First of all, Xue Ke is still here. Although Xue Ke is kind-hearted, she is, after all, a princess in name only. If she were to find out that her beloved brother was a switched assassin, the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace would probably be thrown into chaos that very night.
More importantly... Gu Tian's gaze swept over Xiao Wu's clear, ruby-like eyes.
Xiao Wu's mother, Da Wu, died at the hands of Bibi Dong, the current Pope of the Spirit Hall. It was an irreconcilable feud of mother's murder. Although Qian Renxue also harbored resentment towards Bibi Dong, in the eyes of outsiders, they were ultimately mother and daughter connected by blood.
Gu Tian imagined the scene: if he told Xiao Wu now that he had to go to "deeply resonate and cultivate intimately" with the daughter of his mother's killer every evening after dinner, Xiao Wu would probably collapse on the spot.
If, in a moment of tearful uncertainty, Xiao Wu were to ask that classic, potentially fatal question—"Brother Gu Tian, if Qian Renxue and I both fall into the Lake of Life, and the lake is poisonous and all the restrictions are lifted, and you can only use the Dragon God's power to save one person, who would you save first?"
Thinking of this, Gu Tian couldn't help but shudder. Saving Qian Renxue would be a betrayal of love; saving Xiao Wu would mean giving up the chance to pass the divine exam. It was better to keep these certain-death questions to himself.
" Gu Tian, why are you shivering? Is it too windy tonight?" Xiao Wu stepped forward and kindly pulled up his collar.
"No... it's nothing." Gu Tian came back to his senses and looked at the tender scene before him. He sighed inwardly: In this chaotic world, some truths are destined to be borne by him alone.
"Alright, now that Gu Tian is back, let's eat! Sister Bi Ji specially made your favorite steamed white fish today." Ning Rongrong took Gu Tian's hand and walked towards the dining room.
On the other side, in an abandoned warehouse in the Heaven Dou City, which was also under the jurisdiction of Prince Xue Xing, Xue Xing assigned this warehouse to Tang San so that Tang San could make poisons and other Hidden Weapon here. At the same time, this was also the experimental site for the Death Warrior Pill.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the Soul Master who took the Death Warrior Pill have all developed the power of Evil Soul Master. This is the force that the Spirit Hall has been cracking down on all along. Since the Spirit Hall is also on the side of the masses in this matter, the two royal families of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire can only provide support.
As a member of the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family, how could Xue Xing not know that taking this pill would lead to becoming Evil Soul Master? In fact, every time a Soul Master took this pill, Xue Xing would poison it to prevent the Spirit Hall from discovering any clues. This was not something Xue Xing could do without. After all, if Prince Xue Beng, whom he had strongly supported, failed to inherit the throne, all of his deeds would be discovered and exposed by Xue Qinghe, and he would become a prince despised by the world.
This warehouse was far from the hustle and bustle of the palace and out of the sight of the patrol camp. The damp air was filled with the smell of mildew and rust. A dim Soul Guidance Lamp swayed precariously on the roof beam, casting several eerie and distorted shadows on the mottled walls.
"Little... Little San, are we really going to stay here?"
Bu Le shrank his neck, glancing out the window with lingering fear. Just a day ago, he was the protagonist of that shocking kidnapping case, almost torn to pieces by the Royal Guards. If Tang San hadn't led him into the secret passage of the Prince's mansion, he would probably be a corpse by now.
Tang San sat expressionlessly on a dilapidated wooden box. He Bu Le's question and slowly took out the black wooden box wrapped in a black iron shell from the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night.
With a "click," the lid opened.
That eerie, dark red light once again illuminated the dimly lit warehouse. Three Deathsworn Pill lay quietly on the velvet, emanating a bloody aura that was both nauseating and instinctively tempting to power in Soul Master.
"This is your reward. As I said, I would give it to you regardless of whether things succeed or not. From now on, we're in this together."
Tang San flicked his finger, and three pills shot towards Bu Le, Tian Ya, and E Kao respectively.
The three hurriedly took the pill. Bu Le stared at the dark red pill in his palm, which seemed to be pulsating with life, and swallowed hard. He could feel that the power contained in this pill was enough to allow him to cross the current level gap.
"Eat it." Tang San's tone left no room for argument. " Prince Xue Xing has promised that as long as we can clear the obstacles for him, there will be as many of these pills as he wants. After taking it, your Martial Soul will undergo a qualitative leap, and your Soul Power will increase by at least five levels. Moreover, in the future, after my Tang Sect is established, the three of you will be elders. The most important thing for elders is strength."
Tian Ya and E Kao exchanged a glance, their greed ultimately overcoming their fear. These thugs, who lived by the sword, understood the importance of strength best. Now that they were on this dangerous path, they had no choice but to become stronger.
"Thank you so much, Third Brother!"
The three of them tilted their heads back at the same time and swallowed the Deathsworn Pill.
In an instant, the once silent warehouse was filled with chilling screams. Veins bulged under the skin of Bu Le and the others, and the veins turned an eerie dark purple, as if countless venomous insects were wriggling beneath their skin. Their aura instantly changed from ordinary to violent, cold, and even carried a hint of the rusty smell unique to the Slaughter City.
Looking at the three people writhing in pain on the ground, Tang San showed no pity.
"This is not just a drug to enhance your strength, but also a chain to control you," Tang San thought coldly to himself.
Prince Xue Xing's mission for him was to secretly build a death squad completely loyal to the royal family and capable of performing dirty work in critical moments. Tang San, on the other hand, planned to use this opportunity to establish the true Tang Sect in the shadows of Heaven Dou City.
In his previous life, the Tang Sect valued benevolence, righteousness, and discipline. But in this life, under Gu Tian's oppression, Tang San's perception of the Tang Sect has changed. He no longer desires fairness, but rather absolute obedience and the shadow power capable of destroying everything.
Those who have taken the Death Warrior Pill will become his sharpest Hidden Weapon. They don't need to have souls, only the instinct to obey orders.
" Xue Xing wants Deadpool, I want the Tang Sect."
Tang San turned his head and looked at the stack of untouched pills on the table. These were his capital for recruiting soldiers and horses in the future. In this Heaven Dou City, what was least lacking were those mediocre but power-hungry down-on-their-luck Soul Master. As long as they were given a poison called hope, they would willingly become Tang Sect's lackeys.
" Gu Tian, you possess wealth, beauty, and status." Tang San clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking, "But I possess shadow and death. The day my army is fully formed, I will show you the color of hell."