And just as Ye Guyi descended—
"Crack—!!!"
The sound of shattering glass rang out clearly, exploding deep within every person's soul!
The Black-Robed Man's domain collapsed without a fight.
The law of power that distorted space melted away in an instant before the Holy Angel's overwhelming presence, like the last snow beneath the blazing sun.
The Black-Robed Man stiffened, the eerie green light beneath his hood trembling violently.
He felt it.
It was an instinctive reaction etched deep in his soul, more immediate than any fear.
Flee.
Flee at once.
However.
Ye Guyi opened her eyes.
At first, her gaze was hazy with the confusion of awakening, as though she had slept for far, far too long. But that lasted only an instant.
She sensed something.
Her clear, sky-blue eyes narrowed slightly, and her gaze swept over the ruins and the shattered beams before locking onto the Black-Robed Man hovering in midair.
An Evil Soul Master.
No explanation was needed.
Her Martial Soul, her bloodline, her soul—all of them roared, howled, and burned in that moment!
"Evil—Soul—Master—!"
The three words rang out like the toll of a judgment bell.
The eight wings behind her spread wide!
Holy light burst forth like a tsunami!
Angel Domain—unleashed!
A golden halo instantly expanded from her, completely purifying the rotten aura lingering over the ruins wherever it passed.
The Black-Robed Man was struck by the golden light and let out a pained grunt. His protective Soul Power sizzled and melted away like paper doused in sulfuric acid!
"Damn it—!"
All traces of composure vanished as he unleashed the full force of his Titled Douluo-level Soul Power!
However.
It was useless.
The Holy Angel Martial Soul suppressed all Evil Martial Souls, Evil Soul Masters, and every form of dark power, regardless of level!
The stronger you were, the stronger it became.
No matter how desperately you fought, it would still keep you firmly beneath its heel.
That was what it meant to be a natural nemesis.
Ye Guyi moved.
With a beat of her eight wings, she transformed into a streak of golden light, crossing hundreds of meters in an instant and appearing right before the Black-Robed Man!
No flashy Soul Skills, no complicated moves.
She simply raised her hand and curled her fingers.
A long sword formed in her palm, its entire length condensed from holy light.
The blade was pure as water, a golden gemstone set into its hilt, ancient angelic runes flowing along its edge.
"In the name of the holy—"
She spoke softly, her voice clear and sweet as a heavenly melody, yet carrying an unquestionable authority of judgment:
"—Judgment."
The sword fell.
The Black-Robed Man struggled frantically, his Soul Power surging as countless dark Soul Skills poured forth!
But those dark forces, powerful enough to corrode steel and devour souls, were utterly purified and annihilated the instant they touched the golden light surrounding Ye Guyi, vanishing into nothingness.
He was utterly powerless to fight back.
The three people below reacted in completely different ways as they watched.
Yuanen Yehui gaped in shock, at a loss for words.
The Titled Douluo who had been so arrogant, who had pressed them until they could barely breathe—was actually as helpless as a child before that angelic girl?
She turned to Luo Yang, her voice hoarse:
"Luo Yang... what, what exactly is this...?"
"One of my Martial Soul's abilities." Luo Yang remained calm, his blood-red eyes fixed on the battle in the sky. "Basically, I can summon powerful people who have passed away and put them to work for me."
???
Yuanen Yehui's brain short-circuited for a full three seconds.
Powerful people who had passed away?
Summon them?
Th-that was way too absurdly overpowered!
She suddenly felt that everything she had understood about Martial Souls had been completely overturned.
Meanwhile, Na Nali's heart was beating faster than ever.
She stared fixedly at the golden figure in the sky, at her fellow Titled Douluo being beaten down without the slightest chance to fight back. Only one thought kept circling wildly through her mind:
Thank goodness I didn't attack.
Thank goodness I didn't give myself away.
Thank goodness I'm good at acting.
This Luo Yang... this kid who looked harmless, even "a little cute" to her—his hidden trump cards were this outrageous?!
Powerful people who had passed away? Summoned at will?
That Black-Robed Man had been a genuine Titled Douluo! Before that angelic girl, he looked like a beaten dog!
A wildly irreverent thought suddenly occurred to her:
How about this, Cult Master? Forget recruiting a Holy Son. Why don't you come over here and throw yourself at him? Find a way to lure this kid into the Holy Spirit Cult!
Someone like him would be better as one of us than as an enemy!
No, he has to be one of us!
Just as she was ranting to herself, a shrill scream rang out from the sky.
The Black-Robed Man could finally hold out no longer.
Ye Guyi's sword pierced through his chest.
But strangely, no blood spurted out.
Golden light blazed in the wound, frantically burning away and purifying every trace of darkness inside him. His body was beginning to disintegrate from within, fading away.
"The... Cult Master will... avenge..."
He didn't get the last word out.
His body, together with his black cloak, turned into countless specks of light and vanished completely.
Purified.
Not even his soul remained.
Ye Guyi withdrew her sword, and the light of her Angel Domain slowly faded.
She hovered in midair, her eight wings beating gently, a faint holy radiance still lingering around her.
Then—
She lowered her head.
Her gaze swept across the ruins and Yuanen Yehui, finally settling on Na Nali.
Na Nali went rigid.
At that moment, she felt like prey under the gaze of its natural predator. Every cell in her body was screaming, Run!
But she couldn't move. She couldn't move at all. That gaze was too pure, too holy, as though it could see straight through every disguise, every hidden thing, every secret she had.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Na Nali's mind went completely blank, leaving only one thought echoing wildly inside her.
I'm done, I'm done, I'm done, I'm done...
At that critical moment—
A warm hand suddenly came to rest on her shoulder.
Na Nali gave a violent shudder and mechanically turned her head.
Luo Yang was looking at her with a cheerful smile.
His eyes, which had been blood-red moments ago, had returned to their normal black. His smile looked harmless, even a little sunny.
But Na Nali would swear that she saw amusement in those eyes.
"What's wrong?" Luo Yang asked with concern.
Na Nali went rigid, forcing the corners of her mouth into a smile more painful than tears:
"N-nothing... really, it's nothing..."
Her voice was trembling.
All she wanted now was to travel back three days and give herself a good beating for accepting Qiangu Zhangting's mission.
Why did I accept this mission?
Why did I come looking for trouble with this monster?
Can I still run away?
But Ye Guyi's gaze remained fixed on her.
It was as calm as still water, yet it felt like judgment.
Luo Yang kept smiling at her, his hand still resting on her shoulder, never letting go.
The atmosphere amid the ruins had become downright bizarre.
Yuanen Yehui looked at Luo Yang, then at Ye Guyi, then at Na Nali. She sensed that something was off, but couldn't put her finger on it.
At last, Ye Guyi spoke.
"She's an Evil—"
"I picked her up on the road," Luo Yang interrupted, his smile unchanged. "She's very pitiful. Her parents are both gone, and she has nowhere to go. So I brought her along."
"Oh?" Ye Guyi raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze still fixed on Na Nali. "You picked her up?"
Na Nali felt as though she were about to suffocate.
She would swear the angelic girl's eyes clearly said:
I saw right through you the moment I laid eyes on you, you little piece of trash.
But for some reason, she didn't attack.
She simply gave Na Nali a long, meaningful look, then turned away.
Na Nali nearly collapsed to the ground.
I got out alive...
I got out alive!
But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Luo Yang spoke again, still smiling brightly:
"By the way, is your name really Lina?"
Na Nali stiffly turned her head and met those "harmless" black eyes.
She suddenly realized something terrifying.
This guy had never believed her from the very beginning.
He'd been laughing at her the whole time.
And she'd actually been congratulating herself on how brilliant her acting was.
Now look at her.
She wanted to run, but her way was blocked.
She wanted to keep up the act, but she'd been seen through.
She wanted to attack... but an all-seeing Holy Angel was still hovering in the sky.