Chapter 23: Sinister Thoughts Arise

Kill for treasures! Dai Chong understood what Old Six meant.

Such things happening among Soul Masters were not uncommon at all. If common Soul Masters wanted to advance further, they had to rely on various means to compete and snatch.

However, under the strict control of the Martial Soul Hall, it suppressed the ambitions of some people, reducing the occurrences of such things.

Without the Martial Soul Hall, it was uncertain what would happen to this continent. In places not under the jurisdiction of the Martial Soul Hall, like the extreme north, killing for treasures was much more brutal than in the Star Dou Great Forest. There, killing had almost no scruples.

Every year, a large number of Soul Masters would disappear in the ice and snow, never to return. No one knew whether they froze to death, starved to death, or were killed by someone.

"Are you crazy? This is the Star Dou Great Forest, not the extreme north snow plains!" Dai Chong stared at Old Six.

The Star Dou Great Forest stretched between the two empires, and the Martial Soul Hall's control was much stronger than in the extreme north.

Moreover, this commission was received from the Martial Soul Hall. If something happened to the employer, the Martial Soul Hall would certainly investigate. If it traced back to them, it would be disastrous!

"Big brother, we can finish the mission first, then interrogate about the secret method!" Old Six's eyes flashed with a ferocious light. "Moreover, even if the Martial Soul Hall investigates, so what? We can just escape into the City of Slaughter!"

The City of Slaughter was the ultimate destination for those pursued by the Martial Soul Hall. It was a place where sinners could revel in their freedom, a place the Martial Soul Hall couldn't eradicate.

If discovered, they could simply hide in the City of Slaughter, beyond the Martial Soul Hall's reach.

Dai Chong still couldn't make up his mind, his face constantly changing.

"Big brother, let me be honest with you. I know my own talent. I won't break through to become a Soul King in this lifetime. But I'm not reconciled. I want to go further. I think about it day and night. I want to become a Soul Emperor, to live a good life!" Old Six panted, his voice low but forceful, as if venting his dissatisfaction.

"Look at my face full of scars. It's probably impossible for me to find a good wife in this lifetime. I don't want to marry a wife with no soul power. I struggled for half my life; I don't want my son to become a soulless waste. I want to find a Soul Master wife!"

"I... "

Just then, Cheng Xiao suddenly walked out of the woods, shouting, "Alright, let's go!"

Old Six's body stiffened instantly, as if a hand had gripped his throat. All his words got stuck in his throat. Cold sweat broke out on his back, and his palms were so sweaty that he subconsciously held his breath, as if all the dirtiness in his heart had been exposed to the sunlight at this moment, making him wish he could find a hole to hide in.

Dai Chong was also nervous, but he remained calm. He patted Old Six, signaling him to relax, then looked at Cheng Xiao and asked, "So soon today?"

"Haha, little brother was just quick this time. Are you dissatisfied with this Soul Beast?" Old Six turned around stiffly, forcing a smile.

"Just practice makes perfect." Cheng Xiao certainly wouldn't tell them about his failure. He shook his head, casually making up an excuse.

Not finding anything unusual on Cheng Xiao's face, Dai Chong and Old Six breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they hadn't overheard their conversation.

"Then let's go!" Dai Chong called out to the group.

Once again, the seven escorted Cheng Xiao to hunt another Soul Beast. As they packed up their things, Old Six, relieved but afraid to say more, buried his head as if he wanted to hide himself in the shadows.

"Snap!"

Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder. Old Six jolted, immediately turning around to retreat.

"Calm down!" Dai Chong quietly reprimanded.

Discovering that it was Dai Chong behind him, Old Six finally relaxed.

"Nothing has happened yet! Why are you acting like you've seen a ghost?"

"..." Old Six opened his mouth, chuckled, and said, "I understand."

Dai Chong glanced at Cheng Xiao, who was unaware in the distance, leaned in toward Old Six's ear, and whispered, "Find an opportunity, let's discuss this, brothers."

Old Six's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Dai Chong with excitement. "Big brother, you agree..."

"Hush!"

Dai Chong, frustrated, gripped Old Six's neck. "Keep it down! Are you not afraid of exposing us?"

Old Six closed his mouth and nodded repeatedly.

"Be careful; don't let that kid notice anything."

"Yeah, yeah, I know!"

Dai Chong finally released Old Six, satisfied with having him quiet down.

"Arise!"

A stern shout echoed, and a massive shadow rose from the corpse.

This was the seventh Soul Beast, and fortunately, the last one. The Xuanming Turtle, with around three thousand years of cultivation, finally stood up under Cheng Xiao's third command, becoming Cheng Xiao's shadow soldier.

Its enormous body exuded immense pressure, but in front of Cheng Xiao, it groveled like a small dog.

With this, he finally collected six soul beast shadows: the main agile attacker Tiger Demon Cat, the main powerful attacker Thunderstripe Tiger, the main controller Spotted Giant Python, the main defender Xuanming Tortoise, and... the Flame Spirit Kite that controlled the air.Influenced by the keyboard warriors of his past life, Cheng Xiao certainly didn't forget the importance of aerial control.

"Come back!" Cheng Xiao revealed a relaxed smile, retrieving the Xuanming Turtle into his shadow.

The six Soul Beast shadow images tangled at Cheng Xiao's feet before returning to calmness.

Seeing them discuss and divide their territories, Cheng Xiao walked out. The Xuanming Turtle's dim purple soul ring seemed to have lost a bit of its luster.

"Did you finish, little brother?" Dai Chong asked when he saw Cheng Xiao walking out, grinning.

"Yeah." Cheng Xiao nodded.

"Your requested seven Soul Beasts have all been hunted. What do you think?" Dai Chong rubbed his fingers, smiling.

In reality, the extraction of the Three-Eyed Ape's shadow had failed. Cheng Xiao currently only had six Soul Beast shadows. However, he couldn't argue with Dai Chong and the others about this. After all, they were paid for their services, and they had agreed to only hunt seven Soul Beasts. Naturally, they wouldn't put in any extra effort.

"Let's go. To the Martial Soul Hall," Cheng Xiao nodded.

Then, the eight of them left the Star Dou Great Forest and arrived at the designated transfer point in the Martial Soul Hall.

Coming to the commission site, Cheng Xiao took out a seal and handed it to the Martial Soul Hall's person in charge.

Taking the seal, the person in charge searched for a moment in the mission book and found the corresponding seal. After confirming that they matched, he checked Cheng Xiao's personal information and the password according to the records in the mission book.

Once everything was confirmed, the person in charge handed the mission form to Dai Chong and the others.

Receiving the commission claim slip, Dai Chong laughed with joy, bowing slightly, "Little brother, are you going back? Do you need us to escort you?"

"No need. You guys go on with your business. I have something to attend to," Cheng Xiao waved his hand and quickly left the Martial Soul Hall.

Dai Chong squinted his eyes and, seeing Cheng Xiao leave the hall, signaled to Old Three, "Old Three, you're fast. Follow him and don't lose him. We'll get the commission reward first and come back to find you. Remember to leave a trace."

Old Three nodded silently and quickly darted out of the Martial Soul Hall, following the direction Cheng Xiao had disappeared.

"Let's go. Let's get the commission and return quickly! After we receive the reward, we'll find out what's going on with this kid!" Dai Chong urged.