An Awkward Reunion

Oscar's heart sank; his worst fears had come true.

The other party didn't care about his wishes at all.

He glanced at Tang San instinctively, his eyes filled with a last glimmer of hope.

Tang San met Oscar's gaze, his lips moved, but he ultimately avoided eye contact, slowly shook his head, and showed a helpless expression on his face, even shrugging slightly.

At this moment, Oscar's last shred of illusion about "brotherhood" was shattered, replaced by cold reality and a strong instinct for self-preservation.

He knew that with his level 59 strength, facing this unfathomable black-robed man and Tang San, who had already reached the level of Titled Douluo, any resistance would be futile and would only invite more severe control or even harm.

"I understand." Oscar lowered his eyelids, concealing all emotion in his eyes, his voice calm and utterly expressionless. "I'll go with you."

He showed no anger, despair, or pleading; his "pragmatism," honed through years of hard work at the bottom and faced with an insurmountable power, was now on full display.

Only by surviving can you have a chance!

Tang San seemed relieved by Oscar's "compliance," but a deeper, more complex emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes, perhaps even he himself couldn't tell whether it was relief or guilt.

The man in black robes merely let out a soft, ambiguous snort, seemingly satisfied with Oscar's "sensible" behavior.

Oscar silently followed the two men as they left the hotel where they had been staying for a short time.

The cold wind rushed towards him, but he felt that his heart was even colder than the Far North wind.

He certainly knew what the black-robed man meant by the method of "rapid advancement."

Thanks to the "divine memories" that were forcibly implanted in him, he had seen far too many so-called "shortcuts".

It's nothing more than methods like initiation by evil gods, plundering, or drug-induced enhancement.

These methods can indeed raise Soul Power Level in a short period of time, and even grant great power, but the price is equally heavy—a weak foundation, depleted potential, distorted mind, alienated body, and even a corrupted soul.

This is why, when selecting successors, righteous gods prefer to set up long and difficult divine tests, allowing successors to grow steadily step by step, rather than forcing them to grow too quickly.

Those who, without tempered bodies and wills, are forced to assume divine positions often end up dying from physical collapse.

Oscar sneered inwardly. The other party clearly didn't care about his "future," only about having a "tool" that could be used in the short term.

He absolutely could not allow himself to become such a tool.

Following the two, his mind raced. A direct confrontation would be certain death; he had to find a way to maneuver and seize every possible opportunity...

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Bibi Dong's emotional breakdown and extreme methods during her investigation of Tang San's whereabouts could not be completely concealed.

The uncontrollable, dark, and venomous aura emanating from her, along with her out-of-control behavior, was keenly observed and truthfully reported by the accompanying officials belonging to the imperial surveillance system.

The news quickly reached Spirit City.

The Spirit Hall Empire of today, although it has inherited many of the core elements of the Spirit Hall, is far larger and more complex than it once was.

After discussion, it was finally decided to send Qian Renxue has a special identity, great strength, and has had contact with Bibi Dong, to supervise Bibi Dong, assess her condition, and ensure that her behavior does not get out of control and does not endanger the interests of the empire or the lives of ordinary people.

If necessary, Qian Renxue can kill the out-of-control and corrupt Bibi Dong.

When Qian Renxue saw Bibi Dong again, the vague unease that had lingered in her heart for many years finally had a clear source.

Although Bibi Dong before her was still beautiful, and even more majestic due to her increased strength, Qian Renxue keenly sensed that the cold and poisonous aura that originally belonged to the Death Spider Emperor on her body was now mixed with a deeper, soul-chilling God of Evil and chaos.

That wasn't just a simple power attribute; it was more like... the stench of decay emanating from a mind and soul that had been eroded and polluted by something.

Bibi Dong's eyes, in particular, occasionally reveal a predator-like cruelty and madness when she is absent-minded or emotionally fluctuating.

"I see..."

Qian Renxue suddenly understood, and the doubts that had been lingering in her mind dissipated.

Divine power?!

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Unlike the broad definition of Evil Soul Master ten thousand years later, the early Spirit Hall and the present Spirit Hall Empire have more complex and pragmatic standards for judging "Fallen Soul Master" or "Evil Soul Master".

The core principle is: to convict based on the act, not on the attributes or abilities of the Martial Soul.

The attributes of Martial Soul are incredibly diverse, including darkness, death, poison, and devouring... These attributes themselves do not necessarily represent God of Evil.

Ghost Douluo's Gui Mei Martial Soul is unpredictable and mysterious. Bibi Dong's Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Eater Spider Emperor are equally insidious and powerful, but they have made great contributions to the Spirit Hall, and their actions are within a controllable range. Therefore, they are still powerful figures who are respected, rather than targets to be eliminated.

Those who are truly defined as "Fallen Soul Master" and severely punished are those who use their abilities to actively and continuously carry out large-scale massacres of civilians, devour souls and flesh, and refine living souls for cultivation, seriously endangering social order and Soul Master.

Their "degradation" lies in their behavior crossing the bottom line of human ethics and social order.

Even if Martial Soul is not of the Dark Devouring attribute, it will still be considered Fallen Soul Master.

Therefore, the dilemma facing Qian Renxue is that Bibi Dong has only shown a certain tendency towards depravity and loss of control, but there is no conclusive evidence to prove that she has crossed the line and become an "Evil Soul Master" who must be eliminated.

What made Qian Renxue even more troubled was Bibi Dong's achievements.

As a former top deacon of the Spirit Hall, she indeed made many contributions to the expansion of the Spirit Hall and the establishment of the empire, and handled many difficult tasks. Her abilities and strength are evident to all.

Even today, there are still many subordinates within the empire who admire her.

Killing him seems to lack justification and could damage morale, or even cause internal turmoil (especially among his old subordinates who knew of Bibi Dong's contributions).

If we don't kill her, Bibi Dong is like a cannonball that could explode at any moment.

Qian Renxue was in a dilemma. She had to find a way to both monitor and restrict Bibi Dong to prevent her from completely degenerating and endangering the empire, and not to discourage the meritorious officials.

In any case, Qian Renxue did not want to kill Bibi Dong easily before obtaining conclusive evidence.

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For some reason, Qian Renxue always felt a ripple in her heart whenever her eyes met Bibi Dong's.

Those deep purple eyes gave Qian Renxue a heart-fluttering sense of familiarity.

An inexplicable intuition made her heart skip a beat whenever she looked into those eyes.

"Why... do I feel this way?" Qian Renxue asked herself this question more than once.

She had indeed investigated her own background.

As the daughter of the Pope, the fact that her mother remains a mystery is itself full of doubts.

Within her capabilities, she had secretly investigated potential candidates. However, Bibi Dong's name had been eliminated from her shortlist long ago.

The reason is simple—the timing doesn't match.

Based on the limited information she could find, Bibi Dong was still wandering outside and wanted by the authorities when she was born, so how could she have given birth to her?

Moreover, the way Qian Xunji treated Bibi Dong how he would treat his wife; it was more like how he would treat a sharp weapon that needed to be carefully controlled, or an object that needed to be monitored.

"It must be because I've been too tired lately." Qian Renxue gently shook her head, completely extinguishing the absurd thought that had just begun to sprout in her mind.

Qian Renxue convinced herself of this and refocused her attention on the supervisory task at hand.

Chapter 304 An Awkward Reunion

Before the first light of Daybreak had dispelled the chill of the wilderness, Tang San, Oscar, and the mysterious man were already walking on the forest path shrouded in gray mist.

"Next, Ma Hongjun." Tang San's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

At this stage, Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu are already dead, and Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong have already defected to the Spirit Hall Empire. Their next best target to approach is Ma Hongjun.

The mysterious figure to the side remained silent for a moment before speaking, his voice like sandpaper rubbing against dry wood, carrying undisguised skepticism. "Is this really necessary?"

Unlike Ning Rongrong and Oscar, who are support-type characters, and Zhu Zhuqing Dai Mubai, who can use Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ma Hongjun stands out among the Shrek Seven Monsters as a Power Attack System Soul Master with a flying Soul Skill.

But at their level, being able to fly isn't much of an advantage; it makes them the least useful member of the team.

Moreover, Ma Hongjun's biggest flaw is himself.

He was gluttonous and lazy, indulging in Evil Fire and lusts, and cheating and shirking his duties during cultivation.

In their previous life, when Tang San and the others reunited, Ma Hongjun's cultivation level was the lowest, even lower than Oscar, who was a food-type cultivator, and Zhu Zhuqing, who was the youngest.

Moreover, in terms of benefits, Ma Hongjun received the most benefits among the Shrek Seven Monsters.

Obtaining the Immortal Herb Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower completely resolved the flaws in his Martial Soul, purifying the "Evil Fire" impurities of the Evil Fire Phoenix and laying the foundation for its subsequent evolution into Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix.

As one of the three Soul Bone rewards from the Advanced Soul Master Tournament, Ma Hongjun received the Blazing Flame Right Arm Bone.

Tang San gifted him the inner core of the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent, enabling his Martial Soul to eventually evolve into the Ten-Headed Fire Phoenix, and he was promoted to Phoenix Douluo.

Even when he learned that Ma Hongjun needed to take Bai Chenxiang to the Divine Realm, he helped Ma Hongjun obtain the First-Level God Fire God Test, but unfortunately, Ma Hongjun failed.

It can be said that, apart from Tang San, Ma Hongjun was the one who consumed the most resources in the entire Shrek Seven Devils team, yet performed the worst.

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The mysterious man paused, then continued, each word hitting the nail on the head. "Oscar, a food-type character, has extremely strong single-target support abilities. Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, whose Martial Soul Fusion, are also quite powerful. Even that little girl with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is a strategic talent, but what about Ma Hongjun?"

"Hehe..."

"Immortal Herb, Soul Bone, inner elixir..."

"He has the best resources among the Shrek Seven Monsters besides Tang San, yet his abilities are the worst."

Oscar opened his mouth, wanting to say a few words for his former brother, but the image of the fat man slacking off and dozing off whenever he could, and the image of him giving up on his cultivation when they parted, involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and he swallowed his words back.

Tang San's steps did not falter at all, but his eyes appeared unusually deep in the morning light. He knew that every word the mysterious man said was true, a naked and even somewhat embarrassing reality stripped away the warm veneer of brotherhood.

"You're right about everything." Tang San finally spoke, his voice not loud, but it seemed to freeze the surrounding air for a moment.

He stopped, turned to look at the mysterious man, and gave a cold, mocking smile, "But don't forget what situation we're in now."

Tang San strode forward again, his tone resolute and brooking no argument. "Find him. Then, I will persuade him, if he is still that hopeless piece of trash..."

Tang San didn't finish speaking, but the chill that spread in that instant made Oscar instinctively shrink his neck.

Although nothing was said, the meaning was already quite clear.

The mysterious man fell silent and offered no further rebuttal.

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However, Tang San never expected that Ma Hongjun would be in such a sorry state when they finally found him.

They could hear the sounds of a man and woman making love, their heavy breathing emanating from inside the simple hotel room.

Tang San could already foresee Ma Hongjun's decadence and depravity over the years.

Seeing that the mysterious person beside him was getting impatient.