Word Count: 2,587 Words
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Na Na's eyes instantly reddened at his words. "Please, I beg you—help me."
Her knees hit the floor with a dull thud. Through tear-blurred eyes, she lowered her head and poured out her story to Ling Bai. In short:
A father unjustly killed, a mother cursed by misfortune, a family shattered, and she herself left broken and alone.
Her slender body trembled uncontrollably as violent emotions surged through her. Tears carved twin tracks down her face. "The Holy Spirit Cult murdered my parents, and even in death their souls find no peace. They suffer torment day and night. I hate them so much—I hate those Evil Spirit Masters who devour people without spitting out the bones. And I hate myself for being powerless to save them.
I have no one left in this world. The only reason I still live is to rescue my parents' souls. Even the faintest glimmer of hope, I must grasp at it.
A few days ago, I discovered in ancient texts that the Seraphim is evil's natural enemy, possessing holy power that purifies all darkness. Ten thousand years ago, when Spirit Hall flourished, every Evil Spirit Master on the continent lived in terror, dreading the day a Seraphim would come knocking to deliver heaven's justice.
That day during the friendship competition, my fourth spirit skill, Avenging Spirit, couldn't even approach you. The ancient records were right.
Lord Ling Bai, I know you have no shortage of women, and I'm nothing special. But I have nothing to offer except my untouched body. Please save my parents' souls! Whether you want me as mistress or slave afterward, I'll willingly accept..."
Na Na prostrated herself, her collar hanging half-open. From Ling Bai's angle, he had a clear view of her ample chest, but she paid no mind to such details. She even straightened her shoulders and pushed her chest forward slightly.
She possessed nothing that could attract him, so she cast aside all dignity and staked everything on the most primal desire between man and woman.
Her heart pounded frantically in her chest. Tense with anxiety, she held her body rigid, awaiting Ling Bai's decision. The silence seemed to stretch endlessly until, finally, his calm voice broke through.
"Stand up."
"I..."
Na Na raised her head but remained kneeling, unable to discern his attitude from his tone alone.
Ling Bai let out a soft chuckle. "You're willing to be a mistress or a slave, but you won't even stand when I tell you to?"
A hot flush crept across Na Na's face. She rose awkwardly from her knees, suddenly feeling that standing was even more embarrassing than kneeling. Meeting Ling Bai's gaze, she caught the hint of amusement in his brilliant golden eyes, and waves of guilt and apprehension washed over her.
Her hands twisted together nervously like a schoolgirl caught misbehaving.
"Tell me about the Holy Spirit Cult's situation in Mingdu," Ling Bai said.
Joy exploded within Na Na, a joy so intense she could barely contain it. His words had revealed his stance. She immediately moved to kneel and kowtow again.
This time, Ling Bai used his spirit power to stop her. All this bowing and scraping was tiresome to watch.
In truth, he felt no particular sympathy for Na Na. He simply possessed an ingrained desire to annihilate the Holy Spirit Cult. That conviction was etched into the Seraphim's very bones.
Evil Spirit Masters were to be purged, without exception.
A gentleman judges by deeds, not intentions.
Na Na gazed at Ling Bai through swollen, reddened eyes as if beholding a god descended to save her. She choked out:
"Thank you... Thank you, Lord Ling Bai. I'll spend my entire life repaying this kindness.
The Holy Spirit Cult in Mingdu is a branch with over twenty members. Only three or four are core members from headquarters; the rest are peripheral. Everyone is at least a 4-ringed Spirit Ancestor. The strongest is an Elder—a 7-ringed Evil Spirit Saint."
"Good enough."
Strongest member, Evil Spirit Saint.
Those two key points were all Ling Bai needed. He cut Na Na off with a gesture forward. "Lead the way. Let's finish this early."
"Wait!"
Na Na scrambled forward to block his path. "Isn't this a bit hasty? Shouldn't we make a plan first?"
"A plan?"
Ling Bai glanced at the breaking dawn, then back at Na Na. "Know how many steps it takes to save your parents?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Three."
Ling Bai raised three fair, slender fingers. "Step one: you lead me to the Holy Spirit Cult. Step two: I slaughter them. Step three: I save your parents.
Got it?"
"Got it..."
Na Na nodded dazedly. The Holy Spirit Cult's fearsome reputation had weighed on her heart for so long. Every Evil Spirit Master was a man-eating demon that she believed could only be slain through meticulous planning. The underdog had become the top dog so fast she couldn't process it.
Ling Bai opened the door, then glanced back at the stunned Na Na. "What are you standing there for? Get in front and lead the way!"
Dawn was breaking. He still planned to have breakfast with Ning Tian and had scheduled a sword match with Sword Fanatic Ji Juechen.
My schedule's packed, you know!
"S-sorry, sorry!"
Na Na flinched and hurried to obey.
After that brief interlude, the two sped toward the Holy Spirit Cult's Mingdu branch. A 7-ringed Seraphim and a 5-ringed agility-type Spirit Master moved with incredible speed, arriving at their destination in less than half an hour.
The Holy Spirit Cult branch occupied an unremarkable courtyard dwarfed by Mingdu's towering buildings. Yet the yard concealed another world entirely—lush vegetation and climbing vines covered the trellises, blocking any view from above.
Na Na was about to step forward and knock using the secret code when Ling Bai grabbed her by the collar like a kitten. He summoned the Angel Sword and, with a casual flick, sent a wave of Holy Sword Energy that blasted the gate to smithereens.
Come on, an Evil Spirit Saint!
And she wants to knock?!
BOOM—
The gate crumbled like paper before the Holy Sword Energy, reduced to dust drifting through the air. The tremendous explosion alerted every Holy Spirit Cult member inside.
Sinister winds howled and black flames blazed as an Evil Spirit Emperor charged forth. Six spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, two black—spiraled around him as he roared:
"Die, little thief!"
Ling Bai's eyes narrowed slightly as the Evil Spirit Emperor closed in. His left hand shimmered with a world-freezing chill as he swung it in a wide arc, slapping the man across the face.
Wind died. Flames vanished. The Evil Spirit Emperor spun three times on the spot and dropped dead.
Na Na could not help but gape, her expression one of utter, jaw-dropping disbelief.
This brave soul who had taken Ling Bai's slap head-on was the Second Holy Spirit, ranked third in the branch, yet he was dispatched as easily as swatting a fly.
She finally understood why Ling Bai was so arrogant. Strength was confidence!
'Forget who said it, but slapping people without using a Martial Spirit really is satisfying...'
Ling Bai smiled contentedly as his six angelic wings unfurled. The Angelic Domain descended with overwhelming force, and an intense golden light instantly sealed the entire courtyard.
The Evil Spirit Masters had nowhere to hide. They appeared one by one, each desperately raising a spirit power shield against the Angelic Domain's corrosive light. The sole Evil Spirit Saint locked eyes with Na Na and snarled:
"Holy Servant Number Six! You brought the Seraphim here?!"
Standing at Ling Bai's side, Na Na felt a rare surge of confidence. Borrowing his might, she shouted back, "The Holy Spirit Cult has committed countless evils! The Seraphim is executing justice!"
"Sharp-tongued brat! Even if it costs my life, I'll drag you down to hell with me, traitor!"
The Evil Spirit Saint roared madly. Under the Angelic Domain's absolute suppression, the other Evil Spirit Masters could barely stand, let alone fight. He knew his death was merely a matter of time, but he was determined to take the traitor with him!
Seven spirit rings erupted around him. As the seventh ring shone, black flames engulfed his body. His Martial Spirit Avatar activated, his height shooting past three meters as his flesh melted away to reveal a jet-black skeleton.
"Divine Skyfire."
Seven spirit rings—yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red, red—nearly blinded the Evil Spirit Saint's skeletal eyes. Ling Bai regarded him expressionlessly, as if viewing a corpse.
The sixth spirit ring from the 100,000-year Sacred Sun Heaven Spirit Tiger blazed to life. A colossal, golden-red flame rose like a great sun. A roaring tiger with a blazing tail carried the Seraphim's holy fire and the radiance of the sun, surging forward in a tidal wave!
The holy fire illuminated the twisted, terrified faces of the Evil Spirit Masters. At the sight of the cataclysmic Divine Skyfire, they instinctively retreated in terror.
As the target of the attack, the Evil Spirit Saint stumbled back, his skeletal hands flailing as he tried to block the flames that devoured all darkness. In that moment, the so-called demon, feared by the world, looked utterly helpless.
A second later, hysterical screams echoed through the courtyard. A tattered body fell with the dull thud of a heavy sack hitting the ground. The unrecognizable, smoking corpse had been burned almost to charcoal.
In his final moments, the Evil Spirit Saint's eyes widened, staring at the radiant figure of Ling Bai. He gasped weakly:
"Seraphim, you claim to execute justice—so why don't you try to save us?!"
"Saving you is the Angel God's job. My job is to send you to meet the Angel God." Ling Bai remained unmoved.
"So are we Evil Spirit Masters meant to die?!"
"What else?"
Ling Bai looked genuinely puzzled. If Evil Spirit Masters weren't meant to die, who was?
With that, he finished the man off with a casual sword strike, helping him meet the Angel God that much sooner.
With the Evil Spirit Saint's death, the branch's fate was sealed. Ling Bai's impartial magistrate expression made it clear he offered no chance for surrender. The Evil Spirit Emperor, the Great Holy Spirit, cried out in grief and rage:
"Brothers, fight to the death!"
"As you wish."
Ling Bai's tone was as cold as a guillotine's edge. The Divine Skyfire burned once more, an ocean of holy flame instantly devouring the remaining Evil Spirit Masters. They opened their mouths in the raging inferno, letting out miserable shrieks as they struggled and were turned to ash.
Na Na had been stupefied long ago, watching from behind Ling Bai. She had always known he was strong, but she never could have imagined that the Holy Spirit Cult branch that had tormented her for years, leaving her completely powerless to resist, would be crushed like a group of toothless children.
She gazed at Ling Bai with awe, watching him smile as all opposition turned to cinders. Her heart marveled:
Heavens, this Seraphim is so gentle!
He even smiles while killing those beasts!
Killing Evil Spirit Masters increased cultivation. Ling Bai figured anyone would smile at that. Even mosquito legs were still meat!
Having condensed an Angel Spirit Core, his spirit power was comparable to a Titled Douluo's. The strongest of this group was merely a Spirit Saint; all of them together hadn't raised his rank even by half a level. Ling Bai sighed quietly. It seemed only by killing an Evil Douluo would his spirit power show any noticeable growth.
"Those hiding over there aren't Evil Spirit Masters. They seem like you."
Ling Bai withdrew the Angelic Domain. He sensed no evil aura from them.
"Yes, I'll go talk to them!"
Na Na transformed into an illusory specter and rushed over. Moments later, she returned with eight people. Upon learning that all the Evil Spirit Masters were dead, they shed their strange attire, revealing young, pale faces.
Like Na Na, their loved ones' souls had been held hostage, forcing them to serve as Holy Servants for the cult.
"Lead the way to your parents:"
"Mm!"
Na Na nodded firmly, tears glistening in her eyes. With her parents' murderers slain, the gloom that had shrouded her heart was finally swept away.
The Evil Spirit Saint had established an underground altar where all captured souls were stored. Tainted by evil energy, they had slowly been transforming into malicious spirits.
A cluster of golden flame ignited on Ling Bai's fingertip. Purifying evil had been the Seraphim's specialty since the time of the first Angel God; he had no need for Electrolux's Necromancy.
Wherever the golden flame passed, the evil energy shrouding the spirits rapidly faded. Their snarling faces softened, returning to how they had appeared in life. They hovered in the air, looking down excitedly at their relatives on the ground.
"You can say your final farewells. Then they'll reincarnate normally like any departed soul."
Leaving those words, Ling Bai exited the altar and found a quiet corner in the courtyard to wait.
The Angelic Domain had purified the Evil Spirit Masters' foul aura. The air now held light's warm, clean scent.
Fifteen minutes later, Na Na and the eight former Holy Servants emerged, their entire beings radiating the glow of rebirth. From this day forward, their futures were their own.
Na Na knelt directly before Ling Bai, her gaze firm and resolute:
"I said if you saved my parents, my life would belong to you. You even purified the evil from their souls, freeing me from all my worries.
I am a person of my word. For this life and all lives to come, I will serve you!
Na Na greets Master Ling Bai!"
One by one, the pale-faced servants, eyes swollen from crying, knelt behind Na Na and spoke in unison:
"We servants greet our Master. This grace of rebirth can never be repaid. We are willing to follow you for all our lives and serve you with our very souls!"
As their words faded, an ethereal golden light rose from each of them and flowed into Ling Bai's Spiritual Sea.
The sensation was extraordinary, like standing atop a mountain peak overlooking the world through a sea of clouds. It brought a clarity of body and mind even more pleasant than the spirit power gained from killing Evil Spirit Masters.
Ling Bai narrowed his eyes. "Is this what they call good karma returning?"
"What good karma!"
Electrolux's amused, chiding voice echoed in his mind. "Silly boy, this is the Power of Faith!
Faith has many levels. The worship of gods by ordinary people is the most basic form. But you—you purified their loved ones and saved them from a life of torment. These nine people would now go through fire and water for you, give you their very lives. In the doctrine of a church, this is the highest level of devotion: fanatic believers!
On the Douluo Continent, sufficient faith can even condense God Positions, like the first Sea God who conquered the oceans or the first Angel God who saved humanity.
If your future path involves repairing the Angel God Position and advancing to Twin God-level, you'll absolutely need to acquire faith, preferably from the strong and from fanatic believers!
The task before you is immense and the road is long. You had best start thinking about how to gather more faith now!"