Oh, little beauty, what a coincidence. I'm new here.

At South Mountain Pass in the Star Luo Mountain Range, Lai Anfei watched several people approaching from afar. They were all servants of Marquis Lai'an's House, pushing a prison cart with a boy locked inside.

Lai Anfei took the initiative to meet them. Once he drew close, he frowned slightly. "Why is there only one?"

"Young Master, Spirit Hall has been investigating closely lately, and the master has been having some trouble as well, so we only found this one." One of the overseers said, "But Young Master, this boy has Innate Full Soul Power. He is absolutely excellent material."

Lai Anfei revealed a look of surprise. "Oh? Innate Full Soul Power?"

Lai Anfei looked at the youth inside the cage, then suddenly grinned. "Hehe... He really is fine material. These days, even those with Innate Full Soul Power can become blood food."

He was very satisfied with the blood food his father had provided this time. Back then, he had cultivated an evil secret art because his talent had subjected him to the mockery of others his age within the family.

But now that his cultivation had borne fruit, even those with Innate Full Soul Power could only become his blood food.

"What about the other supplies?" Lai Anfei asked.

"Young Master, they are here." The overseer handed Lai Anfei a storage Soul Tool.

Lai Anfei accepted the storage Soul Tool, then opened the prison cage.

"Get out. Don't force me to act."

The youth obediently came out and jumped down from the cart.

"Follow me."

The youth suddenly turned and ran.

Lai Anfei did not give chase. Instead, he raised his Twin Arms. A black bow appeared in his left hand, its body seeming to be made from a bone stained black, radiating a chilling aura.

A black arrow condensed in his right hand, aimed at the youth's back.

First Soul Skill: Venomous Wound!

Splat—

The arrow shot into the youth's back from behind and pierced through his chest. With a thud, he fell to the ground.

Lai Anfei strolled over, hoisted the youth's body onto his shoulder, and headed into the forest.

Zhu Zhuqing was brought to a stronghold deep in the mountains. A flag bearing a bleeding skull hung above it.

At the edge of the stronghold's square stood numerous square prison cages. Most of them were empty, while Zhu Zhuqing and the ordinary people brought to the stronghold that day were all locked inside them.

Zhu Zhuqing curled up in the cage. The pain from her injuries was nowhere near as severe as the fear in her heart.

Would she die? Would she die here?

She had never expected that after painstakingly fleeing Star Luo City and escaping the Zhu Family in search of a chance at survival—

Before she had even left the Star Luo Empire, she had encountered Fallen Soul Masters.

Just then, the cage door opened.

Zhu Zhuqing had thought she was about to die, but the Fallen Soul Master who opened the door did not drag her out. Instead, he threw an injured youth inside.

After that Evil Soul Master left, the youth, who should have been gravely injured, raised his head.

After glancing at the departed Lai Anfei, Uchiha Huan sat up and pulled the arrow from his chest.

"Hey, little beauty. What a coincidence. I'm new here."

Zhu Zhuqing curled up in the corner, watching Uchiha Huan warily.

"Tell me about this place," Uchiha Huan said. "How many Fallen Soul Masters are there?"

"I arrived an hour before you," Zhu Zhuqing replied coldly. At the same time, her gaze fell on Uchiha Huan's chest. "Doesn't that hurt?"

This was Uchiha Huan's clone, so of course it did not hurt.

Since Uchiha Huan did not know the specific intelligence on this place, there was no way he would casually let his main body enter it.

"However, I just saw a famous expert from the Star Luo Empire. I never expected him to be a Fallen Soul Master."

"Who is it? What rank?" Uchiha Huan asked.

"An eighty-eighth-rank Soul Douluo. He was the former dean of Star Luo Academy and resigned three years ago for some unknown reason."

Uchiha Huan narrowed his eyes. The dean of Star Luo Academy!

Someone in such a position was unlikely to have gained his strength through an evil secret art.

The Soul Power of evil Soul Masters was also far too easy to identify. Power gained by devouring the flesh, blood, or Soul Power of others would be extremely impure.

Anyone who could become the dean of Star Luo Academy could be considered part of the Star Luo Empire's upper echelon. He might not have held overwhelming authority, but he was at least extremely important.

If he could become the dean of Star Luo Academy, then his identity must have been thoroughly investigated.

After all, Star Luo Academy was also an academy for nobles. The nobility and even the royal family would never entrust their children to a Fallen Soul Master, so before taking office, even the color of that dean's underwear must have been investigated.

And after already cultivating to the rank of Soul Douluo, was there still any need to raise his strength through an evil secret art?

Even if the dean had a reason that forced him to cultivate an evil secret art and become a Fallen Soul Master, it was unlikely that he would use ordinary people to cultivate.

After all, if a Soul Douluo wanted to cultivate through an evil secret art, the number of people he needed to kill was not something a few villages could satisfy.

Among the Evil Soul Masters ten thousand years later, once they reached Soul Sage rank, improving their strength often meant slaughtering an entire city.

The Spirit Hall Branch Halls in the Star Luo Empire had received no intelligence about large-scale massacres of civilians.

So Uchiha Huan suspected that the dean was not a Fallen Soul Master, but was instead cultivating Fallen Soul Masters.

As for why he was doing so, Uchiha Huan guessed that someone was directing the dean.

And in the entire Star Luo Empire, the only ones capable of ordering a Soul Douluo to do such a thing were the royal family.

Just then, several people entered from outside the stronghold.

The leader wore magnificent robes and had a goatee, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

There was no trace of that impure aura on him.

When Zhu Zhuqing saw the man, she involuntarily curled up even tighter.

"He is Qian Yuan, the former dean of Star Luo Academy."

Uchiha Huan looked at Qian Yuan. This man's aura was profound and powerful, no weaker than that of an ordinary Title Douluo. He had likely already entered rank ninety.

Suddenly, the man looked toward Uchiha Huan. He had sensed Uchiha Huan's gaze.

Uchiha Huan was slightly surprised, but immediately understood. Qian Yuan was a spiritual-type Title Douluo.

Qian Yuan walked toward Uchiha Huan and stopped before the cage.

"Who are you?"

Just as Uchiha Huan could sense Qian Yuan's spiritual power—

Qian Yuan had also discovered Uchiha Huan's spiritual power.

Though the cage stood between them, Qian Yuan's spiritual power enveloped Uchiha Huan.

"The little trash here could not possibly have captured someone like you. So this place has been exposed?" Qian Yuan muttered to himself. "Are you from Spirit Hall?"

"So, will you surrender now, or are you prepared to resist to the death?"

"At your age, possessing such spiritual power means you should be one of Spirit Hall's top geniuses, right? If I can kill you, even Spirit Hall should feel the pain."

The next instant, Qian Yuan's spiritual power crashed toward Uchiha Huan like an overwhelming mountain slide and tsunami.

The prison cage separating them shattered in an instant. Qian Yuan's spiritual power had nearly become tangible and could already inflict physical destruction.