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The martial souls of the three Zhong brothers were all Demon Puppets. Perhaps due to their bloodline, the three brothers were born conjoined, their hearts connected as one. Because they appeared too grotesque and frail, they were abandoned at birth but later rescued. As a result, their martial souls seemed to share a faint mutual perception.
At this moment, the youngest brother, who was out capturing people, suddenly felt a pang of discomfort. A wave of nausea washed over him, and he instinctively turned his gaze toward the direction of the great hall.
Then, blurry images flashed through his mind—scenes of Bai Xu using Yimu Wood to violently tear apart the bodies of his eldest and second brothers.
Bai Xu's face, however, remained indistinct, and he couldn't recognize him.
But he remembered the wooden vines, the golden sword, and the flames.
"Third brother… Avenge us!"
The hatred surging from the depths of his heart drove him to immediately slaughter every living being around him—even his own subordinates.
He knew there was no returning to the Holy Spirit Cult. From now on, he would be alone.
---
Meanwhile
Bai Xu stood in the sky, surveying the ruins left by the battle. To ensure no loose ends, he raised his arm, summoning raging flames intense enough to incinerate all traces.
In his hand, he clutched a half-dead spectral figure—Chou Zhiyi. Bai Xu had already extracted his memories through soul-searching and learned that the order to capture ordinary people had been issued by a Titled Douluo-level evil soul master.
Bai Xu felt as though he was following a trail of clues. None of the people here had any mental restrictions on their souls, allowing their memories to be freely accessed through soul-searching. Step by step, he had uncovered the Holy Spirit Cult's involvement.
Na'er flew over and glanced at the ordinary people hidden deep within the ruins. "How did it go?"
"Just some loose ends to tie up. This Soul Sage had four Soul Emperor subordinates. Three of them are already dead, and the remaining one is the brother of the two who just died. Moreover, his superior is a Titled Douluo who supposedly plans to collect these ordinary people in three months for some kind of experiment." Bai Xu explained while manipulating earth elements to clear a path for the trapped civilians.
"An experiment?"
"Yeah. Digging deeper might reveal something major. The Holy Spirit Cult's experiments are never anything good. Right now, I'm more concerned about that Soul Emperor who wasn't here."
"Why? Shouldn't he be the one worried about you?"
Bai Xu shook his head. "If he were just an ordinary evil soul master, I wouldn't bother chasing him. But his two brothers died by my hand. From Chou Zhiyi's memories, they were very close. He won't let this go easily."
Na'er reassured him, "Even if he comes after us, how would he find us? We've never met him. Tracking us down in the Star Luo Empire would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."
Bai Xu looked down at the fleeing civilians and suddenly smiled. "Better safe than sorry. Life only comes once—I don't want to be blindsided, even by someone insignificant."
The rescued civilians hadn't gotten a clear look at Bai Xu and Na'er's faces. From the ground, they could only make out silhouettes against the sky. They bowed in gratitude before hastily scattering.
"Heh. If that guy really wants revenge, the best way to learn about us would be through these people."
Understanding his implication, Na'er nodded. "You want to follow them and wait for him to show up?"
"Exactly."
---
A Day Later.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sound of someone rapping on their hotel room door interrupted Bai Xu's focus as he was inscribing formation patterns.
Na'er got up to answer it, smiling. "It's Gu Yue."
"Gu Yue?"
The door opened, revealing the familiar figure.
"You two are really living the easy life!" Gu Yue stepped inside, her tone slightly complaining.
"Hardly. We spend most of our time cultivating. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the Shrek Academy group?" Na'er replied.
"I came… for your sake. Elder Cai has spoken with Yun Ming. He's furious about Bai Xu 'abducting' you. Even though he saw the letter you left, he still insists Bai Xu brings you back for a visit. Otherwise, he'll come personally." Gu Yue sprawled lazily on the bed as she relayed the message.
"Elder Cai also asked me to pass this along to Bai Xu."
"Fine. There's nothing urgent here—I can take Na'er back." Bai Xu agreed.
Gu Yue blinked. "Aren't you worried Yun Ming might keep Na'er at the Sea God's Pavilion and never let you see her again?"
"You're overthinking it. He probably just wants to assess my character and see if I'm 'worthy' of Na'er. Besides…" Bai Xu turned to Na'er. "If we go back, would you rather stay at Shrek or leave with me?"
"Of course I'd leave with you."
Gu Yue scoffed. "That's not guaranteed. You're from the Spirit Pagoda, and Na'er is the personal disciple of the Sea God Pavilion's master. Now that her talent has not only recovered but improved, he might actually go that far."
Bai Xu paused mid-inscription, as if he hadn't considered that possibility.
Na'er chuckled, walking over to place a reassuring hand on his. "Even if he tries, I'd still follow you. We can always elope."
Watching this, Gu Yue frowned, her displeasure evident. "Whatever. I was just giving you a heads-up."
"You're upset?"
"No."
Hearing their exchange, Bai Xu set aside his formation work and stood. "Let's go eat."
"No! Bring food back here. I want to hear what you've been up to lately." Gu Yue insisted.
"Fine. But… Gu Yue, I've been in Star Luo's Spirit Pagoda branch for over half a year without any assignments. Have I been fired?"
"I'll tell you, but you have to share everything you've done with Na'er. No omissions."
"Deal."
"It's a temporary transfer. Your records are still at headquarters, but they've been shared with Star Luo's branch. Only with the teacher's approval could you come here."
"Ah!"
Bai Xu nodded in understanding before launching into stories of their recent adventures. The three talked late into the night.
---
A Month Later.
The rescued civilians immediately reported the evil soul masters' activities to the White Tiger City's royal family upon their return. A Titled Douluo stationed in the city personally led a team to investigate the ruined hall in the outskirts but found no traces of the culprits, forcing them to retreat.
All they could do was tighten security to prevent future incidents.
The youngest Zhong brother had intended to interrogate the survivors for information about the ones who killed his brothers and destroyed the hall.
But the Star Luo Empire wasn't incompetent. With White Tiger City under heavy guard, he found no opportunity and reluctantly gave up.
Bai Xu, meanwhile, stayed another month, occasionally venturing out with Na'er to gather information. Surprisingly, the missing Soul Emperor never appeared.
Perhaps he had abandoned vengeance and gone into hiding.
The youngest brother wandered the desolate ruins, his heart aching. His brothers hadn't even been left whole—their bodies had been shredded by those wooden vines. The thought tormented him.
But if even Chou Zhiyi had been killed, what hope did he have for revenge?
And that kid was bizarre—how could he wield three distinct powers (wood, fire, and metal)? Aside from a triple martial soul, no one in this world should possess such versatility!
A triple martial soul!
In the annals of Douluo Continent, only Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao from ten thousand years ago had such a gift—the makings of a god!
As the youngest brother seethed helplessly, a dark figure descended onto the ruins, forcing him to his knees.
"Useless trash! Letting an entire outpost get wiped out! Explain what happened, or you can die here!" The Titled Douluo's oppressive aura made blood seep from the brother's orifices—a little more force, and he'd be dead.
"M-my lord! Elder Chou and I… our defeat was because of a teenage prodigy!"
"Who?!"
"I-I don't know! But in my brothers' final moments, I saw that boy's secret! He… he has three martial souls!" He lied desperately.
The Titled Douluo's eyes widened. He lifted the brother by his throat, demanding, "You're certain?"
"I swear on my life! That's the only way Elder Chou could've lost to him!"
The Titled Douluo burst into manic laughter. "What an incredible secret you've given me!"
Then, with a single motion, he pierced the brother's heart, killing him instantly.
He then began consuming the corpse.
"Let's see if your brain holds memories of him. Consider this your final contribution. Ah… I see it now. Wooden vines, golden light, flames… A triple martial soul indeed! Should I report this to the higher-ups? No… I'll handle this myself! Spirit Ice Douluo ascended to godhood with three martial souls, didn't he? Even my twin evil martial souls pale in comparison… But no matter. I'll turn you into my puppet. If you become a god, so will I. What could be more perfect?"