Footsteps approached from behind. It was Qian Renxue.
"What's on your mind?" she asked, stepping up to stand beside him.
"I was thinking about the Void Soul Beasts," Su Chen said. "I was wondering, if the power of the Void can be injected into soul beasts, could it also be injected into humans? Those corpses with their souls extracted back at the Extreme North base might very well have been the failed byproducts of human experimentation."
Qian Renxue remained silent for a long time, so long that Su Chen thought she wouldn't answer at all.
"You're right," she finally spoke, her voice very soft. "The Void Cult is indeed conducting experiments on humans. Moreover, they've already achieved preliminary success."
Su Chen snapped his head toward her. "What?"
"Half a year ago, a corpse was discovered in the outskirts of Tian Dou City; the cause of death was unknown. After our coroners performed an autopsy, they found an unprecedented energy lingering within the body's meridian system. It was entirely different from soul power, possessing highly corrosive and destructive properties. We brought in many experts to analyze it, and ultimately confirmed that it was the power of the Void."
"That person... was injected with the power of the Void?"
"It goes beyond that," Qian Renxue said. "The corpse bore dozens of suture marks, indicating he had undergone multiple surgeries while alive. His internal organs had been replaced, his bones reinforced, and his meridians artificially widened. He was treated like a test subject, repeatedly modified and injected with the power of the Void until his body could no longer endure it and completely collapsed."
Su Chen clenched his fists, his nails digging deeply into his palms. "Are they still alive? Those who were modified?"
"I don't know," Qian Renxue said. "That corpse was the only sample we ever found. Since then, the Void Cult has become much more cautious, moving all their experiments underground. That base in the Sunset Forest might very well be their primary site for human experimentation."
"Then it's all the more reason we must destroy it," Su Chen said.
"Yes." Qian Renxue turned to look Su Chen in the eye. "Su Chen, during this mission, I might ask you to do things you don't want to do. For instance, if those modified subjects are still alive but beyond saving, we might have to end their suffering with our own hands."
Su Chen's throat bobbed, but he said nothing.
"I know this is difficult for you," Qian Renxue's voice softened. "You always want to protect everyone, to find a perfect solution that saves all. But sometimes, there are no flawless choices in this world. Do you understand?"
Su Chen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I understand."
"That's good." Qian Renxue patted his shoulder. "Go back and rest. Training starts tomorrow. We have three days to bring ourselves to our peak condition."
She turned and walked back into the grand hall, her skirt swaying gently in the night breeze like a blooming snow lotus.
Su Chen stood in place, watching her silhouette disappear through the doors before lifting his gaze to the night sky. The moon was full, its silvery-white light spilling over the training grounds, coating everything in a chill, pale hue. He recalled the resentment within that black sphere in the Extreme North, the corpses drained of their souls, and the hollow, crazed eyes of the Void High Priest.
"Lord of the Void..." he murmured to himself. "What exactly... are you?"
Three days later, at dawn.
The city gates of Tian Dou City had just opened as a six-person squad quietly slipped out of the city, heading south toward the Sunset Forest. The squad was led by Qian Renxue, with Su Chen, Chen Hao, Lin Xue, Li Yang, and Zhang Wan following closely behind. Each person was clad in dark, form-fitting combat attire, carrying rations, water, and essential medicines and tools.
They did not ride horses, as mounts were cumbersome in the forest and prone to leaving tracks. Nor did they use any soul tools to fly, as doing so would expose their soul power fluctuations and risk detection by the Void Cult's scouts. Moving at a pace neither too fast nor too slow—matching the stride of ordinary pedestrians—they walked along the main road to the south, looking just like six regular travelers.
After walking for about half a day, the fields flanking the main road gradually gave way to woods, and the air grew damp. The Sunset Forest was located in the southern part of the Tian Dou Empire—a vast expanse of primeval woodland covering over a hundred thousand square kilometers. It teemed with soul beasts, ranging from ten-year to ten-thousand-year varieties. Ordinary Hunting Soul Masters only dared to operate along the forest's periphery; those who ventured into its depths were nine times out of ten destined to become beast food.
"Another twenty miles forward, and we'll enter the domain of the Sunset Forest," Qian Renxue halted, retrieving a map from her robes and spreading it out on a roadside boulder. "Our target is here, slightly southeast of the forest's center. It'll take roughly three days of travel."
Su Chen leaned in to examine the map. A point was marked in red ink, surrounded by densely packed annotations. "According to intelligence, the base entrance is concealed behind a waterfall; the roar of the water masks the sounds from within. The base is divided into three levels: the surface level is an entrance disguised as a hunter's cabin, the first underground level is the research zone, and the second underground level is the experimental zone. The Void Soul Beasts are imprisoned in the deepest cages of the second underground level, guarded by three Titled Douluo-level watchmen."
"Three Titled Douluos?" Chen Hao sucked in a breath of cold air. "Doesn't that mean its defenses are even stronger than the base in the Extreme North?"
"The base in the Extreme North primarily relied on its environmental advantages and sealing arrays; its actual guard forces weren't that formidable," Qian Renxue explained. "But the Sunset Forest base is different. The abundance of soul beasts there serves as a natural barrier, and its proximity to Tian Dou City means reinforcements can be deployed at a moment's notice if they're discovered. Consequently, their defensive garrison is actually stronger than the one in the Extreme North."
"Then how are we supposed to fight them?" Li Yang asked. "Three Titled Douluos... our squad doesn't even have a single one."
"Who says we don't?" Qian Renxue raised her head, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "I am a Titled Douluo."
Everyone was stunned. They knew Qian Renxue was powerful, but they had never heard her personally acknowledge her rank. In the world of Soul Masters, Titled Douluos stood at the very apex of the pyramid; there weren't many in the entire continent. And Qian Renxue looked so young—she was actually a Titled Douluo?
"Snow Lotus Douluo," Qian Renxue announced her title. "Level 93, Control-type Titled Douluo. Therefore, the three Titled Douluo guards will be my opponents. Your mission is to infiltrate the second underground level, destroy all research data and experimental equipment, and then either release or eradicate the Void Soul Beasts."
"Eradicate?" Zhang Wan frowned. "Can't we save them? Those soul beasts are innocent..."
"Soul beasts that have been modified by the power of the Void are beyond saving," Qian Renxue's tone was calm, but everyone could hear the heavy sorrow beneath that calmness. "Their souls have been eroded, and their consciousnesses warped. All that remains is the instinct to destroy and kill. Letting them live would be the greatest cruelty of all."
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