The Holy Church's Holy Son

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Chapter 44: The Holy Church's Holy Son

A muffled explosion boomed through the cavern, followed by overlapping curses, heart-jolting thuds, and intense fluctuations of soul power.

When Ye Xixuan rushed into the cavern, bandit corpses already lay strewn everywhere.

Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Chen Zifeng, the three Power Attack System Battle Soul Masters, swept through as though no one stood in their way. Every charge claimed the lives of scores of bandits.

In a head-on fight, Power Attack System Battle Soul Masters always held the advantage.

All the more so when the quality of their martial souls and the configurations of their soul rings differed so vastly.

The soul masters among these bandits were mostly commoners, with unremarkable martial souls. Even an optimal soul ring configuration was an extravagant dream for them. Some even had configurations that included two white ten-year soul rings.

Yet for these low-level soul masters, the greatest threat was actually an Agility Attack System Battle Spirit Master like Xixi. Her slaughter was practically an assault from a higher dimension.

Ling Luochеn summoned her ice staff. The four soul rings beside her flashed in succession as powerful control-type soul skills precisely supported Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Xixi.

Gongyang Mo hovered in the air, beating a pair of rainbow-colored wings. Streams of colored light shot from him and landed on his companions. Those lights were the effects of the enhancement-type soul skills of his Rainbow Dragon martial soul.

Yao Haoxuan underwent the greatest transformation after releasing his martial soul.

His originally small, thin body shot up to over four meters tall. Every muscle bulged to an exaggerated degree, and thick, leathery armor covered his skin, turning his entire body iron gray. His eerie green eyes radiated ferocity. Standing there, he resembled a small fortress, heavy breaths rumbling through his nostrils.

Heaven-Shaking Ape-that was his martial soul.

Among ape-type soul beasts, Heaven-Shaking Apes were an oddity. Although their strength and defense were terrifying, their true specialty was sonic control.

Swinging his enormous, hammerlike fists inward, Yao Haoxuan pounded his chest. His first two yellow soul rings lit up simultaneously.

"Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump..." The muffled sounds Ye Xixuan had heard outside the cavern had come from Yao Haoxuan's soul skills.

First soul skill, Battle Intent. Second soul skill, Deterrence.

Rings of yellow light spread from Yao Haoxuan. Everyone from Shrek Academy became shrouded in a yellow glow, their auras growing noticeably sharper. The bandits, meanwhile, faltered as dizziness began to cloud their minds.

Unexpectedly, three of the bandits had soul power at the Soul King level, a considerable discrepancy from the information Dai Yueheng had obtained. Still, that did nothing to stop Ma Xiaotao and the others from driving them back in defeat.

More bandits kept joining the fight from the depths of the cavern, but they could not change its course at all.

Ma Xiaotao was already a powerful Soul Emperor, while Dai Yueheng, Chen Zifeng, and Xixi, supported by Gongyang Mo, possessed combat strength that was no inferior to a Soul Emperor's.

Within just a few breaths, Chen Zifeng's Soul Chasing Sword had sliced one of the bandits' Soul Kings to pieces. Unlike Ma Xiaotao's evil fire phoenix martial soul and Dai Yueheng's white tiger martial soul, his Soul Chasing Sword was a Power Attack System tool martial soul with the utmost offensive power.

"Roar!" Amid a tiger's roar, Dai Yueheng spat out a blazing White Tiger Fierce Light Wave, forcing another Soul King back. Enhanced by his three soul skills-White Tiger Protection Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Transformation, and White Tiger Demon God Transformation-he charged forward and tore that Soul King's body to shreds.

The sole remaining Soul King was likewise driven back by a single attack from Ma Xiaotao. No longer daring to approach, he hid among the bandits.

Ye Xixuan's gaze locked onto this last Soul King bandit. A cold, spectral gleam suffused his pitch-black eyes, and the faintest smile curved his lips.

"Death Messenger, I've found you."

The Death Messenger inexplicably felt a chill. But looking at the corpses packed around the others, he let out a shrill laugh.

"Gahahahaha! You dare oppose me, the Death Messenger? Whoever you are, you'll all die here today! I'll turn every last one of you into my corpse slaves!"

Far from growing excited at his words, the bandits all hurriedly retreated, their faces filling with stark terror.

Their attention drawn by the Death Messenger and the bandits' unusual behavior, everyone from Shrek Academy paused. Then, to their horror, they saw the corpses on the ground swelling and turning red at an astonishing speed.

Ma Xiaotao's expression changed instantly, and she roared.

"Watch out!"

The others reacted as well, using their martial souls and soul skills to protect themselves. Ling Luochеn instinctively turned toward Ye Xixuan behind her. Warmth filled her icy blue eyes as she reached a hand toward him and parted her red lips.

Before she could speak, she saw the three purple thousand-year soul rings beside Ye Xixuan simultaneously blossom with deep, magnificent light.

The pitch-black Fallen Wings spread fully behind Ye Xixuan. Deep, deathly shadows writhed outward from beneath his feet as though alive, enveloping the entire cavern.

He held his right hand loosely open; a weapon wreathed in purple-black lightning

-the Dark Demon Sword-condensed in his right hand. Then he gripped its long, ornate hilt with both hands and abruptly drove it into the shadows on the ground.

The entire shadow domain flickered densely, as though countless rays of black-purple light had been poured into it. Bathed in that lightning, the swollen, reddened corpses swiftly returned to their original state, wisps of cold, sinister black energy spilling from them.

Deathly silence filled the cavern.

Under the influence of the evil aura within his martial soul, Ye Xixuan walked past the members of Shrek Academy step by step, his expression indifferent. He raised the Dark Demon Sword, pointing its tip straight at the Death Messenger opposite him. The black energy spilling from the corpses followed his movements of its own accord, gathering along the pitch-black blade, as though he were now the ruler of this Avici Hell.

"Why aren't you laughing now? Do you need me to teach you?"

"You... you're an Evil Soul Master too?!" The Death Messenger threw back his cloak, revealing a skull-like face. His faintly glowing green eyes were filled with shock.

"How can you control my corpse slaves?! Who exactly are you?!"

As though something had occurred to him, the shock in the Death Messenger's eyes instantly gave way to terror.

"This utterly pure evil aura... are you the Holy Church's Holy Son?! If you're the Holy Church's Holy Son, why are you attacking me?!"

"Heh heh..." Ye Xixuan's mischievous streak surfaced, and he deliberately let out two sinister chuckles.

"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong."

The moment his words fell, he merged into the shadow domain. In the next instant, he appeared before the Death Messenger. Dense black energy condensed around the Dark Demon Sword in his hand, forming an enormous black sword ray that flashed through the air.

The Death Messenger's pupils instantly lost focus. His hideous head separated from his torso and fell onto the filthy ground.

(End of chapter)