Douluo Continent: Twin Souls of the Underworld, Holding the Power of Life and Death

Heavenly Dou Empire, Northern Territory, Qing Shi Town.

The two stepped into the Martial Soul Branch Hall in the center of the town.

The hall was deserted. A middle-aged soul master was writing at his desk when he saw the newcomer and hurriedly got up.

"Your Highness... Your Highness?"

Qian Anci nodded slightly: "Tell me the situation."

"In the past half month, seventeen children have gone missing in surrounding villages and towns."

The middle-aged Soul Master wiped away his sweat.

"We hope Your Highness will forgive us. We are not strong enough. We only know that there is one person in the Fallen Soul Master group who uses a plant-type martial soul."

"Location."

Seeing that there was no useful information, Qian Anci didn't waste any more words and directly asked for the location.

"Ten miles to the northwest, Black Stone Mountain."

He turned and walked away, and Ya followed.

---

The wilderness was desolate, and there were occasional signs of withered vegetation along the way.

"My lord! Are you a Soul Master?"

A boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old stumbled and ran towards them.

The boy was dressed in rags, his face covered in mud. Upon seeing Qian Anci and the other person, he immediately knelt down.

"Please save my sister! Her name is Xiaotang. She went out to play with her friends yesterday, and she hasn't come home by evening!"

"Don't rush, get up and tell me properly. First, tell me your and your sister's names."

"Sir, my name is Ashi."

Upon hearing this, Ashi hurriedly and shakily pulled a silver bell from his pocket and handed it to Qian Anci.

"I found her in the woods. Everyone says my sister was harmed by a fallen soul master, but I don't believe it."

Qian Anci accepted the silver bell.

"Is that strange?"

He carefully sensed the strange power attached to the silver bell.

"Soul-Devouring Vine".

Upon seeing this, Ya Yi spoke up.

"Mutant plant species that can parasitize the human body and extract its life force."

Upon hearing this, Ashi hurriedly spoke up.

"Sir, I know this area well! I'll lead the way, I just beg you to rescue my sister!"

Qian Anci glanced at him, said nothing more, simply put the silver bell into her sleeve, and turned to head northwest.

Ashi quickly followed.

The three traveled together, conducting a simple search of the surrounding area, until they arrived at a cave.

Before they even got close, the strong stench of blood assaulted their senses.

Qian Anci stepped into the mine, his pupils suddenly contracting.

On the cave wall, more than ten children, their eyes closed, were entangled in black vines and hung in mid-air.

The vines wriggled like living things, their roots piercing the skin, constantly drawing away life force.

"Xiaotang!"

Ashi was about to rush forward when Ya stopped him.

"Don't move." Qian Anci's voice was calm. "The vines are connected to their lives. Touching them rashly will kill them."

Ashi stood frozen in place, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Deep within the cave came a low, guttural laugh.

"Another guest?"

A middle-aged man exuding an eerie aura emerged from the shadows.

"The Spirit Hall, how interesting..."

He grinned.

"They actually sent a child."

"Who are you."

The middle-aged man grinned: "They actually sent a child."

Qian Anci did not answer, but slowly raised his right hand, the Grim Reaper's Scythe condensing in his palm, gray-white death energy swirling like a thin mist.

The middle-aged man's gaze fell on the sickle, his pupils shrinking slightly: "This aura..."

Before he finished speaking, Qian Anci's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

First Soul Skill: Guidance to the Underworld.

The middle-aged man was shocked, and vines intertwined around him to form a shield.

The thin thread touched the vines, piercing through them like cutting through rotten wood, and slashed straight toward his throat!

He dodged to the side, but a bloody gash was still left on his shoulder, and the ashen death aura instantly eroded the wound.

"Damn it!"

He roared, his soul ring lit up, and countless vines surged from his body, swirling towards Qian Anci like mad snakes.

A gray glint flashed in Qian Anci's eyes as he activated his second soul skill, [Dark Scale Annihilation Slash].

The pitch-black slash tore through the air, and wherever it passed, the vines withered and broke.

The middle-aged man staggered backward, his eyes filled with horror.

He whirled around and fled deeper into the cave, yelling, "Stop him!"

The black vines that were binding the children suddenly began to wriggle, and the parasitized children opened their eyes and pounced on Qian Anci like puppets.

Qian Anci's pupils contracted slightly.

He cannot hurt these children.

"Your Highness!" Ya Yi's voice came from behind, "I'll cover your retreat, you go after them!"

Without hesitation, Qian Anci flashed forward and followed the middle-aged man's aura deep into the mine.

At the end of the mine shaft was a more spacious area.

The middle-aged man leaned against the rock wall, the grayish-white death aura still spreading from the wound on his shoulder. He had to suppress it with his soul power, and his face grew increasingly pale.

"Damn it... damn it..."

He muttered to himself, pressing his palm against the rock wall. Black vines surged from his body, continuously drawing life force from the children to fight against the death aura.

The characteristic of the Soul-Devouring Vine is that it nourishes itself with life force.

Qian Anci emerged from the shadows, the Grim Reaper's scythe held horizontally before him.

"Your martial spirit can devour the life force of others to cultivate."

His voice was calm.

"Those children are the 'seedlings' you nurtured."

The middle-aged man grinned.

"Smart. The roots of the Soul-Devouring Vine penetrate their bodies, extracting ninety percent of their life force, leaving only ten percent to keep them alive. This gradual approach is much more cost-effective than killing them all at once."

His gaze fell on Qian Anci's sickle.

"Kid, your martial spirit is quite special! It's just a pity you're going to die here today!"

Qian Anci did not answer.

He simply raised his scythe slowly, and his third spirit ring glowed with a dim light.

[Exile to the Underworld]

Qian Anci slashed forward with his sword, and boundless waters of the Yellow Springs spread out from the void.

The middle-aged man's pupils constricted sharply, and he abruptly manipulated the vines to defend himself.

It's just a pity.

The waters of the underworld can erode the life force of all things.

Seeing his life being devoured, the middle-aged man panicked!

He immediately panicked!

"Then let's die together!"

He roared, and the vines that had been embedded in the ground suddenly sprang up, swirling towards Qian Anci's seat like countless venomous snakes.

At the same time, faint sounds of struggle came from deep within the cave. The parasitized children convulsed simultaneously, their life force forcibly drained, turning into the middle-aged man's final desperate attack.

A gray glint flashed in Qian Anci's eyes.

Dark Scale Severing Strike

The pitch-black slash tore through the void, and wherever it passed, all the vines withered.

However, there were simply too many vines. Although his strikes cleared a path, several still attacked from the side, aiming straight for his throat.

Qian Anci turned to the side, and the vines brushed against his cheek, leaving a trail of blood.

In that brief moment, the middle-aged man was already in front of him.

The vines that were originally wrapped around him suddenly grew larger and larger, waving around in the air like tentacles.

"Go to hell!"

"Ha, you're the one who deserves to die!"

As the attack drew ever closer, Qian Anci remained calm and unhurried, his five fingers forming a claw shape as he thrust forward.

[Dragon Transformation]

His fingers began to gradually transform into sharp claws, and dragon scales emerged from his arms.

brush--

puff-

The sound of the dragon claw breaking through the vines and piercing flesh rang out.

The sharp claws pierced right through the middle-aged man.