The sound of the wind roared in his ears as Lin Xiao was already on his way back to the Holy Spirit Sect's headquarters.
Like the "Holy Emperor" before him, despite having lived in the Holy Spirit Sect for over a decade, Lin Xiao wouldn't dare claim he fully understood the organization. In fact, the deeper his involvement, the more mysterious it seemed.
Even with his status as a Holy Emissary, he hadn't met all the consecrators and elders of the sect in these ten-plus years. He only knew that the consecrators were all Super Douluo above level 95, and among the elders, the enigmatic Grand Elder had never shown their face.
And now, he wondered, what could a group of evil soul masters consider a "joyous occasion"?
The flight soul tool was incredibly fast, and given that the Evil Demon Forest wasn't far from Mingdu, by midnight, Lin Xiao could vaguely make out the forest's blurry outline. Even before getting close, a oppressive atmosphere began to slowly spread.
Lin Xiao didn't linger, flying over the Evil Demon Forest.
If it were any other soul beast habitat, he wouldn't dare fly so openly. After all, many soul beasts in forests could fly, and he might accidentally trespass into their territory, where fighting in the air would put him at a disadvantage.
But the Evil Demon Forest was different. Though it was a soul beast habitat, it was controlled by the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler living within it. The Evil Emperor had an agreement with the Holy Spirit Sect, so the soul beasts in the forest wouldn't actively attack the sect's disciples.
However, as Lin Xiao flew over the forest, he noticed something unusual. Unlike usual, the Evil Demon Forest was eerily quiet tonight. Even though it was a time when soul beasts were typically active, there were hardly any sounds coming from below.
As the Holy Spirit Sect's headquarters drew closer, Lin Xiao slowed his flight soul tool and descended. Only then did he notice that the illumination soul tools near the entrance weren't their usual purple. Bright light illuminated the area vividly, and there were far more disciples guarding the entrance than usual.
"Greetings, Holy Emissary," the disciples on either side bowed slightly to Lin Xiao, showing no surprise at his arrival.
"Hm," Lin Xiao responded, walking inside with a hint of doubt.
He wasn't a disciple who stayed at headquarters year-round. On previous visits, the guards at the entrance would at least give him a second glance, but tonight, they acted as if they had expected him.
It was still the same long corridor, but tonight, the illumination soul tools lit up the entire passageway, making the mottled marks on the walls even more distinct.
"Lord Holy Emissary, the Sect Leader and the elders are in the main hall," a Saint Spirit from the sect said as Lin Xiao approached. Normally, they would just nod and pass by, but this Saint Spirit spoke proactively, and their tone suggested Lin Xiao should already know what was happening in the sect.
Something was off. He must have missed something. Before leaving, he had checked around his dorm and found no signs from the Holy Spirit Sect, and the disciples at the branch altar hadn't mentioned anything about headquarters either.
Who was deliberately keeping information from him? And why?
Lin Xiao slowed his pace, his mind racing, but soon he continued forward.
Whatever was happening in the Holy Spirit Sect, since he was already here, he had no choice but to keep going. Leaving abruptly would only arouse suspicion among the others in the sect. His Spirit Ascension Ceremony couldn't withstand scrutiny.
As the Saint Spirit had said, when Lin Xiao entered the hall, Zhongli Wu was seated in the main position, flanked by several consecrators and elders. The mysterious Grand Elder, as expected, was still absent.
Besides them, several other Holy Emissaries were present, including Mo Ke, the new disciple recently taken in by the Third Elder, standing closely behind him.
Upon seeing Lin Xiao, Zhongli Wu's expression paused briefly, and he turned to look at Nightmare Douluo.
The others also noticed Lin Xiao's arrival. Nightmare Douluo's face shifted slightly. After glancing around, he suddenly spoke, "Since you're here, come over."
"Yes, Teacher," Lin Xiao replied, moving to stand behind Nightmare Douluo without saying more.
Seeing the scene before him, Lin Xiao roughly understood why neither the guards at the entrance nor those he met along the way were surprised to see him. Tonight, the disciples of several elders had all returned to headquarters.
But he had come back to find out what this "joyous occasion" was, not because Nightmare Douluo had summoned him.
Lin Xiao lowered his head, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at Nightmare Douluo through his mask. Why had he kept this from him?
"Well then, where were we?" Zhongli Wu's voice interrupted Lin Xiao's thoughts. "Are the sacrificial offerings ready?"
"Replying to the Sect Leader, everything is prepared," said Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, the Sixth Consecrator, whom Lin Xiao had met before, standing beside Zhongli Wu.
"Bring them in," Zhongli Wu ordered.
As Zhang Peng's words fell, two Holy Spirit Sect disciples emerged from a side passage, followed by dozens of children—both boys and girls, none older than ten.
Behind the children came dozens of youths in their twenties.
When these youths appeared, Lin Xiao's gaze immediately fell on the soul tools around their wrists. He recognized them instantly—they were soul tools designed to suppress soul power. The identities of these youths were clear: they were soul masters with cultivation.
"Sect Leader, the eighty finest specimens are all here. The rest are just extras," Zhang Peng reported.
"That's enough," Zhongli Wu said, looking at the group before him with an impassive expression, giving a slight nod. "How are the sect's disciples prepared?"
"Disciples with suitable cultivation and martial souls have already been notified in advance," Zhang Peng replied, his gaze sweeping over the people around him. "I'm just not sure if the consecrators and elders have any other needs."
As he finished speaking, many eyes turned to Lin Xiao, including Zhongli Wu's.
Lin Xiao felt a chill in his heart. He still didn't know what was about to happen and could only remain motionless, standing in place.
But Nightmare Douluo, seated in front of him, seemed restless. He turned to Lin Xiao. "When did you reach your bottleneck?"
"It's been a while," Lin Xiao answered truthfully.
"How many years are you aiming for with your soul ring?"
"About fifty thousand years."
Nightmare Douluo gave Lin Xiao a closer look.
For an average soul master, the limit for a sixth soul ring was around twenty thousand years. A soul ring of fifty thousand years was something only a Soul Sage would consider. Though Lin Xiao had undergone the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, the fact that his physical strength could rival that of a Soul Sage made Nightmare Douluo take another glance.
"Are you confident?"
"Yes," Lin Xiao replied with a nod, revealing no more.
"Then come with me later."
"Prepare to set out," Zhongli Wu said, standing up after seeing Nightmare Douluo and Lin Xiao finalize their decision.