Only Wu Yun and Wu Yu, standing beside Lin Xiao, felt a chill run through them.
Even they, accustomed to the aura of evil soul masters from living within the Holy Spirit Cult, were stirred by an instinctive fear triggered by the deathly atmosphere, leaving them somewhat uneasy.
"Sir." Wu Yun hurriedly supported Lin Xiao. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. It's just that using it at full strength for the first time took a bit more out of me than expected. If another group shows up, I really won't have much left to deal with them."
Lin Xiao shook his head, standing upright slowly, a faint smile appearing beneath his mask.
Though the exertion was significant, the power exceeded his expectations. What had taken down the Common Alliance members in an instant was the "intent" he had unleashed during his fight with Ji Juechen.
Back then, he had relied solely on his own power to manifest that intent. This time, however, he combined his combat technique with his soul skills, using the pervasive Higanbana Flowers to spread his intent, creating a domain-like force within this sea of flowers.
Stepping forward, he examined the bodies of the Common Alliance members. Their forms were frail and emaciated, like true elderly nearing the end of life. As expected, they carried nothing of note.
In contrast, near the exploded body of the bandit leader, he spotted an exceptionally luxurious storage soul tool, its surface alone indicating significant value.
Probing it with his spiritual power, Lin Xiao's expression soon changed. There were no materials meant for Illustrious Virtue Hall inside.
Lin Xiao abruptly pulled the storage soul tool away, glancing around.
The storage soul tool did contain plenty of metals, but they were common ones—hardly worth the effort of transporting to Illustrious Virtue Hall.
Could the bandits have taken the storage soul tool without checking its contents?
Impossible.
But if they knew it wasn't Illustrious Virtue Hall's materials, why would they strike again tonight?
Lin Xiao lowered his head, looking at the debris on the ground, recalling the bandit leader's dying words.
"It's not what we agreed on…"
Who had he made an agreement with, and what was it? And how did he know Lin Xiao was from the capital?
Lin Xiao vaguely felt he was onto something.
Tossing the storage soul tool aside, he turned to the Wu Yun and Wu Yu sisters. "Let's get out of here. The evil soul master incidents have caused a big stir lately. It won't be long before someone arrives."
"Yes."
Wu Yun and Wu Yu didn't linger. After briefly cleaning up the battlefield, they vanished into the darkness with Lin Xiao.
As Lin Xiao predicted, not long after, over a dozen streaks of light descended from the sky, landing at the site of the recent battle.
If Lin Xiao had stayed, he would have recognized everyone present.
"Hallmaster Hongchen, does this count as an explanation for you?"
The speaker was none other than Zhongli Wu, something Lin Xiao likely wouldn't have expected—the Holy Spirit Cult's leader personally handling this matter.
Though Illustrious Virtue Hall had lost materials, Jing Hongchen's expression was no different from usual. With a wave of his hand, two storage soul tools landed in his grasp.
Scanning them with his spiritual power, his face changed abruptly. "This isn't right. These aren't the materials Illustrious Virtue Hall lost."
"What?" Zhongli Wu was equally shocked, exchanging glances with the other Holy Spirit Cult members. "Hallmaster, are you certain?"
Jing Hongchen tossed the storage soul tools to Zhongli Wu. "Why don't you take a look yourself, Cult Leader Zhongli? Do you think these are worth Illustrious Virtue Hall's attention?"
"Cult Leader, the bandits must have sold the contents of the storage soul tools beforehand, leaving them behind to create a diversion," someone beside Zhongli Wu said softly.
"What does Hallmaster Hongchen think?" Zhongli Wu didn't respond, turning to Jing Hongchen instead.
"It seems that's the only explanation." Jing Hongchen nodded slightly. "So be it. Once materials are sold off, recovering them is incredibly difficult. Illustrious Virtue Hall's research cannot stop, so I'll have to find another way."
"But with Cult Leader Zhongli and your cult overseeing the capital, for someone to act so brazenly shows they truly don't take your cult seriously."
Zhongli Wu waved a hand dismissively. "Though our cult serves His Majesty, we are evil soul masters and cannot operate openly. There are bound to be oversights. But rest assured, Hallmaster, we'll be more vigilant in the future."
Zhongli Wu and Jing Hongchen exchanged a glance and a smile before Zhongli Wu and his group transformed into streaks of light, heading into the distance. Only those accompanying Zhongli Wu glanced at the traces of battle on the ground before leaving.
"Sir, how are you holding up?"
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and the sisters were heading back to the capital under the cover of night. Wu Yun asked with lingering concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
"But, Sir, that attack from the one who got away was quite powerful, and you were at the center of it. Are you really…"
Lin Xiao glanced at Wu Yun, pausing for a moment before shaking his head. "I'm fine. Though I was at the center, I wasn't hurt. It just took a lot out of me. We'll have to let that one slip away."
Though he said this, Lin Xiao had a hunch about where the escapee might end up.
As the three conversed, Lin Xiao, leading the way, suddenly sensed something and stopped. Wu Yun and Wu Yu reacted swiftly, their Vengeful Souls materializing beside them.
Boom—
Only then did an attack land not far ahead of them, followed by a voice that sounded young.
"As expected, evil soul masters. I knew letting evil soul masters handle evil soul master matters would lead to cover-ups."
As the voice spoke, several figures emerged from the darkness on both sides, faintly surrounding Lin Xiao's group.
What a lively night.
Lin Xiao sighed.
He had thought this would be a simple mission. Regardless of the Holy Spirit Cult's connection to the matter, his task was straightforward: deal with the bandits.
But he hadn't expected a true evil soul master among them, one who used the Corpse Explosion Technique and escaped in the chaos.
Then came Ye Guyi, who had been hunting evil soul masters, arriving with the Common Alliance.
And now, who knew who was blocking their path?
Had it not been for the two battles draining much of his soul power and spiritual energy, Lin Xiao would have noticed these people sooner.
Lin Xiao looked at the figures ahead, but when he saw who they were, his expression shifted slightly.
The two people standing before him were no strangers, but why were they here?
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