Inside Huo Yuhao's dormitory, Wang Dong'er sat listlessly on the edge of the bed, waiting for the others to return. Since she couldn't help with recruiting Xuan Ziwen, she'd grown thoroughly bored.
Just as her impatience began to mount—
Creak…
The door opened, and the three of them walked in.
Wang Dong'er nearly leapt off the bed in excitement. "You're back! Is everything settled?"
Chen Junting couldn't hide the smile on his face.
"Teacher Xuan's side is all taken care of."
"Teacher Xuan's side is fine"?
Then… that meant other things weren't fine!
With half the holiday already gone, Wang Dong'er—who had been hoping to take Huo Yuhao home this trip—had grown unusually sharp. From that single phrase, she instantly sensed deeper implications.
But what Chen Junting said next silenced her completely. She sat up straight, expression turning serious.
"Yuhao," Chen Junting said, tone grave, "tell me more about the 'Holy Emperor' of the Holy Spirit Cult."
"The Holy Emperor?" Huo Yuhao blinked in surprise, then quickly organized everything he knew about the figure. The more he focused on the Holy Emperor, the more previously overlooked details surfaced.
As Huo Yuhao spoke, Chen Junting grew increasingly uneasy—even Gu Tianchen noticed something was off.
"Lao Chen, this Holy Emperor…" Gu Tianchen began—
—but Chen Junting cut him off.
He turned back to Huo Yuhao. "After you eliminated that branch's evil soul masters, did the Nine Treasures Pavilion investigate the other suspected Holy Spirit Cult branches in Mingdu?"
Hearing this, Wang Dong'er's face twisted in deep disgust.
Before meeting Nana, she'd disliked the Sun Moon Empire—but never imagined they'd actually collude with evil soul masters.
Not only that—they'd allowed multiple sect branches to operate right in the capital!
One would've been bad enough!
She simply couldn't understand why the Sun Moon Empire would ally with the Holy Spirit Cult. Wasn't that the very definition of bargaining with a tiger?
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao confirmed: according to the Nine Treasures Pavilion's covert investigations, three locations in Mingdu showed highly suspicious personnel movements—strong indicators of Holy Spirit Cult activity.
After finishing, Huo Yuhao hesitated slightly.
Chen Junting noticed immediately.
"Out with it. Don't stand there looking like you've got something stuck in your throat."
"Brother Junting… are you really planning to storm their base?" Huo Yuhao asked worriedly.
After all, it had only been a year or two since their last raid on a Holy Spirit Cult sanctuary.
This time, it could easily be a den of dragons and tigers—maybe even guarded by a Title Douluo!
Attacking outright would be incredibly dangerous.
But before Chen Junting could reply—
"I'm going too!" Wang Dong'er blurted out, her earlier disgust instantly forgotten at the words "storm their base." She looked ready to jump up on the spot.
"Alright, alright—if there's a chance, I'll bring you along," Chen Junting said, his tone clearly placating.
Wang Dong'er pouted, slightly dissatisfied with his perfunctory response.
Ignoring her, Chen Junting paused thoughtfully, then answered Huo Yuhao's unspoken worry. "That's not quite accurate."
Just as Huo Yuhao began to relax—
Chen Junting added, "I'm going to investigate the Holy Emperor himself."
Investigate the Holy Emperor? Is that really necessary?
To Huo Yuhao, the "Holy Emperor" was just a myth—a fantasy the evil soul masters clung to, like their so-called "Holy Sons" and "Holy Daughters," which didn't even exist in reality.
But he kept that doubt to himself. He could tell Brother Junting had no intention of explaining further.
Soon after, Chen Junting took his leave.
Only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er remained in the dorm.
Huo Yuhao scratched his head awkwardly—then, struck by inspiration: "Dong'er… how about I take you to stroll through Mingdu tonight?"
…
"The more I think about it, this 'Holy Emperor' feels eerily like a deity," Gu Tianchen said the moment they returned to their room at the Nine Treasures Pavilion.
Chen Junting didn't even look up. "Go on."
"Fanatical devotion, of course!" Gu Tianchen said, as if it were obvious. "Listening to Yuhao's description, I'd bet even real divine believers aren't that zealous!"
"You're right," Chen Junting murmured. His brow remained furrowed—because Gu Tianchen's suspicion mirrored his own.
Though the "Holy Emperor" was a fabrication in the original timeline, array markings had now appeared in places like the Starfall and Starlight Forests. Who knew what this so-called "Holy Emperor" might truly be?
Besides, Chen Junting's path to godhood was already set. To ascend to a 1st-Class God—or even God King—he'd inevitably have to confront the Holy Spirit Cult.
At the very least, evil soul master sects could not be allowed to exist.
Therefore, whether this "Holy Emperor" was real or not mattered greatly.
After all—know your enemy, and you'll win every battle.
After a long silence, Chen Junting spoke softly:
"We'll find out soon enough—by going ourselves."
Gu Tianchen naturally had no objections. "When do we move?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a bone-chilling killing intent, thick as ice, spilled into the room—emanating from Chen Junting's faint smile.
"Of course… on a moonless, windless night perfect for killing."
Soon, night fell.
As if heaven itself conspired with them, a dense fog rolled in—blanketing the sky, swallowing the moonlight, and shrouding Mingdu in absolute silence.
At midnight, the city's myriad lights dimmed one by one.
From within the Nine Treasures Pavilion, two figures emerged—then vanished into the stillness, heading toward a distant point.
But mere seconds later, the space before them warped. As they stepped through, their forms disappeared without a trace.
When the spatial gate reopened, Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen stood in a dimly lit alley.
"This is as precise as I can get," Gu Tianchen said, scanning the surroundings before locking onto a black-walled courtyard not far ahead.
Chen Junting nodded in understanding. "I'll handle the next part. Keep watch."
His Eye of Fate slowly opened. Using his third eye as a conduit, his spiritual power rippled outward, probing toward the dark courtyard.
But the instant his spiritual energy touched the compound—his brow furrowed deeply.
"Nothing detected?" Gu Tianchen asked, seeing the Eye close.
They'd expected as much. "Yuhao's last raid clearly put them on high alert. Every Holy Spirit Cult branch in Mingdu probably has soul-engineered devices that block spiritual sensing now."
"So… do we charge in?" Gu Tianchen turned to Chen Junting.
"We charge in."
Chen Junting's toe tapped the ground lightly. His body rose like a falling autumn leaf—graceful, silent—as he landed atop the rooftop.
Gu Tianchen followed effortlessly, warping through space to join him.
They observed the guards at the gate—but made no move to attack, unwilling to alert the rest prematurely.
Once they'd mapped the courtyard's layout, Gu Tianchen fixed their target location and opened a spatial gate, transporting both of them directly inside.
In front of the central building, two white-robed figures in hoods stood guard.
Suddenly—two hands shot down from above!
Faster than lightning, each clamped around a guard's throat—and twisted.
Before either could react—
Crack—!
Their necks snapped violently. They collapsed, eyes wide in death, never seeing their killers.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)