At the same time, Mingdu outskirts and Holy Spirit Cult were on the outskirts of their strongholds.
Zhongli Wu stood on the ground that had been turned into a battlefield, looking at the traces of the war everywhere.
Deep ravines were formed on the ground by some kind of terrifying force. The ruins were covered with sword marks and scorched marks from frost. There was still a faint pungent smell in the air.
But he didn't see any traces of blood or corpses at all.
The entire ruins were as clean as if something had licked them from beginning to end, not even a scrap of clothing or a drop of blood was left.
Zhongli Wu's handsome and gloomy face was covered with fine beads of sweat.
Because Zhongli Wu discovered that he couldn't sense those worshippers at all.
Second Worship, Third Offering, Fourth Offering, Fifth Offering, Sleep Demon Douluo----
The breath of these people completely disappeared from his perception.
When someone's cultivation has reached the level of Titled Douluo, even if they die, some traces will remain, especially Super Douluo like Rank 97 like Second Worship and Third Offering. As long as they still exist, then Zhongli Wu will definitely know about it.
But now there is nothing left, not even the faintest aftertaste of Soul Power.
It's like they never existed.
This makes Zhongli Wu himself not know whether these worshipers are dead or not, what happened, how come they didn't look at Hexiao overnight?
There is no news, Holy Spirit Cult has never even come back, so in the eyes of Zhongli Wu, these guys are no different from dead.
A very short time has passed since the worshipers went to Mingdu to investigate the death of Six Great Elders.
He sent out the most elite force of the Offering Hall. A lineup of four Super Douluo can still fight against Super Douluo of Level 98.
Taken together, these four people can only block them head-on with no more than one palm in the entire continent.
But now----
Overnight, all four worshipers died, and not even one came back alive to report the news.
What made him even more uneasy was that Seventh Worship Wuyun was also missing.
There was no news at all, and the people sent out could not find any trace.
Wuyun was sent by him to kidnap Nana. The mission was to sneak into the courtyard and bring back the host of Soul Spirit Contract.
He had sent people to investigate that courtyard in advance, and it was only a group of women and children with low cultivation levels and a few slaves who lived there Holy Spirit Cult Branch Altar Holy Servant who defected, there are at most a few Soul Saint supporting the scene. Wuyun A ninety-fourth level Titled Douluo should be able to kidnap someone easily.
But Wuyun went there and never came back.
Later, I got really tired of waiting, so I sent a few people to the yard to look for Wuyun and see what happened to him.
But those people have still not been able to come back, and they all seem to be dead.
Zhongli Wu Close your eyes, your mind is frantically piecing together all the pieces.
Six Great Elders was completely wiped out in the suburbs of Mingdu, and the traces left at the scene showed that there were only a few murderers.
All five worshipers were wiped out at Mingdu secret base. Judging from the time interval between Soul Token's shattering, it was no more than half an hour.
Wuyun went to kidnap someone, but the person was not kidnapped and he disappeared instead.
The young man named Lu Ren refused his solicitation in front of Court Officials in the palace, and even openly shouted to kill him.
These clues intertwined in Zhongli Wu's mind and formed a web that sent shivers down his spine.
A guess that he couldn't believe gradually took shape.
Lu Ren was not passively defensive from the beginning. He clamored to kill himself, and he was fully capable of doing so.
Could it be that it was Holy Spirit Cult who attacked Lu Ren all along?
His previous guess was wrong.
It's not a certain Soul Master of Holy Attribute who is using them Evil Soul Master to level up, but this seemingly harmless boy who has been actively hunting them Holy Spirit Cult from the beginning?
Six Great Elders was the first batch of people he killed, and the four worshipers were the second batch, so the Wuyun sent out would probably be as bad as the other.
That young man is not just a genius Soul Master who has mastered special skills as shown by the Lord. He is really capable of destroying Holy Spirit Cult's core combat power head-on.
And his intelligence network is much larger than Holy Spirit Cult imagined.
He was able to accurately find Offering Hall's secret stronghold in Mingdu, and he was able to lay a dragnet before Wuyun took action, indicating that Holy Spirit Cult's every move was under his surveillance.
Whether it was Seven Great Elders or four Great Enshrined, they were all blocked by someone on their familiar territory, which showed that the information the other party had was even more accurate than Holy Spirit Cult's internal contact system.
Zhongli Wu opened his eyes suddenly, his back was soaked with cold sweat. He remembered what Lu Ren said in the palace.
"If we weren't in the Imperial Palace now, you would be the first person I would kill."
Zhongli Wu almost laughed out loud when he heard this sentence.
He thought it was just the bluff of a young and frivolous junior who dared to speak out wildly just because he had Xu Tianran's backing.
Now it seems that Lu Ren is not bluffing, every word he said is serious.
At this moment, rapid footsteps were heard in the distance.
A Soul Saint Evil Soul Master dressed in a black robe stumbled in. The black robe was covered with mud and broken leaves, and the front of the clothes was burnt with a large scorch mark by Soul Guidance Ray. The whole person was in a miserable state.
He knelt on the ground, his voice trembling. "Cult Master, urgent report! Xishui Alliance's last twelve strongholds in Mingdu were attacked at the same time, and no one left behind survived."
"The identity of the attacker is unknown, but judging from the smell left at the scene, it is estimated that it was someone from the Aodu Chamber of Commerce and Ordinary Alliance who retaliated against us!"
"Now that we are in Mingdu, except for the dozen or so people here, basically no one else is alive!"
After the man finished speaking, his tone was full of panic.
There are almost not many Evil Soul Master who are still in Mingdu, and they have all been killed.
The Holy Spirit Cult believers who used to walk sideways in Mingdu are now only a handful of defeated soldiers.
Zhongli Wu's pupils contracted violently.
Xishui Alliance's last twelve remaining strongholds were destroyed at the same time.
This is no longer a decapitation operation, this is a purge, a planned and organized effort to uproot all the forces of Holy Spirit Cult in Mingdu.
Aodu Chamber of Commerce and Ordinary Alliance, those two underground forces that he has always regarded as clowns, in the eyes of Holy Spirit Cult are just ants that can be crushed to death at any time, but now they dare to take the initiative and take down the last twelve strongholds of the Xishui Alliance in the same day.
What does this mean?
It shows that they are emboldened and that they have a strong enough backer behind them so that they no longer have to fear the revenge of Holy Spirit Cult.
It is self-evident who that backer is.
In addition, Offering Hall now only has Zhang Peng and Long Xiaoyao left, Zhongli Wu tightened his grip.
During the heyday of Holy Spirit Cult, Twelve Worshippers, Eight Great Elders, plus him, Deputy Cult Master, and Supreme Cult Master, there were more than twenty Titled Douluo in total, enough to crush any force in the mainland head-on.
But now, all Eight Great Elders are gone, and there are only two Offering Hall left. Even including himself, there is no longer enough Titled Douluo to make up a table.
And the person who caused all of this was most likely just a fifteen-year-old boy.
"Cult Master, should we ask Supreme Cult Master and Elder Long to come forward?"
Soul Saint Evil Soul Master raised his head cautiously and asked tentatively.
Zhongli Wu did not answer immediately.
Of course he thought about inviting Ye Xishui. Ye Xishui is Tsukumo level Limit Douluo. The only ones in the entire continent who can compete with her head-on are Mu En and Long Xiaoyao.
But Ye Xishui has not come out during this period because she has been studying things about Death God Tower and Soul Tool in her room, which is the ultimate weapon that she spent countless efforts to build.
She also has to deal with Xu Tianran's matters.
The emperor has just ascended the throne, and all forces are testing him. Holy Spirit Cult's allies in the court need Limit Douluo's deterrence to stabilize their position.
If Zhongli Wu lets his mother Ye Xishui know the bad news now, and lets her know that Holy Spirit Cult was beaten into such a bear shape at the hands of him, Cult Master, then she will probably go crazy.
Zhongli Wu dare not think about how he will be punished by Ye Xishui.
After thinking for a long time, Zhongli Wu finally spoke, with no emotion in his voice. "I reject this plan. Now we are all withdrawing to the headquarters. Just put up a guard around Mingdu. No active attacks are allowed."
"We all disband immediately and go to Evil Demon Forest headquarters to hide."
"All materials were moved underground. All that could be taken away was taken away. What could not be taken away was destroyed on the spot. No clues were allowed to be left."
"In addition, all Holy Spirit Cult members who are active in Mingdu will be evacuated within three days."
"During the evacuation process, any stronghold or personnel related to the Lu Ren force, even if they are suspected to be related targets, will be detoured and no contact will be allowed."
Soul Saint Evil Soul Master was stunned.
He raised his head and looked at Zhongli Wu in disbelief.
The meaning of this command could not be clearer.
Holy Spirit Cult wants to give up the whole Mingdu.
After decades of hard work in occupying the Sun Moon Empire capital, all was given up?
The hundreds of underground industries controlled by the Xishui Alliance, the spies placed in the mansions of the nobles, and the court officials who have been bribed for many years, are all going to be given up?
"Cult Master, do we really want to withdraw? We have been operating in Mingdu for so many years, the underground industries controlled by the Xishui Alliance, the material reserves in each stronghold, and the informants placed in the major families - do we have to give up all of it?"
"If you don't give up, why don't you wait for the opponent to clear out their strongholds one by one?" Zhongli Wu's voice suddenly turned cold, "All eight elders are dead, and Offering Hall only has two strong men left."
"Tell me, can we Holy Spirit Cult still afford the loss?"
"The last time I was sent to kidnap a little girl with a low cultivation level, I now have neither a living person nor a dead body."
"The fact that the other party was able to take down twelve of our strongholds overnight shows that he knows our deployment in Mingdu very well."
"Now he will kill as many people as we keep."
Zhongli Wu paused and slowed down his tone a bit, but the gloomy pressure still made Soul Saint Evil Soul Master dare not breathe, "Mingdu, this is completely Lu Ren's territory."
"Take away all the resources that can be taken away, and destroy those that cannot be taken away without leaving any valuable clues."
"Those external eyeliners have all gone silent and will be activated again when the wind blows over."
"Remember, during the evacuation process, no one is allowed to create extraneous interference, let alone take action against Lu Ren's forces without authorization."
"Even if you just kill an insignificant handyman in his yard, it will give him a reason to continue to hunt us."
Soul Saint did not dare to have any objections, bowed his head and accepted the order, turned around and left quickly.
Only Zhongli Wu is left on the empty battlefield.
The fine beads of sweat on his forehead flowed down his cheeks. Holy Spirit Cult is the hard work of his father Old Ghost Zhongli. It has been through the efforts of countless generations of Holy Spirit Cult Master that it has developed to its current scale.
Eight Great Elders, Twelve Worshippers, thousands of followers, their influence spreads all over Sun Moon Empire.
But now, that fifteen-year-old boy used only a very short time to destroy his decades-old business.
Zhongli Wu closed his eyes and replayed the scene of meeting Lu Ren repeatedly in his mind.
The other party is so unscrupulous, so their strength must not be inferior to theirs.
Then, Holy Spirit Cult must live and keep his last bit of vitality.
Even if I give up the entire Mingdu for this, I won't hesitate.
Thinking of this, Zhongli Wu also quickly left the scene.
This Mingdu can't stay any longer.
He was really afraid that Lu Ren would directly lead his team to kill him and kill him too.
Five worshippers and one elder were all wiped out in one night. Will it be his turn next?
With the strength and intelligence capabilities demonstrated by Lu Ren, this possibility is not impossible.
Zhongli Wu was afraid of death and planned to return to Evil Demon Forest's headquarters as quickly as possible.
As for whether or not to tell Ye Xishui about this matter, Zhongli Wu still has some complicated feelings.
Having said that, I guess he should take the blame.
After all, it was he, Cult Master, who personally ordered the worshipers to investigate the death of Six Great Elders, and it was he who personally assigned Wuyun to kidnap Nana.
Now that the whole army of worshipers has been wiped out, Wuyun is missing, and Holy Spirit Cult's foundation in Mingdu has been uprooted, all these debts must be blamed on him.
Don't talk about it, he can't handle this matter.
Holy Spirit Cult's current remaining strength is simply not enough to fight against the unfathomable power behind Lu Ren.
"Oh, I still have to report to my mother." Zhongli Wu sighed, his whole body rose into the sky, and soon disappeared into the horizon.
At this time, in the yard.
Lu Ren, who had returned to his room, suddenly saw Kurourushi running in.
It came to Lu Ren and said in a stammering tone, "Holy Spirit Cult is evacuating Mingdu in all aspects."
In Mingdu, the cockroaches of Kurourushi are distributed in every corner of Mingdu, and they can clearly see the movements of Holy Spirit Cult members.
"Also, Xishui Alliance's current headquarters has been deserted. More than a dozen strongholds began to burn documents at the same time, and carriages loaded with supplies quietly drove out of the city gate in the night." Kurourushi stammered.
"Ah?" After hearing the news, Lu Ren was stunned.
Holy Spirit Cult Are you scared now?
Do you not even dare to take revenge?
Evacuate directly without Mingdu?
He originally thought that Zhongli Wu would send out the last trump card and at least have to make a desperate struggle.
But when I thought about it again, Lu Ren's face became a little more clear.
"It's normal for him to run away."
"Four worshipers and one elder were lost in one night. Whoever replaces them has to weigh the price of staying in Mingdu."
"He can count the remaining Titled Douluo on one hand. If he stays here any longer, he can only wait for us to come to him one by one."
The next moment, Snow Empress came into the room carrying a dessert plate. She raised her eyes, obviously hearing what Kurourushi and Lu Ren said, and asked casually, "Holy Spirit Cult really withdrew?"
"Well, we retreated to the direction of Evil Demon Forest overnight. The remaining strongholds of Mingdu were either destroyed or empty, and they were moving faster than rabbits." Lu Ren nodded, "Even Xishui Alliance's underground industry was set on fire. It seems that they are really planning to give up this territory of Mingdu."
Ice Empress also got out, his emerald green ponytail swaying gently in the morning light. Hearing this, he sneered, "Zhongli Wu only has this little ability. He looks like a human and looks like a dog. When he gets hurt, he runs away with his tail between his legs."
"If I had known he was so cowardly, I should have gone straight to his lair yesterday to avoid any further trouble."
"It's not that simple." Snow Empress said calmly, picked up a piece of osmanthus cake with his fingertips and put it into his mouth, "He is not afraid of us, but he is afraid of losing the last bargaining chip in his hand.
7
"Withdraw now. Firstly, we will find Ye Xishui to move reinforcements. Secondly, we will conserve our strength before taking action."
"Mingdu He has been in business for decades. He has let it go. He just let it go. It is just to avoid the danger temporarily and wait for a big one to come to us."
"If Ye Xishui or Long Xiaoyao takes action, the situation will be different."
Lu Ren nodded and agreed with Snow Empress's judgment, "Yes, Zhongli Wu cherishes his life, and even more cherishes Holy Spirit Cult's family fortune."
"If he can't fight hard, he will be eliminated by us one by one if he stays. The best solution is to go back and consolidate our strength and wait for Ye Xishui or Long Xiaoyao to take action."
He paused, and a coldness flashed in his eyes. "And he bet that we won't go after Evil Demon Forest. After all, Holy Spirit Cult has been running the headquarters for many years, the terrain is complicated, and Limit Douluo is in charge, so we would lose more than we gain by chasing after him rashly."
"Then we just let him go?" Ice Empress frowned, feeling a little unhappy, "Watching him go back to bring in reinforcements?
"Let him go, but don't let him go too comfortably." Lu Ren smiled, turned around and called Nana, "Go and call Wuyun over."
Not long after, Wuyun walked over quickly. His injuries had already healed seven to eight points.
Most of the bruises caused by Lu Ren have faded away. Only a faint purple circle remains on the edge of the eye socket, and the crack at the corner of the mouth has also become scarred.
His expression was much more reserved than when we first met him, but he was also a little more at ease.
He stopped three steps away from Lu Ren and bowed slightly. "Master Lu Ren, are you looking for me?"
"Holy Spirit Cult has withdrawn, and they are fully evacuating Mingdu." Lu Ren looked at him, "Zhongli Wu returned Evil Demon Forest overnight, and Mingdu left a lot of mess."
"You have been at Holy Spirit Cult for so many years and are familiar with the Xishui Alliance and the underground forces. I will leave this matter to you."
Lu Ren stopped, thought for a moment, and continued, "Within three days, take over all the blank territory left by Holy Spirit Cult."
"The underground forces who are willing to submit will be recruited, and the stubborn ones will be directly eliminated."
"As for the Aodu Chamber of Commerce and Ordinary Alliance, I will say hello and ask them to cooperate with you."
"From now on, you will be responsible for taking care of the underground order of Mingdu."
"Also, even if this aspect is under your control, you must protect Nana for me. It is best for you to protect her personally. She is very important to us, and even the entire Spirit Pagoda. Do you understand?"
Wuyun was shocked and raised his head suddenly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He thought he could save his life and work as a handyman in the yard.
Serving tea and pouring water, sweeping the yard, watching the front door, waiting slowly for Lu Ren to be in a good mood and think of him.
I didn't expect that Lu Ren would entrust such an important matter to him.
This is equivalent to directly handing the underground world of Mingdu into his hands, which is real trust.
Moreover, he is required to be responsible for the security issues regarding Nana!
Although he didn't know why Lu Ren trusted him so much, he knew the weight of this matter.
"Master Lu Ren----I, I will definitely do it!" Wuyun suppressed his excitement and bowed heavily, his forehead almost touching his knees, "If this subordinate is even half-hearted, I will be struck by lightning!"