The night was deep, with a bright moon hanging overhead.
Inside Heaven Dou Palace's council hall, Xue Ye the Great, Ning Fengzhi, and the others were secretly discussing how to guard against Spirit Hall.
Xue Ye the Great knew that Spirit Hall harbored immense ambitions and would never be content with merely being an organization of soul masters. Sooner or later, it would make a major move—perhaps even seek dominion over the realm.
Now that Spirit Hall had produced a killing god like Su Qi, if that day truly came, the continent would inevitably face upheaval. Even the Heaven Dou Empire might suffer the calamity of national ruin.
Recognizing the gravity of the matter, Xue Ye the Great agreed to Ning Fengzhi's proposal and decided to fully support the assassination plan. Gu Rong would secretly lie in wait and track Su Qi. Once the opportunity arose, he would assassinate Su Qi directly and eliminate future trouble.
Although Spirit Hall's soul master forces were the strongest on the entire continent, they were ultimately no match for the Heaven Dou Empire's million-strong army. Otherwise, Spirit Hall would have unified the continent long ago.
With the Heaven Dou Empire backing him, Ning Fengzhi finally had no more reservations and immediately issued Gu Rong a secret order to assassinate Su Qi.
After the two sides reached an agreement, Xue Ye the Great decided to send people to Dugu Estate to investigate whether Dugu Bo had died in battle or defected to the enemy.
Meanwhile, within Dugu Estate.
Late at night, when all was quiet, was precisely when ambiguity and trouble were most likely to arise.
The lights in the back kitchen were dim.
Dugu Bo held a bowl of carefully prepared, exquisite midnight soup. With a flick of his fingertips, he gently sprinkled in