The man's voice was low, his tone concealing a dread of death and a trace of panic that was hard to detect.
He was nearly two hundred years old, yet his cultivation had stalled at rank 98, Super Douluo, and he had been unable to advance even a step. This was his last chance.
One of his subordinates opened his mouth, about to ask what they should do next, but before he could get the words out, the leader cut him off coldly.
His scarlet eyes stared straight at the stone ceiling above. His gaze seemed able to pierce the thick rock and land directly on distant Aolai City. His voice was as cold as ice, every word carrying a merciless intent to slaughter them all.
"Pass down the order: massacre Aolai City! Use the souls and blood of the entire city to activate the ancient formation and lock down the exact location where Feng Qingyun passed away!"
It was only a short sentence, yet it brimmed with a murderous intent that swept over them. The temperature in the entire church dropped several degrees in an instant. Even these Evil Soul Masters, who were accustomed to slaughter and were ruthless by nature, were stunned by his ferocity. They stood frozen in place, unable to respond for a moment.
After a long silence, one subordinate finally mustered the courage to speak cautiously. "Leader, Aolai City may only be a small city, but its defenses... won't be easy to deal with. If we rush in and massacre everyone, something could go wrong."
The leader merely snorted at this, his face full of impatience and his gaze turning icily cold.
He simply raised his right hand and casually flicked a finger. A sinister strand of Soul Power shot out in an instant. With a muffled bang, the subordinate who had just voiced his doubts exploded into a reeking heap of flesh and blood, splattering across the ground and the statues. The scene was utterly gruesome.
This ruthless, merciless strike immediately cowed everyone present. All the subordinates hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly. No one dared voice another objection, terrified that one careless move would leave them meeting the same fate as that man.
"That Titled Douluo at the Spirit Pagoda branch in Aolai City is nothing but a worthless nobody in my eyes. What's there to fear?"
The leader's tone was calm, but dripping with disdain. "Every one of your forces has a minimum cultivation rank of Soul Saint, and each of you is equipped with Two-Word Battle Armor. Can't you handle one tiny city like Aolai City?"
"For this operation, I'm allowing you to use Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shells! Apart from whatever lies at Feng Qingyun's place of passing, I don't want a single other piece of the spoils. You can have it all!"
"Also, whoever earns the first merit this time won't be shortchanged. They'll receive a generous reward, and I guarantee they'll smoothly break through to the rank of Titled Douluo!"
As the saying went, a generous reward would make even the brave step forward. At these words, the eyes of every Evil Soul Master standing below lit up, burning with greed. Their breathing grew quick, and each of them wished they could set off for Aolai City that very moment.
One man in his thirties had already cultivated to rank 82, Soul Douluo, at such a young age. He immediately stepped forward, bowed to accept the order, and replied with fervor, "Your subordinate obeys! I won't let you down, Leader. I'll complete the mission to perfection!"
The leader looked at him and gave a chilling smile that said, "At least you know how to behave." He casually waved his hand, dismissing everyone.
As he watched his subordinates gradually disappear into the distance, the leader's lips slowly curled into a meaningful smile. Calculation lurked in that grin, giving it an especially sinister look.
He didn't actually know all the intricacies of that heaven-defying cultivation art, but he understood one thing clearly: cultivating it required sacrificing living people. There was no way around that condition.
He had indeed promised to pave the way for whoever earned the first merit, helping him break through to the rank of Titled Douluo. He never went back on his word.
But to reach the peak realm of Titled Douluo, how could anyone avoid paying a price?
That price might be forgetting every memory of the past, or it might be a complete transformation of one's temperament. Who could say?
As long as they helped him obtain the cultivation art, extend his lifespan, and break through to Limit Douluo, then no matter how many people had to be sacrificed or what other price had to be paid, it was all a trifling matter to him.
At the heart of the Star Dou Forest, Di Tian and the others stood in a strange space beneath the Lake of Life. A jade cocoon that shone like a river of stars floated quietly before them, radiating extraordinary light.
The next moment, Di Tian's pupils shrank sharply. He dropped to one knee at once and bowed respectfully toward the jade cocoon.
Seeing this, Xiong Jun and the others reacted instantly and knelt down as well.
"Welcome, my lord!"
The very next second, a long crack appeared in the jade cocoon. A figure slowly emerged from within and drifted forward, with silver hair and violet eyes. She looked unlike any mortal, more like an immortal descended from the heavens.
"Di Tian! Where is my other half?"
Gu Yuena—or rather, Gu Yue—spoke coldly, her icy gaze fixed on Di Tian. She had just awakened, but she couldn't sense the aura of her Silver Dragon King half.
Cold sweat poured down Di Tian's face as he replied in a trembling voice:
"My lord, this subordinate is guilty! Your other half used her spatial attribute to escape the moment she was separated."
The killing intent in Gu Yue's eyes grew even colder. She suddenly waved her hand, and a powerful force tore through the air, striking Di Tian squarely across the face.
But Di Tian didn't even blink. After all, Gu Yue had taken human form, and her power had been sealed. Her attack held no real force for him.
Still, Di Tian bowed his head even lower, trembling with fear. Gu Yue took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, then growled in a low voice:
"Then hurry up and find her!"
Only then did Myriad Demon King dare to raise his head. He spoke in a trembling voice.
"My lord, we've already located your other half. She's in Aolai City."
Gu Yue's expression eased at this news. She looked up at Di Tian and calmly issued her order.
"Di Tian, go and bring her back to me."
"But, my lord, your other half Na'er has a human child with her. His name is Lin Qingzhou."
"Their relationship seems quite close..."
Bi Ji chose her words carefully, not stating their relationship outright. Still, she felt the two of them seemed a little too close.
"Oh? A human child? Is he a Soul Master?"
"No, he's just an ordinary person."
Myriad Demon King spoke up. He was quite certain of that.
"An ordinary person, then. Kill him."
Gu Yue gave them no chance to say more. She waved her hand and dismissed them. Di Tian nodded, then led everyone out of the space.
"Beast God, are we really going to kill that ordinary person? He and..."
Myriad Demon King trailed off, unable to finish. After all, Na'er was Gu Yue's other half; in a sense, Na'er was their lord too.
Besides, the two of them were supposed to merge eventually. Who knew whether their memories and emotions would merge as well?
Human emotions were strange things.
Hadn't it been human feelings that had turned the traitors in the Star Dou Forest—and even the Auspicious Beast back then—against them?
If they obeyed Gu Yue's order today and killed that human child named Lin Qingzhou, what about later? Would their lord punish them for it?
The Ferocious Beasts all fell silent. Even the dimmest of them, Xiong Jun, had thought of that possibility. They all looked to Di Tian, waiting for him to decide.
"Let's carry out our lord's order for now."
Di Tian sighed and spoke slowly. What else could the others say? They looked from one to another, then finally had no choice but to accept the order.
Before you continue