Conflict 2

Hals looked at the Spirit Hall elder, a man of such high standing, crawling miserably across the floor, and felt a trace of confusion.

"I'm curious. How could someone like you become an elder of Spirit Hall? Just because of your strength?"

At Hals's words, Yan Yu didn't stop to answer. Instead, he crawled even faster. His twisted left leg dragged across the floor, leaving a long streak of blood. In his terror, he had even forgotten to use Soul Power to protect his fingers. All ten were rubbed raw against the ground, flesh and blood blurred together. They said the fingers were connected to the heart, but even such pain couldn't free Yan Yu from his fear.

At last, Hals realized something was wrong. Even with his fearsome reputation in Spirit Hall, he couldn't possibly make an elder react like this.

Soul Power surged through Hals, turning into a cloud of Black Mist that swept forward. It finally took human form behind Yan Yu, who seemed not to notice Hals's arrival. That was hardly possible for a Spirit Saint.

Hals extended his left hand. A flame sprang up, and in an instant his hand had become a skeletal one.

Hals bent down and seized Yan Yu by the head. His five sharp fingers pierced the scalp and touched bone. Then, with a slow pull of his left hand, Hals lifted Yan Yu off the ground and turned his face toward him.

Hals saw clearly that Yan Yu's eyes were vacant and expressionless, while he kept mumbling, "Run, run."

Hals's expression gradually turned grave. His face beneath the hood was shrouded in gloom. He adjusted Yan Yu's position slightly, aligning his eyes with the two flames in his own eye sockets. Then the flames began to burn and flicker violently.

They stared at each other without moving. As the seconds passed, a spark ignited in Yan Yu's eyes. In an instant, it became a roaring blaze that engulfed his head. A substance invisible to the naked eye drifted out of Yan Yu's mind.

Hals opened his mouth. His throat was pitch-black, as if a tiny black hole lurked within, generating a powerful force that sucked the substance down.

The flames in Hals's eyes seemed to have found fuel, burning even more fiercely.

Hals stood motionless. After a long while, the flames gradually weakened, settling into a steady burn.

"I see. Qian Xunji..." Hals's thoughts only grew more tangled. "Why would Qian Xunji arrange for someone to attack Bibi Dong? And why manipulate a Spirit Hall elder into doing it? Isn't Qian Xunji's Martial Soul the Angel Martial Soul? Why would he have the ability to control people?"

Countless questions surfaced in Hals's mind, but he found no answers.

A faint sense of danger lingered in Hals's heart, refusing to fade.

He glanced at Yan Yu, who had lost all signs of life and was well and truly dead, then casually tossed him aside. Turning, he left...

Shi Jisheng felt quite pleased with himself at that moment. He was directing many high-ranking Soul Masters as they captured and detained the elders of the Elder Hall. People who had once stood above everyone else now had no choice but to submit to him. The feeling was wonderful!

Shi Jisheng stood behind a group of enforcers, putting on a cool front as he watched them and hid his excitement. Just as he was imagining how glorious his future would be, an enforcer suddenly appeared beside him.

"Shi Jisheng, Lord Hals wants to see you."

Who had such poor manners? Shouldn't he have called me "sir"? Thinking this, Shi Jisheng turned toward the enforcer with an impatient look, but then he froze and hurriedly bowed.

The man was a level sixty-nine Battle Soul Emperor and an enforcer squad leader—as well as Shi Jisheng's immediate superior.

"Yes, sir. I'll go at once." Shi Jisheng lowered his head, making his expression impossible to read.

The squad leader glanced at Shi Jisheng, his tone somewhat cold. "Shi Jisheng, know your place. You're an enforcer here, and this is my territory."

"Yes, sir." Shi Jisheng bowed even lower. He stayed that way for a long while, until no more sound came from the squad leader. Only then did he slowly straighten up. His expression gave nothing away, and no one could know what he was thinking.

"Lord Hals." Shi Jisheng hurried to Hals and dropped to one knee, his tone utterly respectful.

"Shi Jisheng." Hals turned around, the flames in his eyes fixed on him. "The Pope will likely summon me soon. I need you to make three preparations."

"I'll do whatever you command, Lord Hals."

"First, hide. If I don't come back for a long time, quietly leave Spirit Hall and lie low. Second, when you leave Spirit Hall, collect a batch of supplies from the storehouse in my name, then make it look as if you betrayed us for money. Third—"

Hals stopped there, and Shi Jisheng didn't dare raise his head to ask.

Hals sighed and spoke as if he'd been released from a burden. "If you hear fighting from Pope Palace, take your mistress and flee Spirit Hall at once. Remember, make it look as if you kidnapped her and forced her to leave."

"My lord!" Shi Jisheng jerked his head up, a hint of panic in his eyes. "But, but I'm only a three-ring Soul Master..."

"Don't worry. Things won't come to that unless there's no other choice. This is just a precaution. When the time comes, I'll send someone to protect you as you leave." Hals turned away, silent, gazing out the window at the rosy evening clouds.

Shi Jisheng had already left, but Hals remained in the room. He wanted to close his eyes, but his eyelids were long gone, so he could only keep staring...

A brief, forceful knock sounded. Hals looked toward the door and sighed. Then he turned into a cloud of Black Mist and appeared behind the person knocking.

"Let's go." His hoarse voice made the visitor jolt. The person spun around at once. "L-Lord, the Pope..."

"I know." Hals had already turned and started walking away. "I'm going now."

The visitor was left standing in the corridor, utterly bewildered.

"Y-yes..."

Pushing open the door, Hals glanced at Qian Xunji on the throne. The face that was usually gloomy was now even more inscrutable.

Hals came before Qian Xunji and knelt on one knee without hesitation.

Seeing how readily Hals knelt, Qian Xunji's expression softened a little.

"Hals." Qian Xunji rested his chin on his left hand and stared down at him. "Do you know your crime?"

"Yes, I know my crime." Hals lowered his head, his hood concealing every trace of his expression.

Qian Xunji looked at Hals's hooded face. An unreadable look flashed through his eyes. "Take off your hood. Hals, do you need to hide your face even from me?"

Without hesitation, Hals removed his hood, revealing his strange face.

Qian Xunji examined Hals's face with interest. "Oh, your scars seem to have faded a little."

"Yes."

Seeing that Qian Xunji still showed no reaction, Hals finally got to the point.

"Hals, when I woke up this morning, I heard that you were arresting Spirit Hall elders left and right. Someone even came to me to accuse you of purging your rivals."

The words exploded beside Hals's ears like thunder, and he began to understand. Qian Xunji was using him to eliminate the unruly elders of Spirit Hall, the ones who were always making trouble. At the same time, he was using those elders to get rid of Hals!

Qian Xunji still didn't know that Hals had already discovered he was the real mastermind. He continued speaking as if nothing had happened...