Salas's Failed Escape

Salas panicked. He sprang up from his chair and paced back and forth across the hall.

"What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" he kept muttering in alarm. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He was only a powerless Level 89 Soul Douluo. How was he supposed to stand against that Level 98 monster, Xue Hen?

"Bishop, should we gather the Holy Temple Knights and set an ambush? We could catch Xue Hen off guard," a High-Level Deacon suggested.

"An ambush? Didn't you see the Sky Screen showing that man kill a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast with a single sword strike? You expect a group of Holy Temple Knights at Level 50 or 60 to ambush him? Do you think they're Titled Douluo?" Salas shouted at the deacon.

The High-Level Deacon bowed his head under the scolding and stepped back a few paces.

"No. I can't just sit here and wait to die. Xue Hen must have watched last night's Sky Screen and learned that His Holiness the Pope sees him as an enemy and wants him dead. That's why he's come after me. After all, I'm His Holiness the Pope's right-hand man!" Salas murmured.

Then his eyes narrowed, and a serious look crossed his face. He instructed the High-Level Deacon beside him, "Pass down the order: shut the hall doors and post a notice saying that I've received His Holiness the Pope's instructions and returned to Spirit City to report. During this time, the Heaven Dou City Martial Soul Holy Hall will suspend all external activities!"

"Huh?" The High-Level Deacon froze. So when you said you couldn't sit around and wait to die, you meant you were going to run away?

"What are you standing there for? Go!" Salas urged him.

"Oh, yes, Bishop." The deacon bowed and replied, then withdrew.

"I'm leaving right now!" Salas said to himself as he watched the deacon leave. He turned and headed for the back door.

However...

When he stepped through the back door of the Martial Soul Holy Temple, he found two people standing there, blocking his way.

"Bishop Salas, where are you going?" Ning Fengzhi asked with a smile, leaning on his cane.

"Sect Master Ning?" A flicker of surprise crossed Salas's eyes as he looked at the man before him. When he saw Sword Douluo close behind Ning Fengzhi, he suddenly understood, and his expression turned utterly grim.

So... they'd come specifically to block the back door and stop me from escaping!

"Bishop Salas, His Excellency Xue Hen is on his way to the Martial Soul Holy Temple. I imagine he has something to discuss with you. If you suddenly leave, he'll have come all this way for nothing. Be careful he doesn't hold it against you," Ning Fengzhi said with a smile, pretending to have Salas's best interests at heart.

"If I don't run, he'll probably split me in two with one sword strike!" Salas ground his teeth and thought.

"Please go back, Bishop Salas." Ning Fengzhi gestured toward the hall.

"Ning Fengzhi, are you declaring yourself an enemy of Spirit Hall?" Salas threatened furiously.

At those words, the smile vanished from Ning Fengzhi's face, and his expression turned icy. "An enemy? Have you already forgotten that the Sky Screen showed Spirit Hall slaughtering my disciples and destroying my sect in the future? Your Excellency, I'm only giving you a small taste of your own medicine."

"Those things haven't happened yet! Spirit Hall hasn't destroyed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!" Salas stressed.

To offend Spirit Hall over something that hadn't happened yet—a supposed "future"—was hardly wise!

"By the time it happens, it'll be too late! Besides, I've known about Spirit Hall's ambitions and methods for a long time. I know in my heart whether you'll really do what the Sky Screen showed," Ning Fengzhi said coldly.

"You..."

"Whoosh!" Salas was about to say more when Chen Xin, standing behind Ning Fengzhi, opened his right hand and summoned his Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul. He pointed the sword at Salas and warned him, "Go back, or take a strike from me!"

"..." Salas knew his own strength well. He couldn't withstand a single strike from Xue Hen, and he couldn't withstand one from Chen Xin either. As he stared at the Seven Kill Sword pointed at him, he instinctively took two steps back, his body trembling.

He was both afraid and furious.

"Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, you'll pay for what you've done today!" Salas said to them.

"Bishop Salas, get through today first before you make threats like that," Ning Fengzhi said calmly.

"Boom!" A loud crash sounded behind them, mixed with the screams of many people.

"Fengzhi, Xue Hen's here," Chen Xin told Ning Fengzhi.

"Mm. Uncle Jian, escort Bishop Salas back," Ning Fengzhi said with a nod.

"Boom!" As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xin swung the Seven Kill Sword at the ground in front of Salas. Terrifying sword energy swept across the earth, sending a shock wave bursting outward. With a bang, it sent Salas flying back the way he'd come.

"Hmph. Uncle Jian, let's go." Ning Fengzhi gave a soft snort as he watched Salas fly away, then spoke to Chen Xin.

"Mm." Chen Xin nodded and escorted Ning Fengzhi away.

At the same time, Xue Hen had reached the Martial Soul Holy Temple. He looked at the gate he'd split open with a single sword strike, gripped the Imperial Power Sword, and climbed the steps, heading inside one step at a time.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red, red—nine Soul Rings appeared at his feet and moved along with him.

"Y-Your Excellency... our Bishop isn't here. He went to Spirit City to report," the injured High-Level Deacon stammered. He'd been sent flying by the sword energy and now lay on the ground, blood running from the corner of his mouth as he watched Xue Hen walk toward the hall.

He hoped that, just as Xue Hen had been tricked into leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect by Gu Rong last time, he would turn around and go home after hearing this.

However...

Times were different now. Back then, Xue Hen had left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect on purpose. There was no way he'd leave this time.

Besides...

"Thud!"

"Ow!"

Xue Hen looked at the figure that had flown out from behind the hall and fallen to the ground with a cry of pain. "He's not here? Then who's that?"

Xue Hen had never seen Salas and didn't recognize him, but he did recognize the uniform of a Platinum Bishop that he wore.

"This, this..." The High-Level Deacon of the Martial Soul Holy Temple stared at the figure, unable to answer Xue Hen's question. He couldn't understand it. Hadn't the Bishop run away? Why had he come back?

"Whoosh!" In the next instant, a streak of sword light flashed. He no longer needed to think about any of that.

A cut appeared across his neck, and blood gushed from it. His eyes widened and his mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, not a single word escaped before he collapsed to the ground with a thud and stopped breathing.

"Trying to deceive me? You must be tired of living," Xue Hen said coldly.

Then he turned his gaze toward Salas, who was climbing to his feet before him...