Chapter 103: The Infuriating Evil Soul Master
"Impossible… this is impossible! What kind of method is that? You didn't even release a soul ring!"
Seeing his technique fail to stir even the slightest ripple, the black-robed man completely broke down. A surge of unknown terror gripped his heart like an invisible hand, leaving him short of breath.
Lin Beiya curled his lip in contempt and said:
"I already told you—trying to play with souls in front of Cancer is sheer stupidity. And judging from your martial soul, it seems you don't have any other tricks left."
The Cancer Saint was someone who could treat the Underworld itself as his personal backyard. How could he possibly lose to a low-level evil soul master who barely understood the basics?
Finishing his sentence, Lin Beiya stopped wasting words. His finger snapped upward, pointing directly at the black-robed man.
"Praesepe Underworld Waves."
"You like playing with souls, don't you? Then let's take a little trip to the Underworld."
Terror flooded the middle-aged man's eyes. Even as an expert in this field, he couldn't resist the overwhelming pull dragging at his soul. In an instant, Lin Beiya yanked him into the depths of Yomotsu Hirasaka.
As he stared at the desolate landscape, the black-robed man finally began to feel fear from the bottom of his soul.
"Y-You… who are you? This kind of power goes far beyond a soul master!"
"I… I can serve you! Please don't kill me! I… I'll obey anything you say!"
Sensing danger, the man immediately abandoned all dignity and groveled shamelessly, his eyes filled with desperate hope—hoping Lin Beiya would spare him for the sake of his "useful abilities."
But Lin Beiya clearly had no such intention. A person like this was far more suitable as nourishment for the Underworld.
"Praesepe Soul Burial Wave."
The same technique, when unleashed in Yomotsu Hirasaka, had its power multiplied several times over. This Soul King–level evil soul master didn't even leave behind a trace of life before being torn apart into dust.
---
Surrounded by villagers shrouded in black mist, Shi Nuo's group found themselves constrained and unsure.
These people had once been ordinary civilians. None of them knew whether it was right to slaughter them all.
They would only strike to kill when their own lives were in danger.
Meanwhile, Ye Lüsu—while guarding Mo Xue and Ming Xin—continued using thorn vines to bind and restrain the approaching villagers, sparing his teammates from awkward hesitation.
"These villagers are already dead. The ones occupying their bodies are all evil spirits. Leaving them alive would only bring disaster."
"For the sake of the nearby villages, we must eliminate all of them. Don't burden yourselves with unnecessary guilt."
Having finished dealing with the leader, Lin Beiya appeared before the group once more. His words instantly awakened everyone.
Yes… The souls Ming Xin saw earlier must have been the real villagers. If anyone was to blame, it was only their own late arrival.
At that moment, everyone's mindset shifted. With their hearts steeled, they launched attacks on the villagers shrouded in black mist.
With their full power unleashed, these puppet-like creatures—stronger than ordinary humans but far from trained soul masters—fell like wheat before a scythe.
Within moments, not a single villager remained standing.
Lin Beiya then activated the Praesepe Underworld Waves, extracting every soul that had possessed a villager's body before destroying them all completely.
Once everything was over, everyone felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Such slaughter clearly clashed with their moral principles.
"Alright. Don't hang your heads like we just lost a battle."
"Rest a bit. After that, we'll check the nearby villages and see how they're holding up. The sooner we eradicate every evil soul master, the more civilians we can save."
"Yes, Captain."
"Got it, Boss."
Having finished off the village chief's family, Wei Xu stepped out of the house. His expression remained unchanged, clearly having braced himself earlier than the others.
Sweeping his gaze over the field of corpses, he tightened his grip on his Dragon Roaring Spear.
"Heading to the next village?"
"Mm. If the situation there is the same as here, we might have to clear out more puppets."
"Alright."
The group split up to clean the battlefield, gathering the corpses and burning them to prevent disease from spreading due to prolonged exposure to the air.
After resting briefly, the group prepared to leave. Looking back at Fushou Village—now an abandoned dead zone—everyone let out a quiet sigh.
At the same time, their hatred toward evil soul masters grew even stronger. It wasn't about personal grudges; it was simply because their methods were far too vile.
Arriving at the next village, everyone instinctively tensed. All the doors here were tightly shut as well.
"Beiya… don't tell me this place is also…"
Lei Ying was powerful, but at heart, she was still a compassionate woman. She and Qiu Tete already had looks of unease on their faces.
But Lin Beiya didn't answer. Instead, he turned his gaze toward Ming Xin.
Ming Xin scanned the surroundings carefully for a moment, then shook his head.
"It's different. There aren't any free-floating souls wandering around here."
"Is that so? Then let's find some villagers and ask."
Hearing that this village was not the same as Fushou Village, Lei Ying and the other girls instantly brightened—at least they wouldn't have to attack innocent villagers again.
Once Yu Quan, Shi Nuo, and the others went out in search and returned with news, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The villagers here were not possessed puppets—just terrified people who stayed inside due to fear.
"Good. Then on to the next village."
"Yes."
---
By nightfall, they had investigated multiple surrounding villages and found no other cases similar to Fushou Village. The heavy gloom in their hearts gradually lifted.
"Alright. We'll rest here for now. Tomorrow, we will continue our search."
"Thank goodness… that evil soul master must not have had time to target the surrounding villages before being discovered. We didn't come too late after all."
The Soul Ancestor guide's expression looked as though he had been granted amnesty. Being a soul master born from commoner roots, he empathized deeply with ordinary civilians.
After a long, exhausting day, everyone was completely worn out. Once they were assigned night watch duties, the eleven-member team began resting in shifts.
But the next morning, they were not awakened by the sunlight—but by a sudden, urgent series of caws.
Everyone turned toward the crow circling in the sky, then looked at Lin Beiya with questioning eyes.
He nodded, confirming their suspicion. The meaning was obvious—the crow wanted them to follow it.
"It must've found something unusual. Let's go."
The group rushed after the crow toward the northeast. After traveling several dozen kilometers, the Soul Ancestor guide suddenly spoke up to catch everyone's attention.
"There's only one village in that direction—the northeasternmost one, Huanshui Village."
Lin Beiya nodded in acknowledgment but did not give the order to stop. They continued heading toward Huanshui Village at full speed.
The closer they got, the stronger the stench of blood became. Even Shi Nuo and Lei Ying—whose senses were less sharp than Lin Beiya's—could smell it clearly.
"Beiya, this blood smell is overwhelming!"
"Yeah. Pick up the pace. Something's definitely happened. Prepare for combat."
"Understood!"
When the village entrance came into view, everyone was instantly consumed by fury. Corpses covered the ground in every direction.
And that wasn't even the worst part—the faces of the dead villagers were frozen in expressions of absolute terror, clearly having suffered unimaginable torment before death.
—
End of Chapter