Douluo Dalu 2: You are an Evil Soul Master, but also a good person ?

A gentle breeze blew, and the sky was clear for miles.

In a slum area.

Under a large tree.

Xu Cheng gently handed a kitten to a little girl and patted her head with a smile.

"Thank you, big brother!"

The little girl, her face flushed, looked at Xu Cheng's handsome face and thanked him shyly.

"No problem."

Xu Cheng waved goodbye.

His expression was warm and kind.

Only after the little girl's figure disappeared at the end of the alley, glancing back every few steps, did his expression gradually cool.

A figure slowly emerged behind him.

"Your Highness, the Saint."

A man in a black robe spoke with a helpless expression.

"The goods you requested have been brought from the southern city. And the homeless children from the Holy Spirit Church have also been settled as per your instructions. They will have a new life, thanks to your mercy..."

Xu Cheng nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done."

"But..."

The black-robed man hesitated, his face full of conflict.

"Your Highness, we are the Holy Spirit Church! Just the mention of our name should strike fear into everyone, enough to make children stop crying. Why are we doing such good deeds? Now, when I see those grateful eyes..." The man shuddered. "I feel like ants are crawling all over me. It's so uncomfortable."

"Wrong! Absolutely wrong!"

Xu Cheng frowned, looking at the black-robed man with a pained expression.

"I thought you would understand my intentions, but it seems... sigh..."

"Your Highness! No... I was wrong!"

The black-robed man instantly felt as if a suffocating python had coiled around his conscience.

He stammered, trying to explain.

"Sigh, it's not your fault. Those who achieve great things and pave the way for the future are often lonely. This era cannot comprehend their struggles..."

Xu Cheng waved his hand and turned to face the setting sun.

"What did you feel during the process of saving those children?"

"I felt..."

The black-robed man racked his brain.

"Think with your heart."

Xu Cheng's voice was gentle, like a beam of light guiding the man's thoughts.

Recalling the looks of respect, admiration, and gratitude from the children, the black-robed man slowly said, "I felt... a hint of joy. They admired me. One little boy even said he wanted to grow up to be a hero like me..."

"Exactly."

Xu Cheng snapped his fingers.

"Now, let me ask you, what did you gain from this?"

"Admiration, respect... These children no longer seem as afraid of the Holy Spirit Church."

The black-robed man pondered, answering more quickly this time.

"If someone were to tell them now that the Holy Spirit Church is an organization that kills innocents, spreads bloodshed, and brings chaos to the continent... do you think they would believe it?"

"No... they wouldn't. Ugh..."

The black-robed man's eyes widened.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

He swallowed hard, his throat tightening.

These ordinary civilians wouldn't just refuse to believe it—they would grow even more grateful to the Holy Spirit Church. Due to the oppression they faced from the nobility, they might not dare to rebel openly, but deep down, they harbored resentment, wishing they could tear the nobles apart.

And so, the narrative would shift.

What?

The noble lords, in order to maintain their ruling class, have been slandering this benevolent organization, the Holy Spirit Church, and labeling them as evil soul masters?

This is all a conspiracy by the feudal class!

We must open our eyes!

I want to join the Holy Spirit Church and overthrow the oppressive noble rule!

As for whether the common people lack talent...

Well, a significant portion of the Holy Spirit Church is made up of commoners.

Moreover, the commoners make up the vast majority of the continent's population. If we can win over this class...

Then we would truly be blessed by heaven, with eternal prosperity.

"Exactly."

Xu Cheng slightly raised his head, gazing at the sky, his hands clasped behind his back.

His voice was calm, but to the black-robed man, it was like a thunderclap, shaking him to his core.

"To unify the world, slaughter is not the way. Our Holy Spirit Church must take root among the common people, draw strength from their faith, and create a counterforce against the nobility. Only then can we thrive and draw nourishment from it..."

"These innocent children, they simply lack the means to awaken their martial souls. But that doesn't mean they are powerless. When their numbers grow large enough, their strength will be enough to shake the four great empires!"

The black-robed man's breathing grew heavier.

What a grand ambition, what an amazing vision.

To unify the world!

So we... have all misunderstood His Highness, the Saint!

But...

Aren't you also a noble?

"..."

"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the mission [Help the Little Girl Find Her Kitten]. Reward: Level +0.5. Current level: Level 30 Soul Elder. Awaiting soul ring hunting..."

Xu Cheng listened to the pleasant system notification and a smile appeared on his face.

"Finally, a Soul Elder..."

It had been eleven years since he transmigrated to this world.

His identity wasn't bad—he was the eleventh son of the current Sun Moon Emperor, Xu Cheng. His mother was an imperial consort, not some nameless maid, but unfortunately, she passed away shortly after giving birth to him.

The only legacy she left was a border regiment. The regiment commander was a maid who had served his mother loyally. She had some talent in soul tools, and the emperor, out of respect for Xu Cheng's mother, granted her the position of regiment commander, leading a regiment to guard the border between the Sun Moon Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

Her strength was... just entering the eighth rank?

Xu Cheng couldn't quite remember.

After all, guarding the border meant she couldn't leave her post without the emperor's permission. It had been almost ten years since she last returned...

As for why a noble prince like him would associate with evil soul masters and even become their Saint...

Well, at the age of six, Xu Cheng not only awakened the Sun Moon Empire's martial soul, the Sun, but also a hidden martial soul, the [Blood Eye]. Unfortunately, during one of his secret displays of this martial soul, he was discovered by the Holy Spirit Church's leader, Zhong Liwu, who invited him to join the Holy Spirit Church.

Xu Cheng initially refused, but then he received a golden finger—the [Charity King] system.

The system's main mission was to join the Holy Spirit Church and then... persuade people to do good.

To complete the mission, Xu Cheng had no choice but to associate with these evil soul masters.

After all, the rewards for the main mission were too tempting.

And so, he became the only oddity in the Holy Spirit Church...

Forget it.

Xu Cheng shook his head, pushing the memories aside.

Since this was the Douluo Continent, and he had come here, he might as well make something of himself. But unifying the continent would inevitably conflict with Tang San's ten-thousand-year plan.

Besides, if you don't oppose Tang San in Douluo II, what's the point of transmigrating?

So, ever since he transmigrated, Xu Cheng had been thinking about how to oppose Tang San.

Weakening Huo Yuhao, going to the Star Dou Forest to attract the Heavenly Dream Iceworm and Electrolux, building a friendly relationship with the Beast God, driving a wedge between Wang Dong'er and Tang San's father-daughter relationship, and vigorously developing soul tools...

These were all part of his future plans.

But at this point in the timeline, Huo Yuhao was just a seven-year-old child who had recently awakened his martial soul, living with his mother in the White Tiger Duke's mansion.

There were still four years before the main storyline began.

So before that...

Xu Cheng smiled.

As the system mission hinted, one of the future Holy Spirit Church's holy maidens, Tang Ya, would face a great tragedy tonight. The once-glorious Tang Sect, with its ten-thousand-year history, would also vanish after this night...

So, it was time to start laying the groundwork...

(End of Chapter)