Evil Soul Master

Upon hearing this, the members of the caravan stopped one after another. Some led their horses away to feed them, 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 simply stayed to rest with them.

Half an hour later.

Knock, knock, knock.

Yao Shi's carriage compartment was lightly knocked on from outside. He 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 is so pretty!

Judging by her appearance, she should be one or two years younger than me.

She had always considered her own looks among the finest in the Star Luo Empire, yet upon seeing Yao Shi's face, she could not help feeling somewhat overshadowed by him.

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

Xu Jiujiu finally came back to her senses. Clearly realizing that she had lost her composure, she hurriedly said, "Hello, little sister. I saw that you've been traveling all day, so you probably haven't eaten. I wanted to bring you something to eat. Oh, right, my name is Jiujiu. I'm the caravan's... manager. Yes, manager." Her words noticeably paused at the end.

Yao Shi looked at the girl before him, then at the rice in her hands. He slowly reached out and accepted it, smiling 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 accept her food, Xu Jiujiu smiled and replied politely, but then suddenly processed what he had said. "What?! You said you're a boy?"

Xu Jiujiu covered her mouth with both hands, staring at Yao Shi in utter disbelief.

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

Hearing Xu Jiujiu's shocked cry, Qing Ya rushed over in a fluster. "What happened? What's going on?"

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

Seeing Qing Ya approach, Xu Jiujiu leaned close and whispered something into her ear. Qing Ya also cried out in shock.

"What?! A boy?"

As soon as those words fell, both women stared at Yao Shi in disbelief. Forgetting all about noble interests or whether they were being improper, they stepped forward and began examining him.

Qing Ya first gently poked Yao Shi's cheek.

Mm, skin whiter than snow, so delicate it looked like it would break at a touch. 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 did look rather like a boy's.

"All right, don't overthink it. I really am a boy." Seemingly seeing through their thoughts, Yao Shi rubbed his forehead and spoke helplessly.

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

After that little episode, the three of them soon sat down and began chatting.

Yao Shi learned that their caravan had just returned from the Heavenly Soul 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 planned to cross the mountain range into the Sun Moon Empire.

"By the way, little brother Yao Shi, where are you going all by yourself in a carriage?"

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

"I'm planning to go to the Sun Moon Empire to study soul guide devices."

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

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

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

A mocking voice came from the forest in the darkness.

As that sinister laughter faded, dense grayish-black mist surged toward the caravan from every direction, accompanied by 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 the order, dozens of guards immediately moved to Yao Shi and the others, forming a perimeter around them and guarding them tightly.

Whoosh!

A gust of cold wind swept through, extinguishing all the campfires that had been used for cooking. The area instantly became pitch-black, 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.

"Aaargh—"

But with a muffled splat, his hand fell and the lamp dropped. The guard immediately collapsed to his knees, clutching his right hand, which had been severed halfway through and was still gushing blood, crying out in agony.

Then that chilling voice gave a strange, sinister laugh. "As expected, a soul master's flesh and blood is far more delicious. Hehehehe."

As it spoke, a figure in a black robe slowly emerged from the bushes.

Under the moonlight, they could vaguely see a blood-red scythe on his back, while he was currently gnawing on a severed arm.

"An... an evil soul master!"

Seeing the appearance of the man before them, a trace of 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 saw Uncle Mu's soul rings and sneered with interest.

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

The Blood Scythe evil soul master immediately darted forward, knocking down several Soul Elders on the 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 the attack, barely forcing him back.

So strong. This evil soul master's strength is definitely no weaker than mine!

After barely repelling the evil soul master, Uncle Mu felt the slight numbness in his right hand from blocking the attack and thought grimly.

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 caravan, including Uncle Mu, the Soul Emperor, immediately sank to the bottom. Those ruthless evil soul masters were known for their ability to fight opponents above their rank. If he had been a Soul Emperor like Uncle Mu, they might have been able to contend with him through their numerical advantage.

But this evil soul master had actually reached the rank of Soul Sage. Compared to an ordinary soul master, he possessed strength comparable to a Soul Douluo!

The strongest among them were only 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 bloody, baleful aura surged from his body. Around his blood-red scythe, they could faintly see hundreds of vengeful spirits swirling.