Huo Yuhao finished listening to the words of Ghost, was silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"I understand," he said.
"I am currently training at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, and I will pay attention to further information regarding the Holy Spirit Cult."
Ghost nodded, then changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of jest.
"Having said that, have you really not considered joining our Holy Spirit Execution Department?"
He looked at Huo Yuhao, his eyes showing a touch of admiration.
"Your abilities are a great Sharp Weapon for killing Evil Soul Masters."
"I have to say, if you were to join our Holy Spirit Execution Department... there would be great potential."
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao smiled and shook his head.
"Senior Ghost is joking."
He politely declined.
"I am a member of the Body Sect, so I will not be joining anything else."
Ghost nodded, not forcing the issue further.
"Fine, everyone has their own aspirations."
He paused, preparing to say something more, when suddenly, the sound of light footsteps came from the courtyard entrance.
Huo Yuhao and Ghost turned their heads at the same time, their gazes directed toward the source of the sound.
They saw a figure walking quickly in from outside the courtyard gate.
It was a woman with wheat-colored skin, a slender figure, and long, dark red hair swaying slightly in the wind; it was Nana.
Nana walked into the courtyard, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings, and then she froze completely; there were three corpses lying on the ground, along with over a dozen Holy Servants dressed in white, their life or death unknown.
Now, only Huo Yuhao and Ghost were standing there, while the Scarred Man was kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.
Nana's pupils constricted sharply, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She had originally intended to return directly, but halfway there, she still couldn't set her mind at ease.
She knew that Ghost and Huo Yuhao might come to this place, as the Scarred Man was a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, and after capturing a member of the Holy Spirit Cult, the two were clearly wanting to further understand matters regarding the Holy Spirit Cult.
Originally, Nana hadn't intended to concern herself with such matters, but because it was rare to encounter two people like Huo Yuhao and Ghost who dared to act against the Holy Spirit Cult, and not wanting anything to happen to them, she had thought to intercept them before they arrived here to act.
After all, not all members of the Holy Spirit Cult branch had the strength of the Scarred Man.
This place... actually had a powerhouse at the Spirit Saint level guarding it.
But... Nana had never expected that when she rushed back, this would be the scene she would see.
Not only had the Great Holy Spirit and Second Holy Spirit, both powerhouses at the Spirit Emperor level, died, but even the Elder had died, and all in such a short amount of time.
Nana's legs went weak, and with a "thud," she knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling onto the ground drop by drop.
Huo Yuhao watched Nana in this state, his brows slightly furrowed.
And Nana suddenly raised her head, looking at Huo Yuhao and Ghost, her voice trembling slightly.
"Thank you... thank you both for acting to remove these scourges..."
Her tone was filled with gratitude.
"My... my parents' Souls have been imprisoned by this Holy Spirit Cult for many years..."
"Today... they have finally been liberated..."
Huo Yuhao watched Nana; he could feel the intense fluctuations in her mental state.
That sorrow, that gratitude... were not fake.
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Now that the Flag Bearer is dead, the Souls in the underground passage will soon dissipate."
"If you still wish to see your parents... take this opportunity now."
After using the method Electrolux had taught him, Huo Yuhao could clearly sense the Souls located in the underground passage.
Upon hearing this, Nana shuddered, stood up abruptly, and ran toward the direction of the black dome building.
There was a secret door leading underground, and Nana's figure disappeared into it.
Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and let it fall upon those white-clad people lying on the ground.
Those people had only been stunned by his Mental Shock and were not dead.
He recalled what Nana had just said: "My parents' Souls have been imprisoned by this Holy Spirit Cult for many years."
In Huo Yuhao's heart, a thought suddenly arose: these white-clad people were probably all being coerced, right?
Their relatives' Souls were imprisoned by the Holy Spirit Cult, so they had no choice but to work for them.
Huo Yuhao sighed slightly.
The Holy Spirit Cult... truly causes great harm.
However... when the Soul was mentioned, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but think of his own mother, his mother's Soul... he also really wanted to see his mother one more time, to properly say goodbye to her.
Not long after, Nana walked out of the black dome building; her eyes were red-rimmed, and tear stains remained on her face, but she looked much more relaxed.
Clearly, she had finished saying goodbye to her parents.
Nana walked up to Huo Yuhao and Ghost, took a deep breath, and then with a "thud," knelt down.
"Two benefactors."
Her voice carried a hint of solemnity.
"If you do not mind, please let me work for you."
"I will do anything, no matter the hardship."
"Liberating my parents, allowing their Souls to be freed... this kind of kindness is truly impossible to repay."
Huo Yuhao looked at her and shook his head.
"No need."
"Just go back to being a normal person."
Nana raised her head and looked at Huo Yuhao, her eyes full of complexity.
She didn't speak but turned her gaze toward Ghost.
"This benefactor, I want to join that organization of yours... I want to contribute to getting rid of the Evil Soul Masters in this world."
Nana paused.
Ghost heard this and chuckled.
"As expected, you already heard our previous conversation."
Nana lowered her head, a look of apology appearing on her face.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Ghost waved his hand, having no intention of pursuing the matter; he looked at Nana and asked.
"What is your Spirit?"
Nana raised her head and answered.
"Ghost."
A glint flashed in Ghost's eyes.
"Ghost?"
He repeated it, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Interesting."
He paused and continued.
"If you can pass the assessment of our academy, you can join the Holy Spirit Execution Department."
"However..."
Ghost changed the subject.
"You need to handle the affairs of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy first."
"We don't want to be accused of poaching."
Upon hearing this, a look of joy flashed in Nana's eyes, and she nodded quickly.
"Thank you!"
She took a deep breath, then raised her head to look at Ghost and Huo Yuhao, her tone becoming more solemn.
"There is one thing I want to tell you."
Huo Yuhao looked at her.
"What is it?"
Nana's gaze became cold, her voice carrying a hint of hatred.
"I hate the entire Sun Moon Empire."
"I have seen with my own eyes... an Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult entering and leaving Mingde Hall."
Huo Yuhao's brows furrowed slightly as Nana continued.
"The entire Sun Moon Empire is in collusion with the Holy Spirit Cult."
"The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy... is the same."
She paused, her voice tinged with bitterness.
"Those people from the Holy Spirit Cult sent me to this academy."
"I was able to enter and study directly without going through any assessment."
After hearing this, Huo Yuhao's gaze shifted slightly: the Sun Moon Empire... in collusion with the Holy Spirit Cult?
An Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult entering and leaving Mingde Hall?
Even... among the students of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, there are people planted by the Holy Spirit Cult?
Sure enough, otherwise, how could an Evil Soul Master organization dare to establish a branch in Radiant City? Were they trying to hide in plain sight?
The real truth was clearly that there were people with ulterior motives supporting the Holy Spirit Cult's actions.
Then... do Xiao Hongchen and the others know about these things?
----------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.