Taking a Mile

"You really do have a silver tongue, kid." Electrolux laughed after learning Mu Feng's entire plan, then asked, "But what about that promise you made her concerning soul beasts? You swore an oath, after all. If you fail to fulfill it in the end, you'll inevitably suffer backlash."

Mu Feng smiled mysteriously. "Old Yi, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Mu Feng gently closed his eyes. On the road back to the academy, even the breeze felt much lighter.

Drifting among several factions, whether as the Holy Spirit Cult's Holy Son or Shrek Academy's genius, every role Mu Feng played was simply his true self. He had never deliberately disguised anything; everything he presented was the real him.

Yet each one seemed like an incomplete fragment. He was like a lenticular card—viewed from different angles, different people saw different versions of him. Only before two people did that card reveal the image originally printed on it.

One was Electrolux, who resided within his spiritual sea. He often taught Mu Feng insights into cultivation, and with his vast knowledge, he could answer many of the problems Mu Feng encountered during cultivation. He could truly be called Mu Feng's teacher.

The other was Di Qiuli, who knew nearly all his secrets. But whenever he thought of her icy expression and the indifferent way she had treated him lately, Mu Feng felt both helpless and angry toward that moody girl.

Now that he had established contact with Bi Ji, Mu Feng had no intention of continuing to press himself against Di Qiuli's cold indifference.

To put it plainly, the two had only met because of a misunderstanding in the Star Dou Great Forest. They could be considered friends, but Mu Feng did not think they shared particularly deep feelings. Since this relationship was now affecting him, he decided not to dwell on it any longer. Maintaining the status quo might be better for him.

Mu Feng had never considered himself a righteous person. He lived for no one; he merely continued onward for the obsession in his heart. It was heavy, but unwavering.

"Your Highness, Holy Son." Gui Xiao forced an ugly smile through his bluish-gray lips and led Mu Feng to the seat beside him. Though he had secretly eliminated nearly all of Mu Feng's influence within the cult, the two still nominally governed its affairs together. Gui Xiao would not make the superficial arrangements look too ugly.

Before his plan succeeded, Mu Feng would never openly fall out with Gui Xiao. The two greeted each other with cordial harmony, but this seemingly pleasant scene could not fool the altar masters below, who were all seasoned schemers.

As the anti-Mu Feng vanguard promoted by Gui Xiao, Zhu Man Cang often opposed Mu Feng in various matters, his tone dripping with mockery.

Yet Mu Feng merely dismissed it with a faint smile every time. This only made Zhu Man Cang, backed by Gui Xiao, grow more arrogant. The few normal Soul Masters and believers remaining in the cult were suppressed until they did not dare say a word during meetings.

"Since everyone is here, tell us whether you've encountered any difficulties recently," Gui Xiao said.

The moment Gui Xiao finished speaking, Zhu Man Cang sprang to his feet. His fat face was piled with flesh as he grinned. "Under Lord Gui's leadership, the Holy Cult has developed extremely quickly. Aside from being somewhat short-handed lately, we have encountered no other difficulties."

Gui Xiao nodded. Though Zhu Man Cang was somewhat greedy, he was not utterly useless. He handled the trivial affairs below fairly well. At the very least, Gui Xiao had not heard any bad news about the cult's development during the assembly.

"A month ago, the Holy Cult was timid in its development, had few members, and was burdened by complicated rules that severely hindered the expansion of its influence." After saying this, Zhu Man Cang "inadvertently" glanced at Mu Feng, then quickly apologized. "Your Highness, Holy Son, I wasn't targeting you."

Mu Feng smiled and merely nodded without speaking. Seeing no reaction from him, Zhu Man Cang, who had been somewhat uneasy, suddenly regained his confidence. Usually, tossing out a few sarcastic remarks about the Holy Son was one thing, but today he had practically pointed at Mu Feng and cursed him by name—yet Mu Feng still reacted like this.

Zhu Man Cang bowed slightly to Gui Xiao and said respectfully, "This subordinate believes that the Holy Cult's development should focus on Soul Masters. These ordinary people serve no purpose beyond wasting the cult's money."

Taking a mile after being given an inch, he raised his eyes toward Gui Xiao, noticed the faint nod, and continued, "I believe we should expel and kill these villagers, reducing the cult's expenses and reallocating resources to where they are needed most."

The moment he finished, several altar masters rose one after another to support Zhu Man Cang's proposal. The rule forbidding harm to villager believers had been one Mu Feng insisted on preserving. Many evil Soul Masters scorned it, but intimidated by Mu Feng's status as Holy Son and with Yin Jue as a warning, no one had been willing to provoke him.

Those with sharp minds quickly connected today's pressure from the altar masters against Mu Feng with Yin Jue's death a month earlier. Yin Jue had once been Zhu Man Cang's subordinate, and in everyone's eyes, Zhu Man Cang was clearly proposing this as revenge for Yin Jue.

Everyone also knew that Zhu Man Cang was often nothing more than Gui Xiao's mouthpiece. It was hard to say that Gui Xiao had not been involved in this move against Mu Feng.

Seeing that Zhu Man Cang had secretly gathered so many allies to pressure the Holy Son, the altar masters who had been watching from the sidelines stopped making any moves. Even the few who usually leaned toward Mu Feng fell silent.

In the vast underground meeting hall, although Zhu Man Cang was making his proposal to Gui Xiao, everyone's eyes unconsciously settled on Mu Feng.

Mu Feng's previously gentle face turned livid the moment he saw that Zhu Man Cang had gathered such a large crowd.

Gui Xiao turned to Mu Feng with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I wonder what decision Your Highness, Holy Son, has on this matter."

Mu Feng glared at Zhu Man Cang with an ugly expression. "This concerns the core doctrine of the Angel Holy Church. How can it be so casually abolished?"

"Your Highness, you know that the Angel Holy Church is merely a front for the expansion of our Holy Spirit Cult." As if he had not seen Mu Feng's gloomy expression, Zhu Man Cang continued, "It is nothing more than an outer garment. Why take it so seriously?"

After Zhu Man Cang spoke, the altar masters who had risen all echoed him. The meeting room immediately descended into chaos. Mu Feng glanced at Xiao Hei beside him, and the aura of a Soul Sage instantly poured forth. The noisy room fell silent at once.

"All right, all right. Everyone is thinking of the Holy Spirit Cult's development. Why be so confrontational?" Seeing the atmosphere grow tense, Gui Xiao hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

Even so, Gui Xiao released the aura of a Soul Douluo as well. Seeing Xiao Hei at a disadvantage, Little White hurriedly released his aura too. But even two Soul Sages were still firmly suppressed by a Soul Douluo.

When immortals fought, mortals suffered. Seeing the battle of words about to turn into real combat, Zhu Man Cang, who was only a Soul King, obediently shut his mouth.

Mu Feng cast a sidelong glance at Zhu Man Cang below, snorted coldly, and turned to leave. That single look left Zhu Man Cang deeply unsettled.

Watching Mu Feng depart, the smile on Gui Xiao's lips deepened. "Let us set this matter aside for now. Do any of the altar masters have anything else?"