This was not merely a sacrificial ritual for the Evil Emperor; it was also an opportunity for the Holy Spirit Sect disciples to enhance their cultivation.
The martial souls of evil soul masters were varied and bizarre, but without exception, they could all improve their cultivation through certain special methods, just like Lin Xiao.
Although the Holy Spirit Sect now had the Sun Moon Empire to help conceal their actions, the disciples still had to exercise some caution in their daily activities. Here, however, they could fully indulge in their "revelry."
Lin Xiao didn't join the other Holy Spirit Sect disciples, but the surging soul power within him couldn't escape the perception of the many Titled Douluo present.
However, their gazes only lingered on him briefly before shifting elsewhere. His situation was all too common within the Holy Spirit Sect.
As the surroundings grew increasingly noisy, a familiar voice sounded in Lin Xiao's ear.
"Where did you hear about this?"
Lin Xiao slightly raised his head to see Nightmare Douluo standing beside him, staring intently into his eyes.
"This disciple was unaware of such a major event in the sect tonight. My cultivation has reached a bottleneck, and I came to ask Teacher for help in hunting a soul ring. The disciples at the branch altar said Teacher had returned to headquarters, so I hurried back."
Lin Xiao gave a slight bow and spoke softly.
Nightmare Douluo remained silent for a long moment, continuing to stare at Lin Xiao as if trying to discern the truth in his words.
Myriad Soul Douluo, standing nearby, seemed to notice something and glanced their way.
"No matter how you found out, since you're here, consider it your good fortune," Nightmare Douluo said, coming back to himself and withdrawing his gaze. "Didn't you want a soul ring? Follow me."
With that, Nightmare Douluo turned and walked toward the front.
Glancing up at the Evil Emperor in the sky and then at Zhongli Wu's direction, Lin Xiao followed.
Passing through the blood mist, Lin Xiao had just reached Zhongli Wu's side when he saw him place a pile of items on the ground. Some appeared to be rare natural treasures collected from various places.
Others looked like human bones, still stained with fresh blood and etched with strange patterns, somewhat resembling the array inscriptions on soul tools.
"Lord Ruler, these are herbs that can enhance mental strength, as well as 'human pills' refined by our sect."
Lin Xiao glanced down again, seeing no resemblance to pills in those human bones.
But the Evil Emperor didn't care. With a sweep of its tendrils, the items vanished to parts unknown.
"If I had won that battle back then, would I even need these things…?"
Everyone pretended not to hear the Evil Emperor's words. Zhongli Wu, having dealt with the Evil Emperor before, had likely heard some stories about it.
As for Lin Xiao, he had a vague guess about who its opponent might have been. Likely, only Di Tian from the Star Dou Forest could have dealt it such a blow, one it still remembered.
"Never mind. What do you want?" the Evil Emperor's voice rang out again.
Zhongli Wu turned to scan the group before clasping his fists. "Lord Ruler, I need three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, one fifty-thousand-year soul beast, and two twenty-thousand-year soul beasts."
"Hmm…" The Evil Emperor let out a low sound. "The Evil Demon Forest is indeed influenced by me, and there are quite a few hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. But three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts are not enough for what you've offered."
Zhongli Wu didn't haggle. Instead, he clasped his fists again. "Lord Ruler, more beast souls will be offered shortly."
The Evil Emperor fell silent, and the fissure in the sky opened and closed slowly, leaving it unclear whether it accepted Zhongli Wu's terms.
Standing to the side, Lin Xiao began to understand.
The forest where the Holy Spirit Sect resided was called the "Evil Demon" Forest not only because of the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler living there but also because the soul beasts in the forest, influenced by the Evil Emperor, possessed somewhat eerie abilities.
Ordinary soul masters naturally had no interest in these strange soul beasts, but for evil soul masters, the soul beasts here were the most suitable.
However, hunting soul beasts in the Evil Demon Forest still required some consideration of the Evil Emperor's stance. Each sacrificial ritual was not only about offering blood sacrifices to the Evil Emperor but also about gaining its permission to hunt soul beasts.
It was clear that Zhongli Wu's true goal was the three hundred-thousand-year soul beasts. The fifty-thousand-year soul beast Lin Xiao needed and the two twenty-thousand-year soul beasts were, like the others, merely "extras."
As Lin Xiao pondered, the light in the sky suddenly flickered. The dark red glow enveloping the group split down the middle, and a spatial fissure appeared. A massive soul beast slowly emerged from within.
At such close range, Lin Xiao could clearly sense the strange power rising around him, distinct from soul power or mental strength—it was the spatial power wielded by the Evil Emperor.
One moment, the soul beast was in some unknown place; the next, it stood before them. Ignoring distance entirely was merely the most basic manifestation of spatial power.
As the first soul beast emerged, more figures appeared one by one. Zhongli Wu grabbed one of them and casually tossed it in front of Lin Xiao.
Looking down, Lin Xiao saw a soul beast resembling a lizard in shape, but its body lacked scales. Instead, it had slippery skin like the Evil Emperor's tendrils, coated with viscous liquid. Its colors weren't the dark red of the Evil Emperor but a mix of black and white, making it blend seamlessly into the dim forest.
It was likely a soul beast mutated under the influence of the Evil Emperor's bloodline, or perhaps it was a descendant of the Evil Emperor itself, mutated into this form.
The creature was just over a meter long, but the aura it exuded was undeniably that of a ten-thousand-year soul beast. For some reason, though, it was barely alive when it appeared before Lin Xiao.
"Thank you, Lord Ruler," Zhongli Wu said, clasping his fists toward the sky.
Lin Xiao, standing behind him, followed suit with a slight bow.
Say what you will about the Evil Emperor, it was quite particular. While it forbade the Holy Spirit Sect from hunting soul beasts in the Evil Demon Forest during its slumber, it would personally deliver soul beasts in this state to them once it received sufficient offerings.
Behind them, the evil soul masters' "revelry" continued. Aside from the voices of the Holy Spirit Sect disciples, the sounds of the other "sacrifices" had vanished, leaving only the increasingly dense blood mist around them.
Lin Xiao looked at the soul beast at his feet, hesitating to turn back.
"You're lucky. This soul beast carries the bloodline of Lord Ruler," Zhongli Wu said, turning to see Lin Xiao's expression and assuming he didn't know the beast's origin. "For us, the soul beasts of the Evil Demon Forest are the most suitable. Absorb it with confidence."
Zhongli Wu glanced at Nightmare Douluo but said nothing more.
Lin Xiao stepped forward and picked up the soul beast. As a Super Douluo, Zhongli Wu understood cultivation and the martial souls of evil soul masters better than he did.