Nether Douluo: Would You Be My Disciple?

After an incredible amount of effort.

Dai Yuhao finally laid the white-haired man gently on the ground.

He checked the man's breathing and realized he was completely dead. But his body was still warm, so he must not have been dead for long.

It was Dai Yuhao's first time seeing a corpse, and he wasn't used to it.

"Urgh..."

He dropped to his knees, his stomach churning. Sour liquid and half-digested food came spewing out together.

When he had thrown up most of it, Dai Yuhao shakily got to his feet.

He planned to hurry home and curl up in his mother's warm embrace, telling her everything while she comforted him...

But after taking just one step, he suddenly remembered his mother's advice:

When someone died, they had to be buried so they could rest in peace. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to reincarnate...

Dai Yuhao turned to look at the white-haired man's corpse again and clenched his fists, as if weighing what to do...

A little while later.

His fists slowly unclenched. He picked up a few fairly large, very flat stones, found a patch of soft earth, then knelt and began digging a hole.

After a long while...

The sun was setting. Dai Yuhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and tossed the stones several meters away.

A modest pit lay before him. It wasn't very deep, just large enough for an adult to lie in.

Dai Yuhao let out a long breath and used his small body to slowly shift the white-haired man into the pit.

That part had worn him out.

After resting for a while, Dai Yuhao began filling the pit with dirt.

He had even prepared a gravestone—a half-rotted piece of wood, only about half his height.

It all looked crude, but it was the best Dai Yuhao could manage for now.

He... was spent.

Tomb of an Unknown White-Haired Man

After crookedly carving a few words into the grave, Dai Yuhao stood up and slowly continued toward the White Tiger Duke Mansion.

"If I don't get back soon, Mom will start worrying..." As he spoke, his pace gradually quickened.

Just then.

A chilling, evil force suddenly emerged from the mound behind Dai Yuhao.

Had Qian Renxue still been there, she would have recognized it at a glance as the power of the Rakshasa God.

The unknown force grew stronger, sending up wisps of black vapor.

Of course, Dai Yuhao didn't notice any of this. His stomach was growling, and all he wanted was to go home and eat his favorite grilled fish.

Suddenly!

With a boom, the mound burst open. Dirt flew everywhere, and the rotten wooden gravestone shot toward Dai Yuhao, landing upright in the ground right in front of him.

The explosion startled Dai Yuhao badly. Then he stared in terror at the gravestone before him...

Why did it look so familiar?

There were a few words carved into it...

Wasn't this the gravestone I carved?

At the mound...

Nether Douluo rose from the pit, dazed.

He clenched his fist and realized he was still alive. Then he began gulping down air like a madman.

"The thing the Supreme Sect Leader gave me really worked! I'm still alive... It's just a pity... I won't live much longer!"

Dai Yuhao had already stopped. His face was filled with terror, and he had a vague idea of what was going on.

Word had it...

Ghosts were haunting the area around Star Luo City!

Even Soul Douluo experts had been defeated and driven back...

Could he really be this unlucky? He'd actually run into a ghost!

"Hey, boy over there."

Nether Douluo called to Dai Yuhao in the distance. He had noticed the boy long ago.

It was over!

It really was a ghost!

Dai Yuhao fought down his panic.

His mother had once told him that if a ghost called out to him, he must never turn around. He should just keep walking...

Otherwise, the ghost would bewitch his eyes, then eat him without mercy...

Ghosts like that loved eating children best...

"Brat, I'm talking to you. Didn't you hear me?" Nether Douluo called again, irritation creeping into his voice.

"I didn't hear anything... I didn't hear anything at all..." Dai Yuhao muttered, quickening his pace.

Nether Douluo stared at him, momentarily stunned. "Am I really that scary?"

He was an Evil Soul Master who had killed countless people to cultivate, but he did have a little bit of a conscience. At least he wouldn't repay kindness with treachery.

After he died, this child hadn't taken his Storage Soul Tool or desecrated his corpse, nor had he checked for a Soul Bone.

Instead, he had gone to the trouble of burying him so he could rest in peace.

Well... the truth was that after using that force, Nether Douluo wouldn't live much longer.

Even if he reaped more lives, their souls would be of no use to him. In fact, doing so would only hasten his death...

As the saying went, a person nearing death spoke with a kind heart.

Thinking of this, Nether Douluo's voice softened, though it still carried a hint of authority. "Boy, I won't hurt you. Come here."

Dai Yuhao had already started running. He couldn't die here. He had to make Dai Huabin pay, and make his father understand what had happened to his mother...

Nether Douluo shook his head, blurred into motion, and appeared behind Dai Yuhao. He grabbed the boy and lifted him up.

"You... You're not a ghost?"

Dai Yuhao immediately realized that his mother had said ghosts had no physical form. And even when they killed people, they followed certain rules. As long as you didn't break any, usually nothing would happen.

Nether Douluo scoffed. "There are no ghosts in this world. If there were, there wouldn't be so many bad people."

"I'm an elder of the Holy Spirit... Cult, a level 91 Titled Douluo, titled Nether."

Dai Yuhao asked, puzzled, "A Titled Douluo? Are they strong?"

This was the second time he had heard the term Titled Douluo. The first had been just moments ago, from Dai Hao.

"Strong is an understatement!"

A hint of superiority appeared in Nether Douluo's eyes. "Titled Douluos stand at the peak of the continent. Countless people curry favor with them."

So that was it.

Dai Yuhao finally understood why Dai Hao had cared so much about that San Pao Douluo who had sent him flying...

It was because he was a Titled Douluo, one of the mighty figures standing at the peak of the continent!

Seeing that Dai Yuhao had calmed down, Nether Douluo set him down. From their brief interaction, he had realized that the boy didn't seem to have awakened his Martial Soul yet.

He took a black stone used for Martial Soul Awakening and a crystal ball from his Storage Soul Tool.

"You haven't awakened your Martial Soul yet, have you? How about I help you awaken it?"

The Holy Spirit Cult often awakened Martial Souls for ordinary people too... though that was mainly to recruit fresh blood into the cult...

Dai Yuhao was still somewhat wary, but the temptation of Martial Soul Awakening was simply too great.

Only after awakening his Martial Soul could he become a respected Soul Master.

"Really?"

Nether Douluo didn't answer. He silently arranged six black stones into a small formation, then gestured for Dai Yuhao to step inside.

After a few twists and turns, Dai Yuhao finally stood in the center of the formation.

Nether Douluo began channeling Soul Power into the black stones.

Dai Yuhao slowly floated into the air. A strange sensation washed over him, as if some sort of shackle within his body had been unlocked.

"Your Martial Soul is..."

"A Body Martial Soul! Eyes!!!" Nether Douluo exclaimed, his face full of surprise.

Most people didn't know about Body Martial Souls, but could Evil Soul Masters really be ordinary people?

He continued, "Put your hand on the crystal ball. Let's test your Soul Power first."

At his words, Dai Yuhao obediently placed his right hand on it.

A faint glow flashed.

"Innate Soul Power: Rank One."

Nether Douluo let out a deep sigh. Then, his gaze firm, he asked, "Child, would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Dai Yuhao froze in place.