Robbery? I'm the Evil Soul Master!

"Forget about that Lao Deng. He's already so old—what use does he have for so much money? Better let me spend it."

Lin Ming shook the money pouch in his hand. It was full of Gold Soul Cards, clattering noisily against one another.

"Come on, I'll take you shopping!"

Zhang Lexuan followed Lin Ming into a jewelry shop, both amused and helpless.

"What would you two like to see?"

The proprietress was a beautiful, well-preserved woman. Seeing Lin Ming and Zhang Lexuan dressed so extravagantly, she treated them especially warmly.

Lin Ming led Zhang Lexuan to the counter and said generously, "Sister Lexuan, pick whatever you like. I'll pay!"

The jewelry shops in Shrek City were not particularly expensive, since many beauty-conscious female students came here to shop.

Zhang Lexuan still felt a little embarrassed. After browsing for a long time, she could not decide what to choose.

Seeing her reluctance, Lin Ming simply picked something out for her himself!

Pointing at a golden hairpin, Lin Ming asked, "Sister Lexuan, what do you think of this one?"

It had to be said that Lin Ming had excellent taste.

The golden hairpin was exquisitely crafted, with a peach blossom made of pink crystal decorating it.

Zhang Lexuan took a liking to it at first glance and nodded shyly.

"Then we'll take this one!"

Lin Ming accepted the golden hairpin from the proprietress and personally put it in Zhang Lexuan's hair.

Whether in his previous life or this one, it was Lin Ming's first time putting a hairpin on another girl.

"Sister Lexuan, don't move. Just one minute."

Since he had never done this for another girl before, Lin Ming was rather clumsy. After fumbling around in a panic, not only did he fail to secure the hairpin properly, but he also messed up Zhang Lexuan's beautiful hair.

"Young man, that won't do. Let me teach you!" The proprietress truly could not bear to watch any longer and decided to step in herself.

"You can't do it like that. Look at me..."

Under the proprietress's demonstration, Lin Ming finally managed to put the golden hairpin in Zhang Lexuan's hair. Though it was still somewhat imperfect, he had succeeded in the end.

"Young man, I'm not criticizing you, but you really need more practice. At this rate, your sweetheart will run off with someone else someday."

Hearing the proprietress refer to them as a couple, Zhang Lexuan's face instantly turned red.

"That's not..."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's hum. The proprietress did not hear it, but Lin Ming hurriedly picked up where she left off.

"Auntie is right. I'll definitely practice diligently when I get back!"

After saying that, Lin Ming took Zhang Lexuan's hand and led her out the door.

Having heard Lin Ming acknowledge that they were a couple, Zhang Lexuan's heart raced wildly.

At first, she had only regarded Lin Ming as her younger brother. But as they spent more time together, she began to feel that there was something about him that drew her in, causing feelings of affection to bloom within her.

Lin Ming did not notice Zhang Lexuan's wandering thoughts. Instead, he began planning where to go next.

"Come on, Sister Lexuan. How about I take you out for a picnic?"

Lin Ming was craving grilled meat again, so he made the suggestion.

Zhang Lexuan nodded. She did not care where they went. It seemed that as long as she was with Lin Ming, she was happy.

The two immediately set off for a Soul Beast forest near Shrek City.

This Soul Beast forest was very close to the Star Dou Great Forest, leaving Lin Ming somewhat uneasy.

After his previous encounter with Scarlet King and the others, Lin Ming had a premonition that the ferocious beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest would not let him off. That was also why he had not taken Zhang Lexuan directly there.

According to Shrek City's official records, the strongest Soul Beasts in this forest had no more than thirty thousand years of cultivation. With Zhang Lexuan's strength as a Soul Saint, she could roam freely here.

Arriving beside a small stream, Lin Ming planned to grill some fish first to whet their appetites.

"Sister Lexuan, help me catch a few fish. I'll go gather some firewood."

Lin Ming headed into the woods in search of suitable branches.

"Rustle, rustle."

A sound came from the forest ahead.

Thinking it was a Soul Beast, Lin Ming intended to take a look. If it was suitable, he could take it down directly and save himself the trouble of looking for one later.

Lin Ming stealthily crept over, pushed aside the bushes, and observed the situation ahead.

An unexpected sight appeared before him.

In the forest ahead lay a massive Rock Bull, with a pale purple Spirit Ring floating above its body.

The corpse of a thousand-year Rock Bull.

Beside the Rock Bull sat a black-robed man in meditation.

He appeared to be absorbing the Spirit Ring, but that was not the case. Beneath him, Lin Ming saw six Spirit Rings—two yellow, three purple, and one black.

Would someone with a ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring choose the Spirit Ring of a Soul Beast barely over a thousand years old as his own? If so, he was pathetic beyond belief.

Watching streams of blood drift from the Rock Bull's corpse and fly into the black-robed man's body, Lin Ming finally realized something.

An Evil Soul Master!

This black-robed man before him, with such a bizarre cultivation method—was he not an Evil Soul Master?

Seeing this, Lin Ming was not afraid. Instead, he was a little excited, because he had taken a liking to that Rock Bull's corpse.

The meat of a thousand-year Rock Bull was an exceptionally rare delicacy.

Lin Ming could not even wait to go back and call Zhang Lexuan. He summoned the Sky-Propping Spear and charged forward.

"Third Soul Skill, Sky-Propping Break!"

Lin Ming opened with his strongest single-target Soul Skill, intending to kill with one strike.

But just as the spear tip was about to pierce the man, he transformed into countless bats and flew aside.

All the bats gathered together and returned to the form of that Evil Soul Master.

His face was pale, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Clearly, he had not completely avoided Lin Ming's third Soul Skill.

"Robbery! You damned Evil Soul Master, hand over that Rock Bull's corpse right now!"

Already furious, the Evil Soul Master instantly snapped upon hearing that. "You know I'm an Evil Soul Master, yet you're robbing me? Are you looking to die? I'm a Soul Emperor!"

Judging from the power of Lin Ming's third Soul Skill, the Evil Soul Master believed it would be difficult to deal with this Soul Ancestor whose Spirit Rings exceeded all reason. He therefore wanted to scare him off with his cultivation as a Soul Emperor.

But Lin Ming looked entirely unconcerned. "So what if you're an Evil Soul Master? I want meat. Just hand over the Rock Bull and we'll be done."

Faced with Lin Ming's arrogance, the already twisted Evil Soul Master completely lost it. "You're courting death!"

He transformed into countless bats again, but this time, he was not fleeing. He was attacking Lin Ming.

His martial soul was the Blood-Sucking Bat, and he cultivated by drinking blood.

Facing the swarm of bats, Lin Ming remained completely calm.

A blazing white light flashed from the tip of the Sky-Propping Spear. Holding it one-handed, Lin Ming thrust like a dragon, stabbing continuously and striking every Blood-Sucking Bat.

The facts proved that the Evil Soul Master's transformed state was not immune to physical attacks.

As long as every bat was struck, he would still be injured.

He transformed back into human form, now bearing several wounds across his body.

"Damn it!"

Beneath his feet, his fifth Spirit Ring lit up. A massive blood-red phantom of a bat rapidly condensed and flew toward Lin Ming.