The Xie Family Head turned around. Beside the pill lay a black syringe, placed there in silence.
The Soul Power in the Xie Family Head's hands slowly dissipated.
The vicious look on his face disappeared as well.
He met Xie An's eyes in silence. After a long while, he let out a sigh.
His voice carried confusion and unwillingness, along with a trace of relief that had only just risen from the depths of his heart.
As the Xie Family Head, he had always wanted the Xie Family to climb higher and go farther.
That thought was like a thorn, buried deep in his heart.
So he worked with the Spirit Pagoda, and the family's strength had grown by leaps and bounds.
The Xie Family Head suddenly looked up, meeting Xie An's unnervingly calm eyes. His thoughts drifted back ten years.
Ten years ago, a girl calling herself Bell had come to the Xie Family, seeking to collaborate on an experiment.
The female Soul Master had told him that, for special reasons, they needed some "peripheral forces" to carry out certain research projects that could not be made public.
She always kept her head slightly lowered as she spoke. Her voice was gentle, making people want to trust her for no particular reason.
She had said that while the experiments were unusual and required some sacrifices, the people involved were all heinous criminals, and the Xie Family's strength would increase tremendously.
But now, as he stood before Xie An and saw the black syringe lying quietly beside the pill, that familiar aura spreading through the air, something in his mind suddenly shattered.
He couldn't remember the girl's face at all.
He tried hard to recall her, but all he remembered was that she always kept her head lowered, her voice gentle yet youthful, her twin buns swaying in the air, and her short top and skirt looking especially pretty.
Her features, her hair color, her figure—every detail was shrouded in mist, blurred like a dream.
The only thing he still remembered was that the girl's voice had been as beautiful as silver bells.
Had I been wrong all these years?
The thought had barely surfaced when a stronger emotion crushed it.
No, I wasn't wrong. I couldn't be wrong!
He had merely worked with that mysterious girl called Bell. The methods might have been somewhat inhumane, but they had only sacrificed a portion of the criminals. Meanwhile, the family's strength had genuinely increased!
As one of the family, shouldn't the Temple Master have offered his full support?
Why, then, keep harping on it? There were things the Temple Master couldn't do, so he could do them in the Temple Master's place!
He was right. He had done nothing wrong!
No one there was a fool. The moment they saw the first pill, they knew what Xie An had come for.
When Xie An tossed out the second syringe, it was obvious he had no intention of letting the matter go. He planned to bring it out into the open.
"Temple Master, you haven't been home in years. Why not stay a few days? I'll make sure to give you a proper explanation."
The Xie Family Head bowed again, but when he raised his head, he was still met by Xie An's calm eyes.
Since sitting down, Xie An hadn't said a single word.
He had simply watched everything unfold with calm detachment, as if he were watching a farce.
"Temple Master, why don't you speak plainly?"
The Xie Family Head's smile and ingratiating manner vanished. He stood with his hands behind his back.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.
Sun Wenxuan was a little frightened. What had he done to deserve witnessing such a major confrontation?
Xie An slowly rose to his feet, tossed the syringe and pill at the Xie Family Head, and said mildly, "Take me to have a look first. For the experiments you conducted in collusion with those people, perhaps you can still keep your life."
At his words, every Soul Master present paled.
The Spirit Pagoda Soul Masters had already begun sending messages.
Their brief report read:
The War God Temple Master had returned to the Xie Family and was confronting the Xie Family Head over an unknown drug.
At the same time, the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda Master and the Tang Sect each received the news.
Spirit Pagoda:
"The War God Temple Master is planning to move against our family?"
"Forget it. This is too serious. We'd better report it to Pagoda Master Qiangu."
"What? You're saying we don't have permission to contact Pagoda Master Qiangu? Then Vice Pagoda Master Heavenly Phoenix."
Tang Sect:
"An informant has urgent information to report."
"Send this to the Sect Master immediately. Yes, quickly."
"This is going to be a disaster."
Back in the Xie Family of Eastsea City.
A cold glint had appeared in the Xie Family Head's eyes. He stared at Xie An's tall, slender figure and remained silent for a long while before saying, "Temple Master, we're family. Why make things so unpleasant?"
"They were nothing but criminals who got what they deserved. So what if they died?"
Sun Wenxuan was shocked. They had completely fallen out now. He just didn't understand what gave the Xie Family Head, a mere Titled Douluo, the nerve to provoke the War God Temple Master.
You needed strength to pick a fight.
Xie An hadn't taken the position of War God Temple Master with mere words, either.
Xie An withdrew his gaze and didn't answer. He simply walked unhurriedly toward the door.
Sun Wenxuan was nervous, but he still followed closely behind.
Seeing this,
the Xie Family Head stood with his hands hanging at his sides. A hint of malice entered his eyes.
He, too, set off, slowly stepping out of the room.
As Xie An walked deeper into the Xie Family grounds, he stopped in front of a rock garden and exclaimed in admiration.
"What a grand undertaking. It's a small space, much like the Spirit Ascension Platform."
"Doing this right under my nose—will you open it yourself, or do I have to do it for you?"
The Spirit Pagoda Soul Masters who had followed them were already having second thoughts. Their opponent had clearly come prepared. They just didn't know how much the War God Temple Master knew, or how much information he had in hand.
"Phew."
The Xie Family Head closed his eyes. Black light flowed from between his brows, and his cultivation surged steadily, reaching the astonishing height of a Level 96 Super Douluo!
Three-Word Battle Armor appeared silently over his body, its power seeming to approach Level 98.
"W-what's going on?"
Sun Wenxuan and the Xie Family juniors beside him cried out in shock.
"Since you've found out, there's nothing left to say. Let's fight!"
The Xie Family Head opened his eyes, his voice weathered. "Do you see this, Xie An? This is the power I gained by working with Miss Bell. In ten years, I went from a weak Titled Douluo to the level I'm at now."
"If you hadn't pushed me so far, I wouldn't have had to reveal myself. We could still have been a loving family!"
"It's your fault! You little Soul Douluo, stirring up trouble and ruining my plans!"
A dense cloud of evil black mist burst from the Xie Family Head and shot toward Sun Wenxuan.
Within the black mist were the weeping of women, the frightened cries of children, the despair of the elderly in their final moments, and the anguish of men in their prime.
Sun Wenxuan tried to dodge, only to realize that powerful Soul Power had already locked onto him. He couldn't move at all and could only close his eyes in despair.
"Can you tell me about this Miss Bell you mentioned? And is this a secret technique of Evil Soul Masters?"
"Forget it. You seem to have been controlled, so you probably don't know anything."
Xie An looked at the Xie Family Head's crazed expression and shook his head.
"Tsk. I knew it. The path of an Evil Soul Master is no good. At the very least, you can't cultivate like the Holy Spirit Cult does, until your brains turn to mush."
"You're just a Super Douluo with an unstable foundation. What makes you think you can strut around in front of me?"
Xie An's tone had been casual at first, but by the end, it carried a hint of killing intent.
Sun Wenxuan realized he wasn't hurt. He opened his eyes and saw Xie An holding out one hand, stopping the black mist.
"What other tricks do you have? Hurry up and use them. I'm in a rush."
"Impossible! I'm already infinitely close to being a Limit Douluo. How can you be so relaxed?"
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"
"Ghostly Forest: Nether Myriad Phenomena!"
A purple flame surged up, spiraling around several hideous ghosts as it spun toward Xie An.
It carried boundless resentment, intent on tearing the War God Temple Master to pieces.
"Sigh. You'll never understand my current state until you reach this level."
"You haven't even reached the peak of Level 98. How can you claim to have touched the Limit?"
As he spoke, Xie An rubbed his ear with one hand and reached out with the other, grabbing directly at the ghosts.
"You're getting noisy."
His hand was like an iron wall. No matter how fiercely the ghosts attacked, they couldn't move it in the slightest.
"You're out of tricks, right? My turn?"
"No, no! This can't be! This can't be!"
Xie An raised a finger. A burst of spear intent shot from it, piercing the Xie Family Head through the temple.
"Right, I should check what's in here."
Xie An turned toward the rock garden, then tore open space with his hand and stepped inside.
Sun Wenxuan hurriedly called after him, "Temple Master, wait for me!" As he spoke, he slipped in after him before the space could close.
Before you continue