Fallen Soul Master

[Second-Class Five Trials, Second Trial, complete!]

[Reward: Spirit Ring age increased by 5,000 years.]

Di Lintian stood atop the emerald-green carapace of the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, looking down at the herd of Soul Beasts below.

The voice of the Ice God echoed in his mind.

The next moment, five Spirit Rings—purple, black, black, black, and black—emerged.

The Soul Power contained within surged violently, and the sole purple Spirit Ring began its transformation into black.

In the end, five black Spirit Rings pulsed slowly around Di Lintian's body.

I have to say, the Extreme North is truly vast. It's been a month, but I've finally finished.

Di Lintian thought to himself.

"Roar—"

"Awoo—"

"Hiss—"

The roars of beasts rose and fell in succession, yet not a single Soul Beast dared to raise its head.

Amidst the cacophony of various beast cries, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion bent its legs slightly and leapt upward with a sudden burst of force, vanishing from the sight of the herd.

Extreme North City, Extreme North Hotel.

[Second-Class Five Trials, Third Trial: Champion.]

[Trial Objective: Lead the Imperial Dou Team to become the champions of the Spirit Master Tournament!]

[Time Limit: Before the conclusion of the Spirit Master Tournament.]

[Trial Reward: One God-Given Spirit Ring.]

Why is there such a delay with the Ice God's trials?

Di Lintian had already left the Extreme North. He did not return to the Ice God's inheritance site, having entrusted the Heart of the Ice God to the Ice Empress to return on his behalf.

Still, this trial objective... it's practically effortless.

Di Lintian could already imagine the scene of him crushing the competition at the Spirit Master Tournament.

He boredly raised a finger and flicked the leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor.

The Blue Silver Emperor shivered instantly like a startled fawn, the entire plant swaying.

"Oh? You don't recognize me anymore?"

Di Lintian poked the vine of the Blue Silver Emperor again.

This time, the Blue Silver Emperor did not sway. As if it had recognized a familiar aura, a thin vine extended and slowly wrapped around his finger.

Meanwhile, at the Suotuo City Great Soul Arena.

Whether it was a correction of the timeline or the inevitability of fate, Qin Ming had led the Imperial Dou Team Two to Suotuo City at the invitation of the nobles.

They had already been there for three days, having defeated numerous strong teams, including the Mad Battle Team.

The last time the Imperial Dou Team had stayed in Suotuo City, it clearly hadn't generated enough wealth for those nobles, so they had invited Imperial Dou Team Two this time.

Upon receiving the message, Qin Ming had agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Training was training regardless of the location, and going to Suotuo City would allow him to return to Shrek Academy for a visit.

In the Imperial Dou Team Two lounge.

The five members were sprawled across the sofas, discussing their opponents for the evening with disdainful tones.

"I say, you two brothers Shi, why don't you sit down and discuss them with us?" The young man in white looked toward the back of the sofa.

Standing there were two robust figures who exuded a sense of security.

They were none other than the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo, who had been replaced from the first team by Di Lintian and Na'er.

"We're listening," Shi Mo said.

"Fine, then." The young man in white waved his hand.

"I really don't know what Teacher Qin Ming is thinking, telling us not to maim our opponents," the heavily made-up woman complained. "With our hands tied like this, how are we supposed to unleash our full strength?"

In the Shrek lounge.

Upon learning that Xiao Wu had been captured by the Sky Dragon Pavilion, Tang San had not given up in despair; instead, he had increased the intensity of his training.

He secretly resolved that one day, he would rescue Xiao Wu and destroy the Sky Dragon Pavilion.

Tang Hao had not left either; he remained at Shrek Academy, occasionally offering pointers to the Shrek Seven Devils.

Yes, the Seven Devils.

After Xiao Wu was taken, Flender had brought in a 32nd-rank Spirit Elder named Wei Xi from somewhere.

Their martial soul is the White Blade Spider, and their soul rings are also the optimal configuration of yellow, yellow, and purple.

"These are your opponents for tonight." Yu Xiaogang placed the roster in his hand onto the table. "Every one of them is a Soul Elder with the optimal soul ring configuration."

"Optimal soul ring configuration?" Wei Xi exclaimed in surprise. This was the first time the Shrek Seven Devils had encountered a team with such a setup.

"That is not all." Yu Xiaogang pointed his finger at Shi Mo and Shi Mo. "Their martial souls are both top-tier—the Black Tortoise."

"Ah—"

"Devil! You are nothing but a devil!"

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Faint, barely audible sounds drifted from the distance, yet they were keenly captured by Di Lintian.

"Let's go take a look."

Di Lintian flew in the direction from which the sounds originated.

The sun had just begun to dip into the west.

The afterglow of the sunset scattered across the rows of low houses.

A small village that should have been filled with the rising smoke of cooking fires and the warmth of human life was instead shrouded in darkness.

"You... you aren't human."

A boy of about six or seven years old fell to the ground, staring in terror at the ugly man approaching him step by step. He tried to scramble backward with his feet.

But he couldn't muster an ounce of strength.

"Hehehe."

The ugly man grinned hideously as a pitch-black vine extended from behind him, piercing straight through the boy's heart.

The boy's pupils fixed in place, and his body withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The blood within him was drained by the vine and surged into the ugly man's body.

"Better hurry, lest the people from Martial Soul Hall track us down."

The ugly man wore a look of intoxicated satisfaction.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Four more vines shot out, plunging into the bodies of the remaining villagers lying on the ground, frantically drawing out their blood.

"An Evil Soul Master?"

Di Lintian stood in the distance, watching the ugly man's actions.

Or rather, a Fallen Soul Master; during the era of the first Douluo Continent, the concept of an Evil Soul Master did not yet exist. Fallen Soul Masters gathered in Slaughter City, a place truly beyond any jurisdiction.

Those Fallen Soul Masters wandering outside were usually purged by Martial Soul Hall, so there were not many of them to be found.

Di Lintian took out a map of the Douluo Continent, placed his finger on Extreme North City, and traced the route he had been traveling until he stopped at the only village in the area.

"So that's how it is."

Beside the village, at a distance roughly half that between Nuoding City and Suotuo City, was a specially marked location—Slaughter City.

The map Di Lintian carried was specially crafted by the Sky Dragon Pavilion; it marked everything from powerful factions like Martial Soul Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect down to the smallest towns and villages.

"No wonder there are no other villages in this vicinity."

"Soul-Devouring Demon Locust soul bone skill: Soul-Devouring Demon Branch."

Eight branches of the Soul-Devouring Demon Locust instantly sprouted from the ground, silently creeping up behind the ugly man.

The ugly man did not notice a thing until, the next moment, the Soul-Devouring Demon Branch swiftly bound and restrained him.

"Who's there!"

The ugly man was shocked. How had he failed to notice anything?

"Someone here to collect you."

Di Lintian manipulated the Soul-Devouring Demon Branch to pierce into the ugly man's body, though he did not kill him yet.

"Ah—"

The ugly man let out a shrill, miserable scream.

He could feel his soul power rapidly draining away, and a sense of helplessness welled up within him. He thought of the boy he had just killed.

Damn it, I ran into one of my own.

The ugly man mistook Di Lintian for a Fallen Soul Master like himself.

In reality, that was not the case. Di Lintian's Soul-Devouring Demon Branch could absorb an enemy's soul power and store it for later use, for about a day's time.

It could not, however, increase his own soul power.

"I beg—"

Before the ugly man could finish the word, a Soul-Devouring Demon Branch pierced through his heart, just like the boy he had killed moments before.

"Slaughter City."

Di Lintian acted as if nothing had happened. He glanced toward the direction of Slaughter City, completely indifferent to the fact that he had just taken a life.

He took out the map once more, confirmed his heading, and flew toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in the Sunset Forest.