CHAPTER 237: CHAPTER 237: ANOTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT CULT

The sudden disappearance of the black-robed man immediately caught the attention of Fang Chang and Gu Yue. The two exchanged a glance, and with a simultaneous step, their figures vanished from the street.

At that moment, they were already the center of attention among the wandering Soul Masters on the street. Witnessing their strange movement technique, everyone was startled and inwardly thankful they had resisted the urge to rob them earlier.

When the black-robed man reappeared, he was already several hundred meters away, in a semi-enclosed alley.

He looked around warily, and only after confirming that no one was following him did he lightly push open a decaying wooden door at the end of the alley—its edges covered in moss—and enter a dark and damp old house.

Behind him, Fang Chang and Gu Yue also appeared in the alley, still cloaked under Fang Chang’s Shadow Veil, rendering them invisible to outsiders.

"Someone actually lives here..." Gu Yue couldn’t help but grumble.

The house was a two-story old building, and from the outside, it looked utterly dilapidated. The door was worn and shabby, the walls were cracked in large patches, and the original color of the exterior was no longer discernible.

Having grown used to luxury in the Divine Realm, Gu Yue felt physically uncomfortable just looking at the place.

"Let’s go in and take a look. This guy is so secretive—there’s probably something strange about this house. Who knows, maybe we’ll find clues about the Goddess of Life and her group," Fang Chang coaxed and encouraged her as he gave her arm a gentle tug.

"Fine, fine, I never said I wouldn’t go. I just... don’t like this place, that’s all," Gu Yue replied with a helpless sigh. For the sake of the Tree of Life, she had no choice but to lower her standards.

Under the cover of the Shadow Veil, the two silently followed the black-robed man into the residence.

As they passed through the wooden door, their bodies shimmered briefly and phased through as if they were spirits, slipping through without making a sound.

Just in time, they saw the black-robed man cross through the house and enter a small courtyard at the back.

The yard was about fifty or sixty square meters in size, completely surrounded by buildings. Apart from the old house, the other three buildings enclosing the yard looked relatively newer.

Without stopping, the black-robed man walked straight to the center of the yard and leapt headfirst into an old well.

Several moments passed, yet there was no splash of water—this made it clear that the well was dried up.

The two crept closer and peered down. Faint flickers of light could be seen below.

"Let’s check it out." Fang Chang spoke as he jumped down the well, and Gu Yue, after a moment’s hesitation, followed him.

Once they reached the bottom, they finally saw what lay below. One side of the well wall actually opened into a passageway.

The corridor was pitch-black and stretched into the unknown. Dim lamps affixed to the walls lit the path at ten-meter intervals.

Fang Chang released his spiritual sense along the passage, quickly detecting the black-robed man about fifty to sixty meters ahead. He was walking smoothly and confidently.

They continued forward, and after another hundred meters or so, the passage finally opened up into a brightly lit hall.

Within the hall were several hundred figures, all clad in the same kind of robes as the black-robed man, seemingly engaged in some kind of ritual.

At the center of them all, a ritual altar marked with the insignia of the Holy Spirit Cult stood out prominently.

So, it’s them... Fang Chang exhaled in relief. For a moment, he had thought they had stumbled upon one of the ancient gods still hiding in the Douluo Plane.

"Is it them?" Gu Yue asked, sensing Fang Chang had already used his spiritual sense. She didn’t bother to investigate herself and just waited for his answer.

"No," Fang Chang shook his head. "This is a native faction of the Sun Moon Empire—mostly composed of evil Soul Masters. They call themselves the Holy Spirit Cult."

"Holy Spirit Cult..." Gu Yue searched her memories but ultimately came up blank.

Though she was a native of this world and had some understanding of evil Soul Masters, she had never heard of an organization called the Holy Spirit Cult.

"Let’s just go. No need to waste time here. We can’t let them escape again," Gu Yue said, preparing to jump back up the well—but Fang Chang grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Hold on. Let’s go take a look first." He quickly organized what he had previously learned about the Spider Hunters and the Holy Spirit Cult, and sent the information directly into Gu Yue’s mind via telepathic link.

"The Holy Spirit Cult has been targeting our spider clan and is somehow involved with the Tang Sect. I suspect they may also be connected to the Goddess of Life’s group," Fang Chang explained.

"If we capture some of them and interrogate them, we might learn something useful. It won’t take much time."

"...Alright, I’ll go along with it," Gu Yue agreed. "That mysterious shadow mentioned by the Holy Spirit Cult’s higher-ups does sound like something they’d do."

After learning the details, she no longer insisted on leaving. Even though she was a dragon, her current identity was also that of one of the Spider Clan’s Matriarchs. Learning that the Spider Clan was being persecuted made her feel angry too.

At that moment, the black-robed man who had discovered them earlier had already made it to the hall.

"B-B-Bad news!" he shouted the moment he stepped in, his voice echoing through the corridor and reaching Fang Chang and Gu Yue’s ears.

"Deacon Chen, what’s got you so panicked?" a woman at the edge of the altar raised her head. Though she appeared young, the aged wisdom in her demeanor suggested she was far older than she looked.

"It’s that man," Deacon Chen gasped, "He’s back."

Though he was already at the Soul Douluo level, he couldn’t conceal the fear on his face when mentioning that man.

"You mean the one who rampaged through Sun Moon City with the Pavilion Master of Zhuhai Pavilion?" the woman’s tone sharpened.

"Yes, him. I ran into him on the street earlier. This time, he seems to have brought a woman with him too," the black-robed man said in a panic.

"So I rushed back immediately to report this to you."

Though most people had only seen Fang Chang’s true form last time—a dark golden spider over a hundred meters long—his aura was so distinct that anyone with any strength could easily recognize it.

The woman at the altar had been calmly listening at first, but upon hearing that the man had returned and that Deacon Chen had rushed back without confirming whether he was being followed, her pupils narrowed.

"What did you just say? They didn’t notice you, right?" her voice was filled with urgency and a hint of anger.

"You’ve been in the Holy Spirit Cult for so many years, and you still haven’t learned basic vigilance?"

"I... I don’t think they noticed..." Deacon Chen murmured uncertainly.

"I don’t want think. Do you know what kind of threat you could bring to the Holy Spirit Cult if they were following you?" Her aura as a Title Douluo erupted in the hall, forcing Deacon Chen to his knees, not daring to move.

"Well now, I suppose this must be the Grand Priestess of the Holy Spirit Cult—Ye Xishui yes?"

From the corridor’s edge, the figures of Fang Chang and Gu Yue slowly emerged. In an instant, the entire hall fell into a chilling silence.