Death Saintess

"Mother."

The man on the throne—Zhongli Wu, leader of the Holy Spirit Cult—rose to his feet and gave a slight nod.

The woman in black beside him, Vice Leader Feng Ling, also bowed to Ye Xishui at the same time. Yet her gaze involuntarily fell upon the tiny Castorice, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

"Wu, Ling."

Ye Xishui responded calmly and gently nudged Castorice half a step forward.

"Her name is Castorice. From this day forth, she is my personal disciple and the Holy Spirit Cult's new Death Saintess. Her status is inferior only to mine, the Supreme Offering, and the Cult Leader. To see the Saintess is to see me."

Her voice was not loud, yet it rang clearly through the entire hall, carrying unquestionable authority.

The Death Saintess, ranked only below the Supreme Cult Leader, the Supreme Offering, and the Cult Leader.

A wave of soft gasps immediately rose within the hall. Every Evil Soul Master's gaze upon the silver-haired, violet-eyed little girl changed at once, filled with shock, reverence, and all manner of complicated calculations.

This meant that this seemingly frail little girl had leapt in a single bound into the ranks of the most powerful figures in the Holy Spirit Cult.

Castorice could feel countless gazes settling on her—probing, greedy, wary.

Her mind was clear as still water. The title of Death Saintess sounded illustrious, but within this Evil Soul Master den where the strong devoured the weak and strength reigned supreme, status without matching power and value was nothing more than a castle in the air.

The only things she could rely on were this body's formidable talent and Ye Xishui's temporary favor.

If the talent she displayed did not live up to the title of Death Saintess, Ye Xishui would abandon her sooner or later, and the other Evil Soul Masters would not obey her either.

Only by displaying her talent and value could she truly gain a foothold in the Holy Spirit Cult. Fortunately, she had no doubt whatsoever about this body's talent.

Innate Martial Soul Awakening was even rarer than Innate Full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls. Especially after martial soul awakening ceremonies came into existence, those born with Innate Martial Soul Awakening had become fewer and fewer.

Although Innate Martial Soul Awakening did not necessarily mean greater talent than Innate Full Soul Power or Twin Martial Souls, Castorice's talent was unquestionably above both.

For a proper comparison, one would at least have to compare it to a God-given Martial Soul.

Though she did not possess the innate twentieth-level Soul Power of a God-given Martial Soul, her essence was the same—perhaps even higher.

After all, whether it was Ronova, Archon of Death, or Castorice, Demigod of Death, both were qualified to be called deities in this world.

"Feiyan."

Ye Xishui spoke again.

A petite figure flashed forth like a crimson shadow. It was Feiyan, the Scarlet Douluo from before. She dropped to one knee and said respectfully,

"This subordinate is here. Please give your orders, Supreme Cult Leader."

"From this day forth, you will serve as the Death Saintess's protector."

A trace of icy killing intent entered Ye Xishui's voice.

"If anything happens to the Saintess, bring your head to me."

Feiyan's delicate body trembled slightly, but she immediately answered without hesitation,

"This subordinate swears upon her soul: so long as Feiyan still draws breath, I will never allow anyone to harm the Saintess in the slightest. Whoever wishes to harm the Saintess must first step over my corpse."

She raised her head, her gaze toward Castorice complicated and unreadable.

Not long ago, she had still been considering taking this child as her disciple. In the blink of an eye, she had become the child's protector.

This shift in status inevitably left her feeling somewhat awkward and absurd.

Yet having personally experienced that terrifying power of death that killed at a touch, she understood better than anyone the dreadful potential contained within this Death Saintess.

As long as Castorice did not fall midway, her future accomplishments might even surpass Ye Xishui and the Supreme Offering, Long Xiaoyao, allowing her to become the true pillar supporting the heavens of the Holy Spirit Cult.

At that thought, the small trace of awkwardness in Feiyan's heart was swiftly replaced by burning fervor.

She had been stuck at level ninety-seven for far, far too long, with almost no hope of breaking through.

If she could protect this Death Saintess as she grew, then as her protector who had rendered the service of backing a rising dragon, Feiyan might truly gain a sliver of opportunity to break through her shackles and enter a higher realm.

Though she looked like an immature little girl, her actual age was already far from young. Her thirst for power far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Very good."

Ye Xishui seemed rather satisfied with Feiyan's attitude. She looked back at Castorice, and her tone softened.

"Castorice, Feiyan will protect you from now on. If there is anything you do not understand in your cultivation, you may ask her, or come directly to your master."

Castorice nodded obediently. Her violet eyes lowered, concealing every thought within them, as she respectfully bowed to Ye Xishui.

"Yes, Master. This disciple understands."

She knew that from this moment onward, she had truly stepped into the heart of the darkest vortex on this Douluo Continent.

Death Saintess... this title was both a talisman and a death warrant.

She had to tread carefully along this blade's edge, making use of every resource available to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

For survival, and for her original body.

Within an exquisite courtyard, a pool of emerald water reflected the sky and drifting clouds. Several brightly colored carp leisurely flicked their tails through the water.

Yin Chen stood beside the pool, mechanically scattering fish food from his hand bit by bit. As he watched the fish scramble to peck at it, ripples spread across the surface.

His gaze appeared focused, but his thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere.

Castorice had become Ye Xishui's disciple and the Holy Spirit Cult's Death Saintess, temporarily gaining a relatively safe place to stand.

This outcome loosened the tightly drawn strings in his heart somewhat.

Becoming an Evil Soul Master was naturally never what he wanted. Entering such a filthy, dark place would mark him forever, making it difficult to cleanse his reputation afterward. He was not Ma Xiaotao or Tang Ya, with Shrek Academy standing behind him.

But in the face of life and death, he had no choice.

For survival, for the power sufficient to pry fate itself loose, he could resort to any means, even if that meant borrowing the power of darkness.

"Only when one surpasses one's own fear and rises above all living beings can one attain true 'peace of mind'..."

In Yin Chen's mind, the Peace-of-Mind Theory of a certain blond vampire surfaced involuntarily.

Though it sounded somewhat extreme, he agreed with it deeply.

In his previous life, he had been a corporate beast. Even during the National Day holiday, a single call from his boss had summoned him back to work overtime. He had tasted enough of that helpless feeling, of having his fate controlled by others—and he hated it to the bone.

Having finally come to this world of Soul Masters, a world with extraordinary power, with the key to becoming stronger in his hands, how could he remain content with mediocrity? How could he tolerate having his fate ruled by others again?

Stripped of all its tender and affectionate veils, this world's essence remained the naked law of the strong devouring the weak.

What was more, this era concealed far too many crises and injustices.

In the God Realm, that God King Tang San was violating the rules to interfere, treating the lower realm as a chessboard.

On the continent, a luck-blessed cheater was about to rise. Even more despairingly, the traditional road to godhood—Godhood Inheritance—had almost completely been cut off.