The Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City.
"Bishop, what exactly do the higher-ups... think about that matter?"
Su Yuntao stood before the desk, asking the branch bishop, Ma Xiunuo, with a hint of nervousness.
Several days had passed since he reported what happened when he awakened Ye Guixu's Martial Soul. That peculiar suit of pitch-black armor and the strange phenomenon of the crystal ball exploding had weighed on his mind all this time, leaving him unable to sleep soundly.
"You needn't worry."
Ma Xiunuo patted his shoulder kindly. "You reported this promptly. Your contribution has already been recorded."
Although he likewise did not understand what kind of power could make a crystal ball explode, he knew one thing very well.
The higher-ups certainly understood its significance. This matter was anything but simple.
"Thank you for supporting me, Bishop!"
Su Yuntao let out a long breath, some relief appearing on his face.
Just as Ma Xiunuo was about to offer a few more reminders, someone suddenly shoved the branch's front doors open from outside, and a rush of hurried, forceful footsteps poured straight into the hall.
Ma Xiunuo instinctively looked up. When he saw the figure at the head of the group, his entire body stiffened. Almost instinctively, he pulled Su Yuntao along and hurried forward, bending into a deep bow. "Your subordinate, Ma Xiunuo, pays his respects to Lord Salas!"
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
Su Yuntao's heart jolted-Lord Salas? One of the four Platinum Bishops, the master of the Spirit Temple in Heaven Dou City?
Never in his dreams had he imagined that the matter he reported would bring such an important figure here in person.
"Rise."
Salas's gaze settled directly on the two men, without any unnecessary pleasantries.
"Which deacon tested the child who made the crystal ball explode during his Innate Soul Power test a few days ago?"
Ma Xiunuo hurriedly stepped aside and pushed Su Yuntao forward. "My lord, it was this branch's deacon, Su Yuntao."
Su Yuntao stood rigidly upright, his palms slick with sweat. "R-respects, my lord! I-it was your subordinate who tested him..."
Salas looked him up and down and nodded slightly. "A fine young man. Very well, lead the way to Holy Soul Village. Find that child."
"Yes, my lord!"
Su Yuntao dared not say anything more and immediately accepted the order.
The group rode out on horseback, with Su Yuntao leading the way and Ma Xiunuo close behind. Salas and several attendants galloped along, raising clouds of dust as they raced toward Holy Soul Village.
Nearly two hours later, the outline of Holy Soul Village finally came into view.
Yet the moment they entered the village, Su Yuntao stopped dead.
Silence.
The entire village was as silent as a city of the dead.
There were no crowing roosters or barking dogs, no children playing. Even the wind passing through the broken window frames carried a hollow echo that sent chills down their backs.
Su Yuntao's expression slowly changed.
He rushed into the village, and the sight before him chilled him to the bone.
Large patches of dried, dark-red blood covered the ground, stretching along the dirt road into the depths of the village.
Doors and windows hung broken and crooked. Blows of varying depths had left marks on the walls, and half the roofs of some houses had collapsed entirely.
"Where is everyone?"
He pushed open the first familiar door. No one was inside.
The second house was empty.
The third was empty too.
He stumbled back outside, standing frozen in the middle of the road as though all his strength had been drained away.
Behind the village, dozens of fresh graves stood in uneven rows. A crude wooden marker had been planted before each one, with a name carved crookedly into it.
"...Auntie Zhang... Tiezhu..." Su Yuntao read them one by one, his voice growing quieter and quieter. Not one of those familiar faces remained.
He slowly crouched down and covered his face with both hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Salas walked step by step through the ravaged village, his gaze passing over the broken doors and windows, dried bloodstains, and freshly turned grave soil.
"Lord Salas... th-this..." Su Yuntao hurriedly stood, his voice shaking.
"Holy Soul Village was perfectly fine a few days ago. I was even here conducting the awakening ceremony... How... how could everyone be gone when we came today? All that's left are these graves..."
Salas surveyed their surroundings, his gaze sweeping inch by inch over the signs of destruction, his voice icy.
"A Fallen Soul Master came here and massacred the village. The culprit was at least a Soul Douluo-level expert."
"Utterly deranged!"
Su Yuntao shuddered. "M-massacred the village?!"
"Are there any other villages nearby?"
"Y-yes, my lord!"
Su Yuntao hurriedly wiped his face and followed. "I'll lead the way!"
The group headed for the surrounding villages.
When he saw cooking smoke curling above a distant village and people moving about, Su Yuntao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the nearby villages had not been caught up in it.
After making inquiries, they received a shocking piece of news.
Holy Soul Village had been attacked by a Fallen Soul Master a few days earlier. Not a single person in the village had been spared.
The only survivor was the village chief, Jack, who had gone out to attend a banquet that day.
After waking up, the old man had been unable to withstand the blow and suffered a mental breakdown. Now deranged, he had wandered off, his whereabouts unknown.
Su Yuntao's face went deathly pale.
He could no longer spare a thought for any promotion.
The village was gone, everyone was dead, and whether that genius was alive or dead remained unknown.
He would already be incredibly fortunate if he was not held accountable.
Salas listened to the report with a grim expression, his gaze lowered slightly, and remained silent for a long time.
If his deduction was correct, that genius had very likely been killed in the massacre as well.
How was he supposed to explain this outcome to His Holiness the Pope?
Su Yuntao opened his mouth, his voice trembling. "L-Lord Salas..."
"Fallen Soul Masters."
"Filthy, foul creatures that should not exist in this world. This matter must be reported to His Holiness the Pope and investigated to the very end."
As his words fell, a faint trace of Soul Power pressure seeped from him. The oppressive force that washed over everyone nearby made their breathing catch and their bodies stiffen.
Noticing their reactions, Salas slowly reined in his aura.
"Go question the surrounding villages again. Do not overlook a single clue."
"Yes, my lord!" Several Purple-Clad Bishops and Su Yuntao hurriedly accepted the order and dispersed.
Watching their retreating backs, Salas sighed softly to himself.
May that child still be alive.
Otherwise, this will be an immense loss for Spirit Hall.
Meanwhile, in Soul Hunting Town on the outskirts of Sunset Forest.
In a courtyard so secluded that it drew no attention, Ye Guixu leaned by a window, leisurely gnawing on a spicy rabbit head while watching the distant road leading out of town toward Sunset Forest.
A rough, hand-drawn map lay spread across the table. Several locations had been circled in charcoal, with a line written beside them:
"Dugu Bo entered Sunset Forest on the 25th of this month. One day has passed without his return."
He casually tossed aside the bones he had picked clean, wiped his hands, and narrowed his eyes at the lush green tree line in the distance, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Ice and Fire Mandarin Duck Pot, I'm really looking forward to you."
Then Ye Guixu took a piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue the size of a human head out of his Storage Soul Tool.
He had bought it at an auction in Heaven Dou City over the past few days.
Dugu Bo won't come out so soon after entering the Ice and Fire Mandarin Duck Pot. Time to strengthen my body a little more.
"But this stuff only works after a fire-attribute Soul Master heats it."
Ye Guixu smacked his lips.
"With so many Soul Masters coming and going through Soul Hunting Town, let's find some unlucky sap."
Before you continue