Ouyang Zixin's Unexpected Encounter

The clear, ethereal chime pierced through every clamor in the alley, drifting lightly between the blue-brick walls.

It silently crushed everyone present.

The few junior students of Mu Xi who had just fled back in panic and huddled trembling in the corner had no time to react. Their heads sank, their eyelids rolled back, and they collapsed limply in unison, falling into a deep sleep.

There was no pain and no injury throughout the entire process. Their consciousness had merely been shattered by the pure pressure, and they fainted peacefully without the slightest wound.

The next second, the light and shadows at the alley entrance shifted faintly.

A petite, doll-like girl slowly walked into the alley.

She looked barely more than ten years old, with porcelain-white skin and delicate features like a jade doll carved by hand. Her eyes were clear, yet carried an aloof indifference that did not belong to a child.

A short dress of soft white gauze fell lightly around her, its hem layered upon layered, with several tiny bells scattered across every layer of fabric. They swayed with her gentle steps, endlessly releasing crisp, ethereal chimes.

Her smooth long hair lay loosely over her shoulders. She was slender and petite, looking innocent and harmless, like an exquisite porcelain doll untouched by the mortal world.

Yet this seemingly frail little bell girl quickly caused the atmosphere throughout the entire alley to stiffen.

The viciousness on Guang Biao's face froze abruptly.

His previously arrogant and domineering expression faded inch by inch. Every hair on his body stood on end, his heart seeming to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

An absolute pressure far beyond his understanding weighed heavily upon his soul.

He had roamed the Eastsea for years as a six-ring Soul Emperor and had encountered many high-level soul masters, but he had never felt such suffocating pressure—pressure so overwhelming that it robbed him of even the courage to raise a hand.

The little girl before him looked harmless, yet merely standing there made him feel uncomfortable. Even the ferocious glint in his eyes had completely dimmed.

He stood frozen in place, his entire body stiff. Cold sweat instantly soaked through his skin, and he no longer had the courage to take even half a step forward.

The dozen or so burly men around him were even more terrified, their legs trembling as they instinctively halted every movement. Their fists clenched tight, and none dared draw any closer.

No one dared to surround them or act recklessly anymore.

At the same time, every trace of lazy youthful air vanished from Lin Xun.

The easygoing warmth in his brows and eyes had completely frozen over. There was no longer the slightest trace of teasing amusement in his gaze, only bone-deep indifference.

He held the unconscious, pale Mu Xi securely in both arms. His movements were gentle and steady, but the aura radiating from him was so cold that the temperature in the entire alley plummeted.

He could not even be bothered to look at Guang Biao and his group.

Carrying Mu Xi, he walked forward with calm, steady steps, passing through the frozen crowd one step at a time.

As they brushed past each other, Lin Xun's thin lips parted. His voice was icy and devoid of emotion, carrying only absolute indifference.

"Clean it up. Don't expose me."

As his words fell—

The ethereal bell chimes suddenly turned deep and gloomy.

Guang Biao's pupils shrank sharply. The blood throughout his body seemed to freeze in an instant as an extreme premonition of death completely enveloped him.

As Lin Xun carried Mu Xi and slowly walked out of the alley, endless, somber bell chimes crashed down from above.

The fear of death utterly tore apart all of Guang Biao's composure.

Ignoring the agonizing tremors in his soul, his eyes turned bloodshot as he let out a furious roar. The soul power of his six-ring Soul Emperor cultivation exploded from within him, six brilliant soul rings rising one after another as he tried to break free from the strange restraint and fight for his life.

At the same time, the heavy mech parked in the alley roared to life, its cannons charging with high-energy beams. Its limbs tensed, ready to stomp forward into a charge.

He was the renowned captain of an Eastsea mech squadron, a six-ring Soul Emperor who had dominated the region for years. He would never submit without a fight!

But all resistance was futile.

Nana Li gently pressed down with her soft, fair little hand.

Terrifying pressure instantly locked down the entire space.

The soul rings that had just risen into the air shattered at once. His surging soul power was abruptly cut off, his meridians locked shut so tightly that he could not summon even a fraction of his strength.

Guang Biao's entire body shook violently. A mouthful of blood rose in his throat, and the peak outburst he had staked everything on was like an ant trying to shake the heavens before that power—it was completely snuffed out.

The next instant—

White smoke burst from the mech throughout the alley, and its hard alloy armor visibly cracked apart.

In only a moment, the expensive, heavily armed mech collapsed with a thunderous crash, turning into a pool of scorching scrap metal and vanishing completely.

The dozen or so burly men holding weapons did not even have time to scream. Their bodies, along with every trace of their presence, were instantly erased by the power of the bells.

The entire alley fell deathly silent in an instant.

Guang Biao stood stiffly where he was, his soul nearly leaving his body, his eyes filled with utter despair.

In a mere instant, the power, mech, and six-ring cultivation he had been so proud of had all become a joke.

Nana Li's gaze remained calm. The bells on her skirt swayed softly as she stood quietly at the alley entrance.

Her expression held only cold indifference.

Everyone and everything that interfered with Lin Xun's actions had to be swept away.

At the same time, inside the Soul Planning Hall.

The dim and solemn hall was shrouded year-round in a faint holy radiance. The entire hall was ancient and pure white, and at its center stood a massive white statue of the Angel God. Its wings were spread wide, its gaze compassionate as layers of gentle holy light poured down, suppressing all sinister auras within the hall.

Dozens of Soul Planning Hall disciples stood solemnly in neat rows within the hall, heads bowed and hands clasped in prayer.

Among them, Zhou Changxi stood quietly in the crowd in plain white robes, his posture straight and upright. His mind was calm and focused as he joined the others in receiving the sacred grace bestowed by the divine statue.

Over this period of time, he had gradually grown accustomed to life at the Soul Planning Hall. At first, he had found it difficult to settle his mind during prayers. Now, he could calmly and naturally complete the entire prayer ritual.

Upon the high platform at the very front, Ci Nian, the bishop of Donghai City's Soul Planning Hall, stood with her hands behind her back. Her robes hung gracefully, her bearing lofty and imposing. Dense, holy soul power swirled around her as she presided over the entire hall.

The hall was tranquil and peaceful. Holy radiance flowed through it, and all things rested in serenity.

But in the very next second.

Without any warning, the Angel God statue at the center suddenly began to tremble violently!

The originally gentle, soft holy light surged several times brighter in an instant. Blinding golden-white beams shot into the sky, flooding the entire hall as a savage divine pressure erupted.

All the disciples stiffened at once from the shock. Their prayers came to an abrupt halt, and an inexplicable, chilling sense of danger rose within their hearts.

The peaceful sacred grace suddenly transformed into a force of judgment directed at evil and filth.

Ci Nian's eyes narrowed sharply. The warmth in her features was instantly replaced by icy solemnity, and the soul power around her erupted.

The Angel God statue of the Soul Planning Hall had another function: within a certain range, if someone like an evil soul master used soul power on a large scale, it would issue a warning.

She raised her head and stared fixedly at the Angel God statue blazing with light, keenly catching that sinister fluctuation of soul power.

"Evil soul master..."

The disturbance in the alley had finally come to an end.

Lin Xun looked at Mu Xi in his arms, her face pale and still unconscious, and felt somewhat helpless.

The sudden incident had caught him completely off guard. He had only intended to return to the academy, yet he had been dragged into trouble by the situation Mu Xi had deliberately arranged, and things had ultimately escalated to this point.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xun simply decided to find a nearby hotel and settle her in, then wait for her to wake up on her own.

Carrying Mu Xi's soft, slender body in his arms, he walked steadily toward an elegant chain hotel by the street and pushed open the door.

Warm yellow hotel lights spilled down, gently enveloping the two of them. The youth, tall and straight, carefully carried the unconscious girl inside.

No one could have expected that beneath a roadside tree across from the hotel, a slender figure was walking over at a brisk pace.

Ouyang Zixin carried a plain cloth bag in her hand. Taking advantage of the coolness of the evening, she had originally planned to go out and buy some daily necessities.

But the moment she looked up toward the hotel entrance, her entire body froze where she stood.

Rustle...

Her fingers suddenly went limp, and the cloth bag fell straight to the ground. Its opening loosened slightly, and scattered items rolled out.

Yet she noticed none of it. All of her attention was tightly seized by the two figures at the hotel entrance.

The last warmth of the sunset had faded. The evening wind swept through the streets, tossing the girl's hair into disarray, but her entire body was rigid like a stone statue, even her breathing stopping in an instant.

She saw it clearly.

Her ex-boyfriend, Lin Xun, was carefully carrying a tall, strikingly beautiful girl in his arms as he walked into the hotel lobby.

The girl's eyes were closed as she rested peacefully against his chest, her posture intimate, looking entirely like someone being carefully cherished.

And that girl was her best friend.

Mu Xi.

At that moment.

The evening wind fell silent, and even the traffic made no sound.