Yu Feng and Osler were equally fired up when they heard this.
"That's right, let's go!"
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong told Sunday the address the woman had given her.
"Let's go!"
That night, in a small valley on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Town, furious shouts rang out from an earthen-walled, tiled-roof courtyard.
"Useless! Useless! What do you mean, she escaped? You couldn't even keep watch over one woman, and you wanted to kidnap that man too?
You worthless fools do nothing but ruin things! Two hundred Gold Soul Coins!
If you don't find her, I'll tie you both up tomorrow and use you to lure that Crimson Sky Tiger!"
A burly bald man held a long whip, lashing the two men before him with all his strength.
His sole remaining eye brimmed with rage.
He had never imagined that simply ordering two underlings to escort her back ahead of him would result in her escaping halfway.
He had paid a fortune for her! Two hundred Gold Soul Coins could buy materials from Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
At that thought, he put even more force into his blows, whipping the underlings on the ground into a bloody mess.
"Boss, spare us!"
"We were wrong! We'll bring her back right away."
Seeing that the underlings were about to be beaten to death, a black-robed man standing nearby stepped forward and tugged at the bald man.
"That's enough, young master. They are both loyal servants of the Teling Duke's Mansion. We still have to enter Sunset Forest tomorrow."
At the black-robed man's words, the bald man rubbed his head and tossed aside his whip.
"Get out!"
Seeing that the bald man had spared them, the two underlings hurriedly scrambled up and dragged their bloodied bodies toward the courtyard gate.
"Those useless fools! How could they let a woman without even the strength to truss a chicken escape? They're Soul Elders!"
The black-robed man placed a hand against his chest and smiled at the bald man's words.
"Even a horse can stumble. The market was crowded then, with plenty of Soul Masters about. It was far too chaotic.
If this affair got out, it would reflect poorly on the Teling Duke's Mansion. Weren't they thinking of you as well, young master?"
"Hmph, they..."
The bald man turned to retort, only to see that the two underlings who had been heading out were still standing motionless at the gate.
His thick brows knitted together, and he roared.
"What are you two useless fools doing? Standing at the gate drinking the wind? Get out!"
The black-robed man turned to look at the two by the gate. His brow furrowed slightly as he thought something was wrong.
With a thud, the two men standing at the gate toppled straight to the ground.
A man in a suit stood in the doorway. His blue-and-white suit accentuated his otherworldly elegance, yet a faint sorrow rested on his handsome face.
The celestial halo behind his head seemed to sense its master's sadness, giving off a faint glow.
"Who's there?! Young master, watch out!"
The black-robed man's heart lurched at the sight. He hurriedly lunged toward the bald man as five Soul Rings-white, white, yellow, purple, and purple-appeared beneath his feet, and Soul Power erupted from his body.
The bald man instinctively tried to curse at Sunday, only to discover in terror that he could not open his mouth.
Even his body was frozen in place, without the slightest sensation.
The black-robed man, too, hung suspended in midair, his body locked in the act of lunging, his eyes filled with horror.
After sorting through the information he had received in his mind, Sunday sighed softly and raised his eyes to the two men in the courtyard.
The entire valley seemed to have been paused. Falling leaves hung in midair, and birds froze in place.
Sunday swept his amber eyes over the two men, then appeared before the bald man in the space of a breath.
Faced with Sunday suddenly appearing right before his face, his towering figure and oppressively intense gaze, the bald man could not help feeling a dampness in his crotch.
"Your sins have polluted this pure land."
Sunday raised his hand and laid it atop the bald man's head.
Golden chains pierced his forehead, and streams of information passed before Sunday's eyes.
After finding where those people were being held, Sunday withdrew his hand and released the restraints on both men.
With two thuds, they fell to the ground and looked up at Sunday, trembling all over.
"S-sir... we're from the Teling Duke's Mansion. How much money do you want? Any amount is no problem."
The black-robed man knew all too well that they had stirred up a hornet's nest. Whether they would even leave alive today was in question.
Now he could only hope that money would tempt Sunday into sparing them.
"Money?"
At the black-robed man's words, Sunday turned toward him, the scrutiny in his eyes growing sharper.
"Does money allow you to commit every evil and trample human decency?
If all morality in this world is measured in money, where is justice?
If wealth allows you to wield power as tyrants and conceal your sins, where is the order of this world?"
As Sunday spoke, he rose into the air, glaring furiously at the two men in the courtyard.
"O supreme and almighty Chord of Harmony, hear my plea and grant the answer I seek.
Cleanse this polluted land, uproot this hideous evil, and pass judgment upon these sins!"
As Sunday's words fell, the immense Dominicus appeared behind him, answering his plea.
The Baton between his fingers transformed into a sharp sword and slashed down viciously at the two men.
Before the bald man and the black-robed man could even realize what was happening, the sacred light of Order had burned them to dust, scattering them on the breeze to mingle with the valley.
After seeing the two men reduced to scattered ashes, Sunday raised his hand and imprisoned their souls within Echoes of Old Dreams.
He looked down at the courtyard, his gaze piercing the earth to see the pitch-black chamber below and the pitiful people inside.
Sunday raised his left hand again and pressed it down toward the courtyard, crushing the entire house into rubble.
With a sweep of his hand, he swept all the rubble aside. Then he clenched his hand! A gigantic golden phantom hand seized the entire layer of earth.
Rumble!
"Aah-!!!"
"Help!"
"Mommy!"
As Sunday lifted away the earth above the chamber, the people below erupted into terrified screams.
He looked at the people huddled in the dark corners, their clothes torn and their bodies filthy.
Seeing their trembling bodies and hearing their faint pleas for help, Sunday could not help sighing.
He straightened his suit and sat back. A chair formed from divine power appeared to support him.
He raised his hands and flexed them, and a piano instantly appeared before him.
His fingers stirred, and clear, melodious piano notes rang out in midair, flowing gently through the valley.
Golden musical notes danced and fluttered through the air, passing beside the crying children and wiping away their tears and fears with gentle light.
They flew past the women whose breaths were faint, tenderly healing their wounds and despair.
Sunday's fingers danced across the keys as he played freely in midair, thoughts swirling through his mind.
"Life is a search for hope amid suffering. May you, too, spare your hearts from sorrow!"
Before you continue