"All confessed?"
Chen Xin stared blankly at the messenger before him, as if doubting his own ears.
"Yes, all of it!"
The Outer Sect caretaker nodded vigorously. "He said everything, every detail… about their organization and this operation they're planning—something called Ji Mie."
Chen Xin raised a hand abruptly. "Wait. Back up. How did he confess?"
That question bothered him far more than any evil plan.
The main Evil Soul Masters they had captured in the past were all hard cases. Even when beaten to the brink of death, none had ever uttered a single word. Yet somehow, Lu Yuan made a dying Titled Douluo spill everything.
The caretaker scratched his head, his expression still dazed by what he'd witnessed. "Lu Yuan… filled him with two jars of wine. Then, after finishing both, that bastard fainted—and confessed everything while drunk."
Chen Xin blinked, stunned into silence.
"...What?"
"He made him drink?"
Ning Fengzhi, who was listening quietly, almost dropped his teacup. He covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, but failed miserably. "That brat… really does have a unique sense of creativity."
Chen Xin pinched the bridge of his nose, caught between admiration and disbelief. "Unbelievable… He actually got a confession out of a Titled Douluo—by getting him drunk?! Who else could come up with something this absurd?"
The caretaker nodded solemnly, as if confirming divine wisdom.
"Ahem." Ning Fengzhi coughed twice, then gestured for him to continue. "Tell us everything you heard."
The man straightened. "According to Pu Yu's drunken testimony, there's an operation the Evil Soul Masters are secretly preparing, code-named Ji Mie—'Annihilation.' It seems the captured Elephant Armored Sect disciples were taken to be used for this plan. Beyond that, he didn't reveal much… then he passed out cold."
"Continue questioning him," Chen Xin ordered instantly. "Pour him more wine if you have to!"
The caretaker hesitated, swallowing nervously. "He… died."
The silence that followed was deafening.
"He what?"
"Passed away, Elder. Two full jars of wine… I guess even a Titled Douluo can't handle Lu Yuan's kind of drinking. He just… dropped dead. Didn't even twitch."
Ning Fengzhi sighed, waving him off kindly. "You've done enough. Go rest."
"Yes, Sect Master!" the caretaker said, bowing and retreating quickly, clearly relieved to be out of the room.
"Fengzhi," Chen Xin muttered after a long moment, "do you actually believe anything he said?"
"Drunk men speak truths they normally wouldn't," Fengzhi replied calmly. "At that state, weaving lies takes too much effort. If he bothered to concoct such a story right before dying, then that, too, would be extraordinary."
Chen Xin frowned. He'd hoped this captured Evil Soul Master would reveal major secrets. Instead, they got a mysterious project name—and a corpse. The frustration gnawed at him.
"To find out more about this 'Annihilation Plan,' we'll likely have to catch another one of their core members alive," Ning Fengzhi concluded with a sigh.
"Yeah," Chen Xin muttered, rubbing his temples. "How hard can that be, right?"
In the back of the hall, Lu Yuan leaned lazily against a pillar, clutching his wine jar. "Then go catch another one. Sounds fun."
Chen Xin glared daggers at him. "You—! Why don't you put down that damn jar for one second?"
"Can't, Uncle Jian. It's my good luck charm," Lu Yuan replied shamelessly, tipping it back for another sip.
Ning Fengzhi chuckled. "Uncle Jian, notify Martial Soul Hall and the other major sects about this. True or not, everyone should prepare. Something large may be brewing."
Somewhere in the Douluo Continent – Unknown Town
A dark room pulsed faintly with soul power. Seven figures sat around a cracked stone table—each one radiating cold, oppressive energy.
They were the current ruling core of the Evil Soul Master organization.
"Any word on Pu Yu?" Mie Li, the veiled leader, asked softly. Her voice was smooth, yet carried a deadly chill.
"When we arrived at the site," rasped an old, shriveled man, "we found only the wreckage of battle. The energy signature matched Lu Yuan's. It seems Pu Yu crossed blades with him."
The sharp-faced, black-robed man next to him—the one they called Old Demon—clicked his tongue in disdain. "Hmph. That arrogant fool. I warned him not to underestimate Lu Yuan. Did he listen? Never."
Mie Li's eyes flashed cold red behind her veil. "Trash! Can't even follow one person without dying!"
"Master," Scorpion Douluo—the man covered in dark chitin from head to toe—spoke carefully. "Do you wish us to continue searching for Pu Yu's remains?"
"Don't bother," Mie Li said coldly. "If he faced Lu Yuan, there's no corpse left to find."
The death of a Titled Douluo meant little to her. What angered her was the lost chance to capture or eliminate Lu Yuan himself.
Her claw-like fingers drummed slowly on the table. "That man has been greedy for too long."
A tall, thin elder stood up suddenly. "Leader, Pu Yu was my brother in arms. Please—allow me to find his soul bone at least."
Mie Li's gaze snapped toward him like a whip.
"Did you not hear my order?"
The crushing weight of her aura slammed the old man back into his chair. His full body trembled as faint tendrils of black mist coiled around him. "If he was captured alive, he might already have revealed our movements. I will not risk exposure for sentiment."
Her voice rippled with unrestrained killing intent. "We evacuate immediately."
"Yes, Leader!" the others chorused.
Mie Li's expression remained icy.
She had prepared for this possibility. Fortunately, Pu Yu hadn't been high enough in their ranks to know the inner core's location—otherwise, she'd have to burn this entire branch to ashes herself.
"How's the Shengzi project progressing?" she asked suddenly.
Though their earlier attempt to capture the Forest King had failed, some good had come of it—they had gathered several of the rare medicinal herbs Tang San desired.
"Reports came in yesterday," one subordinate said. "Phase one was successful. The formula is stable. We're currently testing it on the captured Elephant Armored Sect disciples. So far, results are—promising."
At those words, dark satisfaction rippled through the room.
"Excellent."
Mie Li's lips curved upward into a cruel smile. "At last, news worth celebrating."
She rose from her seat slowly, eyes gleaming with vengeful delight.
Martial Soul Hall… Star Luo Empire… Heaven Dou Empire… Seven Great Sects…
"Are you ready," she whispered, "to face the wrath of the Evil Soul Masters?"
Thunder cracked outside.
And then—
Rumble!
A deafening explosion ripped through the building. The entire structure trembled as dust rained from the ceiling.
Without needing orders, five Titled Douluo-class experts at the table burst out of their seats and rushed toward the entrance.
"What kind of monster—?!" one shouted as they emerged into the open.
Before them stood a towering figure, nearly three meters tall. Crimson eyes burned like molten rubies. Twin fangs jutted from its mouth, and blood-colored wings stretched wide behind its back.
Its mere presence radiated an overwhelming aura of slaughter and despair.
The five titled experts exchanged uneasy glances. For once, none of them spoke first. This wasn't Spirit Hall's army. This was something far worse.
"King of Asura!"
The words ripped from Mie Li's throat, fury twisting her face. "Get out here, you fiend! I recognize that aura anywhere!"
But before anyone could act, Scorpion Douluo lunged forward, stinger flashing. "No matter who you are, you dare invade us? Then die!"
The air went red.
A wave of thick, suffocating blood mist exploded outward. The crimson light swallowed everything in its path.
"Scorpion Douluo—!" someone shouted in panic.
Too late.
The blood haze wrapped around him like a living thing. His soul abilities fizzled out instantly, as though stripped away by force.
"Wha—"
A single heavy thud followed. The poisonous scorpion's body flew backward, smashing through a stone wall before vanishing entirely.
Silence.
Mie Li's eyes narrowed coldly. She could feel it—the stagnation of soul power, the pressure of bloodlust so pure it warped the sky itself.
Only one place produced such monstrosities.
"The City… of Slaughter," she said lowly. "Only there could something like you crawl out alive."
The crimson giant tilted its head, laughter echoing darkly.
When it spoke, its voice grated like steel scraping bone.
"Who am I?"
Those blood-red eyes glowed brighter, locking squarely on Mie Li.
"I am the King of Slaughter. And you…"
A smile cut across its monstrous face.
"…reek of the same evil I feast upon."
--
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