Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

Chapter 301 My Years as an Undercover Agent in the Holy Spirit Cult (Part 13)

A moment later, the soul tool lit up with a soft blue light.

"Your Excellency, the Evil Emperor, I have long admired you," Xu Tianran's voice rang out.

Zhongli Wu stated the Evil Emperor's conditions.

"You already know my conditions, so just give me the result." The Evil Emperor waved his hand impatiently, looking like a nouveau riche eager to close a deal.

Xu Tianran was silent for a moment. "If things go well, the Jingyang Mountains will belong to the Demon Forest. The Sun Moon Empire will not interfere."

"readily!"

"Let me give you another piece of information." The Evil Emperor suddenly lowered his voice, as if sharing some top-secret information. "Di Tian told me that, considering the long-term development of the soul beasts, he plans to make a deal with your Emperor Xu Mu regarding the Sun and Moon Mountains. The Starry Sky Mountain and the Demonic Mountain will each own half of them. The time is set after this Soul Master Competition."

He paused:

"He said he would come to Mingdu in person to meet Xu Mu. So—our plans will probably have to be moved up."

Xu Tianran remained silent for a long time on the other end of the communication line.

Only after the blue light on the soul tool began to fluctuate slightly did his deep, cold voice finally rang out:

"...Perfect. Let's wipe them all out in one fell swoop."

A glint of fanaticism flashed in Zhongli Wu's eyes, and his fist slowly clenched.

He thought to himself: It seems it's time to use that place. First, trap the Beast God, then we'll figure out what to do next. No matter how strong Di Tian is, even if he enters there, he might not be able to escape unscathed!

"I await your news." The Evil Emperor stood up, his humanoid figure flashed, and he drifted away.

As he stepped out of the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters, the "greed" and "eagerness" on the Evil Emperor's face vanished instantly.

He looked up at the sky, a sly glint in his eyes, and a barely suppressed smile played on his lips.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament officially kicked off in Mingdu.

Flags fluttered outside the stadium, and the crowd was bustling with noise.

Prodigies from all over the continent gathered here, and the air was filled with the restlessness of passion and soul power.

Beneath this bustling and noisy surface, undercurrents surged, and spies from various factions had already infiltrated every corner of Mingdu.

Hidden in the audience, Zhang Peng outwardly observed the competition calmly, but only one thought kept replaying in his mind—

Soon, soon.

The competition progressed even faster than he had anticipated. The knockout stage saw a rapid advance, while the round-robin stage featured intense matches between top teams.

Until this day, the Spirit Pagoda team faced off against the Mingyu Sect.

This match completely changed Zhang Peng's expression.

Among the contestants from Mingyuzong were a brother and sister pair—Cain and Ade.

Zhang Peng sat in the audience, his back suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat.

This is perfect...it's absolutely perfect for being an evil spirit master.

The martial spirit talents of these two children seem to be tailor-made for the path of evil spirit masters.

Normally, he would at most sigh with regret.

But now, at this critical juncture when the Holy Spirit Cult and Xu Tianran are about to launch a siege, the siblings' talent is a death warrant.

That old bastard Zhongli Wu will never let them go.

Once the head sect learns that Mingyu Sect has such geniuses, they will definitely spare no effort to recruit them into the sect, or directly kidnap and brainwash them.

At that point, the siblings will either become soulless killing machines or mere skeletons in a pool of blood. They won't even have a chance to resist.

Zhang Peng's fingers slowly tightened, gripping the armrests of the seat until his knuckles turned white.

No. I have to be the one to contact them.

He made a decision in an instant. If he let other members of the Holy Spirit Church recruit them, they would act swiftly and decisively, using coercion and enticement, leaving the siblings no room to struggle.

But if it were Zhang Peng going... he could: take it slow, "build trust first", "test sincerity", or delay.

As long as the recruitment process is dragged out until the end of the Soul Master Competition, when the situation is in chaos, who will care about the two juniors of Mingyu Sect?

That evening, at the temporary residence of the Holy Spirit Sect.

"Master, regarding the Mingyu Sect..." Zhang Peng took the initiative to find Zhongli Wu, his face showing just the right amount of "greed" and "enthusiasm". "I have observed that the siblings Cain and Ade are exceptionally talented, and their martial soul attributes are extremely compatible with our sect."

"I am willing to volunteer to recruit Mingyuzong into our Holy Spirit Cult. Leave this matter to me."

Zhongli Wu glanced at him, seemingly surprised, but then a satisfied expression appeared on his face: "Good. Zhang Peng, you certainly haven't disappointed me. Remember, be quick. I want to see the results before the competition ends."

"Understood, sir." Zhang Peng bowed respectfully, but a slight smile played at the corners of his lips in the shadows.

quick?

No, quite the opposite. I want to go slow, so slow that none of you can afford to wait.

Kid, hang in there for a few more days. When the storm comes, it will all be over.

Finally, the All-Continent Elite Soul Master Tournament came to a close.

On the night of the final, fireworks lit up the sky above Mingdu, and tens of thousands cheered.

However, beneath this bustling and noisy facade, the blade in the shadows has already been drawn.

Late at night after the final, a secret order from the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters reached Zhang Peng.

"Scorpion Tiger, along with Abomination Douluo and Masked Douluo, and a group of followers, will attack Mingde Hall tonight." Zhongli Wu's voice was cold and resolute. "It would be best—to blow up the entire Mingde Hall."

Zhang Peng accepted the secret order with a blank expression, but his heart was in turmoil.

finally come.

Zhongli Wu watched his departing figure, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his lips. He whispered to his trusted aide beside him, "Since we have a partnership with Crown Prince Xu Tianran, we should 'share his burdens.' Jing Hongchen and his gang are part of Emperor Xu Mu's faction. If we kill them for him, it will save him trouble."

That sounds nice.

Zhang Peng walked in the dark alley leading to Mingde Hall. The night wind blew into his collar, and he sneered.

Convenience? You, Zhongliwu, would love to make things as big as possible! The more people die, the fuller the pool of souls becomes, and the deeper your Holy Spirit Cult's foundation grows. What cooperation, what sharing of burdens—it's all just a fig leaf to cover up the harvesting of souls!

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Peng's eyes. His mission was to betray Hatred and Mask at the crucial moment, dismantle the attacking team from within, and buy Mingde Hall a chance to breathe.

As for himself?

After tonight, regardless of success or failure, his undercover identity will be completely exposed. But he no longer cares.

The competition has ended.

And he, Zhang Peng—

It's time to put an end to this.

The night grew deeper. From the direction of Mingde Hall, the faint glow of soul-guided devices could be seen flickering.

Zhang Peng quickened his pace, his black robe fluttering in the wind.