Rose Blossoming Amid Blood

If the breeding ground of terrorism—poverty and famine—is not eradicated, then no matter how many planes, cannons, or missiles you have, you will never solve terrorism.

During Spirit Hall's era, everyone across Douluo Continent could benefit from Martial Soul awakening. Those with the aptitude to become Soul Masters would receive Spirit Hall's support and subsidies. Even those who awakened Evil Martial Souls could still be accepted by Spirit Hall and the orthodox Soul Master World, so long as they did not rebel or abuse their Martial Souls. At the same time, there was a prison of sin in that era—Slaughter City, a natural prison that confined all the evil of Douluo Continent within it.

That was why, although Evil Soul Masters existed in that era, they did not emerge like wildfire as they did after Spirit Hall's downfall.

But in Shrek's era, they simply painted them all with the same brush: those with Evil Martial Souls were Evil Soul Masters, and Evil Soul Masters were to be eliminated. They killed as many as they could. They would always be saviors in the eyes of ordinary people, but they would never solve the problem of Evil Soul Masters.

Dear Host, you have reached the designated time node. Would you like to view the target's experiences in detail?

"View them!" Qian Xunji said.

Time Browsing Function Activated

The greatest difference between madness and obsession was that the obsessed acted with extreme rationality and careful deliberation.

She was a madwoman. Of course, they could call her a madwoman. Her hatred for Evil Soul Masters made her wish to slaughter every last one of them, to use their blood to fertilize the fertile soil of Douluo Continent.

Was she mad? Of course she was.

But had she truly lost her reason and become a lunatic? Look at the people she had once protected. Look at the nests that trained Evil Soul Masters, one after another, that she had destroyed. Look at how her sword pierced the enemy's sharp blades.

Her parents and homeland had been massacred by Evil Soul Masters. Yet such hatred and fury had not robbed her of reason. Instead, they forged a bayonet in the bone-chilling flames within her. Her life was either spent sharpening her blade or swinging it. She devised strategies, prepared every detail of her plans, honed her techniques to perfection, and then struck. When she struck, only two things existed in the world: the blade's tip and the heart.

What she hated were the three words "Evil Soul Master." She swore to eradicate them completely. Yet she discovered that she was merely a sword in someone else's hand.

As the line passed, Qian Xunji looked through the boundary of time and space and saw a small village in the future.

Heaven Dou Empire, Rose Village.

The village was named for the roses it produced, flowers beloved by nobles. It was a peaceful village, home to two people: Hua Qiang and He Hua.

The two Little Girls were the same age and childhood playmates. They lived here together without a care in the world.

When they were six years old,

Hua Qiang said, "On Douluo Continent, when each of us turns six, we can awaken a Martial Soul. What do you think our Martial Souls will be like?"

He Hua said, "Mine should be a pure white lotus. What about you, Hua Qiang?"

"I like roses better. I want one as my Martial Soul." Hua Qiang plucked a flower, sniffed it, and said.

He Hua sighed. "We're already six, but without someone to awaken our Martial Souls for us, we can't awaken them. But I heard that an awakening costs ten Gold Soul Coins. Even if we spent our whole lives saving, it probably wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of awakening a Martial Soul."

"Ten Gold Soul Coins?" A trace of unwillingness flashed through Hua Qiang's eyes. "No matter what, I have to save up ten Silver Soul Coins to awaken my Martial Soul. I want to become a Soul Master."

The Little Girl returned home, took out her little purse, and began counting the copper coins inside one by one. This was the savings she had accumulated since she began working at the age of four. Compared to the astronomical awakening fee, it was still a drop in the ocean.

That night, as the Little Girl planned how to save for her future Martial Soul awakening, a nightmare descended upon the tranquil little village.

A group of Evil Soul Masters stormed into the village and used force to gather the villagers in the square.

This calamity affected her family as well. In the middle of the night, the Little Girl's parents awoke and saw a group of Evil Soul Masters outside the window. Several were already heading toward their home, so the two hurriedly hid little Hua Qiang away.

After hiding her, her parents began looking for places to hide themselves.

Before they could conceal themselves, however, the door was pushed open. Like beasts, two Evil Soul Masters grabbed her mother by the hair and dragged her away, while forcibly pulling her father along by the hand.

They did not waste time searching the house, and because of that, she escaped disaster by hiding.

The next day, after sensing that the Evil Soul Masters had left, she emerged in terror.

The moment she stepped out of the house, the entire village reeked of blood. In the center of the village, dozens of villagers had been blood-sacrificed. There was Uncle Wang, Village Chief Li John, and—

Blood, mutilated remains, shattered walls, skeletons.

One bloody scene after another deeply assaulted her nerves. Amid the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, she found her father's head, half its face missing, and her mother's dismembered body.

She knelt in the bloody slurry and wept. The pain of losing her loved ones and her hatred for Evil Soul Masters coiled around her heart. She did not notice that a brilliant rose had begun to grow from the blood.

A Rose Soul Imprint appeared on the back of her hand.

After the calamity, several children who had escaped death under their parents' protection emerged from their rooms. Looking at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood in the square, they wept bitterly.

Among the survivors, Hua Qiang was delighted to see that He Hua was also safe and sound. Hua Qiang was more mature than most children her age. With grief in her heart, she buried her parents' bodies. The other children followed her example and buried their own families. Later, they gradually buried the other adults in the village as well.

By dusk, there was scarcely a child here whose body was not stained with blood.

They spent an unknown number of days in confusion before Shrek's enforcement team arrived at the village ravaged by Evil Soul Masters. Dressed in neat, lavish clothing, Soul Rings circling beneath their feet, they descended from the sky. On the leader's chest was a badge bearing a green monster, with a line of words beneath it:

Shrek Sea God Pavilion Enforcement Team

The enforcement team existed to suppress Evil Soul Masters. Seeing the village's tragic state, they investigated for a while before the leader said mournfully, "We arrived a step too late. Those damned Evil Soul Masters succeeded again."

As he spoke, the leader walked to the place where the sacrifices had been made, formed several prayer gestures before his chest, and chanted:

"Departed souls, please rest in peace. May the noble and great Lord Sea God, whose heart holds mercy and compassion for all living beings, guide your souls across to the other shore and into heaven."