You guys figure it out yourselves!

"Clatter."

"Caw-caw!"

Cold winds whipped up the waves, while flocks of seagulls circling in the sky emitted a constant stream of urgent, low-pitched cries.

Dusk had already descended; the sun, obscured by layers of clouds, gradually sank below the horizon, leaving behind streaks of blood-red sky. The afterglow spilled across the sea, appearing like a churning sea of blood, reflecting a somewhat eerie beauty.

Compared to the vastness of the ocean, the Soul Tool Ocean Survey Ship, looking like a lone leaf of a boat, cut through the water, sailing slowly and solitarily toward the distance.

Even in this current era, where soul beasts have long since declined, this was still the sea; the power of the sea soul beast tribes remained terrifyingly immense. Naturally, the performance of this vessel, capable of being used for ocean surveys, was exceptionally formidable.

The surface of the hull was permeated by a shimmering layer of water-attribute Soul Power Light Film. It blended the vessel's already faint Soul Power Fluctuation into the seawater from the bottom of the ship, making the hull appear as if it had merged with the ocean. Unless it was a sea soul beast with astonishing cultivation, it would be difficult to discover that a human creation was moving upon the sea.

Hum!

Just after the Soul Tool Ocean Survey Ship had traveled another two kilometers forward, thousands of soft, starry points of light suddenly lit up quietly from the front, forming a barrier shape that rippled outward.

On the boundless ocean, a fairly large island had miraculously appeared.

Under the twilight, the island's silhouette appeared deep and tranquil, covered in vast swathes of vegetation, as if it had never been trodden upon by humans.

However, at the very peak of the island's highest mountain stood a pillar of soul power with a metallic sheen, radiating light in all directions. Clearly, the soft light that made the island manifest originated from this.

On the survey ship, Sun Kong looked at the two boxes placed on the table behind him, his gaze somewhat vacant.

Three others sat around him, their expressions equally grim. The only woman in this team seemed to have been crying; her eyes were slightly swollen.

The cabin was deathly quiet.

The survey ship sailed slowly into the island's interior.

The pillar of light atop the mountain peak immediately retracted its Soul Power Output, and the island vanished once more, the ocean returning to calm.

The survey ship docked slowly in the harbor.

Another group of people had already gathered on the shore. These individuals were generally around forty years old, a mix of men and women, whose attire and demeanor were far from ordinary.

The man standing at the very front was tall and upright, his features resolute, standing firm like a Fang Tian Hua Ji. His sharp gaze and unmoving presence were enough to inspire awe.

He was the leader most respected by this group, and also a Soul Master Expert who stood at the pinnacle of the continent.

A salty, biting sea breeze blew from outside the harbor along with the survey ship, tugging at the corners of everyone's clothes.

No one spoke; everyone stared at the group slowly walking off the survey ship.

Sun Kong and the woman with swollen eyes walked at the front, each holding a box overflowing with the aura of the Life Element.

Seeing the two boxes, the eyes of those on the shore suddenly froze, and a wave of sorrow and heaviness began to spread.

"Boss." Sun Kong and his female companion stepped forward, approaching the man with the resolute face, their voices low.

Qiangu Qingfeng lowered his eyes to look at the two boxes emitting a soft Life Aura and said expressionlessly, "What happened inside the Small World on the Star Luo Continent?"

Sun Kong did not explain directly, instead asking, "Is Sister Xia not here?"

Qiangu Qingfeng was silent for a moment. "I will tell her this myself."

Sun Kong's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally sighed. "From childhood, Sister Xia raised us as her own children. Now, A Nan and Yue Er are gone..."

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

Qiangu Qingfeng seemed impervious to emotion, even though the boxes contained the ashes of the children he and his wife had raised since they were small.

Sun Kong paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over the brothers and sisters who had gathered upon receiving the news, a cold glint appearing in his eyes:

"It was that group of damned Evil Soul Masters, as filthy as sewer rats. They somehow infiltrated the Small World as well and launched a surprise attack while we were split up."

The moment the words "Evil Soul Master" were spoken, the eyes of everyone present, save for Qiangu Qingfeng, turned icy, filled with a Déjà Vu of wanting to tear them apart and drink their blood.

This was because most of the people present had gathered here precisely because their original families had been destroyed by Evil Soul Masters.

Their hatred for Evil Soul Masters had long since reached an unbearable peak.

With an angry voice, Sun Kong recounted the series of events that had occurred within the Small World.

A clear, unfolding process appeared in everyone's minds.

"If I could have led everyone there in time, perhaps the outcome wouldn't have been like this. It's all my fault."

By the end, Sun Kong's voice was hoarse, his face etched with intense grief and regret. "Boss, before A Nan and Yue Er passed, they burned their final shred of Martial Soul Origin to keep their souls from dissipating for a short time. Please, take them to see the child Liujing one last time."

As he spoke, someone stepped out from behind Sun Kong and respectfully handed a strange bead to Qiangu Qingfeng. The surface of the bead was covered in mottled patterns and its color was murky, appearing quite ordinary.

The only thing that could be sensed was a faint trace of Lightning Attribute fluctuation within the bead.

"A Nan and Yue Er obtained this from the Small World. Before they died, they mentioned many times that this object was extraordinary, and entrusted us to deliver it to you. It was precisely because of this that the Evil Soul Masters attacked them without regard for anything else," Sun Kong said in a deep voice, his mind involuntarily recalling the scene from that time.

After entering the Small World they had discovered by chance, they hadn't encountered danger for a Long Time. To speed up the search, they had discussed and decided to split into pairs, but they had been separated for less than two hours when the incident occurred.

Although they eventually reached the scene, it was too late.

The group of Evil Soul Masters were all dead, even reduced to Bones Gone, and in contrast, A Nan and Yue Er were equally exhausted and drained of life.

If there had been a top-tier Healing System Soul Master present at the time, perhaps they could have been saved, but within that Small World, the outcome had already been sealed.

Qiangu Qingfeng glanced at the bead and said nothing. With a wave of his hand, the boxes in the hands of Sun Kong and the woman vanished instantly, as did the bead in the other person's hand.

"Just a moment ago, word came from headquarters that the Dark Hummingbird, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult, has appeared near Shrek City. I don't know exactly what he did, but he was hunted by experts from Shrek Academy and has fled in the direction of Ming Capital."

"Under each Heavenly King, there is an exclusive Evil Soul Master Organization. In the past, I did not approve of you having too much contact with Shrek Academy, but this time, handle it as you see fit."

The group's gazes met instinctively.

Qiangu Qingfeng did not linger long; he turned and left, his figure flickering until he vanished from their sight.

Watching the direction in which Qiangu Qingfeng had departed, the group remained silent. A moment later, a crackling, faint Lightning Soul Power began to condense around Sun Kong, subsequently blooming into a strange light. As if dark blue radiance were flowing, a set of Dark Blue armor attached itself to his entire body in an instant, and his aura rapidly retracted.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

Accompanying this, various fluctuations and lights appeared on the bodies of the others present as well.

Some were weak, others strong, but if any outsider were here, they would certainly be horrified.

Because every single person here was, without exception, one of the most powerful existences in this current era.

Battle Armor Masters!

And now, this group of Battle Armor Masters was going to kill!

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