The old butler Yi Ren, known as Yi Lao, walked along the streets of the South of the City behind his master. Pedestrians and street vendors greeted the two as they passed.
"Good day, Society Leader!"
"Society Leader, come rest your feet and have a cup of tea."
"..."
The Fallen God Society Leader responded to the passersby with a warm smile and genuine attention.
"Good day to you all."
"Your tea is excellent, but I have matters to attend to today. Perhaps next time."
"..."
Yi Ren was unfazed by this scene; it was clearly a daily occurrence.
It was only after they left the South of the City that the harmonious interactions caused by their presence gradually subsided.
Yi Ren followed behind the Fallen God Society Leader, gazing at his back, and thought to himself.
Society Leader, after today, no matter the outcome, I fear this scene will be hard to see again. Will you regret it?
Even though he was the butler who had raised the Fallen God Society Leader since childhood, there were many times he could not fathom the man's actions.
The Fallen God Society Leader's popularity in the civilian district of the South of the City did not come for free; it was the result of years of charity and kindness toward others. Logically, someone in the Soul Master World with such patience for commoners should not be a bad person. Yet, he had personally founded the Fallen God Society, and over the years, he had bought people (both living and dead) from the Great Soul Arena for experiments to further his plans. Furthermore, he had shown no mercy in hunting specific soul masters over the past two years, so he could hardly be called a good person either.
Yi Ren could sense that the man was earnest in both of these vastly different pursuits, but which one was the true him? He could not tell.
Perhaps because he had been staring for too long, the Fallen God Society Leader sensed it. He did not turn around, but he still asked aloud.
"Yi Lao, is something on your mind?"
Hearing his master's question, Yi Ren realized he had lost his composure. He quickly averted his gaze and replied.
"Nothing in particular, just a bit worried."
Hearing this, the Fallen God Society Leader did not overthink it, assuming he was merely concerned about the Martial Soul Hall and the other Three Excellencies in Heaven Dou City. He spoke calmly.
"In this life, everything carries risk, just like back then."
"So, there is nothing to worry about. Just follow your heart. Our plan is comprehensive; as for the final success or failure, let us leave that to fate!"
Hearing these words, Yi Ren instinctively clenched his fists. If not for that incident, perhaps the man would not be like this! Although the current Fallen God Society Leader was excellent in every way, if it were possible, he would have preferred for him to have a simple and happy life.
"Yes, Society Leader!"
Yi Ren responded and said no more.
The master and servant continued on their way toward the East of the City.
Elsewhere, Yun Ming and the personnel from the Martial Soul Hall had already arrived at the Dead Realm after receiving the news.
Yun Ming and Gu Rong, who had come to watch the excitement, stood at the zenith. Under the cover of spatial abilities, the two left no trace, quietly watching the forces of the Fallen God Society converge below. Once they finished assembling, they charged directly into the Dead Realm.
Meanwhile, the Martial Soul Hall mobilized the elites of the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall Holy Temple to blockade all directions of the Dead Realm, leaving them no chance of escape. At the same time, Demon Bear Douluo personally led a team of Holy Tribunal Soul Masters into the Dead Realm to kill.
Looking at the full combat strength of the Fallen God Society—three Soul Douluo, seven Soul Sages, and a number of Soul Emperors and Soul Kings—Gu Rong clicked his tongue.
"If this is the extent of their power, I truly cannot see where they find the confidence to provoke the Martial Soul Hall!"
Yun Ming said calmly.
"There is always a reason."
Before he could finish, Yun Ming and Gu Rong suddenly sensed two rapidly approaching auras. Both looked toward the horizon simultaneously; a black and a red streak of soul light had already bypassed the outer blockade of the Martial Soul Hall elites and broken into the interior.
Feeling the formidable Soul Power fluctuations radiating from the red streak of light, Gu Rong said softly.
"Finally, an interesting fellow has appeared."
Yun Ming also spoke.
"Level 94 and level 89. It seems this is their final strength."
Yun Ming and Gu Rong did not make a move immediately, but the three Title Douluo of the Martial Soul Hall clearly would not let them run wild.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Ghost gave a low shout, immediately activating his Martial Soul Avatar. His body turned into a ghostly shadow, and in the blink of an eye, he intercepted the two figures. At the same time, his First Soul Ring lit up beneath him.
Ghost's somewhat illusory right arm rapidly enlarged from shoulder to palm. The skin of the enlarged arm turned red, and the veins bulged violently. A terrifying, pitch-black ghostly aura flowed wantonly as he slapped a palm toward the incoming red soul light.
Ghost's First Soul Skill, Giant Change Ghost Hand, was activated. This soul skill greatly enhanced the strength of Ghost's arm; if the opponent were struck directly by it, they would suffer a brief moment of dizziness.
Watching the towering ghost hand rapidly encroaching upon him, even before it reached him, the Fallen God Society Leader within the red soul light felt his soul trembling.
Will it affect the spirit?
The Fallen God Society Leader made his judgment, and his own First Soul Ring lit up. A claw covered in dark red scales broke out from the soul light, and a hundred-foot claw print suddenly slammed forward. He was in a hurry; since touching it would affect his spirit, he simply wouldn't touch it.
Ghost felt the vengeful, crazed, and tyrannical evil aura on the opponent's claw and felt a slight shock in his heart. He had seen many Fallen Soul Masters over the years, but he had rarely seen one with such a heavy evil aura. To prevent any accidents, he immediately changed his move.
Black mist permeated the ghost hand, and his five fingers curled into a claw shape, slashing at the claw print. The sharp claws unleashed four massive purple claw blades that tore through the earth, striking toward the dark red claw print.
"BOOM--"
The claw print met the claw blades, evil aura collided with ghost aura, and finally, both exploded violently.
Ghost was temporarily repelled by the impact of the soul power, but the Fallen God Society Leader did not dodge or evade. Blood-red light erupted from his body, his speed increased by several notches, and he broke directly into the shockwave.
The blood shadow acted this way, and the dark shadow following him did the same. From their trajectory, it was clear they intended to break through Ghost Douluo's blockade, regardless of the risk of injury.
Unfortunately, they were not facing just one person. Having temporarily repelled one Ghost Douluo, there was still another, Chrysanthemum Douluo, watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Yue Guan stared at the direction the two were advancing. His Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum spirit expanded and shattered. Under his control, the crescent-shaped blades formed a river of moonlight, intercepting their path and signaling that this road was closed.
However, Yue Guan clearly underestimated the resolve of the master and servant. Facing the river of blades, their choice was simple: charge straight into it!
Of course, this wasn't a mindless, suicidal charge. The old butler, Yi Ren, activated his Spirit Avatar. A giant flying eagle with pitch-black plumage and a wingspan exceeding twenty meters tore through the black light of soul power and appeared in the world.
His spirit was a rare Defense System avian, the Iron Feather Black Hawk. While its flight capabilities were average, its defensive power was among the best of all avian spirits.
Yi Ren shielded the blood shadow beneath him and flew directly into the river of blades.
"Ding! Ding! Ding--"
The petal-like moon blades struck the giant eagle's black feathers, ringing out like metal and sparking, but they failed to break through his defense. Watching from the sky, both Yun Ming and Gu Rong felt embarrassed for Yue Guan.
Yun Ming asked Gu Rong beside him.
"Is this Chrysanthemum Douluo's blade technique always this... delicate (scraping)?"
Gu Rong offered an equally blunt critique.
"Yue Guan is like this. All these years, he's only ever been able to show off in front of Dugu Bo."
Yun Ming: "."
You certainly know how to talk; one sentence to roast two people at once.
While they chatted, the situation below continued to shift. Chrysanthemum Douluo was clearly angered by the opponent's response.
'I'm attacking you, yet you dare to block? And you're blocking so easily—are you trying to humiliate me?'
With this thought, his Fifth Soul Ring lit up instantly. Countless golden blades swirled rapidly, merging into a single, massive Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. A vast, ocean-like golden soul light gathered at the heart of the flower.
"Fifth Soul Skill, 'Gathering of Cold Brilliance'!"
Yue Guan's shrill, angry shout rang out. The brilliant soul light at the heart of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum reached its peak, shooting out like a sword qi capable of cleaving the heavens.
Seeing the 'Gathering of Cold Brilliance' approaching with endless Geng Metal energy, like a divine sword descending from the sky, and sensing the sharp aura it carried, Yi Ren realized it was too late to dodge. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. His first, third, and fifth soul rings lit up. The already massive body of the black hawk expanded further, and his ink-colored feathers took on a thick, glazed sheen. Having pushed his defensive power to the limit, he flapped his wings violently and rammed into the attack.
"Ying--"
"Crackle--"
The golden Geng Metal energy completely enveloped the giant eagle, emitting only a piercing eagle cry that shook the sky and a series of sounds like metal shattering.
Listening to the opponent's screams and the sound of his defense breaking, Yue Guan felt very satisfied. This was the reaction he expected!
The 'Gathering of Cold Brilliance' swept past rapidly and dissipated into soul light, revealing Yi Ren's current state.
At this moment, his eagle feathers had fallen off in droves, his flesh was torn, and his body was riddled with holes. There wasn't a single spot on him that wasn't bleeding. Although the wounds weren't particularly deep, the sheer volume of blood loss meant he was clearly severely injured.
Even if Chrysanthemum Douluo wasn't known for his raw attack power, the gap between a Super Douluo and a peak Soul Douluo remained an insurmountable chasm.
Yi Ren gasped heavily. Even as his vision began to darken, he continued to fly with all his might toward the desolate, dead land ahead.
Yue Guan, along with Ghost who had stabilized his position and arrived at his side, saw that the two had not yet been finished off and attacked again. Two streaks of soul light, one black and one gold, descended once more.
This time, the Society Leader made his move. His soul power erupted with a roar, and a wall of blood-colored soul power that pierced the heavens descended upon the human world like a Wall of Sighs, blocking the two attacks.
Boom--
The collision of soul power from both sides did not determine a victor; it merely kicked up a massive amount of dust and light pollution that obscured their vision. By the time it all dissipated, the two had already reached the edge of the Dead Realm. At that moment, everyone finally saw their faces clearly.
The blood-soaked old man was clearly the Black Hawk Soul Douluo, and the white-robed man must be the leader. He looked to be around thirty years old. He wasn't exceptionally handsome, at most merely refined. A lazy smile played on his face, and his pitch-black eyes held a brilliant, swirling luster, making him appear exceptionally gentle and profound.
Even with the old man who had raised him since childhood lying critically injured before him, the primary emotion in his eyes remained gentle, without a trace of anger. He had long anticipated that this journey would be difficult, so he was not surprised by the injury or death of himself or those close to him.
He was not surprised, but the three people who saw his face—excluding Yun Ming—were very surprised.
Yue Guan looked at the man opposite him and exclaimed.
"It's actually you!!"
In the sky, Yun Ming looked at Gu Rong's stunned expression and spoke.
"Does Senior Gu recognize this person?"
Hearing Yun Ming's question, Gu Rong snapped out of his daze and replied in a somewhat distracted tone.
"I recognize him. I recognize him all too well."
"This is also a big shot!"
Yun Ming: "?"
Gu Rong spoke bluntly.
"He is Zhong Yuxing, the leader of the Zhong Clan Commerce, one of the three major chambers of commerce in the Heaven Dou Empire. He is the most famous business prodigy in the Heaven Dou Empire in the last few decades."
"When he took over his family's business ten years ago, he developed the Zhong Clan, which was only a second-rate firm, into a business giant second only to the Seven Treasures Commerce and the Heaven Dou Royal Commerce. This caused quite a sensation throughout Heaven Dou."
Hearing the name, Yun Ming remembered. There was indeed such a big shot in Heaven Dou. Although he had never met him, he had heard of him from Ya Li, because besides being a famous businessman, he was also a well-known philanthropist.
It is said that after taking charge of his family, this man moved his residence to the civilian district in the south of the city. Over the years, he has done quite a lot to improve the livelihoods of the lower classes, such as repairing roads, providing relief and poverty alleviation, and hiring workers—truly putting the benefit of the people into action.
However, it was unexpected that a figure radiating the brilliance of the righteous path from head to toe would turn out to be the mastermind behind this incident.
Zhong Yuxing looked at Yue Guan and replied in the tone of someone chatting with an old friend.
"Corona Yue Guan, long time no see."
Yue Guan said with a solemn expression.
"Indeed! Long time no see."
"This old man never imagined that our opponents this time would actually be President Zhong."
"A Title Douluo, yet you disguised yourself as an ordinary person for so many years. You have hidden yourself deep enough, President!"
To Yue Guan's words, Zhong Yuxing merely smiled and said casually.
"Corona, you jest. There is no such thing as a disguise; it was simply not needed in daily life."
Ghost stared fixedly at Zhong Yuxing and interjected.
"Then why is it needed this time! What, do you want to use the reputation of our Martial Soul Hall as a stepping stone to become famous under heaven?!"
Zhong Yuxing did not react to Ghost's unfriendly tone, maintaining his calm and humble demeanor.
"Corona Ghost, you jest. Martial Soul Hall is full of experts; I am well aware of that and would not do such a foolish thing. But there are some matters that leave me no choice. Only your Martial Soul Hall can help me, so I had no option but to take this risk."
Ghost frowned and continued to ask.
"What matters?"
Regarding Ghost's question, Zhong Yuxing did not answer directly this time, only saying something ambiguous.
"As for this, you will all know very soon, and the time should be just about right."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the place where Yun Ming and Gu Rong were hiding.
To be precise, Zhong Yuxing was looking at Yun Ming. Yun Ming met his gaze, realizing that the other party had discovered him, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Neither Ghost nor Yue Guan had seen through the spatial barrier he had set up, yet this man could see through it—he was truly extraordinary!
When the two of them, Chrysanthemum and Ghost, heard the other party's words, they immediately wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
As his words fell, Zhong Yuxing took a step back, entering the range of the Dead Realm, while simultaneously raising his right hand. An ancient stone wall appeared quietly.
The moment the stone wall appeared, it attracted everyone's attention, but the rough, abstract, and messy lines on it left them confused, until bursts of blood energy and specks of miraculous, dazzling light drifted out from beneath the Dead Realm.
Those specks of light did not have the attribute bias of Soul Power, nor were they as agile and free as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and they were certainly not the desolate aura of death. However, the moment Yun Ming saw those specks of light, the relaxation in his eyes vanished, replaced by extreme solemnity.
Yun Ming dispelled his spatial barrier and appeared opposite Zhong Yuxing amidst a flash of silver light. Seeing the suddenly appearing Yun Ming, Yi Ren subconsciously wanted to step forward to protect his master, but he was stopped by Zhong Yuxing just as he moved.
"Elder Yi, don't act rashly. You are no match for him."
Yun Ming ignored the interaction between the master and servant. He looked at the specks of light continuously condensing onto the stone slab and said with a heavy expression.
"It really is a target that is beyond reason, yet within the realm of expectation."
"So, your purpose in provoking Martial Soul Hall was for Faith Power!"
In today's world, the faith of the Douluo Continent is divided into two: one belongs to the Angel God, and the other to the Sea God. The people of Sea God Island never leave their home, so if the other party wanted faith, they could indeed only target Martial Soul Hall. Furthermore, the Holy Tribunal Soul Masters and the three great Title Douluo who reside in Martial Soul City year-round would inevitably be tainted with some pure Faith Power due to their long-term bathing in holy light. Coupled with the fact that the other party's ultimate intent clearly relied on the environment of the Dead Realm, everything could be explained.
Zhong Yuxing looked straight at Yun Ming and chuckled softly.
"Indeed, worthy of being the newly ascended Number One Under Heaven, what insight! So, what will you do?"
Who can use Faith Power? Aside from extreme powerhouses, only the Angel family can. And the reason they can use it stems from the bloodline passed down by their ancestors, so it goes without saying what that stone wall is related to.
Yun Ming's Atlas Divine Spear appeared in his right hand, the tip pointing directly at Zhong Yuxing.
"What will I do? Such a bloodthirsty object surely won't produce anything good, so naturally, I will end today's affairs."
As he spoke, Yun Ming stomped hard on the Void beneath his feet and broke directly into the Dead Realm, spear in hand.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader