The color drained from everyone’s faces in the great hall upon hearing Mo Han's words, including the Dark Cult Leader herself. Mo Han’s statement had jabbed directly at the Dark Church’s most sensitive wound, without the slightest attempt at politeness.

Only Liu Yanran looked at Mo Han with urgent concern, frantically signaling for him to stop speaking.

Mo Han merely smiled and shook his head in response, causing Liu Yanran beside him to become visibly distressed.

Xue Sha, meanwhile, exuded a fierce, palpable aura, speaking coldly, "Boy, what did you just say? Say that again, if you dare."

Mo Han seemed utterly unaffected, replying flatly, "Spare me the theatrics. Have you forgotten our agreement? Or are you planning to be a petty man? Though, frankly, I couldn't care less either way."

Hearing this, Xue Sha’s face cycled rapidly between ashen and flushed. His battle qi erupted instantly to its maximum, the intense fluctuations clearly felt by everyone in the room. Liu Yanran watched the escalating tension anxiously, already resolving that if Xue Sha dared to attack Mo Han, she would intervene immediately. After all, with her Master present, she wouldn't stand idly by while Mo Han was hurt, and Xue Sha would certainly hesitate.

Mo Han stared him down without a trace of fear. After a moment of barely contained fury, Xue Sha abruptly retracted his power, letting out a cold snort. "I, Xue Sha, naturally keep my word. Do you take me for some kind of person?"

With another curt scoff, he turned and departed, ignoring the rest of the assembly entirely.

Those watching secretly marveled; they had never imagined the notoriously short-tempered Xue Sha would be so utterly powerless against Mo Han. They only knew that Xue Sha had failed his last mission, and his vague summary had left them ignorant of the true nature of the conflict between him and Mo Han.

Seeing Xue Sha leave, Liu Yanran finally let out a soft sigh of relief, her tension easing. As long as Xue Sha was gone, the few old martial artists in the hall possessed skill inferior to her own. If worse came to worst, she could simply take Mo Han and flee; there was little left to worry about.

Witnessing even Xue Sha fail to subdue Mo Han, the Elders dared not remain so arrogant. Hei Jin spoke next, his tone frigid: "Boy, on what grounds do you criticize our Dark Church? If you cannot give us a satisfactory explanation today, I doubt even our Cult Leader will let you off the hook."

Hei Jin had clearly learned his lesson, realizing he was no match for Mo Han. He could only resort to invoking the Cult Leader, hoping that the connection with Liu Yanran would give Mo Han pause.

The Dark Cult Leader, however, remained impassive, watching everything unfold. No one could decipher her thoughts, though it was likely Mo Han's recent outburst had caused her some measure of displeasure.

Mo Han responded with a calm smile. "Naturally. Everything I say carries its own justification. Have you ever considered this: day in and day out, all you focus on is how to oppose the Light Church, how to scheme against their upper echelon, dedicating all your time and energy to these pursuits. But have you considered that if you channeled this same focus into developing the church’s administration, wouldn't that yield far better results?"

Seeing the Elders still displaying expressions of incomprehension—the Dark Cult Leader included—Mo Han pressed on. The Cult Leader finally spoke, "We and the Light Church are natural adversaries; what is wrong with that?" Mo Han shook his head. "It is not just wrong; it is fundamentally flawed. Let me give you an example: to this day, I cannot grasp the core doctrine of your Dark Church, what kind of entity it truly is, or what its ultimate mission entails. I suspect even your own rank-and-file members have no clear idea. All they know is that opposing the Light Church is their sacred duty. Tell me, how can a church function like this? If its own members do not know what they are supposed to be doing, where is the possibility for growth? How could you possibly catch up to the Light Church?"

As everyone absorbed his words, Mo Han continued, "If you invested this time into your own affairs—recruiting new members, expanding the church’s scale, securing more funding, figuring out how to truly strengthen your power and ensure rapid growth—if you made your members understand their purpose and instilled a greater sense of mission, instead of skulking about plotting assassinations and schemes against the Light Church, I believe you wouldn't be in this current predicament. When you are genuinely strong, when your power is undeniable, wouldn't it be better to confront them openly then? There would be no need to exist as you do now."

Listening to Mo Han, every eye in the room brightened. What he described sounded both ideal and entirely achievable. Everyone present, even the Dark Cult Leader, began to contemplate his words seriously.

Liu Yanran, meanwhile, gazed at Mo Han with deep affection, quietly giving him a thumbs-up of approval.

Mo Han met her gaze, returning a proud wink and a smile.

At that moment, the Dark Cult Leader spoke up. "Young brother, everything you say holds great merit. However, putting it into practice will certainly not be so simple, and in these matters, we may not be as proficient as you. I wonder if you might be able to..."

Before the Cult Leader could finish her sentence, Mo Han put on a miserable expression and interrupted, "Cult Leader Sister, please spare me. I truly cannot sit still for long; that is why I refused the Light Church's invitation in the first place. Moreover, I have far too many of my own matters to attend to; I genuinely lack the extra capacity to manage all of this."

Hearing his plea, the Dark Cult Leader smiled softly. "Why the rush? Hear me out. What I propose is inviting you to become an Elder of our Church, not demanding that you reside here permanently. That way, if we encounter any difficult issues, it would be convenient to seek your counsel. What do you think?"