After half a month of campaigning and bloodshed, a murderous aura had inevitably begun to cling to Yun Ming and his companions.
In these two weeks, they had eliminated sixteen high-ranking officials from various Martial Soul Hall sub-halls, and including the resistance they faced, at least two hundred people had died by their hands.
Among these people were those who were tyrannical and lawless, those who extorted and plundered, and others who bullied men and women, harboring a particular obsession with married women. Seeing the resentment and fear the residents of these cities held toward Martial Soul Hall, Ya Li felt deeply guilty.
Seeing the expression on Ya Li's face, Yun Ming knew she was still overthinking things, so he spoke up to comfort her.
"This is not your fault; you have already done very well."
Hearing the comfort from her beloved, Ya Li shook her head and said.
"I know, I just feel that I haven't done enough."
After the events of these past few days, she had suddenly developed a different perspective on seizing power; she wanted to bring about some positive changes to this era, rather than just preventing Yun Ming from causing turmoil within Martial Soul Hall.
Hearing Ya Li's words, Yun Ming was not surprised, because this was simply who Ya Li was.
"We have arrived, Martial Soul City!" Yang Wudi said in a low voice, looking at the massive city gate ahead.
Yang Wudi had never expected that he would one day set foot in Martial Soul City.
Seeing this, Ya Li and Yun Ming spurred their horses forward. The officers guarding the gate and the other soldiers, upon seeing Ya Li, hurriedly bowed in salute.
"Subordinates greet the Saintess." xN
Ya Li spoke up.
"No need for formalities, everyone please rise."
Following that, the group entered Martial Soul City with Ya Li.
Not long after entering the city, a figure appeared from afar and arrived before Ya Li and Yun Ming in an instant, bowing to pay respects.
"Subordinate greets Miss, greets Young Master Yun."
Seeing that this person recognized him, Yun Ming asked.
"Who are you?"
The man replied.
"This subordinate is directly under the Grand Offerings, and on the orders of the Worship Hall, I have come specifically to deliver a message to the Young Master and Miss."
Hearing that it was someone from Qian Daoliu's side, Yun Ming and Ya Li exchanged a glance. Yun Ming released a Soul Power Shield to block out sound, and Ya Li asked.
"Go ahead."
The Messenger replied.
"The Grand Offerings says that regarding Star Luo, the Young Master and Miss need not go; Pope Your Majesty has already dealt with all the relevant personnel, and their heads have already been sent to the Worship Hall by the Pope."
'Hmm?!!'
Ya Li didn't quite understand Bibi Dong's intentions; what was she playing at? Yun Ming, however, was lost in thought, but since the people were already dead, there was no point in dwelling on it.
Yun Ming continued to ask.
"Anything else?"
The Messenger replied respectfully.
"The only target left on the list is the Hall of Papal Knights Captain, Gu Li, and Gu Li is currently in Death Canyon."
Hearing that Gu Li had run to Death Canyon, Yun Ming and Ya Li frowned slightly. What kind of place was Death Canyon? It was a Great Evil Land filled with poisonous creatures where all life was extinguished. In the original timeline, after the Martial Soul Hall Team suffered a defeat, Xie Yue and Yan were thrown there to undergo a life-or-death trial.
Ya Li asked.
"How did he get out of Martial Soul City? Did Bibi Dong help him?"
The moment Gu Li was placed on the list, he had been targeted by Old An; he shouldn't have been able to escape. She couldn't think of anyone else besides Bibi Dong.
"The Grand Offerings said that Ghost Douluo helped," the Messenger replied.
That was enough; it was definitely Bibi Dong.
After clarifying the situation, Ya Li asked him to relay a message.
"We understand, please thank the teacher for us."
The Messenger acknowledged and withdrew.
Afterward, the two informed the members of the Breaking Clan and the Defense Clan of the news. When they learned that the people in Star Luo had already been dealt with, they realized that the hatred of the four clans had finally reached its end. A group of burly, broad-shouldered men couldn't stop themselves from weeping; the end of fourteen years of hatred brought them the pleasure of revenge, but at the same time, they felt a sense of emptiness and void in their hearts.
Of course, the true enemy had not been completely wiped out—there was still the mastermind, Bibi Dong—but Yun Ming no longer intended to tell them about this. Bibi Dong was too strong; she was not someone they could challenge with mere numbers. Yun Ming would handle it later; let the hatred of the four clans end here!
Their commotion was a bit loud, drawing frequent glances from pedestrians on the street. Fortunately, Ya Li was there, otherwise, they would have definitely been arrested by the security forces of Martial Soul Hall.
Yun Ming later informed Yang Wudi and the others that Gu Li was in Death Canyon. After Ya Li explained the dangers of Death Canyon, the group decided that Yun Ming, Ya Li, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao would enter the canyon to find him, while Yang Wutian would take the others to settle down in Martial Soul City and wait for them to return together.
Death Canyon was not far from Martial Soul City, located just over two hundred miles to the north. Yun Ming's group arrived there very quickly.
The bottom of the canyon was deep and dark, as if it could swallow all sound, making one feel the absence of nature's vitality.
The jungle in the canyon was shrouded in thick fog, eerie and terrifying, chilling one to the bone. Withered trees and vines were intertwined, as if they wanted to drag the entire world into the abyss. The occasional roar of beasts and the hissing of snakes and insects made the atmosphere here even more tense and horrifying.
Deep in the jungle, on a winding path, Yun Ming and the others moved forward slowly. Heavy rain had fallen here recently, making the road muddy and treacherous; they had to be careful to avoid sinking into deep mire. Beyond the difficult terrain, the most dangerous thing here was the poison. There were swarms of poisonous snakes and insects that were hard to find elsewhere, and the air was filled with a faint, fishy sweetness—the smell of miasma mixed with toxic gas.
It was fortunate that everyone in Yun Ming's group was strong, and the Breaking Clan were experts in using and neutralizing poisons, otherwise, it might have been quite troublesome. Yes, at most it would just be troublesome; after all, this place was something even Xie Yue and Yan could clear, so it was unrealistic to think it could pose a life-threatening danger to them. Gu Li choosing this place was mainly because he didn't want others to get in his way.
Relying on their formidable strength, Yun Ming and his companions pressed forward, searching as they went. Under the pressure of Yang Wudi's Soul Douluo aura, no Soul Beast dared to approach, save for a few venomous snakes and insects driven by instinct. Even those were kept at bay by the Insect Repellent Sachet, a secret concoction of the Breaking Clan that the group carried, making their journey surprisingly quiet.
After traveling straight for over an hour, Yun Ming and his group reached the depths of the canyon, finally discovering the man at the entrance of a cavern.
It would be more accurate to say that it felt as though he had been waiting for them.
After all these years, seeing that face he could never forget, Yang Wudi's Soul Power began to surge uncontrollably. Through gritted teeth, Yang Wudi spat out.
"Gu Li, you certainly made us search long and hard for you!"
Clad in golden armor with a calm expression, Gu Li glanced at Yang Wudi before turning his gaze toward Yun Ming, saying in a deep voice.
"I regret it. Back then, I was arrogant and careless, blinded by my high position, and failed to kill you all to nip the trouble in the bud."
"Otherwise, today's events would never have come to pass."
Yun Ming replied indifferently.
"Regret is the most useless of emotions. It seems that your outward calm was never enough to mask the weakness within."
Hearing Yun Ming's mockery, Gu Li's expression turned cold, but before he could retort, Ya Li spoke up.
"From the moment you decided to collude with Clifford and other vermin within the palace, abusing your power for personal gain, amassing wealth, cultivating your own faction, and purging those who opposed you, this day of reckoning was already sealed. Even without the events of the past, you would never have met a good end."
Hearing Ya Li's words, Gu Li cast a disdainful look at her.
"How truly naive! Your Highness Saintess, it is nothing more than the way of the world: the winner takes all, and the loser is the villain."
Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Wudi, having no desire to listen to any more of his nonsense, summoned his Soul Breaking Spear and lunged at Gu Li with a fierce Stab Technique.
"Enough talk, prepare to die!"
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader