Swear to Suppress and Kill All Evils

After saying this, Feng Qingyang retreated.

Xue Mingqing paused.

He felt that he could control his body again.

"Old Feng? Old Feng? Hey! Are you really asleep? What if that's an Evil Soul Master? Don't leave me all alone, Old Feng!"

Ignoring the frantic shouting inside Xue Mingqing's head, Feng Qingyang went completely offline the moment he returned control of the body, sinking back into his slumber.

He left Xue Mingqing alone to face the unknown visitor.

Gritting his teeth, Xue Mingqing braced himself against the exhaustion of his depleted soul power.

He rolled over, tucking himself into the nearby bushes to conceal his figure.

Though it might be useless, at least it wasn't just sitting around waiting to die.

After all, any Soul Master capable of flight was at least a Soul Saint; if a Soul Saint truly intended to kill him, hiding anywhere would be futile.

Lying in the freezing brush, Xue Mingqing gasped for air, the dual exhaustion of his soul power and physical strength leaving him without a shred of resistance...

He could only stare with wide eyes at the icy blue streak of light hurtling toward him.

A moment later—

Accompanied by a bone-chilling cold that made one's entire body tremble, the icy blue light finally touched down, revealing the figure within.

A stunningly beautiful immortal clad in green gauze, with hair as white as snow and emerald eyes, descended slowly, holding a three-foot snow sword.

She was the City Lord of the nearby Blizzard City, a level 82 Soul Douluo named Xue Ningxian.

Half an hour ago, she had received a distress signal from Wind Snow Village claiming an Evil Soul Master had invaded.

The moment she received the message, she dropped everything and rushed over.

But...

She was still a step too late...

When she landed in Wind Snow Village, she saw nothing but corpses devoid of life scattered across the ground; nearly every man, woman, and child in the village was among them, even the infants...

Seeing this, Xue Ningxian could no longer suppress the rage in her heart, and she had tracked the Evil Soul Master's nauseating aura all the way here.

That was how she arrived at this spot.

But—

She narrowed her eyes, gazing at the Evil Soul Master lying on the ground, who had already lost all signs of life.

Her beautiful brows furrowed even tighter.

How could he die here? Who killed him?

Suspicion rose in her heart as Xue Ningxian walked toward the Evil Soul Master, intending to examine the cause of his death.

However, just as she approached him, a weak call rang out from the bushes nearby.

"City Lord... over here... I'm over here..."

Hearing the voice, Xue Ningxian raised an eyebrow.

Changing direction, she walked to the bushes and pushed them aside.

She saw a youth dressed in simple hemp clothing, with black hair reaching past his neck and eyes of the same color, lying there and looking at her with a weak aura.

Her beautiful eyes narrowed; Xue Ningxian could already see that Xue Mingqing's soul power was completely drained.

Crouching down, she reached out a fair, jade-like hand to grab Xue Mingqing's wrist, injecting her own ice-element soul power into his body to actively alleviate his weakness.

"Who are you, and what happened here?"

As the soul power entered his body, Xue Mingqing's complexion improved significantly.

"My name is Xue Mingqing, a villager of Wind Snow Village. I was chased here by that guy, exhausted my soul power to resist, and then it ended up like this..."

Hearing this, Xue Ningxian's brows lifted slightly. She glanced at the dead Evil Soul Master.

He was a Soul Venerate, and then she looked at the Xue Mingqing before her.

He only had level 5 soul power.

"I didn't kill him. It seems his Martial Soul malfunctioned, and he died from a backlash..."

Seeming to notice Xue Ningxian's doubt, Xue Mingqing took the initiative to lie and explain.

After all, he couldn't reveal the existence of Feng Qingyang; that was his secret.

Hearing this, Xue Ningxian nodded, not doubting him.

She thought the same.

Reaching out, Xue Ningxian pulled him up from the ground, her voice as cold as an immortal's, yet tinged with a hint of gravity and sorrow.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she spoke.

"Child... I am sorry I arrived late. You..."

"Are the only survivor of your village..."

Lowering his gaze, Xue Mingqing could not help but feel a trace of sorrow in his heart.

He had long known that this was the most likely outcome, but...

Having it confirmed by someone else still made his heart sink even further.

Exhaling a long, heavy breath, Xue Mingqing's eyes dimmed.

"I was already mentally prepared... This is not your fault, City Lord... I only blame those damned Evil Soul Masters."

Watching the desolation in Xue Mingqing's eyes, Xue Ningxian let out a soft, orchid-scented sigh: "Child, tell me, what is your Martial Soul?"

Xue Mingqing was startled, then he raised his hand.

A pure white, solid eight-petaled snowflake emerged from his palm.

Seeing this, Xue Ningxian nodded quietly.

A Snowflake Martial Soul with innate level five soul power; in this Far North, he was indeed a promising sprout.

Looking at Xue Mingqing, Xue Ningxian's beautiful eyes shifted.

Her Martial Soul was Blizzard, and Xue Mingqing's was a Snowflake.

Her surname was Xue, and Xue Mingqing's surname was also Xue.

This child seemed destined to have a connection with her; perhaps...

Having made her decision, she reached out, gently rested her hand on the top of Xue Mingqing's head, and spoke.

"I see that you are alone in this world. If you are willing, would you like to become my adopted son?"

Hearing this, Xue Mingqing froze for a moment. Once he realized what Xue Ningxian meant, he nodded immediately.

"I am willing! City Lord, ah, no... thank you for your love, Mother..."

Xue Mingqing was not stupid. Borrowing someone else's influence to protect himself while he grew was nothing to be ashamed of.

Calling her mother in exchange for the protection of a Soul Douluo powerhouse—why wouldn't he do it?

Xue Ningxian nodded, accepting Xue Mingqing as her child.

She then closed her eyes and spoke softly.

"Then, come back to the village with me first. Let them be laid to rest..."

Hearing Xue Ningxian's words, Xue Mingqing pressed his lips together, recalling the carnage in the village...

He lowered his head, and even the joy of having just found a backer was significantly diluted.

"Mm..."

"Let us go..."

This time, Xue Mingqing did not answer Xue Ningxian again, silently following behind her as they walked out of the Frozen Forest...

This was the worst of times; this was the most bitter of times.

Evil souls ran rampant, and ordinary people were reduced to nothing more than nutrients for their cultivation.

Nobles exploited and suppressed, and the common folk, unable to resist, could only become their playthings or providers.

Even Shrek, which claimed to be the guardian of justice, appeared so small and laughable under the shroud of this darkness.

Reborn into the Peerless Tang Sect, arguably the most difficult "dungeon" in the Douluo world, Xue Mingqing did not complain in the slightest.

On the contrary, he felt fortunate—fortunate that he was born under Blizzard City, and fortunate that Blizzard City sent out Soul Masters every year to awaken Martial Souls for commoners for free.

Relying on the ever-changing Snowflake Martial Soul in his hands, Xue Mingqing finally had the confidence and capital to contend with the entire world.

Kneeling before the communal grave of his parents and fellow villagers.

He braced his hands against the ground, bang, bang, bang—

He kowtowed three times, steady and forceful.

He gazed at the simple stone tablet carved by Xue Ningxian.

Grave of the Wind Snow Village Villagers.

A smile rose to the corners of his mouth, though it was bitter.

"Father, Mother, everyone in the village... please rest in peace..."

"I, Xue Mingqing, swear here: if I achieve anything, I will surely purge the evil souls of this world and return peace to the land..."

Having spoken, Xue Mingqing kowtowed once more, bang, bang, bang—

Following this, he stood up, his face once again wearing that gentle, unchanging smile.

"Mother, let us... go..."

Hearing this, Xue Ningxian, who had been standing behind Xue Mingqing and watching him finish everything in silence, nodded.

Grabbing Xue Mingqing's shoulder, she took him with her, transforming into a stream of icy blue light imbued with cold, and shot off in the direction of Blizzard City.

In the original spot, only the deserted village remained, and only the stone tablet standing tall in the wind and snow bore witness to the youth's grand resolution...

And this was only his beginning...