Chapter 29

Grey Rock Town, noon.

This once-peaceful town, famous for its high-quality building stone, has now completely devolved into a dead town.

Amidst the broken walls and ruined pillars, the thick smoke has yet to dissipate.

The streets are littered with shattered furniture, clothing, and shocking pools of dark red.

The air is thick with a pungent, scorched stench, the smell of blood, and a nauseating, putrid rot.

In the town's central square, dozens of bodies are lined up neatly, covered in white sheets, while staff members continue to register and collect them one by one.

A group of security officers wearing the grey-blue uniforms of the Spirit Pagoda stand in two dejected rows, enduring a scathing, head-on verbal lashing.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! Trash!"

A middle-aged man with a fleshy face and a thick beard has a face as dark as iron.

"The Spirit Pagoda pays you high salaries every month and equips you with the best Soul Tool gear—is this so you can just slack off and wait for death?!"

He points fiercely at the bodies being collected not far away, his voice trembling with rage: "Just a few Soul Ancestor level Evil Soul Master scum! Three! A mere three! They slaughtered an entire street right under the noses of dozens of you, and then they had the gall to just walk away! Where is your dignity?! Huh?!"

"Captain..."

A young security officer looks aggrieved, attempting to defend himself, "It's not that the brothers didn't fight with their lives, it's just that those Evil Soul Master bastards are truly too wicked."

"If you can't catch them, you can't catch them! You still have the face to make excuses?!"

The captain interrupts in a fury, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Open your dog eyes and take a good look! Look at these people lying there! They are the taxpayers who provide for you! Every cent of your salary comes from the taxes they paid! And what's the result? The result is you let them die such miserable deaths?!"

The officers fall silent, guilt and resentment intertwined, but no one dares to speak again.

Right in the midst of this oppressive silence.

"BOOM--!!!"

A massive roar approaches from afar, like the bellowing of a giant beast!

A powerful gust of wind presses down from above, kicking up dust and debris across the ground!

Everyone looks up in horror to see a high-speed assault mecha with sleek lines, a silver-white paint job, and a cold metallic sheen diving down from the clouds!

The mecha lands steadily on the ground, and the cabin door slides open.

A crimson figure steps out with composure.

Dressed in a long, flame-like gown with her long red hair tied up casually, her stunning face is like a blooming yet frigid rose amidst the smoke-filled ruins.

She does not deliberately release her soul power, but merely by standing there, the aura of one who has long held a high position and looked down upon the masses makes the air in the entire square seem to stagnate.

The security captain's pupils shrink to pinpricks, his fierce expression freezing instantly, replaced by disbelief and immense panic.

He trots forward, stopping abruptly three steps away from the woman, and bows deeply.

"Hea, Heavenly Phoenix Your Excellency! Why... why have you come in person!"

The other security officers finally react, standing at attention in unison, though their eyes cannot help but drift toward the crimson figure.

Such beauty, such presence, such a high-ranking figure—they usually could only look up to her on the news screens of their Soul Tool devices!

Leng Yaozhu does not look at them, her gaze sweeping calmly over the devastated town as she speaks in a cold, clear voice: "I heard that Grey Rock Town was slaughtered by Evil Soul Master scum, and the fish that slipped through the net have yet to be captured. I came to take a look."

Her tone is not harsh, nor does it carry any accusation, yet it makes cold sweat bead on the security captain's forehead.

For Heavenly Phoenix Your Excellency to inquire personally means this matter has already alarmed the highest levels of the Spirit Pagoda!

He fears his position as captain is no longer secure!

"You, Your Excellency, please understand! My subordinates are pursuing them with all our might! Those Evil Soul Master scum are exceptionally cunning and likely still hiding in the nearby area! I have already sent for reinforcements, there is no need to trouble you to take action..." he stammers incoherently.

"No need to be nervous." Leng Yaozhu interrupts him flatly, "I am not the one taking action."

She turns slightly, revealing the two figures behind her.

The security captain is stunned.

The security officers are also stunned.

Two... little ones?

One is a boy with black hair and black eyes, his features exquisitely refined, yet his expression is surprisingly calm; he looks at most six or seven years old.

The other is slightly taller, with black hair and a black dress, her face equally exquisite but cold as frost; she is around ten years old.

The security captain's brain stalls for a full three seconds.

"Your Excellency, what do you mean..."

"They are my disciples." Leng Yaozhu says in a flat tone. "They are responsible for this mission to eradicate the Evil Soul Master scum."

BOOM--!

These words explode in the hearts of the security officers like a heavy-caliber Soul Tool shell!

They widen their eyes, looking at Luo Yang, then at Yuanen Yehui, and finally back at Leng Yaozhu, suspecting that something is wrong with their ears, or that this Excellency is playing some kind of cold, extreme joke.

These two bean-sized children are here to catch Evil Soul Master scum?

That is an Evil Soul Master who slaughtered an entire street and wiped out an entire regular Spirit Master guard unit!

At least one of them is at the Spirit Emperor level!

Are they trying to get themselves killed?!

The security captain swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Your Excellency, this subordinate does not mean to look down on the two little... little geniuses. It is just that Evil Soul Masters are inherently vicious and possess bizarre methods, especially that leader at the Spirit Emperor level, who has extremely rich combat experience. If something were to happen to the two little geniuses..."

"That would be their fate." Leng Yaozhu's reply was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation.

The security captain opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words back down. He dared not, nor was he qualified to, persuade her further.

Facing this Vice Pagoda Master who could decide his career with a single word, he could only choose silence.

Beside them, Yuanen Yehui had been slightly stiff ever since she stepped out of the mecha.

She had never seen such a tragic scene.

Those silhouettes covered in white cloth, the dark red stains that had seeped through the fabric and turned black, those survivors sitting paralyzed on the ground after losing their loved ones, their eyes hollow and numb...

It was as if she had returned to the day her mother passed away; it was the exact same scene.

Her face was pale, and her fingertips were ice-cold.

Just then.

A warm hand gently grasped hers.

Yuanen Yehui trembled slightly and turned her head.

Luo Yang had a smile on his lips and said nothing, but that warm palm felt like a silent promise:

Don't be afraid, I am here.

Yuanen Yehui froze for a moment, and then, the chill and fear rising from the bottom of her heart dissipated significantly.

She gently squeezed his hand back, not letting go.

A moment later.

Leng Yaozhu gave a simple briefing on the mission.

Luo Yang and Yuanen Yehui were to team up and enter the dangerous area where the Evil Soul Masters might be hiding, and they must personally slay at least three targets.

She would follow them in secret the entire time, and unless the two encountered a mortal crisis, she would not intervene.

Luo Yang and Yuanen Yehui exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.

Immediately, Leng Yaozhu's figure vanished without warning, as if she had never existed at all.

Watching the two small backs disappear, the security team members finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Holy crap, is that woman crazy?!" a young member whispered, "Sending two little kids to catch a Spirit Emperor-level Evil Soul Master? Isn't that like a lamb walking into a tiger's den!"

"Shh! Do you have a death wish? That is Heavenly Phoenix herself!"

Another member quickly covered his mouth, but he couldn't help muttering himself, "Though... it really is absurd. When I was seven, I was still playing with mud."

"I just can't understand what goes on in the minds of these big shots," a third member shook his head, "Maybe this is the gap between geniuses and us mortals? Geniuses need life-and-death tempering, while mortals just need to survive."

Silence fell for two seconds.

"Place your bets!"

A sharp-featured member who looked quite "well-informed" suddenly whispered, "Come on, come on, let's have a wager! I bet those two little kids won't last until noon! Three to one!"

"Damn, you're ruthless! But... I'll bet twenty Gold Soul Coin that they won't last an hour!"

"I'll bet fifty that they'll be scared to tears before they even touch a hair on the Evil Soul Masters!"

"Tch, you guys are underestimating Heavenly Phoenix's judgment. I'll bet ten Gold Soul Coin that they make it back alive, but they'll definitely fail the mission!"

The security captain glanced over from afar but did not stop them.

Deep in the ruins, half an hour later.

Luo Yang slowed his pace, his gaze scanning the surroundings like a hawk.

This area was an "Orange Alert Zone" that had not yet been fully cleared. All around were collapsed houses and various unrecognizable debris.

Yuanen Yehui followed closely behind him to his side.

After the two moved forward in silence for a distance, they did not encounter any danger.

As Yuanen Yehui witnessed the devastation along the way, she seemed to think of something and said with a dejected expression, "Luo Yang, do you think that if one day I turned into someone you didn't recognize and did many, many bad things, you would still be friends with me?"

"Silly, no matter what you become, we will always be friends."

Luo Yang smiled slightly, "Besides, if that day ever really comes, it certainly wouldn't be your true intention."

He naturally knew Yuanen Yehui's worry; it was nothing more than her own martial soul, the Fallen Angel.

When she reached a certain age, the Demon Plane would descend upon the Douluo Continent through Yuanen Yehui's second martial soul.

The catastrophe caused then would likely be even more terrifying than an Evil Soul Master with the cultivation of a Limit Douluo.

Yuanen Yehui nodded heavily, an indescribable warmth surging in her heart.

Luo Yang smiled.

Although the Demon Plane was indeed a significant hidden danger for Yuanen Yehui, who said that only the Demon Plane was allowed to wreak havoc on the Douluo Continent? Could it not be the other way around, and they occupy the Demon Plane instead?

Additionally, he discovered that many undead in this town had not yet dissipated.

These undead undoubtedly met his criteria for purifying the dead.

As for the number of undead required to resurrect the second powerhouse, perhaps purifying all the undead in this town would be enough to meet the conditions.

Thinking of this, Luo Yang could not help but feel a surge of excitement.

The first powerhouse resurrected was Bibi Dong, who had undoubtedly been a great help to him.

Now, he was very much looking forward to seeing who the second powerhouse would be.

Just as the two were advancing silently—

"Wuu... wuu-wuu... help, help me..."

A faint, tearful girl's voice drifted like a thin thread from the ruins of a half-collapsed house ahead.

Luo Yang's gaze sharpened, and he raised his hand to signal a halt.

"Someone is there." Yuanen Yehui lowered her voice, ready for battle at any moment.

"Let's go check. Watch out for an ambush," Luo Yang said briefly.

Maintaining their guard, the two crept toward the direction from which the sound came.