"A Soul Elder with a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and a Soul Emperor too? How is that possible?"
The sinister man in black hesitated for only an instant before his spear thrust steadied again, stabbing toward Bibi Dong.
In his view, as long as he could hold Bibi Dong back for a moment, he would have a chance to escape.
The other person, Ling Feng, also had a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, but posed far less of a threat.
The fourth Soul Ring beneath Bibi Dong's feet flashed. Spider armor covered her entire body, bolstering her defenses.
Then she spat out several webs and strands of silk to hinder the black-clad man's spear thrust.
His thrust faltered as several Soul Skills blocked it. The fifth Soul Ring beneath Bibi Dong's feet lit up.
A cage made of Spider Spears formed in an instant, trapping the black-clad man inside.
The moment the Spider Spear cage appeared, it began to close in on him.
If those razor-sharp, sawlike edges touched him, he would be torn to pieces in an instant.
The sinister man in black looked utterly grim. He hadn't expected a Soul Emperor to be so difficult to deal with; she had forced him into a dead end as soon as she struck.
"You forced me to do this!"
The first three Soul Rings beneath the black-clad man's feet lit up, enhancing his Martial Soul.
"Vibrate, pierce, explode—stack them all!" the sinister man roared.
In an instant, the Soul Power runes on his Martial Soul began to flow faster.
"That's the Breaking Clan's cultivation legacy. You really are from the Yang Family of Longxing City!" Ling Feng said.
Only the black-clad man's last two Soul Skills had gone astray. His first few still bore the Yang Family's cultivation habits.
The sinister man gave no reply. His spear struck Bibi Dong's Spider Spear, and with a tremor and an explosion, one of the Spider Spears cracked.
Even so, he still couldn't break free.
But the sinister man didn't seem to be trying to escape at all. He swung his spear around and thrust it toward Ling Feng.
He was gambling that Bibi Dong would intervene to save Ling Feng, giving him a chance to escape—or even turn the tables.
But in the next instant, he saw Ling Feng's eyes, deep as an abyss, swallowing all his thoughts and focus.
He immediately felt as if something had twisted through his mind.
Having cultivated the Soul Breaking Spear into the Soul-Devouring Spear, he instantly understood: this skill attacked the soul, just like his fifth Soul Skill.
But his spear was still a step slower than Ling Feng's eye-based Soul Skill. Ling Feng had struck first.
If Ling Feng had been alone, nothing would have happened to him.
But the problem was that Bibi Dong was watching right beside them.
Struck by Ling Feng's eye technique, the sinister man in black faltered again.
Seizing the opening, Bibi Dong unleashed her sixth Soul Skill. The defense-ignoring Blood-Sucking Spider Thorn plunged into the black-clad man's body.
In an instant, his face turned pale, and his whole body shrank by a full size.
"You!"
The black-clad man couldn't resist the blood drain of a thirty-thousand-year Soul Ring Skill. With his vital essence drained away, he immediately crumpled to the ground.
"No, I can't die! Spare me—I'm willing to serve you both!"
The black-clad man begged for mercy without the slightest hesitation.
He knew how terrifying the blood-sucking Soul Skill was. If he dared to hesitate even a moment longer, he would be sucked dry and left a corpse.
Seeing that Bibi Dong remained unmoved, the black-clad man hurriedly said, "I'm Yang Wujie of the Yang Family of Longxing City."
"Once I become head of the Yang Family, I can lead the entire Breaking Clan in pledging allegiance to you."
"Spare me. I'm still useful!" Yang Wujie pleaded.
Bibi Dong pondered for a moment, then looked at Ling Feng. "Ling Feng, should we let him live?"
Ling Feng shook his head. "When has Spirit Hall ever allied itself with fallen ones? We should kill him."
"There are plenty of people in the Yang Family. If we want to win them over, there'll always be someone willing to surrender."
"Good. I was thinking the same thing," Bibi Dong said.
She wasn't yet the future empress of the Spirit Hall Empire. A blazing fervor still burned in her heart.
When Yang Wujie realized the two wouldn't spare him, a vicious expression twisted his gaunt face.
"Hmph! Spirit Hall, always pretending to be righteous!"
"Aren't the people of Spirit Hall bloodsuckers and soul-devourers too?"
"If I hadn't cultivated the Rakshasa Meditation Method published by Yu Xiaogang of Spirit Hall, would I have ended up like this?"
Before Yang Wujie could finish speaking, Bibi Dong drained his vital essence, leaving him a dried corpse.
Enraged by Yang Wujie's words, Bibi Dong thrust out another Spider Thorn and ground his body to dust, scattering it across the ground.
A jade token fell to the ground. Ling Feng took a closer look and confirmed that Yang Wujie really was from the Yang Family of the Breaking Clan.
Seeing Bibi Dong looking troubled, Ling Feng quickly comforted her. "Bibi Dong, don't blame yourself."
"We both cultivated the Rakshasa Meditation Method. Why didn't we turn out like this?"
"The Rakshasa Meditation Method is only a tool. Used righteously, it leads to righteousness; used wickedly, it leads to wickedness. He chose the wrong path—that's his own fault."
"Even if anyone's to blame, it's me. I was the one who spread the Rakshasa Meditation Method," Ling Feng said telepathically.
Ling Feng's words eased Bibi Dong's expression considerably.
Yang Wujie's words had indeed gotten to her, since she, too, cultivated the Rakshasa Meditation Method.
When she visualized Rakshasa, evil thoughts and murderous intent did surge endlessly in her heart, but she had kept them in check.
"Ling Feng, you're right. The cultivation method isn't to blame; it's their own state of mind!"
Seeing that Bibi Dong wasn't getting caught up in self-blame, Ling Feng let out a sigh of relief.
"There must be many people who couldn't hold on to their original intentions and became fallen ones. After we leave the Capital of Slaughter, I'll travel for a while."
"I'll wipe out every one of those fallen ones. Consider it atonement for the mistake I made," Ling Feng said.
Ling Feng hadn't expected the Rakshasa Meditation Method to lead Soul Masters down a wicked path.
"I'll go with you. Slaying fallen ones is one of Spirit Hall's duties," Bibi Dong said.
"Good. Then let's get through the trial as soon as possible!" Ling Feng said.
The two collected Yang Wujie's spoils, then set off again toward the Capital of Slaughter.
Several days later, a towering mountain stood in the midst of a wasteland.
At its foot lay a desolate, dilapidated town. There were plenty of people in it, yet not the slightest trace of life's warmth.
Dark clouds crowded the sky here, oppressive and gloomy, as if the sun would never shine again.
"This should be the entrance to the Capital of Slaughter, right?" Bibi Dong said.
"Mm. We'll know once we go in and ask."
"Still, before entering the Capital of Slaughter, we should collect more vital essence," Ling Feng suggested.
Ninety-nine percent of the people in this town were fallen ones. Killing them was no crime.
Once they entered the Capital of Slaughter, Bibi Dong wouldn't be able to use Soul Skills to collect vital essence, so they couldn't waste this opportunity.
Bibi Dong nodded. She had read Spirit Hall's records about the Capital of Slaughter, so she knew what to do.
"Good. We can use the fallen ones' vital essence to open the passage into the Capital of Slaughter!"
The two entered the town where the fallen ones gathered, immediately drawing plenty of lecherous and greedy stares.
Those gazes weren't fixed only on Bibi Dong. Quite a few people were eyeing Ling Feng too—both men and women. They had a pretty eclectic taste.