Decision

The next day, dawn

As the first ray of dawn tore through the night curtain, the horizon seemed to be slowly sliced open by an invisible blade, revealing a fish-belly white.

In the distant sky, a dazzling white light suddenly flashed. Like a meteor trailing a long tail of flame, it hurtled toward the camp below with a soul-stirring momentum.

The white light was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the vast distance, and wherever it passed, the air was violently abraded, emitting a shrill howl.

The pillar of light suddenly drew in.

A figure stood imposingly within it.

The newcomer was tall and straight, dressed in a spotless pure-white battle robe that seemed woven from threads of light. Faint golden patterns flowed along the edges of the robe.

Most eye-catching of all was the pair of enormous wings behind him—not illusory, but real. Immaculately white, every feather shimmered with a gentle, jade-like luster that concealed a sharp edge.

The wings were not fully spread, merely naturally folded behind his back. Yet the sacred radiance they emitted was enough to disperse the lingering gloom and bloody stench within the camp, allowing everyone bathed in that light to feel a warmth and purification rising from the depths of their souls.

Commander of the Southern Legion, the Angel Douluo of this generation, a Rank 99 Limit Douluo standing at the pinnacle of Soul Masters—Le Zheng'en!

His face was aged, yet it carried the fortitude and majesty tempered by long years upon the battlefield. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky, though at this moment, they held a trace of barely perceptible compassion as they swept across this severely wounded camp.

The soul power fluctuations emanating from him were like raging undercurrents beneath a tranquil sea. They appeared restrained, yet concealed terrifying power capable of moving mountains and filling seas.

Within that power, two utterly different qualities—holiness and slaughter—were perfectly fused together. Holy light shone everywhere, cleansing all filth; fighting intent soared into the heavens, cutting down all evil!

This contradictory yet powerful unity was the supreme mystery of the Angel martial soul, and also the unique bearing Le Zheng'en possessed as Legion Commander.

A deathly silence shrouded the camp.

Then came gasps of cold breath, followed by the clatter of weapons slipping from hands and hitting the ground!

"Legion Commander! It's the Angel Legion Commander!"

"Angel Douluo! Lord Le Zheng'en has come!"

"We... we're saved!"

After the brief dead silence came wild joy and shouts like a volcanic eruption! The soldiers' last remnants of bewilderment, fear, and exhaustion seemed, in this instant, to be completely replaced by unbelievable excitement and fervent worship!

Le Zheng'en's gaze finally settled upon the camp commander. Le Jun solemnly saluted. The old man gave a slight nod, and his calm voice carried unquestionable force, clearly reaching everyone's ears. "Everyone, enter the tent and report the situation."

Camp conference room

At this moment, the old man merely sat in the seat of honor, yet he was like a needle that steadied the sea, instantly stabilizing the still somewhat unsettled morale of the army.

His mountain-like composure, his sacred aura that cleansed all sinister evil, and the Limit pressure that could intimidate petty villains without a word gave everyone an unshakable pillar to rely on.

Le Jun reported, "Legion Commander, after investigation, it has been confirmed that this outbreak was caused by deliberate poisoning. The poison is extremely potent and takes effect very quickly.

"Fortunately, Colonel Xie Jiayun developed an inhibitor. At present, the epidemic within the camp has been brought under preliminary control."

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Xie Jiayun.

This young colonel stood straight as a pine tree. His expression was calm, his eyes focused and clear. Even under the pressure of a Limit Douluo, he maintained the composure unique to a scholar.

He gave a slight nod, accepting the praise.

"At present," Le Jun continued, "the inhibitor has been deployed on a large scale throughout the camp, and the spread of the epidemic has been initially curbed. However..."

His voice dropped, carrying obvious concern. "Because the number of infected has far exceeded our estimates,

"and because several key soul-guidance materials in the camp's reserves have been depleted, at present... we can only adopt a 'prioritize severe cases' allocation strategy. A great many mild cases and potential carriers have yet to receive timely protection."

After hearing this, Le Zheng'en's brow faintly furrowed, but he showed no panic.

He spoke steadily, his voice like a boulder that brought reassurance. "There is no need to worry too much about the materials. Headquarters has made an emergency allocation, escorted by an elite soul-guidance transport team. They are expected to reach the camp tonight."

His gaze, like a tangible searchlight, shifted from Le Jun's face and swept over the experts present. "Then what clues do you have regarding the poisoner's identity and whereabouts? What is the direction of the investigation?"

Le Jun took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with several white-haired yet exceptionally sharp-eyed toxicology experts beside him. Only then did he answer in a grave voice, his tone firm as nails driven into iron. "Legion Commander, based on the joint assessment of us and the experts, this poison is anything but ordinary.

"To travel through underground currents with such immense flow, rush over such a long distance, and still retain enough terrifying toxicity to instantly bring down a Soul Master's physique after being greatly diluted... this is absolutely no ordinary poison!

"The poisoner must be a top expert who has reached the summit of the path of poison!"

He emphasized his words, each one like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts. "More importantly, this poison displays a bizarre trait of being 'triggered by negative emotions'! Fear, despair, rage... these negative emotions actually become catalysts that accelerate the spread of the toxin and worsen the symptoms!

"This evil method of exploiting and magnifying the weaknesses of human nature..." Le Jun's voice carried barely restrained fury. "Combined with its power and characteristics, we unanimously believe that this must have been the work of an evil Soul Master at the level of a Super Douluo!"

"Hmph!" Le Zheng'en snorted coldly, like thunder exploding in midwinter within the tent. The glow of his light wings behind him seemed to flare fiercely for an instant, and a chilling aura of slaughter swept outward, making the surrounding air several degrees colder.

"So it really is those rats who cannot bear the light of day again!" His eyes were sharp as blades, as though they could pierce through the tent and stab at the enemy hidden in the darkness. "They linger like ghosts!"

Having said that, Le Zheng'en turned his gaze toward Xie Jiayun. That chilling sharpness instantly became undisguised approval and admiration. A gentle smile even curved at the corner of his lips. "You must be the Xie Jiayun Fierce Wolf is always talking about?"

"I've heard him mention you many times. He said you are meticulous in your thinking, and among the Federation Military's younger generation, no one can match your talent in the healing department.

"Now that I see you in person, your reputation is well deserved!" He nodded faintly. "As expected of an outstanding rising star painstakingly cultivated by the Western Legion. The younger generation is indeed formidable!"

Facing the direct praise of a Limit Douluo, Xie Jiayun remained as steady as ever. He merely bowed slightly. "You overpraise me, Legion Commander. It is simply my duty; I dare not claim any credit."

Le Zheng'en nodded.

Then his tone abruptly turned serious again. "Although you have already done exceptionally well, and it was no easy feat to contain the epidemic to this extent, I still have a question."

With heavy expectation in his eyes, he stared directly into Xie Jiayun's. "How confident are you in fully developing a cure for this poison? How much time will you need?"

Everyone in the tent held their breath. The antidote was the key to ending this disaster!

Xie Jiayun met Le Zheng'en's gaze without the slightest hesitation and gave a clear, calm answer. "Legion Commander, to completely analyze this poison, formulate an antidote, and conduct large-scale preparation and verification... conservatively speaking, it will take at least two weeks."

He paused, then changed the direction of his words. A sharp light flashed in his eyes.

"But if we can directly capture the Super Douluo evil Soul Master who administered the poison, obtain the active antibodies from his body, or extract his source serum for reverse analysis... I am confident that the time can be drastically reduced to within three days!"

"Three days!" A sharp gleam flashed in Le Zheng'en's eyes. He suddenly slapped the armrest and rose to his feet. "Good! What an excellent Xie Jiayun!"

Even his sacred radiance seemed to take on the fierce edge of thunderous force.

"Pass down my order!" His voice boomed like a great bell, echoing through the entire camp and even piercing through the tent. "Every soldier and scouting Soul Master who can still move, spread out at once! Take the camp as the center and search within a hundred li in every direction!

"Deploy every detection soul device and activate every tracking secret method! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, drag that evil Soul Master who hides his head and shows his tail out for me! Dead or alive, but his bodily tissues must remain relatively intact! Execute immediately!"

"Yes, Legion Commander!" Le Jun, Xie Jiayun, and the officers answered in unison, their voices filled with resolve and killing intent.

Military orders were as heavy as mountains. Everyone immediately turned and hurried out of the tent to arrange this thunderous manhunt. The tent instantly became far emptier.

Night, Clear Spirit Mountains

Night was like an enormous black curtain, heavily draped over the Clear Spirit Mountains. Moonlight struggled through layer upon layer of branches and leaves, but could only scatter fragmented patches of silver across the ground.

On the highway through the Clear Spirit Mountains, a convoy of soul-guidance transport vehicles moved forward slowly.

The vehicles were sturdy in design, their bodies flickering with an eerie blue light—the trace of circulating soul-guidance energy. Every vehicle was loaded with medical equipment, medicine, and supplies. They were lights of hope in the darkness, the hope entrusted with countless lives in the epidemic zone.

Yet within the dense mountain forest, a group of dark figures lay in ambush. Their eyes were fixed on the convoy, gleaming with madness and greed, like a pack of starving wolves eyeing a fat prey.

Blood Grudge Douluo stood beside a huge boulder. He was tall, and an aura that sent chills down one's spine emanated from his entire body. His face was sharply defined, with several long scars across it, like twisted centipedes crawling over his savage features.

At that moment, he turned his head slightly toward the black-clad man beside him, his voice low and hoarse. "Blood Serpent, you're the clever one after all. Let those Federation soldiers turn Clear Spirit City upside down—they would never imagine that we had already come here."

The black-clad man called Blood Serpent Douluo was somewhat thin, but his presence was exceptionally sharp.

He was the culprit behind this epidemic—Blood Serpent Douluo. Slowly raising his head, he let the moonlight fall over his pale face, outlining his cold, sinister features.

His eyes were filled with rage and unwillingness as he gritted his teeth. "Those damned Federation bastards destroyed eighty percent of our Blood Plague Cult's followers! And those damned Holy Spirit Cult people—they caused the disaster, yet we have to take the blame with them."

His hands unconsciously clenched, his knuckles turning white, as though he were recalling those painful events.

Ever since the Holy Spirit Cult acted recklessly and drew the Federation's large-scale encirclement and suppression, the Federation had begun hunting evil Soul Masters everywhere. Their Blood Plague Cult had nothing to do with the matter, yet they had been dragged into it.

The Federation's forces searched everywhere for evil Soul Masters. Wherever they went, the Blood Plague Cult's followers suffered grievous casualties.

As he recalled it, Blood Serpent Douluo's eyes held a trace of humiliation and hatred.

But very soon, his gaze turned vicious again. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a cruel smile. "However, as long as we seize this batch of resources and let the epidemic completely erupt, the fear and resentment of those patients will allow me to break through the shackles that have bound me for years and advance to a Rank 97 Super Douluo."

He clenched his fist, as though he could already feel the overwhelming power after his breakthrough. "When that time comes, the name Blood Serpent Douluo will resound across the entire continent. Who will dare look down on our Blood Plague Cult again?"

His gaze fell upon the convoy, his eyes revealing endless greed. "And we can use these resources to make a killing as well. Then we can flee far away, accumulate strength, and when the time comes, our Blood Plague Cult will surely replace the Holy Spirit Cult and become the number one sect of evil Soul Masters!"

The more Blood Serpent Douluo spoke, the more excited he became. His body trembled faintly, as though he could already see the glorious sight of the Blood Plague Cult dominating the continent.

Behind him, the Blood Plague Cult followers were also rubbing their fists and palms together, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism. They gripped their weapons tightly, awaiting Blood Serpent Douluo's command to attack.

"I'm afraid you won't get that chance!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out abruptly from the sky.