Douluo Continent: Copying Ya Li, the Carefree King of the Sun and Moon

The smile still looked gentle, but paired with his face covered in blood, it sent chills down one's spine.

Xu Yanli stood at the entrance of the passage, quietly watching this scene.

Xu Tianran noticed someone coming in and turned around.

The moment his gaze fell on Xu Yanli's face, his brows furrowed slightly.

Why are you here?

Her voice was still gentle, but the sharpness that flashed in her eyes did not escape Xu Yanli's notice.

Xu Yanli smiled and stepped into the basement. His boots made a soft thud as they stepped into the pool of blood.

He walked to the iron cage, glanced at the person hanging inside, looked at the corpse on the ground, and finally fixed his gaze on Xu Tianran.

"What, big brother, you don't welcome me?"

Xu Tianran stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, a smile that was more genuine than before.

He gestured with his chin toward a guard beside him, who immediately handed him a clean handkerchief.

Xu Tianran took the handkerchief, slowly wiped the blood off his face, then wiped his hands, and casually threw the blood-stained handkerchief on the ground.

"Not really," he said. "I'm just afraid of scaring you."

Xu Yanli chuckled softly, walked to Xu Tianran's side, and gently pressed on the blood-stained armrest of the chair.

"Brother, I'm the Carefree King, after all. I've seen blood before." He spoke casually, as if discussing the weather. "Why would I be afraid of this?"

Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.

Xu Yanli's gaze fell on the people in the iron cage. These people all had fluctuations of soul power, and the strongest one was at least at the Soul Saint level.

“But brother,” he turned to look at Xu Tianran, “haven’t you thought about how to get rid of these annoying bugs once and for all?”

Xu Tianran was stunned for a moment, then smiled, a smile that carried a hint of helplessness and indulgence.

“Isn’t my brother solving this?” He pointed to the iron cage. “Look, there are so many.”

Xu Yanli shook his head, glanced at the guards standing at the entrance of the passage, and said nothing.

Xu Tianran followed his gaze, paused for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

The guards immediately bowed and left, and the basement door slammed shut.

In the vast space, only the two brothers remained, along with the bloodstains scattered all over the ground.

Xu Tianran leaned back in his chair and looked up at Xu Yanli.

"Speak, what do you want from me?"

Xu Yanli did not answer immediately. He walked to the iron cage and looked at the person hanging inside through the bars.

Those people's eyes were filled with fear, their bodies trembled like sieves, and muffled groans leaked out from the tattered cloth.

Xu Yanli watched for a while, then looked away.

"I want to ask my brother how he plans to deal with the evil spirit master."

Xu Tianran's gaze froze instantly as he stared at Xu Yanli, remaining silent for a long time.

"An evil spirit master?" he repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Xu Yanli walked back to his side and casually leaned against the pillar next to him.

“I’ve seen quite a lot in the past year or so.” He said calmly, “The Holy Spirit Cult has a very long reach. When I returned to the Sun Moon Empire, Jing Hongchen also told me that some students had gone missing in the academy, all of whom were killed by evil spirit masters.”

He paused, then looked directly at Xu Tianran.

"Brother, you're cooperating with them, right?"

Xu Tianran narrowed his eyes slightly.

The movement was very subtle, but the atmosphere in the entire basement changed instantly.

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and the smell of blood in the air seemed even stronger.

Xu Tianran stared at Xu Yanli, his usual gentle smile gradually disappearing, replaced by an indescribable scrutiny.

“What do you know?” he asked.

The voice remained gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay a knife.

Xu Yanli neither dodged nor panicked, but quietly looked at his elder brother, observing the complex light in his eyes.

“I know more than you think,” he said. “The Holy Spirit Cult contacted me when I was very young; Ye Xishui came in person.”

Xu Tianran's eyes narrowed again.

“They want me to replace you,” Xu Yanli continued, her tone as calm as if she were talking about someone else. “They say you’re crazy, that there’s no future with you, that I have talent, popular support, and something you can’t give me.”

He chuckled softly.

"But I refused."

Xu Tianran didn't speak, just stared at him. Xu Yanli also looked at him; the two brothers stared at each other, neither saying another word.

The basement was so quiet that only the crackling of torches and the faint sobs of the people in the iron cages could be heard.

After a long time, Xu Tianran suddenly smiled, a smile more genuine than any he had shown before.

He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the dim ceiling.

"Do you know why I like to interrogate people here?" he suddenly asked.

Xu Yanli did not respond.

Xu Tianran continued, "Because here, no one can see me. No one knows what kind of person I, Xu Tianran, really am. I can be that gentle and refined crown prince, or I can be..."

He raised his hand and looked at the bloodstains between his fingers that he hadn't wiped clean.

"It could also be like this."

Xu Yanli remained silent for a moment.

"Then, brother, which type do you think I am?"

Xu Tianran turned her head and looked at him. She looked at this face that was nothing like her own, and at those eyes that were as calm as a deep pool.

"Which one are you?" he repeated softly, then smiled. "I don't know."

He stood up and walked to Xu Yanli. The two stood face to face, so close that they could see the reflection in each other's eyes.

“But I know,” Xu Tianran raised his hand and gently patted Xu Yanli’s shoulder, “no matter which one you are, you are still my brother.”

Xu Yanli was stunned for a moment.

Xu Tianran withdrew his hand, turned around, walked back to the chair, and sat down again.

"Regarding the evil spirit master," he began, his tone returning to its usual gentleness, "how do you intend to handle this?"

Xu Yanli watched his back, remained silent for a few seconds, then walked to his side and leaned against the armrest of the chair.

“Brother,” he said, “we can cooperate with evil spirit masters, but not openly.”

Xu Tianran raised an eyebrow.

Chapter 88 Angel Legion

Xu Yanli continued, "They're like the blood in this basement, hidden underground, unseen by anyone, you can use them however you want. But once they see the light of day..."

He looked down at the dark red bloodstain on the ground.

"It will stink once it sees the light."

Xu Tianran stared at him, then suddenly smiled. His smile contained relief, complexity, and a hint of indescribable emotion.

“Go on.”

Xu Yanli raised her head and looked directly at him.

“My martial spirit is naturally effective against evil spirit masters,” he said. “The purifying power of angels is their nemesis. If I were to form an angel legion specifically to monitor and restrain those evil spirit masters…”

He paused, a faint smile curving his lips.

"Then they will be forever trapped in the shadows."

Xu Tianran's eyes lit up immediately. He stared at Xu Yanli for a long, long time before bursting into laughter.

"Great!" he slapped the armrest. "Excellent idea!"

He stood up and patted Xu Yanli's shoulder forcefully.

"I knew it. Sending you out to gain experience for a year was the right thing to do."

Xu Yanli smiled slightly and remained silent.

Xu Tianran looked at him, the complex emotions in his eyes growing stronger, and finally he sighed softly.

“Yan Li,” he said, his voice suddenly softening, “you know, sometimes I really envy you.”

Xu Yanli was stunned for a moment.

Xu Tianran turned around and looked at the terrified eyes inside the iron cage.

“You live a cleaner life than I do,” he said. “You’re clearly a ruthless character, but you somehow come across as clean.”

He turned around and looked at Xu Yanli.

"I can't learn this skill."

Xu Yanli was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"Brother, are there things you can't learn?"

Xu Tianran paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the basement, making the person in the iron cage tremble even more violently.

After laughing, he waved his hand.

“Go ahead, go ahead,” he said. “You can do whatever you want with the evil spirit master, I trust you.”

Xu Yanli nodded and turned to walk towards the entrance of the passage.

He suddenly stopped halfway through his walk.

"By the way, bro."