Huo Yuhao looked at the gray-clothed man before him who called himself "Ghost," his brows slightly furrowed as he asked the question that had been puzzling him.
"Holy Spirit Execution Department?"
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of confusion.
"Why have I never heard of this organization in the academy?"
Upon hearing this, Ghost did not show any expression of surprise; he merely smiled faintly.
"It is normal that you have not heard of it," he explained.
"The Holy Spirit Execution Department is not one of the five major organizations of the academy."
"Only those members whose Spirits lean towards the evil type can enter this organization."
Ghost raised his unusually thick arms, and a cluster of eerie green flames suddenly appeared in his palm.
The flames were not scorching; instead, they carried an icy-cold aura that seemed capable of burning the Soul.
"Like me."
Ghost's voice was calm.
"My Spirit is Phosphorus Fire, and I specialize in... Soul Refining."
Soul Refining?
As soon as these two words were spoken, Skydream Ice Worm was completely stunned within Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness.
"Soul... Soul Refining?"
Skydream Ice Worm's voice was full of shock.
"This... doesn't this sound more like an Evil Soul Master?"
Huo Yuhao did not answer Skydream Ice Worm, but his brows furrowed slightly as well.
Soul Refining... This term truly does not sound like something the Righteous Path would do.
Ghost seemed to see through Huo Yuhao's thoughts; he put away the phosphorus fire in his palm, his tone remaining calm.
"Now, do you understand?"
He paused and continued.
"Our Holy Spirit Execution Department is specifically responsible for dealing with those Evil Soul Masters."
"Fighting evil with evil, fighting poison with poison."
"We understand the methods of Evil Soul Masters better than they do themselves, so... we can eliminate them more effectively."
Huo Yuhao was silent for a moment, then nodded. He understood what Ghost meant; some jobs could only be done by those who knew the ropes.
"Then... if there are other students in the academy whose Spirits lean towards the evil type, can they also join the Holy Spirit Execution Department?"
Huo Yuhao asked.
Ghost nodded.
"Naturally, they can."
"However..."
He changed the subject.
"It is not chosen by the students; we are the ones who make the selection. By the way, you can just call me Senior Ghost."
Huo Yuhao indicated that he understood. He did not pursue the matter further but instead refocused his gaze on the Scarred strong man.
Since Ghost had already revealed his identity, and these guys were indeed Evil Soul Masters... then there was nothing to hesitate about.
Huo Yuhao's eyes turned cold. These guys must have stained their hands with the lives of many innocent people; keeping them alive would only harm more people.
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, and a burst of extreme cold erupted from his palm. Four beams of ice-blue light landed precisely on the four Holy Spirit Cult members lying on the ground.
Crack— crack—
The ice rapidly covered their bodies, spreading from their feet to their heads. In just a few breaths, the four people turned into four crystalline ice sculptures.
Then... Huo Yuhao gently clenched his fist.
Bang—!
The four ice sculptures shattered simultaneously, turning into shards of ice on the ground that shimmered in the sunlight.
Not even a single drop of blood was left; the entire process was clean and efficient.
The Scarred strong man watched this scene and was completely terrified.
His legs trembled violently, his mouth was wide open, his eyes were wide as copper bells, and he couldn't say a word.
This kind of method... it was simply too terrifying!
He didn't even feel any fluctuation of Spirit Power, and those four people had already turned into ice shards!
The Scarred strong man's mind went blank, and fear overwhelmed him like a tide.
Huo Yuhao turned around, looked at the Scarred strong man, and spoke in a calm tone.
"Lead the way."
The Scarred strong man shuddered, his voice trembling.
"Lead... lead where?"
Huo Yuhao's gaze remained cold.
"Take us to the place where your Holy Spirit Cult is."
"Otherwise..."
He did not finish his sentence, only glancing at the pile of ice shards on the ground.
The Scarred strong man's face turned deathly pale instantly. He, of course, knew what Huo Yuhao meant; not leading the way meant death.
And... something worse than death.
The Scarred strong man's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice carrying a hint of pleading.
"I... I will take you there."
"But... after I take you there, can you... let me go?"
Upon hearing this, Ghost chuckled.
He reached out, and the cluster of dark green phosphorus fire reappeared in his palm.
The flames danced, emitting an icy and eerie aura.
"If you don't lead the way, I will perform Soul Refining on you right now."
Ghost's voice was calm, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.
"By then... you will wish you were dead."
The Scarred strong man shuddered in fear, almost kneeling on the ground.
"I'll lead! I'll lead!"
He hurriedly spoke, his voice full of panic.
"The two of you, this way! This way!"
The Scarred strong man turned around and stumbled towards another direction in the alley.
Huo Yuhao and Ghost exchanged a glance, then followed.
"You kid are quite decisive. I think you could also join our Holy Spirit Execution Department, even if you don't have an evil-type Spirit."
Ghost said with a smile as he looked at Huo Yuhao beside him.
"Senior Ghost is joking. I am from the Body Sect."
Huo Yuhao smiled and said. Besides, his own Spirit was not an evil-type Spirit either.
The three of them, one in front and two behind, disappeared into the depths of the alley.
...
At the other end of the alley, a figure was hiding behind a corner, eyes nervously fixed on the direction in which they had left.
It was a young woman who looked to be about twenty years old.
Her appearance was not particularly beautiful, but she had a unique heroic aura.
Her wheat-colored skin had a healthy glow, her figure was slender with exquisite curves, and her eyes were sharp and spirited.
A head of dark red long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.
She was wearing the uniform of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, with a badge representing the fourth year embroidered on her chest.
She was Nana, a fourth-year student at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy (in the original work, she appeared as a sixth-year student).
Nana looked at the pile of ice shards on the ground, then at the direction where Huo Yuhao and the others had disappeared, her eyes filled with nervousness and complexity.
"That Huo Yuhao..."
She muttered to herself, her voice carrying a hint of disbelief.
"Who exactly is he?"
Over the past few days, Huo Yuhao's name had been spreading like wildfire throughout the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy.
Not only was he close with the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, but he had also defeated Ji Juechen. Nana had originally thought that Huo Yuhao was just an exchange student with good talent.
But today, she saw with her own eyes that Huo Yuhao turned four Holy Spirit Cult members into ice shards with a wave of his hand.
That method, that decisive and ruthless attitude... it was simply not something a teenager should possess.
A thought suddenly arose in Nana's mind.
"Huo Yuhao... what is his relationship with the Holy Spirit Cult?"
She recalled what the gray-clothed man had said earlier.
"Fighting evil with evil, fighting poison with poison."
"We understand the methods of Evil Soul Masters better than they do themselves."
Nana's brows furrowed tightly; that gray-clothed man claimed to be from the "Holy Spirit Execution Department."
And Huo Yuhao was clearly with him. If what the gray-clothed man said was true, and they specifically dealt with Evil Soul Masters... then Huo Yuhao could be considered to be on the side of justice.
But... Nana always felt that something was wrong.
She couldn't explain what was wrong, but her intuition told her that this matter was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
Nana took a deep breath, suppressed the doubts in her heart, and prepared to leave. Just at this moment, a Spirit Tool the size of a mosquito appeared in Ghost's hand, following Nana.
Huo Yuhao had already discovered Nana earlier, but since the other party's uniform was clearly from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, Huo Yuhao only mentioned the situation to Ghost. Ghost then used a tracking-type Spirit Tool; if Nana was colluding with the Holy Spirit Cult... this level-eight Spirit Tool was not to be trifled with.
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
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