As a flash of intertwining black and white light burst forth, Ye Qifeng's consciousness began to return to his body.
"The chrysanthemum withers, blood stains the ground, the falling petals bring heartbreak."
Just then, a sharp, feminine shout filled with killing intent pierced into Ye Qifeng's ears.
His awareness fully snapped back into his body.
Ye Qifeng slowly opened his eyes.
And the first thing he saw—
"What a huge chrysanthemum!!"
The thought burst into his mind. He was stunned, momentarily confused.
At the same time, a strange sense of familiarity crept into his heart. That voice... why did it sound so familiar?
In the next moment, the massive chrysanthemum before him began to unravel—petals, stamens, and all—floating into the air and transforming into countless sharp blades.
Ye Qifeng's eyes widened in disbelief. His pupils dilated as he stared at the spectacle in shock.
Below the hovering blades, a graceful and enchanting figure came into view.
He was stunned. That person... could it be?
Well... if it really was who he thought, it might make sense why such a bizarre flower behaved this way.
Still, he couldn't be sure.
Even though Ye Qifeng's mind was racing, only a split second had passed.
The floating blades shifted in unison, aiming at a figure not more than five meters away—shrouded in a strange, evil-looking blood-red mist.
"Go."
The beautiful figure pointed gracefully with an orchid-shaped hand gesture and gave a sharp command.
In a flash, the floating blades shot forward like lightning.
The blood-cloaked figure had no time to react.
Shlunk—shlunk—shlunk—
The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed out, and crimson blood bloomed like flowers in the air.
A sharp, painful scream followed, and the red figure collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Ye Qifeng watched silently.
The graceful figure floated down beside the corpse, keeping a safe distance, aura flaring with power and vigilance.
At last, Ye Qifeng got a clear look.
Golden hair. A tight combat outfit matching his hair color. Skin as delicate as a baby's, and a face so charming it seemed feminine.
Yes—charming.
If not for the Adam's apple on his neck, no one would believe this was a man.
After confirming the enemy was truly dead, he withdrew his pressure and recalled the floating blades, reforming them into a chrysanthemum that shrank down and rested gently in his palm before being stored away with a flip of the hand.
"Heh…"
He laughed softly, fingers still posed in an orchid gesture as they touched his lips with mockery.
"If she hadn't been here, I'd have finished the mission immediately. You, a mere Soul Saint-level evil soul master, aren't even worth my ninth soul skill. But… at least you got to witness the power of my ninth skill. Consider it your honor."
With that, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yueguan turned to leave. He had no intention of collecting the body—especially not one belonging to a reviled evil soul master.
He hadn't ground the man's bones to dust—he'd already shown mercy.
But just as he stepped forward, he suddenly froze and stepped back.
A pair of wide, pure black eyes was staring right at him.
Only two or three meters away.
They belonged to a plump, naked baby boy, cheeks round and eyes sparkling. His mouth hung open in a stunned expression.
The baby stared at him. He stared back.
Big eyes met small ones.
"Huh? There's a survivor?"
Yueguan spoke first, startled. He awkwardly dropped his orchid-hand pose and sighed.
"Tch… I got careless."
For a Titled Douluo, two or three meters was dangerously close. He couldn't believe he had missed something that close.
"Scared me for a second… Thankfully it's just a baby. No threat. Still, I need to be more careful in the future."
He patted his chest with a dainty breath.
Meanwhile, Ye Qifeng was panicking internally.
"Holy—! It really is you! That infamous flamboyant freak, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yueguan!"
He blurted the thought without thinking.
But what came out was—
"Ba ba ba… ya ya ya…"
In Yueguan's ears, it was nothing but baby babble.
Ye Qifeng froze.
He tried to move but couldn't even roll over. He raised his hands and saw—tiny, white, chubby baby fingers.
"What the—?!"
Another curse rose instinctively.
Yueguan didn't understand a word. But the strange baby sounds did bring him back to focus.
"Lucky little guy. You'd have died if that evil soul master had finished his ritual."
Clearly, Yueguan assumed Ye Qifeng had been captured as a sacrificial offering.
He recalled a moment from earlier—a beam of dazzling black and white light piercing the sky, dividing it in two.
He had thought it the sign of a forbidden soul ritual.
Ironically, it had helped Spirit Hall locate the hidden den of these evil soul masters—something their enforcement team had been searching for in this forest for over two weeks without success.
With a shake of the head, Yueguan dismissed the thought.
He walked over to Ye Qifeng, pulled out a long silk cloth, laid it on the ground, and gently wrapped the baby up, finishing it off with an elegant little bow.
Then, he picked up the swaddled child and held him close.
"Time to report back."
With a pulse of soul power, he formed a protective shield around Ye Qifeng and took to the sky, vanishing into the distance.