In the dark, damp dungeon, the sound of children crying woke Lin Xiao from a groggy state. Struggling to lift his heavy eyelids, he looked around and saw children no older than five or six years old nearby.
"Tap, tap—"
Clear footsteps echoed from outside the dungeon. Soon, a gaunt figure appeared at the entrance. The black robe obscured their face, making it impossible to discern their features, but the sinister smile was strikingly noticeable.
"Quiet down, all of you."
A hoarse voice sounded, and a chilling aura spread through the dungeon. The young children huddled together, desperately trying to stifle their sobs, though their bodies still trembled uncontrollably.
"Serving the Holy Emperor is your honor," the figure under the black robe said, licking their lips, the smile on their face growing wider. "Let's see, who's the lucky one today?"
The cold gaze swept across the dungeon, soon landing on Lin Xiao.
In that instant, Lin Xiao felt a chill rise from within, spreading outward. His limbs went numb, as if his very soul was being drained.
Something inside his body stirred under that gaze, a strange sensation wandering through him.
"Hmm?" The figure in the black robe let out a sound of curiosity. "Come here."
Lin Xiao felt his body moving toward the figure, beyond his control. Behind him, vibrant red flowers bloomed one after another, their vividness eerie in the dim dungeon.
"To think you've awakened a martial soul related to death," the figure in the black robe mused, inspecting Lin Xiao with intrigue. "You're destined to be a disciple of our Holy Spirit Church. Very well, who will serve the Holy Emperor today? You decide."
Lin Xiao didn't know when he had turned around. The black-robed figure was gone, and all he could see were the familiar faces of the children. They were just a group of innocent kids, their clear eyes filled with pleas as they looked at him.
His vision suddenly blurred, and a warm sensation on his face stood out starkly in the cold dungeon…
"Hah—"
Lin Xiao snapped his eyes open, wiping his face with his hand. Aside from a layer of fine sweat on his forehead, there was nothing else.
"A nightmare?"
A hoarse voice sounded by his ear. Borrowing the moonlight streaming through the window, he saw an old man draped in a black cloak standing by his bedside, unnoticed until now.
"Teacher," Lin Xiao hurriedly got out of bed. "It was just a dream about some childhood memories. Why didn't you let me know you were coming? I could have welcomed you properly."
"No time for that, and my visit shouldn't be known by too many people," the old man said, walking to a nearby table and sitting down. "Recently, the Holy Spirit Church's activities near the Heavenly Soul border have drawn some attention. Someone has already spotted traces of the Shrek Inspection Team."
"Shrek Inspection Team?" Lin Xiao repeated the familiar name.
"Hmph, just a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears kids," the old man sneered. "But the Shrek Academy behind them has plenty of experts, and their disciples are spread across the continent, with eyes and ears everywhere. They're a real nuisance."
"The branch altars near the border can't stay any longer. Clean up the loose ends so Shrek Academy doesn't latch onto us."
"I understand, Teacher," Lin Xiao replied, bowing his head.
"You've handled things like this before, so I don't need to say much more," the old man nodded. "Once you've taken care of this, I'll take you back to Mingdu to claim some credit. If we secure this merit, our Holy Spirit Church won't have to tread so cautiously anymore."
"Go on, get to it…"
The old man's voice gradually faded, and the room fell silent. After a moment, Lin Xiao slowly raised his head. The old man was no longer at the table.
He reached out to activate the soul lamp on the table, its orange-yellow glow illuminating a youthful, delicate face that looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.
Lin Xiao knew well that he trained diligently every day, even meditating at night. How could he have fallen asleep so suddenly tonight, only to dream of his childhood?
It likely had something to do with his teacher, titled "Nightmare."
It had been nearly ten years since Nightmare Douluo took him out of that dungeon. Though they called each other teacher and disciple, there was little true bond between them.
Nightmare Douluo's martial soul was the Nightmare Demon, a soul that thrived on cultivating through others' fears. In his eyes, Lin Xiao was probably nothing more than a durable tool for his cultivation.
His thoughts churned for a long while. Eventually, Lin Xiao rummaged through his storage soul tool, pulled out a wide black cloak, draped it over himself, and headed out the door.
No matter what, the gap between him and a Titled Douluo was vast. There were things he still had to do.
Under the moonlight, Lin Xiao's figure darted through the forest, trees flashing by as the wind whistled in his ears, occasionally mixed with the distant booms of soul tool explosions—sounds of the border army's nighttime skirmishes.
Over four thousand years ago, the collision between the Sun Moon Continent and the Douluo Continent plunged the four great empires into chaos. The war between the Sun Moon Empire and the three original empires of the Douluo Continent lasted a long time.
Even now, four thousand years later, while large-scale wars had ceased, frequent small-scale conflicts persisted, leaving several border regions difficult to manage.
And it was in such places that the Holy Spirit Church established its branch altars.
The surrounding trees looked nearly identical, making it hard to navigate, but Lin Xiao was clearly no stranger to this place. His speed didn't falter, and he even remembered to cover his face with a mask. Soon, flickers of light pierced through the gaps in the trees, catching his eye.
"Who's there?"
The light came from an unremarkable hill, beneath which was a man-made cave entrance, partially concealed by tangled weeds. Two shadowy figures lurked nearby, cautiously observing the surroundings.
One of them seemed to notice something and spoke up, but before he could finish, a gust of wind sliced through the air, grazing his cheek and embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk.
Instinctively, he turned to look and saw a pitch-black token, faintly revealing several carved skulls under the moonlight.
"It's me."
Before he could examine it further, a voice sounded nearby.
The man's expression immediately turned respectful, and he slightly bowed. "Greetings, Lord Holy Envoy."
With effort, he pulled the token from the tree and handed it over with both hands.
"Where's the Great Holy Spirit?" Lin Xiao asked, taking the token. The mask muffled his voice slightly.
"Inside. Both the Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit are there," the man quickly replied, pointing to the cave. "The Great Holy Spirit instructed us to be cautious lately. Almost no one from the branch altar has gone out."
"Good. Follow me inside."