Hearing Liu Yuan's words, everyone finally snapped out of their shock.
Looking at the canyon before them—once a bottomless abyss, now completely collapsed into a vast crater—their hearts were filled with more than awe. It was a subconscious submission to a power beyond their understanding.
Ye Guyi lowered her head slightly, concealing the turmoil in her eyes.
She had once believed she possessed a solid understanding of the Spirit Master system, but after witnessing a mountain being erased in an instant, she realized that Liu Yuan's method of battle had already transcended the boundaries of conventional spirit abilities.
After that, under Ye Guyi's guidance, Liu Yuan and his group moved nonstop, sweeping through several other strongholds scattered across the northwestern region of Bright Capital.
Years of evading pursuit had given Ye Guyi an intimate understanding of the Holy Spirit Cult's local deployments. She led the mobile squad through treacherous rocky terrain and poisonous, miasma-filled forests, accurately locating two more branches hidden deep within underground karst caves and abandoned mine shafts.
Liu Yuan once again showed no intention of allowing the Evil Soul Masters any chance to resist or beg for mercy.
At each stronghold, he descended directly above the altar and summoned Mega Rayquaza.
Amid swirling dark-red clouds and crackling lightning, the thousand-meter-long divine beast phantom needed only a single full-power Dynamax attack to pulverize the blood-soaked buildings and underground core formations into fine dust.
Before long, all the key Holy Spirit Cult branches near Bright Capital were completely wiped out.
The speed of the purge was terrifying. In less than six hours, the malignant tumor that had plagued the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family for years was physically erased by Liu Yuan.
The civilians imprisoned for sacrifice were rescued by the guards. Upon seeing the black-clad figure standing amid the ruins, they fell to their knees one after another, offering tearful thanks.
Liu Yuan stood at the edge of the final ruin, feeling the steady pulse of his soul core.
At that moment, the System's mechanical voice echoed once more within his Sea of Consciousness:
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the mission: Operation Scavenger]
[Successfully eliminated three major branches. Mission Evaluation: Perfect]
[Reward obtained — Escape Rope (Infinite Uses)]
Liu Yuan examined the newly acquired item.
[Item Name: Escape Rope]
[Item Description: Special consumable item (consumption waived; infinite use). Contains the Law of spatial traversal, allowing the Host to ignore all spatial locks and barriers to directly escape any dungeon or enclosed space.]
Looking at the ordinary rope emitting a faint white glow in his Sea of Consciousness, Liu Yuan's brow twitched slightly.
"An Escape Rope?" he muttered helplessly. "Seems a bit useless. With my current strength—and with the Snow Empress and Dynamax methods—there are very few places on the continent that could actually trap me."
Still, he quickly steadied himself.
"Though ignoring spatial locks might come in handy against formation experts… better than nothing."
Before he could exit the System interface, a red light flashed.
[Main Mission Updated: Destroy the Demon Nest]
[Objective: Completely purge and destroy the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters]
[Mission Reward: Random Kyogre spirit ring ×1 (guaranteed quality of 100,000 years or higher)]
Liu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
A dedicated spirit ring for Kyogre.
That was a genuinely valuable reward.
Although both were divine beasts, Primal Kyogre's current combat power still lagged far behind Mega Rayquaza. Strengthening it was clearly necessary.
"The Holy Spirit Cult headquarters… I was going to deal with them sooner or later anyway."
He lifted his gaze toward the faint glow of dawn on the horizon.
The night-long operation had ended. It was time to report and make further arrangements.
"Withdraw. Return to Bright Capital."
The order was issued, and the group immediately activated their flying spirit tools, turning into streaks of light that cut through the morning mist toward the Sun Moon Imperial City.
Upon arriving at the palace, Liu Yuan did not rest. Instead, carrying the evidence from the purge and bringing Ye Guyi along, he went straight to the Imperial Study.
Inside, the gravely ill Emperor showed a rare hint of color in his face—a morbid excitement born of imminent revenge.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen were also present, discussing reports on the frontline against Shrek and the Star Luo Empire.
The moment Liu Yuan entered, all three turned to him.
"Your Majesty," Liu Yuan said with a slight bow, "your servant has completed the mission."
He calmly reported the night's results.
"Three Holy Spirit Cult branch altars in the northwest of Bright Capital have been destroyed. Thirty-seven core Evil Soul Masters eliminated, hundreds of cultists reduced to ash, and over a thousand civilians rescued and handed over for resettlement."
His tone was steady, as if recounting something trivial.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes. They knew how formidable those branch altars were—operations that would normally take days even for a Soul Engineer Legion.
The Emperor slammed the armrest and laughed heartily. "Excellent! Duke Liu Yuan, you truly are my lucky star! These rats must be cleansed like this!"
Liu Yuan's expression remained calm. "Your Majesty, these branches are only the extremities. The Holy Spirit Cult dares act so boldly because their headquarters still stands. If it isn't eradicated, they will become a future disaster."
He continued decisively, "I propose mobilizing the elite forces of the Enshrinement Hall to coordinate with my Soul Engineer Legion for a direct strike on their headquarters."
The Emperor hesitated briefly and glanced at Kong Deming.
At that moment, Liu Yuan stepped aside, gesturing toward Ye Guyi.
"This is Ye Guyi, possessor of the Holy Angel Spirit. She has personally seen the precise location of the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters. Her Spirit naturally suppresses Evil Soul Masters and can greatly reduce search time."
Ye Guyi straightened and bowed deeply. "This commoner is willing to lead the way, asking only that Your Majesty avenge those slaughtered by the Evil Soul Masters."
The Emperor's hesitation vanished.
"Elder Kong, Hall Master Jing," he declared firmly, "assist Duke Liu Yuan. I want the Holy Spirit Cult erased entirely from the Sun Moon Empire!"
The two accepted the order in unison.
As Liu Yuan left the Imperial Study, basking in the rising sunlight, his thoughts turned toward the coming battle.
"That Kyogre spirit ring… I will obtain it."
He clenched his fist and turned to the Snow Empress and Ye Guyi behind him.
"Prepare yourselves. The real battle is about to begin."
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