Chapter 107: Death Canyon
After dozens of instantaneous teleports, Lin Beiya quickly discovered the three Evil Soul Masters who had fled.
At the same time, the sinister-looking man also noticed that Lin Beiya had caught up.
"Stop him for me—now."
The two Evil Soul Masters who had been enhanced by the Flower of Fear martial soul were no longer afraid of death. After nodding, they halted and blocked Lin Beiya's path.
"You're quite skilled at creating disposable pawns, but what use is that?"
...
With his two subordinates buying him time, the sinister-looking man gained another precious chance to escape. This place was not far from the City of Slaughter. As long as he could reach it, Lin Beiya would not be able to enter so easily.
A smile curled at the corner of his lips as the sinister-looking man swore to himself that once he came out of the City of Slaughter, he would definitely make Lin Beiya pay.
However, after running several kilometers, he suddenly discovered that the young man clad in golden armor was already standing on the only path he had to take.
This scene made him feel as if he had lost his parents. He stopped, trembling all over, and collapsed to the ground.
"Y-you… how did you—"
"N-no… don't kill me. I can be your subordinate."
"You've seen my martial soul ability. As long as I cultivate to the level of a Titled Douluo, no one will be able to stand against us."
"Spare… spare me."
Lin Beiya walked over with great interest, looking down at the sinister-looking man as he mocked him:
"So it seems that the flower capable of erasing everyone else's fear couldn't take away the fear in your own heart?"
"Heh… hehe, my lord jests. I myself don't really possess much combat power. Even with amplification, I can't truly bring out its strength."
"I see. Then you can be on your way."
As Lin Beiya raised a finger toward his head, golden light gathering at its tip, the sinister-looking man began to tremble violently. A strong stench of urine wafted out from beneath him.
This caused Lin Beiya, whose senses were exceptionally sharp, to reveal an extremely displeased expression.
"D-don't… don't kill me. I'll do anything you want…"
Before he could finish speaking, Starlight Extinction pierced through his forehead, drilling out a bloody hole. The man's unwilling gaze lingered for several seconds before his body collapsed to the ground, all signs of life gone.
After eliminating the leader, Lin Beiya slowly headed back toward Huanshui Village.
The team members also lived up to his expectations. Before he returned, they had already dealt with all the Evil Soul Masters.
"Captain, they've all been taken care of."
"Good. Clean up a bit and let's rest here for the night. Everyone's worked hard."
Nearly half of the villagers in Huanshui Village had survived. The way they looked at Lin Beiya and his group was as though they were gazing upon deities—it was they who had saved them, saved the village.
The Soul Ancestor guide who had accompanied them took in the village's tragic state and promised the villagers that once he returned, he would negotiate with the sub-hall master and allocate a batch of relief funds for them.
After resolving the Evil Soul Master group in Huanshui Village, Lin Beiya and his team began patiently sweeping through the surrounding villages again the next day.
From time to time, birds controlled by the Demon Illusion Fist would discover abnormalities in the surroundings and lead them to places where Evil Soul Masters were committing atrocities.
After spending a month, the Evil Soul Masters in the eastern region of the Tianshuang Principality had basically been wiped out by Lin Beiya's squad.
They had completed the mission assigned by Bibi Dong and planned to return.
Before they left, Sub-Hall Master Yin Wei repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Lin Beiya and his group for their contributions, stating that he would clearly write everything in the report and submit it to the Pope.
Lin Beiya and the others did not care much about this. The Soul Master Tournament was already quietly approaching—that was the moment they truly longed for.
Right now, all they wanted was to hurry back and seize every second to cultivate diligently and strengthen their own power.
On the way back, they chose a route they had not taken before—a small road located to the southwest of the Tianshuang Principality. If any Evil Soul Masters were hiding in that area, they could deal with them as early as possible.
Fortunately, the land here was vast and sparsely populated. Calling it desolate would not be an exaggeration, and those Evil Soul Masters clearly had no interest in a place like this.
Along the entire journey, the group did not encounter a single Evil Soul Master.
Only after leaving the borders of the Tianshuang Principality did everyone finally relax and officially set foot on the road home.
During the journey, Lin Beiya glanced at Ming Xin, who had never once taken off the Cancer Gold Cloth, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Ming Xin, cultivation also requires moderation. After we get back, you can often borrow the Cancer Gold Cloth. There's no need to rush things like this."
"Ah!"
Startled awake, Ming Xin scratched the back of his head and revealed a shy smile, causing everyone in the carriage to burst into laughter.
"More importantly, don't neglect the tempering of your physique and your five senses. That will be of immense benefit to your future development."
"I understand, Lord Beiya."
Having already confirmed that Ming Xin was extremely compatible with the Cancer Gold Cloth, Lin Beiya planned to let him walk the path of dual cultivation between the Cosmo and soul power. After all, even with the Little Angel's talent, she had not been able to smoothly master the power of Praesepe Underworld Waves.
Ming Xin firmly engraved everything Lin Beiya said into his heart. He knew the other party would never harm him, and he also truly felt that the Cancer Gold Cloth seemed to be lacking something. Perhaps by cultivating according to Lin Beiya's method, he would be able to uncover the answer.
Just as the people in the carriage were chatting, a sudden throbbing sensation surged from Lin Beiya's heart. The Athena Statue uncontrollably manifested in his hand.
"Beiya, what's wrong?"
Shi Nuo quickly noticed his good brother's abnormality and asked in confusion.
Lin Beiya was startled inwardly, but he did not show it on the surface. He retracted his martial soul and smiled as he shook his head.
"It's nothing. By the way, where are we?"
Lifting the curtain, Lin Beiya looked out of the carriage window. What came into view was a vast region where mountain ranges and dense forests intertwined.
Following Lin Beiya's gaze, Ye Lüsu observed the scenery outside and then explained:
"This should be an area near the outer perimeter of Death Canyon. Many outstanding elites of the Spirit Hall choose to come here for tempering after graduating from the academy."
"Many ferocious soul beasts are living inside, so if we come here in the future, it would be best to do so in teams."
Upon hearing the name Death Canyon, Lin Beiya's thoughts stirred slightly. In the original story, the Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall—Xie Yue and Yan—had chosen this very place for training after their defeat at Tang San's hands.
Moreover, the sudden throbbing in his chest just now, along with his martial soul manifesting on its own, clearly indicated that something important to him existed here.
However, heading to Death Canyon alone at this moment was obviously not the right time. Lin Beiya buried these thoughts deep in his heart, planning to apply to come here for training after the Soul Master Tournament.
After safely returning to the Spirit Hall, everyone felt an overwhelming wave of mental exhaustion. After exchanging farewells, they each returned to their own residences.
As for Lin Beiya, he went to the Pape's Palace to report back.
"Teacher, your disciple has returned."
"Mmm. I've already received Yin Wei's report. You all performed very well, and the civilians within the Tianshuang Principality have nothing but praise for the Spirit Hall's actions."
"It was all thanks to the teacher's guidance."
Hearing this, Bibi Dong revealed a helpless smile. Although she was wary of Lin Beiya, for the time being, their interests were still firmly bound together.
Whether it was using Lin Beiya's reputation to solidify her own position, or relying on the Gold Cloth to suppress the Rakshasa God's evil thought, or at the very least maintaining the outward image of a master-disciple relationship—no matter which angle one considered, she could not easily move against him.
Yet, the faint but unmistakable wariness that her so-called disciple occasionally revealed was very real.
This, too, was her own fault. In the past, under the influence of the Rakshasa God's power, her thoughts had often slipped into extremes, leading to the current situation.
—
End of Chapter