CHAPTER 341: CHAPTER 341 – WHO’S REALLY THE EVIL SOUL MASTER?

"Since both Sister and Brother-in-law said so, I’m not going to go easy on them! If they don’t agree, we’ll just smash our way in!"

Ziji rubbed her fists together, face full of excitement.

Dan Heng’s group set out together, heading straight for the Pope’s Palace.

Since they weren’t hiding anymore, there was no need to take detours.

They had already toured Spirit City — now it was time for business!

At the gates of the Pope’s Palace

Mighty Strength Douluo Cheng Gang spotted Ziji and snorted,"You again? You’re with them?"

Hands on her hips, Ziji replied,"That’s right! Old man, you still want to stop me, huh? Well, I—"

Cheng Gang waved his hand."No, why would I stop you? Since you’re willing to come, go on in. Follow me, I’ll take you to see the Pope."

"You...!!!"

Ziji nearly coughed up blood in anger.

This bastard actually reversed the script on her!

She had been all ready to cause a huge ruckus and turn the Pope’s Palace upside down...and now he wasn’t even stopping her?

Face darkening, Ziji turned to Gu Yuena."Sister, can I still go ahead and make a scene?"

"Behave yourself." Gu Yuena shot her a glare.

Not hiding didn’t mean they wanted unnecessary trouble.Since the other party was cooperating, stirring up more problems would just be pointless.

Ziji pouted, waving her fist angrily at Cheng Gang’s back.

Following Cheng Gang, they quickly arrived at a grand hall.

Inside, many high-ranking members of the Spirit Hall were deep in discussion.When they saw the newcomers, they immediately fell silent.

Up on the high platform, Ye Guyi leaned lazily on one hand, bored out of her mind.The moment she saw Dan Heng and the others, her eyes lit up and she sat up straight.

"Ahem! Who has come to see this Pope?"

Her delicate face was brimming with pride, eyes gleaming with expectation as she looked at them.

Dan Heng and the others paused slightly.They hadn’t expected Ye Guyi to actually be the Pope of the Spirit Hall.

Ziji scowled instantly."Oh, so it’s you, little girl! You were the Pope all along, why didn’t you tell us the truth?!"

In a flash, Ziji appeared at the top platform, right beside Ye Guyi,grabbed her cheeks with one hand, and squeezed hard.

"Ahhh—! Ow, ow, ow!"

Ye Guyi’s soft cheeks were so tender they could practically drip water.She winced in pain, nearly tearing up,completely caught off guard.

This was nothing like she had imagined!

She was the Pope now — it was bad enough that Spirit Hall’s soul masters didn’t respect her,but even outsiders didn’t fear her?She was utterly miserable.

"We’re here to borrow information on Evil Soul Masters," Bi Ji reminded, bringing them back to the matter at hand.

Dan Heng suddenly said,"Poseidon, take care of them."

He meant Tang Ya and the three little ones.As for the rest — the weakest among them was still a Titled Douluo.

"No problem." Poseidon shrugged, casting a playful look at the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder, dressed in golden robes, stared at them with murky eyes...eyes that seemed to hold... desire.

"Let go of me! It hurts! You people really have no respect for authority! You even dare do this in front of the Pope! It’s only because I’m magnanimous that I won’t hold it against you!"

Ye Guyi rubbed her face, now hiding to the side of the throne, afraid of Ziji.

Ziji plopped herself down."Hurry and get it! Don’t waste time!"

Ye Guyi puffed up her cheeks like a bullied kitten.

"Just do as she says..."

But the Grand Elder shook his head with a sigh."I’m afraid... you can’t."

"...?"

Both Ye Guyi and Ziji froze.

"What are you talking about, Grand Elder? What’s wrong with letting them look at the records on Evil Soul Masters?" Ye Guyi protested.

"Crying thief to catch a thief — if we let them see, won’t they know exactly what intel Spirit Hall has?" the Grand Elder said slowly.

"?!!"

Ye Guyi blinked in surprise.

Ziji suddenly laughed coldly."What did you say? We’re the thieves? Bullshit! We’re looking for Evil Soul Masters — we’re not here to help you catch thieves!"

Silence fell.

The Grand Elder slowly walked up the steps toward Ziji, speaking as he went:

"A few days ago, outside Spirit City, your group attacked one of Spirit Hall’s great seniors from ten thousand years ago... using undead creatures.

"There were many eyewitnesses.

"You are Evil Soul Masters — so why bother coming here to look for them?"

The moment he finished, every Spirit Hall soul master turned to stare at Dan Heng’s group, releasing their martial spirits and soul rings.

In an instant, glowing rings lit up the hall in dazzling colors.

From the rafters and hidden corners, a squad of soul engineers emerged, weapons aimed at them.

Dan Heng raised an eyebrow, watching the Grand Elder’s back.

That rapidly building aura of his was... repulsive.

An Evil Soul Master...Now he was accusing them instead?

"Nonsense! I am Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, an elder of Spirit Hall from ten thousand years ago! I can testify that Mr. Dan Heng and the others are not Evil Soul Masters! You’re mistaken!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward angrily.

The Grand Elder didn’t even turn around."You? Yes, you’re indeed one of our ancient elders. But sadly, we later generations failed to rescue you in time... allowing you to be bewitched by Evil Soul Masters. Now you’ve lost your own will.

"Ah... the fault lies with us juniors!"

Yue Guan was stunned."Bewitched?!"

He glanced uncertainly at Dan Heng."Mr. Dan Heng... am I really bewitched? When...?"

Dan Heng shook his head."No. The ’Evil Soul Masters’ he’s talking about... are us."

"...Ah??"

Yue Guan’s eyes widened, then he roared,"Bastard! What nonsense are you spouting?! Dan Heng and the others can’t possibly be Evil Soul Masters! I think you’re the one who is!"

Ye Guyi also grew anxious."That’s right! Grand Elder, you must be mistaken! Don’t let this turn into a real fight — it’ll be impossible to fix! They’re all my friends, I’ll vouch for them!"

The Grand Elder sneered."Pope, you’re just a child — what do you know? And with your Angel Martial Spirit, of course they’ve schemed to get close to you and cloud your judgment.

"Now, let me purify you..."

With a flash, his figure became a streak of black light, instantly appearing on the high platform and striking at Ziji.

Bang!

Ziji met his palm strike head-on, her arm transforming into a dragon’s limb as her sleeve tore apart.

The clash sent her skidding back several steps.

Golden light burst from the Grand Elder’s body, and five golden wheels shot out from his back.At the same time, soul rings rose from his feet—

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red, red, gold-red!

Ten rings.

A God-level powerhouse!

Ziji’s expression changed drastically.She hadn’t even gone through her own tribulation yet — she wasn’t a god.She had no chance of winning!

Scooping up Ye Guyi, she retreated in a blur back to Dan Heng’s side.

Ye Guyi protested,"Hey! Bringing me along as a hostage won’t help! I can just explain things to the Grand Elder—"

"Mr. Dan Heng, please do something about her!" she pleaded.

Dan Heng glanced at Ziji in mild surprise.The troublemaking sister-in-law was... actually showing some smarts.

Ziji tapped Ye Guyi on the forehead."You idiot. You think that old bastard was aiming for me? He was trying to kill you! You think explaining will help when he wants to murder you and steal your throne?"

"...What??"

Ye Guyi stared at her in shock.

Back on the platform, the Grand Elder turned toward them, his ten soul rings still radiating awe.Even Spirit Hall’s own people were shocked — it was their first time learning the Grand Elder was a God-level expert.

Excitement rippled through the ranks.

"The Grand Elder has reached the hundredth level and become a god! He’ll lead Spirit Hall back to the peak!"

"That’s right! With his immortality, Spirit Hall will last forever!"

"Our second God-level!"

Arms spread, the Grand Elder’s face twisted faintly with madness as he basked in the praise.

Then he asked,"Colleagues... how about I be the Pope?"

The hall went silent.So... he was after the throne.

Ye Guyi stared in disbelief.

"Why must the Pope of Spirit Hall always be a descendant of the Angel God? Why? Back then, Bibi Dong became the first outsider Pope — are we weaker than we were ten thousand years ago?

"Just because of the Angel God’s ’favor’ — must we keep repaying it even now? Why?

"I’ve contributed so much to Spirit Hall! I’ve borne the burden for all five empires’ branches! Tell me, why can’t I be Pope? Just because I don’t have that damn Angel God bloodline?!"

His voice rose higher and higher, his aura surging and growing unstable.

"Grand Elder! What are you saying? Don’t forget Spirit Hall was founded to serve the Angel God — naturally the Pope should be of that lineage—"

Before the Titled Douluo could finish, one golden wheel behind the Grand Elder spun out like lightning, smashing into him.

He barely had time to raise his dragon-headed staff before being flung back.The golden wheel followed through, piercing his waist clean through.

Splurt—!

His upper body slid away from his lower half and fell to the ground, blood spraying everywhere.

The Grand Elder had personally killed a Titled Douluo.

The hall fell into deathly silence.

Ye Guyi’s eyes reddened."Grand Elder! You bastard! You killed Giant Hammer Douluo..."

"Today... many will die."

The Grand Elder sat himself on the throne, smiling mockingly as he pointed at Ye Guyi.

"You must die...

"And that man, and the silver-haired woman next to him... and the green-haired woman... all of you must die."

He pronounced their fate like a god passing judgment.

The Spirit Hall members didn’t dare make a sound.The situation had turned far too strange.

"Now... those willing to acknowledge me as Pope — take one step back. Let me see how many of you truly appreciate my years of service."

One by one, soul masters exchanged glances... and many began to step back.

A moment later, the two rows of soul masters split into two factions, with about seventy percent stepping back.

They were all willing to support the Grand Elder becoming the Pope.

The remaining thirty percent were still dissatisfied.

Ye Guyi gnashed her teeth. "What on earth are you trying to do?! Are you insane? They’re all clearly good people..."

Zi Ji suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Little fool, haven’t you realized yet? This guy is the real Evil Soul Master! The people he’s pointing at are all the ones he wants to devour!"

Dan Heng, Gu Yuena, Bi Ji, and Ye Guyi were absolutely the Evil Soul Master’s favorites—All of them brimming with rich life force.

Zi Ji’s words instantly shocked not only Ye Guyi, but also the soul masters of the Spirit Hall who opposed the Grand Elder.

The illustrious Grand Elder of Spirit Hall—was actually an Evil Soul Master?

This was practically the biggest scandal in Spirit Hall’s history!

"Nonsense! The Grand Elder is a god-level being now, and you dare to slander him? Your crime deserves death!"

"Kill them all! They must be Evil Soul Masters themselves, biting at others at random!"

"I see the Pope standing with them—maybe she’s been bewitched too!"

"..."

The soul masters supporting the Grand Elder immediately began accusing them.

Meanwhile, the soul masters opposing the Grand Elder quickly gathered together, warily facing him.

The Grand Elder sighed. "Say whatever you like. Forget it—I’m tired. Once I kill you Evil Soul Masters, I’ll lead Spirit Hall to a new height..."

He raised a hand, and behind him, golden rings flew out in circles, emitting a buzzing sound as they shot toward Dan Heng and the others.

Golden light flickered, killing intent thick in the air.

Ye Guyi was so frightened she shut her eyes tight—this was an attack from a god-level powerhouse.

Even an ordinary Titled Douluo couldn’t keep up with it visually!

Clang, clang, clang...!!!

Poseidon, the Sea God, wielded water currents and knocked two of them away.

Electrolux used his staff to pin one in place.

The remaining two still came flying over—

But Dan Heng casually pinched them, as if they were nothing but scrap copper and rotten iron. Instantly, they lost all their brilliance and their soul power aura.

They were just under a foot in size, exquisitely made, and he casually handed them to two children.

Longlong happily took the golden wheel.

Bao’er, on the other hand, looked at it with disdain.

Gu Yuena smiled gently. "Husband, how could our daughter possibly like something like this?"

Dan Heng chuckled—he had only done it out of fairness.

And so—

The god-level powerhouse’s sure-kill strike was effortlessly neutralized.

The Grand Elder suddenly stood up, staring at them coldly.

(End of Chapter)