Chapter 13: The Abomination Douluo, Taking a Disciple?
"Greetings, 6th Consecrated Elder."
Without Zhang Peng needing to say a word, a gloomy, stooped old man flashed directly in front of him. After observing Chen Ming for a moment, he respectfully lowered his head and bowed to Zhang Peng.
"Mm. Is the 6th Elder here?" Zhang Peng nodded calmly and asked.
"The 6th Elder is cultivating in his residence. May I ask why the 6th Consecrated Elder is looking for him? Do you require this old servant to pass along a message?" The stooped old man forced out a flattering smile, but on his thin, skeletal face, that smile looked even more terrifying than silence.
"Good. Go find him. Tell him I have urgent business to discuss. If he has time, let me know, and I will go see him."
"Yes."
The old man nodded and released his Martial Soul.
It was some kind of shadow like Martial Soul, yet even more malevolent. With Chen Ming's eyesight and experience, he could not identify it at all. He only felt as though something filled with malice was constantly writhing within that shadow.
However, the 8 Spirit Rings floating beside the old man, 2 yellow, 3 purple, and 3 black, instantly caught Chen Ming's attention.
This stooped old man, who acted so humble and obsequious before Zhang Peng, was a genuine Evil Spirit Master Spirit Douluo.
The shadow writhed, and the old man was swallowed by his own shadow. Then the shadow directly merged into a crack and vanished somewhere unknown. About 10 minutes later, the shadow emerged once more from a corner, and the old man respectfully bowed his head to Zhang Peng again.
"6th Consecrated Elder, the 6th Elder invites you in."
"Good."
Zhang Peng grabbed Chen Ming by the collar and turned into a streak of black light, drilling into a tunnel. After twisting and turning for an unknown length of time, the 2 of them finally arrived before an Immortal Cave.
The metal carved door stood half open. A fat old man, whose clothes still carried traces of dark red stains, stood smiling at the entrance with a little chubby boy beside him. When he saw Zhang Peng arrive with Chen Ming, the fat old man stepped forward and revealed a warm smile.
"Brother Zhang, what brings you to see me today?"
This fat old man was none other than Hate Douluo, ranked 6th among the 8 Great Elders of the Holy Spirit Cult. Beneath his seemingly harmless appearance lurked a bloody aura mixed with a sticky, somewhat rotten stench.
Although his gaze appeared extremely peaceful, the moment it swept over him, Chen Ming felt as though he were being stared at by a terrifying Vicious Beast.
An invisible giant mouth seemed to open slowly toward him. That sticky, rotten smell of blood felt like the foul saliva of some monstrous creature. It seemed that if Zhang Peng had not been standing beside him, his head would have been seized and crushed in the very next moment.
"While I was out, I happened to come across a seedling whose Martial Soul is the same as yours, so I brought him here."
Zhang Peng patted Chen Ming on the shoulder. Without needing any further prompting, Chen Ming directly summoned his Martial Soul.
The newly bought clothes on Chen Ming's body instantly ripped apart as his Martial Soul possessed him. His body swelled like a balloon, thick fatty flesh rapidly expanding until his entire body was covered in putrid green. In just a few breaths, Chen Ming had nearly transformed into a sphere.
With every breath he took, a rotten, plague ridden aura surged from his mouth and nose. A deep yellow Spirit Ring floated around him. An aura of evil, coldness, and decay, mixed with a bizarre vitality, blossomed from within Chen Ming's body.
"Abomination Martial Soul? Slightly different from mine, but indeed the same Abomination Martial Soul."
Hate Douluo was also deeply surprised as he watched Chen Ming's Martial Soul Possession. The hidden malice and hunger in his eyes gradually receded, and his entire demeanor softened.
"This child comes from a farming family. His family died from plague and persecution. He awakened his Martial Soul just as he was about to die from illness. According to my inspection, this child has Innate Full Spirit Power, and he obtained his 1st Spirit Ring by accident. His talent is quite outstanding, and his learning ability is also extremely good."
Zhang Peng paused here and glanced at the harmless looking little fatty standing beside Hate Douluo.
He knew that this little fatty was Hate Douluo's biological grandson, Lu Genggeng, an Evil Spirit Master whose Martial Soul was also Abomination.
Although he was still young, because of his Innate talent, along with Hate Douluo's pampering and guidance, he was already somewhat famous among the various evil 2nd generations and evil Nth generations of the Holy Spirit Cult, regarded as someone who might one day become a Titled Douluo.
"6th Elder, this is the Disciple I found for you. I wonder if he suits your taste."
Zhang Peng deliberately emphasized the word Disciple.
"Thank you, Brother Zhang. To receive such an outstanding Disciple is naturally my good fortune."
Hate Douluo grinned and revealed a kindly expression toward Chen Ming.
"Greetings, Teacher."
Chen Ming raised his head and cupped his hands toward Hate Douluo in greeting.
Although Chen Ming had absolutely no idea what kind of person Hate Douluo truly was, nor what he might face in the future, gaining the backing of a Titled Douluo within the Holy Spirit Cult was almost the most perfect opening he could possibly hope for.
Even if he were only a Disciple, because of his Martial Soul and Zhang Peng's recommendation, Chen Ming felt that at the very least he would be able to learn things unavailable elsewhere and survive within the Holy Spirit Cult.
As for the future...
Chen Ming could only take it one step at a time. Who could know what the future would bring?
Zhang Peng nodded, gave Chen Ming a push toward Hate Douluo, then shot Hate Douluo a meaningful look. Hate Douluo paused for a moment before understanding Zhang Peng's meaning, and he cupped his hands.
"In a few days, I will definitely pay Brother Zhang a visit."
"Mm."
Zhang Peng looked at Hate Douluo, then looked at Chen Ming, who had turned around and was watching him with reluctance in his eyes, and nodded.
"Senior Zhang Peng, this junior will never forget your great kindness. In the future, with just one word from you, I will go through fire and water without the slightest hesitation!"
Chen Ming dropped to both knees and sincerely thanked Zhang Peng.
Watching this scene, Hate Douluo and Lu Genggeng said nothing, but a trace of complexity flashed through Zhang Peng's eyes.
"Good. Don't forget these words in the future."
After saying this, Zhang Peng turned into a cloud of black mist and left directly.
Chen Ming stood up and bowed deeply toward Hate Douluo.
"Greetings, Teacher."
"Good."
Hate Douluo smiled and helped Chen Ming up, then placed one hand on Chen Ming's shoulder and the other on his grandson Lu Genggeng's shoulder, leading them back into the Immortal Cave. With a surge of Spirit Power, the half open metal door instantly slammed shut.
If anyone could see that metal door clearly at this moment, they would surely feel terror rise from the depths of their heart.
Embedded within the 2 metal doors were several distorted human figures. Judging by the vivid struggle and agony frozen on their faces, these people had clearly been thrown alive into boiling metal solution, then permanently fixed inside the metal as it cooled, turned into twisted and bizarre decorations.
And if one looked closely, one could still detect a trace of living pain lingering upon those faces. Their Spirits had been permanently Sealed within their own corpses through a special secret technique.
The dark red color formed from human blood was the only decorative shade on the door, and the source of that color was not some special dye, but the blood of living humans poured directly onto it.
Bizarre, evil, twisted...
This single door alone already fit every stereotype associated with Evil Spirit Masters.
Within the Holy Spirit Cult, there were true Evil Spirit Masters, half evil Spirit Masters, and ordinary Spirit Masters who had simply been labeled as Evil Spirit Masters. But without question, the 8 Great Elders of the Holy Spirit Cult were all Evil Spirit Masters, and among Evil Spirit Masters, they were the most evil of all.
If the legends told in the outside world were mostly exaggerated when it came to most Evil Spirit Masters, then for the 8 Great Elders, those legends could not even begin to describe what they had done. The vast majority of Evil Spirit Masters were nowhere near their level of wickedness.
After the door closed, a distorted black mist appeared again, and Zhang Peng, who had supposedly left, reappeared before the door.
Thinking of Chen Ming's talent and sincere demeanor, a rare trace of hesitation appeared on Zhang Peng's face. After a faint sigh, he commanded a beast Spirit to quietly slip straight into Hate Douluo's residence.
The door, which used evil methods to restrain Spirits, constantly emitted distorted and agonized mental fluctuations. Such fluctuations could block the probing of most Evil Spirit Masters, but they absolutely could not block Zhang Peng.
When it came to commanding Spirits, Zhang Peng, whose Martial Soul was the Scorpion Tiger, was the true expert. Hate Douluo was merely an amateur imitating the form.
Even though Hate Douluo was a Titled Douluo, he remained completely unaware of the beast Spirit's infiltration. He simply kept smiling as he led Chen Ming and Lu Genggeng deeper into the Immortal Cave.
.....
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