The words of the black-clothed elder made Lin Beiya frown slightly; the evil Aura emanating from him was stronger than all the criminals combined earlier.
The black mist continuously emerging from his body could even affect the surrounding environment, causing the weeds under his feet to constantly wither, slowly expanding into a barren land with the elder at its center.
"Another fellow who doesn't dare to enter Slaughter City and just lingers here, barely surviving?"
Lin Beiya's mockery did not anger the elder; instead, the smile on his face became even more sinister.
"Hehehe, in the past, I naturally wouldn't dare, but if I had your body, that might change. My current body also needs to be replaced."
"Those Spirit Abilities you released earlier weren't from spirit rings, were they?"
"This old man guesses you must have quite a few Spirit Bones on you."
"I've inquired about Slaughter City; it doesn't allow the use of spirit rings."
"With your body and Spirit Bones, this old man will surely dominate Slaughter City."
"Hand them over obediently; it won't be painful for long!"
As he spoke, the elder's eyes gradually became fanatical.
For some reason, the other party's expression reminded him of an anime he had watched in his previous World.
Orochimaru had that exact expression when he saw the filial son's eyes.
However, if he wanted his body, it would depend on how capable the other party was.
"Heh, if you want it, come and try to take it."
"Alright, this old man can't wait."
No sooner said than done, a large amount of black mist began to surge from the elder's body, and behind him, two yellow, two purple, and three black spirit rings—seven in total—appeared simultaneously.
This indicated that he was a Spirit Saint-level Evil Soul Master, and judging from his Aura, he was infinitely close to a Spirit Douluo.
A hint of solemnity flashed across Lin Beiya's face. If it were merely a Spirit Saint, he would not be afraid, but Evil Soul Masters had strange methods, so he had to be careful.
"Fifth Spirit Ability, Shadow Stitch!"
The black mist on the elder's body, as the fifth spirit ring lit up, transformed into countless sharp, materialized tentacles, stabbing towards Lin Beiya.
This level of attack naturally couldn't trouble Lin Beiya. He activated Psychokinesis Teleportation, instantly appearing beside the elder.
His palm, glowing with golden light, aimed at the elder's head.
"It's over, old man."
A hint of surprise flashed in the elder's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a sinister smile.
"Is that so? Not necessarily."
"Fourth Spirit Ability, Shadow Control."
Just as Lin Beiya was about to release Starlight Extinction to deal with the opponent, he suddenly felt his palm become uncontrollable.
That wasn't all; when he tried to move away, he found himself unable to move, firmly fixed in place.
Glancing downwards, he saw countless dark arms extending from the elder's shadow, firmly gripping his own shadow.
"Hehehe, can't move, can you?"
"This old man can freely control his own shadow and also control others' shadows."
"When I devour all of your shadow, I will replace you and take control of this body, as well as the Soul!"
"Be a good vessel for this old man; together, we will become the strongest in the World!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Beiya instantly understood the elder's ability: devouring everything of the enemy through their shadow, which was extremely bizarre.
However, he was not alarmed. Devouring, no matter how it was manifested, had to follow one premise.
That is, what you want to devour cannot exceed your own limit of what you can bear.
Since the other party wanted to devour his shadow and Soul, he had to be prepared to be burst open.
After all, his Sea of Consciousness was a vast, miniature Universe.
The elder had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation. As he lit up his sixth spirit ring, his shadow suddenly transformed into a dark, gaping maw, biting fiercely at Lin Beiya's shadow without hesitation.
Lin Beiya watched the elder's actions with a cold smile, showing no intention of resisting.
But his thoughts quickly came to naught.
He had intended to let the other party experience the terror of the vast starry river, but unexpectedly, just as the elder was about to act, the statue of the goddess of war appeared out of thin air.
The Holy Shield, representing justice, suddenly burst forth with dazzling white light.
"Ah~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
A piercing scream instantly echoed throughout the entire jungle, and the black mist on the elder's body began to be completely devoured by the daylight-like radiance.
"This… what is this?"
"No, spare me!"
"I'll leave immediately… Ah!"
A few seconds later, everything returned to calm. The elder, who had been so arrogant just moments before, completely vanished from this World as the white light receded, leaving not even a speck of dust.
And the shield of justice returned to the embrace of the statue of the goddess of war, both retreating back into his body.
Lin Beiya shook his head with a look of pity.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
"I originally wanted to burst you, but I forgot that the shield of justice can purify all evil in the World."
"You became a starving ghost before you even had a full meal."
He spread his mental force to check the surroundings, finding no surviving remnant Evil Soul Masters. Lin Beiya quickly pursued in the direction of Shi Nuo and Ming Xin.
But halfway, he stopped again.
A few minutes later, the figures of Ming Xin and Shi Nuo appeared before him.
"Beiya, I've dealt with all the Evil Soul Masters on my side."
"Brother Beiya, same here."
Lin Beiya nodded, and the three brothers returned to Sarikel together.
Originally, these scattered and hidden Evil Soul Masters would have required a great deal of effort to search for one by one.
But with today's gathering action, everything became much easier.
With the demise of hundreds of Evil Soul Masters, the criminals around Saliker Province had been largely cleared out. Now, they only needed to patrol the area regularly.
"These people saved us a lot of trouble."
"Indeed, not only that, but I also plundered quite a few resources!"
"Me too."
Lin Beiya was slightly startled, then saw the two of them simultaneously open their palms.
In their hands lay no less than ten Storage Rings in total.
"Beiya, I've checked them. There's a lot of gold, silver, and jewels inside, and even Spirit Bones."
"Same here. We shouldn't have to worry about development funds for a long time."
Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected bonus, and the three brothers instantly exchanged knowing smiles... In the following period, the passing merchant caravans, from initial caution, gradually increased their investment in Sarikel, and the scale of the caravans grew larger and larger.
After all, having traveled back and forth several times, these merchants had not encountered even a single Evil Soul Master blocking their way.
The Spirit Masters they had hired at great expense as guards had become mere decorations.
Driven by immense profits, these returning merchants continuously sent information back to their main families.
A wave of merchant settlement gradually swept across the entire Saliker Province.
With commercial prosperity, the number of arriving displaced people also grew rapidly.
It should be noted that there were also small groups of Evil Soul Masters in the neighboring Tianshuang Duchy and Tosk Province.
Although their numbers were not as vast as within Saliker Province, and they had not shaken the Foundation of other major cities.
But they still made the residents of surrounding villages miserable.
Most of these villages relied on commoners farming for a living, and not much tax could be collected, so the royal families of those duchies naturally paid little attention to them.
As the merchant caravans brought back news of Sarikel, these commoners also moved here with their families to make a living.