the bone, cleansing the Federation's internal corrupt forces.

The scope of the crackdown expanded further. It was no longer limited to the Holy Spirit Cult, and many Evil Soul Master groups unrelated to the Holy Spirit Cult were also uncovered.

The War God Hall's thunderous methods not only dealt a heavy blow to the Evil Soul Masters' forces, but also declared to the entire Federation in an iron-blooded manner that anyone who colluded with evil or neglected their duties would pay the most terrible price.

This storm was cleansing not only Evil Soul Masters, but also the corruption and mottled rust clinging to the Federation's vast political machine.

During this massive operation, Xie Jiayun (Healing), thanks to his Tree of Life Martial Soul, which far surpassed others of the same rank, and healing and purification abilities no weaker than those of a Healing System Title Douluo,

was frequently seconded to military hospitals and battlefield logistics units across various regions during this period, helping treat and comfort the wounded, often so busy that his feet barely touched the ground,

but although he was quite busy, this also allowed him to rapidly build considerable prestige among the military's lower and middle ranks.

This was because, as early as a month ago, Liu Tianran had used Ya Li's hair sample provided by Wei Heng to extract the trait of Ya Li's Wish Angel Martial Soul that allowed it to cultivate by gathering the faith and gratitude of others, then integrated it into Xie Jiayun (Healing)'s Martial Soul.

Thus, Liu Tianran took this opportunity to collect a batch of Faith Power and store it in the Sea of Consciousness Space for the main body and the various major clones to study.

Regrettably, however, even now, none of the Evil Soul Masters encountered in the operation had included the Super Douluo-level Evil Soul Masters mentioned in the Western Legion's intelligence, much less the Holy Spirit Cult's core upper echelon above them.

Although some Fixed Soul-Guided Artillery Shells had been recovered, Soul-Guided Artillery Shells of Grade Eight and above were still nowhere to be found.

The operation had never managed to reach the Holy Spirit Cult's core structure, and the entire Holy Spirit Cult seemed to have gone completely dormant, making subsequent investigations increasingly difficult.