"Who are you?"
Ye Guyi tightened her grip on her longsword, repeating the question.
"No need to be tense—we mean no harm," the white-clad figure said with a helpless smile, stepping forward to calm her. Under the dim light, his face became clear—it was none other than Chen Junting.
The black-clad figure beside him needed no introduction—undoubtedly Gu Tianchen.
"No ill intent?" Ye Guyi raised an eyebrow. "Two grown men cornering a lone woman in a dark alley? That sounds more like the work of perverts than peacekeepers."
She could tell they weren't hostile—but their method of approach was undeniably rude.
So why not call them out on it?
Besides, she could be mistaken for someone else—after all, wasn't one of them already speechless?
Her gaze shifted to Gu Tianchen, who looked like he wanted to speak but kept stopping himself. Her intuition told her the sudden appearance before her was his doing.
But clearly, the one in charge was…
The moment Ye Guyi's full attention landed on Chen Junting, he held out a wooden box with a gentle smile. "Blocking you, Miss Ye, was unavoidable. Given your temperament, a normal invitation would've been useless. And the Common Alliance is far too crowded—not ideal for a private conversation."
"…"
Ye Guyi responded with silence.
For some reason, this man seemed to understand her perfectly.
She'd lived alone her whole life, drifting through hardship. Her sole vow: to purge every evil soul master from this world. To her, social niceties like "invitations" were meaningless distractions—utterly beneath her notice.
Even with the Common Alliance, she had sought them out for cooperation.
Being invited? Never happened.
"This is our apology," Chen Junting said, offering the box.
Ye Guyi almost snapped "I don't want it!"—but when she saw what was inside, her defiance crumbled into silent acceptance.
To a soul engineer, an extremely rare metal was as irresistible as a perfectly matched soul bone.
This time, when the box was offered again, she took it without protest.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?"
She sheathed her sword—but kept her martial soul active, ready to strike if this was a trap.
"Let us introduce ourselves," Chen Junting said calmly. "I'm Chen Junting, and this is Gu Tianchen. We're from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect of Tianhun Empire."
To dispel her doubts, Gu Tianchen activated his martial soul right before her eyes—soul rings flaring as he slashed the air, tearing open a spatial gate.
From within stepped Ning Tian. In the next instant, nine-colored radiance swirled around her as she held aloft a nine-tiered Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm.
"We've come to sincerely invite you, Miss Ye, to join our sect," Ning Tian said warmly, her demeanor radiating genuine kindness.
Ye Guyi's expression turned odd.
Chen Junting then continued: "Do you even realize how many evil soul masters now infest Mingdu? They've formed an organized faction. If you reveal your sacred-attribute martial soul in the underground tournament, do you truly believe the Common Alliance can protect you?"
"Their organization isn't just large—it's filled with experts. Beyond their rumored Limit Douluo, they have no fewer than ten Title Douluos."
"And Sun Moon Empire colludes closely with them—you've likely noticed this yourself. But I'll tell you this: it's not just corrupt officials working with them. It's official policy—from the top down. Right now, Mingdu is a den of dragons and tigers for you."
Chen Junting spoke calmly, without urgency—but he held back crucial details.
The truth was, Mingdu posed both extreme danger and opportunity for Ye Guyi.
If the Holy Spirit Cult found her first? She'd die horribly.
But if Sun Moon discovered her first? They'd cultivate her fiercely.
After all, once Sun Moon subdued the Three Great Empires, they'd inevitably betray the Holy Spirit Cult.
A fully grown Ye Guyi—with her Six-Winged Angel evolution—would be a trump card!
And if Xu Tianran saw her beauty? She might even replace Ju Zi as empress consort. Though he was impotent, his lustful nature remained.
That's why Chen Junting chose to conceal this. He couldn't let a future powerhouse fall into enemy hands.
This was also Ning Tian and Gu Tianchen's shared view—they had to secure the sect's future.
Hearing this, Ye Guyi's brow furrowed deeply, disbelief flickering in her eyes.
Did she know evil soul masters were powerful?
Yes.
But she never imagined this level of dominance!
And Sun Moon's systemic collusion with them…
She gritted her teeth. She wouldn't blindly trust them—but her instincts told her this was no lie.
"How can I believe you?"
"You can verify it yourself," Chen Junting said, as if expecting this. He handed her a ticket. "This is for the round-robin stage of the main tournament. Go see for yourself how the Holy Spirit Church—the very organization of evil soul masters—openly competes and slaughters opponents. Also, pay attention to the black-robed State Preceptor beside Regent Prince Xu Tianran."
"He's an evil soul master too?!" Ye Guyi gasped.
Chen Junting glanced away, pretending not to notice her clenched fist. "He's no ordinary evil soul master. He's Zhongli Wu, Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult—a Level 98 Super Douluo. Sun Moon has even declared their Church the state religion."
"Dealing with devils!" Ye Guyi spat—then fell silent.
The three said nothing, waiting patiently.
Until…
"Do you know my origins?"
Before they could answer, Ye Guyi continued: "When I was young, my parents were killed by evil soul masters who discovered our Angel martial soul. Only I escaped. My hatred for them isn't just about my martial soul—it's for vengeance."
"But before he died, my father told me something: our ancestors didn't bear the surname 'Ye.' We were of the Qian Clan. The Angel martial soul has always belonged to one lineage—the Qians."
Her eyes burned as she stared at them. "The same Qian Clan of the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago. After the Spirit Empire's defeat, we went into hiding—never daring to join any faction from the original Douluo Continent."
"For the first few millennia, only a few branches preserved the Sacred Angel bloodline—the main line capable of evolving into the Six-Winged Angel. We've carried it for ten thousand years."
"So that's why you'd rather stay in Sun Moon than join the Three Great Empires?" Chen Junting finally understood her hesitation. But the moment she nodded, he shifted tone sharply: "You're overthinking it. Ten thousand years have passed—empires rose and fell, oceans turned to fields. Even if you evolve into a Six-Winged Angel, so what? The past is buried. Should ancestral grudges still poison the blood of descendants after ten millennia?"
Ye Guyi lowered her head, silent.
Was he right?
At the very least… it felt right.
She didn't want to live like this—constantly hiding from the powerful evil soul masters in Mingdu. Only her alliance with the Common Alliance had eased things slightly.
But it wasn't sustainable.
In the later stages of the underground tournament, she'd inevitably be exposed. Initially, unaware of the Holy Spirit Cult's true strength, she'd believed the Common Alliance could shield her.
Now?
Could they really protect her?
The answer was clear in her heart.
"I'll consider it."
"We'll await your reply."
Ning Tian produced a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect token and placed it gently in Ye Guyi's hand. "We'll remain here until the tournament ends. If you decide, use this token to contact us."
"And if you're in danger during the underground matches, reach out to your ally 'Haoyu' from the Common Alliance."
Ye Guyi's eyes widened—she knew Huo Yuhao's genius well.
"He's one of yours too?"
Ning Tian nodded. Then, under Chen Junting and Gu Tianchen's protection, she opened a spatial gate and vanished.
Leaving Ye Guyi alone, staring thoughtfully at the token in her palm…
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