Ye Family's ancestral land, Ye Shuhua stood in front of the door with a complicated expression. She looked back at Kraken, who was standing quietly in the shadows behind her, and then at her daughter Ye Xuanxuan, who pursed her lips tightly and had nervousness and determination in her eyes, as well as the loyal deputy captain Soul Douluo, whose eyes were full of worry at the moment.
"Elder Ye, we really have to..." The vice-captain couldn't help but speak in a low voice, his eyes passing over Kraken warily. It was too risky to let this being of unknown origin and strange aura enter the core secret room of the family and come into contact with the biggest secret.
Ye Shuhua waved his hand and interrupted him. How could she not know the risks? But that was the end of the matter. Ahead was the dark future where Evil Soul Master was raging. Behind her were the ruins of the collapse of the three empires and Shrek Allied Forces. Next to her was this unfathomable strong man. She had no better choice.
"Open the door." She ordered the deputy captain in a calm voice.
The vice-captain gritted his teeth, took out a key made of gold from his arms, and inserted it into an inconspicuous hole on the door. Soul Power was injected, and the key and the wing pattern on the door simultaneously lit up with a soft platinum light. After a slight rotation of the machine, the heavy metal door slid inward silently, revealing a space behind it filled with soft white light.
Inside the door is a small quiet room with extremely simple furnishings. There are only a table, a chair, a futon, and a few mottled murals depicting ancient legends on the walls. At this moment, a girl is sitting cross-legged on the futon in the center of the quiet room.
The girl looks to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a simple white dress, with long golden hair spread around her shoulders like flowing sunshine.
Her face is extremely beautiful, with a kind of purity that is not stained by dust, especially her pair of blue eyes, which are clear and bright, seeming to reflect the deepest good and evil in the human heart.
The most eye-catching thing is that behind her, there is a pair of slightly illusory white wings made of pure light energy. They are fluttering slightly with her breathing and scattering tiny bits of light dust.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, the girl's long eyelashes trembled and she slowly opened her eyes. The pair of blue eyes first looked at Ye Shuhua at the door, showing dependence and admiration. Then, her eyes fell on the strange figure behind Ye Shuhua, who was dressed in gray robes and had a deep breath.
The moment her eyes came into contact with the ice-blue eyes of Kraken, the girl's delicate body trembled slightly. Deep in the blue eyes, some kind of instinct seemed to be touched, and a faint trace of vigilance and... repulsion emerged? This is the natural induction of divine attributes towards some extremely dark or alien existences.
But she quickly calmed down her emotions, stood up, and saluted Ye Shuhua respectfully. "Mother." Her voice was clear and sweet, like beads falling on a jade plate.
Ye Shuhua turned sideways so that Kraken could see the girl more clearly. Her voice had a hint of imperceptible complexity as she introduced, "Her name is Ye Qingning. Qing Ning, this is... Mr. Kraken."
"Ye Qingning..." Kraken repeated the name in a low voice. His ice-blue eyes slowly swept over the girl, especially staying for a moment on the pair of illusory light wings behind her. Then he nodded slightly, "Li Is this the heir of Angel Martial Soul? Sure enough... a very pure aura of light. Soul Power... level fifty-three Soul King? At this age, it's pretty good!"
His tone was calm, as if he was evaluating an item, and no praise or criticism could be heard.
Ye Qingning frowned slightly, obviously not used to the other party's scrutinizing gaze and tone, but still maintained basic etiquette and nodded slightly. "Mr. Kraken."
"Ling Ning is me..." Ye Shuhua paused, as if he wanted to explain something, but in the end it just turned into an almost inaudible sigh, "It's also Ye Family, the last hope and... responsibility."
Kraken Without comment, he took two steps forward and entered the quiet room. As he entered, the soft white light that was originally filled in the quiet room seemed to be suppressed by invisible forces and became dimmer.
He didn't pay attention to the tense nerves of Ye Shuhua and the vice-captain, nor did he pay attention to the increasingly clear vigilance in Ye Qingning's eyes. He just walked to the center of the quiet room and his eyes fell on Ye Qingning again.
"How about making a deal?" He went straight to the point, his tone without any wavering, as if he was discussing what to have for dinner.
"Deal?" Ye Qingning frowned even more tightly, her blue eyes full of doubts and puzzlements. She had lived in a secret room for a long time. Although she knew the general situation of the outside world and the tragedy of the war from her mother and Ye Xuanxuan who occasionally came in, she knew nothing about the specific details and the purpose of the mysterious man in front of her.
"The world outside has changed." Kraken's voice calmly stated the cruel facts, "Heaven Dou, Star Luo Empire, The three major empires of Sun Moon, together with the Shrek Academy, and almost all the top Titled Douluo, all died together in the previous war, with numerous casualties. The old order has collapsed."
Ye Qingning's delicate body trembled. Although she had a premonition, hearing such exact bad news still made her pretty face turn pale. Ye Shuhua and Ye Xuanxuan also looked sad.
"But that's not the worst." Kraken continued, staring at Ye Qingning with ice-blue eyes, "Those who have been suppressed, hunted, and hidden in dark corners... Evil Soul Master, I am afraid that at this moment, they are like hyenas that smell the smell of blood, starting to move, and even... have shown their fangs."
"Evil Soul Master..." Ye Qingning clenched her fists, a trace of anger and hatred flashed in her eyes. The memory and instinct inherited by Angel Martial Soul made her deeply hate this kind of existence that took pleasure in robbing lives and souls and polluting the world.
"The Evil Soul Master outside will not show mercy to you just because you are Soul King." Kraken's tone was filled with a hint of cold mockery. "On the contrary, for them, a pure light bloodline like yours is a nemesis that must be eradicated. It is also... an excellent 'sacrifice' to demonstrate their power and attract more fallen people to join them."
Ye Qingning's face became paler, but she straightened her back, and an unyielding flame burned in her blue eyes. "I... I will not sit idly by and ignore it! My mother taught me that with greater ability comes greater responsibility! Angel Martial Soul exists to dispel darkness and protect the light!"
"Very good understanding." Kraken nodded, but changed the topic, "However, with your current level 53 strength, plus the remaining power of the Ye Family, facing Evil Soul Master, who is about to form a tidal wave, is like a mantis trying to control the car."
He paused, seeming to be considering his words, or in other words, observing Ye Qingning's reaction. "Moreover, Evil Soul Master is still relatively small in scale now. It has just begun to emerge and its power is scattered... I think you can wait a few more years until they become the climate, consolidate their forces, and have a solid foundation, and then it is not too late to take action..."
"Impossible!" Kraken was interrupted excitedly by Ye Qingning before he could finish his words. The girl's face turned red due to anger and some kind of slighted humiliation. Her blue eyes stared at Kraken, and her voice was slightly raised due to excitement:
"I will never sit idly by and watch Evil Soul Master wreak havoc and slaughter living beings! Nor will I wait for them to become a climate and cause even greater disasters! Every extra day I wait, innocent people may die! This is not a deal, this is... cowardice!"
Her reaction seemed to have been expected by Kraken. In his ice-blue eyes, an almost undetectable, almost "satisfied" light flashed. What he wanted was this passion, this sense of responsibility and... this "eagerness for success."
"Have courage." Kraken's tone was still calm, even with a hint of "approval", "Since you don't want to wait, then... I can help you find some 'helpers'."
"Help?" Ye Qingning was stunned.
Ye Shuhua couldn't help but step forward, staring at Kraken, with suppressed shock and questioning in his voice. "The 'helper' you're talking about... can't be Soul Beast?! You..." She didn't say the next words, but her eyes showed it - you, Soul Beast, help humans find Soul Beast as a helper? What on earth do you want to do?
Facing Ye Shuhua's gaze, Kraken admitted frankly. "It's Soul Beast. Didn't Ye Family already guess it?"
He then looked at Ye Qingning, who was still in shock, and his tone was "naturally" calm, even a little "helpless": "Please, I am Soul Beast, is it possible that I can call a group of people to help you fight? Soul Beast is the only help I can 'provide' at the moment."
He paused and added, with a hint of doubt in his voice. "However, I need you to agree to something."
"What's the matter?" Ye Qingning asked subconsciously, his mind still a little confused.
"The first and most important thing is," Kraken's ice blue eyes looked directly at Ye Qingning, every word was very clear, "Any force established and led by you after you, its members must not take the initiative to hunt down eight Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who have a cultivation level of or above will get Soul Ring. As for those who are below eight Ten-Thousand-Year, as long as they are not killed indiscriminately and do not touch the bottom line of certain ethnic groups, I can ignore them."
This condition made Ye Shuhua and the Soul Douluo deputy captain gasp again! Restricting the hunting of high-level Soul Beast? This is almost challenging the foundation of the entire Soul Master training system! Although the mainland is in chaos now, if you want to cultivate strong people in the future, high-level Soul Ring is still a necessity!
Ye Qingning also realized the harsh and far-reaching impact of this condition. She frowned and fell into deep thought. On the one hand, it was the much-needed strength to fight against Evil Soul Master, on the other hand, it was the "shackles" that might limit future development...
Kraken didn't give her much time to think, and his tone contained a hint of urging. "Decide quickly. Evil Soul Master won't wait for you. Otherwise, if the guys like 'Shrek Inspection Team' take the lead, Evil Soul Master solved, collected, and integrated the power... Then if you want to take action, there will be no 'timing' and 'credit' to gain. At that time, you, and Ye Family, will really only be in this secret room, waiting for others to decide the future."
The words "Shrek Inspection Team" were like a heavy hammer, hitting Ye Qingning's heart. She heard her mother mention that it was an elite law enforcement and suppression force within the Shrek Academy, which specialized in dealing with various malignant incidents that harmed the mainland, including Evil Soul Master.
If they are the first to do so... then Angel Martial Soul's chances of reappearing in the world, establishing achievements, and fighting for the right to speak will be greatly reduced!
Ye Qingning raised her head, and in her blue eyes, struggle, hesitation, responsibility, and passion finally turned into determination. She looked at Kraken, then at her mother, who was frowning and hesitant to speak, and took a deep breath:
"I... agree to your conditions. But Soul Beast must obey the command and not harm innocent people! Moreover, I only accept help against Evil Soul Master!"
Kraken In his ice blue eyes, the trace of "satisfaction" finally became clearer. He nodded slightly:
"Deal."