Xiao Wu

Having lost his mount, the mysterious man panicked. He was already weak, relying on consuming blood to survive, and without his mount, he was a sitting duck. His second soul skill alone was nowhere near enough to block the attacks from those two.

Immediately after, a bone-chilling cold spread throughout his entire body.

"So... so cold!" The blood that had just sprayed from the corner of his mouth froze instantly, turning into a sharp blade that stabbed fiercely into his chest. The seeping blood began to freeze again, repeating the cycle as if there were no end.

"First soul skill, Spirit Roar!" Within the thin mist, the soft voice of Qian Yun rang out once more.

"Heh, if you don't want me to live, then go to hell with me! Third soul skill, Blood Surge!" His expression turned manic, and the third soul ring at his feet suddenly flared, erupting with a shocking shockwave. Wherever the crimson, almost black attack passed, all life withered as if it had been stripped away.

"Hahahaha, all of you, die!" The Evil Spirit Master let out a triumphant, wild laugh. He could already envision the next moment, when the small, frail bodies of those two two-ringed brats would be blasted into smithereens.

"Gah?" Soon, his laughter was choked off in his throat.

The attack plunged into the thin mist, but it didn't seem to hit anything. It was as calm as a stone sinking into the ocean, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple.

And Qian Yun's attack was nowhere to be seen either.

"Boom!"

Behind him, a thunderclap exploded in his ears. As the lightning descended, the crimson mist that had been a nightmare to him was finally pierced through.

He looked on in despair. Before him stood an existence even more terrifying than a nightmare: Qian Yun, his right hand gripping thousands of lightning bolts, wearing a Crown, his bright golden eyes devoid of any emotion. He was as ruthless as the arrival of the Grim Reaper, and his appearance signaled that the final moment of the man's life had arrived.

"Bastard! How is this possible?! Third soul skill, Blood Surge!" Sensing the threat to his life, he tried to activate Blood Surge once again.

But this time, it wouldn't be so smooth. A light, white flame landed silently in front of his hideous face.

"Pop." It sounded like a bubble bursting, or perhaps a dream. The sound was so calm it made him feel as if he had returned to that summer of his childhood, playing with his friends.

As the bubble burst, his third soul skill dissipated instantly.

Following that, a bolt of lightning trailing a long streak of light plunged straight into his chest, its brilliant radiance ruthlessly crushing his spirit. In the final moment of his life, he saw Qian Yun once again, and through the sensation in his chest, he finally understood: what this man held in his hand was not lightning, but a sharp sword!

Qian Yun pulled the sword of light from the man's chest. The Evil Spirit Master had felt correctly; what killed him was not mere lightning, but Qian Yun's second soul skill—Spirit Blade.

As the body of the Evil Spirit Master slumped powerlessly to the ground, Qian Yun finally dispersed the Spirit Blade in his hand.

"Hoo." Qian Yun let out a long breath. Although the battle hadn't lasted long, it had been a significant drain on him, especially the second soul skill used to execute the enemy, which had drained nearly half of his soul power in one go.

Looking at the charred corpse before him and the hideous expression of his final moments, Qian Yun felt his stomach churn. He wouldn't be sleeping well for the next few days.

However, he felt no regret about killing the Evil Spirit Master.

During his year and more at the Pope Hall, various cases had taught him the extent of the danger posed by Evil Spirit Masters. He was certain that if the two of them had been the ones defeated, what awaited them would have been a fate worse than death.

"Qian Yun, are you alright?" Hu Liena stepped forward to support his shoulders. The battle had taken a heavy toll on both of them.

Qian Yun shook his head. "I'm fine, I just need to rest for a bit."

"As long as you're okay." Hu Liena patted her flat chest, still feeling a lingering fear. "That was truly dangerous. If we hadn't set up the Fox Charm beforehand to interfere with his judgment, and adjusted our positions in time, we really would have been finished by his third soul skill."

Hu Liena's gaze followed the fading blood-red light on the grass, not daring to imagine what would have happened if that attack had landed on them.

"The captain is coming. You know what to say, right?" Qian Yun sensed Yake Entu approaching.

"Mm, I understand!" Hu Liena nodded. The next moment, a tall figure exuding a savage aura crashed heavily behind her, the powerful shockwave ruffling her hair.

Qian Yun looked over. Yake Entu was already in the state of Martial Soul Possession, transformed into a tall, gorilla-like figure, with white, yellow, yellow, and yellow soul rings flashing in turn at his feet.

"Are you two alright?!" Yake Entu asked Qian Yun and the girl in a muffled, booming voice.

"We're fine. We found the Evil Spirit Master, and we also found Jie'en's missing nephew." Qian Yun said, gesturing toward the corpse on the ground and the person nearby.

Yake Entu paused, dispelling his Martial Soul Possession. He looked at the two people on the ground, then scanned the chaotic scene, finally letting out a long breath.

"Phew, I guessed you might be in trouble the moment I heard the commotion over here. It's good that you're both safe." Yake Entu's gaze fell on the Evil Spirit Master. He frowned, looked at Qian Yun, then back at the corpse, and asked with some uncertainty, "Did you two do this?"

"Of course! It took everything we had to take him down. Why, Captain, don't you believe in our strength?" Hu Liena stepped forward, her face filled with indescribable pride.

Yake Entu waved his hands quickly. "No, no, I just... I find it hard to believe."

Two two-ringed soul masters taking down a three-ringed one, and an Evil Spirit Master at that, who was stronger than an average soul master! The situation even looked a bit one-sided. Who would believe that if they heard it?

Seeing that he wanted to ask more, Qian Yun spoke first: "By the way, Captain, since you've come in person, does that mean the encirclement mission is over?"

"Oh, the encirclement mission is mostly done. These monkeys were easier to deal with than we expected."

"Mm, the mission to wipe out the monkey troop is complete, and we've found Jie'en's nephew for him. It looks like our first mission was a complete success!" Hu Liena clapped her hands, a satisfied smile on her face.

Faced with Hu Liena's nerves of steel, Yake Entu didn't know what to say. They had just been on the brink of life and death, after all.

However, just as she said, the mission was a complete success!

On the way back, considering that the fact Qian Yun and Hu Liena had taken down a three-ringed Evil Spirit Master was too unbelievable, Yake Entu decided to take the credit himself, framing it as the two of them discovering the Evil Spirit Master and him arriving just in time to save them from danger.

Even so, when the other team members heard that the two little ones had managed to hold out against an Evil Spirit Master until the captain arrived, they all expressed their admiration.

Night, Stone Village.

The village was undoubtedly lively tonight.

Jie'en, at his age, truly didn't know how to thank them. They were noble soul masters who were willing to help out of righteousness to fight an Evil Spirit Master, and they had actually brought his nephew back.

Facing the tearful Jie'en, Yake Entu shook his head, indicating it was just a small favor. At the dining table, Qian Yun stared blankly at the feast, but he had no appetite at all; he even felt a bit nauseous.

Walking out of the bustling restaurant alone to breathe in the fresh air, Qian Yun immediately felt much better.

Turning his head, he caught sight of a small figure crouching outside the window.

It looked like a little girl, wearing a piece of coarse cloth clothing that was thrown on haphazardly and didn't fit quite right, yet a long scorpion-tail braid stood upright on her head.

At this moment, she was hanging onto the window, standing on her tiptoes and straining her neck to try and peek inside.

Qian Yun found it amusing, so he walked up and patted her on the shoulder, "Little one, what are you doing?"

Suddenly patted on the shoulder, the little girl didn't seem startled at all; she simply turned her head, and a delicate, spirited face instantly stunned Qian Yun.

The little girl used a pair of bright, watery eyes to look Qian Yun up and down, then pointed a small finger at herself, "Are you calling me a little one?"

Coming back to his senses, Qian Yun nodded blankly. For some reason, the little girl in front of him gave him a very different feeling; although her eyes were pure, there was none of the confusion that should have been in the eyes of other children.

"Yeah, what are you doing hanging on the window? Are you hungry and want something to eat?" Qian Yun asked her softly, seeing that she clearly looked like a glutton.

Seeing the other party nod, Qian Yun added, "If you want to eat, I can go in and get some for you."

The little girl's eyes lit up, and she grabbed his arm, her expectant eyes sparkling, "Really?"

Qian Yun thought to himself that this kid must be starving, "Of course, I'm a hero of this operation, so getting some food out is no problem at all."

"Wait here for a moment, I'll go get it for you now."

Hearing Qian Yun's words, the little girl nodded hurriedly, "Mm-hmm, then hurry up, I'm really going to starve to death."

As she spoke, she lowered her head and rubbed her stomach aggrievedly.

After Qian Yun went inside, he walked to the dining table and picked up a plate he hadn't used yet, unceremoniously piling food from the table onto it. Fortunately, the atmosphere was lively, and no one noticed his actions.

Carrying the plate full of food, Qian Yun walked out to the little girl who had been waiting impatiently.

"Here." Qian Yun handed the plate to her.

The little girl glanced at him, didn't even say thank you, and unceremoniously grabbed a chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Heh." Qian Yun didn't mind. Seeing her eating so hurriedly, he thoughtfully handed her a glass of fruit juice.

"Hehe." With her mouth covered in grease, she smiled happily.

"Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you." Seeing her look a bit silly, Qian Yun couldn't help but laugh.

A while later.

After she was full, the little girl finally spoke again, "You aren't a bad human, you're a good person. Xiao Wu ate very happily."

Qian Yun narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, "You... you said your name is Xiao Wu?"

"Yeah, is there a problem?" Xiao Wu asked, her small, fair hand clutching a chicken leg, her words muffled.

"Soft Bone Charm Rabbit?"

Qian Yun's next sentence made the face that was still gnawing on a chicken leg turn instantly pale.