After returning to Shrek, Xuan Zi hurriedly convened a Sea God Pavilion Meeting.
There was only one topic: a Level 97 Evil Soul Master, on the verge of Level 98, had appeared.
"Elder Xuan, you're not joking, are you? A Super Douluo-level Evil Soul Master—how many people must he have killed? Has all the work of our Inspection Group been for nothing?" Lin Huiqun asked in disbelief.
Xuan Zi said, "If I hadn't encountered him myself, I wouldn't have believed it either. But it's the truth. I suspect it won't be long before he reaches Level 98. By then, I'll have to risk my life just to beat him, and even then I can't guarantee I'll kill him."
As the deputy leader of the Inspection Group, Xuan Zi was already their strongest fighter. The only person stronger than him was Mu En, who was nearing the end of his life.
The elders could all picture the bloodshed that would soon engulf the continent.
"Can we surround and kill him?" No one had a solution. Mu En's body could no longer withstand a fight, and Xuan Zi couldn't kill the man alone. Their only option was to surround him with several people.
But without enough experts of comparable strength, trying to surround and kill him was nothing but a pipe dream.
Xian Lin'er said, "Perhaps we could enlist the Sun Moon Empire's help? They wouldn't want an Evil Soul Master like that to appear either, would they?"
Contacting the Sun Moon Empire was practically their only option. Its Level 9 Soul Tools would also play a vital role in a battle of this caliber.
"I'll make the arrangements."
Mu En said, "Stop. Contacting the Sun Moon Empire will only backfire."
Lin Huiqun, who had been about to act, sat back down. "Elder Mu? Why?"
"We have sources of information in the three former Douluo Continent nations, but none in the Sun Moon Empire. How many lives would it take to create a Super Douluo Evil Soul Master? If it were just ordinary slaughter, don't you think we would have heard something?"
The fact that they had no sources of information meant there was only one possibility: an organization with absolute control over a great many lives was helping the Evil Soul Master. And only four organizations had that kind of power over people's lives—the four nations.
The three great empires couldn't hide anything from Shrek, so they could be almost certain that the Sun Moon Empire was helping the Evil Soul Master.
The empire was using its power to help an Evil Soul Master grow stronger.
Mu En leaned helplessly against his reclining chair. Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui were both still alive, yet he was going to die. There would be no one left in the world who could stop them.
The future of Douluo Continent would be nothing but devastation.
"Put the Inspection Group's missions on hold for now. You aren't strong enough to deal with the Evil Soul Masters out there." The old man spoke without resignation, but with sorrow.
"Elder Mu! We can't stop! There are so many Evil Soul Masters. If we stop investigating, what will happen to all the civilians?"
The civilians were the foundation of everything. Without enough of them, there couldn't be enough Soul Masters, and there would never be enough powerful fighters.
Mu En understood that too, but the crisis was too great now. "The Evil Soul Master Xuan Zi encountered wasn't the strongest. The strongest is a Limit Douluo. He just hasn't made a move."
They could still keep their composure in the face of a Level 98 Evil Soul Master. A Limit Douluo, though, was more than they could bear. Shrek had no way to resist a Limit Douluo at present, and the only two Limit-level fighters known on the continent were both Soul Beasts.
Nor would anyone question Mu En, because he was a Limit Douluo himself.
"Don't panic. All we can do is wait—not for the Evil Soul Masters to die, but for our hope to grow stronger."
Mu Xuanheng was their hope. That was the only good news Xuan Zi had brought back.
"With Gu Yuena's help, Xuan Heng can kill a Soul Saint."
That news was an even bigger bombshell.
Two Soul Ancestors had killed a Soul Saint. The only precedent was Tang San using Hidden Weapons, and even then, his opponent hadn't activated his Martial Soul Avatar.
Their performance was more than enough to prove they could face a Soul Saint head-on.
After that Sea God Pavilion Meeting, Shrek's inspections dropped by sixty percent.
Mu En sat motionless in his wheelchair. "Our grievances shouldn't be borne by an entire continent. But my body can no longer withstand a battle against a Limit Douluo. Xuan Heng, is what you said true?"
Mu Xuanheng had already taken his seat at the auction.
Two auctions were being held in Xingluo City: one for Soul Tools and another for all kinds of rare treasures.
Snow Empress had already signed a Contract with him, so the second auction was much less appealing to him.
What he needed most was Life Gold.
He wanted to use it to prolong Mu En's life. After all, Mu En was his greatest backer and one of the few people capable of opposing Ye Xishui.
Besides Life Gold, he also needed all kinds of materials to prepare his Two-Word Battle Armor.
Including Wang Yan, only Wang Dong hadn't come with them.
It was understandable that Tang Wutong disliked Soul Tools.
Four of the seven reserve members were Soul Engineers. They knew much more about Soul Tools than the others did.
The auctioneer onstage continued to promote the merchandise. "This Soul Tool is a paralyzing ray..."
The bidding went back and forth, but it still couldn't hold Mu Xuanheng's interest.
"Battle Armor is powerful, but aren't you curious about the other Soul Tools?" Gu Yuena gently stroked Mu Xuanheng, who was lying across her lap.
He had listened to the auction for a little while before making an excuse to lie across Gu Yuena's lap. Surprisingly, she hadn't pushed him away.
"They're nothing special. Besides, I'm only learning about Soul Tools for the sake of Battle Armor. Third-tier Soul Tools are too useless to us." Even learning how to use these Soul Tools, let alone making them, would be a waste of time.
Just as expected, Huo Yuhao ended up winning this Soul Tool.
The second-to-last item, a Milk Bottle, also sparked fierce competition. As a Soul Tool that stored Soul Power for recovery, it was rather expensive.
Bei Bei asked, "Xuan Heng? Don't you need one?"
Mu Xuanheng had plenty of powerful Soul Skills, and everyone knew they consumed a great deal of Soul Power. Naturally, Bei Bei thought of him.
"Go on." Seeing Mu Xuanheng's state, Bei Bei immediately turned back around. How could he interrupt his brother while he was flirting?
"There are only two left. Get up, or you'll miss them." At Gu Yuena's urging, Mu Xuanheng got up.
The price of the Milk Bottle kept climbing, soon exceeding what Mu Xuanheng was willing to pay.
That didn't matter much. Only the final item—the ranked engraving knife made of Life Gold—truly mattered.
The engraving knife was brought out beneath a red cloth. After the auctioneer explained what it was, the crowd's excitement quickly died down.
"What a joke! They're actually putting this kind of knife up for sale? Who would buy it? Don't they care about losing their life?"
"Not a single owner has ever lived out their natural lifespan. Anyone who buys it must be an idiot."
"The Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife has a fearsome reputation. What a pity."
Wang Yan shook his head repeatedly. "Shrek only has two ranked engraving knives. If this one weren't the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife, we'd have to get our hands on it no matter what."
He Caitou agreed. "There's no point buying a knife we can't use."
The auctioneer was ready for the item to go unsold. Still reluctant to give up, he called out one last time, "Does anyone wish to bid?"
A young voice rang out. "One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."
The auctioneer was so surprised that he even forgot to call out the bid.
"Xuan Heng!" Bei Bei called out to Mu Xuanheng too. He didn't want Mu Xuanheng to suffer the curse.
Mu Xuanheng said, "Don't worry. I have a way to deal with it." Then he bid again.
Besides, he wasn't paying with his own money. Xuan Zi's card was still with him, so he might as well use it.
Gu Yuena shook her head. "If you really want this kind of metal, I'll give you some when we get back. There's no need to take a risk."
That was how the rich talked.
She was the only one on all of Douluo Continent with a large supply of Life Gold.
Electrolux couldn't help but marvel. "She really is extraordinary. Even I have rarely seen it. Yet she offered to give it away without a second thought."
Mu Xuanheng knew there were strings attached: he would have to go back and meet her "family."
He would have to face the Ferocious Beasts sooner or later.
After obtaining the engraving knife and returning to the hotel, he immediately went into seclusion. Electrolux removed the curse. Then the blade sliced open the space between his brows, and a new eye grew there.
His Spiritual Sea expanded tremendously, forming a Second Sea of Consciousness. His body also quickly recovered to a healthy state.
"Just you wait, Sun Moon Empire. You colluded with the Evil Soul Masters. I'll make you pay."
Before you continue