The Evil Soul Master Organization, Holy Soul Cult

Ning Yuan kept flipping through it and discovered that it was an experiment log.

It seemed to be an experiment of some sort, combining soul beasts with humans, and the people who had been captured were the consumable materials.

Ning Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. Who on earth was carrying out such an inhuman experiment?

They were complete madmen!

"What's wrong?"

Hu Liena turned her head and saw that Ning Yuan's expression was off.

Ning Yuan said nothing. With a grave expression, he simply handed the experiment log to Hu Liena.

As Hu Liena flipped through it, the expression on her face grew more and more solemn.

"This is... the Holy Soul Cult?"

"The Holy Soul Cult?"

Ning Yuan had never heard the term before.

Hu Liena solemnly closed the notebook, then explained.

"The records inside Spirit Hall mention that this Holy Soul Cult is a group of madmen trying to create martial souls artificially."

"They deluded themselves into thinking they could find a way to force soul beasts into ordinary people's bodies and form beast martial souls, creating a batch of soul masters."

"To that end, they used large numbers of humans and soul beasts for experiments."

"But this act defied the natural order too greatly. The people of the Holy Soul Cult have been encircled and suppressed many times by Spirit Hall and other sects."

"It's just that, for some reason, they've appeared again recently."

Hearing this, Ning Yuan fell silent in thought for a moment.

"In that case, what happened here isn't that simple. Evil soul masters have resurfaced. Looks like we have to report this immediately."

"You're right. We need to hurry back. The longer we delay, the more likely something will change."

After sending the rescued people back to their homes, the group did not linger for long.

They prepared to get in the carriage and return to Spirit City.

But just as they set off...

A figure descended from the sky not far away.

Everyone focused their eyes and saw that it was Chrysanthemum Douluo, Yue Guan.

"You're... all right?"

As soon as Yue Guan arrived, he asked with concern.

The moment the people below reported that there had been a change in the Qingyuan Village mission, and that figures suspected to belong to the Holy Soul Cult had appeared there...

And after learning that Hu Liena, the Holy Maiden, Ning Yuan, whom His Holiness the Pope valued, and the two innate full soul power students from the Heaven Class—several of Spirit Hall's geniuses—had all taken part in this mission...

Yue Guan had also feared something might happen to them.

So he immediately arranged for backup personnel and rushed over first himself.

"Elder Yue Guan."

After getting out of the carriage, the group bowed respectfully.

Hu Liena replied, "We're fine. The Qingyuan Village mission has been completed, and we were just about to go back and hand it in."

Yue Guan's expression changed slightly. He strode forward quickly, his gaze sweeping over Ning Yuan and Hu Liena from head to toe. Only after confirming that neither of them had any obvious external injuries did his furrowed brow ease slightly.

If anything had happened to these two people valued by His Holiness the Pope, then his time as an elder would have come to an end.

"Holy Maiden, they came to do the mission. Why did you come along too?"

Hu Liena looked exactly like a child caught in the act by an elder at home after doing something wrong.

"Well... I was just passing by, so I came along with them..."

Yue Guan was speechless for a moment. This Hu Liena...

Fortunately, everyone was safe and sound.

"I received an emergency notice from the Mission Hall saying that the information on the Qingyuan Village mission had been updated. Its actual level was high-risk."

"At the very least, only a Soul Ancestor or Soul King would be qualified to accept this mission."

Yue Guan's voice lowered a little.

"The information update came too late."

Hu Liena shook her head.

"We've already dealt with it."

"Dealt with it?" Yue Guan's pupils contracted slightly. "You lot... dealt with it?"

According to the information reported by his subordinates, there were suspected evil soul masters active here.

Could those little brats really come away from evil soul masters safe and sound?

Ning Yuan nodded and still answered very calmly.

"There were traces of the Holy Soul Cult in a secret chamber beneath the village ancestral hall, but we were lucky. We didn't run into any evil soul masters."

"We also found the people who went missing in the original mission. The ones who were still alive have already been sent home."

"The Holy Soul Cult?"

After hearing that name, Yue Guan was shaken.

He knew plenty about the Holy Soul Cult.

When he was young, he had even joined Spirit Hall's forces in a campaign to encircle and suppress them.

For these children to come out from under the hands of people like that safe and sound, it probably was not as simple as mere luck.

Yue Guan slowly breathed out, a trace of gravity entering his tone. "Tell me in detail. What exactly happened?"

Hu Liena immediately recounted the battle in the ancestral hall.

In particular, she focused on Ning Yuan's performance.

"...It was all thanks to junior brother Ning Yuan."

"If not for him, all of us would have died in there."

The more Yue Guan listened, the more astonished he became.

He looked at Ning Yuan, his eyes filled with shock.

Yue Guan knew Hu Liena's strength better than anyone.

Although Ning Yuan had defeated Yan last time, part of that had been because Yan had underestimated him.

Hu Liena could also defeat Yan head-on.

But who would have thought that, without anyone realizing it, Ning Yuan's strength had already surpassed Hu Liena's by this much?

Good kid. His Holiness the Pope truly had not misjudged him.

Only when Hu Liena mentioned those abnormal soul beasts did Yue Guan's brows knit tightly.

They were only ordinary hundred-year and thousand-year soul beasts, yet after their qualitative change, they became frenzied and displayed combat power far beyond their age.

It seemed the Holy Soul Cult had made even further progress in its terrifying research this time.

After he returned, he had to report what had happened here to the Pope at once and send people as soon as possible to eradicate the Holy Soul Cult remnants.

After a long while, Yue Guan sighed softly. "...All right."

"Perfect timing. The people Spirit Hall sent should arrive soon. Have them take you back in a bit."

"I need to return ahead of you."

With that, he suddenly soared into the air, turning into a streak of flowing light as he flew toward Spirit City.

Before long, Spirit Hall's deacons arrived and escorted Ning Yuan and the others back.

At that moment, the carriage had been quiet the entire way.

Luo Lie leaned against the carriage wall, temporary bandages wrapped around his chest. His face was still a little pale, but at least he could sit up on his own.

Lin Xiao was in slightly better condition. There were just a few claw marks on his right arm so deep the bone was visible. Medicine had already been applied, and they were no longer bleeding.

Neither of them was in a particularly good state of mind right now.

They had thought themselves geniuses, only to be taught a lesson by reality. They had witnessed the cruelty of the soul master world, and they had also seen what a true genius was!

Hu Liena sat across from Ning Yuan, her gaze fixed on him the whole time, as if she were reevaluating him.

All along, she had treated Ning Yuan as a junior brother with a little more talent and a cuter face.

But she had never expected that this junior brother's strength had already grown to the point where even she needed to look up to him.

Comparing people really could make one die of frustration!

The coachman had the token checked at the city gate, and the carriage drove straight into Spirit City's inner city.

"Let's turn in the mission first."

Ning Yuan spoke, breaking the silence.

"Lin Xiao, take Luo Lie to get treated. I'll go to the mission hall alone."

"By yourself?" Lin Xiao frowned. "We accepted the mission together, so we have to turn it in together."

"If you go like this, they'll have to bandage you first before handling the paperwork. It'll waste time."

Ning Yuan's tone allowed no refusal.

"Luo Lie's injuries can't be delayed. Take him for treatment first."

Lin Xiao was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

After that battle, the two of them had already realized the gap in strength between themselves and Ning Yuan.

Their so-called genius pride from before was gone.

"Ning Yuan, I won't say anything else. You saved my life, so from now on, I'll follow your lead."

Luo Lie cupped his fists in salute. He said those cringey words only to tug at his wound because his movements were too big.

"Enough. Hurry up and get treated. If you go any later, your wound won't heal worth a damn."

Ning Yuan laughed and cursed.

Hu Liena spoke up then. "I'll go with you to the mission hall. I'm the Holy Maiden, at least. My words carry more weight than yours."

Ning Yuan thought it over and did not refuse.

Inside the Supreme Pontiff's Palace, the lights blazed brightly.

Bibi Dong's delicate brows were tightly furrowed.

"The Holy Soul Cult has returned?"