Spirit City, with its unique geographical position, had become the main stronghold and command center for the unification war sweeping across the continent.
Deep within the Papal Palace, in a quiet room furnished with simple antique furniture, Qian Daoliu, the Grand Worship of the Spirit Hall, and Chu Shanhe, the Sect Master of the Body Sect, sat facing each other. They were two of the most powerful and influential figures on the continent.
"Sect Master, Grand Worship."
Ghost Douluo appeared silently in the room and bowed to Chu Shanhe and Qian Daoluo.
"After completely eliminating the remaining resistance forces on Sea God Island and handling related matters, the Young Sect Master entered secluded cultivation in the core area of Sea God Island several days ago. According to the Grand Elder, the Young Sect Master plans to make a breakthrough soon, and the time of his return remains uncertain."
Qian Daoliu's eyes flickered slightly. "So, Chen Yi is currently in seclusion on Sea God Island, trying to break through a difficult bottleneck."
"Yes, Your Holiness," Ghost Douluo confirmed, then added, "Furthermore, after consulting with Her Holiness the Pope, the Young Sect Master entrusted a portion of the resources obtained from the Sea God Island battle to his subordinates and the Illusion Douluo. They were to bring them back to strengthen our combat power."
As he spoke, Ghost Douluo stepped forward and presented a soul tool with both hands.
Qian Daoliu nodded lightly, accepted the storage ring, and casually handed the soul tool to Glowing Feather Douluo, who stood beside him.
"Glowing Feather, you, Golden Crocodile, and Lion will be in charge of this matter. Use them wisely," Qian Daoliu instructed.
"Yes, Elder Brother." Glowing Feather Douluo accepted the ring and replied with a smile, though his eyes were deadly serious.
Qian Daoliu turned back to Ghost Douluo and asked the question that concerned him most: "Where is Xue'er? When will she return?"
"Her Holiness the Pope is currently in Vast Sea City, overseeing the integration of the various units returning from this expedition and processing the large quantities of supplies brought back from Sea God Island. This work is expected to take a few more days to complete.
"Afterward, Her Majesty will return to Spirit City as soon as possible. At that time, she will digest the gains from this expedition and enter secluded cultivation to pursue even greater heights."
Upon hearing that Qian Renxue was safe and focused on improving her strength, Qian Daoliu finally smiled.
"Good. It's good that Xue'er understands."
After settling the matters regarding Sea God Island, Qian Daoliu shifted his gaze to Chu Shanhe sitting opposite him and spoke in a heavy tone:
"Considering the current situation on the continent, especially regarding the Star Luo Empire, what are your plans going forward? How do you intend to handle it?"
Chu Shanhe met Qian Daoliu's gaze with a calm expression. "The Star Luo Empire is already a pile of rotten bones in a grave. Its fate is sealed, and it can no longer stir up any waves.
"With Brother Golden Crocodile taking personal action and our army's morale soaring, it's only a matter of time before we wipe out the remaining resistance forces."
Then Chu Shanhe changed the subject, adding in a meaningful tone: "However, the Dai Clan has ruled the Star Luo Empire for thousands of years. They still hold considerable influence among the people, especially in military and certain traditional fields.
"Our current top priority is to prepare for the impending large-scale battles. Spending too much time and energy on internal purges would only cause further chaos and give certain individuals the opportunity to exploit the situation. We should avoid that.
"In other words, for now, we should keep the Dai Clan alive, grant them honorable titles, and even prepare a place to accommodate them, so as to calm the people's hearts.
"Once we resolve the external problems and gain the freedom to act, it won't be too late to deal with them."
A cold light flashed in Qian Daoliu's eyes, but he understood that Chu Shanhe's judgment was based on the overall situation and represented the safest solution.
"Sect Master Chu is right. Before dealing with external threats, we must first ensure internal stability. With external threats approaching, internal stability is the highest priority. Let's give the Dai Clan a little more time."
"Those opportunists! Hmph! They might betray Star Luo today, but they could betray us tomorrow!
"They're nothing but parasites. Completely spineless. If we didn't need to reduce resistance right now, I'd wipe them all out immediately!"
Chu Shanhe nodded deeply in agreement. Neither the Body Sect nor the Spirit Hall held any goodwill toward those old nobles; in fact, they viewed them as obstacles.
If not for the urgency of time and the watchful eyes of external enemies, they would have acted immediately to eliminate every obstacle hindering the establishment of the new order.
"The noble issue can be handled gradually. Once the great war ends and the new order stabilizes, we will have plenty of time and means to deal with them," Chu Shanhe said calmly, though the coldness in his voice sent chills down the spine.
After reaching an agreement on how to handle the Star Luo Empire and its old forces, Chu Shanhe changed the topic again. He looked at Qian Daoliu with a serious expression.
"Brother Qian, how is that person doing now?"
Previously, Chen Yi had combined information from the Rakshasa God's message with memories deep in his mind to locate that dimension—the Demon Realm!
According to the information Chen Yi compiled, this Demon Realm must have met the prerequisites for a large-scale invasion of the Douluo Realm.
Within the Douluo Continent, a clear anchor point was required.
And this anchor point had to be a Fallen Angel soul master whose cultivation had reached the Title Douluo level!
A mutated martial soul that was the complete opposite of the holy light attribute of angels and gods—symbolizing darkness, corruption, and destruction!
Upon receiving this worrisome speculation, Chen Yi immediately held a high-level secret meeting with Qian Renxue, Qian Daoliu, and Chu Shanhe.
Afterward, Qian Daoliu activated the highest level of authority and secretly investigated the records of all members of the Angel Clan who had awakened a Fallen Angel martial soul in the past 300 years.
Fallen Angel martial souls were rare even among the Angel Clan, so the investigation was not too difficult.
Before long, Qian Daoliu found the Fallen Angel soul master. This person belonged to a branch of the Angel Clan and had awakened the Fallen Angel martial soul 25 years ago.
Because he possessed a special martial soul, he had been recorded since childhood. He was currently a six-ring Soul Emperor.
Fortunately, this was the era of the Spirit Hall, where only Fallen Angels existed and no evil spirit masters. Otherwise, this Fallen Angel Soul Emperor would have already met his end.
The moment he heard Chu Shanhe's question, Qian Daoliu's expression became solemn, and an irrepressible look of pain appeared on his face.
"Following Chen Yi's plan and warning, we did not alert him. Instead, we secretly sent Azure Luan to monitor him.
"Very recently, this child suddenly left the camp for some reason and headed far to the west, toward the Slaughter City."
Qian Daoliu's eyes filled with even deeper sorrow and helplessness. "According to the message sent by Azure Luan, after entering the Slaughter Capital, he seemed to have become a completely different person.
"He has been committing endless slaughter, devouring the soul power and blood energy of those who fell to his blade, thereby gaining terrifying strength!
"In just half a year, he has already reached the peak of his current cultivation. At this rate, he will reach the Title Douluo level in another year!"
By the end, Qian Daoliu's voice was trembling slightly.
They were his angels, with angelic blood flowing in their veins. Yet, due to the cruel tricks of fate, they had been chosen as the anchor to lure wolves into the house, guiding them down a path of slaughter and darkness from which there was no return. They would become victims and tools of an otherworldly invasion.
"Alright…" Seeing the pain in Qian Daoliu's eyes, Chu Shanhe stood up, walked over to him, and firmly patted his shoulder.
If he were in the same position and a young disciple from his sect had been chosen as such a sacrifice, Chu Shanhe's mood would be even heavier.
But they all understood that this was a cruel reality and an unavoidable choice.
Chu Shanhe said in a low voice, "Brother Qian, I understand your suffering… but unfortunately, we can only leave this matter to him.
"Fortunately… it was him."
Fortunately, it was him. At least his whereabouts were still under their control. With Azure Luan Douluo watching over him, they knew where he went, what he did, and how he was gaining power.
If they stopped him now, the Asura and Sea God lurking in the shadows would not give up. They would surely use every means to create a second or third Fallen Angel Title Douluo in places unknown to them.
At that point, the enemy would be hidden in darkness while they remained in the light, putting them in an even more passive position where they could no longer defend themselves effectively.
This way, they at least knew that the anchor point was most likely to appear in the Slaughter City, and they had a rough idea of when he would break through. They could set a trap there and gain the opportunity to deal with the possible Demon Realm invasion that would follow.
Only by temporarily refraining from interfering with the Fallen Angel soul master while secretly promoting his rapid growth could they keep the threat within a known and controllable range and seize the maximum initiative.
Chu Shanhe believed that Qian Daoliu, with his wisdom and strategic insight, must have already understood these principles.
However, as the patriarch of the clan, Qian Daoliu needed time to digest and accept the sorrow and helplessness regarding the fate of the younger generation.
Qian Daoliu listened to Chu Shanhe's words in silence, then slowly turned around and gazed toward the huge doors of the worship hall.
The windows stretched from floor to ceiling.
At that moment, the silence outside the palace gates was broken by hurried but rhythmic footsteps.
Just then, there was a light knock on the door of the quiet room, and a figure still radiating a malicious aura strode in confidently.
It was Fifteen Ton Douluo, who had just returned from a mission in another region.
"Elder Brother!" Fifteen Ton Douluo's voice rang out. "As per your instructions, I led my subordinates to inspect several important provinces and cities. As expected, we found many corrupt officials, starting with Bishop Meyers in Gengjin City. And…"
He walked forward, preparing to present a long list of names.
However, Qian Daoliu showed no intention of listening. He kept his back to Fifteen Ton Douluo, continuing to stare out the window, his voice calm.
"There is no need to explain the details.
"In all cases where the evidence is conclusive…
"Throw them all into the Death Camp and let their scarred bodies and blood atone for their sins against the Spirit Hall and the continent."
Fifteen Ton Douluo's steps suddenly halted, and a stern expression flashed across his face for a moment.
"Understood, Elder Brother!"
Without hesitation, Fifteen Ton Douluo turned around and strode toward the door.
…