Deep inside an unremarkable mansion, two figures sat facing each other in a dark room.
There were no lamps lit in the room. Only the pale moonlight filtering through the window lattice illuminated their sharply contrasting silhouettes.
One of them was an old man.
He was tall and straight-backed, his neat silver hair gleaming softly in the moonlight as it was meticulously combed back.
His face was as ruddy as an infant's, showing no trace of age. Only the long, snow-white eyebrows hanging beside his cheeks revealed that he was no longer young.
Across from him sat a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties.
Her face was gaunt and covered in deep wrinkles. Her gray-white hair was disheveled, as though it had lost all vitality. But most unnerving was the cold, sharp evil aura surrounding her, so intense it seemed almost tangible. She looked as if she were an Evil Ghost crawled out of the Nine Nether Purgatory, ready to devour anyone who came near.
The old man was the Dark Holy Dragon, Long Xiaoyao.
The woman was the Death God Douluo, Ye Xishui.
They were the two most powerful Evil Soul Masters of the age, and the true rulers of the Holy Spirit Cult.
"Clack."
Ye Xishui set her teacup down heavily on the table, its sharp sound breaking the oppressive silence in the room.
Her cloudy eyes glinted with violence and irritation.
"The Sun Moon Empire has fallen completely into the hands of the Holy Spirit Cult."
Her voice was hoarse and dry, like two sheets of sandpaper rubbing together.
"The Imperial Court, the military... everything is in that man Mu Xuan's hands. The next step is to consolidate all the Soul Tools and declare war on the Douluo Three Kingdoms!"
For Evil Soul Masters, there was nothing wrong with any of that. But... that was only if the Holy Spirit Cult were still under her control.
Now the Holy Spirit Cult had changed hands, and her own son had become one of Mu Xuan's dogs.
At the mention of Mu Xuan, a deeply complicated look flashed through the eyes of both Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui.
That man who called himself Mu Xuan looked far too much like Mu En!
But he was different, too. They were worlds apart, and the Mu En they remembered would never have done such a thing.
Besides... they had heard a rumor from Shrek Academy that Mu En was already dead. The Mu En now at Shrek Academy wasn't the one they knew.
Just like the man before them called Mu Xuan, he only looked the same.
The killing intent and dark power Mu Xuan exuded were even purer and more terrifying than those of Evil Soul Masters who had spent years immersed in the dark arts!
He couldn't possibly be Mu En. Besides, their Martial Souls were different.
"That River..."
Ye Xishui's voice dropped, a hint of uncertainty creeping into it.
"According to rumors, That River has an unfathomable power. Anyone who honestly answers the River God's questions and walks into it will split into three, each with a completely different personality, talent, and life experience. But all three will be far stronger than the original."
She looked at Long Xiaoyao.
"Do you think this Mu Xuan could be one of the three formed when Mu En walked into That River?"
Long Xiaoyao set down his teacup, brow furrowed. He didn't want to believe it, but... everything happening now had gone beyond reason.
If someone called Mu Xuan had always existed in this world, there was no way he could have stayed hidden until now.
With that strength, that terrifying power, and that face, if he had shown himself, someone would surely have connected Mu Xuan to Mu En.
Besides, the Sun Moon Empire was now guarding that Small River so strictly. There was clearly a secret behind it. Perhaps the rumors were true after all.
Long Xiaoyao fell silent.
And... in terms of strength, Mu Xuan was far stronger than the Mu En they knew. Even in his old age, Mu En had been formidable. Yet Mu Xuan was stronger still.
They felt that even if the two of them joined forces, they might not come out ahead.
A ruthless murderous glint flashed in Ye Xishui's eyes.
"The Holy Spirit Cult must never fall into the hands of an outsider!"
"I've decided. I'm going to attack him and kill this unexpected variable!"
"No!"
Long Xiaoyao stopped her without a moment's hesitation.
His expression turned more solemn than ever. He didn't want the woman he loved to get hurt, even if... Ye Xishui was no longer the woman he had known all those years ago.
"Mu Xuan is powerful, and your Death God Tower isn't complete yet. It's not a true Level 10 Soul Tool. If you attack him now, you won't stand a chance!"
"I know that, of course!"
Ye Xishui's answer was not what Long Xiaoyao expected.
Far from being blinded by anger, she seemed unusually calm.
"So..."
She grinned, revealing a crazed, twisted smile.
"I'll split myself into three, too!"
"Even if the other two versions of me are beyond my control, even if they turn against me, that would still be better than letting things continue like this!"
"Chaos within the Holy Spirit Cult is better than letting it fall into an outsider's hands!"
As she spoke, a flash of light came from the Storage Soul Tool on her hand.
An ordinary Wooden Basin appeared on the floor between them.
It was more than half full of crystal-clear water.
The water looked completely ordinary, but Long Xiaoyao's pupils suddenly contracted.
With his spiritual power, he couldn't sense the basin of water at all!
"This is..."
"Water I took from that strange river," Ye Xishui explained.
"The Sun Moon Empire's royal family is guarding the river now. They're a bunch of useless fools, but... they're still a nuisance."
"I took this water a few days ago, when I sensed a familiar evil aura appear by the river and stole it amid the chaos."
The "familiar evil aura" she mentioned belonged to Evil Qi Xuan Zi.
She had seen the whole scene: Evil Qi Xuan Zi fighting Jing Hongchen, then being kicked into the river by the three Huo Yuhaos.
The three Huo Yuhaos were capable enough, but... to Ye Xishui, the river was clearly far more enticing.
"I studied it for a long time, but unfortunately... I learned nothing."
Ye Xishui's face was full of frustration.
Long Xiaoyao stared at the basin, his brow furrowing deeper.
"Will a basin of water like this really work?"
"We'll find out by trying."
A gambler's madness gleamed in Ye Xishui's eyes.
She slowly rose and walked to the Wooden Basin without the slightest hesitation.
Long Xiaoyao was about to stop her and suggest that he try it himself. He didn't want Ye Xishui to take the risk, but one of her feet had already stepped into the basin.
To Long Xiaoyao's astonishment, Ye Xishui vanished completely. In an instant, every trace of her presence disappeared from the room.
How was that possible?
A mere basin of water could make someone disappear?
Rumors were only rumors, but... Ye Xishui really had vanished before his eyes. He desperately prayed that she would be all right!
Before you continue