"Boom—"
As the Higanbana flower in Lin Xiao's palm bloomed, the Great Holy Spirit's body rapidly swelled and then exploded violently. The surrounding area instantly cleared, and scalding blood splattered everywhere.
Though it seemed like a long time, only a few breaths had passed. The others in the cave hadn't fully grasped what was happening when they saw their Great Holy Spirit explode among them. Droplets of blood fell on their bodies, causing sharp stings of pain. The Second Holy Spirit's body was no longer intact either.
Seeing the two strongest among them, the Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit, fall one after another, the others lost all courage to resist. Almost simultaneously, they bolted toward the cave's exit, as if escaping would grant them a chance at survival.
Watching the fleeing crowd, Lin Xiao showed no intention of stopping them. Instead, he lowered his gaze to his palm, lightly clenching his right hand as his fourth soul ring radiated a dazzling light.
The seeds of the Higanbana, through Lin Xiao's soul skill, went from being planted to sprouting and blooming. But instead of wilting afterward, they bore fruit, marking the start of the next cycle.
Fourth Soul Skill—Rebirth.
The cave fell silent for a moment, only to be followed by even more piercing screams.
The Great Holy Spirit's scattered blood transformed into new Higanbana seeds, taking root in the bodies of the fleeing crowd and sprouting once more.
"Thud—"
"Thud—"
One by one, Higanbana flowers bloomed, and one by one, bodies collapsed. The cave fell quiet in an instant, leaving only a sea of corpses and vibrant flowers blooming upon them.
Ignoring the blood-soaked ground beneath his feet, Lin Xiao walked a few steps forward and stopped beside the Second Holy Spirit.
He opened his right palm, where a Higanbana flower hovered. With a pull of his left hand, a transparent silhouette emerged from the Second Holy Spirit's body.
The silhouette, unaware of what was happening, instinctively tried to flee. But if he couldn't match Lin Xiao in life, what could a mere remnant soul do now? It was nothing but futile struggling. Soon, the silhouette was drawn into the flower's stamen like a wisp of smoke.
Lin Xiao repeated the process, and it took a while to deal with all the corpses in the cave. When he was done, he slowly walked to the corner where the pile of bodies had been. From their eyes, he saw no trace of struggle or resentment in their final moments—only a hollow despair.
Having lived in the Holy Spirit Church for nearly a decade, such scenes were not new to him. They could even be called commonplace. Yet standing here, he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh. Raising his hand slightly, petals fell to cover their still-open eyes.
It wasn't until the moon in the sky tilted westward that Lin Xiao emerged from the cave. He glanced back, clenched his right hand, and as his third soul ring glowed, a resounding boom echoed through the night. The ground shook violently, and the cave collapsed under falling earth and stone, burying all the atrocities that had taken place within.
With the matter resolved, Lin Xiao prepared to leave. Suddenly, his expression shifted, and he looked into the distance. There, a brilliant golden light sliced through the night sky, and the surrounding temperature surged instantly. His hair began to curl, and he could faintly smell the scent of singed hair.
He didn't know who was coming, but with such an approach, they were likely not a friend. Raising his right hand, a Higanbana flower bloomed in his palm. His fingertips brushed across it, drawing a few drops of blood that scattered forward.
As his soul ring flickered, a sea of flowers appeared before him.
With preparations complete, the distant figure was now close enough for Lin Xiao to make out. The radiant light came from a cluster of golden flames, with a faint silhouette at its center.
His soul power surged within him, ready to act at any moment. But as the figure drew closer, the flowers he had prepared wilted one by one, from far to near, unable to withstand the heat.
This was no ordinary flame.
Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly. While his martial soul wasn't impervious to water or fire, it wasn't something ordinary flames could easily destroy. The newcomer's martial soul was certainly extraordinary and couldn't be dealt with using ordinary means.
With this in mind, his left hand brushed over the petals, and a translucent silhouette appeared above the Higanbana. Its appearance was that of the Second Holy Spirit, who had just died in the cave.
A sharp pulse throbbed in his mind. Lin Xiao raised his left hand, about to strike forward, when a soft shout interrupted his movement.
"Ming'er, don't be reckless!"
As the words fell, a golden rope shot through the air, moving even faster than the approaching figure. In an instant, it wrapped around the figure's waist and pulled her back.
The moonlight seemed brighter than before. Two more figures approached from the distance, their faintly revealed cultivation levels surpassing Lin Xiao's.
His current identity couldn't be revealed, but leaving now would only arouse more suspicion. Escaping forcibly from these three, whose cultivation was higher than his, wouldn't be easy. After a moment's thought, Lin Xiao chose to stand his ground, quietly retracting the Second Holy Spirit's remnant soul.
Within moments, the three arrived before him, and Lin Xiao could make out their appearances. They were all young women. The leader had a gentle demeanor, her black hair tied back. Upon seeing Lin Xiao, she cupped her hands in greeting.
"Sorry, we didn't hurt you, did we?"
Lin Xiao's gaze flickered, landing on the woman's finger, where she wore a silver ring embedded with a green gemstone, carved into a peculiar shape.
The Shrek Inspection Team.
Seeing that Lin Xiao didn't respond, the leader spoke again. "We heard there might be evil soul masters around, so we came to check. Ming'er was a bit impulsive just now, which may have caused a misunderstanding."
"No harm done. But if you're looking for evil soul masters, you're probably a step too late," Lin Xiao finally said, glancing back. "I heard there were evil soul masters nearby too, so I came to investigate. But there were only ordinary bandits inside."
The young woman looked up slightly, following Lin Xiao's gaze to the collapsed cave behind him. Amid the jumble of earth and stone, only the entrance was barely discernible; the rest was completely unrecognizable.
"If you have no other business, I'll take my leave," Lin Xiao said.
"Please, go ahead," the woman replied.
Without another word, Lin Xiao turned and dashed into the night. As his figure sped through the darkness, his mind churned with thoughts. Several names surfaced in his memory. The Shrek Inspection Team's identity, combined with their martial souls, told him exactly who they were.
He had thought that after living in this world for over a decade, the memories that didn't belong here had long since faded. But now, it seemed the memories from that other world remained vividly clear.
"Lexuan, the direction he's heading seems to be toward the Sun Moon Empire," a voice called out from the ruins after Lin Xiao left.
"Let him go. Regardless of who he is or where he's from, he's doing the same thing we are."