(AN: Arc 5 is here with the character you have all been waiting for)
A dark night—as the moon was also absent in the sky. Only the distant stars dared to cast a faint glimmer, like trembling candles in an endless void.
Clove Village lay close to the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest, just beyond the barricades erected by the Human Coalition of Soul Masters. Normally, the village would still hold the lingering warmth of cooking fires or the murmur of late-night chatter.
But tonight… nothing.
There was only silence.And beneath that silence was the stench—thick, metallic, nauseating. The smell of blood soaked the dirt paths and seeped between the wooden cottages.
From within this stillness, dozens of cloaked shadows burst out, moving with unnatural speed and eerie coordination. Their black robes fluttered like torn wings in the cold wind.
At their head ran Liam, a Soul Douluo of level 87—an infamous Evil Soul Master whose name had been whispered in fear for years. His steps were steady, unhurried, despite the massacre they had just committed.
He spoke without turning back, his tone calm, calculating, as if the night's carnage were merely routine:
"Everyone, move. We must reach Star Dou Forest before dawn touches the ground. The border we're heading for is thinly patrolled. Don't fall behind."
A low murmur rippled through the shadows behind him. They were all Evil Soul Masters—beings who cultivated through cruelty. The souls and flesh of Clove Village's inhabitants now churned inside their bodies, fueling their twisted paths to power.ad been consumed by them to boost their cultivation.
The period Soul Beast Tide were a golden age for them.With the Coalition of Soul master formed to resist the beast tide had their attention consumed by rampaging soul beasts, vermin like them could crawl out, feed, and grow strong.
But those times were ended and order was slowly returning. All the hidden evil soul master were found and hunted down slowly.
Liam knew it as he had survived too many hunts, escaped too many encirclements to be careless now. His caution bordered on paranoia—yet that paranoia kept him alive.
'They'll definitely send someone strong after tonight,' Liam thought, glancing back at the first hints of dawn in the sky. 'Maybe even a Titled Douluo… tch. Troublesome.'
His mind moved quickly, calculating paths of escape, backup plans, contingencies.
'Perhaps going to Slaughter City wouldn't be a bad choice. As long as I reach that place alive… even Spirit Hall won't dare touch me there.'
The forest loomed ahead. They will hide in that, because no one will think that someone will run and hide in Star Dou Forest.
Behind him, one of his men whispered, "Leader, the sun… it's breaking."
Liam narrowed his eyes.
The horizon glowed faintly—soft orange rays beginning to stretch across the treetops.
'Just a little more,' he thought, picking up speed.'Once we enter the Star Dou Forest, they'll lose our trail completely.'
Thud.Thud.Thud.Thud.
The sound was faint at first—like sacks of grain dropping onto hard earth. Something was fell down.
Liam's instincts flared. He twisted his head back—
—and froze.
At least eight of his men had collapsed mid-stride, their heads rolling in different directions, lifeless eyes still wide with fear. Their bodies fell a beat later, spraying blood in thin arcs across the grass.
And behind those corpses, rapidly closing the distance, was a figure in golden-white armor.
The plates gleamed even in dawn's weak light, etched with faint angelic motifs. The helm had a narrow visor, but Liam could feel the killing intent pouring from it like cold steel against his neck.
His pupils shrank.
Angel Corps.
A fully equipped Angel Corps soldier? Here?
"Impossible…" he muttered, breath hitching. "How can anyone move so fast and stealthily without anyone noticing?"
But this woman…He gritted his teeth and poured more soul power into his legs, speeding up once again. Fighting her was the last thing he wanted. He had no desire to test if she was a Titled Douluo in disguise.
More noises came
Clang!Clang!
More clashes.
Liam slowed, slipping behind a large tree, and peeked.
His strongest subordinates—Soul Emperors and even one Soul Sage—had engaged the armored woman. Seven soul rings floated behind the visor-covered figure: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.
A Soul Sage.
But that wasn't what bothered him.
Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, the woman's momentum had not faltered. Liam's expression twisted in confusion.
"If she were a Titled Douluo, she would not be running—she would be flying," he thought. "So she's not a Title. But then… why is her presence so suffocating?"
Liam's mind raced. His eyes narrowed.
"That means… she's relying on something. A treasure? A relic?"
The moment the thought surfaced, greed surged through him like wildfire.
A Soul Sage should not have such speed, such force, such aura. But a treasure…
Now that could.
If he obtained it, if he stripped it from her—
His heart pounded, excitement building.
"With that treasure, even a Titled Douluo hunt won't matter…."
Liam's lips curled into a predatory grin as the battle raged before him as he went back.
Clang!Clang!
Sparks sprayed across the forest floor.
The golden-white armored Soul Master from the Angel Corps effortlessly parry the combined attacks of his men.Her sword strikes were clean—almost too clean—each movement precise .
Liam sneered.
'Just a mere Soul Sage, with some talent''This will be easy.'
He didn't hesitate.
"Everyone—regroup!" he barked.