In terms of resources, what Ye Xishui poured into Castorice far exceeded the limits the Star Luo Imperial Family could give Caelus.
In terms of talent, the advantages of this Golden Scion body in absorbing Soul Power efficiency and Cultivating mental force completely crushed all so-called Geniuses of this era.
"An unprecedented eight-year-old Soul Elder…"
Fei Yan murmured softly.
She still remembered that when Castorice's Soul Power reached Rank 30 and she came to report, even the usually unfathomable Supreme Cult Master Ye Xishui was rarely stunned for a moment.
And Cult Master Zhong Liwu was ecstatic, repeatedly exclaiming that the era of the Holy Spirit Cult was about to arrive, and the level of importance and protection for Castorice instantly increased by several grades.
One must know that Zhong Liwu's own Disciple, Yan Feng, that Genius with a Bone Dragon Martial Soul, also had astonishing Cultivation speed.
But in Zhong Liwu's eyes now, Yan Feng and Castorice were already as different as heaven and earth.
In these two years, Castorice was by no means a hothouse flower in the Holy Spirit Cult.
Almost all elite Disciples at the headquarters, whose Cultivation was below Soul King, had been defeated by her.
Whether it was an Evil Soul Master Genius who rapidly improved Cultivation through strange evil methods, or an opponent whose Rank was a major Rank higher than hers, in front of her pure Death power, not a single person could last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and she had no record of defeat.
Fei Yan looked at the young girl in front of her, whose aura was becoming deeper and whose appearance was so exquisite that she did not seem like a mortal being, and her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
She was not only Castorice's Dao Protector, but to some extent, also an observer, watching the growth of an unprecedented monster personally crafted by the Supreme Cult Master.
Just as Castorice had stabilized her Realm, and the three spirit rings had not yet fully receded, a slightly hoarse voice with a peculiar accent came from the crown of a tall, withered tree nearby:
"Tsk tsk tsk… An eight-year-old Soul Elder, two purple and one black. Little girl, you truly are an out-and-out monster."
The voice appeared without warning, as if it had merged with the surrounding dead silent forest.
Fei Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, and scarlet Soul Power instantly condensed around her. She almost instinctively took a step forward, completely shielding Castorice, whose aura had not yet fully calmed, behind her.
She looked up, her gaze sharp as a knife, locking onto the source of the voice, her tone cold and filled with undisguised hostility:
"Old Poison, what are you doing here?"
On the branches of that dead tree, a figure was leaning, having appeared there at some unknown time.
The person had long dark green hair, an aged face, and unnaturally pale skin. A faint, ethereal aura of death permeated his body, both blending with the forest's own deathly atmosphere and carrying a unique, heart-pounding toxicity.
Most striking were his eyes, murky green with the vicissitudes of time, now gazing at Castorice below with undisguised astonishment and complexity.
Castorice looked up, a flicker of imperceptible fluctuation in her amethyst-like eyes.
She recognized this person.
Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
In this era, he was not a living person, but a departed Soul randomly resurrected by "myriad karma true blood," pulled back from the dust of history ten thousand years ago—a Nirvana Corpse with memories and power from his past life.
Through some Opportunity, he was encountered by the Third Elder Nether Thunder Douluo, who was out on an assignment for the Holy Spirit Cult, and was eventually recruited to join the Holy Spirit Cult.
Unlike the non-human state he might have been in when first resurrected, his appearance now was no different from an ordinary person. This was clearly the result of a powerful Nirvana Corpse having extreme control over his own flesh and blood, concealing his true nature.
Castorice's thoughts raced, confirming that Dugu Bo should not know that she was the source of the "myriad karma true blood."
His appearance here was most likely a coincidence, perhaps attracted by the energy fluctuations from hunting Soul Beast and absorbing spirit ring just now.
Dugu Bo on the tree heard Fei Yan's unfriendly questioning and showed a helpless, bitter smile on his face. He waved his hand, his posture relaxed, to show that he had no ill intentions:
"Scarlet Douluo, why are you so nervous? I just happened to pass by, felt the energy fluctuations, and came to take a look."
His gaze fell on Castorice again, and the astonishment in his eyes grew even stronger.
"I have no ill will, nor would I dare to."
The desolation in his tone deepened a few points, and he self-mockingly said:
"I am merely an old fossil who died ten thousand years ago, fortunate enough to have this second life. How dare I harbor any unfavorable thoughts towards the Death Saintess personally appointed by the Supreme Cult Master? Moreover, the Holy Spirit Cult can take in an anomaly like me, who is not tolerated by the World, and give me a place to live. I still remember this kindness."
He paused, his voice deepening, carrying a sense of desolation that had traversed ten thousand years:
"Otherwise, with my appearance as a living dead, in the eyes of those major forces who claim to be on the Righteous Path, I would probably be considered more of a heretic than an Evil Soul Master, and sooner or later, I would be executed on behalf of heaven and utterly destroyed."
At this point, a hint of indescribable desolation and confusion flashed in Dugu Bo's emerald eyes.
After his resurrection, he went through a period of confusion and adaptation, and also secretly investigated this unfamiliar new era.
Ten thousand years had passed, and the World had changed drastically.
The former Heaven Dou and Star Luo pattern had changed, and Spirit Hall had long become dust in history.
And those Little freaks in his memory, such as Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Oscar, were rumored to have already achieved God Position and Ascended to the God Realm.
Former acquaintances, rivals, and even his granddaughter, whom he worried about most, had long turned to dust.
This World no longer held anything he was familiar with.
He was like a wandering Soul who had walked into the wrong era, possessing powerful strength but nowhere to place his heart that belonged to the past.
Upon hearing this, Fei Yan's tense nerves slightly relaxed, but the vigilance in her eyes did not completely disappear.
She said coldly, "It's good that you know. The Holy Maiden has just had a Breakthrough and needs to stabilize her Realm. If there's nothing else, please feel free to leave."
Dugu Bo took a deep look at Castorice, his eyes complex and difficult to understand, filled with astonishment and curiosity.
After all, Castorice's talent was too terrifying. Even the Tang San of back then would not dare to call himself a Genius in front of Castorice, right?
He said no more, his figure seemingly merging into the air, silently disappearing from the withered treetop, as if he had never appeared.
Star Luo Royal Junior Soul Master Academy, back mountain stargazing platform.
The night was cool as water, and the countless stars were embedded like shattered diamonds in the deep firmament.
Caelus sat alone on the cold steps, looking up at the vast starry sea, the light of the stars reflected in his shattered golden eyes, yet deeper and more unfathomable than the stars themselves.
He closed his eyes slightly, feeling the connection from the depths of his Soul.
In a distant direction, another body was emitting stable and powerful Soul Power fluctuations—Rank 33, three rings, two purple and one black.
"A Soul Elder, huh?"
Caelus's lips curved into a faint arc, his mood very pleasant.