The Soul Sage Who Cried!

In the distance.

Under the shadow of an old locust tree, three figures stood in silence.

Xiao Wu retracted her outstretched right hand, a faint, lingering wisp of golden radiance still dancing at her fingertips.

The Martial Soul Hall spirit masters who had just been slaughtering one another had fallen victim to her Laurel Domain!

Watching the figures fighting below, Xiao Wu drew a soft breath.

"Martial Soul Hall hunts spirit beasts for their rings, killing for hundreds of years at a time. How many spirit beasts have perished in their hunting grounds? If you piled up the bones of those spirit beasts, they would likely be taller than the walls of Martial Soul City."

"Today, it is time for them to taste what it feels like to be the prey."

Er Ming nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on the spirit masters in the distance. His innate hatred for Martial Soul Hall made him want to charge out and wreak havoc.

But just then, he suddenly frowned.

At almost the same moment, Xiao Wu tilted her head.

A powerful surge of spirit power erupted from deep within Martial Soul City, moving at incredible speed and carrying the strength of holy light.

"Presumptuous!"

A sharp shout rang out over the ruins, and simultaneously, a beam of white light descended from the sky, crashing into the midst of the spirit masters still locked in chaotic combat.

The moment the white light exploded, it was as if a miniature sun had suddenly risen, its blinding radiance turning the surrounding hundreds of meters as bright as day.

The spirit masters, still lost in their hallucinations, let out a chorus of screams as they clutched their eyes.

But they soon realized that the hideous spirit beasts before them had vanished, replaced by the familiar faces of their own comrades!

"I... wasn't I fighting spirit beasts?"

"Old Zhang? Old Zhang, what happened to you! Why is your head covered in blood?!"

"Wait? Did I do this?!"

Those who had regained their senses looked down at their blood-stained hands, their faces turning deathly pale.

Many more would never wake up again.

Dozens of corpses lay scattered across the ground, their blood staining the clearing before the ruins a dark crimson that shimmered with an eerie luster under the moonlight.

Fewer than ten remained alive!

An old man in silver-white robes stood atop the ruins. His hair and beard were snow-white, his face gaunt, and his entire body radiated a soft, blinding white light.

Nine spirit rings rotated slowly around him—two yellow, two purple, and three black, the standard configuration of a top-tier Spirit Saint.

A level 73 Holy Light-type Spirit Saint, Silver-Robed Deacon of Martial Soul Hall, Bai Changhe.

His hands trembled slightly.

If these had been commoners, it might have been one thing.

But those lying on the ground were all men of Martial Soul Hall!

Nearly a hundred lives, lost in such an inexplicable way at the hands of their own kin!

"Illusion...!"

Bai Changhe gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding darkness like a blade.

He had sensed an abnormal mental fluctuation enveloping this area from afar—a fluctuation that was subtle yet powerful. Had his Holy Light spirit not been naturally resistant to all negative mental effects, he likely would have fallen victim as well.

"What kind of vermin are you! Get out here!"

He raised his right hand high, a ball of scorching white light condensing in his palm.

Fourth spirit skill, Holy Light Illumination.

The white light shot into the night sky like a signal flare, illuminating the surrounding hundreds of meters as if it were midday.

Under the glare of the white light, nothing could remain hidden.

Bai Changhe's gaze searched rapidly along the source of the mental fluctuation, quickly locking onto the direction of the old locust tree in the distance.

A young girl in a pink-white dress stood there, her features beautiful, her eyes bright, her body wreathed in a faint golden glow.

Bai Changhe's pupils constricted.

It was the spirit master who had stirred up the beast tide during the day; he had not expected her to dare return!

"Good, very good!"

Bai Changhe laughed in his fury. He kicked off the ground, his body transforming into a streak of white light as he shot toward the old locust tree.

The full power of a level 70 Spirit Saint erupted, the air whistling with the sharp sound of his passage.

She had killed nearly a hundred of his men, and she thought she could leave unscathed?

Death wish!

His speed was astonishing, crossing the distance of several hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

The old locust tree grew rapidly in his vision, the distance closing, yet the young girl stood her ground, not a hint of panic on her face.

A flicker of unease suddenly crossed Bai Changhe's heart.

How could that girl's eyes be so calm?

He was a Soul Saint, for heaven's sake!

And a Soul Saint whose every soul ring had reached the limit of its age; how could a girl who had just participated in the Soul Master Tournament dare to do this?

Just as Bai Changhe was feeling puzzled, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

Bai Changhe stopped abruptly, his instincts screaming at him to run.

But it was already too late!

Behind the old locust tree, the seemingly flat ground suddenly split open.

A figure so massive it induced despair slowly rose from the soil.

The moonlight spilled from behind it, stretching its shadow long and casting it over Bai Changhe, engulfing him completely.

Bai Changhe's heart skipped a beat as the realization finally hit him.

No wonder that girl was so bold; the giant ape had returned!

Er Ming looked down at Bai Changhe, "You were the one who said we should get out?"

Bai Changhe tilted his head back, looking at that overwhelming giant face, his mouth twitching.

Didn't this guy retreat?!

Wasn't it supposed to have returned to the Star Dou Forest?!

How could it be here?!

Bai Changhe had no time to find the answers to these questions, because in the next instant, Er Ming's giant palm, capable of overturning a small mountain, came crashing down.

BOOM—!!!

The earth trembled violently, and a crack dozens of meters long extended from the point of impact, sending gravel and dust soaring into the sky.

At the very last moment, Bai Changhe barely managed to use his seventh soul skill, Wings of Holy Light.

A pair of light wings unfurled from his back, and he narrowly slipped through the gaps between the giant fingers.

But before he could even feel relieved, a golden light struck from the side.

The talons of the Golden Light Eagle grazed his left shoulder, tearing away a large piece of his robe.

Immediately after, a cold mental force suddenly drilled into his mind.

Xiao Wu's gaze locked onto him.

Laurel Domain!

Bai Changhe felt a buzz in his brain, and the scene before his eyes began to distort and warp.

The giant ape suddenly became two, then three, then four...

Countless giant apes surrounded him, each one grinning, their laughter like a tide rushing in from all directions simultaneously.

"Holy Light! Dispel!"

Bai Changhe desperately channeled his Holy Light martial soul, his soul power surging out like a floodgate being opened.

Light-type soul power did indeed have a restraining effect on mental attacks, and the influence of the Laurel Domain was temporarily suppressed.

But he knew this suppression wouldn't last long.

An entity capable of instantly plunging nearly a hundred soul masters into hallucinations possessed mental power far superior to his own.

Not to mention, there was a hundred-thousand-year-level Titan Giant Ape lurking nearby.

Escape.

He had to escape back!

Bai Changhe gritted his teeth and turned sharply, his Wings of Holy Light fully extended as he transformed into a white meteor, fleeing in a panic toward the deeper parts of Martial Soul City.

He had to pass the message back; those soul beasts hadn't left at all! They were still in the vicinity of Martial Soul City!

Although many of the lords in the palace were currently healing, Chrysanthemum Douluo was still on duty, and Chrysanthemum Douluo would surely be able to hold off this giant ape!