Chapter 123: Light of the Angel
The heavy doors of the Holy Spirit Church's branch altar were suddenly and violently kicked open. The force echoed through the building like a thunderclap. Inside, the evil soul masters jolted in surprise, their attention snapping to the entrance. Even Nana, who was following closely behind Xiao Qiang, was stunned by the sheer bluntness of his approach.
She had just finished putting on her gloves and hat, ready to infiltrate the stronghold silently and take down the enemies one by one. What she didn't expect was for Xiao Qiang to boldly break in with such reckless confidence.
Their opponents were no joke. The enemy lineup consisted of a Soul Saint and two Soul Emperors—evil soul masters with higher-level cultivations that could completely overwhelm their side in a direct fight. From a power perspective, it was a crushing mismatch. And yet, Xiao Qiang stepped forward fearlessly, walking straight into enemy territory.
Nana's heart wavered. Was this really the right choice?
"Can we really defeat them with just the two of us?" she murmured, her eyes widening as she noticed the seven glowing ten-thousand-year soul rings across the three enemies.
She was only a four-ring Soul Ancestor, while Xiao Qiang was a five-ring Soul King. Against two Soul Emperors and a Soul Saint, the odds were heavily stacked against them—even with Xiao Qiang's rare Angel Martial Soul.
"It's not the two of us fighting the three of them," Xiao Qiang said without turning his head. "It's me fighting the three of them. You're the guide—just stay behind me."
"Arrogant!" the Soul Saint of the Holy Spirit Church shouted furiously. His seventh soul ring lit up as he activated his Martial Soul True Body.
Neither he nor his subordinates recognized Nana due to the disguises they wore. But seeing her glove up with white holy gloves, it wasn't hard to guess she was once part of their internal operations. The fact that she knew of this branch and dared to intrude with only one companion meant one of two things: either she had brought overwhelming backup, or they were unbelievably overconfident.
Regardless of the truth, the elder wasn't taking chances. Activating his Martial Soul and entering full combat mode was the most cautious and sensible choice—especially since the Holy Son was present in this branch. Any failure could result in the three of them being turned into nothing more than materials for others' cultivation.
Seeing the elder take action, the other two—the Great Holy Spirit and the Second Holy Spirit—quickly followed suit.
The Great Holy Spirit pulled out a seventh-level soul guidance flag, and his six soul rings flared brightly before instantly igniting in flames. From the burning flag burst more than two hundred howling, vengeful spirits.
"Haha! Taste the despair of being devoured by ten thousand souls!"
Simultaneously, the Second Holy Spirit's six rings ignited. His flesh disintegrated, revealing a three-meter-tall skeletal figure wrapped in eerie green flames.
Yan Feng, the Holy Son, remained unmoved for now. Judging by the disguised appearances of Xiao Qiang and Nana, who both seemed to be in their thirties, he knew better than to act rashly. Though he had strong protectors, he didn't underestimate these two mysterious intruders.
And yet, his backup soul guide—a distress signal device—refused to work.
"Damn it! What went wrong?!"
He was supposed to be well-protected: a Soul Saint bodyguard with combat strength comparable to an eight-ring Soul Douluo, and a soul guide capable of instantly summoning reinforcements. With a setup like that, they should have been untouchable. But now, not only did an unknown powerhouse appear, but even his distress device failed.
Yan Feng began to panic. Things are going downhill fast…
"There are vengeful spirits, a massive skeleton, and a blood-soaked demon Soul Saint. How terrifying," Xiao Qiang muttered with a smile.
But his expression remained calm and composed. The vengeful spirits rushed toward him, shrieking with ghostly malice. However, as Xiao Qiang released his Angel Martial Soul's purifying light, the wraiths that touched it melted like snow under sunlight. One by one, they disintegrated.
"No! How could it be an Angel Martial Soul?!" the Great Holy Spirit screamed.
His control over the resentful souls backfired. The purifying light's strong effects were reflected back into him. Blood sprayed from his mouth. Despite sacrificing his soul rings, he failed to injure Xiao Qiang, and his summoned spirits were being purified in seconds.
"Don't panic!" the elder barked. "He's just a five-ring Soul King, while I'm a seven-ring Soul Saint. Even with an Angel Martial Soul, the soul power gap is too large! The advantage is still ours!"
"Boss! You're too heavily restrained—don't engage him directly! Second Brother, you handle the flames. That skeleton body of yours shouldn't be too affected! He can suppress soul-based evil martial spirits, but we still have the numbers!"
The elder's logic was sound. The Angel Martial Soul heavily restrained ghost-type abilities, but against other kinds of evil martial spirits, the effect was less significant. A seven-ring and a six-ring going up against a five-ring opponent still meant they held the advantage—unless the Angel Martial Soul user had more cards to play.
Unfortunately for them, Xiao Qiang did.
As the elder lunged forward, Xiao Qiang calmly raised his left index finger. He activated his soul bone ability: the Freezing Ray of the 400,000-year-old Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion Palm Bone.
This wasn't just any ice. This was a true ultimate attribute, and with Xiao Qiang's level of soul power and precision control, even a Soul Saint had no chance.
The ray struck the Soul Saint, freezing him solid in less than a second.
Crack!
An icy silence fell. The Great Holy Spirit and Second Holy Spirit were stunned. Their strongest had been taken down in the blink of an eye.
The Angel Martial Soul rendered the Great Holy Spirit almost completely powerless, while the Second Holy Spirit's flame skeleton—although less restrained—couldn't make up the difference with only a one-ring advantage.
It became a one-sided beating.
After swiftly disposing of the remaining two evil soul masters, Xiao Qiang turned his full purifying light on the frozen elder.
"I'm sorry," he said calmly. "You're too dangerous. You must be eliminated."
"You beat the three of us alone… and now you say we're too strong?!"
"Is there no king's law? Is there no justice left in this world?!"
Those were the elder's last words before the holy light enveloped him completely, disintegrating his body into radiant particles.
Xiao Qiang turned toward Yan Feng, who was trembling in the corner. Without a word, he slapped the Holy Son unconscious.
Then he made his way to the dark chamber where the souls were imprisoned—among them, the restless spirits of Nana's parents. As he released his purifying light into the chamber, the thick aura of resentment and pain began to lift. The wailing, tormented souls gradually found peace.
"Say your goodbyes," Xiao Qiang whispered into Nana's ear. "The purifying light will erase their resentment… but without that, they won't remain in this world for long."
Tears streamed down Nana's face as she nodded. She stepped into the chamber.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qiang quietly used mental detection, mental sharing, and psychological suggestion to let the remaining prisoners of the Holy Spirit Church understand what had happened—that they had been rescued.
Moments later, cries and sobs echoed from the underground tunnel. People wept, their voices filled with sorrow and relief.
When it was over, Nana walked out first, her eyes red and swollen. She fell to her knees before Xiao Qiang.
"Master…"