Douluo Jueshi: I Don't Want to Be an Evil Soul Master

"Okay, not bad. A hundred thousand year spirit ring. You're really lucky. Keep it for now." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo nodded repeatedly and fell silent for a moment. He just kept looking at Lin Xiao. After a long while, he spoke again, "When did you come back? Does anyone else know your whereabouts?"

"The disciple just returned not long ago. When he came back, there were only these two disciples here." Lin Xiaochao glanced to the side, "No one else should know about the disciple's return."

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo nodded, "Then don't tell anyone for now. I just said that I was planning to find someone to do what the leader arranged. Now that you're back, I feel most at ease leaving it to you."

"Teacher, what's the matter?" Lin Xiao moved a little closer.

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo glanced at the two disciples standing nearby and said, "There's a very strange valley west of Mingdu. Disciples from the sect have mysteriously disappeared there before. Take them there and investigate what happened."

west?

Lin Xiao's mind raced, and he quickly recalled that the only truly eerie place west of Mingdu was Qiankun Wenqing Valley. However, in his memory, the Sun-Moon Empire had activated that place by sacrificing a man and a woman before launching a war. They should have known the reason long ago, so why did they still ask him to investigate?

Could it be that the Holy Spirit Church at this time still didn't know about the strangeness of that place?

Although he still had doubts in his heart, Lin Xiao still agreed, "Yes, teacher."

"Well, you guys leave immediately. I'll leave as well as soon as possible." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo said as he took the lead and walked out of the branch altar.

Lin Xiao glanced at the two disciples next to him. They seemed to have not yet recovered from the 100,000-year spirit ring, and their eyes looked at Lin Xiao evasively.

"Let's go." Lin Xiao didn't say much and walked out along the corridor. The two disciples naturally had no objection to Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's arrangement and followed him.

When Lin Xiao reappeared, he was already in the mountains. He had a preconceived idea in mind, and his goal was quite clear. His flying soul guide carried him through the air, his gaze constantly scanning the valleys, trying to find the lake hidden within.

The other two disciples behind him were not far from Lin Xiao, and they would occasionally look up at him, then hastily look away. Although the aura of the 100,000-year spirit ring was not as strong as that of a true 100,000-year spirit beast, the pressure of the 100,000-year spirit ring at such close range in the small underground hall of the branch altar still made them feel a certain fear of Lin Xiao.

"grown ups?"

"Hmm?" Lin Xiao slowed down a bit after hearing this. "Did you find anything?"

"No...no." The disciple who had just spoken shook his head repeatedly, "It's just that I'm afraid we won't find anything if we search like this."

Lin Xiao became interested and glanced at the disciple. "So, you know what we're investigating?"

"No, no, sir, I have only heard of the legends about this place, and I don't know what exactly is here."

"Legend? What kind of legend?"

"Hmm..." The disciple thought for a moment, "I don't remember the details, but it's a story my grandmother told me when I was a child. It said there was a god living in the mountains who would punish children who trespassed into his territory."

"That's not right. I remember that they would punish men and women who were unfaithful in love." Another disciple heard the conversation between the two and interrupted.

"Have you heard of similar legends?" Lin Xiao suddenly frowned, feeling something was wrong.

"Yes." The disciple nodded. "The children around Mingdu should be quite familiar with this story. It has been circulating for a long time."

Has it been around for a long time?

Lin Xiao came to his senses. Though similarly a treasured place, Qiankun Wenqing Valley wasn't located in a place surrounded by spirit beasts like the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire. It also didn't have anything like poisonous miasma blocking its path, and even on a normal day, there wasn't anything unusual going on.

Over tens of thousands of years, it is inevitable that soul masters or ordinary people would pass by there, occasionally seeing something strange and leaving behind a few words of records like stories.

But if there are really many stories like this, the Holy Spirit Church should have noticed it a long time ago. Why did they wait until now to let me investigate?

Or does Sleepy Nightmare Douluo have other motives?

Lin Xiao carefully recalled the scenes since he came back and met Sleepy Nightmare Douluo. His words flashed through his ears again. He glanced at the two disciples following him again, and suddenly a bad thought came to his mind.

Why did Sleepy Nightmare Douluo ask if anyone else knew about his return? Why did the only two disciples who knew his whereabouts come out with him... Was Sleepy Nightmare Douluo really going to the three empires to carry out a mission...

Thoughts kept churning in his mind, and before Lin Xiao could come up with an answer, the two Holy Spirit Sect disciples flying beside him suddenly fell behind, as if they had fainted, and fell straight to the ground without any warning.

wrong.

Lin Xiao's expression suddenly changed upon seeing this. The flying soul guide behind him turned and flew rapidly towards the ground. The moment he landed, he did not look at the two disciples who had fallen to the ground, but turned back to look at the sky.

Chapter 122 Fangs

Lin Xiao was not unfamiliar with this method of silently influencing others, and was even quite familiar with it.

"teacher?"

Lin Xiao's eyes kept sweeping across the air, and a figure finally slowly emerged.

"Haha, it's worth it that you've accompanied me for so many years. You recognized my methods at a glance." A hoarse voice echoed in the mountains and forests, and the figure of Sleepy Nightmare Douluo slowly appeared in front of Lin Xiao.

"Teacher, why are you here? Do I need you to help me with the things here?" Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes and quickly composed himself.

"It is true that I have to take action on the matter here, but it is not the matter you are investigating." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo said, slowly taking off the cloak on his head, revealing a gaunt face.

"Lin Xiao, you are the Holy Envoy of the Church. Are you willing to sacrifice everything for the Holy Church?"

"Of course I am willing." Lin Xiao clasped his fists without hesitation.

"Haha, okay, teacher doesn't doubt your loyalty to the Holy Church. So, come forward." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo waved his hand, his gray eyes fixed on Lin Xiao's expression.

"Ta-ta-"

Lin Xiao walked very slowly, and was about to reach Sleepy Nightmare Douluo. At this moment, a pair of dry hands stretched out from under the cloak and slapped Lin Xiao's chest.

He paused, then stepped heavily on the ground. Accompanied by the light of the soul guide propulsion device, Lin Xiao's body quickly rushed back a long distance.

"Teacher, what do you mean?"

"Hahaha!" Sleepy Nightmare Douluo suddenly laughed out loud twice. "It's rare that you're willing to call me Master. Didn't you say you'd dedicate everything to the Holy Church? Why are you hesitating now?"

Seeing Lin Xiao remain silent, Sleeping Nightmare Douluo continued, "There is one thing your master is truly curious about. I've been a member of the Holy Church for decades, but this is the first time I've seen anyone escape the brainwashing control of the Spirit Ascension Ritual. My dear disciple, could you tell me how you did it?"

Lin Xiao's gaze towards Nightmare Douluo suddenly changed. Ever since he'd gone through the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, he could sense a shift in the entire Holy Spirit Cult's attitude towards him. So, how did Nightmare Douluo make that judgment? And how many people knew about this?

"Hahaha." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo laughed again, as if he saw the confusion in Lin Xiao's heart. "My dear disciple, other people in the sect don't understand, but I have trained you for more than ten years. Don't you understand?"

There seemed to be a hint of anger in the look in Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's eyes as he looked at Lin Xiao. "You never acted like a disciple of the Holy Church! My dear disciple, do you know that being able to increase your strength by witnessing death is a talent that countless evil spirit masters envy and hate!"

"If I possessed abilities like yours, this continent would have already had countless deadly places. At your age, I would have already been a Titled Douluo. Yet, you, like those ordinary spirit masters, meditate step by step. You are wasting your talent, my disciple!"

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's breathing was a little rapid, and his already hoarse voice revealed a bit of weirdness.

"Master knows you've disliked killing since childhood, but I don't mind. However, all disciples in the sect who have undergone the Spirit Ascension Ceremony will experience some changes in their personalities, becoming either violent or sinister. This is inevitable after undergoing the baptism of a Saint Emperor."

"And you, my good disciple, are indeed as well-behaved as ever. But it is precisely this very well-behaved nature that makes it impossible for me to believe that you have truly been affected by that baptism."

Lin Xiao's face darkened as he listened to Nightmare Douluo's words. The Holy Spirit Cult's members certainly wouldn't easily question the effectiveness of the Spirit Ascension Ritual, and Nightmare Douluo before him had no definitive evidence.

But Nightmare Douluo knew him too well. Over the years, although they didn't have much of a master-disciple bond, just as he could see through Nightmare Douluo's tactics at a glance, Nightmare Douluo could also notice details about him that others wouldn't.

"So you specifically asked me to come here just to clean up the mess?"

"How could that be?" Sleepy Nightmare Douluo said, leaning forward slightly. "Since I am your teacher, I will forgive you no matter what you do."

"Whether you dislike killing or have avoided brainwashing, I don't mind. In my eyes, you are a rare gem. Your body and your talent are what I admire most."

Looking at the look in Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's eyes, Lin Xiao felt a sudden chill in his heart for some reason. He already knew what Sleepy Nightmare Douluo was planning.

Meanwhile, Sleepy Nightmare Douluo continued to speak to himself, "This is the resting place that your master has chosen for you a long time ago. You should have heard the legend about this place just now. When you die, your consciousness may even be able to accompany the gods."

"Teacher, aren't you afraid that the leader will hold you accountable for doing this?" Lin Xiao's eyes flickered slightly.

"Haha, of course I'm afraid. Ever since you went through the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, you've naturally become a formal disciple of the sect. Even as an elder, I can't easily attack you. But when did the teacher ever say that you would die at my hands?"

"Whether in the eyes of the leader or others, I have already gone to the three empires to carry out my mission, while you are still in the process of training."

After hearing what Sleepy Nightmare Douluo said, Lin Xiao completely understood.

Why would he suddenly arrange such a task and let two disciples from the sect go with him?

That was because once these two disciples died, no one else would know of my return. Even if I disappeared for too long and others asked about it, based on the traces left here, there was a high possibility that I was punished by the gods as the legends said.

"Alas, you are so well-behaved, thoughtful, and worry-free. Originally, I didn't want to act so quickly." Sleeping Nightmare Douluo sighed pretentiously, "Also, your cultivation is too low. You are still a long way from becoming a Titled Douluo. From now on, I will have to spend a lot more time on it."

"It's just that ever since you came back this time, your eyes have frightened me." Sleepy Nightmare Douluo paused, "And that's a 100,000-year spirit ring. With a cultivation level of only 70, you can obtain a 100,000-year spirit ring that even I don't have. I'm afraid that if I wait any longer, something unexpected will happen."

"And now, the timing is perfect. I'm about to leave for the three great empires. Even if I don't return for several years, it won't arouse suspicion. With your talent, this period of time is enough for me to return to the Titled Douluo realm, and even strive for a higher realm."

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's voice became lower and lower, and his eyes became colder and colder, like a wild beast that had been lurking beside Lin Xiao for a long time, finally showing its fangs.

"So, my dear disciple, don't blame me for being ruthless—"

Chapter 123 Martial Spirit True Body

Before he finished speaking, the figure of Sleepy Nightmare Douluo had already appeared in front of Lin Xiao, and his dry palm went straight to grab Lin Xiao's face.

At this point, Lin Xiao no longer concealed anything. He raised his left arm, and a layer of silver light shone on his arm. A metal shield instantly blocked in front of him. In the blink of an eye, the shield turned into a sharp blade and slashed towards the wrist of Sleepy Nightmare Douluo.

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo retracted his wrist, and Lin Xiao took the opportunity to increase the distance again. He looked up, his eyes slightly condensed.

The purpose of Sleepy Nightmare Douluo is very clear, his goal is to occupy his body.

If Nightmare Douluo had directly invaded the Sea of ​​​​Spirit, Lin Xiao wouldn't have been too afraid. But judging by the current situation, he clearly wanted to kill him first and then do something with his corpse. In this case, he would have to face a Titled Douluo head-on.

"Soul bone?" Sleepy Nightmare Douluo looked at Lin Xiao's arm and said with some doubt, "Indeed, you have a hundred thousand year soul ring, how could you not have a soul bone? You really make me like you more and more."

Lin Xiao had no intention of speaking. He raised his hands and metal balls flew out from the storage soul guide device and fell to the ground, turning into soul guide cannons.

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo took a quick look and saw that those soul guide cannons were made of silver-grey metal. There seemed to be something inside that emitted a little star-like light. However, before he could take a closer look, those soul guide cannons rotated a circle, blocking his sight.

Retracting his gaze, Sleepy Nightmare Douluo chuckled, "My dear disciple, you don't think these soul guide cannons can have any effect on a Titled Douluo, do you?"

Lin Xiao remained silent. With a wave of his arm, those soul guide cannons began to adjust their positions continuously as if they came alive. An indescribable connection was born between them. Rays rushed into the air and then condensed into a beam of light that enveloped Sleepy Nightmare Douluo.

Although he is a Titled Douluo, Sleepy Nightmare Douluo is ultimately a spiritual soul master, and his physical strength cannot be compared with other Titled Douluos. Seeing the beam of light coming towards him, he subconsciously avoided it.

However, what he didn't expect was that without seeing Lin Xiao make any other moves, those soul guide cannons actually moved on their own, controlling the direction of the light beam and chasing in the direction he was avoiding.

"boom--"

At the last moment, Sleepy Nightmare Douluo managed to avoid the attack with the speed of a Titled Douluo, but a hole appeared on his clothes at some point, and the dry skin inside had turned black.

Looking at those soul guide cannons again, the six mechanical legs below them kept moving and began to adjust their direction again, preparing for the next attack.

"What kind of soul guide is this? Even Mingde Hall doesn't have such technology!"

Sleepy Nightmare Douluo's tone changed slightly. For some reason, he once again recalled the look Lin Xiao had given him in the basement hall of the branch altar.

Lin Xiao knew more about Mingdetang's research than Sleepy Nightmare Douluo, and of course he knew that it was impossible to achieve this level with soul guides alone.

Therefore, these self-propelled soul guide cannons of his were not entirely soul guides. They were equipped with the world's first alloy he had smelted, the Star Soul Ingot, a metal that was naturally able to accommodate mental power and soul.

The soul power of these self-propelled soul guide cannons comes from the charging soul guides inside, and they are controlled by the residual souls carried in the star soul ingots.

Aiming at the opponent, finding the opportunity, controlling the firepower, these things cannot be done by soul guides alone, so let the residual souls controlled by Lin Xiao do it.

To a certain extent, these are no longer simple soul guides, but are equivalent to real soul guides. Originally, those weak residual souls could only interfere with the opponent's mind, but with these soul guides, they can play a greater role.