"The world of the dead?"
Dai Hao repeated this place he had never heard of before.
In just those few short breaths earlier, countless memories had surged into his mind, making him feel as though he had lived another lifetime. For a moment, he still hadn't fully reacted.
"Come with me, and you'll understand."
The unfamiliar figure spoke, and without waiting for Dai Hao to respond, it "pulled" him up, lightly floating into the air.
Then, a blinding light suddenly burst before his eyes. When he opened them again, he was already back in that mountain valley.
The person he had fought earlier was dragging the bodies of the White Tiger Guards one by one into a large pit.
Lin Xiao suddenly turned his head to look at the souls of Feng Shen and Dai Hao that had appeared beside him.
"I forgot to tell you, here, death is not the end."
"You—"
Before Dai Hao could speak, Lin Xiao turned his head away again. "I really don't have time to bury them one by one, but since they were comrades-in-arms, being buried together in death isn't mistreating them."
"If you want, I can also bury your body together with theirs."
"You're an evil soul master?" Although Dai Hao still didn't fully understand the situation, he had roughly figured it out; he really was dead, and the person before him could make use of other people's souls.
"That's right." Lin Xiao didn't deny it. "So what do you want to do?"
"I—"
Dai Hao paused, suddenly unsure how to respond. He didn't know how the person in front of him planned to use his soul, nor did he know whether a dead person's soul could die again.
"Since you don't know yourself, why not stay by my side for now?" Lin Xiao smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I won't force you to obey me."
"After all, I don't lack souls that serve me willingly. Forcing you would only distract me. Oh, right, you still haven't answered whether you want to be buried together with these soldiers."
"This…" Dai Hao hesitated for a moment. "Thank you."
Lin Xiao waved his hand dismissively and walked to the side, lifting Dai Hao's body.
"There's still a soul bone inside my body. Since I've fallen to this state, the soul bone should belong to you now."
"I saw it." Lin Xiao nodded. "But I already have a left arm bone. I'll keep this ten-thousand-year soul bone for now."
Dai Hao thought for a moment and said nothing more. After all, Lin Xiao had three hundred-thousand-year soul rings on him, he probably really didn't lack soul bones.
Just as Lin Xiao finished handling the corpses and began covering them, Dai Hao suddenly spoke again. "Earlier, I heard something about the world of the dead… Do all people have souls after they die?"
Lin Xiao's movements paused slightly. "The higher the cultivation, the stronger the spiritual power, and naturally, the greater the chance of a soul remaining. For a Titled Douluo like you, a complete soul is generally left behind."
"What about people without cultivation?"
"They probably only leave behind unconscious remnant souls."
"So that's how it is." Dai Hao fell silent once more.
"Done." A moment later, Lin Xiao clapped his hands and looked at the massive tomb in front of him.
Hearing this, Dai Hao slightly raised his head and looked toward the simple tombstone in front of the grave. There was no inscription on it, only the plain words: "White Tiger Duke Dai Hao and his brothers rest together here."
"From this day forward, Dai Hao is dead. Since you remain by my side, you shall be called… White Tiger."
"White Tiger" faintly lifted his head, viewing the world before him with an entirely different perspective. Though it was clearly right in front of him, it also felt impossibly distant.
Lin Xiao did not put White Tiger away. He even released the Snow Empress, allowing her to see this mountain scenery that was almost impossible to witness in the far north.
"The matter is settled. Time to head back."
With that, Lin Xiao lightly stepped forward. In a flash, his figure completely vanished from the valley.
Near the mountain path, soldiers wearing flying-type soul tools patrolled back and forth, searching for traces of the White Tiger Guards. Then, they saw a figure appear out of thin air.
"My lord."
"Let's go. The White Tiger Duke is dead. We can return and report."
High up in the Mingdou Mountain Range, the Sun Moon Empire had already set up camp here. In the distance, the sounds of the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion attacking Tianming City could faintly be heard.
"Report to the Marshal: the west gate of Tianming City has been breached. The Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion has entered the city."
Inside the command tent, the messenger's voice rang out. Ju Zi abruptly stood up upon hearing it.
The Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion's advance had been even faster than she expected, causing an unconscious smile to appear on her face. "Good. Pass down the order: do not be careless in the street fighting inside the city. The three great empires rely mainly on soul masters for combat power, and they hold the advantage in street battles."
"Yes, sir."
The messenger left. Soon after, a guard's voice came from outside the door.
"Eighth Elder."
Ju Zi looked up and saw Lin Xiao already entering the command tent.
"You're back?"
"Mm." Lin Xiao looked at the smile that still lingered on Ju Zi's face and gave a light nod.
"Did you find the White Tiger Duke's body?"
Lin Xiao shook his head. "He was still alive, but he was determined to die. I killed him personally."
As Lin Xiao spoke, his gaze fell on Ju Zi's face.
Her expression didn't change much. There was no great joy of revenge fulfilled; this news affected her even less than the breaching of Tianming City's gates.
"What about his body?"
"I buried him beneath the cliff."
Ju Zi nodded, turned, and sat back down in her seat. "After all, he was a commander of a nation. This is fine."
"By the way, we just received word from the Fire Phoenix Soul Engineer Legion; they've entered Tianming City. It's estimated that before tonight, we'll be able to enter the city ourselves."
"Next, it depends on whether we can hold Tianming City. Only by firmly establishing ourselves here and making the Star Luo Empire feel threatened can we draw the attention of the other two great empires."
Ju Zi's plan didn't surprise Lin Xiao. In his memory, the original Ju Zi had used the offensive through the Mingdou Mountain Range to lure the Heavenly Soul Empire's forces here, then launched a surprise attack on the Heavenly Soul Empire's border, pushing the front line all the way to the Heavenly Soul Empire's capital, Tiandou City.
Almost the entire northern border of the Heavenly Soul Empire had been occupied by the Sun Moon Empire, and there were several mineral veins there that the Heavenly Soul Empire had never discovered.
However, upon hearing Ju Zi's words, Lin Xiao still slightly furrowed his brow.
Ju Zi seemed to notice the change in Lin Xiao's expression. She stood up again and walked a few steps toward him. "Don't worry. The Star Luo Empire hasn't made a move yet, and our top experts can't reveal themselves lightly."
"I'm not worried." Lin Xiao looked up at Ju Zi and shook his head slightly. "Never mind. Since there's nothing else for now, I'll head out for a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"To take a look at the battlefield." Lin Xiao stood up. "Don't worry, until the Star Luo Empire acts, I won't let anyone else discover me."
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