Evil Soul Master

The members of the merchant caravan stopped one after another. Some led their horses off to feed, while others were preparing to set up pots and light fires to cook.

Seeing that night had indeed fallen, the driver of Yao Shi's rented carriage thought it would be safer with so many people around and decided to stop here with them to rest.

Half an hour later.

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a light knock on Yao Shi's carriage from outside. Yao Shi got up and stepped out, only to see a purple-haired woman standing before the carriage with a bowl of rice in her hands. The driver had long since been pulled away by one of the caravan guards to eat.

The moment Xu Jiujiu saw Yao Shi's face, she could not help but freeze.

Heavens, this girl was so beautiful!

Judging by her appearance, she should be a year or two younger than me.

Xu Jiujiu had always considered her own beauty among the finest in the Star Luo Empire, yet after seeing Yao Shi's face, she could not help feeling dim in comparison.

Yao Shi looked at the stunned Xu Jiujiu and asked in confusion, "Is something wrong?"

Only then did Xu Jiujiu come back to her senses. Realizing she had lost her composure, she hurriedly said, "Hello, little sister. I saw that you've been traveling all day and probably haven't eaten, so I brought you something. Oh, right, my name is Jiujiu. I'm the... manager of this caravan. Yes, the manager." Her words clearly paused near the end.

Yao Shi glanced at the girl before him, then at the rice in her hands. He slowly accepted it and smiled gently. "Thank you for the food. My name is Yao Shi, and I'm actually a boy."

"You're welcome, little sis—" Seeing the little girl take the food, Xu Jiujiu smiled politely, but then abruptly realized what he had said. "What?! You said you're a boy?"

Xu Jiujiu covered her mouth with both hands and stared at Yao Shi in utter disbelief.

Yao Shi took a few bites of rice before answering, "That's right. I may look a little like a girl, so lots of people mistake me at first, but I'm absolutely a sunny young man."

Hearing Xu Jiujiu's startled cry, Qing Ya rushed over in a panic. "What happened? What happened?"

Then she, too, froze the instant she saw Yao Shi.

When Xu Jiujiu saw Qing Ya approach, she leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Qing Ya also cried out in shock.

"What?! A boy?"

As her words fell, both women stared at Yao Shi in disbelief. Forgetting about noble interests or whether they were being improper, they both stepped forward to inspect him.

Qing Ya was the first to gently poke Yao Shi's cheek.

Mm, skin whiter than snow, soft enough to break with a puff. No matter how she looked at him, he did not resemble a boy!

Xu Jiujiu, meanwhile, stared intently at Yao Shi's chest. Mm, it was so flat there. That really did look rather boyish.

"Enough, stop overthinking it. I really am a boy." As though he had seen through their thoughts, Yao Shi rubbed his forehead and spoke helplessly.

Looks like I'll need to wear a mask from now on.

After that brief interlude, the three of them quickly sat down and began chatting.

Yao Shi learned that their merchant caravan had just returned from the Heaven Dou Empire and was now heading back to the Star Luo Empire. Their route would pass through the Mingdou Mountains, which was also Yao Shi's destination. He intended to cross through the mountains into the Sun Moon Empire.

"By the way, little brother Yao Shi, where are you planning to go all alone in a carriage?"

After learning that Yao Shi was only thirteen years old, Qing Ya was curious why he had traveled here alone.

"I'm planning to go to the Sun Moon Empire to study Soul Tools."

Yao Shi did not hide it and directly told them his destination.

The two women froze. Just as Xu Jiujiu was about to say something, the surroundings suddenly turned cold and grim. Waves of sinister aura began spreading throughout the entire merchant caravan.

"Hehehehe! I never expected that after slaughtering a village, I'd run into another merchant caravan here—and they're all Soul Masters. Let your souls become nourishment for my Blood Scythe Martial Soul, hehehehe!"

Mocking laughter came from the woods in the darkness.

As the sinister laughter faded, dense gray-black mist surged toward the caravan from every direction, carrying a chilling Soul Power that made one's hair stand on end.

"Stay alert! Prepare for battle! Something's wrong!"

"Protect Master Qing Ya and Miss Jiujiu!"

The instant that Soul Power appeared, Uncle Mu and the Soul King reacted. They hurriedly shouted for the guards to stand ready.

Upon hearing this, dozens of guards immediately moved to Yao Shi and the others, forming a perimeter around them and guarding them tightly.

Whoosh!

A gust of eerie wind swept past, and the campfires that had been used for cooking instantly went out. The area was plunged into pitch-black darkness, with only the moonlight allowing them to make out their surroundings.

One guard had just activated a Soul Tool lamp and was about to illuminate the area.

"Aahhh—"

With a wet puff, his hand fell and the lamp dropped. The guard immediately collapsed to his knees, clutching his severed right hand as blood continued to gush from it, crying out in pain.

Then the cold voice let out another eerie chuckle. "As expected, the flesh and blood of Soul Masters is much more delicious, hehehe."

As he spoke, a black-robed figure slowly emerged from the bushes.

Under the moonlight, they could vaguely see a blood-red scythe strapped to his back. At that moment, he was gnawing on a severed arm.

"E-Evil Soul Master!"

Seeing the person before them, panic flashed through Uncle Mu's eyes. He instantly summoned a tiger-striped staff, and six soul rings appeared behind him.

"Oh! A Soul Emperor? Interesting." The Evil Soul Master sneered mockingly after seeing Uncle Mu's soul rings.

At this moment, Xu Jiujiu beside Yao Shi also summoned her Star Crown Martial Soul. The starlight brought forth by the Star Crown instantly illuminated the entire area.

Seeing this, the Blood Scythe Evil Soul Master flashed forward, knocking down several Soul Elders on the outer perimeter as he attempted to kill Xu Jiujiu.

Fortunately, Uncle Mu reacted quickly. Just before the Evil Soul Master reached her, he raised his staff to block, barely forcing him back.

So strong. This Evil Soul Master is certainly no weaker than me!

After barely driving back the Evil Soul Master, Uncle Mu felt the slight numbness in his right hand from blocking the attack. His eyes darkened as he thought to himself.

At that moment, the Evil Soul Master suddenly revealed his soul rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

A seven-ring Soul Sage!!

The hearts of everyone in the merchant caravan, including Uncle Mu the Soul Emperor, instantly sank to the bottom. Those ruthless Evil Soul Masters possessed the ability to fight above their rank. If he had been another Soul Emperor, they might have had a chance by relying on their numerical advantage.

But this Evil Soul Master had actually reached the cultivation of a Soul Sage. Compared to an ordinary Soul Master, he possessed strength capable of matching a Spirit Douluo!

Their strongest members were merely a Soul King and a Soul Emperor. By now, they all knew the outcome.

They were finished!

The instant the Blood Scythe Evil Soul Master released his soul rings, a baleful aura surged from his body. Around his blood-red scythe, hundreds of resentful spirits could vaguely be seen circling.