Venomous Mandala

Chapter 27: Venomous Mandala

Caught off guard, Tang Qi and the other two were enveloped by the Golden Mandala Flower pollen, which entered their bodies directly through their nostrils.

As soon as this potent poison, comparable to the Man Faced Demon Spider's venom, entered their bodies, it took effect rapidly. The Golden Mandala's toxin was a neurotoxin, and its first symptom was hallucinations.

Then came stiffened limbs, followed by blood coagulating into clots, and finally, death!

Among the many poisons, the Golden Mandala's venom acted exceptionally quickly. Its ferocious toxicity was far beyond what ordinary people could withstand. Even a Soul King would not last long after being poisoned, much less a Soul Ancestor or anyone below that level.

The Soul Grandmaster began to succumb to the poison the instant the powder entered his body. He had now collapsed to the ground, his limbs stiff, white foam spilling from his mouth, and even his eyes beginning to lose focus.

Ding Yin, the Soul Elder, fared no better. His limbs twitched, his gaze was utterly vacant, and he had already fallen deeply into hallucinations. Clearly, the poison had seeped deep into him.

Tang Qi, whose Soul Power was the strongest, was still holding on. His scarlet eyes were fixed tightly on Xu Fei and Lu Yuan, filled with venomous resentment. "You actually used poison?"

Xu Fei gave a disdainful smile. "Against animals like you, no method is too much!"

Lu Yuan nodded in agreement. For scum capable of such cruel acts, what was wrong with using poison? Even if they were chopped into mincemeat, it would not be undeserved.

It was just a shame to waste such rare Golden Mandala Flower pollen.

At first, when he saw Xu Fei display his might and take down eight soul masters with a single skill, Lu Yuan had thought Xu Fei could handle everything alone and that there would be no need for the pollen. Yet he had not expected one Soul Ancestor, one Soul Elder, and two Soul Grand Masters working together to actually injure Xu Fei.

Although Lu Yuan had caught one Soul Grandmaster off guard and killed him, the remaining three were still not to be underestimated. Especially when Tang Qi unleashed his fourth soul skill, his momentum was no weaker than Xu Fei's. To prevent further complications and avoid any accidents, Lu Yuan decisively used the Mandala pollen.

With the advantage of surprise, all three of them had been poisoned!

"Uncle Xu, who are they?" It was Lu Yuan's first time seeing soul masters like Tang Qi. That evil, grim, and violent presence was not something an ordinary soul master could possess, and their strength seemed far beyond that of typical soul masters as well.

The strength Tang Qi had displayed earlier was nearly equal to that of a Soul King, far surpassing Ferros, who was also a Soul Ancestor. Back then, Ferros had been sent flying and vomiting blood after facing an eight-hundred-year-old Sky-Supporting Demon Ape.

"They should be the legendary Evil Soul Masters!" As a deacon of the Spirit Hall Main Hall, Xu Fei had seen much and heard much. He had heard of the infamous Evil Soul Masters before.

"Evil Soul Masters?" Lu Yuan was startled. Weren't Evil Soul Masters active in the world of Douluo II? How could they be so brazen even in the world of Douluo I, daring to massacre a village in broad daylight?

"Evil Soul Masters are an exceptionally evil kind of soul master. Most of them possess extremely sinister Martial Souls and use the blood and souls of humans or Soul Beasts to raise their levels. They commit every evil imaginable. Over the years, Spirit Hall has been devoted to eliminating Evil Soul Masters, and we have achieved remarkable results, killing a great many of them."

"I just didn't expect these Evil Soul Masters to be so bold that they would dare slaughter even the Pope's hometown. It seems this is their retaliation against Spirit Hall!" Xu Fei's expression was grim. These Evil Soul Masters had no bottom line whatsoever. They did not even deserve to be called human.

"What should we do with these people?" Lu Yuan asked, pointing at Tang Qi and the others.

"After being poisoned by Golden Mandala Flower pollen, these three are certain to die. But there were four other Evil Soul Masters earlier who were only seriously injured. They should not have died so quickly yet," Xu Fei said.

"We do not know whether Fengming Village is the only village to have suffered this, or whether many other villages have also been massacred. If it is the latter, then this matter is serious. It will certainly cause a tremendous uproar and may even damage Spirit Hall's reputation."

"No matter what, this matter can't be suppressed." Lu Yuan's eyes flashed sharply. "Even the Pope's hometown has suffered a massacre. This will definitely touch the nerves of every major force across the Douluo Continent. Some sects may even be waiting to watch us make fools of ourselves!"

This retaliation by the Evil Soul Masters would undoubtedly cause a sensation. Spirit Hall had to provide a satisfactory answer, or the common people's trust in Spirit Hall might be diminished. After all, if Spirit Hall could not even deal with a few Evil Soul Masters, how could it claim to maintain order across the entire continent?

"Logically speaking, the Pope's hometown should have had people from Spirit Hall specially watching over it. Why was such a massive incident allowed to happen without a single person from Spirit Hall in sight?" Lu Yuan said, rubbing his chin.

"Perhaps they were fooled as well. The methods of these Evil Soul Masters are anything but ordinary!" Xu Fei said flatly as he looked at Tang Qi, who was already on the verge of death.

"What should we do?" Lu Yuan asked.

"Naturally, we report everything that happened here truthfully. We also need to take those four survivors with us. Perhaps we can interrogate some information out of them."

"As for him, throwing him to the dogs seems fitting." Xu Fei's tone was indifferent as he looked at Tang Qi struggling on the ground.

Tang Qi died, and his death was extremely gruesome!

Hyenas tore his corpse into pieces, his internal organs spilling all over the ground. Yet unexpectedly, instead of feeling sick at the sight, Lu Yuan felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. Against animals like this, only methods more brutal than theirs would suffice.

Fight killing with killing, violence with violence!

Taking the four survivors with them, Xu Fei and Lu Yuan headed to the local Spirit Hall Branch.

Sure enough, what had happened in Fengming Village shocked everyone at the branch. The news was sent to Spirit City almost that same day. As the only two witnesses to the entire incident, Xu Fei and Lu Yuan remained at the branch to assist with the investigation.

The Spirit Hall Branch had received no news at all this time because, before this, its attention had already been diverted elsewhere. A mysterious murder case had drawn their focus, for the one who had died was none other than the deputy hall master of the Spirit Hall Branch.

Now that the events in Fengming Village had come to light, it was clear that the hall master's death had merely been the work of the Evil Soul Masters. Their true target had been Fengming Village. By slaughtering Fengming Village, they intended to strike at the Pope and retaliate against Spirit Hall. That had been their real purpose.

As for the four survivors, after a round of brutal torture, they revealed everything they knew. Though the information was not very detailed, it was still enough to show that Fengming Village was not an isolated case and that the Evil Soul Masters' retaliation had not yet ended.

Upon learning this, the local Spirit Hall Branch sent all the information upward. Xu Fei and Lu Yuan also left the branch and began making their way toward Spirit City.