Suotuo City

At this moment, Lin Ze'an turned to Hu Liena and asked with a slight frown, "By the way, Senior Sister, what did you say His Holiness the Pope sent you all to do?"

Hu Liena had only just recovered from the shock. Hearing Lin Ze'an's question, she immediately answered with a serious expression, "Although the trial earlier shook the mainland and kept those Evil Soul Masters from showing their faces for a while..."

"But over the past year, Evil Soul Masters have been popping up from time to time in some remote villages and towns, stirring up trouble again."

She sighed, a trace of gravity flashing in her eyes. "So my teacher sent us to assist the Spirit Branch Halls in hunting down the Evil Soul Masters hiding in the shadows."

At that, Lin Ze'an raised his brows slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Evil Soul Masters? Had the warning two years ago not been enough? They actually still dared to cause trouble.

Besides, surely the Spirit Branch Halls could deal with a few Evil Soul Masters hiding in the shadows?

If the gap in strength were really that great, would the branch hall's bishop still be alive?

With that thought, he turned to Hu Liena and said, "Senior Sister, sorry for the trouble, but please report to His Holiness the Pope that I'll take this mission."

Hu Liena froze slightly, clearly not expecting Lin Ze'an to volunteer.

She hesitated, her gaze lingering on him for a moment, but in the end she nodded. "All right. I'll report it to my teacher."

Her junior brother was no longer the child who had first entered Spirit Hall.

Whether it was his strength, ability, or standing, she had no grounds to refuse him.

Just then, Golden Crocodile walked over at an unhurried pace and said with concern, "More experience is a good thing, but those Evil Soul Masters are especially cunning and ruthless."

As he spoke, he turned to Ghost Leopard and Ling Yuan in the distance. "Have those two go with you. They won't interfere with your mission; they'll only protect you from the shadows."

At that, Lin Ze'an nodded and gave Golden Crocodile a smile and a hug. "Great-grandfather, don't worry. I'm not a child anymore. I know what I'm doing."

Then he turned to Hu Liena and smiled. "Senior Sister, give me the intel."

Hu Liena handed Lin Ze'an a sealed scroll and said softly, "It contains detailed information about this mission. Read it carefully on the way...and stay safe."

Lin Ze'an gave a quiet acknowledgment, took the intel, and skimmed it quickly before storing the scroll in his Soul Tool.

Immediately afterward, pale green life force surged around him, and he rose into the air.

The next moment, Lin Ze'an's figure became a streak of emerald light, speeding toward the distant horizon.

Seeing this, Ghost Leopard and Ling Yuan, who had been standing by, exchanged a look. Their expressions turned grave.

They straightened their robes and hurriedly bowed to Golden Crocodile Douluo. "Second Worship, we'll catch up now."

As soon as the words left their mouths, Soul Power surged around them. They shot into the air and turned into two streaks of light, following close behind Lin Ze'an.

This was a real headache. Ever since their young elder had reached level fifty, he could fly without restriction—and he was incredibly fast, too.

Every time the two of them lost focus for even a moment, he'd already flown off to who knew where.

A few days later, Lin Ze'an descended slowly in front of a rather remote little city.

He lifted his head slightly, his gaze settling on the somewhat weathered sign above the city gate.

Suotuo City?

Wasn't Shrek Academy, where Tang San was, near Suotuo City around this time?

Seeing it for himself was better than hearing about it a hundred times. If he got the chance, he really wanted to meet Yu Xiaogang, the so-called master of theory.

But that wasn't important. He should deal with the Evil Soul Masters first.

Still...putting the Spirit Branch Hall aside, Shrek alone had two Soul Saints in this little city. How could these Evil Soul Masters still act so brazenly?

With that thought, Lin Ze'an put the matter out of his mind and walked straight into the city.

The moment he passed through the gate, air thick with all kinds of odors washed over him.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his discomfort, and walked toward a roadside stall nearby.

It was a bustling barbecue stand. Several plump rabbits sat over the coals, their fat dripping onto the fire with a sizzling sound as their aroma filled the air.

"Hello." Lin Ze'an walked up to the stall and said softly to the owner, "Two roasted Soft Bone Rabbits."

The owner saw Lin Ze'an's fine clothes, and his eyes immediately lit up. He greeted him enthusiastically. "Oh, esteemed guest! You've come to just the right place!"

"Our roasted Soft Bone Rabbits are cooked with the finest spices—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and wonderfully fragrant! I guarantee you'll want more!"

As he spoke, the owner deftly took two golden, glistening Soft Bone Rabbits off the coals.

Then he carefully wrapped the roasted rabbits in clean oil paper and handed them to Lin Ze'an.

But, as was to be expected, something unexpected happened.

Just as Lin Ze'an was about to take the roasted Soft Bone Rabbits, his brow suddenly furrowed. His body instinctively leaned back as he shoved the owner away.

"Watch out!"

"Bang!"

The next moment, a dark figure, wrapped in a fierce aura, came crashing down like a cannonball and slammed straight into the barbecue stand's brazier!

Coals flew, the grill collapsed, oil and sparks scattered everywhere, and the roasted Soft Bone Rabbits fell to the ground and rolled into the ash.

Lin Ze'an landed steadily and turned to look in the direction the figure had come from.

Not far away, several Spirit Hall Soul Masters were chasing a woman wearing a veil.

A thick scent of blood clung to the woman—but it wasn't from bloodstains. It was clearly...

"An Evil Soul Master?"

He glanced at the figure lying on the ground beside him. His brow furrowed, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.

That woman was at most a Soul King. How could this many people surround her and still beat her into such a state? They were going easy on her.

With that thought, Lin Ze'an gave a cold snort. "Since I've run into her, there's no reason to let her go."

He flashed forward, Soul Power surging beneath his feet. In just a few breaths, he overtook the veiled woman fleeing ahead and appeared in front of her.

But the veiled woman was running for her life and didn't notice the obstruction in her path at all.

Only when Lin Ze'an suddenly appeared before her did her eyes widen in terror. She tried to stop, but it was already too late.

"Bang!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he slammed a palm infused with life force into the veiled woman's chest.

"Argh—!"

The veiled woman let out a piercing scream and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily to the ground.

She struggled to get up, but the agony in her chest made her whole body tremble. A mouthful of blood burst from her mouth and splattered across the ground.

"Who...who are you?!" She raised her head. Her veil was soaked with blood, and her eyes were filled with terror.

Everything had happened so quickly that no one had time to react.

The Spirit Hall Soul Masters close behind came to an abrupt stop and looked at Lin Ze'an warily.