"Shangguan Wei'er's side will be handled personally by a few of us." The Second Elder scanned the room, his gaze settling on Masked Douluo. "Old Seven, you stay behind to command the other disciples. Make sure to surround all of the Ordinary Alliance's operations in Mingdu."
Masked Douluo, seeing the Second Elder's stern expression, could only agree. "Yes, Second Brother."
"Once we act, spare no one! This time, we've brought core disciples. I refuse to believe a mere underground organization can compete with our Holy Cult."
Soon, Lin Xiao appeared once again in the shadows of Mingdu's streets. Unlike last time, he could now sense the presence of Holy Spirit Cult disciples in every direction around the building before him.
"Bang—"
A loud explosion came from near the imperial palace, where the nobles resided—a prime location for the Ordinary Alliance's business operations.
The glow of soul tools and soul skills intertwined, lighting up the night sky. The Holy Spirit Cult disciples lying in ambush elsewhere sprang into action simultaneously.
In an instant, soul rings of various colors flashed around Lin Xiao—four purple and one black, two purple and four black… Each Holy Spirit Cult disciple's soul ring configuration was unique, but without exception, they surpassed the typical understanding of soul ring limits for ordinary soul masters.
The Second Elder was right. The disciples brought this time were indeed the true core of the cult, their soul ring configurations serving as the best proof.
These disciples' first soul rings weren't the usual hundred-year yellow rings but purple ones, symbolizing thousand-year rings. Some, with only six rings, possessed as many as four ten-thousand-year soul rings.
Lin Xiao knew well that, despite sharing the title of Holy Spirit, there was a vast gap between these disciples and those stationed at various branches. These were meticulously trained disciples whose soul ring limits had been enhanced through the cult's secret techniques.
Some within the Holy Spirit Cult even had first soul rings that were pitch-black ten-thousand-year rings.
"Who are you people?"
A guard at the entrance barely managed to ask before his expression froze in terror, as if he had seen something horrifying. His body went limp, collapsing to the ground, then dissolved into a foul-smelling puddle. In the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult disciples, not a single part of him went to waste.
Figures, some visible, some hidden, rushed out from the building, clashing instantly with the Holy Spirit Cult disciples.
While soul ring limits didn't fully determine a soul master's true strength, in most cases, higher-limit soul rings meant victory over ordinary soul masters—especially when it came to a group of sinister evil soul masters.
With so many Holy Spirit Cult disciples attacking together, the gap created by their soul ring limits became even more pronounced. The assassins who relied on stealth to take down one or two disciples were quickly exposed and vanished under the barrage of soul skills.
Lin Xiao's ears weren't filled with noise. Unlike others, the Holy Spirit Cult disciples didn't shout or cry out in battle. Only gusts of eerie wind swept past, countless resentful spirits coiling upward. One moment, the place was bustling with activity; the next, it became a silent ghostly domain.
The Ordinary Alliance's people turned into newly formed residual souls, drifting aimlessly with bewildered expressions, as if wondering how they had ended up like this.
Lin Xiao stepped through the muddy streets, ignoring the warm liquid staining his boots, as if long accustomed to it. The soul tool lamps still illuminated the surroundings brightly, but the silence within the building made the scene eerily unsettling.
Looking at the corpses strewn about, the soul power within him surged. His soul power, which had reached level fifty-four after absorbing the soul bone, showed faint signs of breaking through again.
This was the Holy Spirit Cult. Lin Xiao sighed inwardly, looking into the distance. Tonight, scenes like this were likely unfolding in many places.
"Outrageous!"
In the imperial palace, Xu Jing slammed his hand on the desk before him. "Do these evil soul masters still have any regard for me or the Sun Moon Empire?"
Having heard about the events in Mingdu, Xu Jing hurriedly rushed to his study, his clothes still disheveled.
"Evil soul masters act without restraint. They absolutely cannot be allowed to continue like this!"
"Father." Xu Tianran stepped forward. "This matter requires careful consideration."
Xu Jing glanced at Xu Tianran, gesturing for him to continue.
"Father, no matter how these evil soul masters act, they did help us in the past. If we intervene now, it might discourage others in the court."
Xu Jing didn't respond, but his calming expression showed he agreed to some extent with Xu Tianran's words.
When Mingdu underwent its upheaval, he had announced that the former emperor, Xu Chang, had died in an accident, leading to his ascension. But such an excuse couldn't fool those with keen minds. Most had their suspicions about how he had claimed the throne.
His questionable rise to power forced him to tread carefully in his actions.
"But letting them continue like this isn't good either. You know who's behind the Ordinary Alliance. If we sit idly by, tomorrow's court session will likely be filled with complaints again."
"Making them stop is simple." Xu Tianran's expression shifted slightly. "Their sudden attack on the Ordinary Alliance is merely about 'profit.' Since they want it, we can give it to them."
"Father, you know the Ordinary Alliance is backed by court nobles who engage in shady dealings. They collude with each other, making them hard to root out, and who knows how many soul coins end up in their pockets."
"Now that the Holy Spirit Cult is targeting the Ordinary Alliance, it's an opportunity."
"Go on." Xu Jing nodded slightly.
"Father, since the Holy Spirit Cult wants a share, why not have the imperial family back them? With our support, they won't need to resort to such drastic actions as tonight, and the nobles' businesses won't be dominated solely by the Ordinary Alliance anymore."
"These profits belong to the Sun Moon Empire. How can we let those nobles monopolize them? The imperial family deserves a share too."
Xu Jing pondered for a moment, still somewhat concerned. "But they are evil soul masters, after all."
"In that case, Father, why not summon the Holy Spirit Cult members to serve as officials in the court?" Xu Tianran smiled. "Be they ordinary people or evil soul masters, it's their lack of restraint that makes them act so recklessly."
"But once they have status and reputation, they'll naturally mind their influence without us needing to intervene. Besides, evil soul masters have their uses…"
Xu Tianran's voice gradually trailed off.
On the streets, the Holy Spirit Cult members were cleaning up the battlefield—or rather, tallying their "spoils." In the distance, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly rang out.
At the end of the street, a fully armed army was slowly approaching.
"This place isn't safe to linger. Withdraw!"