Mingdu, Federation Council Chairman's Office.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling city nightscape stretched to the horizon, ten thousand lights suspended like an inverted river of stars. The Federation Council Chairman stood at the window, holding a newly arrived encrypted report, his brow furrowed.
"Chairman, what business do you have with me?"
Divine Brush Douluo Yu Guanzhi pushed open the door and entered. His expression was composed, but the moment he saw the Chairman's face, his steps failed slightly.
He had worked with the Chairman for quite some time and rarely saw him with such an expression.
No, that wasn't quite right. A year ago, when the Eternal Heaven was stolen and the Shrek incident erupted, the Chairman had often worn this look.
But now, those matters were behind them and no longer worth worrying about. So what could be troubling him so?
"Has the Holy Spirit Cult made another move?" Yu Guanzhi asked.
The Chairman withdrew his gaze from the window and sighed. "It should have nothing to do with the Holy Spirit Cult. It's about the Yuanen clan."
With that, he handed the encrypted report to Yu Guanzhi.
Yu Guanzhi took the document, read it, and his face showed disbelief.
The Yuanen clan's ancestor was the Titan Giant Ape who had helped Shrek that day?
The Yuanen clan had sheltered Shrek remnants after Shrek's destruction—suspected of supporting Shrek?
Yu Guanzhi read it twice to confirm he hadn't misread, then suppressed his shock and looked up to ask, "Is this information reliable? Could someone be framing them?"
Yuanen Zhentian and Yuanen Tiandang had just established themselves in the Federation. At this timing, someone exposing the Yuanen clan's connection to Shrek seemed clearly like sabotage.
Yu Guanzhi couldn't help but suspect someone was framing them for power.
"The information is reliable. The person who gave it to me provided supporting evidence—very thorough preparation."
The Chairman shook his head. "I know what you're worried about. The informant came from the Sea God Corps, reportedly a woman who reported these matters. There may be elements of power struggles, but the information itself isn't fabricated."
Yu Guanzhi fell silent at this.
If all this was true, the problem was serious.
Yuanen Zhentian was now the Sea God Corps Deputy Commander, selected through the Federation's official process. If this wasn't handled properly, he'd lose his position, and the Sea God Corps would be thrust back into the spotlight. The corps' newly stabilized situation would fall into chaos again.
More importantly, whether the Yuanen clan still had contact with Shrek's remnants and the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming—if they did, then the purpose of Yuanen Zhentian and Yuanen Tiandang's participation in the selection would need investigation. The Federation couldn't tolerate a family with ties to Shrek taking root in a core military position.
Yu Guanzhi frowned and put down the documents. "What do you plan to do, Chairman?"
The Chairman snorted coldly. "Since we know, we can't pretend we didn't. Temporarily suspend Yuanen Zhentian and his son from their positions and order them to cooperate with the investigation. If the Yuanen clan's ties to Shrek's remnants aren't deep, they can be leniently dealt with. If not..."
He didn't finish, but the chill in his words was more chilling than any explicit threat.
If not, dismissal would be the least of their worries.
The Chairman's gaze fell on Yu Guanzhi. "I'll leave this to you, Lord."
"I understand." Yu Guanzhi, having expected this, accepted the task and turned to leave.
Just then, a figure rushed over, nearly colliding with Yu Guanzhi.
It was the Chairman's secretary, Lin Qingyan. She'd run all the way, a sheen of sweat on her forehead—clearly something urgent.
Seeing she'd almost bumped into Yu Guanzhi, she quickly stepped aside, bowed apologetically, and spoke before catching her breath: "Forgive me, Lord."
Yu Guanzhi waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.
Lin Qingyan then hurried into the office and reported, "Chairman, there's now a lot of discussion on the soul tool network about the Yuanen clan colluding with Shrek's remnants. The rhetoric is intense, the evidence detailed—the public has already started paying attention and discussing it online."
The Chairman's expression darkened instantly.
Yu Guanzhi, who hadn't yet left, frowned at the news.
They'd planned to handle the Yuanen clan matter privately, but with this information spreading and public opinion exploding, everything had changed.
It seemed the people behind this were determined to make a scene. The Yuanen clan had only just emerged—whose interests had they stepped on? The Sea God Corps? The Sea God family?
With that thought, Yu Guanzhi looked at the Chairman, who was deep in thought. "Should we restrict the spread of public opinion?"
The Chairman took a deep breath and glanced at him, his eyes flickering. "No. Blocking is worse than channeling. Since the news is already out, rather than suppressing it, we might as well intensify the smear campaign against the Yuanen clan and muddy the waters completely. Let's see what the Yuanen clan and the people behind this incident are really planning!"
"The Federation is going to amplify public opinion?"
The next afternoon, after returning to the Douluo Plane, Huo Yuhao learned that the online rhetoric against the Yuanen clan was constantly escalating, growing increasingly heated. The Yuanen clan had even been falsely accused of assassinating Federation officials. He understood that the Federation still had hopes for the Yuanen clan.
He looked at Yuanen Zhentian before him and smiled. "It seems the Federation hasn't given up on you yet. Perhaps my intervention won't even be needed. But for the next while, your reputation won't be great."
While increasing the smear campaign had its drawbacks, it diluted the impact of the Yuanen clan's connection to Shrek. After all, with so many ambiguities smears, much of it seemed like mindless slander, which actually diluted the weight of "the Yuanen clan has ties to Shrek" in public perception.
Observers would only think that someone was clearly targeting the Yuanen clan.
If the Federation ultimately decided to keep the Yuanen clan in service, they could simply blame it all on someone else—like the Holy Spirit Cult—to eliminate the public opinion impact.
"That's already very good." Yuanen Zhentian sighed softly. "I originally thought the Federation would just dismiss me after questioning. Now it seems there's still hope—my strength does have some use."
"You are a Limit Douluo, after all. If possible, the Federation will naturally handle it leniently."
Huo Yuhao paused, then added, "But the expanding public opinion is also the Federation's way of pressing you to give them an explanation. The investigators should be arriving soon. It's time for you to go."
Yuanen Zhentian rose from his seat and bowed to Huo Yuhao. "Thank you, Lord, for helping my clan avenge our blood debt."
Huo Yuhao waved his hand without saying much.
Yuanen Zhentian turned and walked to the door, pushing it open and leaving with Yuanen Yehui and the others waiting outside.
Huo Yuhao watched them go, notified Elder Electrolux to prepare, and arranged new guards for Yuanen Yehui. Then he looked out at the midday sun and slowly closed his eyes.
Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the Holy Spirit Cult's next move.
And the Holy Spirit Cult didn't disappoint Huo Yuhao.
Just as Yuanen Zhentian and Yuanen Tiandang were taken away by Yu Guanzhi for questioning, a letter was placed before Ye Hui.
The letter had been delivered to her by an ordinary person.
Watching the middle-aged man leave, confirming he was just a paid messenger, Ye Hui frowned. She returned to her room, opened the envelope, and read the contents.
The handwriting was scrawled but forceful, each character as if carved with a knife:
Madam Ye Hui,I hope this letter finds you well.
We have heard that Lieutenant General Yuanen is currently undergoing Federation "investigation," and that the Yuanen clan is in turmoil. We extend our deepest sympathies.
We hereby present a token of our sincerity: the person who reported the Yuanen clan to the Sea God Corps is now in our custody. She also holds decisive evidence that could doom the Yuanen clan.
But to be honest, we don't intend to bring down the Yuanen clan. We simply hope the Yuanen clan will relinquish power that doesn't belong to them.
If you are willing to represent the Yuanen clan in negotiations with us, come alone to the Qingfeng Gorge Old Mine this evening at dusk. We will hand over both the informant and the evidence to you. In exchange, the Yuanen family needs only to do one thing:
Relinquish the Sea God Corps Deputy Commander position and withdraw from the Corps' core leadership. Return to where you belong, live quietly as a soul master family. The Federation's muddy waters are not for you to wade into.
Of course, you may choose not to come.
But then this "sincerity" and the evidence will have to be delivered to the Federation Council instead. What happens to your husband then, we cannot guarantee.
After reading the letter, Ye Hui couldn't help but chuckle. "The Holy Spirit Cult is quite convincing."
Though the letter carried no signature, from beginning to end it read like an internal power struggle—nothing to do with the Holy Spirit Cult.
Anyone reading it would think of power conflicts within the Sea God Corps—someone competing for the Commander position using these methods to force out the most competitive candidate, Yuanen Zhentian.
Who would imagine that the recent anti-Yuanen public opinion and this letter were both targeting her?
If she hadn't known this was the Holy Spirit Cult's scheme, if she didn't have Huo Yuhao's backing and support, Ye Hui felt she might have gone alone out of concern for her husband and family—ultimately becoming a pawn of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Unfortunately, there were no such ifs.
Ye Hui's eyes flickered. After contacting Huo Yuhao's side and receiving a response, she set off for the rendezvous point.
Dusk, Qingfeng Gorge Old Mine, north of Mingdu.
The setting sun bled like blood, dyeing the entire gorge in shades of dark red. The abandoned mine entrances gaped like open jaws, swallowing the last light of day. Ye Hui stood at the edge of the mining area, her gaze sweeping across the jagged cliffs around her.
"Come out." Her voice echoed through the mining area. "I'm here."
Silence.
Then the wind stopped.
A powerful aura rushed toward her.
Ye Hui frowned.
A Super Douluo!
She didn't have time to think. Her body blurred backward, dodging the palm that struck from before her.
A black-clad figure landed heavily where she'd stood. The ground beneath him cracked into a spiderweb of craters, gravel flying everywhere. The figure straightened, slowly raising his head to reveal a pale face.
He looked at Ye Hui, several Zhang away, and raised an eyebrow. "The intel said you sealed your spirit power. Seems it was wrong."
"Hmph. Who goes alone to a deal with their spirit power sealed?" Ye Hui stared at the figure before her, frowning deeply. "As for you, you don't seem like you came with sincerity."
"That much is obvious." The Super Douluo grinned maliciously. "Of course you're our target."
"'You'?"
Ye Hui frowned. Before the word left her mouth, a terrifying pressure came from behind—like a mountain collapsing, like an ocean crashing in. Ye Hui didn't even have time to turn around. She felt her back go numb, and her whole body froze in place.
The next moment, darkness claimed her vision.
In her final moment, only one thought crossed her mind.
This aura was no weaker than Snow Empress and the others'. How did she, a mere Super Douluo, warrant such treatment?
The Demon Empress watched Ye Hui's fallen form, frowned, and ordered the surrounding Holy Spirit Cult members—who were also somewhat surprised by her arrival—"Leave this place immediately."
With that, she glanced toward Mingdu, ignored the cult members' confused looks, and carried Ye Hui away into the distance.
She was here on the Ghost Emperor's suggestion—someone at the Limit Douluo level should be present to ensure Ye Hui's capture.
Ye Hui wasn't made of clay. She had the Demon Gate as a trump card. Some Title Douluo might not take her down quickly, and if they failed, even having lured her out of Mingdu, they'd risk drawing the attention of Mingdu's experts. Clearly, a Limit Douluo was the safest bet.
They might only have one chance—they had to be thorough.
So the Ghost Emperor had contacted the Demon Empress to come.
After all, among all the Holy Spirit Cult's Limit Douluo, she was indeed the most idle and the strongest.
With her involved, as long as they didn't run into those monsters inside Mingdu, there was virtually no chance of failure.
And since this operation also involved Lan Fozi, the Demon Empress had agreed.
Her rebellious daughter, finally coming around to support her mother's plan to destroy the Douluo Continent and avenge her father—it warmed her heart.
"Yes, Demon Empress!"
The ambushing Holy Spirit Cult members snapped back to attention and followed.
But not long after, a Title Douluo received news and reported to the Demon Empress with a grim expression. "Lady, the operation to capture Yuanen Yehui has failed. All personnel sent to that location have been killed."
The cult had made ample preparations for this operation—contingencies in case Ye Hui didn't take the bait, including using the remoteness of Ye Hui's residence to stage a forcible capture.
Both mother and daughter were targets. But Mingdu was clearly still too dangerous—the evil soul masters sent to capture Yuanen Yehui hadn't come back out.
The Demon Empress's expression remained calm.
Yuanen Yehui, an undeveloped Fallen Angel martial soul wielder, was far less valuable than her mother.
By the time Yuanen Yehui grew up, the opportunity might have passed.
So she wasn't particularly concerned.
Just then, a strange aura appeared on Ye Hui's body. The Demon Empress's expression shifted slightly.
"This is a sign of the Demon Gate opening? She can open it even unconscious—so this really has nothing to do with the soul master's will."
With that thought, the Demon Empress accelerated, quickly moving away from inhabited areas.
Not out of kindness—but to find a quiet place to negotiate with the demon race.
She didn't want to deal with Federation experts near Mingdu.
The Demon Empress traveled at high speed until she reached a desolate rocky hills area, then placed Ye Hui on a flat boulder.
Complete silence—even the wind had stopped.
Ye Hui had already transformed into her demon form. Though conscious, she didn't try to control her body. She simply yielded to the martial soul's manipulation, repeating the familiar act: "Darkness shall descend; only in falling can one be free!"
Her ninth spirit ring flared brilliantly. A rift tore open in the air before her, rapidly expanding into a massive gateway.
The Demon Gate had once again appeared on the Douluo Continent.
The surrounding space twisted violently—the plane's power rejecting another world's influence.
Just as the Demon Empress expected demons to emerge, an overwhelming spiritual fluctuation that made her soul tremble surged from deep within the gate.
"This is—divine consciousness? The Demon Plane has a divine-level expert?!"
The Demon Empress's pupils contracted sharply. She instinctively stepped back.
***
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