Chapter 102: The Evil Soul Master Appears, Battle Breaks Out
"Wow… kid, your martial soul looks more like an evil soul master's than an actual evil soul master!"
Yu Quan clicked his tongue in disbelief, staring at the massive, ghostly green soul form before him.
But his muttered complaint was instantly silenced when Lin Beiya shot him a glare. He scratched the back of his head with an awkward grin and dared not utter another foolish remark.
Lin Beiya exchanged a glance with Ming Xin. The little fellow immediately nodded, then stepped forward toward the pitch-black soul.
His first soul ring lit up, and the ghostly green soul behind him suddenly opened its terrifying vertical eye.
"First Soul Skill—Soul Seizure."
A luminous ring spread outward, instantly enveloping the black soul. The previously expressionless soul body suddenly twisted in agony.
Ming Xin's soul skill could seize a person's spirit, compelling them to spill the truth before they even realized it.
However, Lin Beiya was concerned that Ming Xin's cultivation was too low, which might cause him to suffer a spiritual backlash. That was why he had used his Demon Illusion Fist to restrain the target first. After that, everything became much simpler.
The pitch-black soul struggled for a few moments before its gaze grew empty once more, and Ming Xin's figure surfaced within its mind.
"Who are you?"
"Me? I am Number 64."
"Sixty-four? Just a code name? Then who is the one behind you? What methods does he use?"
"The Spirit Venerable. He can refine multiple souls into a composite soul that obeys his commands, then search for a physical body to serve as the vessel for the new soul."
"Where is he now?"
"He is… right there…"
All useful information had been extracted. Lin Beiya glanced in the direction the dark Soul indicated, and the Soul Ancestor guide immediately pointed out that it was the Fushou Village chief's residence.
Lin Beiya patted Ming Xin on the shoulder, signaling him to withdraw his soul skill. Then he casually tore open the entrance to the Underworld and threw the black soul inside.
"Alright, let's take a look over there."
The group headed together toward the chief's house. The door was shut tight just like before, but this time Yu Quan didn't bother being polite—he kicked it open with a single blow.
Inside, the village chief and his family of four all turned their heads stiffly, staring at the uninvited intruders.
"Who are you?"
Their mechanical reply was exactly the same as the earlier tea house owner's, once again confirming that an evil soul master was likely hiding somewhere within this village.
From the inner room of the chief's house came continuous, blood-curdling screams.
Realizing their secret had been exposed, the chief's entire family twisted their faces into savage expressions as waves of pitch-black mist erupted from their bodies, making them appear utterly horrifying.
Before anyone else could react, Wei Xu, who had long grown impatient, directly pulled out his Roaring Dragon Spear and charged forward.
"Dragon Gall Bright Silver!"
The spear tip emitted faint silver light, instantly piercing the throats of the entire family. Before they could even respond, they collapsed lifelessly onto the floor.
But the shocking part came immediately afterward. Even though all signs of life had vanished, the black mist surrounding their bodies surged violently, and the chief's family suddenly sprang up again, lunging toward Wei Xu from all directions.
At the same time, perhaps sensing danger, the entire village stirred. Every tightly shut door across Fushou Village swung open one after another, and even the villagers who had gone out to farm were now returning, brandishing hoes as they hurried back.
More and more people stepped out from their homes—every single one shrouded in black mist.
"Boss, people outside are surrounding us!"
"Mm. Then we fight. Leave the ones inside to me. Old Ye, protect Mo Xue."
"Understood."
Lin Beiya turned around, unleashing his telekinesis power to bypass the berserk family members. Sensing he was about to interfere with their master's forbidden rites, the entire family abandoned Wei Xu and charged at Lin Beiya desperately.
"Hmph. I won't let you disturb the captain."
"Raging Waterfall Dragon."
A surge of azure light erupted. The grotesque family of the village chief had their legs pierced instantly, causing them to collapse to the ground as they feebly crawled, trying to drag themselves closer to Lin Beiya.
Naturally, none of this concerned him. A real man never looks back at explosions. Lin Beiya continued walking toward the inner room without sparing them a glance.
"This trick of hiding everything under the light is pretty well done… even the farmers outside were used as disposable puppets to make the village appear normal. But in truth, Fushou Village has long since fallen."
Starlight rippled around him. The door before him shattered into four pieces.
The scene within the inner chamber instantly came into view. A middle-aged man in a black robe was fiddling with the empty air before him, and the sharp, piercing screams were coming from that very spot.
Lin Beiya activated his Cosmo, covering his eyes. In that moment, using the aura of the dead, he saw everything clearly.
The middle-aged man was refining dozens of villagers' souls with invisible flames. Unable to endure the unbearable torment, the victims cried out in agonizing wails.
Realizing Lin Beiya could see them, the tormented souls immediately pleaded desperately.
"Save… save us… Sir, please… save us!"
"Hm?"
The desperate cries jolted the middle-aged man from his obsession with soul refinement. Turning around, he found a stranger standing there, staring at him with icy, emotionless eyes.
"Jie jie jie… discovered already? And you even sent a child? Fate truly favors me!"
"Fate? A mere ant dares to speak of fate?"
The middle-aged man's confident expression froze for a moment, but his smile quickly twisted into something even more grotesque.
"Jie jie jie… brat, your soul is quite excellent. This old man will gladly accept it."
"Don't worry. I will make your death extremely painful."
"Third Soul Skill—Hundred Spirits in the Sky!"
A massive ghostly apparition formed behind him as he activated his martial soul. Two yellow, two purple, and one black soul ring rose in sequence.
Black mist streamed off the ghost's form, condensing into blazing, fiery souls floating high above. They hovered in the air, looking down at Lin Beiya like predators eyeing their prey.
Seeing this, Lin Beiya frowned slightly. The appearance of a Soul King meant Bibi Dong's estimation had been wrong—or she knew and simply chose not to tell him.
But no matter the reason, he had to eliminate the enemy before him first.
"Boy, in this situation, what do you intend to do? I'm truly looking forward to the screams you'll make once your soul begins to burn."
"Playing with souls in front of Cancer? I have to admit… you're quite a talent."
Lin Beiya's lips curled into a mocking smile. The middle-aged man's grin instantly froze, and his face twisted with rage.
"You damned brat! Let's see if you can still run your mouth later!"
He didn't care what "Cancer" meant. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to tear this boy to pieces.
With a wave of his hand, countless fiery souls began their suicidal dives toward Lin Beiya.
A burst of golden light flashed. Lin Beiya instantly completed the attachment of the Cancer Gold Cloth. This was the first time he had summoned this Gold Cloth in nearly a month.
It seemed Qian Renxue had already done some research on the Praesepe Underworld Waves.
As the fiery souls rained down, Lin Beiya remained completely calm. He extended both palms, and wave-like patterns of invisible light spread outward.
"Praesepe Soul Burial Wave."
As always, any soul that presented itself before the Cancer Saint was committing a foolish act.
Upon touching the expanding ripples, every soul in the air froze in place. A violent tearing force surged forth as the fiery souls shattered one after another, vanishing completely. Only their lingering screams echoed endlessly within the chamber.
—
End of Chapter