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

Ye Guyi instinctively replied, "It must be because there are more and more people doing evil."

Li Qing chuckled, turned his head, and looked at her with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot.

Ye Guyi's face darkened, her lips pouted, and she said angrily, "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

"Completely wrong."

Li Qing walked back to the sofa, leaned down to look at her, and the two were so close that Ye Guyi could see the deep darkness in his eyes. She asked in return, "Haven't you noticed that, throughout the entire Douluo Continent, apart from the Holy Spirit Cult, there are basically no other forces with evil martial souls?"

Ye Guyi was slightly taken aback and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is..."

Li Qing straightened up, his voice cold, and reminded him, "Because this era is different from ten thousand years ago."

"When the Spirit Hall was still around, although there were still evil spirit masters, they were even fewer than those with twin spirits."

Why?

"Back then, the determination of whether someone was an evil spirit master was based on their behavior and conduct, not on what we have now, where someone is labeled an evil spirit master simply because they possess a martial spirit."

"Those Soul Masters born with evil Martial Souls, if discovered, will either be eliminated by 'righteous people' beforehand, or forced to go into hiding. To protect themselves, they can only strive to become stronger. And what other way is there to quickly become stronger besides murder and arson?"

Hearing the words of the boy in front of her, Ye Guyi's lips moved, but no sound came out.

So…

Li Qing gave a bitter laugh, his voice carrying a complex emotion.

There was anger, there was mockery, but above all, there was deep exhaustion.

"Most of those who become evil spirit masters are not inherently evil; it's just that changes in their environment and being hunted by others force them to retaliate. Like wild beasts cornered, what else can they do but fight to the death?"

At this point, he stood up, walked up to Ye Guyi, and looked down at her:

"Of course, I'm not saying this to excuse them. Evil spirit masters who have killed deserve to die. Evil spirit masters who cultivate using innocent people deserve to die even more. But I want you to know—"

He spoke slowly and deliberately:

"This era is full of garbage."

Ye Guyi's body trembled slightly.

It wasn't out of fear, but rather because of the shock of a certain kind of perception being challenged.

"Evil Soul Masters roam freely, while four nations check and balance each other, leading to frequent wars, nobles oppressing commoners, and Soul Masters living in a high and mighty position."

Li Qing's voice grew colder and colder: "For ordinary people, life is really getting worse and worse. I really think it would have been better to let the Spirit Empire win back then. At least at that time, either the Sun Moon Empire or the Spirit Empire would have remained. Unification would have ended the war, concentrated resources to eliminate evil spirit masters, and given a way to live to those born with evil spirits but who have not yet committed evil deeds."

After saying that, he sat back down on the sofa, his whole being shrouded in shadow.

"Instead of what it is now, where countries are busy scheming against each other, and major sects only care about their own interests. Evil Soul Masters are thriving in the cracks, and ordinary people are becoming the victims. And those children born with evil martial souls either die in fear or become true demons in fear."

"This is an era of raising treacherous insects."

Li Qing said softly, "But I just don't want to be the one being raised. I want to be the one raising the Gu—to clean up all the Gu."

A long silence.

The moonlight outside the window shifted, moving from one side of the room to the other.

The lights in Mingdu gradually thinned out, and the night had deepened.

Ye Guyi finally raised her head, her golden eyes gleaming with a complex light in the dim light.

"so…"

She seemed to understand something and said softly, "You kill evil spirit masters not just to become the 'Number One Evil Spirit Master'."

Li Qing did not answer.

"You hate them."

Ye Guyi continued, "I hate those real evil spirit masters, and I hate those so-called righteous people, because they left people like you with no choice from the very beginning."

"I also hate this era."

She stood up, walked to the window, her back to Li Qing, and said in a complicated tone, "I hate those who easily label people, I hate so-called justice, I hate this world that turns good people into demons."

She turned around, and the moonlight formed a halo behind her:

Am I right?

Li Qing looked at her for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

This time, the smile contained less mockery and more of something else.

"You are very smart."

He joked, "But smart people usually don't live long. Tomorrow I'm going to the west of the city; there are two strongholds of evil soul masters at the Soul King level there."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the stunningly beautiful angel goddess not far away and asked, "Interested in coming together? You can improve your martial soul, and I can get one step closer to becoming the 'Number One Evil Soul Master'."

"My mother said the same thing." Ye Guyi smiled. It was the first time Li Qing had seen her smile genuinely, devoid of all wariness and hostility, pure and bright.

"But she still chose to do what she believed was right, right up to the very last moment."

She walked back to the sofa and solemnly extended her hand to Li Qing: "Tomorrow, in the west of the city, I'll go with you."

Li Qing looked at her outstretched hand but did not immediately shake it.

"Have you thought it through?"

He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Cooperating with an 'evil spirit master'?"

"You are not an evil spirit master."

Ye Guyi shook her head and retorted, "At least, I'm not the kind of evil spirit master my mother described. As for what you are—"

She paused, then her smile grew even brighter:

"I want to see it with my own eyes."

Li Qing stared at her for a few seconds, then finally reached out and gently shook her hand.

Ye Guyi's hands were warm, while his hands were cold, like a deep winter night.

"You'll regret this," he said, but the initial indifference was gone from his tone.

"Maybe."

Ye Guyi withdrew her hand and said nonchalantly, "But I regret doing nothing even more."

She turned and walked towards the doorway to the inner room, then stopped and glanced back at Li Qing:

Goodnight, Li Qing. See you tomorrow. Also, my name is Ye Guyi.

Since her mother died, she has been all alone in this world.

And now, it seems there's one more.

This person is just different from the others.

They both shared the same goal: to eliminate all evil spirit masters in the world.

Even if their initial ideas were different.

But for her, he was indeed a good helper and partner.

"Good night."

The door closed gently.

Li Qing sat alone on the sofa, and the black lotus silently appeared in his palm.

He gazed at the lotus flower, remaining silent for a long time.

The night is still long, but dawn will always come—whether in destruction or in rebirth.