Cailin's words held no hint of emotion.
Yet Li Hao's stomach, which had just begun to settle, lurched violently again.
They still wanted to come after them?
What did she mean?
Was she saying there would be another wave, and maybe another after that?
Li Hao's mind went blank. The despair instantly swept away the physical discomfort he'd felt after killing.
What the hell was this?
He was just a lazybones who wanted to fish by the river and bask in the sun. How had he ended up dragged into this endless vendetta for no reason?
"What did the letter... say?"
He fought back his dizziness, braced himself against a tree trunk, and barely managed to stand.
Cailin casually tossed aside the family token and the letter. Both objects turned to purple ash in midair and vanished without a trace.
"The Purple Poison Sect, a second-rate sect renowned for its poisons and tracking."
"The letter said they tracked the Seven-Colored Divine Snake here and suffered heavy losses, but their target was also gravely wounded and near death."
"The sect master ordered this squad to resupply in Holy Soul Village, then continue searching deeper in the forest. They were to bring back the snake alive—or its corpse."
"At the same time, the sect's main force has already assembled. They'll arrive in Holy Soul Village in three days to conduct a thorough sweep."
Cailin's account was clear and calm, as if she were recounting something that had nothing to do with her.
Li Hao, however, felt cold all over.
The sect's main force...
A thorough sweep...
Those eight words weighed on him like eight mountains, crushing the breath from his lungs.
"Run! We have to run right now!"
Li Hao's first instinct was to flee.
Staying here meant certain death!
"Master."
Cailin turned around, her golden slit pupils quietly gazing at him.
"Where would we run?"
Li Hao was instantly at a loss for words.
That was right. Where could they run?
Douluo Continent was vast, but where could a six-and-a-half-year-old boy like him possibly find refuge?
What's more, he had Xiao Wu, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who had taken human form, with him—and a queenly stewardess of unknown identity, with enemies all over the place.
The Purple Poison Sect was renowned for tracking. Where could they possibly go?
"Besides," Cailin continued, "they intend to wipe out all of Holy Soul Village."
Li Hao shuddered.
He thought of Village Chief Old Jack.
He thought of Tang San, who always wore a stern expression, yet would quietly bring him a piece of black bread whenever he had nothing to eat.
If the entire village was slaughtered because of him...
He couldn't bear the guilt.
An unprecedented fury and helplessness crashed wildly through his chest.
He hated this world, where human lives were trampled underfoot.
Even more, he hated his own weakness and incompetence.
"Then... then what do we do?"
His voice trembled, though he hadn't even realized it.
Cailin didn't answer right away.
She walked over to Li Hao and reached out with her flawless hand, gently wiping away the cold sweat that had gathered on his forehead.
Her fingertips were cool, yet somehow, Li Hao's pounding heart began to settle.
"Master, you only need to continue your training."
"Leave the rest to me."
Over the next three days, an oppressive atmosphere settled over Holy Soul Village.
Li Hao's hellish training continued.
But this time, he didn't complain or cry out from exhaustion.
He clenched his teeth and pushed himself to his limits again and again, pouring all his strength into it.
Being struck by the energy whip hurt.
But that pain was nothing compared to the torment inside him.
All he could do was grow stronger, even if only by a little.
Xiao Wu seemed to sense something too. She trained harder than ever.
Her small body seemed to contain boundless energy, and her soft techniques and instantaneous movement were already beginning to take shape.
The entire broken-down cabin was shrouded in the heavy feeling of an approaching storm.
At dusk on the third day.
The setting sun gilded peaceful Holy Soul Village.
Old Jack leaned on his cane, preparing to go from house to house and remind the children to get home early.
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky!
Boom!
The force was so domineering, so overbearing, that it instantly enveloped the entire village.
Several large trees at the village entrance snapped under the pressure, groaning as though they could no longer bear the strain.
The chickens and dogs in the villagers' homes collapsed to the ground, whimpering without end.
Old Jack's knees buckled, and he fell straight to the ground, his face filled with horror.
Cries rang out across the village, joined by children's wails.
Inside the blacksmith's shop, Tang San's expression instantly grew grave.
He gripped a newly forged hammer tightly and silently stepped in front of his drunken father.
This pressure... It was a Soul Saint!
And there was more than one powerful enemy!
At the same time, inside Li Hao's little wooden hut.
Li Hao, who had been meditating, was so startled by the pressure that his eyes flew open.
They were here!
He could clearly feel more than ten powerful, malicious auras surrounding all of Holy Soul Village.
The strongest pressed down on him like a mountain, making it almost impossible to breathe.
"Daddy!"
Xiao Wu's little face went deathly pale. She threw herself into his arms.
Li Hao hugged her tightly, but his body trembled uncontrollably.
Cailin slowly rose to her feet and walked to the window, glancing outside.
Her face remained as cold as ever.
"One seventy-eighth-level Soul Saint, two Soul Emperors, and sixteen Soul Kings."
"That's quite a show of force."
Her offhand assessment sank Li Hao's heart to the bottom.
This force could easily flatten ten Holy Soul Villages!
"All villagers, listen up!"
A domineering roar, brimming with immense Soul Power, thundered over Holy Soul Village.
"Three days ago, a squad from my Purple Poison Sect disappeared here!"
"You have one incense stick's time to hand over the culprit!"
"Otherwise, we'll slaughter the entire village!"
The words "slaughter the entire village" struck like thunder, plunging all the villagers into utter panic and despair.
More than ten powerful auras locked onto Li Hao's little wooden hut.
Figures closed in from every direction, surrounding the decrepit house so completely there was no way out.
At their head was a sinister-looking old man in a purple brocade robe.
He hovered in midair, looking down at the ramshackle house. He was none other than the Purple Poison Sect Master.
Sensing the faint traces of energy left inside, he sneered with disdain.
It seemed the one who had killed his subordinates was merely some eccentric who lived in seclusion here and didn't know the rules.
"Rabble inside, get out here and face your death!"
The Soul Saint Sect Master's voice rang with lofty authority.
Inside the house, Li Hao's heart nearly stopped.
He felt as if he were about to suffocate.
Yet Xiao Wu, in his arms, suddenly stopped trembling.
She lifted her head to look at Li Hao and patted his chest firmly with her small hand.
"Daddy, don't be afraid."
"Big Sister Cailin is here."
Creak—
Just then, the rickety wooden door slowly swung open.
The one who stepped out was nothing like the kind of killer the Purple Poison Sect Master had imagined.
She was a woman in purple, with a graceful figure and breathtaking beauty.
She simply stood in the doorway. Not a trace of Soul Power emanated from her, yet her noble, imposing presence outshone all creation.
The Purple Poison Sect Master froze for a moment, then a flash of admiration and greed crossed his eyes.
What an exquisite beauty!
Once he caught the culprit, he could take this woman back to the sect and keep her as his plaything.
"Who are you? Where's the killer inside?"
He demanded sharply.
Cailin raised her head and gave him a glance with her indifferent golden slit pupils.
It was a look of casual disdain.
As if she were gazing at an ant she could crush at any moment.
Then her red lips parted.
"Defeated foe."
"I let you escape last time by sheer luck. You still dare come back to die?"
The moment those words fell, the world fell utterly silent.
The greed and arrogance on the Purple Poison Sect Master's face froze.
He stared fixedly at Cailin's beautiful face, his body trembling violently as if he'd been struck by heavenly lightning.
No... It couldn't be!
That face...
He would never forget that face for as long as he lived!
This was the terrifying Soul Beast that had nearly killed him, a seventy-eighth-level Soul Saint, all by herself three days ago!
The only reason he had escaped was because he'd relied on the sect's secret life-saving trump card!
But...
How could she have... taken human form?!
And how had her injuries healed completely?!
A fear that sprang from the depths of his soul seized his heart.
At last, he understood what kind of terrifying being he had provoked!
The Purple Poison Sect Master went deathly pale. Backing away a step, he pointed at Cailin and let out a shriek of utter terror, though he tried to sound bold.
"You... You dare ally yourself with humans! You've betrayed all Soul Beasts!"
As he shouted, he drew everyone's attention.
But his other hand, secretly tucked into his sleeve, crushed a warm jade pendant.
It was the highest-level distress signal of its kind, one the Purple Poison Sect had paid a tremendous price to obtain. It called for the aid of an elder-level powerhouse from Spirit Hall!
Before you continue