Wasn't it said that the Holy Spirit Cult had already disappeared? Even their headquarters was destroyed by the Sun Moon Empire, so how could the Sixth Elder appear here?
The group of disciples exchanged glances. Though no one spoke, the confusion in each other's eyes was clear.
Their soul power surged within their bodies. Everyone was weighing whether to fight here and now, after all, dying here would be better than being taken back to the Holy Spirit Cult and enduring endless torment.
But before they could make up their minds, the Abomination Douluo spoke again.
"Since it's you all… follow me."
With those words, the Abomination Douluo turned and began walking. "We'll see how the Sect Master deals with you."
He had naturally sensed the surging soul power within the disciples, but he paid it no mind. In the face of such a vast gap in strength, even if he stood still and offered no resistance, these disciples might not be able to harm him.
Sect Master?
Watching the Abomination Douluo's departing figure, the confusion on their faces deepened.
"We…"
"Ahem, let's follow." Tang Ya gave a light cough. "If the Holy Spirit Cult still exists, we've long since had no chance to struggle."
Her words fell, and silence settled over the group once more. Tang Ya was right; if the Holy Spirit Cult truly still existed, then after undergoing the Spirit Ascension Ceremony, they wouldn't even have the ability to resist.
The extreme northern wind and snow continued. The sky had only cleared for a short while before snowflakes began drifting down again, completely covering their footsteps and erasing any trace of where they had come from.
All of them were soul masters, the weakest at the Soul King level or above. Apart from Tang Ya, who had been injured during their escape from Heaven Dou City, the others could still withstand the chill in the air.
After walking for who knew how long, a low mountain range finally appeared in their field of vision. As they drew closer, they saw a massive stele standing before the mountain, seemingly built entirely from solid ice, yet bearing no words at all.
Beyond the outer hills, several simple courtyards came into view. Though the scale wasn't large, the buildings were clearly differentiated, giving off the faint impression of a sect.
At the entrance, a figure stood quietly. The moment the Abomination Douluo arrived with the group, a voice rang out.
"The Sect Master has emerged from seclusion."
The voice carried over, and the disciples following behind the Abomination felt their bodies tremble in unison. An icy, heavy sensation rose in their hearts, far colder and heavier than the extreme northern chill around them.
The wind howled past their ears. In just a few short breaths, it felt to them as though an eternity had passed. Standing behind the Abomination Douluo, they remained motionless, awaiting the "Sect Master's" judgment.
"I've been in seclusion for some time and didn't expect things here to have changed so much. Since you've come, don't just stand at the entrance, come in."
The voice drifted out from within and brushed past their ears.
For some reason, the disciples suddenly felt this voice was different from the one they had heard in the Holy Spirit Cult before. It even sounded somewhat… familiar.
During the time Lin Xiao had been in seclusion, the Abomination had not idled for a moment. With Na Na's help, he had expanded from those initial few rooms into several additional courtyards, giving the place the faint appearance of a sect.
Passing through the main gate, a modest plaza lay directly ahead. Raising their heads, they saw a hall with Lin Xiao standing before it. He wore a black robe adorned with dark red and deep blue patterns that flowed slowly across the fabric as if alive.
"Sect Master." The Abomination Douluo halted.
"This is—"
The disciples stood in the plaza before the hall, tilting their heads slightly to look up at the figure before them.
"What, once I take off the mask, you don't recognize me anymore?"
The familiar voice rang out again, and finally someone cried out in shock.
"Eighth Elder?"
But… Sect Master?
They looked at one another in bewilderment, then turned their gazes toward the Abomination Douluo.
Lin Xiao swept his eyes over them and immediately understood they must have misunderstood something.
He turned to look at the Abomination and gave a helpless laugh.
If it were anyone else, they might have deliberately teased these disciples for fun—but with the Abomination, perhaps he had genuinely forgotten to explain the current situation to them.
Turning back, the smile remained on Lin Xiao's face.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Tongming Sect."
"Na Na, take them to rest for a bit first. I see someone is injured. I have some medicine here, take it along as well. Later, bring them to my room to find me."
"Yes, Sect Master."
Lin Xiao took two steps forward and looked toward Tang Ya.
"Whatever you want to say, we can talk about it later. I've only just come out of seclusion, and honestly, I don't know much about how things are here now."
Tang Ya seemed to finally snap back to herself and gave a gentle nod.
Watching their figures disappear with Na Na, Lin Xiao then turned back to the Abomination Douluo.
"You've worked hard during this time."
The Abomination merely shook his head. "I like doing these things."
Lin Xiao paused slightly at the words. In this world where martial souls existed, it seemed rare for soul masters to mention hobbies outside of cultivation. His understanding of the Abomination still seemed quite limited.
"By the way, Sect Master, I erected a stele outside the mountain. Please inscribe some words on it when you have time."
"That's not urgent." Lin Xiao smiled faintly and raised his hand lightly. Several soul lamps floated up into his palm. "They managed to find their way here, so it can be considered fate. Let's return these to them first."
"Sect Master, do you intend to keep them here?"
"It depends on their own wishes. If someone wants to leave, I won't stop them. If they wish to stay, that's fine too. After all… this place was created for disciples like them."
"We are willing to stay."
It was already night outside. Inside the hall, several figures had already knelt before Lin Xiao.
"We greet the Sect Master."
As if they had agreed on it beforehand, they all bowed in unison.
"Get up. The Tongming Sect cannot offer you too much, just a place to take shelter from the storm. There's no need for such formalities in the future."
"Yes, Sect Master." They responded in unison, stood up, yet none of them raised their heads.
"The soul lamps have been returned to you. The Tongming Sect will no longer restrict you in that way."
"Thank you, Sect Master!"
Looking at the lingering traces of the Holy Spirit Cult still visible on the disciples, Lin Xiao shook his head and walked over to Tang Ya.
"I'm sorry, Sect Master, I…"
Seeing Tang Ya hesitate to speak, Lin Xiao raised a hand to stop her. "I know you still have the Tang Sect in your heart. But you don't need to worry, if you have nowhere else to go, you can stay here too."
"The purpose of founding the Tongming Sect was never to make it flourish into something grand…" Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly as he spoke.
"Sect Master, there are countless disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult. If we continue accepting them, I'm afraid this place will soon be discovered by people from the Sun Moon Empire." Na Na looked at the disciples whose faces were filled with joy and spoke with some concern.
"Indeed." Lin Xiao also looked around. "Then I'll make a trip to Mingdu to see how things are outside. Conveniently, there's one more thing I need to do."
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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