Long Yuan clutched his chest, his eyes wide open, and he snorted coldly, "It seems you already knew. The queen planned to use human souls as fuel, and you refused. You defied the queen's orders, but your experience is too vast, likely to inspire other Ascenders, so the queen ordered us to eliminate you..."
Yun Qi took a deep breath, "Was it you who leaked the information about my Dark Cloud Squad to the Slaughter Faction?"
Long Yuan gave a sinister laugh, "It was the queen's command."
Yun Qi sighed deeply. He had come to Soul Star long ago, among the first batch of Ascenders to follow the queen. Of those earliest Ascenders, he was the only one left. He had not expected the queen to turn against him.
At that moment, Yun Qi felt something being torn from within him, shattering. His body shook, nearly causing him to fall, but Ma Nanshan quickly steadied him.
Long Yuan, seizing the moment, mobilized the last bit of his recovering soul power, blasting out the enveloping mist. Then, with a forceful push, he attempted to flee.
Ma Nanshan's eyes widened, "Who said you could leave? Come back here!"
His soul spear flew from his hand, striking Long Yuan's heart with unerring precision. The latter, clutching his chest in disbelief, fell forward with a thud. He should never have accepted the queen's task. Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan were too strong...
Long Yuan's consciousness quickly succumbed to the encroaching darkness.
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan sat back-to-back, both wearing bitter smiles. Yun Qi had come to Soul Star out of curiosity, having encountered a Psionic block. Ma Nanshan, having no rivals left on Pegasus Star and carrying the ideal of saving Soul Star, had arrived here as well. But now, everything was shattered.
The Ascendant Faction wanted them dead. There was no going back to Pegasus Star. Surviving in the desolate wilderness of Soul Star was akin to self-destruction.
Since death was inevitable sooner or later, they thought it might be better to die sooner and find release.
Yun Qi extended his hand, gazing at the same hand that had slain countless souls, and felt an urge to end his own life. Ma Nanshan grabbed his hand and pointed ahead, "Leader Yun, I know you want to die, but hold off on dying for a moment—look ahead."
Yun Qi lifted his head and was startled to see a soul entity with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a snake speeding toward them. The soul entity was massive. At first glance, it was evident that it rivaled the Specter King in stature.
Yun Qi scrutinized the soul entity a few moments longer. It seemed familiar, perhaps from a long-ago encounter. He tried hard to recall, but couldn't bring it to mind.
Deciding not to dwell on it, Yun Qi chuckled instead, "Unexpectedly running into a Ghost King, now I won't have to do the deed myself."
Ma Nanshan shook his head, "Leader Yun, you must think positively. What if it's the Husbandry Faction's Specter King?"
Yun Qi's face twitched, and he swiftly raised his hand, "Then I might as well kill myself!" Being captured by the Husbandry Faction to serve as a breeding stallion, day in and day out, would be worse than death.
The two-armed figure standing before them fiddled with his divination tools for a while before saying, "You two are quite interesting. Father might take an interest in you. Would you like to come with me?"
After hearing this, Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan were stunned. Father? Although the Soul Clan had genders, since they lacked physical bodies, they naturally couldn't reproduce.
New members of the Soul Clan were created by two Specter Kings slicing parts of their souls and merging them. Lower-level beings like the Great Specters and Specters lacked any capability to produce new souls.
Newborn members of the Soul Clan wouldn't refer to their creators as parents but would still address them as Kings. Upon reaching the rank of a Specter King, they would refer to the ones who produced them as equals.
What was this Specter King's deal? Could there be a fourth secret faction beyond the Slaughter, Husbandry, and Ascendant Factions?
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan exchanged a glance. Having been abandoned by the Ascendant Faction, they decided to see what this was about. There was no harm in just looking.
Seeing their agreement, Two Arms scooped them up under his arms and flew towards the Yellow Springs Soul Refining Array. The high-speed flight left Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan dizzy and disoriented.
Before they could clear their heads, they were already standing on solid ground.
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow and withdrew his Great Devouring Palm, eyeing the two men. He could tell at a glance that their souls and bodies were not perfectly aligned—a clear sign of Ascenders.
"Dad, while searching for powerful soul beasts outside, I found these two interesting individuals and brought them back," said Two Arms. "I think they might be useful to you."
With a chuckle, Two Arms recounted everything he had observed.
Chu Xuan glanced at the two men. Yun Qi, astonished, exclaimed, "Senior, it's you!"
Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow, recognizing the man. He had just arrived on Soul Star and set up the Yellow Springs Soul Refining Formation. Intent on eradicating any threats around the formation, he had planned to clear out the Husbandry Faction entrenched near the City of Torrential Flow. He had accidentally encountered an Ascenders squad attacking the city, finding themselves encircled by the Husbandry Faction. At that time, Yun Qi had invited him to join the Ascenders, but he had outright refused.
Chu Xuan hadn't expected that, after more than a decade, he would meet this man again. Indeed, it seemed they were fated to cross paths again.
Chu Xuan casually asked, "Were you betrayed by the Ascendant Faction?"
Yun Qi replied with a bitter smile, "Senior, you are correct."
Chu Xuan spoke indifferently, "Do you want to avenge your fallen comrades?"
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan looked at each other, then simultaneously knelt down, "Yes! Please teach us, Senior!"
Chu Xuan stated calmly, "Work for me, gather information about the Ascendant Faction."
Both responded earnestly, "We are willing!"
Chu Xuan nodded and casually released two streams of spiritual sense, which entered their bodies. Suddenly, he transformed these into spiritual sense brands, imprinting them deep within their souls. The two felt their souls enveloped by an intense chill, nearly losing consciousness.
However, after the brief cold sensation passed, they realized their souls were gradually growing stronger as if being nourished by something. Both were elated. Currently, both were level nine great soul masters but had always been unable to break into the rank of Soul King. If nourished by this substance, might becoming a Soul King be imminent?
Chu Xuan remarked softly, "That is both a gift and a shackle. Reaching what you call the level of a Soul King will be easy. But from now on, you cannot betray me."
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan responded solemnly, "We will never betray you!"
Ma Nanshan scratched his head, "By the way... boss, do you also have a Psionic block? I feel like your soul aura seems familiar..."
Chu Xuan smiled but remained silent.
Ma Nanshan knew better than to ask further, promptly shutting his mouth. He had recognized Chu Xuan's aura—it was the one who always remained silent!
Chu Xuan said lightly, "Change your accent before you speak again."
Yun Qi respectfully said, "Master, we are probably now considered traitors by the queen of the Ascendant Faction. We are willing to gather intelligence for you, but how can we return to the Ascenders now?"
Chu Xuan snapped his fingers, "Simple. I'll turn you into someone else."