"It's not poison? Then what is it?"
Just then, the deep voice of Electrolux echoed in Chen Junting's spiritual sea. "Junting, I didn't expect your world to have undead creatures."
Chen Junting's brows furrowed slightly. "You mean evil soul masters, Old Yi?"
"Evil soul masters? You mean those corpses we found last time?" Electrolux sounded surprised. "Seems like your world's idea of the undead is different. Those soul masters only radiate death energy. What I'm talking about here is something else entirely—this corpse has been poisoned and is transforming into a zombie."
"A zombie?"
Images flashed through Chen Junting's mind—stiff limbs, blackened nails, greenish skin, fangs, stiff movements, sticky rice, talismans, copper swords…
And then came his second, more rational thought.
It had to be the work of an evil soul master.
"Old Yi, stay sharp. Whoever did this might be the same kind we ran into before. If we meet them again, we can't let them go."
"Understood."
Electrolux's voice faded as Chen Junting turned his attention back to reality. Thanks to the seven-colored poison masking the aura, the enemy's dark energy had stayed hidden until now.
He approached Ning Bowen.
"Uncle Ning, remember what we talked about last night?"
Ning Bowen paused, catching on instantly. Without another word, he pulled out a soul tool, aimed at the nearby corpse, and fired.
A ray of light lanced through the air—just as the seemingly dead body jolted to life and snapped its eyes open!
Ye Xuanji reacted with lightning speed, yanking Ning Bowen back. At the same time, the corpse's hand slashed upward—its nails growing longer and sharper in an instant, gleaming with venomous sheen.
Had Ye Xuanji been even a fraction slower, Ning Bowen might have been struck and infected with the deadly seven-colored poison.
"Shua—!"
A flash of black light ripped through the air.
A terrifying spear—black as night and rimmed with yellow, purple, and crimson rings—nailed the zombie to the ground with thunderous force. Bones cracked. Flesh burst.
The corpse was obliterated before it could take a second breath.
"Bowen—"
"Dad, are you alright?"
Yang Zihan withdrew the Soul-Breaking Spear and rushed over with Ning Tian to steady Ning Bowen. But the sect master was unshaken. His face calm, his posture unruffled.
"I'm fine."
He waved them off like nothing happened, but his eyes gleamed cold with killing intent.
"That's definitely the work of evil soul masters. Which means… one is nearby."
That was all the Titled Douluo elders needed to hear.
Instantly, eight auras flared.
Star Saint Sword energy erupted into the sky. Green vines lashed out in every direction. Dragonfire roared across the forest canopy.
A suffocating pressure filled the area—but thanks to the miasma shrouding the forest and their deep position in the Sunset Forest, the massive power display didn't trigger outside attention.
Even Chen Junting and Ning Tian were stunned.
"Is this… a little overkill?"
Chen Junting whispered under his breath. He had seen how ruthless evil soul masters could be, but this level of response…
Even Electrolux seemed puzzled.
"This 'evil soul master' you speak of… I just scanned the area. He's barely stronger than the sect leader. A mere Soul Saint."
A rank 79 soul saint.
Not even a Title Douluo.
Chen Junting scratched his cheek, a little awkward.
Just then, Zhiyong narrowed his eyes. With a flick of his hand, a vine shot out and yanked something toward them.
A massive figure flew through the air and slammed to the ground in front of them.
Its face was contorted and pale green, teeth sharp, nails curved like claws—a full-on zombie transformation.
Clearly, the evil soul master had activated his martial soul. But against a level 96 Titled Douluo?
Utterly useless.
In the blink of an eye, his martial soul was suppressed. His body was tangled in thick vines and slammed hard to the dirt.
"Boom—!"
Dazed, the evil soul master staggered up and instantly dropped to his knees. He didn't dare move, much less run.
Who was he to survive a lineup of eight Titled Douluo?
Before he could process what was happening, a vine jabbed his forehead.
"I ask. You answer."
Zhiyong's voice was cold and commanding.
Faced with those terrifying auras, the evil soul master nodded frantically like a chick pecking grain.
"Y-Yes, yes!"
"First, your name."
"M-my name is Qin Shou… Martial soul is a Poison Zombie… My abilities—"
"Pfft—"
Ning Tian couldn't help it. She burst into laughter.
Even Chen Junting cracked a grin. A guy named "Qin Shou" with a zombie martial soul? That couldn't be real.
Even the elders looked like they were holding back a chuckle.(TL: reference?)
"Fitting name," Chen Junting muttered under his breath.
Zhiyong didn't let up.
"Do you have accomplices?"
"Yes! Yes! We're seven in total, but I'm the only one who's not a Soul King. The others are outside the forest. I came in alone because my martial soul thrives in poisonous places. But I couldn't hold out much longer."
"Oh…"
Ning Bowen exchanged a glance with Zhiyong. The old Douluo gave a silent nod.
A vine flashed—sharp as a blade—pierced Qin Shou's skull.
Clean. Swift. No mess.
Meanwhile, Ye Xuanji approached Chen Junting and gestured toward the evil soul master's corpse. Then toward Wu Yan, still in dragon form, laying waste to the surrounding area.
"Did you see that? Evil soul masters fight dirty. Their abilities are strange and often disgusting. If you ever run into one again, don't hesitate. Burn, smash, or destroy anything that looks off. Don't give them a chance."
Chen Junting nodded solemnly.
He'd seen how even powerful characters in the original timeline got tricked by Soul Kings. Elder Xuan, a level 98 Super Douluo, got schemed into humiliation by a crafty evil soul master. It wasn't a joke. (TL:Xuan Zi is a joke, useless drunkard)
Up in the sky, Wu Yan's dragon flame had cleared a wide swath through the miasma. Just then, Ning Bowen turned his gaze to the clouds and spoke calmly.
"Zhang. Go."
A shadow moved.
In a flash, a black figure streaked across the sky and vanished into the mist.
Chen Junting knew what this meant.
Ning Bowen had ordered Zhang Ming to finish off the rest of the evil soul masters hiding in the forest before Shrek's Supervisory Group could get involved.
If there was cleanup to be done, Zhang was the best man for the job.
As the team waited for Zhang Ming's return, Electrolux's voice returned to Chen Junting's mind.
"I found something. You'll want to see this."
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(End of Chapter)
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Gimme me some stones,like for real!!!