The Origin of Evil Soul Masters

"Then I shall speak plainly. I hope you won't fall apart after hearing this," Feng Piaoling said with a calm expression.

"I can handle it." Despite her words, Tang Ya's hands were already clenched into tight fists.

Noticing Tang Ya's distress, Bei Bei immediately reached out to comfort her, taking her hand in his.

With one yellow and one purple soul ring rising from beneath his feet, Feng Piaoling activated his second soul ring. An earthy-yellow talisman appeared in his hand: "Everyone, stand close to me. Line up and hold onto each other's shoulders. I will take you away from this chaotic zone first; we can talk as we move."

Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao followed his instructions.

Tang Ya placed her right hand on Feng Piaoling's shoulder, Bei Bei held onto Tang Ya's, and Huo Yuhao gripped Bei Bei's.

"Don't you dare let go, or if you get buried alive in the dirt, don't blame me," Feng Piaoling said as he channeled power into the Earth Escape Talisman. The talisman emitted an earthy-yellow glow, enveloping the four of them before they plunged into the ground, darting rapidly toward the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest. They moved through the earth without obstruction, much like a sailfish cutting through the sea.

Protected within the yellow light, Bei Bei, Tang Ya, and Huo Yuhao were all stunned as they watched the surroundings blur past them. Was this truly Feng Piaoling's thousand-year second soul skill?

It was truly miraculous; while it lacked offensive power, it was a bona fide life-saving divine skill.

Feng Piaoling naturally wasn't just showing off his Earth Escape Talisman for fun; he was doing it to prevent a certain Tang God King from eavesdropping.

"It is time to discuss the real matter," Feng Piaoling said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Tang Ya, Bei Bei, and Huo Yuhao set aside their awe of Feng Piaoling's soul skill, their expressions turning serious.

As he continued to tunnel through the earth, Feng Piaoling said, "First, the Tang Sect is stuck in its own ways. Every generation of Sect Master must be a Blue Silver Grass soul master, yet you never considered that not everyone can awaken the Blue Silver Emperor as their second martial soul."

"In this world where martial souls are supreme, lacking a powerful martial soul lineage means you cannot consistently produce strong individuals. Even without that war over four thousand years ago, your decline was only a matter of time."

"Furthermore, the Tang Sect's backwardness is inseparable from its conservatism. You cling blindly to those archaic things. Tell me, how could a sect that relies on selling weapons and profiting from war not be eliminated by the changing times when its Sect Master's strength fails to keep up and its weaponry becomes obsolete?"

Hearing this, Tang Ya's eyes turned red. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she retorted in a stubborn voice, already laced with tears:

"I admit my strength is lacking, and Blue Silver Grass truly has no advantages compared to other martial souls."

"But our Tang Sect did not profit from war. Every generation of our Sect Masters used the majority of our income to support commoners, keeping only a tiny fraction for ourselves. And our Tang Sect's hidden weapons are not archaic; we possess many weapons of immense power, some of which have even threatened gods."

"Don't be so hasty; I haven't finished," Feng Piaoling raised a hand to interrupt her. "Do you know the origin of Evil Soul Masters?"

Neither Tang Ya nor Bei Bei were strangers to the concept of Evil Soul Masters, and even Huo Yuhao, the former illegitimate son of the White Tiger Duke, had heard of them.

But if asked about their true origins, they couldn't provide a coherent answer.

Finally, Bei Bei spoke up: "Evil Soul Masters rose ten thousand years ago, but their specific origins are unknown. The earliest record is that our Tang Sect's founding master, the Sea God Tang San, once slew an Evil Soul Master of Titled Douluo rank."

Feng Piaoling replied, "That is not wrong. Strictly speaking, that Evil Soul Master did die at the hands of your Sect Master. But do you know where your founding master, the Sea God Tang San, first encountered that Evil Soul Master? Slaughter City—a place the Martial Soul Hall used specifically to punish and imprison fallen soul masters. Once inside, there was no possibility of escape. That is why there were no Evil Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago."

"At the same time, that place was the inheritance site of a deity. Anyone who could break out of there would gain a talent domain and receive the attention of that deity."

"Yet, your Tang Sect Master, whether to prevent future generations from gaining the same talent domain as him or out of a sense of 'justice'—believing the place was evil and shouldn't exist—destroyed it the moment he broke out."

"Because of that, the fallen soul masters escaped, forming the massive Evil Soul Master groups we see today."

"And that is not all. Afterward, he destroyed the Martial Soul Hall—an organization that awakened martial souls for commoners, provided subsidies to low-level soul masters, and was dedicated to eradicating fallen soul masters."

"Of course, I am not here to defend the Martial Soul Hall. After all, the Douluo Continent is a place where the strong prey on the weak. The Martial Soul Hall wanted to unify the continent but lost to the coalition of Tang San, Heaven Dou, and Star Luo. The winner takes all; there is nothing more to say."

"However, after destroying the Martial Soul Hall, your Sect Master failed to shoulder the responsibilities that the Martial Soul Hall once held. He neither created an organization to awaken martial souls for commoner children nor provided subsidies, nor did he manage the Evil Soul Masters. He simply wanted to project an image of justice to the world, having you—his descendants in name only—hand out money every year to support these so-called commoners to showcase his 'virtue'."

"Because of this, commoners on the Douluo Continent no longer have anyone to awaken their martial souls. To awaken them, they must pay exorbitant amounts of Gold Soul Coins to the noble lords. Those who choose the cheaper black market options still face a massive burden. They already live in hardship, and since very few awaken soul power, generation after generation, the nobles remain nobles, and the commoners remain commoners."

"Occasionally, a tiny fraction of commoners awaken soul power, but without the subsidies once provided by the Martial Soul Hall, they must either sell themselves into slavery or risk their lives to improve their strength. I have even seen a commoner genius with high innate soul power who had to sell herself to afford medicine for her mother."

"Meanwhile, without the constraints of the Martial Soul Hall, Evil Soul Masters have grown rapidly. Unless they threaten the rule of the noble lords, those lords won't lift a finger, and they won't even glance at how many commoners die."

"Have you ever seen a village slaughtered by Evil Soul Masters? I have. Because my hometown was destroyed by them, and aside from me, almost no one survived."

"This is the origin of the Evil Soul Masters, and my parents died at their hands. Tang Ya, I know you are dedicated to reviving the Tang Sect, but do you really think I would join a sect founded by that hypocrite—that piece of trash who turned the Douluo Continent upside down and caused the deaths of countless people?"