Evil Soul Master

Why are there Evil Soul Masters on this continent? And why is it that no matter how many are killed, a new batch always emerges to take their place?

Is it merely because some soul masters are born with martial souls that carry evil attributes? Or are some soul masters simply born with evil in their hearts?

These were the questions that plagued Qian Chongling after more than twenty years of hunting down Evil Soul Masters, fueled by his deep-seated hatred for them.

The reason for this doubt was that he was truly exhausted. When he ascended to the position of Pope, he swore to eradicate every Evil Soul Master in the world. Yet, even with Wuhun Hall pursuing them with full force and mobilizing the soul master factions across the entire continent, the Evil Soul Masters could not be wiped out. At the very least, Qian Chongling could see no end in sight.

When the Angel God rose to power, they had nearly wiped out all the Evil Soul Masters of that era. In the two thousand years that followed, the entire continent went on a frenzied killing spree, slaughtering anyone or anything that bore traces of the Xuantian Sect—the sect that had once been the source of the Evil Soul Masters.

Yet, even so, Evil Soul Masters would pop up at any time. By the time of Qian Chongling's own era, there were even signs of a resurgence.

Harboring these doubts, Qian Chongling began to try and understand this group during the rest of his career. While still hunting them, he stopped killing on sight. Before striking, he would ask them: why did you choose to become an Evil Soul Master?

He began to investigate the lives, backgrounds, and origins of every Evil Soul Master he killed. In the end, he even disguised himself as a soul master with only around twenty levels of soul power—someone aspiring to become an Evil Soul Master—to infiltrate their groups, communicate with them deeply, and observe their way of life.

And so, after spending nearly ten years trying to understand them, Qian Chongling finally understood.

Among the Evil Soul Masters, the number of those who were truly evil at heart and were never good people to begin with was very small—so small it was negligible.

The main force of the Evil Soul Masters, their true origin, mostly came from the countless commoners on the continent.

They had either awakened their martial souls by chance and, lacking guidance, stumbled onto the path of the Evil Soul Master, or they had been oppressed by nobles and powerful factions, turning to that path for the sake of revenge.

Of these two categories, those who became Evil Soul Masters due to oppression were the most numerous.

And what was the life of a commoner on the continent like back then? It couldn't be called harmonious or happy; it was more like living worse than beasts of burden.

It was common for a soul master walking down the street to beat a commoner to death simply because they were in a bad mood, and nobles would often kill a group of commoners just to amuse themselves.

Why could the Evil Soul Masters never be wiped out? Because what could never be wiped out were the countless commoners on the continent.

As for awakening martial souls, don't even joke about it. At that time, all the major factions on the continent only cared about their own people, including Wuhun Hall. Back then, Wuhun Hall was merely a community of soul masters centered around the Qian family, the descendants of the Angel God, supplemented by a few smaller families.

Of course, it wasn't that commoners had no way to awaken their martial souls; one could go to the nobles or find a soul master and pay them. If you paid, they would help you awaken. If you had no money? If you had no money, then get lost.

However, none of that mattered anymore. Once the source and the reasons for their formation were known, things became easier to handle.

Qian Chongling subsequently began to vigorously push for reforms within Wuhun Hall. Policies such as helping commoners awaken their martial souls, establishing Wuhun Hall branches in every village, and the work-study student system were all implemented.

Sure enough, as these policies benefiting the commoners were enacted, the number of Evil Soul Masters began to decrease visibly. At the same time, Wuhun Hall began to grow stronger, becoming the true holy land for soul masters.

Then, Qian Chongling turned his gaze toward the other factions on the continent, hoping they would learn from Wuhun Hall and grant concessions to the commoners. Reducing the number of Evil Soul Masters was beneficial to everyone.

At the very least, the so-called sects should no longer be family-run businesses, but rather become gathering places for excellent soul masters, just like Wuhun Hall!

As a result, the major factions of the time all refused, using excuses like "the ancestral laws cannot be changed" or "commoners are just people."

Damn it, a bunch of vermin!

How could one govern the continent while being with this group of vermin? Unification, it must be unified! And then, slaughter all these shameless idiots!

However, before Qian Chongling could realize his dream of unifying the continent, he was ascended to the God Realm by the Angel God.

But the idea of unifying the continent was deeply engraved into the heritage of Wuhun Hall, generation after generation.

But I digress; let us return to the present.

Qian Chongling looked at the seven Title Douluo of the Haotian Sect before him, whose panic could not be concealed, and his inner rage reached its peak.

He was willing to understand Evil Soul Masters, but that did not mean he would forgive them!

"Speak. Where did you learn about the Xuantian Sect, and what did you obtain from them?"

"What are you talking about? What kind of sect is the Xuantian Sect!"

Looking at the young man in blood-colored battle robes whom he did not recognize—who still had the footprint of Tian'e on his face—Tang Xiao spoke, though the panic in his words betrayed him.

Who is this young man? A young man with peak-level strength? I have never seen him in Wuhun Hall. And who is that little girl with white hair? Why would she know about the Xuantian Sect? No one on the continent should know! My Haotian Sect has repeatedly verified this for nearly a thousand years, ensuring no one knew of the Xuantian Sect. Even Wuhun Hall, with its ten-thousand-year history, how could someone who knows about the Xuantian Sect suddenly appear!

No one knew Tang Xiao's thoughts, and even if they did, no one would bother to answer his questions.

Right now, Qian Chongling and Gu Yuena only wanted to figure out what connection this Haotian Sect had with the Xuantian Sect.

But before Qian Chongling could use his methods to continue the interrogation, Yin Long suddenly hurried to his side.

"Old Ancestor, we found a cave in the back mountain of the Haotian Sect. Inside..."

"It would be better if you went to see it yourself, Old Ancestor. I don't know how to describe it."

Qian Chongling coldly glanced at Tang Xiao, whose face had turned deathly pale, and then at the Haotian Sect elders, who were already breaking out in cold sweat.

"Someone, watch them. Do not give them a chance to commit suicide."

"And Yin Long, lead the way. I want to see what kind of tricks this Haotian Sect has been pulling!"

After dropping these words, Qian Chongling turned and left with Yin Long.

Watching Qian Chongling leave, Gu Yuena felt a sense of emotion.

In a situation where this Haotian Sect is truly involved with the Xuantian Sect, what is inside the cave is quite obvious. Why must he confirm it with his own eyes? It seems he truly cannot believe that after Wuhun Hall spent so much effort suppressing them for nearly ten thousand years, to the point of near extinction, the Evil Soul Masters have emerged again—and they are enemies that Wuhun Hall once let go. It is tragic to think about it; Wuhun Hall has actually retreated time and again in the face of Evil Soul Masters.

Wait, it seems Shuang'er is over there too!

Thinking of this, Gu Yuena also hurried in the direction where Qian Chongling and Yin Long had left.

Upon arriving at a hidden cave in the back mountain, Gu Yuena saw the group from Wuhun Hall standing outside.

Yin Long, Qing Yu, Qian Jun, and the other soul masters brought to the Haotian Sect by Wuhun Hall were all keeping their heads low, though their clenched fists showed that their hearts were far from calm.

Qian Ningshuang tilted her head back with her eyes closed, her hand gripping the Abyss Flower tightly.

Qian Chongling's face was dark, his eyes filled with fury; he truly had not expected that the Evil Soul Masters, who had been reduced to a mere handful by the time he ascended to the God Realm, would resurface thousands of years later—and emerge as an entire sect at that!

This was unimaginable in his era!

At the very least, in his time, although Evil Soul Masters appeared one after another, they only ever gathered in small groups, let alone established a sect—and a former number one sect in the world at that! A "number one sect" that had forced Wuhun Hall to retreat time and time again!

It was an utter disgrace to all the ancestors of Wuhun Hall!