"Heh, it's too late for that. You've captured the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall. Do you think they'll sit idly by? They'll definitely send their forces en masse to rescue her. Do you really think you'll have time to continue cultivating this so-called Bloodthirsty Vine?"
Hearing Blood Bat's fanatical words, Lin Ye, seated beside Hu Liena, let out a mocking chuckle, his tone dripping with disdain.
"Kehehe, indeed, there's no chance left!"
Blood Bat lowered his hands and broke into sinister laughter.
"But even if I can't continue hunting here, so what? Since I've captured the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Hall, do you think I'll have any trouble escaping from this place?"
His malicious gaze turned toward Lin Ye, eyes gleaming with cold intent.
"You're planning to use Hu Liena as a hostage?!"
Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat as he immediately grasped Blood Bat's intentions.
But something didn't sit right. If his goal had been to use Hu Liena as a hostage, he could've done so earlier. Back then, he could have not only leveraged her but also saved the remaining Evil Soul Masters, like the Faceless One and Ifrit.
Yet, Blood Bat hadn't done that. Instead, he had brought Hu Liena here.
There was definitely more to this than it seemed!
The realization struck Lin Ye like a thunderclap.
"A hostage? Heh, you're only half right!"
Blood Bat's sinister grin deepened as he cackled.
"But none of this concerns you anymore. You're destined to die in front of this little girl. This Bloodthirsty Vine will be your final resting place!"
With those words, Blood Bat sneered and began advancing toward Lin Ye.
"Wait!"
Lin Ye suddenly shouted as Blood Bat drew closer.
"Wait? Do you think I'd let you go? Whether you're with the Spirit Hall or not, it doesn't matter. Don't think I've forgotten—it's because of people like you that we were captured by the Spirit Hall!"
His face contorted with mockery, Blood Bat stopped and sneered coldly.
"Of course, no matter who you are, once you're in our hands, you're doomed. Do you really think an Evil Soul Master would spare you?"
Lin Ye took a deep breath, his expression serious. "I know. Falling into the hands of Evil Soul Masters, I'm not expecting to live. But before I die, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Questions? Ha! What's the point? You're going to die soon. Knowing more won't change that."
Blood Bat scoffed, his disdain evident.
"I'm just a curious person by nature. If I die without answers, it'll bother me even in the afterlife," Lin Ye said earnestly.
"Kehehe, kid, I'm an Evil Soul Master. You think I'm here to satisfy your curiosity? Whether you die content or not has nothing to do with me!"
Blood Bat burst into a fit of eerie laughter.
"I'm already a dead man. No one can save me here. Answering my questions won't cost you anything." Lin Ye's tone shifted, calm yet probing. "Besides, don't you think it's dull that only Evil Soul Masters know about your grand plan? Let someone like me in on it. I'm just an ordinary person—I can't spread the word, and it won't affect your plans..."
Lin Ye smirked faintly as he spoke.
Blood Bat hesitated, his mind stirred.
That's true... This kid is about to die anyway. Sharing a bit of our grand plan shouldn't matter.
It's always been us Evil Soul Masters who know our ambitions. Maybe letting this kid hear about it and watching his shocked expression could be entertaining...
A sinister smile spread across Blood Bat's face as he reached his decision.
"Fine, you've convinced me. Ask away. I'll answer a few of your questions."
"It's nothing much," Lin Ye began, his voice calm. "I'm just curious—what exactly is your grand plan? Spirit Hall claims you're trying to help one of your leaders ascend to become a Title Douluo. But what's the specific plan?"
Taking a deep breath, Lin Ye met Blood Bat's gaze.
"The specifics? Even I don't know the full details. I'm only responsible for one part of it—coming to the Eternal Night Forest to hunt spirit masters and humans to cultivate this Bloodthirsty Vine."
"Other teams have similar assignments, each carrying a Bloodthirsty Vine to different locations. Their job is to hunt down civilians and spirit masters to mature the vine. As long as half of us succeed and deliver the fruit to Lord Blood Infant, he'll ascend to Title Douluo."
"The potential of Evil Soul Masters is unparalleled. No other cultivation method in the Douluo Continent can compare to our speed. But we've always lacked a powerhouse to lead us."
"If Lord Blood Infant becomes a Title Douluo, we'll form a faction strong enough to rival the Upper Three Sects. Even Spirit Hall won't be able to suppress us anymore."
Blood Bat's eyes burned with fanaticism as he continued, "Lord Blood Infant is invincible. If he ascends to Title Douluo, even your Spirit Hall would need two Title Douluos to stop him. Spirit Hall wouldn't dare commit all its forces to fight us!"
"But once Lord Blood Infant succeeds, we'll use his strength to help more of us Evil Soul Masters break through to the Spirit Douluo realm. When that happens, Spirit Hall will no longer be a threat!"
Blood Bat's fervor was almost contagious as he envisioned the rise of Evil Soul Masters.
Yet Lin Ye felt nothing but disgust.
A world where Evil Soul Masters thrived? It would be a slaughterhouse. Ordinary people's lives would become nothing more than fodder for their twisted ambitions.
Suppressing his revulsion, Lin Ye forced himself to remain calm. "I see. One last question—how exactly do you plan to escape from here? If you were using Hu Liena as a hostage, you should've been able to save your subordinates earlier."
"Using this little girl as a hostage is part of my plan, but I'll never let her return safely to Spirit Hall," Blood Bat sneered.
"This girl is Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, their future Pontiff. Letting her live would spell doom for us Evil Soul Masters. Spirit Hall has oppressed us for so long—it's time they felt some pain."
"I have a drop of Lord Blood Infant's essence blood. It's how I've survived until now. I'll inject it into her body and leave her behind. Once I've secured the Bloodthirsty Vine, I'll detonate the essence blood remotely. Watching their Holy Maiden explode into pieces right before their eyes... Spirit Hall's despair will be delightful!"
Blood Bat erupted into maniacal laughter, savoring the chaos he envisioned.
Lin Ye clenched his fists, his heart burning with cold determination. I won't let this happen.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y