The killing in the hall finally ended, Toji, covered in blood, looked like Asura who had emerged from hell.
His black hair was soaked in thick blood, strands clinging to his forehead. His face, neck, and arms were all covered in crimson, and even his breath carried a strong smell of rust.
He flicked the blood off his hands, his cold gaze sweeping over the mangled limbs scattered on the ground, confirming that there were no more survivors.
"In that case, it should be impossible to find out who did it."
Toji nodded in satisfaction and strode into the depths of the hall.
Pushing open the heavy stone door, an extremely cold aura rushed out, causing Toji's pupils to shrink slightly.
Before me lay a massive cage, but it did not imprison living people; instead, it held countless twisted and tormented souls.
These souls are imprisoned by the secret techniques of Evil Soul Master, their bodies Entanglement by pitch-black chains engraved with eerie runes that constantly drain their life force.
Some of them are unrecognizable, while others are still wailing silently, unable to utter a sound.
The entire space was filled with despair and resentment, as if even the air had been stained black.
"I'd heard long ago that Evil Soul Master absorb the resentment of others to enhance their own cultivation," Toji murmured. "Seeing it up close now really gives me goosebumps."
"There should be quite a few places like this. After all, they are their strongholds for storing souls, and they can also threaten some Soul Master Evil Soul Master masters to become one of them, constantly strengthening themselves."
"These definitely can't be kept; we need to find a way to destroy them."
Just as Toji was wondering what to do with these souls, he suddenly remembered what Du Busi had once told him.
His physique Qi and Blood like a dragon, extremely vigorous and yang, with yang energy dozens of times greater than that of a normal man...
So, he must be naturally able to resist these evil spirits?
"No matter what, we'll find out by trying."
Toji's gaze darkened, and without hesitation, he sat down cross-legged, formed hand seals, and his internal Qi and Blood circulation surged.
"Boom!"
In an instant, his body erupted with intense Bloodline Power, like burning lava or a blazing sun, illuminating the entire dark space.
The extremely evil energy that Entanglement to his soul melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting fire when it came into contact with his Qi and Blood.
"Got it."
Toji's eyes lit up with joy.
Since acquiring the Bloodline Soul Core, his Qi and Blood have become incredibly useful.
"Laugh--!"
The black mist was scorched, emitting a piercing shriek, like some living thing struggling in agony.
As the evil energy was purified, the imprisoned souls finally broke free of their restraints, and their distorted faces gradually returned to calm.
They floated up slowly, radiating a soft light, as if finally freed from an endless nightmare.
They looked at Toji with eyes full of gratitude, and some of the souls even bowed slightly to him.
"You're free now. Go, while there's still time before it all disappears, go see the person you most want to see."
Toji stood up and was about to turn and leave.
However, the next moment, something unexpected happened.
Those souls, carrying streams of pure spiritual power, actively surged towards Toji, like rivers flowing into the sea, merging into his body.
"This is...?" Toji frowned, but soon he felt an unprecedented power surging within his body.
These souls voluntarily gave him their remaining Soul Power as a token of their gratitude.
The physical body undergoes a transformation, and strength surges.
"Boom--!"
His muscles trembled slightly, his bones cracked crisply, and his Bloodline Power surged once more!
His already formidable physical body was further enhanced, with a faint golden luster emanating from the surface of his body, as if even his blood had become more intensely hot.
The hurdle of approaching level 54 was crossed at this moment, and he officially advanced to level 54.
"I've leveled up four times in a year." Toji clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"This speed... I never would have dared to imagine it before..."
He Toji stretched his muscles and bones, which cracked and popped, like a Ferocious Beast awakening.
"That's an unexpected bonus."
He took one last look at the souls that had been released and were gradually dissipating, then turned and left, going into the hall where he placed the letter that Xu Tianran had sent in the center.
After doing all this, he truly left.
Outside the hall, the night wind howled, and moonlight shone on his blood-stained figure.
"Some Evil Soul Master have a higher chance of detecting me due to the characteristics of their Martial Soul, but as long as I remain still and completely conceal myself, even those with a keen sense of smell won't be able to find me."
"In that case, let's just stay here and see if we can find anything."
Toji decided to find a safe place to hide and start staking out.
The night was deep, and a heavy stench of blood filled the air, as if even the moonlight was tinged with a dark red.
Inside the hall, severed limbs were scattered all over the floor, and the blood had long since congealed into dark brown stains, turning the entire floor into a horrifying blood carpet.
The bloodstains splattered on the walls, like distorted murals, silently tell the story of the horrific massacre that once took place here.
Suddenly, three gray figures appeared silently in the center of the hall.
They were hunched over, thin as withered trees, with long, gray hair cascading down their backs, deep wrinkles on their faces, and dull, yellow eyes that slowly moved in their sunken sockets.
The strangest thing is that these three old men look exactly alike, with the same hooked nose, the same thin lips, the same gray robe, and even the same black cane with a gray gem the size of a human head inlaid at the top.
They stood there like three mummies crawling out of their graves, exuding an aura of decay and death.
Toji, hidden in the shadows, suddenly held his breath and narrowed his eyes.
Soon, he found the identities of the three old men in his memory.
They are the three Evil Soul Master brothers that Huo Yuhao and Wang Qiu'er encountered in the original novel.
Zhongli Tian, Zhongli Di, Zhongli Ren.
In the original story, they were at the level of Soul Douluo, but the current timeline is still far from that in the original story. Judging from their aura, they are probably at around level 79 to 82.
Toji remained silent, and as expected, he reaped the rewards, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Snort..."
Zhongli Tian in the center let out a low, cold snort. He lightly stomped his cane, and the blood on the ground trembled slightly, as if drawn by some force.
"They're all dead, and... they died a painful death."
To his left, Zhongli Di's voice was hoarse, harsh like sandpaper being rubbed.
He slowly squatted down, extended his withered fingers, and gently touched a pool of blood on the ground.
The blood began to writhe strangely, Entanglement his fingertips like a living thing, only to vanish into black smoke the next second.
"The methods are cruel, unlike what an ordinary Soul Master would do." Zhongli Tian narrowed his dim eyes, his gaze sweeping over the torn corpses. "Severed limbs, skinning, broken bones... there are even signs of being tortured to death."
As he spoke, a sinister smile crept up his lips.
"Interesting. They dare to target members of our Holy Spirit Cult. They've got some nerve. Looks like we've met someone in the same boat."
"In Mingdu, there is another ' Evil Soul Master ' who is not part of our Holy Spirit Cult."