Douluo Continent: Who says evil soul masters can't achieve sainthood through merit?

Night completely enveloped Shrek City, but the city's prosperity did not diminish due to the darkness.

The streetlights cast a soft glow, shop signs shimmered in the night, and pedestrians continued to come and go—this ancient city, steeped in history, seemed never to truly fall asleep.

In the penthouse suite of the city's most upscale hotel, Ye Guyi had just finished showering, her wet blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.

She was wearing the silk pajamas provided by the hotel; the fabric was smooth and soft, but it made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It was so thin that the moonlight streamed in through the window, making it almost possible to see the outline of the body.

She dried her hair with a towel and walked to the window to look down at the city's night view.

In the distance, the outline of Shrek Academy was clearly visible under the moonlight. The academy, with its millennia-old heritage, resembled a lurking beast in the night, exuding an ancient and majestic aura.

"Shrek..."

She murmured to herself, a complex emotion flashing in her golden eyes.

The scene in the forest yesterday is still lingering in my mind.

The hostility between Bei Bei and Tang Ya, the arrogance of making judgments based solely on martial soul attributes, and the hidden evil power within Tang Ya.

She had originally thought that Shrek Academy, as the leader of the righteous faction, should have disciples who could distinguish right from wrong, but now it seemed that this was not the case.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

Ye Guyi was taken aback at first, then walked to the door and looked out through the peephole—it was Li Qing.

She opened the door and saw Li Qing standing outside, still dressed in black, his black hair gleaming under the corridor lights, his deep eyes calm and undisturbed.

"What do you need me for?" Ye Guyi stepped aside to let Li Qing into the room.

Li Qing walked in and closed the door behind him.

His gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Ye Guyi—moonlight filtered through her thin nightgown, outlining the girl's slender waist and long legs.

Although Ye Guyi was a rare and stunning beauty, Li Qing was not so captivated by her that he couldn't bear to look away.

He looked away and sat down on the sofa by the window.

"I have something to ask you," Li Qing said, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

"What?" Ye Guyi sat down opposite him and continued to dry her hair with a towel.

"Are you really sure?" Li Qing asked calmly.

Upon hearing this, Ye Guyi stopped what she was doing.

She looked up at Li Qing, her eyes filled with confusion: "What have you thought it through? What are you talking about?"

"Follow me back to Mingdu."

Li Qing looked directly into her eyes and asked again, "Are you really sure?"

Ye Guyi was silent for a few seconds, then put down the towel. Her long, wet golden hair draped over her shoulders, glistening in the moonlight.

"Is there a problem?" she asked in return.

Li Qing did not answer immediately. Instead, he got up and walked to the window, turning his back to her and looking out at the brightly lit Shrek City.

"You should know what Mingdu is."

His voice was soft, yet carried a heavy weight as he explained, "The capital of the Sun Moon Empire, the stronghold of the Holy Spirit Cult. The number of evil spirit masters there far exceeds your imagination. Once your identity is exposed—"

He turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Even I can't protect you 100%."

Ye Guyi's heart skipped a beat.

She understood what Li Qing meant—in Mingdu, the Holy Angel Martial Soul was like a walking lighthouse, attracting the attention of all evil soul masters.

The Holy Spirit Cult has many powerful figures, with countless Title Douluos under its command. With such a lineup, let alone her and Li Qing, even if Shrek Academy were to send out its entire force, it might not be able to escape unscathed.

"When that time really comes..."

Li Qing continued, his voice devoid of emotion: "What awaits you is only death. And it won't be a quick one; they will use every means to torture you, seize your martial spirit, and devour your essence. The Holy Angel is the ultimate tonic for evil soul masters."

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting clear windowpane shadows on the carpet, separating the two people on opposite sides of light and darkness.

After a long while, Ye Guyi raised her head, her golden eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness.

"So what do you think...?"

She asked softly, "Where should I go?"

Li Qing looked into her eyes, which held no fear, only an almost stubborn calm.

He suddenly remembered the first time he saw her in Mingdu Alley. She was like this too—severely injured, facing three evil soul masters at the Soul Venerable level, yet showing no sign of backing down.

"This is no longer the era when the Spirit Hall still exists."

Li Qing walked back to the sofa and sat down, his voice tinged with an unusual weariness. He said softly, "Back then, those who possessed the Holy Angel Martial Soul could go to the Spirit Hall, the Elder Hall, and even the Hall of Offerings. But now..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Personally, I think you should go to Shrek Academy. This isn't from my perspective, but entirely from yours. Because in dealing with evil spirit masters, Shrek Academy and you have a lot in common. Although their methods and judgment criteria are somewhat... extreme, their goals are the same."

Ye Guyi's lips were pressed into a straight line.

She recalled the faces of Beibei and Tangya in the forest, their arrogant and self-righteous sense of justice, which disgusted her from the bottom of her heart.

"I don't want to go to Shrek Academy."

Not long after, she shook her head in refusal, her voice soft but unusually firm: "That's not my path, much less my future."

Li Qing looked at her, neither surprised nor offering any advice.

He knew that look all too well—it was the look of someone who had made up their mind and wouldn't look back, exactly like his own.

"So what's your choice?"

He asked, "Should I stay with you, or should we part ways and each find our own path?"

Ye Guyi remained silent.

She looked down at her hands; her fair skin was almost transparent in the moonlight.

The faint sounds of noise outside the window drifted in—warm sounds belonging to the normal world—but none of that mattered to her anymore.

From the moment her mother died at the hands of the evil spirit master, her fate was sealed.

"Last night in the forest..."

She suddenly spoke, not directly answering Li Qing's question: "When you absorbed the spirit ring, Bei Bei and Tang Ya wanted to kill you. They said you were an evil spirit master, and that your spirit was evil beyond measure."

Li Qing didn't speak, but listened quietly.

"I argued with them, saying you weren't an evil spirit master. But Tang Ya said, 'Then why are you associating with an evil spirit master?'"

Ye Guyi raised her head, the moonlight reflected in her golden eyes: "I didn't know how to answer then. But now, I think I know."

She stood up, walked up to Li Qing, and leaned down to look him straight in the eyes.

The two were very close, close enough that Li Qing could see the water droplets still clinging to her eyelashes and smell the faint fragrance of her after-shower body.

"Because I know you're not the kind of person they describe."

Ye Guyi said, slowly and deliberately, "Although your martial spirit is full of destruction, your heart is much cleaner than those who claim to be righteous."

Li Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

"so…"

Ye Guyi straightened up, took a half step back, and smiled slightly. She decided, "My choice is to continue following you. We can look after each other if anything happens. Although I'm not as strong as you, there are some aspects where you might not be better than me, right?"