Yu Tianqing shut his door and looked around his new room. It was about three hundred square meters, with three bedrooms in all. It was rather extravagant for one person.
But a big house was meant to be there for show.
He went straight to the largest bedroom, where an antique box sat on the desk.
The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife.
Because of the power of its curse, an ordinary Storage Soul Tool risked being damaged if it held the knife for too long.
So whenever the two of them went out, he had kept the carving knife in his room.
This was the Star Emperor Hotel. No one would offend the Star Luo Imperial Family by stealing a carving knife worth 150,000.
Yu Tianqing sat down and opened the box. The eerie green carving knife lay quietly on the velvet, giving off an ominous presence.
He picked it up between two fingers of his left hand and held it before his eyes for a close look. Its edge was razor-sharp, and its handle was covered in densely packed formations.
These formations could help Soul Engineers concentrate and maintain greater stability while carving.
Although it ranked only ninety-ninth, that was solely because of its sinister reputation. Its true value could easily place it among the top three on the carving knife rankings.
Yang Lightning gathered in his left hand, brilliant arcs of electricity intertwining as they touched the carving knife.
Yu Tianqing felt the air around him turn cold in an instant. A jumble of whispers reached his ears, as though countless vengeful souls were shrieking.
This was probably the power of the curse. When Soul Engineers were at their most focused while using the knife, the whispers would undoubtedly disturb their minds.
Knowing how formidable the knife was, Yu Tianqing kept his grip. The Yang Lightning in his hand grew fiercer, enveloping the knife completely like a ball of golden light.
...Heaven holds no taboos, earth holds no taboos, yin and yang hold no taboos, nothing is forbidden...
Yu Tianqing silently recited the scripture passed down by the Heavenly Venerable. His mind was clear, and his eyes remained fixed on the carving knife.
Ever since the first Evil Soul Master had transformed the original carving knife into this state, there was no telling how many lives it had claimed. The power of the curse accumulated upon it was immensely strong.
The carving knife was made of Gold of Life, which could not be considered a metal in the purest sense. The power of the curse had not truly fused with it either; it had merely attached itself to the surface.
His Yang Lightning could only act like a dental scaler, cleaning away the stubborn grime on the surface.
Yu Tianqing's senses were keen, and he could tell that the power of the curse was weakening, though very slowly. At full output, it would probably take him five minutes to reduce it by one percent.
But any effect was a good thing.
Yu Tianqing kept his Yang Lightning Martial Soul at full output. After ten minutes, he finally stopped, having used up more than half his Soul Power.
The electric light faded, and its presence receded.
He had expended a great deal of Soul Power, so he should have been weak for a while.
But as Yu Tianqing stared at the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
As the cursed presence was annihilated, he could feel a stream of exceedingly pure energy being infused into his Yang Lightning Martial Soul Origin.
"Purifying evil Qi and feeding it back to myself. Is this... the sacred attribute?"
Yu Tianqing was a little uncertain. This mechanism came from his own Martial Soul Origin and had nothing to do with the cultivation technique he practiced.
Yet he had never discovered it in all his years of cultivation, because he had never met an Evil Soul Master.
Even Evil Soul Masters rarely visited a place like the Far North.
Evil Soul Masters were cruel, but that did not mean they were immune to the cold.
Yang Lightning governed growth and radiant clarity.
Hiss-now that I think about it, it really should have this function.
It was not the sacred attribute, but it had the same mechanism.
For a moment, Yu Tianqing's thoughts churned like rivers overturning and seas raging.
His expression was complicated. He did not know whether he should be delighted or regretful.
In the end, he shook his head and gave a helpless, bitter smile.
It was his own ability, after all. Discovering it earlier would have helped him increase his strength quickly, but facing an Evil Soul Master back then would also have been rather dangerous for him.
Evil Soul Masters were dangerous to begin with, but for Yu Tianqing, the imbalance between the yin and yang origins in his body was even more dangerous.
After two months of dual cultivation with Nan Shuishui, the yin and yang origins in his body had barely settled into a four-to-six ratio.
Moreover, he could foresee that as he added Soul Rings to his Yin Thunder Dragon Martial Soul, he would have no shortage of opportunities to absorb yin-attribute origin in the future.
By comparison, his Yang Lightning origin would be much weaker.
Lesser yang was wood, and greater yang was fire.
Soul Beasts with those two attributes were already hard to find on the continent, and he would also have to assess each one according to its specific attributes.
He had not expected today's discovery to open an entirely new door on his path of cultivation.
The Holy Spirit Cult had a whole bunch of Evil Soul Masters!
Yu Tianqing sat in his chair, his heart surging with indescribable excitement, as though a magnificent painting were slowly unfolding before his eyes.
With the Yin Yang Thunder Dragon, his yang-attribute origin could kill Evil Soul Masters to nourish itself, while his yin-attribute origin could be strengthened through dual cultivation.
What lousy Martial Soul?
There's no Martial Soul more badass than this one, all right?
His path of cultivation: an AK in one hand, a babe in the other.
It seemed that entering the Shrek Inner Court had been the right move.
Shrek had the authority to oversee the three empires, and among the original three empires there were quite a few channels through which he could obtain information on Evil Soul Masters.
Otherwise, if he had to search for them one by one on his own, who knew how long it would take?
If not me, who else will strike down evil?
From now on, call me the light of the righteous path.
Grandmaster of supreme goodness, my name is Zhengguang.
Whenever he encountered an Evil Soul Master, he would simply wave his hand and refine them in an instant.
He would have to find a way to visit the Sun Moon Empire as well, though there was no hurry. That would require careful planning.
After all, an Evil Soul Master who was a Titled Douluo was still a Titled Douluo.
In the time it took him to think about these things, Yu Tianqing could feel that his Soul Power had fully recovered. His gaze fell on the dark green carving knife once more, and his eyes blazed with scorching intensity.
Kekeke, little baby, don't be afraid,
let your uncle help purify that sinful body of yours!
The bright moon hung high overhead. On the top floor of the Star Emperor Hotel, brilliant white light flashed from time to time through the gaps in the curtains.
Next door, Xu Jiujiu could also faintly hear low, strange laughter. It kept her from sleeping soundly.
Finally, as the first pale light appeared in the sky, a wail that seemed to come from ancient times rang out.
The carving knife in Yu Tianqing's hand had fully revealed its original appearance. It was jade-green throughout, with what seemed to be living liquid flowing inside it, giving it a luster of intermingled green and gold.
Just holding it, Yu Tianqing could feel a refreshing coolness that seemed to nourish his body, leaving him immensely comfortable.
He stretched, and his stiff, motionless bones crackled like popping beans.
A cracking sound rang out within him as a bottleneck was broken through.
Soul Power surged and roiled through his body, making it tremble.
Yu Tianqing had officially become a level-seventy Quasi-Soul Saint.