"Isn't this our esteemed Soul Master Wang Lun? I never knew you were so fond of cleanliness! Getting ready to mop the floor first thing in the morning..."
Shangguan Hong sat cross-legged atop the purple monster, watching Wang Lun below with a faint, ambiguous smile. In his view, Wang Lun's crotch was already soaked, and the stink of urine slowly spread. As Wang Lun shifted his body, he smeared it very evenly across the ground.
"No, this is impossible! I must still be asleep, right? Yes, that must be it! How could anyone in this world go from rank-one Soul Power to a Soul Master overnight? This has to be fake!"
Wang Lun roared himself hoarse, his eyes filled with despair! In truth, he knew perfectly well: how could the monster before him be fake? After all, over half of Heavenly Spirit Village had already been destroyed, and even the roof of his mansion had been torn off. The foul stench mingled with the smell of blood kept drilling into his nostrils, and the Soul Power fluctuations radiating from Shangguan Hong could not be faked! Everything pointed to one fact: the orphan whose left leg he had broken, whom he had humiliated countless times, had become a Soul Master with a hundred-year Soul Ring!
"You only awakened your Martial Soul yesterday morning! You haven't even been to the Soul Hunting Forest! How could you possibly have a hundred-year Soul Ring?!"
In Wang Lun's eyes, there were too many mysteries surrounding Shangguan Hong. Whether it was his skyrocketing Soul Power, the hundred-year Soul Ring that had appeared out of nowhere, or that absurd first Soul Skill, everything challenged his understanding. He dared not believe it, because if the scene before him was real, then he would have no tomorrow!
Closing his eyes, opening them... refreshing his view countless times, Wang Lun struggled like a childish little boy. Shangguan Hong, however, seemed very patient. He quietly watched the man who had once stepped on his head and cursed him as trash make a spectacle of himself, his heart filled with satisfaction.
"My dear Soul Master Wang Lun, is this the last thing you want to do before you die? I don't understand, but I respect it! So, what are your last words?"
Shangguan Hong spoke softly. He thought his expression was calm, but in reality, he could no longer suppress the corners of his mouth, which stretched into an exaggerated grin. To Wang Lun, he was no different from a demon.
"Last words?! No, no, no! You can't kill me! I'm a Soul Master registered with Spirit Hall! I'm a man of standing! If you kill me, you'll become a wanted criminal!"
"Look at you! Reaching the Soul Master level at just six years old-what a genius! You're still so young! You mustn't set foot on the path of crime!"
Thanks to his status as a Soul Master, Wang Lun enjoyed the most comfortable life in the village. His standing was higher than the village chief's, and his wealth exceeded that of all the villagers combined! He was a man without much ambition, and precisely for that reason, despite his Soul Master cultivation, he had willingly stayed tucked away in tiny Heavenly Spirit Village, enjoying the pleasure of standing above everyone else.
People like him were terrified of death!
"Wanted? How ridiculous!"
Shangguan Hong could no longer restrain himself. He stood and leaped down, casually resting the enormous shovel in his hand on his shoulder. Its edge was razor-sharp; even an executioner's axe could hardly have surpassed it.
"Why would I become a wanted criminal? Heavenly Spirit Village was clearly destroyed by a disaster, and all its villagers met with misfortune. What does that have to do with me?"
The sunlight blazed beneath a cloudless sky, yet Wang Lun felt as though he stood in the bitter cold of February. His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared fixedly at Shangguan Hong.
This mad brat intended to slaughter the village!
"No, don't! I have money! Lots and lots of money! I can give you all of it!"
"I apologize for everything I did! I deserve to die! I'm not human! I'm a bastard..."
Resounding slaps rang out as Wang Lun desperately struck his usually well-maintained face. Unfortunately, his words could not move Shangguan Hong, because...
"Fool! Once I kill you-kill every last one of you-all the wealth in the village will be mine!!!"
A Soul Master's cultivation required financial support, and Shangguan Hong, an orphan, was clearly penniless. As the saying went, "A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it through proper means." Shangguan Hong liked money, so taking other people's money was perfectly reasonable.
Seeing that Shangguan Hong refused to give him a chance to live, Wang Lun, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, fell into despair. After despair came hysterical madness! As he slapped his cheeks, he kept an eye on Shangguan Hong, who was enjoying his screams. Suddenly, a staff appeared in his hands. Gripping it with both hands, Wang Lun swung down with enough force to cleave Mount Hua. A white ten-year Soul Ring pulsed beneath his feet, radiating dazzling light!
"If you won't let me live, then die! A Summoning System Soul Master actually dared to get close to a Power Attack System Soul Master! Brat, use your head in your next life!"
"First Soul Skill, Heavy Chop!"
Wang Lun had encountered several summoning-type Soul Masters before. Their summons varied in strength, but they all shared one trait: their bodies were quite fragile, much like Support System Soul Masters! Although Shangguan Hong possessed a hundred-year Soul Ring, he absolutely could not escape that ironclad rule!
Youngsters were still far too green!
Wang Lun grinned viciously, as though he could already see Shangguan Hong's head bursting like a watermelon!
Yet there was no trace of fear on Shangguan Hong's face. He raised his head with that ambiguous smile and violently swung the enormous golden shovel in his hand!
Clang-
"Fool!"
The shovel was razor-sharp. Reinforced by Shangguan Hong's Soul Power, it cleaved through the staff in Wang Lun's hands like a battle-axe!
Wang Lun looked at the staff in his hands, now broken in two, then at the enormous bloody gash across his chest. He stood as though struck by lightning.
"You only just broke through, and you're a summoning tool Soul Master! I'm a rank-nineteen Power Attack System Soul Master..."
"Idiot! With that garbage Martial Soul of yours, you think you deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as me?"
Shangguan Hong laughed disdainfully. A Summoning System Soul Master? That was right, he was indeed a Summoning System Soul Master! So what? The quality of their Martial Souls was as far apart as heaven and earth. Besides, Wang Lun had raised his Soul Power through his own efforts, while Shangguan Hong had absorbed the optimal Soul Ring with the system's assistance. His Soul Power had shot straight to rank twelve, with an incredibly solid foundation.
With all those differences, it would have been a miracle if Wang Lun could win!
Thud!
Wang Lun fell to the ground with his eyes wide open. Blood gathered beneath him into a small lake. He convulsed, his signs of life fading at tremendous speed.
"Ah, you brought this on yourself! Still, I'm a kindhearted person. Leave your funeral arrangements to me!"
Shangguan Hong spoke to himself and waved a hand. The enormous purple monster behind him lunged forward. Moments later, never mind bloodstains-even the floor was nowhere to be found.
"To return to the embrace of the Void-Soul Master Wang Lun, you can rest in peace!"
Listening to the hissing by his ears, Shangguan Hong felt the knot in his heart disappear completely. He gently stroked the enormous purple monster's tusks, his face full of satisfaction.
"Sure enough, my Soul Power increased a little!"
Devouring Soul Masters could increase his Soul Power cultivation! If word of this spread, Shangguan Hong would undoubtedly be branded a Fallen Soul Master! But word would not spread. Shangguan Hong was not foolish enough to reveal Baron Nashor's abilities in the Douluo I timeline while knowing Spirit Hall existed.
Yes, the Void, Baron Nashor!
This enormous monster, over twenty meters long, was the ultimate horror born of the Void, summoned through Shangguan Hong's first Soul Skill-Wrath of the Void!
Even Shangguan Hong himself had not expected a mere hundred-year Soul Ring to summon Baron Nashor. This Baron Nashor's cultivation matched his Soul Ring's age: 423 years. Moreover, Baron Nashor would grow stronger as Shangguan Hong's cultivation rose, and could also increase his strength through devouring.
However, such a powerful Soul Skill had drawbacks, such as its enormous Soul Power consumption. With Shangguan Hong's current cultivation, he could barely maintain it for ten minutes.
The Void was still only a child. It needed more nourishment.
And so...
"Go! This entire village will become your food!"
Shangguan Hong leaped up and stood atop Baron Nashor's head. At his command, the terrifying Baron Nashor rampaged through the village. No living creature could escape the Baron's perception. The purple dead sea beneath the Baron covered an area with a thirty-meter radius. This was the area in which the Baron could move, and it was also his territory!
As the Baron devoured, this purple dead sea would expand as well. One day, it might well engulf the entire continent!
Shangguan Hong had already begun yearning for that day, so much so that he paid no attention to the wails by his ears. Among the lives lost, some might have been kind and others evil. But the moment Shangguan Hong openly revealed his first Soul Skill and ordered Baron Nashor to begin devouring, all these people were destined to die.
Baron Nashor's destructive power was astonishing. In mere moments, all of Heavenly Spirit Village had been reduced to ruins!
After taking all the money and changing into clean clothes, Shangguan Hong left. He hid along the route anyone heading to Nuoding City would have to take, staying there for two whole days.
After confirming that the clichéd "youth bearing a blood-deep vendetta" plot had not appeared, Shangguan Hong set the ruins of Heavenly Spirit Village ablaze. Amid the sea of fire, the traces Baron Nashor had left behind would turn to ash, known to no one.
At last, humming a little tune, Shangguan Hong set off on his own path as a Soul Master.
As for where he would go...
He opened the system panel and looked at the mission section.
[Mission: Attend a junior Soul Master Academy! Head to Shrek Academy six years later. (Reward: Second Martial Soul awakening!)]
"A junior Soul Master Academy... Shrek..."
Shangguan Hong scratched his chin. Attending a junior Soul Master Academy was necessary. After all, he had only arrived in this world a year ago. He was unfamiliar with its people and places and knew nothing of its common knowledge. The nearest academy was Nuoding City Junior Soul Master Academy. Was he really going to go there?
"No! What happened in Heavenly Spirit Village will soon draw Spirit Hall's attention. Although I think I've left everything seamless, what if? I should go elsewhere and lie low first!"
"I still have to complete the system's mission. After all, the reward of a second Martial Soul is impossible to refuse..."
Shangguan Hong thought for a long time. Ultimately, he decided to leave for now. If the opportunity arose in the future, he would return to the Nuoding City area. After all, when he had first arrived in this world, he had made inquiries: Holy Soul Village was only half a day's journey from Heavenly Spirit Village. He had also visited Holy Soul Village then and met the young Tang San, who was the same age as him!
Since that was the case, the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone existed as well. Although Tang Hao guarded it, there was absolutely no reason to abandon such a supreme treasure!
Keep a low profile and farm first. Six years from now, I'll dazzle everyone's eyes!