Qian Daoliu's Path to Godhood

"Evil Soul Masters?" The Evil Soul Emperor sneered. "That's just the name hypocrites like you gave us.

"We are the ones who have truly grasped the essence of Soul Power—devouring others' Soul Power and seizing their Martial Souls. That is the Heavenly Way!"

"The Heavenly Way?" The golden light in Qian Daoliu's eyes grew ever brighter. "You think you deserve to speak of the Heavenly Way?"

"You old bastard, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" A four-ringed Evil Soul Master stepped forward and pointed at Qian Daoliu's nose as he cursed.

"Our boss is a six-ringed Soul Emperor. Killing you would be as easy as slaughtering a chicken! Hand over this academy, kneel and kowtow three times, and maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll spare your mangy life!"

Qian Daoliu did not get angry. There was not even the slightest ripple of emotion on his face.

He merely said softly, "Evil Soul Masters deserve to die."

Then he raised his right hand and lightly pointed forward with his index finger.

A strand of golden light shot from his fingertip, thin as a hair and swift as lightning, instantly piercing the four-ringed Evil Soul Master between the brows.

The Evil Soul Master did not even have time to scream before his entire body ignited from within like a sheet of paper set aflame.

Golden flames swallowed his body, reducing him to ash in the blink of an eye.

"What—!"

The leading Evil Soul Emperor's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively staggered back two steps.

He had not even seen how the other man had attacked.

What level of Soul Master was this?

A Soul Saint?

A Soul Douluo?

No... that pressure... it was more terrifying than any Soul Master he had ever encountered!

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"

Qian Daoliu took a step forward.

With that single step, the remaining four Evil Soul Masters simultaneously spat out blood. Their legs went weak, and they dropped straight to their knees.

It was not that they wanted to kneel. The overwhelming pressure had become almost tangible, forcibly crushing them down.

Though the Evil Soul Emperor did not kneel, his entire body trembled. Veins bulged across his forehead as he exhausted all his strength just to remain standing.

"Y-you're... a T-Titled Douluo?!"

Even his voice was shaking.

Titled Douluos were rare in this era, but they were not beings ordinary people could ever hope to encounter.

He had lived for over forty years and had only heard that several Titled Douluos served among the empire's royal Offering Elders. He had never seen one with his own eyes.

Yet today, he had.

And under such circumstances.

"You people, for the sake of your own selfish desires, how many innocent people's Soul Power have you devoured? How many civilians have you murdered?"

Qian Daoliu slowly walked toward them, each step seeming to land upon their hearts.

"I... I..." The Evil Soul Emperor wanted to defend himself, but his tongue had tied itself in knots.

Qian Daoliu stopped before him and looked down at him from above.

"A six-ringed Soul Emperor must devour the Soul Power of at least a hundred Soul Masters, or take the lives of several thousand civilians, to reach this level."

Qian Daoliu's voice was soft, yet it struck every heart like a heavy hammer. "Can you even count the blood staining your hands?"

The fear in the Evil Soul Emperor's eyes gradually faded, replaced by madness.

"So what?! The strong rule, and the weak deserve to be devoured! Aren't you a Titled Douluo? Haven't you killed people too? Who are you trying to fool with this saintly act?!"

He roared as six Soul Rings lit up at once. His Martial Soul appeared, and a massive python shrouded in black mist emerged behind him, opening its bloody maw as it lunged at Qian Daoliu.

"A futile struggle."

Qian Daoliu did not even release his Martial Soul. He simply stretched out his right hand and clenched it in the air.

A golden hand of light condensed out of thin air and seized the black python tightly by its vital point.

The python writhed wildly, yet it could not break free no matter what it did.

"A mere Evil Soul Master dares behave so recklessly before me."

Qian Daoliu raised his left hand and pointed through the air once more.

Golden light pierced through the Evil Soul Emperor's chest.

This time, he was not consumed by golden flames like his subordinate. Instead, he froze in place, his pupils losing focus as his body withered at a visible rate.

That was not the golden fire of purification, but something even more terrifying. Qian Daoliu had directly erased his soul.

The Evil Soul Emperor's body fell stiffly to the ground, utterly devoid of life.

The remaining three Evil Soul Masters had long since been frightened out of their wits. They knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Spare us! Please spare us, my lord!"

"We were forced into this! They made us eat people!"

"I'm willing to turn over a new leaf! Please give me one chance, my lord!"

Qian Daoliu did not even spare them a glance. With a flick of his fingers, three streaks of golden light shot out. Their bodies fell to the ground, equally withered, meeting the same end.

In less than ten breaths, all five Evil Soul Masters, from four rings to six, had been slain.

Just then, Qian Daoliu suddenly frowned.

He sensed that after the five streaks of golden light killed the Evil Soul Masters, they had actually flowed back along his Soul Power, bringing with them five currents of pure energy.

That energy was so pure that it contained no impurities at all. It directly merged into his Soul Power, causing the upper limit of his Soul Power to rise by a faint trace.

Though it was only a trace, who was Qian Daoliu?

A level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, only one step away from level one hundred.

At his level, even the slightest improvement was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Yet now, killing five Evil Soul Masters had actually allowed his Soul Power to break through a bottleneck that had endured for so long?

"Big Brother, what's wrong?" Golden Crocodile Douluo noticed the change in Qian Daoliu's expression.

Qian Daoliu did not answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully examined the sensation.

The Evil Soul Emperor's energy had been the most abundant, while the other four had possessed far less.

Could killing Evil Soul Masters grant him their Soul Power cultivation?

No, that was not right.

He had killed countless soul beasts and countless enemies before, yet he had never felt anything like this.

Only these Evil Soul Masters—they contained foreign Soul Power that had been imprisoned within them and not yet fully digested.

As Qian Daoliu's Angel Holy Light killed them, it also directly purified the resentment and impurities within that Soul Power. The pure energy was returned to heaven and earth, while a portion flowed back into his body.

"Interesting."

Qian Daoliu opened his eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Big Brother, what exactly happened?" Guangling Douluo leaned closer.

Qian Daoliu briefly explained his discovery.

The Offering Elders' eyes widened at once.

"Killing Evil Soul Masters can increase cultivation?!" Mighty Lion Douluo looked utterly incredulous.

"Not every Evil Soul Master will do. It has to be one who has devoured the Soul Power of others."

Qian Daoliu corrected him. "And the energy purified by Angel Holy Light can only be absorbed by those who possess the Angel Martial Soul."

He looked at Shen Zhou. "Eighth Brother, although your Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear is not an angel-type Martial Soul, the Heavenly Eye Martial Soul possesses purification abilities. Perhaps you can absorb it as well."

Shen Zhou's eyes lit up.

This was quite an unexpected gain.

In the original story, Evil Soul Masters were the cancer of all Douluo Continent II, while the Holy Spirit Cult had entrenched itself for years with no one able to deal with it.

If killing Evil Soul Masters could increase cultivation, then while rebuilding Spirit Hall, could they not also wipe out the Evil Soul Masters and kill two birds with one stone?

They could eliminate a threat to the people while increasing their own strength.

Perhaps Qian Daoliu could even become a god in this era.

"The gods' arrangements truly run deep."

Qian Daoliu raised his head toward the sky, his eyes filled with reverence.

At that moment, his resolve to rebuild Spirit Hall became even firmer.

Not for power, nor for revenge.

But for the innocent civilians on this continent, and for the souls of those slaughtered by Evil Soul Masters.

Spirit Hall should have been a place of light.

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