Handle It Yourselves!

"Splash, splash."

"Caw! Caw!"

The cold wind whipped up the waves, while flocks of seagulls circled overhead, continuously letting out hurried, low cries.

Dusk was near. Beneath the cover of clouds, the sun gradually sank below the horizon, leaving behind swathes of nearly blood-red sky. Its lingering rays spilled across the sea, like blood dragons churning beneath the waves, reflecting an eerie beauty.

Compared to the vast ocean, the Soul Tool Ocean Survey Ship was like a lone leaf drifting across the water as it slowly sailed onward.

Even in this age, when soul beasts had long since declined, this was still the sea. The power of Sea Soul Beast clans remained terrifying beyond measure. Since it could be used for oceanic surveys, the ship's capabilities were naturally exceptional.

A faint membrane of water-attributed Soul Power shrouded the vessel's surface, blending its already weak Soul Power fluctuations into the seawater from beneath the hull. This made the ship seem as though it had merged with the ocean itself. Unless a Sea Soul Beast possessed astonishing cultivation, it would be difficult to notice a human-made vessel moving across the sea.

Buzz!

After the Soul Tool Ocean Survey Ship continued forward for another two kilometers, countless specks of soft light suddenly lit up ahead. They took the shape of a protective barrier, ripples spreading outward.

On the boundless sea, a sizable island appeared as if by magic.

In the fading glow of the setting sun, the island's outline looked deep and tranquil. Vast stretches of vegetation covered it, as though no human had ever set foot there.

Yet atop the island's highest peak stood a pillar of Soul Power light with a metallic sheen, radiating light in every direction. Clearly, the soft glow that had revealed the island originated from it.

On the survey ship, Sun Kong stared blankly at the two boxes placed on the table behind him.

Three others sat around him, and their expressions were equally grim. The only woman in the group appeared to have cried, her eyes slightly swollen.

The cabin was terrifyingly quiet.

The survey ship slowly sailed into the island.

The pillar of light atop the mountain immediately withdrew its Soul Power output, and the island vanished once more. The sea returned to calm.

The survey ship slowly came to a stop within the harbor.

Another group had long gathered on the shore. Most of them appeared to be around forty, both men and women, and neither their attire nor their bearing suggested they were ordinary people.

The man standing at the front was tall and upright, with a resolute face. He stood like a halberd planted in the earth, and his sharp gaze and immovable presence were enough to inspire fear at a glance.

He was the leader most revered by this group, as well as a powerful Soul Master who stood at the pinnacle of the continent.

The salty, bone-chilling sea wind blew in from beyond the harbor with the survey ship, stirring the hems of everyone's clothes.

No one spoke. Every gaze was fixed on the group slowly disembarking from the survey ship.

Sun Kong and the woman with swollen eyes each held a box filled with the aura of life elements in both hands as they walked at the front.

The moment they saw the two boxes, the expressions of those on shore froze, and an atmosphere of sorrow and heaviness began to spread.

"Boss." Sun Kong and the woman beside him stepped forward to stand before the resolute-faced man, their voices low.

Qian Gu Qingfeng lowered his gaze to the two boxes emanating a gentle aura of life and asked expressionlessly, "What happened in the Lesser World on the Star Luo Continent?"

Rather than explaining directly, Sun Kong asked, "Sister Xia isn't here?"

Qian Gu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment. "I will tell her about this myself."

Sun Kong's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally sighed. "Ever since we were young, Sister Xia raised us like her own children. Now A Nan and Yue'er have gone ahead of us..."

"I will counsel her. You only need to tell me what happened in that Lesser World."

Qian Gu Qingfeng seemed immune to emotion, even though the boxes contained the ashes of children he and his wife had raised since childhood.

Sun Kong paused slightly. His gaze swept over the brothers and sisters who had rushed over upon receiving the news, and a cold glint emerged in his eyes.

"It was those damned Evil Soul Masters, filthy as sewer rats. We don't know when they infiltrated the Lesser World, but they launched a surprise attack while we were split up."

The moment the words "Evil Soul Masters" were spoken, everyone present except Qian Gu Qingfeng turned cold-eyed, as though they wanted nothing more than to devour their flesh and drink their blood.

Most of the people here had gathered in this place because their original families had been destroyed by Evil Soul Masters.

Their hatred for Evil Soul Masters had long reached an indescribable level.

With rage in his voice, Sun Kong recounted everything that had happened in the Lesser World.

A gradually clearer sequence of events formed in everyone's minds.

"If I had led everyone there in time, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out like this. It was all my fault."

By the end, Sun Kong's voice was already hoarse, his face filled with intense grief and regret. "Boss, before A Nan and Yue'er passed, they burned the last traces of their Martial Soul Origin to preserve their souls for a short while. Please take them to see Liujing one last time."

As he spoke, someone stepped out from behind Sun Kong and respectfully offered Qian Gu Qingfeng a strange bead. Its surface was covered in mottled patterns, its color rather murky, and it looked completely ordinary.

The only thing one could sense was a faint, intermittent Lightning Element fluctuation within it.

"This was obtained by A Nan and Yue'er in the Lesser World. Before they died, they repeatedly said this item was extraordinary and entrusted us to give it to you. The Evil Soul Masters launched their desperate attack because of this," Sun Kong said in a deep voice, unable to stop himself from recalling the scene.

After entering that Lesser World they had discovered by chance, they encountered no danger for a long time. To speed up the search, after discussing it together, he gave the order for everyone to split into pairs. Yet less than two hours after they separated, something happened.

Although they eventually reached the site of the incident, everything was already too late.

Those Evil Soul Masters were all dead, not even leaving behind corpses. In contrast, A Nan and Yue'er were equally at the end of their strength.

If a top-tier healing-type Soul Master had been there, perhaps they could have been saved. But within that Lesser World, the outcome had already been decided.

Qian Gu Qingfeng glanced at the bead without saying anything. With a sweep of his hand, the boxes in Sun Kong and the woman's hands vanished instantly, along with the bead held by the other person.

"Just now, word came from headquarters. Dark Hummingbird, one of the Holy Spirit Cult's Four Heavenly Kings, appeared near Shrek City. I don't know exactly what he did, but he was pursued by experts from Shrek Academy and fled in the direction of Mingdu."

"Every Heavenly King has an exclusive Evil Soul Master Organization under them. In the past, I did not agree with you having too much contact with Shrek Academy. This time, handle it yourselves."

Everyone's gazes met instinctively.

Qian Gu Qingfeng did not linger. He turned and left, his figure flickering as he vanished from everyone's sight.

Watching the direction in which Qian Gu Qingfeng had departed, the group said nothing. A moment later, crackling Lightning Element Soul Power gathered around Sun Kong's body. It then bloomed into a strange radiance, as though ghostly light flowed through the air. In an instant, a suit of dark-blue armor covered his entire body, and his aura rapidly withdrew.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

At the same time, all manner of fluctuations and lights appeared around the others.

Some were weak, some strong, but if an outsider had been present, they would have been horrified.

Because every single person here was among the strongest beings of this era.

Battle Armor Masters!

And now, these Battle Armor Masters were going to kill.

The new book is here. Sorry to have kept all you handsome men and beautiful women waiting.