The next day.
Xu Cheng slowly woke up.
After a simple wash under the attentive care of Head Maid Nana, he stood before the mirror, letting her tidy his clothes while he freed his hands and stared at his reflection in a daze.
Still the same handsome face, but with slight imperfections—dark circles under his eyes from overexertion the night before.
His abdomen even now throbbed faintly with pain.
"Hiss… be gentle," Xu Cheng winced as Nana accidentally brushed against his stomach while fixing his outfit.
Logically, as a soul master—almost at the Soul Sage level—his physical resilience should be far beyond that of ordinary people.
But the issue was… his opponents were also soul masters, at the very least Soul Kings, and one of them was even a Soul Douluo!
When the power boosts of soul masters cancel each other out, it all comes down to how long you can last.
That's right—an entire night!
Xu Cheng still shuddered at the memory.
"What, giving up already? You used to be tougher," Nana said teasingly as she smoothed his clothes, blinking her beautiful eyes at him.
Xu Cheng twitched at the corner of his mouth. That line sounded too familiar—oh right, he used to be the one saying that during one-on-one times. Looks like what once brought pleasure now brings…
I must become stronger—stronger than ever!The seed of revenge was quietly planted in Xu Cheng's heart.
"They've all left?"
Standing at the bedroom door, Xu Cheng's throat bobbed.
He hesitantly asked Nana.
"Aren't you a spiritual-type soul master? Can't you sense it yourself?" Nana smiled "kindly" in her maid uniform.
"Whew…"
Xu Cheng exhaled deeply and slowly pushed open the bedroom door.
The hall was empty.
"Everyone's got things to do," Nana shrugged.
"Juzi's handling government affairs, A'Meng went back to the academy, Tang Ya's off cultivating, and Big Sister... well…"
"That's good." Xu Cheng let out a breath of relief.
"Oh right, the Holy Spirit Sect sent a message. They're hoping to move their main headquarters to Mingdu and are seeking your approval," Nana said softly.
"The Holy Spirit Sect?" Xu Cheng froze for a moment.
Then it dawned on him.
After all, the Demonic Forest belonged to the Evil Emperor, that old bastard with a temper as fickle as the weather—cruel and violent. Their relationship with the Holy Spirit Sect was always one of mutual exploitation. Now that Elder Yi's Death Authority had been restored, and "rent" (souls) couldn't be paid on time, it was no surprise they'd been evicted...
"So… should we agree?" Nana asked hesitantly.
In truth, there was already a Holy Spirit Sect presence in Mingdu.
But those people were basically all marked with Xu Cheng's name.
Including Crow, Zhang Peng, and the Mingyu Sect, among others.
They were all part of Xu Cheng's faction within the Holy Spirit Sect—very different from the demonic soul masters in the Demonic Forest led by Zhongli Wu's faction. Xu Cheng had long taken advantage of his influence in Mingdu to purge the heretics and clean house.
That side was now under Nana's control.
But now, if the two groups merged, contradictions would inevitably intensify. When that time comes…
"Of course we agree. Why not? All they want is a place to live and survive," Xu Cheng said with a broad grin.
"Besides, we'll have them settled right in the heart of Mingdu, under our noses. Once Ye Xishui dies and Long Xiaoyao leaves, won't the Holy Spirit Sect be ours to mold however we like?"
"Start compiling the list now."
Xu Cheng's smile grew wider.
"Whether they've killed before doesn't matter. But those maniacs—the ones who giggle all day and kill for fun—I'll make sure each and every one of them…"
"Feels what it's like to be judged by justice!"
"Do you think... Xu Cheng will actually tolerate us?"
Among the massive, migrating crowd of the Holy Spirit Sect—
A pale-faced old man in a red robe pondered aloud, "His ideals are completely different from the Sect Master's. He wants to do good things, even bans us from killing ordinary civilians. But look across the whole Sect—who the hell does that crap? Only those oddballs like Crow and Zhang Peng can hang with him…"
"Who knows," another obese old man shrugged. "But…"
He glanced at the red-robed elder: "Do you still have souls in your Ten-Thousand-Soul Banner?"
"Damn it! Don't even mention it!" The red-robed elder's eyes bulged with fury. "They were all gone overnight—can you believe that?! Damn it! I spent a lifetime collecting those souls, and after just one session of cultivation, poof, all gone! Can't even get them back. It was like some divine force intervened!"
"My power's been cut down by at least two-thirds! What about your Hatred Martial Soul, weren't you affected?"
The Hatred Douluo shook his head. "We only consume flesh. Our power growth doesn't rely on souls. Honestly, you're still lucky—your power just dropped. But Heavenly Bat? He's the real loser. He relied on devouring souls to grow stronger. Not long ago, he was a Title Douluo, now he's dropped all the way to Soul Ancestor! Even lost his soul rings."
"Sigh, I was on the coast, planning to trick a Sea Princess for a big haul. Then Xu Cheng calls us back to HQ, and now all this mess. Damn it all…" the Ten-Thousand-Soul Douluo cursed.
"You better start thinking about what comes next," Hatred Douluo shook his head.
"In our Holy Spirit Sect, plenty of Martial Souls grow stronger by devouring souls. Now that we can't, our strength's going to drop like a rock."
"Sigh, let fate decide…"
"Sect Master, you've come…"
Looking at the sorry sight of the Holy Spirit Sect's main forces, Xu Cheng scowled. "What right did the Evil Emperor have to evict you? The Demonic Forest belongs to—wait, okay fine, technically it is his. But still, we've cooperated for so long, even put down roots there. One small mishap, and he boots us out. What a joke."
Ye Xishui and Long Xiaoyao were nowhere to be found.
Only Zhongli Wu stood at the front.
"Sigh, that's why I've come to rely on you," Zhongli Wu sighed and looked earnestly at Xu Cheng. "But speaking of which… You now control most of the Sun Moon Empire. How about lending us some troops? We'll wipe out the Evil Emperor in one blow. You get all the soul bones and rings, I just want the territory."
"Cough, cough…"
Xu Cheng's face stiffened.
Trying to bait me into a trap, huh?
He hurriedly changed the subject: "Since you plan to settle in Mingdu, ordinary housing obviously won't suit our kind. I've already thoughtfully prepared construction teams. Just give the word, and they'll begin work immediately."
He waved his hand.
Nana stepped forward with three blueprints.
"Option One: total area of three square kilometers. Underground. No lighting. Cold in winter, cold in summer. No heating either."
"Option Two…"
"Stop, stop, stop. Give me the best one!" Zhongli Wu cut him off with a grand gesture, grinning.
"Perfect! I like people like you," Xu Cheng said with a gleaming smile—
Like he'd just fleeced a fat sheep.
"We'll use the latest soul tool tech from Mingde Hall. Everything available on the market is included in this plan—guaranteed comfort and satisfaction. Cost? Forty million gold soul coins."
"Great, I'll take th—wait, WHAT?" Zhongli Wu's eyes widened. "Say that again? Forty million gold soul coins?! You're charging us?!"
"Business is tough these days, Sect Master," Xu Cheng said with a pained expression. "The construction crews are from the Ministry of Works. Each of them is a soul engineer, with the strongest being a Soul Douluo! Can't expect them to do this for charity, can we?"
"If you want quality service, naturally you'll have to…"
"Stop, stop!"
Zhongli Wu's teeth were nearly cracking.
He stared at Xu Cheng, took a deep breath.
"Lower the price! Ten million!"
"This... that's the raw cost, Sect Master. Thirty-five million is already the cost price," Xu Cheng said with a pained smile.
"Fifteen million! My final offer!" Zhongli Wu looked at the hopeful faces behind him and gritted his teeth. As a Sect Master, at the very least he needed a decent home base. Even if things looked bleak now, his pride couldn't take a hit!
"Tsk…" Xu Cheng clicked his tongue.
"Twenty million gold soul coins!" Zhongli Wu snarled.
"Deal!"
"Pay the deposit," Xu Cheng said cheerfully.
Seeing Xu Cheng's expression, Zhongli Wu immediately had a bad feeling—he'd overpaid!
But he didn't know the ins and outs of the business. No matter how much it hurt, he couldn't say no.
"Nangong Wan, pay the deposit!" he ordered.
Xu Cheng watched them go, having arranged for them to temporarily stay on Mingdu's outskirts. His smile never faded.
"Your Highness, aren't you being a bit harsh? They're our own people…" Nana asked in astonishment.
"Heh, I scam my own," Xu Cheng chuckled. "How much did the Ministry of Works quote for this?"
"The Ministry said standard lighting and heating soul tools are dirt cheap. Digging and excavation require no special skills. The only cost is the soul masters—guaranteed completion in half a month. Total cost: one and a half million gold soul coins," Juzi replied softly.
"Only one and a half million?" Xu Cheng raised a brow in surprise.
"Then with just thirty percent as a deposit, didn't the six million gold soul coins they just paid already cover the cost?"
"By rights, yes." Juzi's expression was tinged with emotion.
"All right then, distribute the full six million to the construction team; consider the rest a bonus." Xu Cheng waved his hand.
"As for the remaining payment, once the Holy Spirit Cult pays it, deposit it into the national treasury. We need money everywhere nowadays. Even though we've extorted thirty to forty billion gold soul coins from the old continent, building the Starlink railway really burns money. Just connecting Mingdu's interior and a few nearby towns has already cost over seven hundred million gold soul coins. And now, connecting the remaining twenty-some provinces... will probably take at least five billion."
"Save where we can," Xu Cheng clicked his tongue.
"It really is a money-eating beast."
"I never imagined such a powerful evil organization still exists on the continent today."
From the side, Bibi Dong stepped out slowly, her face veiled, her tone laced with mockery.
"If Spirit Hall hadn't been destroyed ten thousand years ago, how could it have tolerated the rise of so many so-called evil soul masters on the continent? Tang San fancies himself righteous, but the things he's done… all disgusting filth."
"Heh, that kind of talk is fine from Qian Renxue or Qian Daoliu, but you?" Xu Cheng smiled faintly.
"Why not? I was the Pope of Spirit Hall!" Bibi Dong's expression darkened with dissatisfaction.
"Search your soul—was your purpose to unify the continent, or to destroy Spirit Hall?"
"…" Bibi Dong's eyes suddenly narrowed, staring at Xu Cheng in disbelief.
"I'm not here to judge your past. Yes, you were a victim. But taking the pain others inflicted on you and magnifying it, unleashing it upon the entire continent like vengeance… That's just a lunatic. Stop painting yourself as something noble. It's nauseating." Xu Cheng said blandly.
"You—!"
A terrifying aura of slaughter erupted from Bibi Dong's body, her eyes blood-red as she glared at Xu Cheng.
Juzi and Nana's expressions hardened, and several members of the Fire Phoenix Division immediately stepped in front of Xu Cheng, soul rings flaring to enter combat mode.
These were elite veterans from the battlefield.
Following Huo Qing's orders, they were tasked with protecting Xu Cheng closely.
"Lies don't hurt. The truth is the sharpest blade."
Xu Cheng stared into Bibi Dong's eyes, his expression calm and unwavering.
"But daring to lay a hand on your master—now that's some nerve."
In the next instant—
Bibi Dong let out a shrill scream.
Half-kneeling on the ground, her body trembled violently.
The contract was similar to a master-servant bond, granting him full control over her.
Watching her writhing spirit consciousness wail in agony,
Xu Cheng's face remained indifferent, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes.
He had no interest in a "pet-raising" game. And someone like Bibi Dong—a mad dog—was basically impossible to tame. Maybe it'd be best to just wipe her mind clean and "reboot" her...
But after a moment's thought, he decided to wait until the final divine artifact fragment was assembled and her consciousness reached its peak form.
After all, she still had to be the one to fuse it herself.
A blank, malleable soul was more useful.
"There won't be a next time."
Xu Cheng said coolly.
Then turned and walked away.
The battered divine consciousness on the ground was pulled back into the mental sea, but her eyes still blazed with murderous fury and hatred.
"Xu Cheng… Ahhh! You dare to humiliate a god like this?! I'll kill you!"
Perhaps she could pretend before.
But now that he'd truly stepped on her bottom line, the killing intent could no longer be hidden.
And that… was exactly why Xu Cheng changed his mind.
Everyone knows: if you want to train a dog, you have to push its limits—then correct it.
If not, you'll one day be bitten without warning. A puppy might be easy to subdue, but a full-grown beast… could rip its master to shreds.
So this was only step one.
Faced with Bibi Dong's reaction, he had completely lost the interest.
This was a rabid hound. She looked obedient, but was secretly lying in wait. Leaving a ticking time bomb like her nearby—too risky.
"So, you've made up your mind?"
Within the mental sea,
Electrolux smiled gently.
"Teacher… I was too overconfident." Xu Cheng sighed helplessly.
"No matter. I'll back you up. Do what you need to do," Electrolux chuckled. "Once she gathers that final divine artifact shard, I'll help you completely purify her. After all, she was once a god—with many tricks up her sleeve. If left unchecked, she might become quite the headache."
"Alright! Then next step…"
Xu Cheng drew in a deep breath.
"Let's level up as fast as possible."
Before heading to the Extreme North, he needed to purify this shard and create at least one entity with Limit Douluo-level strength—that was the only bargaining chip he had to negotiate with his enemies.
Of course, there was also his own strength.
And with his mecha, that would make two Limit Douluo-level combatants.
In the treacherous depths of the sea, that should be enough to survive.
As Xu Cheng sighed, Tianmeng and the Ice Empress could only respond with: "…"