Human lives are as insignificant as weeds.
Even the noblest of Soul Masters are no exception.
"Only with formidable strength can one control their own destiny and fear no plot or scheme."
Qin Xiao thought to himself, feeling the urgency to improve his cultivation level.
Afterward, he retracted his gaze, rose into the air, and headed straight for the Pope Hall.
...
Meanwhile.
The atmosphere inside the Pope Hall was tense.
Qian Daoliu, Bi Bidong, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Golden Crocodile Douluo, Azure Phoenix Douluo, and a host of other powerhouses were all present.
"Has there been any news of Qin Xiao?"
Qian Daoliu asked in a deep voice.
Bi Bidong remained silent.
At the bottom of the seating arrangement, Ju Douluo respectfully replied, "Replying to the Grand Worshipper, we have yet to receive any news about Qin Xiao. However, given that he was strong enough to slay that powerful Demon Lord, he should be unharmed. His absence is likely due to some unforeseen delay."
But no sooner had he finished speaking,
the doors of the Pope Hall were flung open, and Qin Xiao, dressed in a purple robe and with an air of nonchalance, walked in.
Swish, swish, swish.
Pairs of eyes fell upon him, and the minds of those in the hall were flooded with countless thoughts.
But the two highest-ranking individuals in the Martial Soul Hall did not speak; even if they had a thousand queries, they dared not express them freely.
"I know you have many questions in your minds, so ask whatever you want.
I will hold nothing back in my answers."
Qin Xiao, with his keen intelligence, instantly glimpsed the thoughts of everyone present.
"Alright, then I will be the first to ask," Qian Daoliu, who had been holding back, cut to the chase and bluntly asked, "Is the Demon Lord Alba completely dead?"
Qin Xiao calmly replied, "He's gone, both body and spirit."
"Good!"
"Ghost Panther, my old brother, your spirit in heaven can now rest in peace."
Just as Qin Xiao finished speaking, an emotional voice rang out.
Qin Xiao turned to look and saw a scruffy one-armed man with tears in his eyes, speaking with complex emotions.
It was evident that he must be the Demon Bear Douluo, one of the members of the Martial Soul Hall's Elder Committee...
And what did his words imply?
The Ghost Panther Douluo has fallen?
It seems that the loss the Martial Soul Hall suffered this time was not minor... Qin Xiao murmured to himself in secrecy.
"Then do you know how these demons came to be on Soul Land?"
At that moment, Bi Bidong asked another question that everyone wanted the answer to.
How did creatures not native to Soul Land arrive in this world?
Previously, they had all analyzed that demons, being a race that thrived on devouring and destruction, likely discovered Soul Land by accident.
This time, Qin Xiao paused for a moment before slowly replying, "They were summoned to this world by a person."
"What!?"
"How could someone do such a thing!"
These words shocked everyone.
They had always assumed that the arrival of the demons was an accident involving the opening of a Spatial Passage.
But Qin Xiao then told them it was deliberate...
Not an accident?
The reality far exceeded their expectations, leaving them all in disbelief.
"That's the truth," Qin Xiao nodded solemnly.
Honestly, he hadn't anticipated such an event at the beginning either.
"Then who is responsible?"
"Did the Demon Lord Alba provide any clues before his death?"
Qian Daoliu urgently inquired.
He was more concerned about who the person was and their capabilities.
If possible, he would love nothing more than to flay and dismantle the one responsible for such deeds, as that would be the only way to soothe the hatred in his heart!
After all, the losses suffered by the Martial Soul Hall this time were immense, almost resulting in their eradication from Soul Land!
Qin Xiao revealed the truth, "This person is known as Tang San. Have you heard of him?"
"Tang San with the surname Tang?"
"Wait a minute."
Ning Fengzhi first looked stunned; then he suddenly furrowed his brows.
"Could it be Tang Hao's son, Tang San? The youth who once studied at Shrek Academy?"
"Yes, that's him," Qin Xiao nodded lightly.
"Is it really him?" Ning Fengzhi was astonished, "The son of Tang Hao, how could he do such a thing?"
And with these words, a storm rose in the hearts of everyone in the Martial Soul Hall.
They were not familiar with Tang San, but Tang Hao's name resounded like thunder in their ears.
The most outstanding genius of the Hao Tian Clan, the youngest Titled Douluo-level expert on Soul Land.
Of course, that wasn't all...
More importantly, the father of the Martial Soul Hall's previous Pope, the Grand Worshipper's son Qian Xun Ji, wasn't he killed by Tang Hao's hands?
The enmity between Tang Hao and the Martial Soul Hall ran deep.
"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable," Qian Daoliu shook his head incessantly, his eyes filled with surprise and a complex expression that flickered briefly before disappearing.
But Qian Daoliu was no ordinary person; after a momentary lapse, he regained his composure, and he asked Qin Xiao, "Then what is Tang San's current cultivation level?"
"He has become a god," Qin Xiao simply replied with four words.
Yet the meaning of these four words was enough to shock everyone.
"What!"
"Did you say a god!"
"He, how could he possibly have such a cultivation level? No, does someone on Soul Land truly possess such a level?"
Following the shock, voices of disbelief rose among them.
For them, even for Titled Douluo, the concept of a god was unimaginably distant.
Grand Worshipper Qian Daoliu was already considered the pinnacle of existence in their minds.
Now.
They are told that gods really do exist, and moreover, it's an enemy, how could they possibly accept this?
"The fact is just so,"
Qin Xiao shrugged helplessly in the face of everyone's shocked and uncertain expressions.
To tell the truth,
he was surprised as well.
Before this, Tang Chen had fought with him overseas, but now, in a dramatic turn of events, Tang San had become the Asura God. He could be certain that many secrets had unfolded.
"Now that the Hao Tian Clan disciple has become a god, this poses a significant hidden danger for us..."
After a moment, Golden Crocodile Douluo spoke gravely to Qiandaoliu.
Actually, he had put it quite mildly.
It was more than just a hidden danger.
Everyone knew that Tang San's ascension was a major threat.
"But if he has already become a god, why didn't he personally come to deal with us? Why did he summon demons instead?"
Azure Phoenix Douluo furrowed her brows, voicing her doubts.
She still felt that something was off.
"Indeed, one would think that as a god, now an unbeatable entity on Soul Land, dealing with his enemies directly would be simpler. Why bother summoning demons? Isn't that taking a longer route?"
Light Feather Douluo murmured his agreement.
After glancing at Azure Phoenix Douluo and Light Feather Douluo, Qin Xiao slowly said,
"Because Tang San has fallen into madness. He has become hopeless with this world and aims to destroy the order of Soul Land through the hands of demons, then establish a new order that belongs to him."
"After all, if he were to act personally, slaughtering left and right, what difference would there be between him and those demons? That would be detrimental to his rule, and might even cause the collapse of faith,"
Qin Xiao continued.
"So that's how it is..."
Everyone suddenly came to a realization.
But their mood did not lighten, it only grew heavier.
The thought of a god-level being intent on how to destroy all life on Soul Land did not sit well with anyone.
They might have withstood the attack this time, but what about the next?
"It seems that the arrival of the Demon Lord Alba was merely Tang San's probe. If he launches another attack, the damage caused will be catastrophic,"
Qiandaoliu's words were met with a nod from Qin Xiao, "That's right, after one failure, he will surely raise the stakes."
Looking at the worried expressions around him, Qin Xiao added, "But we are not without opportunities to resist."
"Could it be that apart from this news, you have discovered other secrets?" Qiandaoliu's eyes lit up, staring intently at Qin Xiao.
It was as if Qin Xiao held the key to a turnaround.
Glancing around, Qin Xiao nodded slowly, "Indeed, there is additional gain, but it's not Tang San's secrets I found—it's Soul Land's."
"Have you ever heard of the Plane Will?"
Qin Xiao did not intend to hide the existence of the Plane Will from everyone.
Firstly, the existence of the Plane Will is extremely special; if it doesn't wish to be discovered, no one can find it.
Secondly, you can't keep a secret forever.
Once Qiandaoliu, Ning Fengzhi, Bi Bidong, and the others unanimously agree to the proposal to go to the Demonic Plane, Qin Xiao would still need to explain how he's able to do these things...
It's better to be open and upfront than to let suspicions fester, Qin Xiao felt.
After all, what needs to be known will eventually come out, right?
However, even with Qin Xiao's intent to be candid, most people were still confused after hearing his explanation.
That included Bi Bidong and Ning Fengzhi.
Only Qiandaoliu furrowed his brows in thought for a moment and tentatively said, "According to the secrets left by the God of Angels, our continent is also an extremely special entity, akin to a person with its own soul and life, and its consciousness could be referred to as the Plane Will."
Qiandaoliu's explanation was concise and to the point, allowing everyone to grasp the gist. They couldn't help but gasp in amazement:
"The land beneath our feet has its own consciousness?"
"This is indeed too unbelievable..."
"I am quite curious to know what the Plane Will told you."
Qiandaoliu's words had refreshed their understanding, and at the same time, endless curiosity arose within them.
"Indeed,"
Qin Xiao continued where Qiandaoliu left off, "After I slew Alba, the Plane Will chose to proactively make contact with me.
It told me that by slaying these invaders from another world, its power could also grow. If we were to slay even more enemies, it could even grant us power enhancements and improve our cultivation levels."
"And with the assistance of the Plane Will, it might not be long before we can rapidly increase our strength.
In the future, even if Tang San were to wage war again, we would still have the capability to resist, and even launch a counterattack."
So that's how it is!
Hearing Qin Xiao's words, everyone showed a look of sudden realization.
At the same time, their spirits were greatly stirred.
It was like a patient diagnosed with a terminal illness, suddenly receiving the hope of survival.
But as leaders, Bi Bidong and Qiandaoliu didn't show the same joy as the others; instead, they furrowed their brows.
They noticed that Qin Xiao had just mentioned, if we could slay even more enemies...
So the question arises, where shall we go to slay these enemies?
"Brother Qin, just speak frankly, what do we need to do if we wish to receive help from the Plane Will?"
"This matter isn't quite as simple,"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes shone with a wise light.
He, too, had discerned the deeper meaning in Qin Xiao's words.
As the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he also had a say in the midst of this gathering.
"You've guessed correctly, to get something in return, there needs to be a certain level of sacrifice. To enhance one's strength, there's always a price to pay."
"Right now, the power of the Plane Will is too weak to directly assist us. But there is an indirect method..."
"That is to open a channel to the Demonic Plane, just like those demons that invaded us, we will appear in their world for our revenge. Meanwhile, the Plane Will will grant us the attribute of absorption, allowing us to extract power from every enemy we kill, transforming their strength into our own to enhance our cultivation levels."
Qin Xiao, aside from not telling everyone that he would take a cut from their gains, left almost nothing hidden.
In contrast, the crowd was shocked after hearing Qin Xiao's words.
Even the weakest among them in the great hall, who were all at the Titled Douluo Level, widened their eyes in astonishment, unable to close their mouths.
Did I hear that wrong?
The Plane Will actually wants us to leave Soul Land and go to another world?
It could be said that this was an absolutely explosive idea.
It was beyond their wildest dreams.
"Although it's outrageous, this is the reality,"
Seeing their reactions, Qin Xiao could only spread his hands helplessly.
Wasn't he also shocked when he first heard the thoughts of the Plane Will?
It requires time to accept.
For a long, long time.
The light in Qiandaoliu's eyes gradually turned resolute, and he asked Qin Xiao in a solemn voice, "Do you know what kind of force the Demonic Plane represents?"
"Well..."
Qin Xiao did not answer immediately but pondered seriously for a moment before slowly speaking, "The Demonic Plane is ruled by five Monarchs, meaning there are five beings with strength comparable to yours.
But now with Alba dead, there are only four Monarchs left, as well as countless demons of varying strength."
"I didn't expect the Demonic Plane to be so strong..." Qiandaoliu suddenly furrowed his brow, "The remaining four Monarchs are no pushovers, so with our strength, going to the Demonic Plane would be like seeking death, wouldn't it?"
"You're right, going to the Demonic Plane is indeed a very dangerous matter. It's even highly possible that if we went, we might never return.
Once, I heard a fishmonger say something quite sensible.
'The greater the storm, the pricier the fish. Without risking danger, how can we profit? After all, wasting away in Soul Land won't improve our cultivation, and when Tang San attacks again, it's likely a road to death."
After Qin Xiao finished speaking, different expressions appeared on everyone's faces.
Some were eager to try, some were anxious, and others looked ready to risk it all...
Then Qin Xiao added, "If we choose to go head-to-head with those four Monarchs, indeed, there'll be no good outcome. We could even get devoured to the bone, leaving nothing behind."
"But the five Monarchs of the Demonic Plane are not a united front; they have suspicions among themselves..."
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