Killing Evil Soul Masters

"Master, is this the Human Emperor Banner?" Huo Yuhao leaned in, examining it with curiosity.

"Mm."

Zhao Ze gently stroked the pitch-black banner pole, his fingertips tracing the undead runes that shimmered with a ghostly light.

His tone carried a hint of anticipation:

"Tonight, we shall head to the old district of Ming Capital to test its power."

"Test its power? How?"

Huo Yuhao took the Human Emperor Banner, feeling a cold surge of energy spread from his arm throughout his entire body, perfectly resonating with his own spiritual power.

"As the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, Ming Capital appears prosperous on the surface, but it hides many Evil Soul Masters in the shadows."

Zhao Ze said indifferently.

"These people have blood on their hands; they deserve to die. It is only fitting to use their souls to consecrate the Human Emperor Banner. Consider it a chance for you to take a breather after half a year of grueling cultivation."

Under the cover of night, Ming Capital was even more dazzling than during the day.

Soul-guided streetlights illuminated the roads as if it were midday, while soul-guided airships shuttled through the sky, trailing colorful exhaust. The shops along the street were bustling with noise, filled with the constant chorus of hawkers and laughter.

Huo Yuhao walked through the crowd alongside Zhao Ze, looking at the lively scene before him, and couldn't help but remark:

"Ming Capital is truly prosperous; it's much livelier than Shrek City."

"Indeed, it is quite prosperous."

A voice chimed in from nearby.

The two turned their heads to see a man in a patrol uniform sitting at the adjacent table.

The middle-aged man had a resolute face with traces of weathering around his eyes, and a patrol captain's badge pinned to his chest.

"You two are from out of town, aren't you?"

The middle-aged man smiled and took a sip of his wine.

"Ming Capital looks lively, but it's actually quite unsettled in the shadows. Especially in the old district; people have been going missing frequently lately, and it's mostly the work of Evil Soul Masters.

You two should avoid going there at night, lest something happens."

Just then, a short boy ran in and saluted the two:

"Captain, the vehicle is ready. It's time to head to the next checkpoint for inspection."

"Right, we're leaving now." The middle-aged man stood up and nodded at Zhao Ze and Huo Yuhao. "Take care, you two."

The two walked out of the restaurant, the night air carrying a hint of chill.

The short boy looked around excitedly and said:

"The streets are so quiet; there isn't a single Evil Soul Master in sight."

"You're in high spirits, aren't you?"

The middle-aged man shook his head with a smile.

"This just goes to show that everyone's efforts haven't been in vain!"

The boy clenched his fists, his eyes sparkling.

"The brothers in the patrol team are out patrolling every day, and there are so many Soul Masters fighting against the Evil Soul Masters. One day, we will wipe every single one of them out!

I need to work harder too, so I can become a powerful Soul Master soon and protect everyone!"

The middle-aged man looked at his spirited demeanor, his gaze softening.

He looked up at the bright moon in the night sky and whispered:

"Ah, yes. Everything we have accumulated over time has not been in vain. From now on, as long as we don't stop moving forward, the path will continue to extend."

No sooner had he spoken.

At that very moment, a deafening roar erupted from the end of the street!

The two turned their heads sharply to see raging flames shooting into the sky, dyeing half the night sky a blood-red hue.

Bricks and debris flew everywhere, and the once-lively street instantly turned into a living hell, filled with the overlapping sounds of screams and wails.

Over a dozen figures in pitch-black cloaks charged out from the fire, their eyes glowing with a bloodthirsty red light. They brandished bone blades stained with blood, hacking at anyone they saw and smashing every shop in their path.

"It's the Evil Soul Masters from the Holy Spirit Cult!"

Zhao Ze's eyes turned cold as he pulled Huo Yuhao to his feet.

"I didn't expect them to dare strike in the core district of Ming Capital."

The two hurried out of the restaurant, only to find the battle outside had reached a state of extreme brutality.

The patrol captain was shielding the short boy tightly in his arms, his back to the Evil Soul Masters, while the soul-guided ray gun in his hand fired continuously behind him.

"Ugh, ahhhhhhh!!!"

The captain collapsed heavily to the ground, his blood instantly staining the earth beneath him.

"Well, look at that. My aim was actually quite good."

"Captain! Captain, wake up!"

The boy threw himself over the captain, screaming in despair as tears fell like beads from a broken string.

The captain used his last ounce of strength to lift his head, lying on the ground in a grotesque posture, his trembling finger pointing rigidly toward the direction of the Evil Soul Masters ahead.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out; his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.

"Hahahaha!"

The lead Evil Soul Master roared with laughter.

"Today, our Holy Spirit Cult shall hold a blood sacrifice right here! We will use the souls of you mortals to empower our Martial Souls! None of you shall escape!"

Zhao Ze looked at the captain's body on the ground without the slightest ripple in his eyes, merely patting Huo Yuhao on the shoulder.

"Yuhao, leave this rabble to you. It's a perfect chance to test the progress you've made over the past half-year."

Huo Yuhao nodded, stepped forward, and shielded the boy behind him.

He looked at the Evil Soul Masters who were slaughtering wantonly, flames of fury burning in the depths of his eyes, and shouted sternly:

"Stop! You bunch of conscience-less Evil Soul Masters!"

"Oh? Where did this brat come from, daring to block the path of our Holy Spirit Cult?"

The lead Evil Soul Master looked Huo Yuhao up and down, a sneer of disdain appearing on his face.

"Kid, I think you're tired of living! Brothers, slaughter this brat first and use his soul to kick off the sacrifice!"

A dozen Evil Soul Masters roared in unison, brandishing bone blades as they lunged toward Huo Yuhao.

Black soul power surged around their bodies, and the air was thick with a pungent, bloody stench.

Huo Yuhao's eyes narrowed as he slowly raised his right hand:

"Domain Expansion!"

Hum!

A vast mental power, immense as a sea of stars, erupted instantly, enveloping everything within a fifty-meter radius centered on Huo Yuhao.

The next second, countless transparent mental slashes manifested out of thin air, sweeping toward the Evil Soul Masters like a violent storm.

"Ah!"

Screams rose one after another.

Before the Evil Soul Masters could even react, they were shredded into pieces by the dense barrage of slashes, blood and gore splattering across the ground.

Just as Huo Yuhao thought it was all over, a red figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing heavily and smashing a large crater into the ground.

He wore a red robe embroidered with skull patterns and a hideous mask; looking at his subordinates who had been reduced to chunks of meat, his eyes erupted with monstrous rage:

"Damn you! You bastard actually dared to kill members of my Holy Spirit Cult! I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!"

One Evil Soul Master who hadn't yet breathed his last struggled to lift his head, whispering weakly:

"Sacrificial Priest... be careful... this guy... is strong... we will lose..."

"Hmph, we will win!"

The red-robed priest kicked him aside with a sneer of contempt.

Before the words had even faded, the red-robed priest lunged violently toward Huo Yuhao, a massive black bone scythe manifesting in his hand, which he swung toward Huo Yuhao with earth-shattering momentum.

Huo Yuhao's expression remained unchanged; he merely flicked his hand.

A mental slash, condensed to the absolute limit, tore through the air, fast as lightning.

Puchi!

The red-robed priest's movements froze instantly.

He looked down in disbelief at the clean incision appearing across his chest, his body slowly sliding apart into two halves before collapsing onto the ground.