In the darkness of night, Mingdu resembled a dormant behemoth. Its towering soul tool spires glowed an eerie blue, like the beast's countless, densely packed eyes.
Mu Feng had returned to Mingdu to muddy these waters and make the overall situation bewilderingly uncertain once more. Xu Tianran would be his point of entry.
Once Mu Feng disrupted Xu Tianran's plans, Xu Tianran would surely seek help from the Holy Spirit Cult. Mu Feng wanted to force the cult to choose between hunting him down and supporting Xu Tianran's arrangements in the Sun Moon Empire.
The streets of Mingdu were even more tense than they had been during his last visit.
The Holy Spirit Cult was still a tremendous asset to Xu Tianran. Before ascending the throne, he remained fairly indulgent toward it.
As a result, rather than going underground, the Holy Spirit Cult had grown increasingly brazen.
At regular intervals, squads of soldiers from the Royal Soul Engineer Corps patrolled the streets. Many shops on either side had closed, and the pedestrians' faces bore traces of fear and unease.
Although this was somewhat unexpected, it was also an opportunity. Mingdu was on edge now and appeared tightly guarded, but its factions were tangled together in a complex web. Mu Feng did not believe Xu Tianran could suppress every dissenting voice. After all, the Sun Moon Empire was not yet a place where his word alone was law.
Xu Tianran's forces were concentrated mainly in the eastern and southern parts of the city. He controlled three main regiments of the Royal Soul Engineer Corps and also had support from the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Mu Feng's plan was simple-attack Xu Tianran's loyal troops and deal a crippling blow to his military strength.
These would form the core of Xu Tianran's power after