Gathering Dark Clouds

"You two, didn't you bring any money with you when you went out? If I hadn't found you, were you planning to just starve to death?"

In the Balak Kingdom within the Heaven Dou Empire, Yu Tianshuang watched Shui Yue'er and Ice Empress wolfing down their food and couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, no way! Little Bingbing and I have already planned it out. We intend to help those Soul Master hunt for Soul Ring in the Star Dou Great Forest for a fee. You know, I'm Soul Saint, and Little Bingbing is Titled Douluo. When the time comes, people will definitely come to ask us for help in droves."

To avoid causing a stir, Shui Yue'er and Ice Empress fled all the way from the Ice Seal Town to the Balak Kingdom. Only Ice Empress had a few Soul Coins left, which had long since been spent. They were at their wits' end trying to find a way to make a living when Yu Tianshuang sensed Ice Empress's aura and appeared.

Is my sister still angry?

After finishing the last bit of food in front of her, Shui Yue'er let out a satisfied sigh, then picked up a tissue to wipe her lips and asked somewhat shyly.

"Senior sister is definitely angry. After all, how could you say those things to Hairou and the others? This isn't like you. Tell me why."

Shui Yue'er, whom Yu Tianshuang knew, was a bit mischievous, but she was very kind-hearted and respected Shui Bing'er and the others very much. She was also very hardworking. However, the words she spoke were so sincere that Yu Tianshuang was quite surprised at the time.

Shui Yue'er's eyes dimmed, and she avoided looking at Yu Tianshuang. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Well, it's nothing. I just feel that all that hard work in cultivation is useless. Life is only a fleeting hundred years. It's better to enjoy life..."

Yu Tianshuang stared intently at Shui Yue'er, and seeing that she didn't want to look up and meet his gaze, he said helplessly, "A hundred years is for ordinary people. Let's not talk about the distant future. With your talent and aptitude, becoming Titled Douluo is definitely within your reach. By then, a few hundred years won't be enough for you to enjoy life. Life is like this, bitter before sweet. So even if Sister Xue Wu and the others are not as talented as you, and can't achieve what you can with casual cultivation, they can still do with their continuous hard work."

Yu Tianshuang paused, then said, "Indeed, just like Sister Hairou said, this world is never fair. What you have may be something others dream of. So don't say that next time, it's too hurtful."

Shui Yue'er then raised her head somewhat flusteredly and hurriedly said, "I, I didn't mean that at the time. I didn't look down on Sister Hairou and the others. It's just, I just felt... Besides, perhaps I don't even have a hundred years left..."

Thinking that her sister was now Soul Douluo and that the Ice God Trial only had four more trials left, she felt a sharp sword hanging over her head slowly approaching. But after thinking about it, she decided not to tell him the truth.

"What's wrong? Are you giving up on cultivation? Or have you contracted some terminal illness? Would you like a miracle-working doctor to take a look at you?"

After Yu Tianshuang finished speaking, she looked amused and prepared to take Yue'er's pulse. Ice Empress, standing nearby, bared her little tiger teeth and said fiercely, "Alright, alright! Yue'er doesn't want to talk, are you going to torture her into confessing? I'll beat you up!"

Of course, Ice Empress knew that Yu Tianshuang was just joking with Shui Yue'er, but this guy knew nothing and still had to ask. Yue'er clearly didn't want to think about this, and she had finally been in a good mood after being away for a few days, but this guy ruined it again.

Thinking about this, especially seeing Shui Yue'er's worried face, that innocent and adorable girl who always pulled her along and said nonsensical things, who helped her gradually integrate into the human world, how could she have such a tragic fate? Thinking about this, she felt upset.

"Yue'er, let's go. You... you give us some money, and we... we'll clear our heads. If Yue'er wants to go back later, I... I'll bring her back..."

Ice Empress was also somewhat embarrassed. Just a moment ago she was fiercely threatening others, and now she had to ask them for money. It was indeed a bit awkward. But besides being good at fighting, she and Shui Yue'er really didn't have any other means of making a living. Moreover, the fact that they were working as henchmen... If word got out that the mighty Ice Empress, the queen of the Far North, was selling herself to a low-level Soul Master as a henchman, how shameful that would be...

Yu Tianshuang took out a bag of Gold Soul Coin from her storage ring, thought for a moment, and then took out an identity token. "Alright, alright, I'm relieved to have you here. You guys can relax and have some fun. We haven't had much opportunity to travel these past few years. When we're less busy, I'll take my senior sister and we'll travel the continent together. Hmm, if you run out of money, you can use this identity token to get help at any Spirit Hall."

Shui Yue'er gave Yu Tianshuang a deep look, smiled radiantly, nodded, and extended her fair hand, saying, "Okay, then, it's a deal. I want to eat all the delicious food on this continent and see all the sights I've never seen before. You promised, so we have to pinky swear, or you'll forget..."

Yu Tianshuang smiled indulgently, took Shui Yue'er's small hand, and made a pinky promise with her, saying, "Don't worry, I will definitely keep my promise to you."

At the border of the Star Luo Empire, Shui Bing'er led Yu Hairou and the Yu Hairou Spirit City to report for duty. Then, without stopping, they flew directly to the border. The closer they got to the border, even in the air, the pervasive stench of blood and the visible rivers of blood made her heart tremble.

"This... this river is red? That's so... so strange..."

Having formally studied the geography of the Douluo Continent at the Skywater Academy, Xue Wu found it hard to believe. Although she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she remembered that the long river separating the two countries on the border of the Star Luo Empire shouldn't be red, and besides, this red color looked too much like blood...

"I didn't expect that the fighting would escalate to this point in less than half a month since we left. You're right, this river is indeed drenched in blood..."

How much blood does a person have? How many people would have to die for this river to change its color? Xue Wu and Yu Hairou exchanged a glance, a chill running down their spines. They finally understood the horror of war.

"To judge the Evil Soul Master and restore peace to the people of the continent is the responsibility of the Spirit Hall and the doctrine of the Angel God. These soldiers are not innocent. Although I am reluctant, I have no choice but to take up my sword and judge them. This is a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

Inside the Spirit Hall's tent, Qian Renxue, dressed in golden robes, spoke to Hu Liena with a frosty expression. From the first day they entered the battlefield, the Angel Legion she led had been engaged in endless slaughter, a completely one-sided massacre. The Star Luo Empire was completely helpless against them, and no high-level Soul Master had intervened.

At first, Qian Renxue felt reluctant. Even with a sharp sword in her hand, she had no right to judge others. But as the killing continued, she suddenly thought, what if this killing was to restore peace to the continent? Then, as the agent of the Angel God, she had to abandon these pointless thoughts.

"I'm not saying you're wrong. This is war, and I understand that. It's just that I don't think the Star Luo Empire would be so foolish as to let us slaughter 500,000 troops like this. There must be some conspiracy involved. You know, our enemy is the Evil Soul Master."

Hu Liena knew how similar this woman's current state was to her own when she was in the Slaughter City, and since she didn't have Yu Tianshuang by her side to alleviate this state, she didn't argue with her, but simply voiced her doubts.

"A conspiracy? What conspiracy could the Evil Soul Master possibly have? They simply can't imagine how powerful our Angel Legion is. Even if they have a conspiracy, we will crush it. Now, our most important task is to cleanse all these soldiers who have been bewitched by the Evil Soul Master Evil Soul Master and wipe them completely from this continent!"

Qian Renxue's exquisitely beautiful face displayed a disdainful expression, and her long, narrow eyes glanced down at Hu Liena. Qian Renxue, who was already much taller than Hu Liena, looked down at her with such disdain and condescension as she spoke these words, which made Hu Liena completely lose her temper and explode.

Hu Liena's chest heaved with anger as she pointed at Qian Renxue's arrogant face and snapped, "Use your brain! The Star Luo Empire can deploy 500,000 troops on the border in advance, so how could they not have a way to deal with us Soul Master? Don't think you're invincible! All the high-level Soul Master we know of have appeared. Anyway, I don't agree to continue the attack. For now, we should focus on gathering intelligence."

Qian Renxue's eyes turned cold, golden light emanating from her body as she stared at Hu Liena and said Lengleng, "I advise you to speak to me properly. The fact that I'm standing here is entirely out of respect for Bibi Dong. Do you think I take you, the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, seriously?"

"You!"

The others present dared not speak. Even Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Ling Yuan were helpless. Although they were elders of the Spirit Hall, one of them was the future Pope and the other was the granddaughter of the Great Enshrined. They could only watch as the two were on the verge of fighting. As long as they didn't actually start fighting, things would be fine.

"You little vixen, Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, how come you get bullied everywhere you go? I really don't know what Tianshuang sees in you? Is it your innate seductive charm? Or your skills in bed?"

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Shui Bing'er's tall figure appeared. She glanced at Hu Liena, who was furious, and teased her. Then, she naturally came to Ye Lingling and the others, glanced at Qian Renxue briefly, and then, as if nothing had happened, pulled up a chair, crossed her legs, and remained silent.

"Call..."

The Gui Mei and the others breathed a sigh of relief. For some reason, Shui Bing'er's appearance made them feel more relaxed. Hu Liena had the same thought. Although Shui Bing'er's words had sounded sarcastic, seeing her sit down next to her gave her a sense of confidence.

"Pah... Can you... no, can you not speak so vulgarly? What, what about in bed? You're really shameless..."

"Heh, what's wrong with that? Love between men and women is just human nature. You're a master of Charm, why are you so bothered by it? Since that's the case, next time Tianshuang comes back, I won't let him see you. You'll be alone..."

Qian Renxue watched as the two women, exchanging words back and forth, turned this strategic meeting into a forum for their family squabbles. Especially since they completely ignored her and their words were so irritating, Qian Renxue's anger instantly flared up, and she shouted:

"Enough! What do you think this place is? Shui Bing'er, this is the Spirit Hall commander's tent, a place to discuss war, not a place for you to flaunt your status as the matriarch. Know your place and behave yourself!"

Only then did Shui Bing'er look at her, slowly standing up, placing her hands on the sand table in front of her, and Lengleng saying, "You also know this is the commander's tent? Hu Liena is the commander-in-chief in this battle against the Evil Soul Master. You are just a reinforcement sent by Bibi Dong. Aren't you the one who doesn't understand the situation?"

"You!!!"

Qian Renxue was speechless after being choked by Shui Bing'er's words. She glanced around and saw that everyone present was silent, some of them trying not to laugh. She then stomped her foot and walked out.

"So handsome... so reliable... no, Hu Liena, you can't let her bewitch you, wake up..."

Hu Liena looked at Shui Bing'er with starry eyes and felt an immense sense of security. She immediately shook her head and reminded herself.

Shui Bing'er waved her hand, then spoke with a serious expression, "Alright, the troublemaker is gone, let's continue our discussion. I just saw from the air..."

Hu Liena looked somewhat puzzled as she recounted the events of the past two weeks. After listening, Shui Bing'er stroked her pointed chin, pondered for a moment, and then tentatively asked:

"Could it be that these 500,000 troops were sent here specifically by the Evil Soul Master so that we could kill them? But what would be their purpose? If the Holy Spirit Cult wanted to use some secret method or perform some kind of ritual, wouldn't they just do it themselves in the Star Luo Empire? Why go through all this trouble and use us to slaughter these soldiers?"

Hu Liena: "That's what I can't understand either, which is why I stopped Qian Renxue and the others from continuing to kill these soldiers. I've already sent people from the Sparrow Bee Sect to gather intelligence. My thinking is that we can't act rashly before we figure out what the Holy Spirit Cult is plotting, otherwise we could easily fall into their trap."

Behind the Star Luo Empire's army, a group of about twenty men in black robes knelt devoutly before a woman in red. As they bowed rhythmically, Sisi of black energy emerged from the black beads in the woman's hand and entered their bodies.

As the last wisp of black energy disappeared, Ye Yuxuan threw out the originally pitch-black bead, Zhong Meng below caught with his hand. Then, with a somewhat manic expression, he said:

"Master, we've reached 100,000! It's only been half a month. The Spirit Hall people are truly effective, especially that Angel Legion. Their killing speed far exceeded our expectations. The death energy condensed from these 100,000 heroic souls has already brought all the black-clad guardians to the level of Titled Douluo, and I've even reached level 96! It's amazing! War is our destiny!"

Ye Yuxuan, her face veiled, revealed no expression. Her tone was equally emotionless as she nodded and said, "Continue. Besides refining the heroic souls, don't waste the corpses either. Don't halt the subsequent refining plan. Are all the materials ready?"

"Everything is ready. We're just waiting for the Spirit Hall to slaughter these 500,000 people. Once they've left, we can begin refining them. When they attack the Star Luo Empire's capital, we'll use these 500,000 Death Puppet to launch a pincer attack and completely annihilate them!"

At this moment, Zhong Meng seemed to be able to foresee the end of the Spirit Hall. The Spirit Hall, the greatest enemy of the Holy Spirit Cult, was finally going to be destroyed in his hands!