"Not a poison? Then what is it?"
Just then, Electrolux's aged voice echoed in Chen Junting's spiritual sea.
"Junting, I never expected your world to harbor undead creatures as well."
Chen Junting's heart skipped a beat.
"Elder Electrolux… you mean evil soul masters?"
"Evil soul masters? Like those corpses you encountered before?"
Electrolux sounded genuinely surprised. "It seems your world draws different lines than mine. To me, those evil soul masters merely wielded death's power—they weren't undead. What I'm saying is… this corpse is infected with corpse venom. It's transforming into a zombie."
"Zombie?"
Chen Junting's mind instantly conjured the classic image: stiff limbs, blackened claws, pale skin, fangs bared—a horror straight out of folklore, to be vanquished with glutinous rice and copper-coin swords.
(T/N: Asian, or more specifically, Chinese zombies. Though there are similarities to other creatures in Asian mythology & fantasy.)
His second thought: 'Of course—evil soul masters are behind this.'
"Elder Electrolux," he said firmly, "please keep watch. Whoever did this is likely the same evil soul masters we met before. If we encounter them, they must not escape."
"Understood."
The moment Electrolux agreed, Chen Junting refocused on the outside world. The rainbow-hued miasma masked the telltale chill of evil soul masters, hiding their presence.
He approached Ning Bowen.
"Uncle Ning—do you remember last night?"
"Last night?"
Ning Bowen's sharp mind instantly grasped Chen Junting's implication. Without hesitation, he pulled a soul engineering device from his storage ring and fired at the corpse.
A beam of light shot forth—
—but just before impact, the corpse's eyes snapped open!
Ye Xuanji, standing closest to Ning Bowen, reacted instantly. He yanked Ning Bowen away as the corpse's hand shot up—its nails elongating into razor-sharp talons.
Had Ye Xuanji been a fraction slower, those claws would've slashed Ning Bowen—and coated him in rainbow venom.
Swish—!
In the next second, a cold flash of steel pierced the air.
Before the zombie could rise, a black spear—rimmed with yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, and red soul rings—impaled it to the ground. The sheer force pulverized the body into dust.
"Bowen! Are you alright?"
Yang Zihan retracted her Soul-Breaking Spear, rushing to Ning Bowen's side with Ning Tian. Both wore worried expressions—but Ning Bowen himself appeared utterly unfazed, calm as a still pond.
"I'm fine," he said dismissively. Yet his eyes burned with cold, focused fury—not from fear, but resolve. "It is the work of evil soul masters. Which means they're nearby."
Their mission could not afford leaks.
At his words, all eight Title Douluos struck as one.
Star Saint Sword cleaved the sky!
Sky Azure Vines lashed across the land!
Crimson Dragonfire roared in every direction!
A wave of terrifying soul power surged outward—yet thanks to the miasma's cover and the forest's remoteness, the commotion went unnoticed beyond their immediate vicinity.
Chen Junting and Ning Tian watched, stunned.
"Is this really necessary…?" Chen Junting murmured. What did this evil soul master do to deserve such overwhelming force?
Even Electrolux, sensing the scene from Chen Junting's spiritual sea, sounded bemused. "I've already spotted the evil soul master you mentioned. His strength is barely comparable to your sect master's."
A Level 79 Soul Saint?
Heh… what rotten luck.
Chen Junting's expression turned peculiar—he nearly shook his head in pity.
Just then, Zhi Yong's ancient eyes snapped open. With a flick of his finger, an azure vine yanked violently.
"I've found him."
A hulking figure came crashing toward them—
green-skinned, fanged, claws bared: a textbook zombie. Clearly, the evil soul master had activated his martial soul true body.
But against a Level 96 Title Douluo? Useless.
His transformation shattered in an instant, and thick vines coiled around him, binding him tight.
Bang—!
He was slammed onto the ground. Dazed but desperate, he scrambled to his knees, prostrating himself without delay.
'Eight Title Douluos… for me!?'
Before his terror could fade, a vine pressed against his brow.
"I ask. You answer."
Terrified under the gaze of eight Title Douluos, the wretched man nodded frantically.
"Y-yes! Yes!"
"First—your identity."
"I'm Qin Shou," he stammered. "My martial soul is Toxic Zombie. My abilities—"
"Pfft—!"
At the name "Qin Shou" (a homophone for "beast" or "scoundrel"), Ning Tian burst into laughter. Chen Junting bit back a grin, and even Ning Bowen and the Elders exchanged awkward glances.
Truly, a name that fits.
"Good," Zhi Yong nodded, then asked his second question. "Any accomplices?"
"Yes! Seven of us total—but the others are only Soul Kings, hiding in the forest's outer rim. My martial soul's special, so I came here to cultivate in the poison… but even I can't go deeper."
"I see…"
Ning Bowen gave Zhi Yong a subtle nod.
The vine pierced the evil soul master's forehead.
Ye Xuanji then stepped beside Chen Junting, gesturing first to the dead corpse, then to Wu Yan—now a Crimson Dragon incinerating the surroundings with dragonfire.
"See? Evil soul masters use treacherous methods. Next time you face one, destroy everything suspicious first. Even a small oversight can sink you."
Chen Junting nodded earnestly.
He recalled how, in the original timeline, the Shrek Guardians had been utterly humiliated by a mere Soul King-level Death God Envoy—and even the mighty Level 98 Xuan Zi had been outmaneuvered, losing both face and dignity.
"Uncle Zhang," Ning Bowen called out, "trouble you to make a trip."
Above, Wu Yan's dragonfire had burned a clear path through the miasma.
A shadow shot into the sky—vanishing in an instant.
Chen Junting understood: the Sect Master had sent Elder Zhang to eliminate the remaining evil soul masters before the Shrek team could intervene. After all, no one handled such "cleanup" better than Zhang Ming.
As the group waited for Zhang Ming's return, Electrolux's voice suddenly echoed again in Chen Junting's mind:
"This old man's found something… you might find it very interesting."
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