The Great Elder still looked the same as when Lin Xiao had last seen her. The black cloak she wore seemed even larger than those of the others, completely enveloping her body, making it impossible to discern her appearance beneath it.
"Great Elder."
Lin Xiao cupped his fists in greeting. The Great Elder did not respond, but a burning gaze emanated from beneath the cloak, constantly scanning his body.
After a moment, she finally spoke slowly, "Where have you been during this time?"
Lin Xiao did not raise his head. "Replying to the Elder, the church arranged a mission for this disciple."
"Heh, quite cautious. You're not even willing to say more to me." The Great Elder chuckled lightly. "You went to help Xu Tianran with his matters, didn't you?"
Hearing this, Lin Xiao slightly lifted his head.
Noticing his gaze, the Great Elder laughed again. "Within the Holy Spirit Church, although the various Worshippers possess higher cultivation, they merely enjoy the church's resources and do not involve themselves much in church affairs."
"The ones who truly manage all of the Holy Spirit Church's matters are the Holy Son and the various Elders. I am quite clear on what you have been doing." At this point, the Great Elder paused slightly. "Your teacher probably never told you any of this, did he?"
Lin Xiao remained silent, merely listening quietly. The Great Elder, however, seemed to already know the answer, her tone filled with certainty.
"How strange. As a Holy Envoy, you should be representing the Elders—especially during this period when Old Eight is not at headquarters. Everything he is responsible for should have been handed over to you to manage. Yet the things you do are no different from those of ordinary disciples."
The Great Elder suddenly stood up and slowly walked toward Lin Xiao. "Did Old Eight forget about this matter, or has he never truly regarded you as his disciple? The so-called title of Holy Envoy is merely an empty position to make it convenient for you to run errands for him."
The Great Elder carried no trace of a Titled Douluo's aura. As she drew near, there was only a faint scent of seawater—somewhat resembling the scene Lin Xiao had seen in his dream a few days ago.
She had guessed correctly. Back when he fought Nightmare Douluo, Nightmare Douluo had already revealed the entire truth. Though they bore the name of master and disciple, he had never truly treated Lin Xiao as a disciple—he was merely a vessel.
The title of Holy Envoy had probably been bestowed to lay the groundwork for Nightmare Douluo to once again become an Elder after successfully seizing the body.
While guessing, the Great Elder slowly paced around Lin Xiao in a circle. "Although I cannot be certain what plans Old Eight has, I can roughly guess one or two things."
"His martial soul has no physical form and naturally possesses the advantage of occupying others' bodies. Your cultivation is growing higher and higher—I imagine that day is getting closer and closer."
"Do you think that when Old Eight returns to headquarters once more, he won't make a move on this body he has carefully nurtured for so many years?"
The Great Elder suddenly raised her hand. From beneath the cloak, a palm as white as jade touched Lin Xiao's chin.
Lin Xiao lowered his eyes slightly and saw that between the Great Elder's fingers was a pale blue like seawater, with scale-like patterns running along her wrist.
She had indeed completely guessed Nightmare Douluo's thoughts correctly. The only thing she hadn't expected was that Nightmare Douluo would never return.
Back when Lin Xiao had just come into contact with Yi Laikesi, the aura unintentionally released by Yi Laikesi had filled Nightmare Douluo with fear.
Thus, he had chosen to act ahead of time. The result was that now, his soul remained inside Lin Xiao's martial soul.
"What, you don't believe what I'm saying?" The Great Elder's fingertip traced across Lin Xiao's jaw, bringing a cool sensation.
"Great Elder, the Holy Son said you have a task for me. Please give your instructions." Lin Xiao took a step back and slightly bowed.
"Boring." The Great Elder suddenly withdrew her hand, hiding it once more beneath her cloak. "These past few days, have you been near the Ice Sea?"
"Yes." After a brief hesitation, Lin Xiao nodded. There was no point in hiding it.
The Great Elder had always carried the scent of seawater, and with the scale-like patterns on her wrist, her martial soul was likely related to sea spirit beasts, allowing her to detect the aura clinging to him. Moreover, the Great Elder already knew what mission he had been on—there was no need to conceal it.
"Then did you encounter anything strange?"
"For example… hearing any sounds or the like…"
The Great Elder lowered her voice slightly and leaned close to Lin Xiao's ear. "Just like now…"
From the very first moment he met the Great Elder, Lin Xiao had already noticed a strange power in her voice that could affect his spirit.
Even the two disciples at the entrance of headquarters had merely heard the Great Elder's voice, yet their memories had become disordered.
Now that the Great Elder was so close and deliberately controlling it, soul power seemed to spread along with her voice.
Lin Xiao was slightly stunned. The scene before his eyes no longer seemed to be the stone chamber of the Holy Spirit Church headquarters; instead, it felt as if he were standing by the sea, with even the sea breeze brushing against his cheeks, feeling vividly real.
Wrong!
A fierce jolt struck Lin Xiao's heart. He snapped back to his senses and looked up again, just in time to see the Great Elder standing right in front of him, staring at him.
After slightly calming his breathing and carefully recalling the sensation from moments ago, that feeling of being immersed in a dream was the same as when he had been at the edge of the Ice Sea.
After a pause, Lin Xiao suddenly spoke, "Great Elder, back then… were you the one at the sea?"
"It wasn't me." For the first time, a change appeared in the Great Elder's tone, seemingly tinged with a trace of resentment. "That was my clansman."
Clansman?
After hearing the legend of the sea sirens from that young man earlier, he had already guessed that the so-called "sea siren" truly existed—most likely a sea spirit beast whose figure had been glimpsed by others in the past.
And the word "clansman" instantly made Lin Xiao think of many things.
"What a clever child. It seems you've already guessed it." The Great Elder appeared to have seen through Lin Xiao's thoughts.
He hadn't been completely certain before, but with those words, Lin Xiao knew his guess was correct.
Regarding this mysterious Great Elder, he had made many conjectures: perhaps she guarded a place of great importance to the Holy Spirit Church and couldn't easily leave, or maybe she held an essential public identity that prevented her from returning to headquarters at will.
But he truly had never considered that the Great Elder wasn't human at all—she was a spirit beast. And very likely a sea spirit beast inextricably linked to those "sea sirens" of the Ice Sea.
"The singing you heard comes from the mermaid clan of the sea—perhaps you would be more familiar with another name: the Sea Princess clan."
"When you humans see the beauty of mermaids, you crown them with the title 'Sea Princess,' believing them to be princesses of the ocean, yet you never care whether the song they sing brings a beautiful melody…"
"…or bone-piercing death."
The gaze from beneath the Great Elder's cloak bore into Lin Xiao like a tangible force. A wave of icy, sinister aura instantly enveloped his surroundings.
The soul power within his body and the spiritual power in his sea of consciousness surged together. Even the Bianhua martial soul seemed to resonate with this aura of death faintly.
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