CHAPTER 342: CHAPTER 342 – THE POWER OF THE EVIL SOUL MASTER

The Grand Elder had already reached level 100 and become a god. Even though the golden wheel he’d just unleashed hadn’t used any soul skills, it still shouldn’t have been something an ordinary person could take head-on.

Even a level 99 Titled Douluo would have been seriously injured by it.

But Dan Heng had handled it with ease...

The Grand Elder narrowed his eyes, suddenly realizing that this group, which had stirred such intense desire in him, might be even more extraordinary than he had imagined.

The people from Spirit Hall were stunned as well. To withstand a blow from a god-level expert... could it be that he was also a god-level powerhouse?And not just one person had stopped the attack.

"You... you’re not all gods, are you?" Ye Guyi asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

BANG—!

Zi Ji suddenly smacked Ye Guyi hard, lifting her chin arrogantly, nostrils flaring with pride."Little girl, what did you think? Still trying to act tough in front of this lady? Shocked now, aren’t you? Your own subordinates have rebelled, and it’s us cleaning up your mess!"

"Now do you see who’s really powerful?"

Ye Guyi gritted her teeth; the blow had made her eyes tear up.

Zi Ji had really hit hard!She rubbed her head, feeling like a big lump was about to form.

And her little scheme had been completely exposed by Zi Ji...

Ye Guyi’s cheeks flushed red. She mumbled, "I wasn’t..."

The Sea God, Poseidon, controlled the water dragon, taking down the golden wheel, and said with a smile, "I am a god, but this woman—no, this mother dragon—is not. Don’t try to lump her in."

"You...!"

Zi Ji glared at Poseidon.

Electrolux waved his staff. The golden wheel he had fixed in the air suddenly vanished. He frowned in surprise:

"Something’s wrong. His martial soul carries the aura of an Evil Soul Master, and the fusion isn’t even smooth. He’s only slightly stronger than a level 99 Titled Douluo."

Dan Heng said flatly, "Another Evil Soul Master from the Holy Spirit Cult."

"!!!"

At those words, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.

Then everyone’s expressions changed drastically.

The Grand Elder was the face of Spirit Hall—calling him an uncrowned king wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

And now they were saying he was an Evil Soul Master...

If that were true, Spirit Hall would become a laughingstock!Ye Guyi quickly waved her hands. "No, no, no... impossible. The Grand Elder may be a bit bad, but how could he be an Evil Soul Master?"

The Spirit Hall soul masters weren’t as naïve as Ye Guyi.

One by one, they began to regard the Grand Elder with caution.

Even the ones who had just supported him fell silent now.

They had backed him because he had become a god.

But now, with suspicions of being an Evil Soul Master...

The Grand Elder stayed silent, not bothering to defend himself.

"You’re impressive. I don’t know how you managed to seal my martial soul, but I’m more than just one martial soul..."

"Since you’ve found out, there’s no need to hide anymore. I may have borrowed power from those filthy beings, but I’ve kept my self-awareness. That’s different from being an Evil Soul Master!"

As he spoke, a black spear suddenly appeared in his hand, the tassel as red as blood, faint cries echoing from within it, chilling to the bone.

The aura around him changed completely—light had turned to darkness, brimming with evil and ominous power.

When he had been using the golden wheel martial soul just now, he could still claim to be aligned with light. But now, he was fully an Evil Soul Master!

Of course, his power had also grown stronger.

He raised the black spear and aimed it at Poseidon.

"Let’s start with you..."

The Spirit Hall soul masters couldn’t hold it in anymore and shouted:"Grand Elder! Have you really joined forces with Evil Soul Masters?""You have no trace of light left in you! You’re clearly an evil, corrupted Soul Master!""We really misjudged you!"

The Grand Elder’s face darkened. Suddenly, he slashed at them.

A jet-black blade of light shot out, divine power raging within it.

The soul masters unleashed their defenses together.

But their multi-colored shields tore like paper. They were sent flying, slamming into the walls.

RUMBLE—!

The whole hall shook.

Blood spurted from their mouths; they were utterly drained.

Before absolute strength, they had no chance.The Grand Elder sneered. "See? This is god-level power! If I hadn’t taken this risky deal to obtain it, what would Spirit Hall have to fight the Holy Spirit Cult with?!"

"And you dare to blame me? Utter arrogance!"

He roared, spit flying.

Ye Guyi couldn’t help but shout, "Lies! Even without a god-level expert, the Holy Spirit Cult wouldn’t dare challenge us! We have the Angel God!"

"She’s dead!!!"

"She was killed by the Holy Spirit Cult’s leader! Otherwise, why do you think I accepted this power?!"

The Grand Elder shot back.

Ye Guyi’s face went pale; she staggered back.

Bi Ji hugged her, whispering reassurance:

"Don’t let him shake your will..."

Poseidon’s expression changed sharply. "What did you say?!"

Before the words finished, he blurred forward, instantly appearing in front of the Grand Elder. Without using divine skills, he grabbed the black spear with one hand and seized the Grand Elder’s throat with the other.

"I’m asking you—what did you just say?! What do you mean the Angel God is dead?!"

Poseidon’s voice was tight with fury. "Speak!!!"

"If you want to fight a god, I can make you wish for death in a thousand ways!"

He tightened his grip, cracks like spiderwebs forming across the Grand Elder’s body.

The half–God King’s divine power erupted, godly might filling the air.

Compared to this, the Grand Elder’s earlier divine aura was like a firefly before the moon.

Everyone stared at Poseidon’s back in shock.

"Speak!!!"

His roar shook the hall.

Suddenly—

Dan Heng appeared beside him, placing a hand on Poseidon’s shoulder, sighing helplessly:

"Let go. You’re about to kill him."

Poseidon’s eyes were bloodshot. "If he dies, you can just revive him! You can do that, can’t you?"

Dan Heng patted his arm.

Poseidon released the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder fell to the ground, clutching his throat, terror on his face.

They were both god-level, yet he hadn’t even been able to resist.

And the man beside Poseidon seemed even stronger!"Dan Heng! You’re not some bleeding-heart saint, so why stop me?" Poseidon asked in frustration.

Dan Heng gave him a calm glance. "You were choking him. How was he supposed to talk?"

"I...?!"

Poseidon froze.

He really had forgotten about that—he’d thought the man was just being stubborn!And now the guy was glaring at him with pure resentment...

"It was the Holy Spirit Cult leader who told me... He showed me the Angel God’s feather and fresh blood, and said he’d already devoured her..."

The Grand Elder’s voice was weak as he lay on the floor.

"What...!" Poseidon looked unsettled and turned to Dan Heng.

Dan Heng shook his head. "She’s fine, and—"

Before he could finish, the Grand Elder moved.

He turned into a blur, diving straight toward Gu Yuena and the others.

His target was clear!Against Dan Heng and Poseidon, whom he couldn’t possibly defeat, he didn’t expect to escape. But he could take a hostage!

And the best hostage would be Dan Heng’s wife!

A woman surely couldn’t be stronger than him... right?Dan Heng and Poseidon didn’t move, letting him try for Gu Yuena.

Ye Guyi screamed, "Help!!!"

Zi Ji smacked her on the head again. "Quit screaming! So noisy!"

Gu Yuena smiled, looking at the rapidly approaching Grand Elder. A silver light flashed in her violet eyes.

In the next instant, the Grand Elder froze in midair, unmoving like a statue.

At the same time, a golden light shot in from outside like an arrow, piercing straight into the Grand Elder’s chest.

"Purge!"

The golden light flared.

The Grand Elder’s body was engulfed, his form disintegrating into motes of gray mist that quickly dispersed in the holy aura.

The Spirit Hall members were stunned for a moment, then broke into joyous shouts.

Ye Guyi clutched her head—this time, Zi Ji had actually made her cry. She glared at Zi Ji with pure resentment.

She ground her teeth, thinking: Ancestor’s here! She’s going to teach you a lesson!

By now, the Grand Elder had been completely purified, gone without a trace.

As the golden light faded, a breathtaking golden-haired figure appeared before them all.

It was none other than the Angel God, Qian Renxue!

She slowly drifted down from the sky.

"Greetings to the Angel God!"

The Spirit Hall soul masters immediately bowed and cheered in reverence.

Their faith was in the Angel God!Otherwise, it would have been impossible for an orphan like Ye Guyi—weak as she was—to become the Pope.

"Rise."

Qian Renxue spoke faintly.

She then turned her gaze toward Dan Heng and the Sea God, Poseidon, and gave a slight nod—a form of greeting.

After tens of thousands of years apart, she had changed greatly; at least when she looked at Dan Heng now, her eyes no longer held the obvious affection they once did.

Poseidon blinked, and his thoughts began to stir.

Could it be... that he had another chance now?

"Forebear!"

Ye Guyi hurriedly waved, trying to get Qian Renxue’s attention.

But Qian Renxue ignored her, instead saying, "Mr. Dan Heng, there is something I wish to ask of you..."

"!!"

The moment Ye Guyi heard the word "ask" from Qian Renxue’s mouth, she was utterly stunned.

Wait—why would the great Angel God need to ask someone for help?

Dan Heng and Poseidon walked over together.

Poseidon was the first to speak. "Yuhan, what trouble have you run into? Just say the word. With all the years of friendship between us..."

Qian Renxue thought for a moment, then turned to greet Gu Yuena as well.

"Sister-in-law, I... I want to apologize to you for what Bibi Dong did in the past..."

Shame flickered across Qian Renxue’s face.

Gu Yuena’s demeanor was gentle; she nodded. "It’s all in the past. No need to bring it up again. If you’ve run into trouble, just say so directly."

Gu Yuena was quite magnanimous. As she spoke, she stepped forward and took Dan Heng’s arm.

Qian Renxue lowered her eyes, glanced around, and forced a smile. "This isn’t the place to talk. I already know what Sister-in-law intends to do. I’ll have people make the arrangements right away..."

Ye Guyi finally snapped out of her daze and was just about to prove herself—

—but the Spirit Hall soul masters had already taken the initiative to begin gathering intelligence on the Evil Soul Masters.

"...!" Ye Guyi bit her lip in frustration. Damn it! Even without the Grand Elder, these people still didn’t take her seriously!

...

The scene shifted.

Qian Renxue led Dan Heng and the others into a reception room. Several scrolls lay on the table, all detailing information about Evil Soul Masters.

Dan Heng and the others read them quickly.

Thanks to Spirit Hall’s presence, the Evil Soul Masters had never been able to form a large-scale force; they were captured and imprisoned in the Slaughter City.

After all, not every Evil Soul Master had the chance to commit atrocities.

This situation had lasted until a hundred years ago.

At that time, the Spirit Hall Pope discovered the Slaughter King’s plot—he had been amassing power and extending his influence outward.

Thus, Spirit Hall launched a surprise attack on the Slaughter City.

In that intense and prolonged war, Spirit Hall suffered grievous losses, but on the surface, they had eradicated the Slaughter City...

In reality, the Slaughter King escaped with several Evil Soul Masters who were Titled Douluo, continuing to roam free.

Although Spirit Hall never gave up the hunt, they gradually became powerless to stop them.

Especially after the Slaughter King and his Evil Soul Masters formed the Holy Spirit Cult—an organization capable of corrupting ordinary soul masters into joining them—their influence snowballed rapidly.

"...When I came out back then, I quickly cultivated to rank ninety-nine as a Titled Douluo, but was besieged by more than a dozen Evil Soul Masters. In the end, three God-level beings appeared and suppressed me—one of them was Yue’er..."

Shui Bing’er sighed as she spoke.

Qian Renxue leaned against the window. The sunlight illuminated her golden hair, making it shine even brighter, but her face was full of worry.

"Eighty years ago, I found Bibi Dong’s latest reincarnation. While I was trying to guide her to recover her memories, the Slaughter King ambushed me and got to her first...

Now, Bibi Dong is the Deputy Leader of the Holy Spirit Cult. I’ve fought them openly and in secret many times, but... in the end, I am no match for them."

Her voice was filled with bitterness.

Ye Guyi’s eyes went wide. Even the Angel God couldn’t defeat the Evil Soul Masters? That was far too terrifying!

Dan Heng frowned slightly. From the sound of it, the Slaughter King’s strength must come from relying on the souls of soul beasts...

And he must have created some kind of strange divine power that could let others ascend to godhood—and even avoid the pursuit of the will of the plane itself.

"Mr. Dan Heng, I wish to ask you... to help me bring Bibi Dong back."

Qian Renxue’s tone was solemn.

Dan Heng was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Let’s go take a look at the Slaughter City."

...

Meanwhile, elsewhere—before a great waterfall—

A group of black-robed Evil Soul Masters was circling around a blue silver grass plant edged with gold, dancing in a strange ritual.

Not far away, the Slaughter King and several other high-ranking members watched.

Suddenly, the Slaughter King shuddered and said in surprise, "Interesting... those people actually managed to kill Jacklong... Seems they really aren’t to be underestimated."

Tang Hao and the other Evil Soul Masters all turned to look at him.

"I’ll go kill them!" Tang Hao said coldly.

"Don’t rush. And besides, you’re no match for them. Take it slow... First, let’s look at our new partner—the Fallen Blue Silver Emperor."

The Slaughter King placed a hand on Tang Hao’s shoulder, a sinister smile curling across his face.

(End of Chapter)