Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Footsteps came from behind; it was Qian Renxue.

"What are you thinking about?" She walked over to Su Chen and stood next to him.

“I’m thinking about the Void Soul Beasts,” Su Chen said. “I’m wondering if the power of nothingness can be injected into a soul beast, then could it be injected into a human body? The corpses with their souls extracted in the Void Cult’s base in the far north might be the products of their failed human experiments.”

Qian Renxue remained silent for a long time, so long that Su Chen thought she wouldn't answer.

“You’re right,” she finally spoke, her voice very soft. “The Nihilistic Cult does indeed conduct experiments on humans. And they’ve already had some initial success.”

Su Chen suddenly turned to look at her: "What?"

"Six months ago, a body was found on the outskirts of Tiandou City, with the cause of death unknown. Our forensic autopsy revealed that the body's meridian system contained a type of energy never seen before, completely different from soul power, with strong corrosive and destructive properties. We consulted many people to analyze that energy, and finally confirmed that it was the power of nothingness."

"That person... was he injected with the power of nothingness?"

“Not only that,” Qian Renxue said. “There were dozens of suture marks on that corpse, indicating that he had undergone multiple surgeries before his death. His internal organs had been replaced, his bones had been strengthened, and his meridians had been artificially widened. He was like an experimental subject, repeatedly modified and injected with the power of nothingness until his body could no longer bear it and completely collapsed.”

Su Chen clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms: "Are they still alive? Those who were modified?"

“I don’t know,” Qian Renxue said. “That corpse was the only sample we found. Since then, the Void Cult has become more cautious and moved all its experiments underground. That base in Sunset Forest may have been their main human experimentation site.”

"So we must destroy it even more," Su Chen said.

“Yes.” Qian Renxue turned around and looked into Su Chen’s eyes. “Su Chen, for this mission, I may have you do some things you don’t want to do. For example, if those who have been modified are still alive but beyond saving, we may have to end their suffering ourselves.”

Su Chen's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak.

“I know this is difficult for you,” Qian Renxue’s voice softened. “You always want to protect everyone, to find the best of both worlds. But sometimes, there are no perfect choices in this world. Do you understand?”

Su Chen took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "I understand."

"That's good." Qian Renxue patted his shoulder. "Go back and rest. Training starts tomorrow. We need to get ourselves into top condition in three days."

She turned and walked back into the auditorium, her skirt swaying gently in the night breeze like a blooming snow lotus. Su Chen stood there, watching her figure disappear through the door, then looked up at the night sky. The moon was full, its silvery light spilling across the playground, casting a cool, serene hue over everything. He thought of the resentment within the black sphere in the far north, of the corpses from which their souls had been extracted, and of the empty, crazed eyes of the High Priest of Nothingness.

"Lord of Nothingness..." he murmured to himself, "What... are you?"

Three days later, at dawn.

As soon as the gates of Tiandou City opened, a six-person team silently left the city and headed south towards Sunset Forest. The team was led by Qian Renxue, with Su Chen, Chen Hao, Lin Xue, Li Yang, and Zhang Wan following closely behind. Each person was dressed in dark, close-fitting clothing and carried dry rations, water, and necessary medicines and tools.

They didn't ride horses, as horses are cumbersome in the forest and easily leave tracks. They also didn't use any soul-guided devices to fly, because that would reveal their soul power fluctuations and attract the attention of the Void Cult's scouts. They walked south along the official road like six ordinary travelers, at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, comparable to the walking speed of ordinary pedestrians.

After walking for about half a day, the fields on both sides of the official road gradually gave way to forests, and the air became more humid. Sunset Forest is located in the southern part of the Heaven Dou Empire. It is a vast primeval forest area, covering more than 100,000 square kilometers, and is home to a large number of soul beasts, ranging from ten-year-old soul beasts to ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts. Ordinary soul hunters only dare to operate on the outer edge of the forest; those who venture deep into it are almost always devoured by beasts.

"If we go another twenty miles, we'll enter the Sunset Forest." Qian Renxue stopped, took out a map from her pocket, and spread it out on a stone by the roadside. "Our destination is in this location, slightly southeast of the center of the forest. It will take about three days to reach."

Su Chen leaned closer to examine the map. A dot was marked in red, surrounded by dense annotations: "According to intelligence, the base entrance is hidden behind a waterfall, the sound of the waterfall can mask sounds inside the base. The base has three levels. The surface level is an entrance disguised as a hunter's hut, the underground level is the research area, and the underground level is the experimental area. The Void Soul Beast is imprisoned in a cage at the deepest part of the second underground level, guarded by three Title Douluo-level guards."

"Three Title Douluos?" Chen Hao gasped. "Isn't that even stronger than the base defenses in the far north?"

“The bases in the far north mainly rely on environmental advantages and sealing formations, and their own defenses are not very strong,” Qian Renxue explained. “But the bases in Sunset Forest are different. There are a large number of soul beasts there that can serve as natural barriers, and they are also closer to Heaven Dou City. If they are discovered, reinforcements can be dispatched at any time. So their defenses are actually stronger than those in the far north.”

"Then how do we fight?" Li Yang asked. "Three Title Douluos, and our team doesn't even have one Title Douluo."

“Who said there isn’t?” Qian Renxue raised her head, a glint of light flashing in her eyes. “I am a Title Douluo.”

Everyone was stunned. They knew Qian Renxue was strong, but they had never heard her admit her level. In the world of Soul Masters, Title Douluo were at the very top of the pyramid, with only a handful on the entire continent. And Qian Renxue, who looked so young, was already a Title Douluo?

"Snow, Snow Lotus Douluo." Qian Renxue revealed her title, "Level 93, a control-type Title Douluo. Therefore, I will deal with the three Title Douluo guards. Your mission is to infiltrate the second underground level, destroy all research data and experimental equipment, and then release or eliminate those Void Soul Beasts."

"Eliminate them?" Zhang Wan frowned. "Can't we save them? Those soul beasts were innocent..."

"The soul beasts modified by the power of nothingness are beyond saving." Qian Renxue's tone was calm, but everyone could hear the heaviness beneath that calm. "Their souls have been corrupted, their consciousness twisted, leaving only the instinct for destruction and slaughter. To let them live is the greatest cruelty inflicted upon them." (End of Chapter)