What terrifying physical strength!
Ma Xiunuo and Zhang Ping looked at Su Chen as though he were a monster. The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's crest was the hardest part of its body, yet Su Chen had shattered it with a single punch.
Such terrifying strength qualified him to fight a Soul Ancestor!
"Su Chen, thank you for saving me just now!" Zhang Ping said gratefully.
"Even if I hadn't stepped in, Elder Ghost Leopard would have. You don't need to thank me!" Su Chen smiled, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings before settling on one direction.
"Elder Ghost Leopard?"
Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao stiffened slightly and exchanged a glance. They scanned their surroundings, but at their levels, neither could detect Ghost Leopard Douluo's hiding place.
As one of Spirit Hall's promising young talents, how could Zhang Ping venture out to gain experience without a Titled Douluo protecting her? Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao realized they had worried too much.
"Yes." Su Chen nodded.
"The Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is dead. That settles Holy Soul Village's missing-person case, and the culprit has been killed!" Ma Xiunuo stroked his beard with a smile.
Most Soul Beasts had territories of their own. It was summer now, their mating season. Some would leave their territories to find mates. Every year during this season, Soul Beasts would wreak havoc in villages. Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao had therefore thought little more of what had happened in Holy Soul Village.
Yet Su Chen's expression remained grave. "Although the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent is dead, it wasn't the culprit behind Holy Soul Village's disappearances."
"If it wasn't the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, then what was it?" Ma Xiunuo asked in surprise.
"A person," Su Chen replied.
"A person?" Ma Xiunuo was startled.
"Yes. As a snake, a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent will indeed spit out creatures that don't suit its palate. Although that dead villager from Holy Soul Village had its saliva on his body, his blood had been completely drained, leaving him like a dried corpse. That isn't something a Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent could do," Su Chen analyzed.
"Are you saying an Evil Soul Master is stirring up trouble?" Ma Xiunuo asked gravely, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
Evil Soul Master: the most loathsome sinister profession on the Douluo Continent. They possessed power beyond that of ordinary people and had different ranks. The higher their rank, the greater their abilities. Originally Soul Masters, they became Evil Soul Masters by practicing evil cultivation through improper techniques.
"Grandpa Ma Xiunuo, what is an Evil Soul Master?" Zhang Ping asked in confusion.
"Soul Masters who possess corrupted martial souls cultivate differently from ordinary Soul Masters. They rely on devouring soul power, Soul Rings, spiritual power, flesh and blood, souls, martial souls, and so on to cultivate, bringing ruin to living beings. That is why they are called Evil Soul Masters," Ma Xiunuo answered.
As Spirit Hall deacons, Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao considered these things common knowledge.
"Ever since Spirit Hall began paying Soul Masters their monthly allowances on time, even those who awaken corrupted martial souls have generally avoided straying down the wrong path. However, because Evil Soul Masters advance so easily, some Soul Masters still turn to those crooked, demonic ways!" Su Yuntao stole a glance at the corpse. Its condition was indeed just as Su Chen had described.
At first, Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo had misjudged it. They could hardly be blamed. Since Qian Xunji and Bibi Dong had successively become the supreme pontiffs of Spirit Hall, Evil Soul Masters had been curbed to a certain extent. Moreover, decades ago, many Evil Soul Masters had either been wiped out or driven into Slaughter City.
Never in their wildest dreams had Ma Xiunuo and Su Yuntao imagined that an Evil Soul Master would appear in the area under their charge.
"In fact, strictly speaking, this uncle beside you also has a type of corrupted martial soul!" Ma Xiunuo glanced at the martial soul phantom behind Su Yuntao.
"Him?" Zhang Ping stared at Su Yuntao's martial soul in astonishment.
"Yes. His martial soul is Lone Wolf." Ma Xiunuo nodded slightly.
"Lone Wolf? But I don't sense anything very evil about him!" Zhang Ping was puzzled.
"Being single makes him stronger! That is also where his martial soul's name comes from! If his heart is filled with romantic love, his soul power will increase very slowly. Conversely, if he stays single and has no love in his heart, his soul power will grow extremely quickly. The more heartless he is, the faster his soul power grows!" Ma Xiunuo explained.
Huh!
Zhang Ping was stunned, and so was Su Chen. Neither had expected Su Yuntao's martial soul to hold such a little-known secret. Six years ago, Su Yuntao had only been a rank twenty-seven Soul Grandmaster. Now that they had met again, he had already become a Soul Elder with rank thirty-nine soul power! It seemed Su Yuntao had remained single throughout those six years!
"Su Yuntao, can you sense where he is?" Ma Xiunuo asked.
"No." Su Yuntao sniffed.
"Come out! Do you intend to keep lingering here with us forever?" Su Chen's gaze remained fixed in one direction.
"Heh heh heh, four Soul Elders in their thirties. If I devour your blood, I'm confident I can break through to the Soul Ancestor realm! There even happens to be a Thousand-Year Soul Ring here. It seems my luck is quite good today!"
Cold, smug laughter slowly echoed around them. The voice seemed to come from every direction, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
Whoosh!
The instant those words fell, a red phantom charged toward the badly wounded Su Yuntao as swiftly as a gale. The attacker clearly intended to eliminate the weakest pair, Su Yuntao and Ma Xiunuo, first.
Just as that figure closed in on Su Yuntao, Su Chen flashed forward and drove a fist toward him.
With a bang, Su Chen's punch sent the figure flying. He smashed through three trees, each so thick it took a person's arms to encircle it, before finally coming to a stop.
"Why was he so weak? It seems Evil Soul Masters aren't much after all!" Su Chen curled his lips. He hadn't even used his martial soul.
Su Yuntao: "..."
Ma Xiunuo: "..."
Zhang Ping: "..."
The three were too shocked to speak, though Ma Xiunuo finally blurted out, "Is he even human?!"
Su Chen's physical strength had completely exceeded anything the three could comprehend. One punch had killed a thousand-year Soul Beast, and another had killed an Evil Soul Elder ranked in his thirties.
Whoosh!
Just then, a blonde girl flew out of the forest and landed beside the Evil Soul Master. She checked his breathing and exclaimed in frustration, "He's dead?!"
"Hu Liena?"
"Hu Liena?"
Su Chen and Zhang Ping exclaimed in astonishment at the same time.
"Su Chen? Zhang Ping?"
Hu Liena turned around and discovered that Su Chen and Zhang Ping were there too. She looked at the latter in surprise.
From Hu Liena's account, Su Chen learned that this Evil Soul Master had been roaming from place to place, committing crimes. Only after gathering a great deal of information had Hu Liena discovered that he had recently been appearing around Holy Soul Village. She had just arrived, only to find that Su Chen had beaten her to killing him.
"The snake?"
"It's dead!"
"Village chief, look! Su Chen and the others are fine!"
While Hu Liena was speaking, Old Jack arrived beside them, holding a blade and leading the villagers.
Old Jack looked at the others, then at Su Chen. After a pause, he said, "Su Chen, the disappearances have been dealt with. Could you do the village another favor?"
"Grandpa Jack, there's no need to be so polite. Holy Soul Village is my hometown. Doing my part for the village is only right. What other trouble is the village facing?" Su Chen asked.
"It isn't anything too serious. Lately, a red-haired young fellow has been coming here and harassing the girls in our village. If possible, I'd like you to teach him a lesson for us. Make him suffer a little so he won't come back and plague our village again," Old Jack said indignantly.
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