The Great Purge

Niya was sitting upright at the table, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and excitement—fear that if things went wrong and she fell into Hals's hands, she would suffer terribly, and excitement that if she succeeded, she would soon sit upon the throne so many yearned for, become the Holy Maiden admired by countless people, and advance further on the path of a soul master.

In the short span of half an hour, Niya turned her head toward the door countless times. She hoped that the next moment, someone would knock and tell her that the former Holy Maiden had failed her mission and died, that the Elder Hall had ordered her to carry out this task, and that she would retrieve the lost Soul Conductor and return to bask in the admiration and worship of the masses. But unfortunately, things did not go as she wished.

"Boom!"

A loud crash rang out as the door was violently kicked open from outside. Several Enforcement Hall personnel from Spirit Hall rushed in, releasing their soul rings one after another, their cold faces forming a tight circle around her.

Niya was terrified, but she put up a fierce front and shouted, "What do you think you're doing? I am one of the outstanding members of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall! What right do you have to barge into my room?"

No one answered her. The enforcement personnel remained silent, surrounding her without a trace of fear or relaxation.

Just as Niya was pretending to be enraged by the offense and planning to walk out to seek justice from the elders, a young voice brimming with barely concealed delight rang out:

"Lady Niya—oh, no, sinner Niya. You are accused and proven to have plotted to murder the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, Lady Bibi Dong. By order of the Pope, the Enforcement Hall is to arrest you immediately. No mistakes allowed." Shi Jisheng stepped out from behind the group of enforcement personnel, a smug smile on his face as he looked at the woman who had once been untouchable to him. Now, she was about to become a prisoner. This was the reward for making the right choice and siding with the winning faction in time. When Shi Jisheng saw Lord Hals returning hand in hand with the Holy Maiden at the main gate, he knew his gamble had paid off. Sure enough, in just a short while, he had gone from a lowly guard to the leader of an enforcement squad.

And Niya, who had been struggling to maintain her facade, could no longer suppress the trembling in her body. She went limp, collapsing into her chair, her eyes vacant and staring blankly ahead.

What... what should I do? What should I do? Niya kept asking herself this in her mind. The dim, flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across her curvaceous figure, highlighting her fragility.

Seeing Niya trembling, Shi Jisheng grew even more smug. The corner of his mouth curled up in an undisguised smirk. He raised his right hand and waved it lightly. "Go. Grab her and take her to Lord Hals. Let him decide her fate."

Hals.

At the sound of that name, Niya's body jolted, and her eyes refocused. No, she absolutely could not fall into Hals's hands. Niya recalled the stories she had heard from the elders about Hals's deeds and his fearsome reputation. Gritting her teeth, she secretly clenched her fists.

She had to escape. Yes, escape. If she could get out, she could join the Star Luo Empire. She knew so many of Spirit Hall's secrets that the Star Luo Empire would surely treat her well.

Niya lowered her head slightly, using the corner of her eye to assess the surrounding enforcement personnel. Most were Soul Ancestors and Soul Kings. The leader, whom she recognized, was a guard from the Side Hall, probably somewhere between a Soul Venerable and a Soul Ancestor in strength. With her own power, nearly that of a Soul Emperor, she should be able to break through their encirclement easily and flee. As for what to do after escaping, she would figure that out later. There would always be a way when the time came.

With that thought, Niya slammed both hands hard against the ground, using the momentum to hurl herself toward a nearby Soul Ancestor. At the same time, her martial soul emerged, and her soul rings appeared.

A grotesque flower with a gaping maw burst forth. The third soul ring behind Niya flickered, and something clearly began to brew within the flower's mouth, ready to spew out.

Although Shi Jisheng was quite pleased with himself, he had remained vigilant. Seeing something was wrong, he was the first to dart outward, shouting at the top of his lungs:

"Quick, dodge! Watch out for what's coming out! Find cover!!!"

The Enforcement Hall personnel were seasoned fighters themselves, having been through countless battles. The moment they sensed danger, each of them used their own methods—some summoned a thick, door-sized shield to stand in front of their comrades, while support-type soul masters hid behind the shields and summoned their martial souls to layer buffs on their allies.

"Pfft!"

The flower's massive mouth swiveled and sprayed corrosive acid in all directions, but thanks to the enforcement personnel's excellent combat instincts, it failed to cause any damage at all.

Once the flower finished spraying and withered away, the enforcement personnel quickly emerged from behind the shields, ready for battle. Shi Jisheng walked in from outside, his face cold as he looked at the window Niya had kicked open.

"Sir, should we pursue?" one of the enforcement personnel gathered his courage and stepped forward to ask.

Shi Jisheng shook his head, a disdainful smirk curling on his lips. He said coldly, "Hah, I expected she wouldn't just sit still and let herself be caught. I knew she'd try to escape. I already arranged for another squad to lie in wait outside, and a certain lord who once owed Lord Hals a favor agreed to lend a hand. There's no way she'll get away."

As he spoke, Shi Jisheng frowned at the furniture and walls in the room, corroded into a mess by the acid. The pungent, irritating smell made him cover his nose and mouth as he turned and strode out of the room.

"Let's go. We'll join the other squad to surround and capture the criminal Niya. Hmph, no prisoner ever escapes from us."

"Yes, sir!"

Niya was secretly delighted at how easily she had broken out of the encirclement, silently vowing that one day she would make Bibi Dong and Hals pay for this.

Just as she was thinking this, she sprinted swiftly toward the forest surrounding Spirit Hall, when suddenly she heard a soft sigh beside her ear. Startled, she stumbled, then warily looked toward the source of the sound—only to see a man she had never expected to meet.

"I didn't think they'd send you to catch me, Jiabulin." Niya's expression was complicated. Looking at the young man before her, she couldn't help but feel a pang of grievance.

"Don't run, Niya. Come back with me. I'll plead with Lord Hals to spare you this once." Jiabulin's face also showed regret as he looked at the girl a generation younger than him. He had once been her guide, leading her onto the path of the Golden Generation.

"Do you think that's possible? Don't tell me you haven't heard what Hals has done." Niya sneered.

"..."

Jiabulin was silent. He opened his mouth but ultimately chose to say nothing. He couldn't bring himself to lie to Niya. In truth, he had not only heard of Hals's exploits but had even seen the souls of those Hals had killed.

Looking at the conflicted young man before her, Niya's expression gradually softened. She gazed tenderly at Jiabulin.

"You know, senior, I've liked you for a long time. Ever since you led me step by step through the Golden Generation selection missions, I started to fall for you." Niya's eyes grew dreamy, as if she were reminiscing about those beautiful memories.

Jiabulin said nothing. He had long noticed the girl's affection for him, and that was precisely why he had chosen to leave—because he already had someone he loved.

"I already have someone I love." Jiabulin finally forced out those words after a long pause.

"I know, senior. Is it Senior Xiong Yiyi?" Niya turned her head away, refusing to look at him.

"...Yes."

A tear rolled down the girl's cheek, tracing a path across her face before falling heavily to the ground, kicking up a tiny puff of dust.

"Why? Why?" the girl whispered. "Why can't I get the position I want? Why can't I even have the love I desire?" Her voice finally broke into sobs.

The forest was silent, not even the sound of insects stirring.

Jiabulin sighed. "Come back with me. I'll go personally to plead with the Holy Maiden. She'll grant me this favor. If she agrees, Lord Hals will too."

Niya sniffled hard, trying to clear her stuffy nose from crying, then wiped her tears and looked stubbornly at Jiabulin. "You want me to go back with you? Fine."

As she spoke, the fifth soul ring behind Niya blazed with light. Vines burst forth from the ground, wrapping around her to form a massive cocoon. Niya's muffled voice came from within. "As long as you can break this cage, I'll go back with you."

"You mean it?" Jiabulin asked, delighted.

"I mean it."

"Good." Hearing her answer, Jiabulin's face lit up with joy as he summoned his martial soul. The third soul ring behind him blazed with light, and a massive gauntlet appeared on his arm. A flash of cyan light flickered, and Jiabulin slowly gathered his strength, continuing to ask, "It's settled then, Niya. If I break this cocoon, you'll come back with me. No more tantrums."

"Mm." Jiabulin couldn't see it, but inside the cocoon, Niya had already dissolved into a mess of tears, her pretty face streaked with snot and weeping.

Letting out a slow breath, Jiabulin moved his body and punched toward the cocoon, yet at the very last moment, he pulled back half his strength.

However, the powerful resistance he had imagined never came. The seemingly tough plant cocoon was pierced as easily as a sheet of thin paper.

Jiabulin's arm trembled slightly. He lifted his head to look at the giant cocoon. The plants forming its outer shell rapidly withered and disintegrated, turning into a pile of ash.

Jiabulin's arm had pierced straight through the young woman's abdomen.

Niya, with a trace of blood at the corner of her lips, looked at Jiabulin. Yet she smiled very happily, a hint of tenderness impossible to hide on her face.

"Why?" Jiabulin's voice trembled, carrying a note of confusion and a hint of anger.