"Evil Emperor, don't you think it's a bit dishonorable to strike while we're down like this…"
Evil Demon Forest.
Ye Yushui was being supported by Long Xiaoyao. Half of her hair had already turned white, and her face looked even older—like a wicked witch from a fairy tale who had lost the nurturing power of her "princess ability" and was now completely worn out.
Being unable to devour souls dealt her a heavy blow on top of her already serious injuries. Her strength couldn't recover, and her cooperation with the Evil-Eyed Tyrant was on the brink of collapse. One of the Tyrant's conditions for allowing the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters to remain in the Evil Demon Forest was a fixed annual offering of a certain number of souls.
This was once an easy task for the Holy Spirit Cult, which used to run rampant in the Sun Moon Empire and had deep ties with its upper echelon. Gathering souls was no trouble at all.
But who would have expected such a drastic change now…
Being severely injured by Moon wasn't the biggest problem. As long as she had access to the souls of ordinary civilians from the Sun Moon Empire, Ye Yushui, the Reaper, could eventually make a comeback. But the crux of her recovery—absorbing soul bodies—was now somehow restricted by an unknown rule.
No matter how many civilians she killed, all of their soul bodies would be forcibly taken away by that powerful rule. Not a single one could be retained.
Likewise, since she couldn't repair her own injuries, naturally she couldn't continue paying the "rent" to the Evil Emperor for staying in the Evil Demon Forest.
This land belonged to the Evil Emperor. They didn't own it—it was more like they were temporary tenants.
So now, unable to pay rent, the Evil Emperor had come in person—to evict them…
"Evil Emperor, we've been neighbors for many years. Even if we can't provide soul bodies, our Holy Spirit Cult has other treasures. Isn't it too harsh to evict us just like this?" Ye Yushui, though physically weak, forced herself to stand tall and confront the Evil Emperor.
Below them lay the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult. Countless disciples stood solemnly, anxiously watching the conversation between their Supreme Elder and the Evil Emperor.
If there were a way to stay, who would want to leave?
Evil soul masters had always been unwelcome on the continent. Back on the original Douluo continent, Shrek Academy had gathered all the major powers time and again to wipe them out. Back then, evil soul masters were truly hated and hunted like rats in a sewer.
Now, following the leadership of their Supreme Elder, they had come to the Evil Demon Forest and carved out a sanctuary specifically for evil soul masters, growing strong under the shadow of the Sun Moon Empire.
Just as they were starting to thrive, they now faced homelessness again. It was a heavy blow to all members of the Holy Spirit Cult.
These evil soul masters, who once strutted arrogantly before common soul masters and civilians, now stood like meek lambs before this overwhelming entity…
"Heh… Ye Yushui, you and I have always used each other. Talking about honor between us is laughable. You—a heinous evil soul master unwanted by the human world—have been allowed to reside in the Evil Demon Forest for nearly a century only because of the souls you offered me each year. As for the so-called 'treasures' of your Holy Spirit Cult… do you think I'd be interested?"
The Evil Emperor chuckled calmly.
Their relationship had always been one of mutual exploitation. Neither had a good reputation, so talk of sentiment was meaningless.
The Emperor's eighty-one tentacles waved constantly around his massive, nearly kilometer-long body. The sight alone was shockingly overwhelming.
Especially that enormous, oppressive eye.
It didn't look like an eye on a body—it looked more like a giant eyeball sprouting tentacles, evoking classic Lovecraftian horror.
Beside him stood many spirit-type soul beasts, the Evil Emperor's subordinates, all glaring at Ye Yushui's group, ready to attack at the Evil-Eyed Tyrant's command.
"…Fine! Evil Emperor, we will leave!"
Ye Yushui gritted her teeth and finally said the words weakly.
Upon hearing this, the evil soul masters below all lowered their heads in despair.
"Leader, gather all valuable items from the headquarters. We're leaving," she said with a deep breath, then looked back at the Evil Emperor. "Since you're forcing us out, surely you'll give us some time to pack?"
"Heh, naturally. But there's a deadline—within three hours, I want every last one of you out of the Evil Demon Forest." The Evil Emperor laughed again.
"Hmph!" Ye Yushui stopped acknowledging him.
From high above, the Holy Spirit Cult looked like a colony of ants in motion, scrambling to pack up in the vast underground cavern.
Zhongli Wu, as the cult leader, naturally wasn't involved in the manual labor.
After delegating tasks to his subordinates, he came to Ye Yushui's side, concern on his face.
"Mother, if we leave the Evil Demon Forest, where will we go? Should we return to the original continent? Then again, with Shrek and other top powers heavily damaged by the Sun Moon Empire, that may not be a bad choice."
"What nonsense are you thinking?" Ye Yushui cast him a cold glance.
"Our sect's Holy Son is the prince of the Sun Moon Empire. Why bother rebuilding from scratch on the original continent when we have such a natural base of operations?"
"Xu Cheng?!!" Zhongli Wu froze.
His expression showed hesitation. "But… I feel something's off about that boy. If we move our headquarters to Mingdu and we're still recovering from this blow, if conflict arises in the future, I fear…"
His concern wasn't unfounded.
The Sun Moon Empire had just endured a century-defining war and revealed terrifying strength—enough to shake the whole continent. A few years ago, he wouldn't have cared. With the Holy Spirit Cult's deep foundation, two Limit Douluos, and a host of evil soul masters, even the Sun Moon Empire would have had to risk massive losses—possibly even the destruction of Mingdu—to confront them.
But now…
He truly felt unsure.
His mother had been critically injured and could fall at any time. Uncle Long's heart had never really been with the Holy Spirit Cult. If his mother died, Long Xiaoyao might leave soon after.
If that happened, and Xu Cheng harbored other ambitions toward the Holy Spirit Cult, then with Kong Deming and Di Tian around, Zhongli Wu's own rank-98 strength might not be enough to stop anything.
Most importantly, that kid was a complete anomaly. Even if they didn't have opposing ideals, their mindsets were worlds apart.
"He is the Holy Son of the Holy Spirit Cult," Ye Yushui said calmly.
"In my eyes, he's even crazier than you and more suited to be a true leader of the Cult. He merely hides his blade. When he finally draws it… it will throw the entire world into chaos."
"But…" Zhongli Wu opened his mouth to argue.
"No buts. Go finish packing," Ye Yushui shook her head.
"Yes, Mother…" Zhongli Wu took a deep breath and left reluctantly.
It wasn't Ye Yushui's judgment that troubled him.
It was his fear for the future of the entire Holy Spirit Cult.
What if that boy had been lying to them all along—putting on an act?
What if… he truly was a saint?
(End of Chapter)