Chapter 5 Holy Spirit Cult Headquarters.
The symbols were distorted, eerie symbols seemingly composed of countless tormented souls.
This bizarre symbol, coupled with the black-robed figures, the sinister aura emanating from Rona, and the buildings nestled within the Soul Beast Forest, all reminded Yin Chen of his location.
The Holy Spirit Cult!
The name instantly flooded his mind, and Yin Chen finally understood where he was.
One of the three major Soul Beast gathering places on the continent, the most dangerous and eerie Demon Forest within the Sun Moon Empire.
And this was the headquarters of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Thinking of this, Yin Chen's lips twitched, his face darkened. Oh no! He had stumbled upon the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters by accident! Wasn't this like delivering takeout?
She wanted to retreat and hide back in the forest's shelter, but it was too late.
"Who goes there?!"
A sharp shout rang out.
Almost simultaneously with her discovery, several figures radiating chilling soul power appeared like ghosts from different directions, instantly surrounding her.
These people were pale-faced, their eyes filled with bloodlust and cruelty. The soul power surging around them was filled with filth and an ominous aura; they were clearly evil soul masters, and their cultivation was at least at the Soul King level.
When they saw that the newcomer was just a little girl who looked about six years old, with silver hair and purple eyes, her clothes tattered but unable to conceal her exquisite features, their faces did not show relaxation, but rather a deeper sense of suspicion and vigilance.
Where was this place? Deep within the Demon Forest, at the entrance to the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters.
How could an unarmed, seemingly harmless six-year-old girl be here alone?
Something was definitely amiss. Recalling the hundred-thousand-year-old soul beasts in the forest that could transform into human form, these evil soul masters were on high alert, their soul power secretly gathering, ready to launch a fatal attack at any moment.
They would rather kill the innocent than let their guard down.
Just as tensions were running high and Yin Chen's heart was in his throat, a clear, slightly languid, and playful female voice suddenly rang out:
"Yo~ Why is the ground entrance so lively today? What are you all doing around this little cutie?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a petite figure walking gracefully from a short distance away.
It was a loli dressed in a gorgeous Gothic black dress and carrying an exquisite black parasol. Her face was delicate like a doll's, but her red eyes held a world-weariness and amusement that seemed completely at odds with her appearance.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the Soul King-level evil Soul Master guards immediately bowed respectfully, their tone respectful yet fearful: "Greetings, Third Elder."
The newcomer was none other than the Third Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, a level 97 Title Douluo, known for his unpredictable methods and elusive personality—the Crimson Douluo, Fei Yan.
Fei Yan strode gracefully forward, ignoring her nervous subordinates, and observed with interest Yin Chen, who was surrounded and trying to maintain his composure.
Her red eyes, seemingly capable of piercing the soul, swept over Yin Chen, and then, as if she had seen something extremely amusing, she suddenly burst into laughter, which grew louder and louder, even exaggeratedly wiping non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Hahahaha... I'm dying of laughter! A real human little girl, with a clear bone age of six, and not even a soul ring fluctuation on her body, yet she managed to scare you ruthless killers like this?"
"Hahahaha, you've completely disgraced our Holy Spirit Sect!"
Fei Yan laughed so hard that her parasol swayed.
As a level 97 Super Douluo, her eyesight was incredibly sharp, and she saw through Yin Chen's true nature at a glance—he was definitely not a soul beast in human form, but a real human girl with a seemingly special bloodline.
Seeing a group of normally ferocious evil spirit kings frozen in fear by a little girl was a stark contrast that she found utterly comical.
Yin Chen, her face tense, watched the gothic lolita laughing uproariously before her, her mind racing with alarm bells.
This girl, who looked not much older than herself, gave her the feeling of being infinitely more dangerous than all the evil spirit masters around her combined.
Fei Yan's scarlet eyes scrutinized the seemingly composed little girl before her with great interest, as if she had discovered a novel and interesting toy.
Holding a parasol, she leaned slightly forward and asked in a sweet, teasing voice, "Little cutie, tell your big sister, how did you manage to come to such a nice place all by yourself?"
Yin Chen inwardly scoffed, "Old monster, what's with the act of being young?"
However, she still tried her best to imitate the gentle and serene temperament of Xia Die from her memories.
She raised her amethyst-like eyes, which quickly welled up with just the right amount of moisture, her voice tinged with a sob and lingering fear:
"I...I'm called Xia Die, I came with my elders...to hunt for my first spirit ring."
Her small hands nervously twisted the tattered hem of her clothes, the details meticulously crafted.
"But...but we were so unlucky! We encountered a terrifying, terrifying ten-thousand-year-old soul beast...Elder...he...he tried to cover me..."
Her words trailed off, leaving ample room for imagination. Large tears streamed down her pale cheeks, her performance perfectly executed.
She continued sobbing, "I...I ran for my life, I don't know how long I ran, and...and I got here...When I saw houses, I thought...I thought I was saved..."
This account vividly portrayed a six-year-old child who had experienced a drastic change, panicked yet clinging to a sliver of hope.
Fei Yan listened, her playful smile deepening.
She lightly tapped the ground with the tip of her parasol, making a soft tapping sound, as if keeping time for Xia Die's story.
"Oh? Hunting for your first soul ring, running deep into the Demon Forest?"
Fei Yan tilted her head, her red pupils gleaming with an all-knowing light.
"Little Xia Die, do you know how far this is from the edge of the forest? What fearless family would bring a newly awakened prodigy to a place like this, only to become a feast for the soul beasts?"
Her tone was gentle, yet every word was piercing, blatantly exposing the huge flaws in this excuse.
However, to Xia Die's surprise, Fei Yan didn't seem inclined to delve any deeper.
She straightened up, lazily yawning, as if she had just completed a pointless interaction.
"Well~ never mind."
Fei Yan waved her hand dismissively.
"Where you came from, whose little darling you are, why you're here…none of that matters."
Her gaze swept over the still vigilant evil soul masters around her, finally settling on Xia Die, her smile turning cold and cruel.
"What matters is that you've come to the Holy Spirit Cult. Now that you're here, do you think you can leave so easily?"
Her words carried an undeniable chill.
(End of Chapter)