Fallen Soul Master

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

[Reward: Soul Ring age increased by five thousand years.]

Di Lintian stood atop the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion's emerald-green carapace, looking down upon the Soul Beast horde below.

The Ice God's voice rang out in his mind.

The next moment, five Soul Rings—purple, black, black, black, black—appeared.

The Soul Power contained within them surged dramatically, and the lone purple Soul Ring began to transform toward black.

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

The Extreme North really is huge. It's been a month, and I've finally finished.

Di Lintian thought to himself.

"Roar—"

"Awoo—"

"Hiss—"

The beasts' cries rose and fell without end, yet not a single Soul Beast dared raise its head.

Amid the chorus of countless beastly roars, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion bent its legs slightly, then leaped upward and vanished from the Soul Beasts' sight.

Extreme North City, Extreme North Hotel.

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

[Trial content: Lead the Imperial Dou Team to victory in the Spirit Master Tournament!]

[Trial deadline: Before the Spirit Master Tournament ends.]

[Trial reward: One God-Bestowed Spirit Ring.]

Why does the Ice God's trial notification have a delay?

Di Lintian had already left the Extreme North. Rather than returning to the Ice God's inheritance site, he had given the Heart of the Ice God to the Ice Empress and asked her to return it on his behalf.

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

Di Lintian could already picture himself crushing weaklings in the Spirit Master Tournament.

Bored, he raised a finger and flicked a leaf of the Blue Silver Emperor.

The Blue Silver Emperor instantly trembled like a startled deer, its entire body swaying.

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

Di Lintian poked one of the Blue Silver Emperor's vines again.

This time, the Blue Silver Emperor did not sway. As though it had found a familiar aura, a slender vine extended and slowly curled around his finger.

Meanwhile, at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City.

Whether it was the correction of the story's course or the inevitability of fate—

Qin Ming led Imperial Dou Team Two to Suotuo City after accepting an invitation from the nobles.

They had already been there for three days, defeating many strong teams, including the Mad Battle Team.

The last time Imperial Dou Team had stayed in Suotuo City for only three days, clearly not allowing those nobles to reap enough profit. This time, they had invited Imperial Dou Team Two instead.

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

Training was training wherever they went, and he could even return to Shrek Academy for a visit while in Suotuo City.

Imperial Dou Team Two's lounge.

The five of them sprawled haphazardly across the sofas, discussing that night's opponents in contemptuous tones.

"I say, Brothers Shi, why don't you sit down and discuss this with us?" the young man in white asked, looking behind the sofa.

There stood two sturdy figures, radiating an overwhelming sense of security.

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

"We're listening," Shi Mo said.

"Fine." The young man in white waved a hand.

"I really don't know what Teacher Qin Ming is thinking, telling us not to cripple our opponents." The heavily made-up woman sounded displeased. "How are we supposed to use our full strength when we have to hold back like this?"

Shrek's lounge.

After learning that Xiao Wu had been taken away by Sky Dragon Pavilion, Tang San had not sunk into despair. Instead, he intensified his training.

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

Tang Hao had not left either. He remained at Shrek Academy and occasionally offered the Shrek Seven Devils a few pointers.

Yes, the Seven Devils.

After Xiao Wu was taken away, Flender somehow brought back a Level 32 Soul Elder named Wei Xi.

Her martial soul was the White Blade Spider, and her Soul Rings were also the optimal yellow-yellow-purple combination.

"These are your opponents 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 combination."

"The optimal Soul Ring combination?" Wei Xi asked in surprise. This was the first time the Shrek Seven Devils had encountered a team with the optimal Soul Ring combination.

"Not only that." Yu Xiaogang pointed at Shi Mo and Shi Mo. "Their martial souls are both top-tier martial souls—the Black Tortoise."

"Aah—"

"Devil! You're nothing but a devil!"

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Faint, fragmented cries drifted over from afar and were keenly caught by Di Lintian.

"Let's take a look."

Di Lintian flew in the direction the sounds had come from.

The sun had only just dipped westward.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over rows of low houses.

What should have been a small village filled with curling smoke and the warmth of ordinary life was instead shrouded in darkness.

"You... you're not human."

A boy of around six or seven had fallen to the ground, staring in terror at the ugly man approaching him step by step. He tried to drag himself backward with his feet.

But he could not muster even the slightest strength.

"Heh heh heh."

The ugly man grinned viciously as a pitch-black vine extended from behind him and pierced straight through the boy's heart.

The boy's pupils froze, and his body shriveled at a visible rate.

The vine drained the blood from his body, sending it flowing into the ugly man.

"I need to hurry, before Spirit Hall comes looking."

A blissful smile appeared on the ugly man's face.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Four more vines shot out, piercing the bodies of the other villagers lying on the ground and madly drawing out their blood.

"An Evil Soul Master?"

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

More accurately, he should be called a Fallen Soul Master. During the era of Douluo I, the concept of Evil Soul Masters did not yet exist. Fallen Soul Masters gathered in Slaughter City, a true lawless zone.

Wandering Fallen Soul Masters outside were also purged by Spirit Hall, so there were not particularly many Fallen Soul Masters in the outside world.

Di Lintian took out a map of the Douluo Continent. He placed a finger on Extreme North City, traced along the route he had traveled, and stopped at the only village along the way.

"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 held had been specially made by Sky Dragon Pavilion. From powerful forces such as Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to towns and villages, everything was marked upon it.

"No wonder there aren't any other villages nearby."

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

Eight branches of the Soul-Devouring Demon Locust instantly burst from the ground, silently spreading behind the ugly man.

The ugly man noticed nothing. In the next instant, the Soul-Devouring Demon Branches swiftly bound and restrained him.

"Who's there?!"

The ugly man was greatly alarmed. Why had he sensed nothing at all?

"The one here to collect you."

Di Lintian controlled the Soul-Devouring Demon Branches and drove them into the ugly man's body, but did not kill him.

"Aah—"

The ugly man let out a miserable scream.

He could feel the Soul Power in his body rapidly draining away. A helpless feeling welled up within him, and he thought of the boy he had just killed.

Damn it, I ran into another one of my kind.

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

But that was not the case. Di Lintian's Soul-Devouring Demon Branches could absorb an enemy's Soul Power and store it for later use, enough for roughly one day.

They could not increase his own Soul Power.

"Beg—"

The ugly man had only spoken one word when a Soul-Devouring Demon Branch pierced his heart, just like the boy he had killed.

"Slaughter City."

As though nothing had happened, Di Lintian glanced in Slaughter City's direction, utterly unconcerned that he had just killed someone.

He took out the map again, confirmed the route, and flew toward the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well in Sunset Forest.