The Curtain Falls (Transitional Chapter)
Silence, thick and heavy as a burial shroud, settled over the clearing. The acrid smell of ozone, scorched earth, and blood filled the air. The mighty Title Douluos who had shaken the earth with their battle now lay broken, their power extinguished. Chu Tianxiu stood amidst the devastation, his chest rising and falling steadily, the only sign of his exertion being a slight tightness around his eyes.
The black mist from his Spirit Binding Technique coiled around the corpses of the Four Princes of the King's Banner like a nest of vipers. Soon, four faint, shimmering forms were pulled from the lifeless bodies—their souls. But unlike the beast spirits he usually controlled, these human souls retained a flicker of their own consciousness, their forms wavering with confusion and dawning horror.
The soul of the Bear Prince blinked its ethereal eyes, looking down at its own translucent hands. "What's going on?" its voice echoed, a hollow whisper in the spiritual plane. "Weren't we killed by that little thief?"
"Yeah," the Panther Prince's soul chimed in, its form twisting in distress. "How are we... alive? We just feel so... light."
Their bewildered murmurs were cut short as they noticed Chu Tianxiu and the others standing nearby. Recognition and rage flared within them.
"Little thief!" the Bear Prince roared, his spectral voice gaining strength with fury. "You'll die a horrible death!"
"The Grand Elder will definitely avenge us!" the Panther Prince screamed.
Driven by a final, impulsive hatred, the soul of the Bear Prince lunged at Chu Tianxiu. It passed straight through his physical form without causing any harm, leaving only a chilling cold in its wake. The four souls stared in stunned disbelief at their own impotence.
A cruel, satisfied smile touched Chu Tianxiu's lips. He raised his hands, and the black mist surrounding them thickened, flowing into the souls of the Four Princes. It was not a gentle process.
"Ah... AHHHHH!" The souls writhed in agony as the corrupting energy of the Spirit Binding Technique began to erode their will, scouring away their memories and personalities. "You little thief! How cruel you are!" the Bear Prince managed to scream before his voice dissolved into wordless, spiritual torment.
No matter how much they cursed and wailed, Chu Tianxiu did not stop. He watched, his expression impassive, as their struggles grew weaker and weaker, their forms becoming more docile, their eyes losing their fiery intelligence and becoming blank slates. Soon, they stood silently before him, four obedient ghosts.
Chu Tianxiu looked from the blank souls to the mangled corpses on the ground. A memory, a reward drawn from the 'Under One Person' world when he broke through to the fourth ring, surfaced in his mind. He turned to Protector Wu. "Secure the perimeter. I am not to be disturbed."
Protector Wu nodded and barked orders. The Soul Hall members formed a wide, protective circle around their master, their faces grim and vigilant.
Chu Tianxiu sat cross-legged on the bloodstained ground between the four corpses. He closed his eyes, centering himself, pushing aside the fatigue and the simmering anger over Yu Xiaogang's escape. He brought his hands together, and a soft, internal light began to glow within his palms, a light that spoke of profound creation and brutal alteration.
"Divine Refinement," he uttered, his voice a low chant.
He channeled his soul power, a complex and demanding process that drew upon the esoteric knowledge from another world. The light from his hands flowed outwards, enveloping the four corpses. A miraculous and grotesque transformation began. The grievous wounds on their bodies—the charred flesh, the broken bones—began to knit together with unnatural speed. But they were not healing back into living tissue. Their skin took on a dull, metallic sheen, their limbs straightened with the rigidity of forged steel. The life that had fled them was not returning; instead, they were being remade into something else entirely.
...
Sweat beaded on Chu Tianxiu's forehead. The process was immensely draining, not just on his soul power, but on his spirit. He was not just manipulating energy; he was imposing a new, artificial order upon matter that had once been alive. The air around him hummed with the concentration of his will.
After an unknown period, his eyes snapped open. "Rise!" he commanded, his voice sharp and clear.
In response to his will, the four corpses twitched. Then, with jerky, unnatural movements, they pushed themselves up from the ground and stood at attention. They were perfect in form, their wounds gone, but they were utterly lifeless. Their faces were blank masks, their eyes vacant, empty windows. They were no longer men; they were puppets, forged from the flesh and bone of Title Douluos.
Chu Tianxiu examined his handiwork, a cold, intellectual satisfaction pushing aside his weariness. He nodded. Then, he manipulated the four obedient souls, guiding them back into their original, now-metallic bodies.
As the souls entered, the puppets' bodies began to glow with a faint, internal light. Chu Tianxiu's fingers flew through the air, weaving intricate patterns of soul power, imprinting complex soul seals directly into their cores. Each seal was a command, a restriction, a chain that bound the soul eternally to the body and the body eternally to his will.
"Seal!" he finally shouted, slamming his palms together.
A final pulse of energy washed over the four figures. The faint light in their bodies solidified. Their previously blank eyes flickered, and a dim, obedient light ignited within them. They were now awake, aware in a limited, servile way.
Chu Tianxiu addressed them. "Can you hear me?"
The four puppets, the former Four Princes of the King's Banner, nodded in perfect, silent unison.
Chu Tianxiu felt a twinge of disappointment. "Can't speak?" he murmured to himself. "It seems the technique still has flaws to be perfected." He stood up, dusting off his robes as if brushing away mere dirt and not the metaphysical residue of a forbidden art. He turned to Protector Wu. "Protector Wu, they are under your command now."
Protector Wu, who had watched the entire process with a mixture of awe and dread, bowed deeply. "Master, now that your plan here is complete, what are your instructions for the Soul Hall of Notting City?"
Chu Tianxiu stroked his chin, his mind already racing ahead. "Here is what we'll do. Leave a skeleton crew here in Notting City to continue our operations in secret. You and Elder Jing will take the main force and proceed to the Kingdom of Barak, near Shrek Academy. Establish a new base there. I will join you shortly."
"Understood," Protector Wu replied without hesitation.
Just then, two figures emerged from the tree line. Ding Jiu'an and Jing Hongchen returned, both bearing minor injuries—a gash on Jiu'an's arm, a tear in Hongchen's robe. Upon seeing them, Chu Tianxiu's focused expression softened slightly.
"Jiu'an, Elder Jing. The result?"
Ding Jiu'an took a moment to steady his breathing. "Master, he escaped. At the last moment, he burned his martial soul essence to fuel his flight. However, Elder Jing and I inflicted severe injuries. He will not be able to fight at his full strength again. We failed to complete the mission. We await your punishment."
Chu Tianxiu waved a dismissive hand. "It's of no consequence. I never truly expected to kill a level 98 Title Douluo today. You've done well to cripple him. This is a significant victory."
He then turned his attention back to the bigger picture, his voice taking on the tone of a general issuing orders. "Protector Wu, once you and Elder Jing are established near Shrek Academy, your primary duty remains strengthening the Soul Hall's presence and influence. Elder Jing, I want you to redouble your efforts in researching and manufacturing soul tools. The training of soul masters who can wield them is paramount. As for you, Jiu'an, you will return to Spirit City with me immediately. I have... unfinished business there."
"Your subordinate obeys!" the three said in unison, bowing.
With his orders given, Chu Tianxiu summoned the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King. The mighty beast landed, its powerful presence a stark contrast to the deathly quiet of the clearing. He mounted it, and with Ding Jiu'an following close behind, they ascended into the sky, heading back toward Wuhun City.
He had originally thought to spend a few more days with Sisi, to soothe his frayed nerves, but that desire was now gone, replaced by a cold, urgent purpose. He could only ask Protector Wu to pass on his apologies to her.
All he wanted now was to return to the Wuhun Hall immediately. He needed to look into the eyes of a certain someone and demand an answer.
Why did you save Yu Xiaogang?