You have to understand: although the Auspicious Beast co-founded the Holy Spirit Sect alongside the vengeful Demon Empress, to him, the Holy Spirit Sect was always just a useful "roach trap"—normally used to contain the pests, and when necessary, dump a swarm of flying cockroaches onto the enemy's face.
Thousands of years ago, before human rulers were even aware of the growing numbers of evil soul masters, more and more cases of massacred remote villages and annihilated soul beast settlements were being diligently reported to the Auspicious Beast by minor soul beasts.
Naturally, Wang Rui quickly noticed that the proportion of "evil martial souls" was rising gradually every year—too slowly for most humans to perceive, but clearly visible to him.
—And no, it wasn't because "the criteria for defining evil martial souls were being relaxed."
Maybe human rulers could turn a blind eye to civilians slaughtered by evil soul masters, but the Auspicious Beast absolutely could not ignore the mass killing of soul beasts. Moreover…
You're not saving those civilians? Why not? Don't want them anymore?
Well then—I'll take them!
After all, the more humans who cohabited with the Beast Sect and soul beasts, the more conducive it would be for soul beasts to awaken intelligence and cultivate.
And if Wang Rui were just a bit more unscrupulous, with his powerful intelligence network, he could've easily followed behind evil soul masters, scooped up the surviving civilians, reaped their gratitude, and gained willing recruits for the Beast Sect.
But in the end, he wasn't that heartless.
Naturally, the idea of building a roach trap had to be put on the agenda.
After studying evil soul masters for so long, Wang Rui developed his own standard of classification—one completely different from Shrek's.
A martial soul is something between matter and spirit. It's shaped by bloodlines, but it can also mutate under extreme emotions or external conditions. Some martial souls can, in turn, affect the user's body, personality, and mental state.
Therefore, by Wang Rui's definition, only those martial souls that cause severe negative mental effects on their host were classified as evil martial souls. And only those who succumb to those effects—who show personality shifts, behavioral abnormalities, and actually cause substantial harm—would be considered evil soul masters.
Note: Martial soul users who aren't affected negatively by their martial soul, but willingly take an evil path and harm life to grow stronger? That's straight to the execution block. The roach trap doesn't collect that kind of trash.
Those with evil martial souls were highly unstable. Their minds were constantly tormented by the malice inherent in their martial soul—like ticking time bombs. Even the strongest-willed could snap under the pressure, lose control, and blow up their loved ones.
So, when Wang Rui created the Holy Spirit Sect, he simply and ruthlessly gathered every evil martial soul user he could find and swept them into it.
Still, Wang Rui was a "tragically soft-hearted leader" (according to the Demon Empress). He'd still try to pull back soul masters who retained a sliver of goodness and fought to resist their martial soul's influence—instead of dumping them into the grinder with the rest of the hazardous waste.
So, he racked his brains and drafted a set of doctrine for the Holy Spirit Sect. And as it turned out—controlling lunatics with religion worked really well.
The doctrine was obscure and full of rarely used characters. It said that soul masters with evil martial souls, after passing a "trial," would become "Holy Spirits" tasked with purifying the world. But it never specified what the "Holy Spirit" was, nor what the "trial" or "purification" entailed.
As a result, the sect members interpreted it however suited them, forming different factions.
What the doctrine meant didn't matter. What mattered was what they believed it meant.
So the Holy Spirit Sect split into two factions:
The incurable faction believed that their martial soul's evil will was a guide, and that succumbing to it—committing slaughter—was the "trial" before becoming a Holy Spirit. They believed slaughter would purify the world.
The redeemable faction believed that resisting the evil influence was the trial, and that preaching restraint and kindness would lead to purification.
(Of course, undercover agents lurked within both factions, guiding events when necessary—they're not counted in the official tally.)
Lan Fozi gathered the few members willing to resist their martial soul's evil impulses. The rest of the bloodthirsty lunatics were led by the current Grand Elder of the sect.
Normally, the two sides stayed confined to the Mingdou Mountains, locked in internal power struggles. But when a newly arrived "family member" was hunted down, both sides would cooperate to save them.
However, the Grand Elder's faction members all had serious personality flaws. With the slightest provocation, they'd lash out like rabid dogs.
So, when Wang Rui needed the continent's situation to become more chaotic—say, when Shrek prepared a massive soul beast hunt, or when a smarter, more cautious human ruler foolishly decided to attack the Beast Sect—he could simply release the evil soul masters to stir the pot.
They were very effective wrenches to throw into the gears. Just had to be careful not to get your hands dirty.
So the complex situation Lan Fozi faced was entirely within Wang Rui's expectations. :D
Deep within the underground headquarters of the Holy Spirit Sect, located in the Mingdou Mountains, a dimly lit council chamber housed the high-ranking evil soul masters, who stood flanking a tall silver-white statue.
The statue stood over ten meters tall, cloaked in a simple robe, head bowed, faceless, yet exuding both compassion and fury—a contradiction that sent chills down spines.
"Forgive my bluntness, Saintess," spoke a silver-haired middle-aged man at the head of the group. His position was clearly high. "The Sect Master's martial soul is the Deep Sea Demonic Whale, capable of channeling divine will. She is already one with the Holy Spirit. As her disciple, you…"
He was respectful in posture but condescending in tone, "While the Sect Master appointed you as the Saintess, and your strength is undeniable, your martial soul still shows no signs of evolution despite many visits to the Holy Land. That makes you unfit to continue holding the Saintess position."
Lan Fozi had no rebuttal.
After becoming human, her martial soul naturally became the Deep Sea Demonic Whale. Though the name carried "demonic," it was only because humans feared such deep-sea beasts. It wasn't truly evil, nor did it radiate any evil aura. The claim that her species was inherently wicked for consuming other creatures? Pure nonsense. What soul beast doesn't eat? Do they even know how huge her true body is?
If we're talking evil—dolphins that forcibly mate with other species and orcas that treat weaker beings like toys are way more suspect!
Only her mother had cultivated radical methods for revenge, absorbing vast quantities of resentment to break through limits, which had twisted her aura.
Within the sect, people had long murmured about her martial soul. Without the common identity of an evil martial soul user, most only accepted her position because she was "the Sect Master's disciple" and "the true Saint Son's sister." Now that the Grand Elder brought it up, he likely had a replacement lined up.
Naturally, she didn't want to give up her position. Not because she craved power, but because she didn't want to hand over her "plaything" to anyone else.
But just because she couldn't refute him didn't mean she couldn't disgust him.
"Well, since the Grand Elder thinks I'm unfit, why not take the Saintess position yourself?" Lan Fozi said with a cheerful smile, twirling her silky navy-blue hair between her fingers like mist. "With your looks—and that snowy hair—I'm sure you'll be way more popular! That'll really boost the Holy Sect's image in the eyes of the Sun Moon Empire. We might even become the state religion!"
Snickering spread through the chamber. Lan Lingtong, standing beside her, even let out a loud pssshhh like a pressure cooker venting.
The Grand Elder nearly choked. He glared at Lan Fozi, seething.
Lan Fozi remained unbothered. She knew today's scheming little bastard wouldn't dare lay a hand on her—not with the whole sect terrified of the Demon Empress.
The Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's wife might not have a million-year cultivation, but she'd grown terrifyingly strong through extreme cultivation methods. Even Lan Fozi sometimes feared her.
Even if the Demon Empress was in seclusion or roaming, Ye Xishui—still hiding in the imperial capital as a royal advisor—could return to the Holy Spirit Sect within ten minutes at Limit Douluo speed.
But if they found a proper replacement for Saintess… no one would interfere.
And the replacement? Lan Fozi discreetly glanced at the delicate girl standing silently behind the Grand Elder and his wife, dressed like a servant in a uniform black cloak.
The Grand Elder was Zhongli Wu, descendant of the sect's founding Zhongli family, son of the previous Grand Elder, and disciple of Ye Xishui—who was, hilariously, her mother's disciple. Meaning this evil punk was technically junior to her.
A Rank 98 Control-type Super Douluo, Zhongli Wu was the sect's top contender for advancing to Limit Douluo.
His inherited martial soul involved demonic puppets, but his had mutated into razor-sharp puppet strings capable of cutting enemies, draining life and soul energy, even controlling minds and bodies.
If you weren't prepared, you'd die without ever knowing how.
As a re-cultivated soul beast, Lan Fozi's senses were sharp. She immediately felt the suffocating bloodlust around that cloaked girl, clearly bound and controlled by Zhongli Wu.
She thought the girl looked familiar, but couldn't place her.
"Today is a great day. Allow me to introduce the Grand Elder's and my new adopted daughter," said a soft, husky female voice.
The middle-aged beauty behind Zhongli Wu stepped forward, lovingly pulling the girl to her side. She gently removed the girl's hood like a real mother.
"Go on, dear daughter. Introduce yourself," Feng Ling said encouragingly.
The pale face beneath the hood was indeed someone Lan Fozi knew.
"Tang Ya. Rank 48. Martial Soul: Dark Blue Silver King." The girl spoke blankly, her crimson eyes hollow.
Dark blue hair draped over her shoulders, mingling with Feng Ling's identical hair—just like a real mother and daughter.
This wasn't right. Just a month ago, Tang Ya's martial soul had been Dark Blue Silver Grass.
Lan Fozi frowned, instinctively turning to look at Lan Lingtong.
"She must've devoured immense amounts of flesh and resentment in a short time," Lan Lingtong replied quietly, a trace of disappointment in his voice. "Forced her way from regular Dark Blue Silver Grass to Dark Blue Silver King."
"Exactly!" Zhongli Wu declared proudly. "Blue Silver Grass that can awaken soul power is already one in ten thousand. A variant with dark affinity? Before Little Ya, the only known example was the Holy Son himself. Everyone here knows how terrifying the Holy Son's talent is."
Lan Lingtong's martial soul, the Dark Blue Silver Emperor, was even more sinister and bloodthirsty than evil phoenix variants. Rumor had it that before his birth, his martial soul had already drained his mother's soul and bloodline. Upon awakening, it even forced a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor soul beast to sacrifice itself through bloodline suppression—though he claimed it was voluntary. Sure.
"Little Ya's martial soul is now the Dark Blue Silver King. She may one day advance to Dark Blue Silver Emperor," Feng Ling said softly. "It matches the Holy Son's martial soul, making her the perfect fit as Saintess. So naturally, the current Saintess's assets—"
Lan Fozi's eyes turned sharp.
Her beautiful face twisted into something feral, primitive, utterly inhuman—more like a soul beast defending its territory.
If Wang Rui saw this, he'd absolutely drag her back to re-do her socialization training.
Lan Fozi herself didn't even realize why she'd been so enraged by Feng Ling's simple statement.
But before she could explode, a shadowy black bird swooped into the chamber, dropped a golden-glimmering letter onto her, and vanished.
"…should naturally be handed over to Little Ya," Feng Ling continued calmly, ignoring the bird.
"It should be managed by the Holy Son," Lan Fozi said sweetly, glancing at the letter.
Lan Lingtong: "Huh? But I worked so hard replenishing supplies and doing the finances!"
"Elder Feng, about a week ago, when you and your daughter slaughtered the Ironblood Sect... you didn't clean up all the loose ends."
Feng Ling's expression darkened. That confident poise she had moments ago vanished.
"Shrek's Inspection Team followed you and your daughter's trail and ended up wiping out most of our strongholds in the Heavenly Soul Empire. They severed two of our trade routes and killed twenty to thirty of our Holy Sect's brothers and sisters… Elder Feng, you've been a part of the Holy Sect for years. Even if you were once deceived by a scumbag from Shrek in your youth, your loyalty has never been questioned. But what about your newly adopted daughter?"
Lan Fozi stared at her with undisguised malice. "As far as I know, this girl is from Shrek Academy, and not just that—she's the head of the Tang Sect. Well now... the Grand Elder insisted on making her the Saintess, but who would actually trust her with managing one of our strongholds?"
The implication was clear: either Feng Ling had betrayed the sect and led Shrek here, or Tang Ya had. Either way, Zhongli Wu's judgment was being called into question.
"Enough!" Zhongli Wu's face was grim. He hadn't gone to all this trouble to elevate Tang Ya just to make her a powerless puppet Saintess. "The Heavenly Soul Empire was already far removed from our sect's sphere of influence, and far too close to Shrek. Mistakes were bound to happen—"
An elder from Zhongli Wu's own camp cut him off. "So what? Our people just died in vain?" His voice was hoarse, tinged with fury. "Shrek has become so arrogant that they killed dozens of us in one go. Are you just going to let that slide?"
Other evil soul masters murmured in agreement.
Zhongli Wu shot a furious glare at the elder who'd undercut him. These people had "battle-crazed" written all over their faces. If he didn't take action, it would seriously undermine his authority.
"I understand your concerns. Since the oversight lies with my wife, I'll make sure Shrek pays the price," he finally said.
"But we've already lost our strongholds in the Heavenly Soul Empire. From now on, the number of new recruits the Holy Sect can attract will drop sharply," said another elder coldly, this one standing beside Lan Fozi. "We can't afford to lose more people."
"I will set a trap," Zhongli Wu said with a dismissive wave. "And invite the ancient seniors sleeping in the 'Sea of Fog' to rise and give Shrek some trouble. I assure you—the apostles of the Holy Spirit will not have bled in vain."
"It's good that the Grand Elder is willing to clean up the mess his adopted daughter left behind," Lan Fozi said with a polite smile. "Now then, next matter."
She raised the letter in her hand. "The Supreme Elder and the Head of Mingde Hall have made a deal: as long as our Holy Sect helps the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy defeat Shrek in the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament, he will help us formally become the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire."
"There are three available slots. The Holy Son and I will head to Mingdu next week. The final spot will be decided in an internal competition starting tomorrow. Anyone with disciples under twenty may have them apply. While the Holy Son is away, Elder Mo will take charge of his strongholds."
…
Wang Rui thought, Electus would love it here.
He reached out to catch a wisp of milky-white fog. It dissipated in his hand, turning back into its essence—pure death energy.
This wasn't something easily obtained.
Death energy is only produced at the moment a living being dies—and even then, only in the faintest trace. And death is often accompanied by pain, regret, and despair—emotions that taint its purity.
The boundless white fog in the distance… to accumulate this much pure death energy would require a cataclysm that instantly wiped out billions of lives—without a murderer present.
Like the devastating calamity from over four thousand years ago.
Humanity had long since reduced it to a simple phrase: "continental collision." But Wang Rui had lived through it.
Two landmasses collided at impossible speeds. Even soul beasts in the distant Star Dou Forest had felt the earth-shaking tremor.
In the face of such catastrophe, the very world itself was torn apart. Even Di Tian didn't dare approach the core of the impact zone. As for the coastal cities caught in the collision—they were simply obliterated.
Wang Rui had long forewarned people of the coming disaster, but it was all for nothing. Countless lives vanished in an instant.
This place was a shard of that dead world—a spatial fragment shattered during the catastrophe. Over millennia, it had stabilized and become a miniature realm.
Like a frozen nightmare, solidified into eternity. In the milky-white fog, scarlet, blade-like mountains jutted from the ground—if "ground" could even be said to exist here. The jagged cliffs looked like torn flesh from some primordial beast. The rocks glowed with a dark red sheen, as though still oozing coagulated blood.
Signs of artificial excavation were visible on the blood-colored cliffs. Countless pitch-black coffins were nailed to the cliff faces, connected by rusted chains. When the fog stirred, the chains clinked with a nauseating sound, like bones grinding against each other.
Below the cliffs lay the ruins of a chaotic city: shattered buildings, broken docks, wrecked ships, and piles of dry bones formed a boundless graveyard. Through the rubble, one could glimpse that below it all was nothing—just a void.
Above—or what one might think of as "up"—boiled a black sea. Its tar-like waters had snowy white tips, frothy with shattered, pale bones. Beneath the ceaseless waves, something massive and terrifying seemed to swim.
After the calamity, Wang Rui took control of this realm. Di Tian, the Tiger Emperor Darkcloud, and the Evil Emperor—three soul beasts versed in spatial magic—helped modify it. It became a graveyard, where Wang Rui stored remains and souls. Bathed in pure death energy, corpses and spirits underwent subtle but curious "revitalizations."
They couldn't be controlled, but once awakened, they acted according to residual instincts from life.
Knowing he might one day study necromancy, Wang Rui had of course prepared material in advance.
Later, he led the Holy Sect to discover this so-called "prehistoric ruin." Some evil soul masters could train here using the death energy, reducing their risk of self-destruction. Many of their bones were also stored here in coffins.
Yet their exploration was limited to the mid-mountain. No one dared approach the black sea or the ruins too closely.
A blonde woman walked along the chains connecting the coffins. While other chains swayed in the fog, the one under her feet remained stable, as if she were walking on solid ground.
She moved with purpose toward one particular coffin—closest to the black sea above, and clearly the oldest.
She gently pressed her hand above it.
With a metallic clank, the chains slithered like living snakes. The ancient coffin lifted and swapped places with another midway down the cliff.
Wang Rui politely knocked on the lid.
"Awaken… girl who is neither fox nor human; awaken, girl wounded by love; awaken, girl abandoned by time… awaken, for this is the day of vengeance."
A deep female voice echoed.
After a long silence, the coffin lid trembled violently—as if something inside was pounding from within!
The shaking intensified. Wang Rui looked down at the black coffin, scarlet eyes full of sympathy and regret.
"To the east… go east…" a hoarse whisper murmured, "...the servant of your enemy will be there soon…"
Suddenly, all movement stopped.
…
A black-cloaked, masked figure was climbing the chains between the cliffside coffins.
This was the Sea of Fog, a secret realm known only to the Holy Sect. Their elders had discovered that bones placed here would stir when disturbed—acting purely on instinct. This place had become a resting ground for those elders who never reached the Holy Spirit Realm. Occasionally, they were awakened to assist their descendants. Once the true Holy Spirit appeared, they would be revived fully.
The masked man had been sent by the Grand Elder to awaken one such predecessor—to take revenge on Shrek's inspection team.
He finally reached what seemed to be the right location.
The black coffin here was even older than he'd expected.
According to the Grand Elder, inside lay a senior whose martial soul was the Vampire Bat, slain by Shrek's Inspection Team four hundred years ago.
The fog churned. The black ocean above roared—who knew what horrors lurked beneath?
He stared at the ancient coffin and felt an inexplicable chill down his spine.
He bowed respectfully as instructed, explained the situation, hesitated, then bowed again before reaching for the lid.
To his surprise, the heavy lid slid open without a sound.
A wave of rot surged out—beneath the dust and mold was a strange, cloying scent, warm and wet, like the touch of decaying flesh.
He shivered.
Inside lay a corpse, wrapped in a yellowing burial cloth stained with ominous fluids and patches of mold.
The body's hands were folded over its chest—but it didn't look human. The cloth over the face bulged unnaturally. That wasn't a nose. More like a bird's beak… or something worse?
Was this right?
Suddenly, a long, eerie sigh echoed—a death rattle.
Though there was no wind, the cloth over the face stirred.
The corpse sat up. The shroud fell away, revealing a terrifying beast-like face. Ragged fox ears crowned a hairless skull, its gray-white skin stretched taut, black veins spidering beneath the surface. Rust-colored fangs jutted from shriveled gums.
But below the fox head was the skeleton of a beautiful woman.
Even mummified by time, her frame retained an eerie grace.
She turned her head—bones and skin rasping—and smiled.
The coffin opener stared, dazed, into her empty sockets, as if his soul were being drawn into infinite darkness.
"Ah… you've come," the corpse rasped.
Her voice was like a dull blade scraping bone—hideous, yet mesmerizing, each word piercing the listener's mind.
"I've come," he replied, dazed, as if it were the most natural thing.
Something felt wrong… but her voice pinned his thoughts like nails, pulling him deeper into a dark abyss.
"Thank you… for telling me… of my enemies… Now, come keep me company, won't you?" she whispered sweetly, like a lover.
A blissful smile spread across his face. Without hesitation, he raised his hands—and strangled himself.
She watched silently.
As his face turned purple, eyes bulging, his grip never loosened—even in death.
The fox-headed corpse smiled again. Several hairless fox tails emerged from the coffin—skeletal and thin, swaying lightly.
A piercing laugh, like a baby's cry laced with girlish sweetness, echoed through the empty space, sending chills down the spine.
"Mingdou Mountains… where…" she hissed. "Shrek… Mingdou Mountains and… Star Luo Empire… border… east… east…"
(End of Chapter)