Bright Sparrow

The Soul King had been struck repeatedly by Lin Yao and Ye Guyi, and his life force was rapidly dwindling. Just as he was about to turn and flee, the Soul Emperor unleashed his sixth Soul Skill.

A gigantic wolf's head sprouted from the ground out of nowhere and bit off the Evil Soul Master Soul King's lower body in one bite.

After taking care of the Soul King, the Soul Emperor, practiced at this sort of thing, poured oil over the corpse, struck a firestarter, and burned the body to ashes.

The Soul Emperor had been cautious and stayed within the circle ever since entering the Star Dou Great Forest. Now he watched the flames die down bit by bit, and only relaxed once he had confirmed the Evil Soul Master had been reduced entirely to ashes.

It was clear that, in the ordinary Soul Master's worldview, Evil Soul Masters were even more terrifying than Soul Beasts.

Lin Yao, of course, had no intention of rushing him. He understood that the other man was also thinking of his family's safety.

Seeing the Soul Emperor's grave demeanor, Ye Guyi turned to Lin Yao and said, "I've brought trouble to you all."

Lin Yao shook his head, then said to Ye Guyi, "It's nothing. We were bound to run into Evil Soul Masters sooner or later. Those crazed lunatics aren't the sort who'll leave you alone just because you don't bother them. By the way, how's your Soul Ring absorption going?"

Ye Guyi sighed at his words, then clenched her fist and said, "I'd absorbed half of it before those Soul Masters interrupted me. Luckily, the secret technique passed down by my ancestors protected me. Otherwise, I'd be crippled by now, and I'd have to find another suitable Soul Beast to absorb a Soul Ring from."

Lin Yao sighed and grumbled at Ye Guyi, "What a waste."

"Tell me about it," Ye Guyi said helplessly. "It's all those Evil Soul Masters' fault."

Lin Yao nodded slightly, then asked Ye Guyi, "Do you need our help?"

The Soul Emperor couldn't help raising his head slightly, but still said nothing. Clearly, if they were talking about a thousand-year Soul Beast in the outer region, it would only mean an extra couple of days' work for him.

Ye Guyi hesitated. For whatever reason, she still nodded. "Sorry for the trouble."

Lin Yao nodded. The Soul Emperor frowned briefly, then relaxed and said to Lin Yao, "Given the common traits of Soul Beasts, those with dark and light attributes probably live near each other. They'll attack and hunt one another. We might as well try our luck where you hunted your Second Soul Ring."

Lin Yao nodded. The Soul Emperor really was worthy of having grown up alongside his father. Once Lin Yao had made his decision, he immediately adjusted his thinking and began looking for ways to shorten the trip as much as possible.

As Lin Xueli's frequent right-hand man, the Soul Emperor had already weighed the pros and cons. This little girl named Ye Guyi had good potential. If he could bring her closer to the young master, she could become a useful ally for Lin Yao.

So he didn't object to Lin Yao's offer to help. After playing the bad cop for a moment, he led Lin Yao and Ye Guyi to the hunting grounds he had recommended.

Ye Guyi was hunting for her third Soul Ring. Reaching the Soul Elder rank before she was even twenty was a little surprising to Lin Yao. But according to Ye Guyi, that was mainly thanks to the Holy Angel Martial Soul's ability to rapidly gain Soul Power after killing Evil Soul Masters. Her actual foundation wasn't as solid as Lin Yao's.

The idea of solid Soul Power wasn't widely accepted in fanfiction, but in the situation they were in now, the difference was considerable.

Although Ye Guyi had ten more levels of Soul Power than Lin Yao, when it came to simply sustaining their Martial Souls, Lin Yao could keep up with her.

Even Ye Guyi—and the Soul Emperor—were surprised by how solid his Soul Power was.

Afterward, the three returned to where the Dark Earth Dragon had been. Using that spot as their center, they searched outward in every direction and soon found a suitable Soul Beast for Ye Guyi.

It was a bird-like Soul Beast resembling a crow, with golden feathers all over and a reddish glow in its eyes.

The Soul Emperor recognized the creature. He explained that it was a pure light-element Soul Beast called a Bright Sparrow. It was exceptionally friendly toward those with pure hearts, and in the past it had been used as a special test to determine whether subordinates were loyal.

But toward those with ill intentions, this Soul Beast would unleash its formidable fighting strength, making them think twice.

Ye Guyi took an interest as soon as she saw the bird-like Soul Beast. After it met her gaze, it suddenly spread its pair of golden wings and swooped down at her.

The Soul Emperor pulled Lin Yao aside, worried their hearts weren't pure enough and might interfere with the Bright Sparrow's judgment.

Seeing the two of them move away from Ye Guyi, the Bright Sparrow let out a sharp cry and immediately charged at them.

Lin Yao swung his left hand and activated Dragon Transformation. Black dragon muscles covered his arm, and he caught the Bright Sparrow by the beak with ease.

He slammed the Bright Sparrow into the ground and called to Ye Guyi, "Go ahead!"

Ye Guyi didn't hesitate any longer. She swiftly drew her golden angelic longsword.

With one thrust, she pinned the Bright Sparrow to the ground. A purple Soul Ring rose into the air. Its color was clearly paler than Lin Yao's Second Soul Ring, suggesting it had only just passed the thousand-year mark.

No wonder Lin Yao had been able to pin the Bright Sparrow to the ground so easily in his Dragon Transformation state, leaving it unable to get back up.

Ye Guyi gazed at the pale purple Soul Ring, then looked at Lin Yao with gratitude in her eyes. She nodded to him, sat cross-legged, and began absorbing it.

Lin Yao and the Soul Emperor, naturally, stayed to see the job through. They stood silently on either side, guarding her.

By the time Ye Guyi had finished absorbing the Soul Ring, dusk had fallen. After some thought, the Soul Emperor decided to find an old iron tree, hollow out a space inside it, and let the three of them rest there for the night.

That evening, Ye Guyi used her Holy Angel Martial Soul to start a fire. It wasn't an ordinary flame and gave off very little smoke, so it wouldn't attract the attention of most Soul Beasts.

"What are you going to do now? The Evil Soul Masters have their eyes on you," Lin Yao asked Ye Guyi.

She fell silent for a moment, then said to Lin Yao, "I'll take things as they come. As long as I don't die, I can grow stronger with every battle. Even the Soul King-level Evil Soul Master I stabbed to death earlier, with your help, gave me a little boost in Soul Power. I suppose that's part of the fate of having a Holy Angel Martial Soul."

Lin Yao looked at Ye Guyi, then said to her, "If you're willing, I can offer you a second path..."