"I got so used to using a fake voice that it'll take some time to get back to normal."
Yang Hao rubbed his neck. To be absolutely sure, he had trained himself to use a woman's voice for half a year, until it became a habit. Now he couldn't change back in an instant.
The thought filled Yang Hao with fury.
"Without you bringing it up, I almost forgot. Your Shrek made me spend over ten million Gold Soul Coins extra. You bunch of broke losers couldn't afford it, so why did you have to join in the bidding?"
That had been over ten million Gold Soul Coins!
"Serves you right!"
Ma Xiaotao snorted, feeling a little more satisfied.
"Serves me right, does it?"
Yang Hao sneered. Crouching in front of the girl with a piece of roast meat in his hand, he took a bite, then waved it in front of her. He even had freshly squeezed juice.
The aroma of the roast meat made the stomach of the girl, who hadn't eaten for days, rumble. She was even hungrier now.
She swallowed, but didn't say a word. She just glared at him.
She wasn't about to beg an Evil Soul Master.
Meanwhile, she silently recovered her Soul Power, preparing to find a chance to escape and then kill...
Well, she'd investigate the matter once she got back. That guy had to be lying.
"What are you doing?"
After recovering a tenth of her Soul Power, Ma Xiaotao saw him suddenly pull out a wooden stick.
"Draining you dry!"
Yang Hao replied coldly. Before Ma Xiaotao could figure out what he meant, there was a thud, and she passed out, quick and clean.
In the last instant before she lost consciousness, she finally understood why she had so many lumps on the back of her head. That bastard had knocked them into her.
Damn Evil Soul Master!
After draining the Soul Power the girl had recovered, Yang Hao silently cultivated and contemplated the Ultimate Fire property of the Phoenix Flame.
Ma Xiaotao's level was still too low for her to have cultivated her Phoenix Flame, but if he absorbed enough of it, he could still achieve a quantitative change and make his own flames truly possess Ultimate Fire.
At the same time, he pondered something.
The boost to his comprehension from his Golden Finger had grown stronger again. It had improved after he carried Ma Xiaotao out of the Mingdou Mountain Range, as though he'd gained some unseen power.
"It improved once after the last auction. Now it's happened again. Is it because I've obtained people and things connected to the original story?"
Yang Hao was thoughtful. He felt he'd need to find a chance to confirm it. If that was the case, he'd have to plan carefully.
This continued until the fourth day, when Ma Xiaotao was so hungry she was weak with exhaustion. Someone finally came looking for them, though it wasn't anyone from Shrek Academy. It was one of the Holy Spirit Cult's bigwigs.
She was a beautiful woman in a blue dress, with a strikingly lovely face that nonetheless carried an air of wickedness.
"As expected, a Phoenix Martial Soul."
Feng Ling looked at the concealed mountain cave hidden behind branches, her face bright with joy.
Earlier, the branch altar elder, Wan Hun, had reported that a Phoenix Martial Soul Soul Master had appeared at Shrek and was in the Mingdou Mountain Range. Her condition was unstable, and she had a powerful aura of evil about her.
As soon as Feng Ling received the report, she hurried over. She had even fought Yan Shaozhe, that scumbag. From his words and expression at the time, he was obviously looking for that Phoenix Soul Master too—and she was the scumbag's disciple.
Feng Ling had searched the area for the past few days. Today, using the mutual resonance between Phoenix Martial Souls to sense her, she had finally found her.
From what the woman said, and the evil aura around her, Yang Hao guessed her identity. She had to be that vice president of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Without hesitation, he took a homemade, knockoff Six-Barrel Vulcan Cannon from his Storage Soul Tool, pulled the trigger, and fed it Soul Power to start the Soul Tool motor, spinning the barrels at high speed.
Chapter 17: Bringing the Wolf Inside
"Rat-a-tat-tat..."
Iron Essence Armor-Piercing Bullets, each with a Black-Veined Iron tip, shot out with astonishing penetrating power. Their rate of fire was especially absurd, reaching a full two thousand rounds per minute.
This was a major weapon he had tinkered together over the past six months. Since he had made explosives, of course he was going to make firearms, too.
He had even made several kinds of explosives, such as Gelatin Dynamite made from oil and fat.
This Six-Barrel Vulcan Cannon was another homemade knockoff. Fortunately, he had been a military enthusiast in his previous life and knew the principles behind plenty of firearms.
With that knowledge and the Soul Bone Skill Metal Control, making a homemade knockoff was only a matter of time.
Of course, since he'd put it together by hand, its accuracy was much worse. Still, it worked fine for close-range shooting.
The Vulcan Cannon's caliber was a full twenty millimeters. It could practically be called an autocannon.
Unfortunately, his opponent this time was a top-tier bigwig. Feng Ling formed a barrier with her Soul Power and stopped the bullets. They merely sent ripples across the barrier without penetrating it.
"What an interesting Soul Tool."
Feng Ling was surprised. She was a Soul Engineer herself and was familiar with all the Soul Tools of the current era, but she had never seen this kind before.
Its power aside, the requirements for using it were astonishing—far too low!
The thousand-round belt ran out before long. Yang Hao promptly took out another major weapon: Katyusha!
Before he could even start it, a figure appeared before him as if by teleportation. Yang Hao didn't hesitate for a moment. He drew the Demon Blade and slashed horizontally, but Feng Ling easily caught it in one hand.
"Is this a Martial Soul?"
Looking at the long blade before her, glowing green, and sensing the intense evil aura within it, Feng Ling was surprised again.
"Little one, that's a fine Martial Soul. Would you be willing to join our Holy Spirit Cult?"
Seeing the boy retreat and take out another long-barreled Soul Tool, resembling a Soul Tool Gun, Feng Ling felt a desire to recruit him.
He was probably a Soul Engineer. She just didn't know whether he had made those weapons himself.
His Martial Soul was strange, too, but it had an intense evil aura within it. It was a fine Evil Martial Soul.
"A Titled Douluo!"
Seeing the nine Soul Rings appear around Feng Ling, Yang Hao put on a grave expression. After a moment's thought, he asked,
"What's the relationship between your Holy Spirit Cult and Shrek Academy?"
Time to show off his acting skills!
"Are you a student of Shrek Academy, little one?"
"Then that's a shame."
A cold glint flashed through Feng Ling's eyes. She suspected the boy was connected to Shrek, and might even be a student of Shrek Academy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been guarding that Phoenix Soul Master.
"I'm willing to join your Holy Spirit Cult."
Yang Hao put down the Anti-Tank Rifle, declaring that he was willing to throw himself into big sister's arms and become a proud Evil Soul Master, as well as a member of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Only by joining the Holy Spirit Cult could he begin his career of getting promoted and getting a raise, marrying a beautiful, wealthy woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life.
"Huh?"
Feng Ling was stunned. That was quite a turnaround.
"I have a mortal feud with Shrek Academy. Since you're their enemy, beautiful big sister, I'll join you.
"When do I sign the contract? Do you offer benefits like insurance and a housing fund? Do you provide food and lodging..."
He'd been wondering how to slip into the Holy Spirit Cult. He hadn't expected to run into their vice president so soon. He couldn't let this chance pass him by.
He just didn't know how good the Holy Spirit Cult's benefits were. Would they exploit a child laborer like him?
Feng Ling was a little dazed by the boy's string of questions, but she was also sure that he didn't seem to be from Shrek.
And she quite liked being called "beautiful big sister," especially by a young man.
I'm forever eighteen!
Seeing the smile on Feng Ling's face, Yang Hao sneered inwardly.
Heh, women.
Shallow, vain women.
"Oho! Keeping a pretty girl hidden away, are you?"
Feng Ling turned her gaze toward the depths of the excavated cave. Seeing the girl with her hands and feet shackled, she smiled.
So he really wasn't from Shrek.
She had thought he was protecting the girl, but it turned out he was keeping her prisoner.
"Pack up. I'll take you back to the main altar."
After sizing up the unconscious girl, Feng Ling gestured for the boy to go in and gather his things. They needed to leave at once.
People from Shrek were also searching for that girl, and Shrek had plenty of powerful experts. Some were even stronger than her.
That girl had a Phoenix Martial Soul and was Yan Shaozhe's disciple. Shrek would never give up on her easily. If they ran into a powerful expert, or several of them, Feng Ling could certainly get away. But it wouldn't be easy to get both children out safely.
In short, this was no place to linger!
Yang Hao said nothing. He went back into the cave, put everything into his Storage Soul Tool, then took out a blanket, wrapped Ma Xiaotao in it, and carried her over his shoulder. Finally, he kicked down the wooden pillars propping up the ceiling. The soft earth above immediately collapsed, burying the cave and concealing all traces.
Feng Ling was quite pleased by the boy's caution. The Holy Spirit Cult needed clever people like him.
Without delay, she used her Soul Power to lift the boy and flew away at high speed.
"Beautiful big sister, could you land for a moment?"
After flying for half a day, Yang Hao suddenly spoke.
"What is it?"
Feng Ling was puzzled. Why did he suddenly want to stop?
"Going by the timing, she needs to pee."
Yang Hao wore an undisguisedly disgusted expression.
"Then we really should land."
Feng Ling was taken aback again. She smiled and descended, then promptly froze in bewilderment.
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