I am His Highness the Holy Son

After all, the few of them had come here together this time. How could he possibly treat his own life like a game?

His original plan had been to remain undetected, then use Undead Imprisonment once everyone had gathered, pinning all the Evil Soul Masters to the ground before leaving Ye Guyi to kill them.

His second plan was the one he was using now. Once discovered, whether the other side attacked or not, he would appear under an entirely new simulated guise. Everything from his black robe to his hair and eye color had been simulated anew by Huo Yuyao.

His aim was to intimidate them.

Why, you asked? If he was going to suppress them anyway, why not do it as soon as he entered and everyone had gathered? Why go to all this trouble?

Undead Imprisonment was indeed an extremely powerful binding spell. But if the three strongest opponents detonated themselves or attacked without regard for the consequences, any mistake could leave the situation difficult to salvage. After all, if all three chose to self-destruct without warning, even if none of his companions were injured, there were nearly forty Soul Ancestors present. A single Soul Skill from each would be more than enough to give them trouble.

That was why his intention had always been to get as close as possible to those three before suppressing them, then have Ye Guyi strike at full strength to kill them.

Against these Evil Soul Masters, his Undead Imprisonment was not merely an immensely powerful mass-binding spell. It could also directly weaken their power.

"I'm the Holy Spirit Cult's new Holy Son. What? Haven't you heard of me?"

"Well, I, I haven't-"

"Hmm?"

Lin Mo kept walking toward the three with Nana. Hearing what the man was about to say, he pressed him with a death-laden questioning hum.

Ah, when you're out in the world, your identity is whatever you make it.

"What, do you need me to prove it?"

The Scepter in Lin Mo's hand flickered between light and shadow as a surge of death energy welled up.

"N-no! Your presence is an immense honor for this lowly one, Holy Son!"

That powerful pressure of death not only completely put him at ease, but also filled him with excitement.

After all, such a terrifying aura of death could only belong to someone who had killed countless people. How could such a person possibly oppose their Holy Spirit Cult?

Even if the young man did not belong to the Holy Spirit Cult, after sensing his aura, he would spare no expense to bring him into it.

Thus, his wariness eased considerably. Rather than believing this intruder might intend to attack them, he was more inclined to believe that this youthful boy, steeped in death from head to toe, must be the Holy Son headquarters had found.

"Hmph. At least you have some sense. Relax your mind."

"Well..."

"Hmm?"

"F-forgive this lowly one's ignorance, Your Highness the Holy Son, but what exactly do you intend to do?"

At the mention of relaxing his mind, the wariness that had been fading immediately surged back.

"I thought your aptitude was decent and intended to strengthen the death energy within you. But in that case, I suppose there's no need."

"W-well... Your Highness the Holy Son, this lowly one was foolish. Please grant me another chance."

"Hmm. Since you have a little talent, and those above won't let me attack at will, I'll give you another chance."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Holy Son! A thousand thanks!"

The Soul Saint immediately relaxed his mind. Soon, he felt a rich current of death energy begin to circulate through his body.

Nana, standing beside him, was dumbfounded.

Heavens, why does he seem more like a Holy Spirit Cult member than they do? No, no, this is Simulation. This is Simulation.

Feeling that improvement at his very core, the man became wildly excited and hurriedly dropped to his knees, kowtowing in thanks.

"A thousand thanks, Your Highness the Holy Son! This lowly one would brave boiling water and raging fire for you without hesitation!"

"Get up. You're making a spectacle of yourself."

"Yes, yes!"

The other two watched with both envy and self-reproach. All they could think was that if they had not acted that way toward the Holy Son earlier, perhaps they too could have received such an improvement.

But then an even more terrifying thought surfaced: would the Holy Son kill them for it? After all, they had been preparing to attack him.

Seeing the Soul Saint rise again, Lin Mo asked about the main purpose of this trip.

"Where are Nana's parents' souls-or rather, all the souls you've collected? Hand them all over to me."

After feeling the death energy continuously well up within him, the Soul Saint no longer cared about anything else when he heard those words. The Holy Son was supporting him now, after all. Those expendable souls were of no use to him whatsoever, and he could even offer them as a tribute to His Highness.

But before he could speak, the Second Holy Spirit, pinned to the side, spoke first.

"Your Highness the Holy Son! Your Highness the Holy Son! I keep all the souls! They're all with me!"

He struggled to climb up from the ground.

"The souls-all the imprisoned souls are in the Holy Altar. I'll take you there! I'll take you there! Please show mercy, Holy Son!"

"Go collect all those souls and bring them here."

"Yes, yes!"

Far from resenting Lin Mo's order, the Second Holy Spirit was delighted and scrambled away in a stumbling rush.

"You. What's your name?"

"Yes! Reporting to Your Highness the Holy Son, this lowly one's name is Wang Xian."

"Obey my commands, Wang Xian."

"Ugh... yes. I will obey your every command."

Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, Wang Xian seemed to convulse, then his gaze turned vacant.

"Y-Your Highness the Holy Son, what is the meaning of this?"

Watching from the side, the Grand Holy Spirit felt an inexplicable wave of panic wash over him, but he still forced himself to remain calm.

"Haven't you already guessed?"

Those words instantly made the Grand Holy Spirit's hair stand on end. He hurriedly stood, retreated several steps, and prepared to summon his Martial Soul.

But the instant after he summoned it, the gray light turned into a dazzling white radiance.

"Purification!"

The light shining from the Scepter immediately made the Grand Holy Spirit howl in agony.

"Y-you! Who exactly are you?!"

The pure white light subjected him to unbearable pain.

"I don't care who you are! I'll take you down with me!"

As he spoke, he decided to self-destruct, but a Holy Light Sword Slash arrived even faster.

Ye Guyi, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, flashed forward and killed him with a single slash.

Normally, after activating Martial Soul Possession, he could not possibly have been killed so easily by a Soul Ancestor who had only just acquired her fourth ring. But the light of Purification continuously weakened the Soul Power boost he had gained through his evil cultivation method.

After killing the Grand Holy Spirit, Ye Guyi did not stop there. She used the innate sacred power of her Holy Angel to completely purify his soul as it tried to escape.

Once it was all over, she felt the Soul Power within her steadily rising.

"Heavens, one level-sixty Evil Soul Master actually raised my Soul Power by a whole level and a half."

"I see. Then those two will give you three levels, plus these forty down here."

Hearing Lin Mo's words, the forty Soul Ancestors below tried to move, only to find themselves so thoroughly suppressed by that power that they could not act at all.

"W-what are you going to do? Elder! Elder, save us!"

But the elder they clung to as their last straw merely stood with his head lowered and his gaze vacant.

And so, a massacre in the name of justice began.

Ten minutes later, not a single figure remained on the floor, only scattered ashes.

After regulating the power she had gained, Ye Guyi opened her eyes, her gaze sharper than before.

"It looks like those forty didn't give you much of a boost."

"Perhaps because they were at the same tier as me. It took five of them to give me one level. Those forty or so raised my Soul Power by eight levels. Adding the one from earlier makes nine and a half. My Soul Power Level has now reached fifty. Without the bottleneck, I could reach fifty-two.

"But with your Soul Power compression cultivation system, I'll need to refine and compress all of it. I'll probably drop back to level fifty in the end, just right for absorbing my fifth Soul Ring."

"Heh heh heh. Don't forget, there's still one who went to fetch things."

"Then that makes level fifty-three."

"Well? Bringing you here wasn't a mistake, was it? It's practically a buffet."

"Thank you so much. Honestly, I no longer know how to repay your kindness."

Ye Guyi bowed in thanks with a slightly wry smile. First he had saved her life, then brought her to the school and given her a place to settle down with resources available. Now he had helped her gain ten levels in a single night.

"There's no need for that. We're friends."

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Ye Guyi murmured to herself.

"Friends?"

"Of course. Hehe."

Huo Yuyao also emerged from the shadows and spoke with a cheerful smile.

She genuinely liked Ye Guyi. The other girl seemed to treat her like a younger sister, looking after her and often checking on her well-being.

Ye Guyi had even guided her through some of her questions about cultivation.

"Yes, we're friends. Then let me thank you both here."

"Speaking of which, I've actually been thinking about establishing an organization lately. Would you be interested in joining?"

"An organization?"

Seeing that the timing was right, Lin Mo told her about his plans to establish the Spirit Pagoda.

However, given their surroundings, he only broadly explained that members of the organization could use their self-created Sun Moon Cultivation Method and Compression Cultivation Method.

Although Ye Guyi already had both of those, the most important benefit was the Soul Spirit Contract.

"I understand. You don't need to explain so much. Whether because of our relationship or because you saved my life, I think I would choose to join either way."

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much, Ye Guyi!"

Ye Guyi shook her head.

"Really, I should be thanking you."

"Hey, when did this Spirit Pagoda business happen? Brother Xiao Mo, why didn't I know?"

Oh, crap. I forgot to tell this little tyrant.

Meeting Huo Yuyao's slightly displeased gaze, Lin Mo waved his hands.

"I'll explain that when we get back. It was actually pretty sudden for me too."

Huo Yuyao looked at Lin Mo, then sighed helplessly.

"All right."

Just as their conversation ended, the heavy doors were pushed open again, and the Second Holy Spirit ran excitedly up to Lin Mo.

"Your Highness the Holy Son, they're all here! All the souls!"

As he spoke, he swept his hand, and hundreds of souls appeared throughout the hall.

The moment those souls appeared, they began to cry out mournfully.

Two of them immediately spotted Nana beside Lin Mo.

"Well done."

Looking at the grieving souls filling the air, Lin Mo unconsciously clenched his hand beneath his robe, a trace of bitter hatred flashing through his eyes.

Those tragic sights instinctively brought Huo Yun'er back to his mind.

Then he gave the man a mocking smile.

Seeing that smile, the Second Holy Spirit was first puzzled. Then he looked around and discovered that everyone except the elder had vanished, including the Grand Holy Spirit.

Although he did not know why, the scene before him sent his sense of danger soaring like a rocket.

He had just begun to take a step back when a longsword wreathed in golden flames pierced his chest.

"Th-this... this is an Angel Martial Soul."

As Ye Guyi activated Martial Soul Possession and thrust her sword into him, that holy aura washed over him. An intense surge of humiliation and fury sent the Second Holy Spirit into an outburst.

"You dared to trick me! I'll take you down with me!"

As he spoke, he instantly summoned his Martial Soul, preparing to trigger its self-destruction.

But Lin Mo merely raised his hand lightly. The familiar light of Purification shone again, and the Second Holy Spirit's attempt to self-destruct instantly fizzled out.

His consciousness also dissipated completely at that moment.

"I hate you."

Those words immediately infuriated Huo Yuyao.

Hearing the cries of the grieving souls beside her, she too was reminded of her mother. Lin Mo was not the only one.

After all, although she had indeed awakened during that period, her life had been no different from that of an ordinary person.

She listened as the souls beside her kept speaking the names of their loved ones, their suffering, and their stories.

Huo Yuyao clenched both her hands into fists.

"What right do you have to hate anyone? So many happy families were shattered and destroyed because of you, and they still had to do your filthy, ugly work! What could you possibly have to complain about? Killing you outright is already merciful!"

Huo Yuyao's eyes reddened slightly. Her gaze fell on Nana, who had already found her parents' souls and was tearfully calling out to them.

"Just to satisfy your own selfish desires, you left so many children homeless! For your own sake, you made all these ordinary people without even a trace of Soul Power endure your torture over and over!"

"What right do you have to hate anyone?!"

Amid Huo Yuyao's intense hatred, a gray-white light flashed through her eyes, then instantly shot out from them, striking the imprisoned soul of the Second Holy Spirit.

His soul was already extremely fragile, and after suffering Huo Yuyao's soul shock, his screams became even more exaggerated.

Just as the entire soul neared collapse, Ye Guyi finished him off.

Seeing their murderer die for good, the formerly grieving souls shed tears of joy, even though they no longer possessed such a thing as tears.

At the thud of someone falling to their knees, Lin Mo turned his gaze directly ahead.

His black robe, gray hair, and gray eyes all vanished, restoring his original appearance. But he still held the staff in his hand. After all, that was real.