Sun-Moon Empire hinterland, Evil Spirit Forest periphery.
Two figures wearing Sun-Moon Empire standard Soul Engineer light armor, but the chest emblem showed that they were not frontline combat troops, but belonged to the empire "Purge Unit". They were hiding behind a natural bunker formed by a huge moss-covered tree root, watching warily deep into the forest.
They held the detection type Soul Tool tightly in their hands, and the light on the screen slightly illuminated their solemn and slightly tired faces. One of them, Level 8 Soul Engineer, who looked younger, couldn't help but hug him in a low voice. He complained, breaking the oppressive silence. "Boss, those adults... have been here for almost a day and a night, right? Why is there no movement at all? This damn place, my detection Soul Tool is full of clutter when it exceeds five hundred meters."
Another older Level 8 Soul Engineer, whom he called "boss", also frowned, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed a compass-like Soul Tool in his hand. The indicator on it was trembling slightly and pointing in a certain direction deep in the forest. He lowered his voice with a trace of imperceptible worry:
"Don't worry, it stands to reason... we should be back soon. This operation was personally led by two level nine adults from the 'Dark Blade' team, and they also brought four elite level eight people from the 'Blood Falcon' team., equipped with the latest 'Soul Binding' series Soul Tool. To deal with a hidden Evil Soul Master, even if he is level ninety-four, he should..."
He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was clear. This was the last and most well-prepared purge operation launched by the empire against the last and most cunning and cruel Evil Soul Master force in the country. The information on the target was barely locked by the empire's intelligence department after spending several years and sacrificing dozens of outstanding spies.
"The one inside is the last Evil Soul Master in our Sun-Moon Empire territory. He is hiding in the deepest part of this Evil Spirit Forest, right?" Young Soul Engineer couldn't help but Confirmed again, as if he wanted to gain more confidence from his colleagues to dispel the growing uneasiness in his heart, "I heard... it seems to be called Zhongli Yan? Spirit Empire is Death God Demon Puppet?"
The elder Soul Engineer nodded and lowered his voice, as if he was afraid of being overheard by the forest itself. "Yes, Zhongli Yan. His Spirit Empire is extremely weird. It is the legendary 'Death God Demon Puppet', a mutant existence that is between the Spirit Empire and Beast Martial Soul, but is biased towards spiritual and dark attributes.
It is said that it can control the undead, Refining living puppets, and even directly attack the soul of Devouring. Its true strength is estimated to be around level ninety-four, but in this Evil Spirit Forest home field, combined with its cunning methods, the threat may be even greater."
He paused, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. "The empire has lost no fewer than five fingers of high-level Soul Engineer and elite teams to him over the years. If he hadn't acted too crazy, even ordinary civilians and low-level Soul Master slaughtered and extracted them wantonly, causing public outrage. In addition, he seemed to be looking for some kind of 'ancient evil' that existed deep in Evil Spirit Forest, and his whereabouts were exposed. We may not even be able to find his approximate location."
"Will... can it succeed this time?" Young Soul Engineer swallowed.
"We have to wait for them (Level Nine Soul Engineers) to return successfully, or..." The elder Soul Engineer did not continue, but his eyes were even more worried, "This time, we are fully prepared, and a dedicated Soul Tool is configured for his Spirit Empire characteristics.
As long as we don't encounter Evil Emperor or several other legendary terrifying beings in this forest, with two level nine adults leading the team, at worst, we can force him out, or... kill him in this forest."
The two words Evil Emperor made both of them shudder at the same time. That was the real master of Evil Spirit Forest, the super Soul Beast with unfathomable cultivation, a being that even Sun-Moon Empire would not easily provoke.
At this moment, the detection compass indicator in the hand of the elder Soul Engineer suddenly shook violently, and then pointed sharply to their side and behind!
At the same time, a cold, viscous spiritual pressure with a strong aura of death and decay quietly overflowed their hiding place like a tide!
The faces of the two people changed suddenly. Soul Power was lifted up instantly, and the Soul Tool in their hands lit up at the same time, aiming in the direction indicated by the indicator! There was only a denser darkness that seemed to be able to Devouring light.
"Who?!" Soul Engineer, the elder, shouted, his voice involuntarily trembling.
A hoarse, dry voice, as if two pieces of rusty iron were rubbing together, but with a strange rhythm, sounded in their ears without warning, or in other words, directly in the depths of their souls:
"Zhongli Yan... are you talking about me?"
The sound was so close! But there was still nothing in front of them!
"What?!" The two of them were in a state of confusion. Without even thinking about it, the Soul Guidance Ray in their hands was ready to be activated!
However, it's too late.
The shadows under their feet suddenly rose up like living creatures, turning into countless dark, slippery, Barb tentacles that instantly wrapped around their ankles, calves, waists, and arms!
What came from the tentacles was not only a huge binding force, but also a cold, bone-eroding power that penetrated the soul, instantly paralyzing their Soul Power operations and freezing their thinking!
"Uh--!" Young Soul Engineer only had time to let out a short exclamation.
The elder Soul Engineer's eyes were splitting, and he desperately wanted to activate the "Single-Target Level 9 Soul Defense Device" he was wearing, but he was horrified to find that the spiritual connection between himself and Soul Tool had been forcibly cut off and occupied by a more powerful and evil Mental Power!
Immediately afterwards, they saw a figure slowly "flow" out of the thick darkness in front of them.
It was a tall and thin man wearing a torn black robe. His face was shrouded in the shadow of a hood and could not be seen clearly. There were only two scarlet rays of light, like the eyes of an evil ghost, burning in the shadow.
His skin was an abnormal dead gray, covered with strange twisted runes that seemed to be painted with blood. The most heart-stopping thing was his hands, which had thin and slender fingers with black and sharp nails. They were slightly raised at the moment, and there was a faint black air lingering on the fingertips that seemed to be able to suck away all life.
He just "stood" there quietly, as if he was integrated with the entire Evil Spirit Forest shadow. The source of the shadow tentacles that bound the two Level 8 Soul Engineers was the crawling darkness beneath his feet.
"The empire's hounds... their sense of smell is getting better and better." Zhongli Yan's voice sounded again, with a playful and cruel tone like a cat and mouse, "Unfortunately, it always fails to learn well. The 'bait' sent is getting fatter and fatter, but... it is still bait."
He raised his hand slightly.
"Poof!" "Poof!"
There were two soft sounds, like ripe fruit falling to the ground. The two Level 8 Soul Engineer, who were completely restrained by the shadow tentacles and whose souls were eroded and frozen, did not even have time to feel more pain. The soul fire in their heads was instantly snatched and pulled away by the power of death contained in the shadow tentacles! The two corpses, which quickly lost their vitality and became gray and shriveled, were randomly discarded by the tentacles among the decaying leaves, like two pieces of rotten wood.
Zhongli Yan stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his bloodless lips. His scarlet eyes showed satisfaction and a trace of... unfinished meaning.
"The ninth-level soul... should taste better. It's a pity that one escaped..." He whispered to himself, looking deeper into the forest, where there seemed to still be traces of intense Soul Power fluctuations and escapes. "But, that's enough. Has the empire's attention been drawn here?"
He lowered his head and looked at the two corpses on the ground and the unactivated soul defense devices they wore, with a trace of sarcasm flashing in his scarlet eyes.
His figure slowly sank into the shadows at his feet, disappearing like water droplets into the sea. Only the cold and evil spiritual pressure and the strong death aura remaining in the air proved the brief but fatal scene just now.
A moment later, deep in the Evil Spirit Forest, a figure in a state of embarrassment, covered in blood, and extremely depressed, stumbled out. It was Level Nine Soul Engineer, the only survivor of the "Dark Blade" team that had entered the forest to clear up the forest!
Half of his light soul guide armor was gone, revealing the charred and festering flesh underneath. One eye turned into a black hole, with black blood oozing out. His face was filled with boundless fear and despair, and he was holding a broken emergency communication talisman tightly in his hand.
"Zhongli Yan... He's not dead... He's stronger... The team... all wiped out... He... He's collecting 'that thing'... He's going to... the Imperial Capital?!" The survivor roared incoherently at the communication talisman, then crushed it violently.
The message, like the deadliest plague, spread at the fastest speed to the frontline headquarters of the Sun-Moon Empire, and also to... the seemingly "safe and stable" hinterland and heart of the Sun-Moon Empire.
Zhongli Yan, this "Death God Demon Puppet", after defeating the empire's last suppression team and "learning" the "emptiness" and "attention-attracted" messages of the empire's front lines, was no longer satisfied with hiding in the forest.
A bloody turmoil initiated by the most evil and powerful Evil Soul Master and targeting the rear of the Sun-Moon Empire has... quietly begun.