Never expecting to run into Evil Soul Masters just after setting out, Xu Xiaoyun swept his gaze across the surroundings: a desolate, moonless sea cloaked in gloom. The darkness blanketed the waters, the ideal weather for Evil Soul Masters to sneak out and hunt soul rings like rats creeping through sewers.
Looking into the distance, he spotted seven Evil Soul Masters. Leading them was a Soul Emperor wielding the Myriad Soul Banner, followed by a Soul King and five Soul Ancestors. Each of them had black mist shrouding their faces and let out eerie "Hehehe" laughter as they surrounded a massive turtle-shaped soul beast from all directions.
Thanks to the natural lung capacity and voice projection of soul masters, their sinister laughter carried for several li.
"Hehehe! The heavens have blessed me! To encounter a Tongtian Baxia in these coastal waters—what fortune! Be obedient and enter this Death Envoy's Myriad Soul Banner!"
"The Holy Spirit Cult's divine work will soon descend upon the world. All filth-ridden souls shall be purified. The future belongs to us Evil Soul Masters!"
"Long live the Holy Saint Emperor! The Holy Spirit Cult will bring love and salvation to all! All evil shall be cleansed by us!"
"Hehehe, become one of us… become part of the Holy Spirit Cult..."
The zealotry in their voices throbbed like static in the air. Xu Xiaoyun's forehead twitched—he knew he had to act today, no matter what.
Beside him, Xu Tianxi had already pulled out his homemade shoulder-mounted soul launcher—something reminiscent of a rocket launcher from his previous life—and loaded a Thunder-Shock Grade-2 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell. He pressed his eye to the rudimentary aiming lens and locked onto a target.
If he didn't step in now, how could he brag to the juniors in the future? What face would the ancestor retain?
"Xiaoyue, keep piloting the boat. This old man will take Tianxi and deal with these fools! Dare to show up in front of me? They're asking to get slaughtered!"
With that, Xu Xiaoyun grabbed Xu Tianxi by the shoulder. With a Xuanwu Swap Technique, they vanished and reappeared above their soul-engineered vessel, waiting for the Evil Soul Masters to walk right into the trap.
"Tianxi, I'll take out the leader. The five Soul Ancestors are yours. Fire at will. Any problems?"
Long sleeves drifting, hands clasped behind his back, Xu Xiaoyun stood like an immortal master.
"No problem. I've been waiting for this day for a long time."
Xu Tianxi's finger curled around the trigger of his launcher. A manic grin lit up his face.
As a transmigrant from the Blue Planet, he had always been obsessed with heavy weaponry but never had the chance to use them in his past life. Now, having become a top-tier soul engineer, and with the support of Xu Xiaoyun and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, he had personally developed his own Fixed Soul Cannon Shells. Using them freely in battle was a dream come true.
Target shooting back home? That couldn't compare to live combat. His blood surged—just waiting for the enemy to enter range.
And they didn't disappoint. Within seconds, a giant sea turtle with a shell over five meters wide came hurtling toward them, kicking up waves dozens of meters high. It turned occasionally to unleash deafening roars—sonic attacks.
"ROAR—!"
But what echoed was not the sound of a turtle—it was the roar of a dragon. This soul beast didn't have a turtle's head, but a dragon's, though the horns were mostly broken and bleeding. Its thick shell was riddled with fractures. Despite its fury, the beast's power waned with each cry.
Xu Xiaoyun narrowed his eyes at the creature.
"It really is a Tongtian Baxia, one of the strongest marine soul beasts. These guys are supposed to live only in the deep seas—what's it doing in coastal waters?"
"And it wasn't the Evil Soul Masters who did most of the damage. It looks like it was injured by another marine soul beast. But why would a sea beast attack a Tongtian Baxia, a creature revered for its auspicious aura?"
Xu Tianxi's eyes lit up. He asked with reverence:
"Master Ancestor, is this the Tongtian Baxia, the so-called king of sea turtles? Weren't they said to descend from Baxia, one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon? Rare soul beasts with immense battle power?"
"Yes," Xu Xiaoyun confirmed.
"This one's cultivation should be over 30,000 years. With that kind of strength, even a Soul Emperor couldn't push it to the brink unless it was already injured."
"But that just makes this stranger. In the ocean, this species holds a place like the Golden Tortoise Clan in the Star Dou Forest—noble, auspicious, with no natural enemies. Soul beasts seek them out for cultivation; their presence wards off evil."
"And they're incredibly gifted. Longevity isn't a problem—living to 100,000 years is common. Legends even speak of some evolving into Ferocious Beasts."
"Because of that, not even the most brutal sea soul beasts would dare attack a Tongtian Baxia. Yet I can sense a 100,000-year aura on it... from a whale-type soul beast, no less."
"Enough! They're almost here. Let's deal with these cultists first and study the beast later!" Xu Tianxi cut in.
The Evil Soul Emperor had already summoned numerous vengeful beast spirits to charge the Baxia, while the Soul King fired ghostly long-range skills to harass it.
The five Soul Ancestors used a more modern tactic—they wielded Soul Tools, coordinating attacks and bombarding the soul beast like trained soul engineers.
They were shockingly well-equipped. Perhaps it was due to the Grand Priestess Ye Xishui—but the Holy Spirit Cult now rivaled the Sun Moon Empire in soul engineer technology, far surpassing Shrek Academy.
Non-orthodox soul masters embracing soul tool advancements better than the so-called righteous path—what a grim joke.
Still, true power remained. The Soul Emperor, sensing a sudden disturbance in the water element within a few kilometers, mistakenly believed the Baxia was about to unleash a counterattack.
"Stay sharp! Don't let this beast—ugh!"
Just as his comrades turned to heed his words, a beam of powerful black soul power descended from the sky, annihilating the summoned spirits and smashing into his chest.
"Careful of what? If I want you dead, not even Long Xiaoyao could stop me!"
A cold laugh echoed through the air. The six remaining Evil Soul Masters and the battered Tongtian Baxia watched as a beam of light descended from the heavens, revealing an old man in long robes—white-bearded, smiling cruelly.
A "crack" rang out—the Soul Emperor's Myriad Soul Banner disintegrated into ashes. His body melted rapidly, leaving no trace behind.
"No! A Titled Douluo! Run!"
The remaining six Evil Soul Masters panicked. With a single strike obliterating a Soul Emperor, this old man was clearly a Titled Douluo.
"If I let you run, how would I keep my reputation?"
Xu Xiaoyun casually flicked his finger. A bolt of soul power tore through the Soul King's body—killing him instantly.
At the same time, Xu Tianxi, who had quietly flanked the Soul Ancestors with his Flying-type Soul Tool, reappeared, narrowed his eyes, and whispered:
"You're already here. Leaving would be rude. Why not all die together in the sea?"
His Second Soul Skill – Mirror Flower, Water Moon activated. A wave of spiritual energy washed out, trapping four of the five Soul Ancestors in a daze.
"What's going on?!"
Suddenly, the ocean around them transformed into a peaceful meadow. But before they could react, they heard a loud BOOM—a wave of heat and noise engulfed them, and their consciousness faded into darkness.
"BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!"
The fifth Soul Ancestor, furthest away, turned in horror—just in time to see a Soul Emperor-level Soul Engineer launch a Fixed Soul Cannon Shell directly at his allies. Their heads exploded like watermelons.
Then he pulled out a nine-barreled launcher and began loading Grade-4 Thunder Detonation Shells like fireworks.
"What the hell!? One of those could've killed our boss! You're using nine on me? I'm just a Soul Ancestor! Are you insane?!"
Fleeing in panic, he tried to slow his pursuer with soul skills.
Xu Tianxi followed with a grin that sent shivers down the spine—moonlight behind his head, starlight in his eyes, the face of a villain.
"Hehehe… Evil Soul Master, halt! Let thunder pierce the darkness! This is my debut—and I'm going for a pentakill!"
He pulled the trigger—nine Thunder-Class Fixed Soul Cannon Shells streaked into the sky.
"BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!"
The explosions lit up the sea for miles. Even the Tongtian Baxia was tossed by the waves.
When it surfaced again, it found itself surrounded by Xu Xiaoyun and Xu Tianxi, both smiling kindly.
"They say the Tongtian Baxia Clan is the most intelligent among sea turtles. Judging by your age, you should understand us. Can you speak?"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin