A special thank you to all my patrons:
—Cain, Jacob Mooe, HADES, Varun Madhu, Gonzalo Sumalavia, kevin Williams, merp., Jose Carrillo, Derek M, DancingMonkey65, Joseph, Jose Sierra, AR3S, Nuro.
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey, Scorpion, the elders didn't send you here to just space out!" The Poison Spring Evil Soul Master was furious. This guy had done nothing lately, always staring blankly into the distance, occasionally vanishing without a trace, his movements erratic and unpredictable.
Yan Jie paid no attention, his figure flickering before disappearing once again.
"It's been over ten days since I last went out. If that evil soul master really has his eyes on me, I'll give him a chance." Bai Xu sighed softly as he stepped out of the Spirit Pagoda's gates and headed toward the outskirts of Lingbo City.
"Sir... that man is a Titled Douluo..."
"No need to worry."
Bai Xu frowned. "For some reason, that guy is targeting me. Could he be an ally hired by the Zhong family's second son from the Star Luo Empire? But this is the Dou Ling Empire, and I didn't expose my identity back then—I erased all traces. There's no way he should've found me. Even if he were looking, he shouldn't be here. Is this all just a coincidence?"
He glanced at the shadowy figure lurking in the darkness, tailing him discreetly, but paid it no mind and continued toward the city's outskirts.
"Hmm? Heading out of the city?" Yan Jie hesitated. Such an obvious opportunity for an ambush seemed like Bai Xu was handing it to him on a silver platter.
"What a cunning and deceitful guy. Even evil soul masters are nothing compared to you." Yan Jie chuckled, glancing at the dossier on Bai Xu in his hands.
"Twin Martial Souls—Heavenly Eye and Metal Attribute Control. Add to that the fire and wood attributes from that day... Is it a Quadruple Martial Soul, or does his second Martial Soul have multiple elemental control types?"
'Or are you saying he has four Martial Souls?!' Yan Jie's thoughts ran wild, but he ultimately dismissed the idea.
Bai Xu's second Martial Soul might be multi-attribute control—such Martial Souls weren't unheard of. But in his hazy memories, the soul skills Bai Xu had used were far too powerful for a six-ringed Soul Emperor. Moreover, no soul rings had appeared when he activated them.
There were still too many unanswered questions.
Yan Jie turned to the man beside him. "See that guy from the Spirit Pagoda? Once he's outside the city, you go kill him."
The evil soul master beside him looked bewildered. "Sir, this... The Spirit Pagoda is our ally. Wouldn't killing him now be inappropriate?"
"Don't worry. I'm here. Just do it."
Outskirts of Lingbo Cit.y
Bai Xu had already arrived at a desolate hill. His voice was icy as he spoke. "Come out. No more hiding."
A figure in black robes emerged—not the Titled Douluo.
"I don't know why the elder wants you dead, but... since he ordered it, I'll make sure it's done cleanly." The black-robed figure revealed his face—an elderly man. Six soul rings appeared—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. He, too, was a Soul Emperor.
Bai Xu knew this guy was likely just a test. The Titled Douluo was hiding far away, seemingly able to observe the battlefield through this evil soul master.
"So cautious... Does that guy already know I'm not simple?"
Bai Xu's heart sank. A Titled Douluo being this wary of a Soul Emperor was completely unreasonable—unless he already knew something about Bai Xu.
"Can't let him escape!"
Without hesitation, Bai Xu transformed into lightning, closing the distance in an instant. A golden sword slashed down, nearly severing the Soul Emperor's Martial Soul before piercing through his chest. Flames erupted, reducing the Soul Emperor to ashes.
But Bai Xu didn't stop. He continued charging toward the direction he had sensed.
Meanwhile.
Yan Jie watched as the Soul Emperor turned to ash on the screen before him, his brow furrowing. "Incredible strength—equivalent to a seven or even eight-ringed Soul Master. How is he this strong?! And he still dares to charge at me?"
"Heh. Perfect timing. I'll prepare a little gift for you."
Yan Jie was currently floating above a small village. He, too, could sense the overwhelming force approaching. Though slightly uneasy, he wasn't about to retreat.
With a sweeping motion, he plucked dozens of villagers from the settlement, annihilating the entire village in the process. From the mass of captives, he singled out a young boy, sneering. "Want to save your parents? Then go inform the Dou Ling Imperial Family! I'll give you a ride!"
Whoosh!
The boy, enveloped in soul power, was sent flying straight toward Lingbo City's main district, his body now tainted with the aura of an evil soul master.
Yan Jie grinned. "Now then... the Dou Ling Imperial Family will arrive in two or three minutes. Come, let's see what you're capable of."
As Bai Xu closed in, his expression darkening, Yan Jie's eyes gleamed with malicious amusement.
Bai Xu had seen everything. He didn't understand this man's motives, leaving him puzzled. With dozens of civilian lives in his grasp, Yan Jie was clearly using them as leverage.
"Why are you targeting me?" Bai Xu demanded.
"Heh. I've been searching for you for three years. Never thought you'd run off to the Dou Ling Empire. Three years... I've suffered greatly trying to find you." Yan Jie smirked. "Time is limited, so let's test your morals. If you surrender willingly, I'll spare these commoners. If not... I'll crush them right now."
"Ten seconds."
Bai Xu's expression darkened further. He hesitated.
"Sir, please save us!"
The desperate cries of the villagers filled the air.
"Ten... nine... eight..."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Bai Xu erupted with blinding lightning, his entire body surging with power. A golden flash streaked through the air—so fast that Yan Jie instinctively released his grip on the hostages, fearing his hand would be severed if he didn't.
His Martial Soul activated—a scorpion's tail emerged, his body encased in dark armor. The two clashed mid-air.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of collisions echoed continuously. Yan Jie's eyes widened in shock. Bai Xu was standing atop a golden sword, flying without any mecha or battle armor. And the sheer force of his slashes—the sharpness of his blade—could actually rival his own Scorpion Martial Soul?!
What kind of joke is this?!
This man was only a Soul Emperor!
Yet, Yan Jie couldn't help but laugh excitedly. "I knew it! You have the potential to become a god! Back then, Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao could kill Titled Douluos as a seven-ringed Soul Sage. But you—you surpass even him! Perfect! You're absolutely perfect, Bai Xu!"
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True Body!"
"Eighth Soul Skill—Venomous Tail Sting!"
The massive Scorpion True Body expanded to dozens of meters, towering over the land. The venomous tail struck with blinding speed, but Bai Xu dodged effortlessly.
What Bai Xu didn't expect, however, was that the tail's strike into the ground instantly drained the land of life. A wave of death energy spread, enveloping the fleeing villagers.
In moments, they were all dead.
"Hahaha! Their deaths are all because of you! If you had surrendered, they'd still be alive! And now, because of your resistance, more will die!"
Yan Jie was playing mind games, trying to break Bai Xu's resolve.
But Bai Xu merely glanced at the corpses and said coldly, "You knew you couldn't defeat me quickly, so you deliberately let one escape to send a message?"
"Smart. If I could've captured you in under a minute, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths. But alas, I couldn't." Yan Jie had already spotted small figures approaching from Lingbo City—the Dou Ling Imperial Family had mobilized.
Retracting his Martial Soul True Body, he prepared to flee. Before leaving, he smirked. "Until next time. We'll meet again. Oh, and one correction—there are no survivors."
The boy had already died, his body smashing into Lingbo City's central district.
Bai Xu's hands, hidden behind his back, clenched around the Five Elements Banner. But he sighed and withdrew it. Without the support of a grand formation, defeating a Titled Douluo in under a minute was indeed difficult. Activating it now would only draw the attention of the Dou Ling Imperial Family, risking exposure.
He hadn't expected his opponent to be this cautious. A true threat.
"It seems... no matter how thorough the planning, there are always oversights. No one can calculate everything perfectly." Bai Xu truly felt as though he had been dragged into a scheme.
As for the dead...
If the Plane's Will eventually becomes the Plane's Master—like Tang Hao—then life and death will be at its mercy.
Bai Xu murmured softly, "If you ever recover... revive those who died today."
A voice answered in his mind.
"Understood."