Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 100+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!
**
Seeing Tang Ni's reliable side so unexpectedly, Xiao Lin couldn't help but offer a small smile.
Judging by the way the enemy was coughing up massive amounts of blood, his life was clearly measured in moments.
"Tang Ni, ask them who they are!"
Xiao Lin suddenly thought of something and shouted urgently.
He had just insta-killed the other fish-man, ending the fight before he could ask a single question. Now, he needed clarity, even though he had a rough idea of their identity.
"Who are we?"
"Heh... heh heh... We are from Frozen Ice..."
Realizing his end was near, the hawk-nosed man couldn't resist trying to act tough one last time, hoping to strike a final cord of fear into Xiao Lin and the others before he passed.
However, before the hawk-nosed man could get more than a few words out, his eyes flooded with an endless, bottomless terror.
Like a maggot twisting in pain, his face contorted and warped into a hideous grimace. His entire body began to convulse violently, as if he were being subjected to a level of agony beyond human endurance.
This abnormal behavior caused Xiao Lin's pupils to contract in shock.
The hawk-nosed man had been skewered through the back by Tang Ni's Golden Dragon Spear. With Tang Ni's monstrous strength, she had likely driven the spear clean through him, shattering his spine.
Such an injury should have left the man paralyzed from the waist down, meaning he should have lost all sensation in his lower body—including pain. Yet, the man looked as though he were enduring an unbearable torment from the very depths of his soul.
"No! Boss, please no..."
A second later, under the stunned gazes of Xiao Lin and Tang Ni, the man's life force vanished completely.
Moreover, his death didn't look like a physical one; it looked more like the death of his mental plane, his consciousness, and even his soul. It was as if butter had been dropped onto a red-hot iron pan—even his soul had been utterly melted away.
Xiao Lin was well aware that people in this world possessed souls.
Could it be that the mastermind's Martial Soul was capable of attacking and destroying the human soul itself?
"What on earth is going on?"
Xiao Lin let out a soft breath and turned to Tang Ni, who was standing closest to the man.
With Xiao Lin's broad knowledge, he had heard of such things—but only through the lens of his previous life's information explosion and the many excellent scripts he had read.
In this "floor-level" fantasy world of Douluo Dalu, were there really people capable of using such sophisticated and cruel methods?
Noticing Xiao Lin's gaze, Tang Ni shook her head.
This method was simply heaven-defying.
It wasn't something a Soul Beast like her could easily comprehend. She was just as confused; she hadn't used the Golden Dragon Spear to devour the man's vitality. It looked as though she had somehow caused this by killing him.
From Tang Ni's five thousand years of experience, only the methods of a beast like the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger were this sinister.
Looking at the man's state, it appeared his soul had been extinguished; even his Thread of Destiny hadn't just been severed—it had vanished entirely.
She had no way to explain this to Xiao Lin.
"Regardless, this is not good news. The enemy—or rather, the true mastermind—is bound to be a powerful Soul Saint or higher."
Though the hawk-nosed man had died in a bizarre fashion, Xiao Lin understood the implications perfectly. It was nearly impossible for an ordinary Soul Master to possess such a heaven-defying soul skill.
If you had that kind of luck, you'd already be the protagonist of destiny. Since a Soul Saint gains a Martial Soul Avatar, did the mastermind possess a Mental-attribute Soul Bone? Or had they already become a Soul Douluo powerhouse?
"Under the current circumstances, we have no choice but to temporarily abandon this mission. Once we successfully absorb the Soul Rings we need, we leave this place immediately."
At this point, Xiao Lin had no desire to linger in this den of trouble.
While the map Qu He provided and the unique treasure it led to were tempting, they couldn't risk their lives for it. There would be greater opportunities in the future with far less danger. Choosing the latter was the only logical move.
Before long, Xiao Lin and Tang Ni returned to the ice house and explained the situation to the other three. Ye Lingling and the rest weren't unreasonable; they decisively chose to retreat for the time being.
As the saying goes, where there is life, there is hope.
If they truly felt guilty toward Qu He, they could simply return for revenge once they had grown stronger. Or, they could simply seek out their respective backers and the elders of their clans to settle the matter.
However, upon hearing Xiao Lin's words, Ye Lingling and the others shook their heads in refusal. Seeking out backers and the elders of their clans was simply not in their nature. They were, after all, the paragons of their generation—the elite among elites.
Even if they couldn't compare to a monster like Xiao Lin, they were still geniuses capable of becoming Titled Douluo (especially after being nourished by the Immortal Herbs). They had their own pride; if they had resolved to handle this themselves, then handle it they would.
In the end, the five of them reached a verbal agreement inside the ice house. They would eventually avenge Qu He and his son, track down Yang Laibing, and even deal with whoever was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
They set the timeframe for when they all reached the level of Soul King.
As for why Soul King? It was because both Xiao Lin and Tang Ni were confident that at the Soul King rank, they could jump levels to defeat their enemies. Even against a Soul Saint, they wouldn't be entirely without a chance.
Furthermore, by the time they reached that level, it wouldn't just be the five of them—would Tang San, Yu Tianheng, and the others really just stand by and watch? That was obviously impossible.
In other words, this was a dungeon that the Emperor Team was destined to clear in the future—a hell-mode raid they would take on as a group.
With the pact made, the five-man squad pulled themselves together and quickly left the area, continuing their trek toward the habitat of the Mysterious Underworld Snake-Tortoise.
They had to move fast before the Frozen Ice Syndicate could react, disappearing from their radar to minimize danger.
Meanwhile, in the Snow Spirit Province.
Inside a magnificent and luxurious Spirit Hall.
In the massive office of the Spirit Hall Branch Head, a somewhat portly, tall man was enjoying the services of a beautiful woman.
His features appeared quite ordinary; even with a look of ecstasy on his face, he didn't seem particularly repulsive. An average person meeting him would only find him very genial—a kind Spirit Hall Branch Head who felt very approachable.
Suddenly, the man's brow furrowed, and he kicked the woman away.
The men from the assassination unit are dead? And they even spoke my name?
Ba Tu's right eyelid twitched uncontrollably; he sensed something was wrong.
Something had happened to cause this sudden unease in his heart.
He had clearly "washed his hands clean," ceasing to appear in public. To ensure his safety, he had even murdered the original Spirit Hall Branch Head of the Snow Spirit Province, Ba Tu, and usurped his identity.
Since the real Ba Tu had been a man of his own ilk, Yang Laibing had mimicked him perfectly, and no one had noticed anything amiss for over a decade. He had lived peacefully for more than ten years.
Yet, quite suddenly, he felt that familiar sense of crisis once more.
It was a feeling he hadn't experienced in over a decade.
"Onion, go find Cucumber for me and find out what happened," Ba Tu snorted coldly, speaking calmly to a shadow in the corner of the office.
Though Ba Tu appeared calm, he was actually on the verge of an explosive rage. He believed Onion understood exactly what he meant.
"Yes!"
Following the reply, a slight ripple appeared in the office's shadows, which quickly vanished.
A moment later, Ba Tu suddenly deployed his purple Soul Rings, instantly plunging the woman in the office into an illusion.
The woman appeared to suffer a sudden, violent headache.
Before she could even let out a scream of agony, she lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor, her eyes rolling back. Only the rise and fall of her chest proved she was still breathing. However, she had been reduced to a mindless vegetable.
Judging by Ba Tu's practiced movements, it was clear this wasn't the first or second time he had done such a thing.
**
Hello everyone,
Thank you for your support! If you enjoy my work, you can check out my Patreon—there are 100+ early access and exclusive content. I update 5 advanced chapter from Monday-Saturday
www.patreon.com/c/FanficTranslator
I truly appreciate it!