On the square in front of Spirit Hall, the crowd gradually thinned.
Su Yuntao's departing footsteps were especially hurried. His Spirit Hall uniform, emblazoned with three crossed long swords, snapped in the morning breeze.
The level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster had been thoroughly rattled by Holy Soul Village today.
First, three exceptionally gifted children from another village had appeared. Then one of them had somehow been severely injured, coughing up blood as his Martial Soul shattered;
then a Blue Silver Grass girl with Innate Full Soul Power had turned up;
and finally, a monster with Twin Martial Souls had emerged.
Su Yuntao left without looking back, as if some primordial beast were chasing him.
All he could think about was hurrying back to the Nuoding City Branch Hall and reporting these outrageous developments to his superiors.
The villagers also began to disperse in twos and threes, still muttering about the bizarre events they had just witnessed.
"What happened to that fat kid? He just flew off out of nowhere!"
"Who knows? Maybe Heaven's punishing him. You saw how arrogant he was just now."
"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't get us into trouble."
As the villagers left, the once-bustling square quickly fell quiet.
Su Yu stood where he was, holding Tang Wu's soft little hand.
His brilliant golden eyes, now awakened as the Eye of Truth, calmly watched Li Hu lying in the corner nearby.
Li Hu looked utterly wretched.
He lay limp on the ground like a lump of mud, blood flecked with bits of internal organs still pouring from his mouth.
The [Villain Luck Plunder System] that had floated above his head, once so brazen, had now turned into a dim, dead panel. Only a few cold words remained: [System energy depleted. In hibernation.]
That cheat who had tried to plunder others' luck was done for.
Tang Wu hid behind Su Yu, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly. A trace of nervousness still lingered in her big eyes.
She had no idea what exactly had happened, but Li Hu's terrible condition frightened her.
"Brother Yu, is... is he going to die?"
Tang Wu asked softly.
Su Yu squeezed her sweaty little hand and replied calmly, "He won't die, but he'll be a cripple for the rest of his life."
Just then, the faint sound of a cane tapping the ground reached them.
"Tap... tap... tap..."
The sound was slow and rhythmic.
Su Yu raised his head, his gaze tightening slightly.
Old Jack, who had already left, had somehow returned, leaning on his battered wooden cane as he ambled back.
The expression on Old Jack's face was still kind. In the sunlight, his deeply wrinkled face looked especially warm and amiable.
Like an ordinary, kindly village chief concerned for the younger generation, he walked with a trembling gait, step by step toward the severely injured, unconscious Li Hu.
Su Yu's breathing immediately slowed. He focused the Eye of Truth on Old Jack.
In an instant, the blue panel above Old Jack's head came into clear view again.
A stream of data on the Dao of Cowardice Sign-in System's panel was scrolling at a furious pace.
Su Yu saw clearly that at the very bottom of the panel, an icon for a passive skill called [Erase Traces] was flashing an eye-searing red.
[Skill Name: Erase Traces (Divine Passive)]
[Trigger Condition: After the host kills or gravely injures a target that poses a threat to the host, the system will automatically determine whether that target might expose the host's strength or leave behind a hidden danger.]
[Current Assessment: Target Li Hu is gravely injured, but his existence may attract an outside investigation and increase the risk of exposing the host.]
[Action: Erase completely!]
As Su Yu read the string of system notifications, the corner of his eye twitched violently.
This old man was going to dispose of the body!
Old Jack stopped in front of Li Hu. He didn't even bother to look down at him. His gaze remained level, as if he were admiring the peaceful morning scenery of the village.
His emaciated right hand, which gripped the cane, rose as if absentmindedly. Then he lightly tapped Li Hu's shoulder with the end of it.
It was the gentlest of taps. There was no fluctuation of Soul Power, no dazzling light, not even the slightest stirring of the wind.
But what happened next made Su Yu's pupils contract to pinpricks.
Li Hu's body stiffened where the cane had touched him.
Then, starting from his shoulder, his clothes, flesh, and bones began to disintegrate soundlessly, as if they had weathered for millions of years in an instant.
There was no scream, no struggle. Li Hu had been unconscious all along.
Su Yu watched helplessly as Li Hu's massive body turned into an extremely fine gray dust in less than two seconds.
A breeze swept by.
The ash scattered on the wind, blending into the air and vanishing without a trace.
The ground was spotless. Not a drop of blood or a scrap of clothing remained.
It was as if Li Hu had never existed in this world at all.
A chill shot from the soles of Su Yu's feet straight to his crown, making his scalp tingle.
Brutal!
So damn brutal!
Su Yu howled inwardly.
This old man's methods were beyond insanely ruthless!
One moment he was putting on a kindly act, and the next he wasn't leaving so much as a speck of ash behind!
What did it mean to grind someone's bones to dust and scatter their ashes?
This guy had scattered even the ashes until not a trace remained!
The most terrifying part was that Old Jack's expression hadn't changed in the slightest after doing all this.
He still stood there trembling, both hands resting on his cane, his gaze fixed on the distant sky.
Su Yu forced down his shock. Pretending he hadn't seen a thing, he took Tang Wu by the hand and turned around, feigning interest in a tree on the other side.
"Brother Yu, where did that fatso go?"
Tang Wu rubbed her eyes in confusion. She had only felt a gust of wind, and the fatso lying on the ground had disappeared.
"Maybe the wind blew him away."
Su Yu lied with a straight face.
"Can the wind blow a person away?"
Tang Wu tilted her little head, thoroughly baffled.
"Of course. This is the Douluo Continent. The wind is strong here."
Su Yu continued his earnest-sounding fib.
Just then, Old Jack turned around.
His wrinkled face once again spread into that trademark kindly smile.
He looked at Su Yu and Tang Wu and spoke in a hoarse, gentle voice. "Xiao Yu, Xiao San, the awakening ceremony's over. Why haven't you gone home yet? It's early, but you must be hungry by now, right?"
As he spoke, Old Jack walked toward them with a trembling gait, looking so frail that a gust of wind might knock him over.
Looking at the ultimate old schemer who had just tapped a living person into ash, Su Yu could only marvel at his mastery.
With acting like that, he was wasting his talent if he didn't win an Oscar.
"Grandpa Jack, we were just about to head back."
Su Yu immediately put on an obedient smile, his tone so respectful there wasn't a thing to fault.
"Mm, good boy."
Old Jack walked up to them and reached out with the same hand that had just killed without batting an eye. He lightly patted Su Yu's shoulder twice.
Su Yu felt as if his heart had skipped a beat.
He was afraid the old man might get displeased, trigger his passive skill, and tap him into ash too.
Fortunately, Old Jack withdrew his hand after those two pats. Smiling warmly, he said, "Xiao Yu, you gave Grandpa a wonderful surprise today. Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power—our Holy Soul Village hasn't seen a genius like you in hundreds of years. And Xiao San has Innate Full Soul Power too. You two must look out for each other, cultivate well, and bring honor to our village."
"Don't worry, Grandpa Jack. I'll protect Xiao San."
Su Yu promised with conviction.
"Good, good. Hurry home and get something to eat."
Old Jack nodded with satisfaction, then turned around and walked toward the village chief's home, leaning on his cane and trembling as he went.
Su Yu stood still, watching Old Jack's stooped back.
With the Eye of Truth, he clearly saw another notification drift across the system panel above Old Jack's head:
[Successfully erased a potential hidden danger. Gou Dao Value +100. Current Gou Dao Value: 10099.]
Su Yu took a deep breath, feeling as if even the air around him carried a hint of danger.
He lowered his head and looked at Tang Wu beside him.
She was gazing up at him, her big eyes full of innocence and trust.
Her little hand gripped his fingers tightly, her palm clammy with sweat.
Su Yu squeezed her sweaty little hand and spoke with absolute resolve. "Xiao San, come on. Let's go home and pack."
"Pack? Where are we going?"
Tang Wu froze.
"Nuoding City."
Su Yu gritted his teeth as he looked in the direction Old Jack had disappeared. "There's no way we can stay in this village."
Everywhere he looked, there were cheats with systems. Even the village chief, who looked half in the grave, was a ruthless killer who left no ash behind.
If they stayed any longer, who knew when some lunatic transmigrator might make him and Tang Wu targets for a quest.
They had to leave!
Right now!
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