Chapter 347: The Evil Spirit Master You Li
After his sinister grin, the evil spirit master reached toward Yu Hong's soul first.
Yu Hong's spirit struggled even more violently in midair, but it was still helpless against the grip of the evil spirit master.
"Hmm~"
A look of satisfaction appeared on the evil spirit master's face. As he absorbed the hatred and venom in Yu Hong's emotions, he felt as if he had just consumed a powerful tonic, his whole body filled with comfort and strength.
"…Hm?"
Suddenly, a strange expression crossed the man's pale face.
His bony fingers slowly withdrew from Yu Hong's soul and instead reached toward Yu Lan, as if probing for something.
Soon after, he withdrew his hand again. Then, with a single breath, he sucked both souls into his body as if they were tangible objects.
He stood still for a long moment.
"…Interesting."
After a while, a twisted smile crept across his face.
"Who would've thought that I, You Li, would encounter that Qi Han here? Truly, the heavens favor me."
"Still… that Qi fellow already has four spirit rings? And such an unusual spirit ring combination… he's clearly hiding quite a few secrets."
As the grin on his face widened, it made his deathly pale skin look even more grotesque.
"But no matter. Those secrets… will soon be mine."
"Originally, I was searching for that senior, but this… this might be an even bigger catch. If I present Qi Han to that elder… perhaps my status within the Holy Spirit Cult might rise even higher?"
The edge of You Li's hood lifted ever so slightly, revealing a pair of eyes burning with fanaticism.
He had always acted alone, improving his strength by devouring the souls of humans and beasts alike. Thanks to the unique properties of his martial spirit, consuming a soul also lets him see the target's memories.
Back during the Advanced Spirit Master Academy Fighting Tournament, You Li had snuck into Star Luo City, secretly harvesting souls.
His methods were extremely cautious—he never acted in the same place twice—and with the crowds and confusion of the tournament, he'd gone completely unnoticed.
He thrived like a fish in water.
Because he wasn't aligned with the remnants of the Spirit Hall, You Li wasn't implicated when the evil spirit master factions were purged.
He stayed hidden—and survived.
Even You Li, who normally cared little for the world, had heard of the restaurant "Han Shi" in Star Luo City, and its owner, Qi Han.
The man's cooking was said to have miraculous effects, able to raise innate spirit power and cure even chronic afflictions.
The moment he heard about it, You Li was deeply tempted.
'How could I let someone like that slip away?'
'I must have him.'
Unfortunately, Qi Han was under the protection of the Tang Sect, and even the legendary Sect Master of the Tang Sect frequently appeared at the restaurant.
That made it impossible for You Li to take action directly.
But he still memorized Qi Han's appearance by heart.
If he ever found a chance to secretly capture and control him, forcing him to cook for him alone—it would be absolutely perfect.
But before You Li could put that plan into motion, the coup in Star Luo Palace erupted.
For someone like him, it didn't matter who ruled the Star Luo Empire.
In fact, the more people died, the better—for him, more death meant more spirits to harvest.
Yet there was one thing that caught his attention during the palace chaos.
As blood-red lights streaked across the sky, You Li felt a dark, malevolent aura—one of the same origin as his own.
A powerful evil spirit master!
That terrifying power nearly made You Li fall to his knees in awe.
And the words that figure shouted in hatred as they fled stuck firmly in You Li's mind:
Holy Spirit Cult!
'So this is… our faction?'
As a lone, hunted fugitive, constantly fleeing and hiding, You Li suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
He had found his organization.
"I want to join the Holy Spirit Cult!"
That had become You Li's new life goal.
Originally, as soon as Star Luo City reopened, You Li planned to search for the powerful senior he had sensed during the coup, hoping to follow them and contribute to the grand cause of the Holy Spirit Cult.
But unexpectedly, the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy's inner court went on a fanatical hunt for evil spirit masters, forcing You Li to go into even deeper hiding—more cautious than ever before.
Finally, once the evil spirit master purge ended, You Li breathed a sigh of relief.
He came to the Star Dou Forest, hoping the senior might be hiding there—and while he was at it, maybe hunt some spirit beasts to devour their spirits and grow stronger.
What he didn't expect was that while that mysterious senior had yet to make an appearance, the person who had been on his mind all this time—Qi Han—had finally revealed himself.
"Heh heh~ heaven is on my side."
You Li chuckled darkly, vanishing from where he stood the very next moment.
Thanks to the memories he absorbed from Yu Lan and Yu Hong, he now knew Qi Han's location.
A mere four-ring Spirit Ancestor? He can't escape me.
So what if you have ten-thousand-year spirit skills? I do too.
…
"Hic," Qi Han let out a satisfied burp and rubbed his belly.
He was full and content.
This wasn't the first time he had roasted Eagle Clawed Ferret meat, but this time his preparation had been much more meticulous, and his culinary skills had greatly improved. As a result, the roast meat was far more delicious than before.
Especially when, in a moment of inspiration, Qi Han drizzled a bit of fresh Qinan fruit juice over the surface of the meat while it was roasting.
The result was a flavor as rich as Honey-Glazed Grilled Ribs.
Many fruits played key roles in meat preparation.
Their refreshing, mild aromas helped eliminate the greasy heaviness of meat, while their sweet-and-sour taste blended seamlessly with the meat's natural umami—bringing out the best of both.
Perhaps for the next 2 Star recipe creation, he could explore the idea of incorporating fruits as a core element?
Qi Han made a mental note of this, then rolled up with a stretch, his full-bellied companion Pururu by his side.
"Let's go! Time to move!"
After gathering his belongings, Qi Han vaulted onto Zhui Yun's back.
"Zhui Yun, let's head that way!"
"Neighhh!"
Zhui Yun neighed sharply, then galloped off at full speed in the direction indicated.
Ruyi had already mapped out the distribution of all draconic spirit beasts within the Star Dou Forest for Qi Han.
Now, he was heading toward the nearest zone, home to a species of earth dragon-type spirit beast called the Armored Wild Dragon.
Qi Han planned to try cooking each kind of dragon spirit beast, one at a time.
…
About ten minutes after Qi Han left the streamside, a cloud of black mist suddenly appeared at the spot.
The mist quickly coalesced into You Li's form.
He scanned the disarray around the area, sniffing the faint, lingering aroma of roasted meat in the air. His stomach growled involuntarily.
"Tch… that damn chef sure knows how to enjoy himself," he sneered.
"Consider yourself lucky this time."
You Li muttered under his breath, then blinked out of sight—reappearing a moment later at another spot near the stream.
He slowly bent down, running a pale, bony finger over the ground.
There, a clear hoofprint stood out in the dirt.
"Heh… got you, little rat."
You Li's lips curled into a cruel smile as he once again transformed into a black shadow and began his pursuit—trailing the hoofprints all the way.
From the memories of the Yu father and son, You Li had learned that Qi Han owned a thousand-year-old Blood Red Unicorn.
Such a spirit beast had incredible speed.
Even as a six-ring Spirit Emperor, You Li might outrun it in short bursts, but he couldn't maintain high-speed pursuit indefinitely.
However, Qi Han couldn't possibly keep racing through the forest nonstop.
As long as he stopped…
You Li would catch him.
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