"Asshole!"
"Does the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still have any sense of shame?"
Bibi Dong's chest rose and fell violently with rage. Her entire being trembled—half from fury, half from ridicule.
Who taught Ning Fengzhi and his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect such shameless tactics?
They had sent nearly a thousand disciples down the mountain, hands full of rice, noodles, grain, and medicine. They had traveled the length of the land, bringing aid to the common folk who had suffered at the hands of the fallen spirit masters and evil soul masters.
That alone wasn't the problem. The true issue was far worse. Somehow, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had twisted everything. They had brainwashed the people!
Now, everyone on the Douluo Continent—and she meant everyone—was talking about the glorious kindness of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
And yet it was clearly the Spirit Hall, her Spirit Hall, that had sacrificed the most for the continent!
The most insufferable part was how Ning Fengzhi acted so sanctimonious. Standing there with that false smile, he claimed that his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was just a collection of auxiliary-type soul masters, whose only worth was a bit of healing and a little money. "All we can do," he had said in public, "is keep treating the wounded. Let Spirit Hall focus on defending the country."
He said it with such false humility, but the implication was knife-sharp: Spirit Hall may have fought, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had saved lives.
Now the Sect's prestige far exceeded that of the other two upper clans. Across the continent, it had already overshadowed Spirit Hall's reputation!
Bibi Dong shut her eyes, her breathing sharp and uneven. Ning Fengzhi, you've played a fine hand… but don't think I will let you get away with it.
"Something on your mind?"
Her voice echoed in the silent Papal Hall. She had been thinking aloud to herself.
At once, a towering figure descended gently from above. Qian Daoliu hovered within the hall, his aura pressing down like a mountain.
"Now that evil soul masters are spreading unchecked," he said, "you must cancel the soul-hunting operation you have prepared for years."
Bibi Dong's gaze snapped toward him.
Qian Daoliu's face was solemn. "Xiaoxue's failed infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire has already put both the empire and the three upper sects on high alert. Now, with evil soul masters everywhere, if we go on eliminating other sects… who will remain to fight them? Will we rely on Spirit Hall alone?"
He wasn't here to argue. Qian Daoliu had come because manpower was stretched thin. These evil soul masters were too elusive, too cunning. Unless they exposed their martial souls, they blended perfectly among the people. Rooting them out required tremendous resources.
"We'll need more men. Otherwise, we cannot hope to eradicate them completely."
Bibi Dong's voice was cold, clipped. "I'll handle it."
She turned away, but her nails dug into her palm. She hated that Qian Daoliu was right.
Meanwhile, in a nameless town of the Douluo Continent.
The Blue Silver Emperor's regenerative ability had nearly restored Tang San's broken body. His breathing had steadied, his vitality slowly returning.
"Don't think that just because you saved us, I'll ever work with your filthy evil soul masters," Tang Hao growled. His eyes gleamed like sharpened blades, and killing intent poured from him.
Across from him, a hoarse laugh rasped from beneath a black cloak.
"But you already have."
"You don't even realize it, do you? Look around, Tang Hao. Look at Douluo Continent. Everything happening now is thanks to your precious son."
The one who spoke was Mie Li, leader among this gathering of evil soul masters. She smiled, lips curling cruelly.
Under her leadership, thousands of evil soul masters now walked hidden among the common people. Perfectly disguised, perfectly unseen, unless they deliberately revealed themselves.
She still marveled at their fortune. She had never once dreamed that the springtime of the evil soul masters would arrive so suddenly!
And the key that had opened this age?
Tang San.
"Boy," she turned to him, eyes glinting with twisted admiration. "Tell me. How did you destroy the Slaughter City?"
That was the only reason she had intervened to save Tang San and his father.
Tang San snorted coldly. "The road of no return does not mingle with mine. That was a different path."
He hadn't thought so far ahead when he destroyed the Slaughter City—he had simply wanted to obliterate evil. He never expected the consequences would snowball like this.
"Different path?" Mie Li's shadowed face twisted with sarcasm.
"Then why destroy the Slaughter City—and save us?"
"Every fallen soul master who enters that place knows it is nothing less than a prison of hell. By destroying it, you acted in our favor, whether you realize it or not."
"I sought only to eradicate evil," Tang San said. His eyes were bloodshot; the months of murder within the Slaughter City had left a violence inside him that even now threatened to erupt.
"I can't see it," Mie Li mocked. "You knew the Slaughter City had ties to Spirit Hall. Destroying it was just your petty vengeance. Don't dress it up in justice."
She sneered, leaning closer.
"You didn't think of the countless lives in the balance. You just acted on your own whim. In that, you're no different from us. We are all enemies of Spirit Hall."
Her laughter rattled like broken chains.
"Eradicate evil?" she repeated, spitting the words. "How fresh. You destroyed the Slaughter City by night, then wore the mantle of justice by day. It's like a man whoring all night and then demanding a chastity archway be built for him in the morning."
"We're already in the same carriage. What? Do you want to jump off now?"
Beside her, a massive fat man chuckled darkly, his bulk looming like a mountain. If not for Mie Li's earlier signal, he'd have beaten Tang San half-dead already.
Tang Hao's glare sharpened. "Regardless of intent, my son saved you once. That makes us even. Do not think you can bind us with this debt."
He turned to his son. "Little San, let's go."
He had no intention of lingering. Only by escaping could they hope to cleanse themselves—and perhaps, someday, find A Yin again.
"Go?" Mie Li's voice rang.
At her signal, four powerful auras burst forth. Four Titled Douluo closed in instantly, surrounding father and son.
"Little San, follow me!" Tang Hao yelled, already releasing his martial soul. He had known from the beginning that the evil soul masters' so-called kindness was only a trap. He had been braced for this.
Yet the moment his soul ring flared—he staggered, his vision spinning.
Two Titled Douluo pounced immediately, striking him down to the ground.
"Oh, did I not mention?" Mie Li's laughter filled the room, sly and cruel.
"These two are Titled Douluo with the Imperious Poisonous Scorpion martial soul. An advanced variant. Their mastery of toxins is beyond even Dugu Bo."
"Even a Super Douluo above rank 95 could not resist their venom."
Tang Hao's eyes widened. He realized then: during their approach to this small town, he had already been poisoned in secret—all while focused solely on protecting his son.
"Dad!" Tang San rushed forward, catching his father's collapsing body. Killing intent burst from him like a storm, his Killing God Domain surging forth.
He reached for hidden weapons, hoping surprise could turn the tide.
"Don't waste your effort," Mie Li said lazily.
A suffocating pressure burst from her body, pinning Tang San to the floor. "To us, you're a child. Hardly worth guarding against."
She leaned down, her voice cutting like a blade. "Tell me how you destroyed the Slaughter City. Refuse… and your father will be butchered here and now."
Tang San trembled, rage and determination colliding within. Finally, he gritted his teeth. "…I'll tell you. Just don't harm my father."
"Cut off his limbs and throw him to the swine," Mie Li ordered coldly.
Two giant men stepped forward.
"Wait! I'll talk!" Tang San roared, his voice breaking. "Don't touch him!"
Compromise was the only path.
"The poison… the one that destroyed the Slaughter City… I developed it over two years."
His voice was quiet, bitter. He confessed it all, even hating himself for one thing—that he hadn't made the poison strong enough. Too many monsters had escaped.
Mie Li's eyes lit with triumph. "Excellent. You'll create more for us. Three days. That's all you have. Men! Take Tang Hao away."
Tang San froze as he watched them drag his father. Rage boiled, but he remained shackled beneath her power.
"San'er, isn't it?" Mie Li's fat lieutenant slapped him on the shoulder with a meaty paw. "From now on, follow us obediently. We're family now."
Three days later.
Mie Li held a jade-green vial up to the light, her smile snake-like.
"Is this concoction really effective?" she asked.
One of the scorpion martial soul Titled Douluo bowed respectfully. "Big Sis, this child's poison is… monstrous. I've played with venom my entire life, but I've never seen anything like this."
Mie Li's smile widened. "Good. Go test it. Capture some soul masters outside. Let them be our first volunteers."
She looked aside casually. "What of Tang Hao?"
The Titled Douluo chuckled. "Fed his three daily doses on time. Right now, he's soft as a maiden after being ravished by dozens of men."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. Even Mie Li smirked, glancing at her fat lieutenant.
"Excellent. Then it's time." Her voice hardened, snapping orders. "Gather the evil soul masters across the continent. They've wandered too long. It's time they returned—time they came home."
She could almost taste the future.
"Big Sis, what of Tang San? Leave him to me," her lieutenant licked his lips.
Mie Li glanced back. The poison scorpion Douluo interjected. "This boy is valuable. If he can create this level of poison, he may still be of use to us."
The fat man snorted. "He's not one of us. Sooner or later, we'll regret keeping him alive."
"Then brainwash him," Mie Li cut in sharply. "The slaughter has already soaked into his bones. I'll add the right medicine. He'll fall soon enough."
"Enough," she snapped as the two continued to argue. "We'll proceed as I say. The poison scorpion's method."
Her decision was final.
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