Chapter 111: Aftermath

All students who graduated from Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, as well as those who left Mingde Hall or were still conducting research there, were, in some way, connected to Jing Hongchen. "Thank you, Dean." Huo Yuhao nodded, thinking to himself that Jing Hongchen was quite adept at handling affairs. Meanwhile, Na Na had already rushed off to see her parents' souls one last time, witnessing them finally dissipate into the heavens and earth. Only by seeing it with her own eyes could she truly be at peace. The other Holy Servants also emerged from their rooms, preparing to bid a final farewell to their departed family members. In truth, most Holy Servants had never committed any real crimes they were merely on the fringes of the Holy Spirit Cult, kept out of the loop regarding its inner workings. Take Na Na, for example. She was a Quasi Holy, someone one step away from becoming a true member of the cult. However, the cult's only requirement for her was to train diligently at the academy and seek their guidance in cultivation. Most Holy Servants had joined unwillingly, forced into service because their loved ones' souls were held hostage. For any normal person, such coercion was impossible to resist. A short while later, Na Na led the other Holy Servants to Huo Yuhao, then suddenly knelt before him. Their eyes were red and swollen, as if they had just cried their hearts out. "Master," Na Na spoke solemnly. "I've discussed it with the others. From today onwards, we are your loyal servants. You saved us from our suffering, and we swear to follow you for the rest of our lives." Huo Yuhao, hearing this, didn't refuse. He looked at them and declared, "From now on, you are my people. I will lead you to destroy the Holy Spirit Cult and eradicate this evil force." These individuals were orphans with nothing left to lose, and their loyalty had already been proven in the original timeline. Even when Ju Zi conquered all of Douluo except for the last city of Star Luo, these people never defected. "Thank you, Master!" Na Na and the others responded in unison. "Yuhao, I'll take you back now. Then I'll go see Elder Kong." Jing Hongchen said. "Alright." Huo Yuhao nodded. After Jing Hongchen escorted Huo Yuhao and his group back to the academy, he immediately brought the black robed elder to Kong Deming and interrogated him. Desperate to delay his execution, the black robed elder spilled everything he could. Beyond the crimes against Na Na's family and the manipulation of academy students, he also revealed other dark acts of the Holy Spirit Cult. For example, the cult had been sneaking into noble family tombs and even the imperial mausoleum to steal corpses for refining into corpse slaves. The logic was simple no one would ever open their ancestors' coffins just to check if the bodies were missing. Most high ranking nobles and past emperors had considerable strength in life, making their corpses invaluable for refinement. Additionally, for certain powerful Evil Soul Masters, infiltrating these tombs and mausoleums wasn't particularly difficult. Kong Deming's Fury Seated in his chair, Kong Deming's breathing grew heavy, his expression darkening. He had long known that the Holy Spirit Cult had no moral bottom line. But he had never imagined their depravity ran this deep. "Jing Hongchen, if it weren't for Yuhao, I would still be in the dark about this." Kong Deming admitted bitterly. He had always been focused on developing a Rank 10 Soul Tool, so he had never paid much attention to the Holy Spirit Cult's activities. Since this was Kong Deming, Jing Hongchen made no attempt to hide Huo Yuhao's involvement in destroying the cult's branch. "Elder Kong, what should we do now? The Holy Spirit Cult is growing stronger, and they even have an Ultimate Douluo among them..." Jing Hongchen expressed his concerns. Kong Deming's expression hardened. "I know they have an Ultimate Douluo. But we cannot remain silent about this! We must rip a piece of flesh from the Holy Spirit Cult. If we let this slide, they'll think that Sun Moon's Soul Engineers are weak and easy to bully!" His eyes flashed coldly. "Recently, I met Zhongli Wu, their leader. He told me he wants to become Imperial Advisor. That means if Xu Tianran ascends, the Holy Spirit Cult will become the empire's official religion. But if the Holy Spirit Cult has been committing such vile atrocities, then they must pay for it! If Xu Tianran wants to become emperor, he'd better get my approval first!" Jing Hongchen swallowed nervously. "Elder Kong... you mean...?" "I'll go speak to Xu Tianran. I want to see how he plans to handle this situation. I don't expect him to expel the Holy Spirit Cult, but if his response doesn't satisfy me, then I will take action." He narrowed his eyes. "The Sun Moon Empire has never lacked people who want the throne. But what the empire truly needs is a competent military leader." God Realm Thick divine energy swirled through the clouds, and atop the highest point of the God Realm, stood a majestic palace The God Realm Committee, the governing body ruling over all gods. Its duty was simple to judge gods, manage divine affairs, and maintain order. At this moment, Tang San sat at a round table, facing the four Divine Kings. Among them, he, the Goddess of Life, and the God of Destruction were the most significant figures. Not only were they Divine Kings, but they also served as Enforcers of the God Realm. In Tang San's view, however, he still wasn't strong enough to challenge the God of Destruction. After all, his time as a god was still relatively short. If he had twenty more years, he felt he could finally rival Destruction. For reference one day in the God Realm equaled one year in the lower world. So if twenty years passed in the God Realm, ten thousand years would pass below. "Sea God." The God of Destruction gazed at Tang San. "I think your proposal to host the God Realm's First Ever Hidden Weapon Assembly Tournament is utterly pointless. Hidden weapons are fine for mortals to play with. But for gods, they're completely useless." Just moments ago, Tang San had proposed a competition in the God Realm A contest focused on assembling hidden weapons, aimed at refining the artistic sense of gods and enriching their divine lives. In Tang San's mind, this would rekindle the glory of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons and spread their influence throughout the God Realm. Hearing this, Tang San's expression soured. The God of Destruction was always the most difficult one during meetings. If not for the fact that he was cautious of Destruction's strength, Tang San would have already dealt with him. But since he had worked hard to build his "righteous" image, he maintained his composure. Instead, he responded warmly "God of Destruction, I believe Tang Sect Hidden Weapons have great value. You know, I invented them, and they brought me great glory on Douluo Continent. I understand that the gods lack knowledge about them. Only by hosting this tournament can they appreciate the beauty of hidden weapons. Besides, they're often bored in the God Realm. I'm sure many would participate and make the divine atmosphere more lively." Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon. Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1