Mistaken for an Evil Soul Master Again...

Two and a half months passed in the blink of an eye.

Having crossed the continent, Lu Yuan, Gu Qiu'er, and Xiao Xiao finally entered the Ming Dou Great Forest within the Sun Moon Empire.

This forest was only half the size of the Star Dou Forest.

Mutated Soul Beasts with distorted bodies and violent auras could be seen everywhere among the trees. They were far more aggressive than ordinary Soul Beasts.

Gu Qiu'er walked beside Lu Yuan, her cheeks slightly puffed out, her pretty face filled with reluctance.

"I really don't get you. Instead of staying in the peaceful territories of Star Luo Empire and Dou Ling, you insisted on crossing the entire continent to come to the Sun Moon Empire."

Lu Yuan casually pushed aside a thorny vine blocking his path and replied indifferently, "I came to Mingdu to see the Sun Moon Empire's modern cities, to witness firsthand the nation supported by Soul Tool technology, and to see just how much its scope differs from Heaven Soul, Dou Ling, and Star Luo Empire."

"What's so interesting about Soul Tools?"

Gu Qiu'er snorted and raised a dragon claw covered in faint golden scales.

"No matter how fancy those metal lumps are, can they fight as well as my Golden Dragon Claw?"

"Just watching the spectacle naturally wouldn't be worth it."

"But we can buy a batch of auxiliary Soul Tools in Mingdu. They'll make our future travels and battles much more convenient."

"Many Soul Tools can't even be bought on Douluo Continent. Even if they can, they only show up at auctions."

"Hmph! They're just expensive, aren't they? It's not like I can't afford them. I've got plenty of Gold Soul Coins!"

The two bickered back and forth without pause, while Xiao Xiao, walking behind them, lowered her head and secretly covered her smile.

Her almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents as she quietly listened to them quarrel.

Just as they were chatting and laughing, several evil auras suddenly drifted from the forest ahead, mixed with the miserable cries of Soul Beasts, interrupting their conversation.

Lu Yuan frowned and raised a hand to signal the two of them to stop.

"Something's going on!"

The three hurried through the undergrowth toward the sound and saw seven or eight Evil Soul Masters standing around an open clearing, dressed in black and wearing savage ghost masks.

Dozens of thick, blood-colored chains lay across the ground. Several injured Soul Beasts were bound by them, their bodies drenched in blood.

One Evil Soul Master was using a bone staff to continuously draw out the Soul Beasts' origins, intending to refine their living souls into Beast Souls.

"You bastards, stop right there!"

Fury instantly flared in Gu Qiu'er's eyes, and she immediately charged forward.

The leading Evil Soul Master glanced over and let out a harsh, sinister laugh.

"Where did these three brats come from? How dare you interfere with the Holy Spirit Cult's business? Get lost now if you know what's good for you, or I'll refine your souls along with them!"

"Who cares about your Holy Spirit Cult?"

Lu Yuan stepped forward, and waves of black flame exploded outward around him.

"You won't be leaving here today."

As his words fell, the Martial Soul Lord of Eclipsing Origin Flame emerged behind Lu Yuan, dark-purple fire shooting into the sky.

Four black and two crimson Soul Rings revolved around him in perfect order.

Gu Qiu'er followed close behind, releasing her Golden Dragon Martial Soul as five black Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings rose around her.

Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron flew into the air. The massive three-legged cauldron made the ground tremble faintly, while five Ten Thousand Year black rings revolved around it as well.

Some time ago, the two girls had already refined the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's origin that they had seized and poured it all into their Soul Rings, upgrading them to the Ten Thousand Year level.

Such a luxurious Soul Ring configuration instantly froze the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters in place, all arrogance vanishing from their faces.

The dark aura leaking from Lu Yuan's Martial Soul was incomparably dense. That Abyss aura that seemed capable of devouring everything made even those who had long kept company with evil unable to tell who was the true Evil Soul Master.

The strongest among them was only a Soul Ancestor. Their standard two yellow and two purple Soul Rings were worlds apart from the Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings before them.

The overwhelming gap in strength left everyone struggling to breathe.

The Evil Soul Masters, who had been so overbearing just moments before, retreated again and again.

The leader forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart and loudly announced, "We are subordinates of the Holy Spirit Cult! No one on the continent dares oppose our cult. I advise you not to meddle in our affairs, lest you bring disaster upon yourselves!"

Before Lu Yuan could speak, Gu Qiu'er at his side could no longer contain her rage.

She had personally watched these people torture living creatures to refine Beast Souls. Her anger surged straight to her head as she shouted coldly, "What Holy Spirit Cult? We're from the Abyss Cult! None of you are leaving today!"

Before her words had even faded, the Golden Dragon possessed her. A majestic dragon roar shook the mountains and forest as Gu Qiu'er transformed into a streak of golden light and charged straight into the Evil Soul Masters.

Lu Yuan held the Abyss-Eroding Profound Blade, its Sun-Chopping Flame wrapped in black fire and searing heat. With every flash of his blade, nearly one Evil Soul Master fell.

Xiao Xiao controlled the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron and smashed it down repeatedly, shattering an Evil Soul Master in just two or three strikes.

In only a short while, all seven or eight Holy Spirit Cult Evil Soul Masters lay in pools of blood.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to speak, a chill suddenly struck from behind and to the side.

Lu Yuan's heart tightened. He spun around and raised the Sun-Chopping Flame before him. Golden light collided violently with black fire, and the force of the impact sent the attacker stumbling back several steps.

He looked up and saw a golden-haired girl standing among the trees. She wore a short, sacred white dress embroidered with golden patterns, her figure graceful and tall. A holy sword rested in her palm, radiating a sacred aura.

Having been attacked without reason, Lu Yuan was displeased. He gripped the Sun-Chopping Flame and charged straight at her.

Ye Guyi immediately activated her Sacred Angel Martial Soul, condensing layers of defense from golden holy light.

But she was only a Soul Ancestor. The advantage her Martial Soul held over evil was meaningless before the absolute gap in cultivation, and she could only endure his attacks passively.

She was beaten one-sidedly throughout the fight, with no chance whatsoever to strike back.

After several exchanges, Ye Guyi's breathing became utterly disordered. She staggered down onto one knee, gasping for breath, using the Angel Holy Sword planted in the ground to barely support herself.

Lu Yuan stopped his blade and said coldly, "Are you looking to die?"

Ye Guyi bit down on her lower lip. She had intended to subdue him with a surprise attack, but she had never expected his strength to so greatly exceed her estimates.

Yet unwilling to show weakness before strangers, she braced herself and slowly rose to her feet. With a flick of her wrist, she gripped the Angel Holy Sword tightly. "There's no need for a reason to kill an Evil Soul Master like you!"

She had sensed that dense dark aura from afar, then seen the corpses of black-clothed Evil Soul Masters scattered across the ground. Instinctively, she had judged Lu Yuan to be their leader.

She had assumed Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao were merely passersby who had encountered Evil Soul Masters, and that after killing a group of them, only Lu Yuan, their ringleader, remained.

She immediately turned to the two girls and said earnestly, "Ladies, we are all people who hunt Evil Soul Masters. Why not join forces with me and eliminate this villain together?"

Gu Qiu'er and Xiao Xiao exchanged a glance, then could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing.

Gu Qiu'er crossed her arms and looked at Lu Yuan with amused eyes. "Hahaha, Lu Yuan, how did you get mistaken for an Evil Soul Master again? It happens every single time."

Xiao Xiao covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes curving warmly. "Brother Lu Yuan, your Martial Soul's aura is simply too unusual. Anyone who saw you for the first time would misunderstand your identity."

Lu Yuan shrugged helplessly, silently lamenting that nothing in the world could be perfect.

The powerful Erosion brought him top-tier combat strength, but the Abyss aura that came with it constantly brought him baseless suspicion. Being mistaken for an Evil Soul Master was already a minor matter.

But if he could start out with the inheritances of two God Kings descending upon him, then even if Lu Yuan had Innate Soul Power at rank ninety, he would gladly accept it!

Seeing the smiles on the three of them, Ye Guyi's heart sank.

Her fingers around the holy sword trembled slightly as she looked blankly at Lu Yuan and stammered, "Y-you... you're actually together?"

"I'm not an Evil Soul Master. My Martial Soul just comes with a tiny bit of dark-attribute aura."

Lu Yuan lifted his foot and lightly kicked the corpse of an Evil Soul Master beside him.

"These are the Holy Spirit Cult's Evil Soul Masters who harmed Soul Beasts to refine Beast Souls. You came too late. They've all been dealt with."

Ye Guyi's hand holding the sword shook violently. Her cheeks instantly flushed red with embarrassment.

She had rashly acted on nothing but a sense of justice, launching an indiscriminate sneak attack on others. In the end, she had made a truly colossal blunder.

Lu Yuan looked at her dazed expression and urged, "Hey, you should apologize to me."

Ye Guyi suddenly came back to her senses and replied reflexively, "Huh? Oh, right. I'm sorry, I was wrong..."

Lu Yuan put away his sword, crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. "What were you wrong about?"

"I was wrong not to have..."

Halfway through her words, she suddenly realized something. She raised her head and glared at Lu Yuan. "No, wait! You beat me up too just now. They cancel each other out, so we're even!"

Lu Yuan smiled. "Those are two separate matters. Your sneak attack came first, so you were at fault. If you refuse to accept that, you're welcome to attack me again and win it back."

Ye Guyi pursed her lips and muttered inwardly, Who could possibly beat you?