Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Since he had no idea where Qian Renxue was, nor did he know exactly what the God of Asura had done, Chen Ming glanced at the fully armed soldiers on the city wall, shrugged, and obediently headed toward the marketplace.

For Chen Ming, traveling five li (about 2.5 kilometers) was a short journey, and he soon arrived at the so-called marketplace.

This marketplace constructed by Earl Glamorgan, was built from a remodeled village. From the houses and courtyards, it was clear that not long ago, villagers had still lived there.

However, the villagers were nowhere to be seen now. Their homes had been converted into warehouses and barracks for soldiers. The few rooms that appeared to have been halls were transformed into communal sleeping areas.

When Chen Ming entered the marketplace, people's glances toward him were no longer unusual. Some merchants sat idly on their wagons, staring at the clouds in boredom. Soul Masters gathered in small groups, joking around. Yet for some reason, there was something strange about the aura these people exuded.

As Chen Ming entered, a few soldiers who looked like thugs immediately perked up. Carrying their weapons, they swaggered toward him with malicious intent in their eyes.

"Stop! To enter the marketplace, you must have a pass issued by Lord Earl. If you don't have one, you'll have to purchase one from me."

"One pass, ten gold soul coins!" The leader of the rogue soldiers reeked of alcohol, his neck flushed red. Seeing Chen Ming's valuable clothes, his eyes gleamed, and he grinned as he demanded ten gold soul coins.

Chen Ming was somewhat baffled. With his height of 1.9 meters, why did these thug-like soldiers still dare to provoke him like this?

Though many people on the Douluo Continent weren't particularly bright, there shouldn't be this many who were this foolish, right?

Because of the color of his soul rings, Chen Ming couldn't summon them openly, so he simply released a bit of his Soul Master aura to suppress the thugs with his presence.

Of course, Chen Ming held back. He only exerted a slight pressure. If he had released his full aura without restraint, very few people in the entire marketplace would have survived.

The moment the thugs felt Chen Ming's repressive aura, a trace of panic appeared in their eyes. Just as they were about to become terrified, a dark red light flickered briefly in their eyes.

Greed. Hatred. Arrogance.

Though it was fleeting and faint, Chen Ming sensed this negative energy.

Under the influence of this power, the thugs who had been intimidated by Chen Ming didn't fall into fear. Instead, they became enraged. The fear in their eyes gradually transformed into anger. Not only did they not flee, but they also gripped their weapons tightly.

One by one, they surrounded Chen Ming, glaring at him fiercely, as if they were ready to attack him at any moment.

Despite their aggressive demeanor, Chen Ming wasn't concerned about them as individuals. Instead, he was surprised by the force that had twisted their consciousness.

"Such an evil and ominous power, capable of inciting the malice within people's hearts… Could this be related to the Rakshasa God?"

Chen Ming turned his head and looked around. He noticed that many people were watching him mockingly. Although this was their first encounter, most of them looked at him with hostility.

He didn't know these people, nor had he ever had any conflict with them. Yet they all seemed to relish the thought of him being humiliated.

The Douluo Continent wasn't like some bloodthirsty arena. A few people harboring ill intent toward him would be understandable, but for everyone to display such malice was highly unusual.

"The price for a pass just went up! Without a hundred gold soul coins, you're not getting through today!"

"Let me tell you something! I'm related to the nephew of the Earl Glamorgan's uncle-in-law. I'm a big deal around here! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a Soul Master. A mere Soul Master! We've stationed over a thousand soldiers here. If we all attack together, we'll chop you into mincemeat in no time!"

As Chen Ming remained silent, the leader of the thugs unsheathed the rusty weapon at his waist. He waved it in the air, trying to intimidate Chen Ming.

Following his words, the other thugs also became restless. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they stared at Chen Ming with greedy eyes, shouting in agreement with their leader.

"Yeah! Hand over the money already!"

"Boss, just kill him! What's so great about being a Soul Master?!"

Chen Ming could feel that as the thugs' malice intensified, an ominous energy in the air seemed to awaken. This power was triggered by malice and, as it awakened, further fueled the malice in the crowd.

Not only was it affecting others, but the power was also trying to influence Chen Ming, pushing him toward paranoia and agitation.

If he had only suspected earlier that this was related to the Rakshasa God's power, Chen Ming was now certain after sensing the awakening of this energy.

However, given the world's consciousness's warning to be wary of the Asura God, Chen Ming realized that the situation might be far more complicated than it seemed.

Chen Ming couldn't be bothered to deal with these people. With a slight fluctuation of his soul power, he created a colorless and odorless poison that quickly spread throughout the marketplace.

In just a second or two, the rowdy thugs began to sway on their feet before collapsing one by one. The bloodthirsty onlookers in the distance also fell to the ground.

This poison was only a paralyzing toxin and wouldn't be fatal. Moreover, since Chen Ming still had questions to ask, he controlled its potency so that it only incapacitated their bodies without affecting their minds.

Chen Ming stepped forward, grabbing the leader of the thugs. Under the thug's gaze, which was filled with fear, anger, and hatred, Chen Ming raised his hand and slapped him seven or eight times.

Chen Ming's strength was perfectly controlled. After the slaps, the thug felt as though his brain was about to explode. His thoughts were muddled, and all traces of anger and hatred vanished from his eyes, leaving only fear.

Injecting a bit of soul power, Chen Ming restored the thug's ability to speak slightly before questioning him.

"What is Earl Glamorgan planning? Why are the city and roads sealed off? Prince Xue Qinghe came to the northwest to audit accounts. Where is he now? And who is the lockdown targeting?"