Let's do it! After a brief discussion, Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor decided to act. Ghost Emperor directly contacted the Phoenix Group through a soul communicator—only this way could they maximize their leverage over Leng Yulai. They demanded that Leng Yulai hand over the method that had allowed her cultivation to surge, or else they would expose her identity as a Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Are you threatening me?" Leng Yulai showed no trace of fear in her tone.
"This isn't a threat—it's the duty you should fulfill as a Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult. How about this: as long as you tell me the secret behind your rapid cultivation progress, from now on, you'll have nothing more to do with the Holy Spirit Cult. No one will ever know that you were a member or that you're an evil soul master. How about that?" Ghost Emperor's voice was filled with temptation. "I know—after your spiritual power broke into the Divine Origin Realm, you must've had many realizations. You surely no longer want to remain in the Holy Spirit Cult. But the Holy Spirit Cult isn't a place you can leave at will. Your sister has treated you so well—surely you no longer resent her. But have you considered this: if your sister knew all the things you've done, wouldn't your relationship crumble instantly? I'm sure you don't want that. Just give me the method behind your cultivation breakthrough, and I can guarantee no one will ever know you were a Heavenly King. Isn't that a fair deal?"
"My sister?" Leng Yulai chuckled. Leng Yaozhu had long known she was a Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Besides, Leng Yaozhu had even accepted Xia Yi—who was the husband of the Cult's leader. Couldn't she accept her own sister, a Heavenly King?
"I know what you want. But threatening me? You've got the wrong target." Leng Yulai sneered. "Ghost Emperor, listen up. If you want to become gods, I can make it happen for you. Right now, becoming gods isn't difficult for me or my sister. The reason we haven't ascended is because we're aiming to leap straight into a higher class of godhood. Considering our past cooperation, I can persuade my sister to grant you both an opportunity. But you must lead the Holy Spirit Cult in surrendering to her, and you must prove your loyalty."
Leng Yulai understood Leng Yaozhu well. In the past, Leng Yaozhu would never have accepted powerhouses from the Holy Spirit Cult.
But on the Abyss battlefield in the Endless Mountains, Leng Yaozhu had personally witnessed the strength of soul beasts.
Although Xia Yi had helped mediate, this was ultimately a matter between two species.
Leng Yulai knew the urgency weighing on Leng Yaozhu's heart. She was surely desperate to close the gap between humans and soul beasts.
As long as Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor could be controlled, Leng Yaozhu might just accept them.
And after creating her own God Realm, she could even grant them divine positions.
Xia Yi also sensed the crisis in Leng Yaozhu's heart. That was why when the topic of the Holy Spirit Cult came up, he had said: whether to kill or to accept, it was up to her.
As long as she could keep things under control—whether righteous or evil—he wouldn't oppose her nurturing human powerhouses.
"Surrender to your sister? Ha! Are you joking?" Ghost Emperor scoffed. He wasn't going to throw away his pride just because of a few sweet words. The allure of godhood was great, but as someone who had cultivated to the level of a quasi-god, he had his own pride.
More importantly, surrendering to Leng Yaozhu? Who knew if she'd use the opportunity to wipe them out completely?
After all, the Holy Spirit Cult's reputation was notorious. They had even dragged Leng Yulai into their ranks.
Leng Yaozhu had probably long dreamed of tearing them to pieces. Surrendering to her would be walking into a trap.
"Do as you wish. I've made my offer. Whether you accept or not is your choice." Leng Yulai's voice was calm. She ended the soul communication without hesitation. She truly didn't care what Ghost Emperor thought.
Once they finished dealing with the issue of soul beasts in the Spirit Transmission Tower, Leng Yaozhu would probably take action against the Holy Spirit Cult.
As long as the Demon Emperor—who had also comprehended the River Diagram and Luo Shu—didn't interfere, Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor were no threat to the sisters.
At that point, surrender wouldn't be up to Ghost Emperor anymore.
"How dare that little Heavenly King speak to me like that!" Ghost Emperor's face turned pitch-black. He really wanted to do as Qian Gu Dongfeng had suggested—expose Leng Yulai's identity as a Heavenly King of the Holy Spirit Cult.
But Leng Yulai was a mole the Demon Emperor had placed beside Leng Yaozhu. If he exposed her identity without the Demon Emperor's consent, it could lead to a complete fallout.
No matter what, he had to consult the Demon Emperor first.
Even though Leng Yulai refused to give them the method to rapidly improve cultivation, maybe—just maybe—the Demon Emperor would be willing to share it with them?
Ghost Emperor and Nether Emperor still held onto a sliver of hope.
…
"I'm busy right now. I'll come to you later and give you what you want."
In Heaven Dou City, after hanging up on Ghost Emperor, the Demon Emperor concealed her presence and appeared at Xia Yi's side.
"It's all your fault. If it weren't for you, my Holy Spirit Cult wouldn't be falling apart like this," she said faintly.
"Hey, now that's unfair. How is this my fault? I only ran off with one Cult Leader and one Heavenly King," Xia Yi replied shamelessly.
"By the way, aren't you worried about Leng Yulai's identity being exposed?" the Demon Emperor asked.
Even if she could delay the Holy Spirit Cult, don't forget—Qian Gu Dongfeng still existed.
He had some evidence proving Leng Yulai was once an evil soul master.
"That's a small matter. Zhu'er and Yulai can handle it. What we need to focus on now is retrieving the soul beasts and soul spirits from the Spirit Pagoda. Once we start, we can't stop. If we falter because of a small bump, countless more bumps will appear the next time we try. We must show everyone our determination. Only then will they stop their pointless scheming." Xia Yi's voice was low. He fully understood the importance of striking while the iron was hot.
He knew clearly: what they were doing was shaking the foundation of soul master cultivation. Even with Di Tian at his side, they were bound to face resistance.
But no matter the obstacle, he would not retreat.
Tianyu City was a small city and posed no threat.
Their first real resistance lay in Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou wasn't like Tianyu. Its Spirit Pagoda branch was one of the strongest in the land.
The tower had one Tower Master, two Vice-Tower Masters, and four Spirit Messengers. Among them, one Vice-Tower Master and one Spirit Messenger were stationed at the main tower.
The remaining Vice-Tower Master and three Spirit Messengers oversaw the most powerful branches.
Heaven Dou City, Mingdu, and Xingluo City—the three top cities on the Douluo Continent—were each overseen by a Spirit Messenger.
The Spirit Pagoda branch in Xingluo City—once the capital of the Star Luo Empire—was managed by the Vice-Tower Master (excluding Leng Yaozhu), who oversaw all branches in the Eight King Domains, wielding authority far greater than the other Spirit Messengers.
In Heaven Dou City, the branch was in chaos.
"Tower Master, Xia Yi and his group have entered the city. The Main Tower Master and the Heaven Dou City Governor have contacted us repeatedly. They demand we do everything possible to stop Xia Yi and the Phoenix Douluo," someone reported.
"Mo Wu, the Heaven Dou Governor—does he represent the Federation?" Li Qingyue asked coldly.
"He claims he represents the Heaven Dou government. They're willing to cooperate with all our actions," her secretary said.
"Represent the Heaven Dou government?" Li Qingyue clenched her jaw. "What good is that? They have no army. The city's strongest Mecha Battalion only has one red mecha. The Main Tower won't send reinforcements, and neither will the Federal government. They just give orders. What are we supposed to use to stop Di Tian?"
"Tower Master, maybe we should activate the Soul Tool Linked Defense Formation? With the tower's defense system and our strong personnel, even Di Tian won't break through easily," the secretary suggested.
In the eyes of most tower leaders, the soul beasts and spirits inside the tower belonged to them. They weren't going to just hand them over to Xia Yi.
"If all else fails, that's our only option. Let's hope reinforcements arrive from the Federation or Main Tower," Li Qingyue said helplessly.
Heaven Dou's tower defenses had been refined over ten thousand years. Even if Di Tian attacked, it wouldn't fall easily.
She hadn't hidden the soul spirits like Tianyu's Tower Master had. The Heaven Dou branch was far too important—hiding a few spirits would be pointless.
What they needed to do was hold out. They must not surrender publicly.
If they gave in, the other branches would fall in line too.
Soon, Xia Yi arrived at the Heaven Dou branch. Seeing the activated Soul Tool Linked Defense Formation, Di Tian's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
They were simply here to reclaim their soul beast kin—no talk of vengeance. Yet this mere branch dared resist?
Xia Yi gestured to Di Tian to hold back, then looked up at the tower and shouted, "Tower Master Li, I come on orders from the Vice-Tower Master. Please cooperate!"
"Hmph!" Li Qingyue was about to reply when she suddenly felt the defense formation shutting down.
"What's going on?" she shot up from her seat.
Right after Xia Yi spoke, the defense formation had shut down. To an outsider, it looked like she was cooperating with him.
"Tower Master, bad news! Someone shut down all core nodes of the defense formation—from the inside!" her secretary rushed in, flustered.
"What?!" Li Qingyue's face changed instantly. For someone to shut the core systems down under her nose—without her noticing—that would take more than a Limit Douluo.
(End of Chapter)