Meeting Zhang San Again
Five days passed faster than expected during the high-speed flight.
Tang San, with Xiao Wu Ye Lingling, Shui Bing'er, with Xiao Wu, and Tang Chen, traveled day and night with almost no rest, traversing a large area of southeastern territory of the Heaven Dou Empire, and finally arrived at the outskirts of the Slaughter City at dusk on the third day.
The land beneath my feet began to change.
The lush green fields gradually turned into bare gray rock and soil, and the vegetation became increasingly sparse, as if something had drained the earth's vitality from it.
A sense of oppression crept into the air.
Tang San stopped and stood on a low hill, looking at the area shrouded in gray mist in the distance.
No one knew the Slaughter City better than Tang Chen; the entrance was deep within that mist.
Tang Chen also landed beside him, his gaze deep. After all, he had lost decades of his life there.
Tang San turned around to face Tang Chen: "Great-grandfather, let's part ways here."
"I don't plan to enter the Slaughter City; instead, I'll use this place as a starting point to search outwards to the surrounding towns."
Tang San explained his thoughts.
Tang Chen nodded. "Okay. You guys clean up outside, I'll go in and take a look. The order in the Slaughter City needs to be rearranged to prevent any more Evil Soul Masters from escaping."
His gaze swept over Tang San and the others. "You four also need to be careful."
Tang San nodded. "You too."
Tang Chen didn't say anything more. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of gray-white light and flew towards the gray mist, quickly disappearing into its depths.
Tang San withdrew his gaze and turned to the three girls. "Let's go, we'll start from the outer perimeter and search southwards."
In the days that followed, Tang San and his companions used the City of Slaughter City as their starting point and continued southward along the nearby official roads and villages.
Upon arriving at each place, they first inquired about information from local villagers or travelers, and soon discovered numerous reports about the rampage of Evil Soul Masters.
Those Fallen Soul Masters who escaped from the Slaughter City, now freed from their restraints, ran rampant in the nearby towns and villages like a pack of wild beasts released from their cages.
Some slaughtered civilians for amusement, while others used living people as sacrifices to practice evil arts; their methods were so cruel as to be appalling.
Every time Tang San found a trace of an Evil Soul Master, he used the destructive power of the Clear Sky Hammer to judge them.
In his hands, the Clear Sky Hammer transformed into a massive, dark purple hammer, each swing carrying the pure destructive power forged from the Abyss of Destruction.
With a single blow, those Evil Soul Masters were blasted into countless black fragments before they even had time to scream.
As more and more Evil Soul Masters were killed, the color of the Clear Sky Hammer slowly deepened, and the aura of destruction became more and more profound and intense.
After the trial, he planted a seed of Seed of Life formed from the combined life essence of himself and Ye Lingling.
The Life Domain was released, covering the land, and the tender shoots of the Seed of Life quickly broke through the soil, growing into a verdant seedling in just a few breaths.
Then it grows taller, branches out, and leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually becoming a towering tree that takes several people to encircle.
The tree's roots penetrate deep into the earth, absorbing, transforming, and purifying the toxins and death energy in the soil that had been contaminated by Evil Soul Masters, and then releasing pure life energy.
The aura quickly spread outwards, like an invisible tide, revitalizing the land that had become lifeless due to the carnage.
That vibrant scene of life, where everything flourishes, is right before my eyes.
Harvest the souls of one hundred villains, and sow one hundred Seed of Life.
One harvest yields one kind, one destruction brings forth one kind.
Destruction and creation alternated in his hands, never ceasing.
They advanced southward along the outskirts of the Slaughter City, where the Evil Soul Masters who Slaughter City escaped were scattered in various places.
Every time Tang San found a stronghold, it was followed by a brief battle and the growth of a new tree.
Two months later, they entered the territory of the Heavenly Frost Duchy.
The Heavenly Frost Duchy was originally a peaceful inland duchy with fertile land and simple, honest people.
However, since the neighboring Salikel Duchy was annexed by the Spirit Hall Empire, the Heavenly Frost Duchy has become a frontline duchy directly bordering the Spirit Hall Empire.
The rulers of the duchy had no choice but to deploy all their troops to the border to defend against a possible attack from the Spirit Hall Empire.
After the troops were transferred, the country's defenses were weakened.
Those Evil Soul Masters who could only act stealthily suddenly became unrestrained, roaming freely throughout the heart of the duchy, burning, killing, and looting.
Tang San and his companions traveled south, clearing out the strongholds of the Evil Soul Masters one by one along the main towns of the Heavenly Frost Duchy.
They were extremely efficient. Upon arriving at a village or town, they would first conduct a search in the vicinity, lock onto their target, and then launch a swift attack.
The battles often ended in the blink of an eye, and those Fallen Soul Masters, whose highest level was no more than Soul Saint, had no chance to fight back against Tang San and his companions.
Four months passed quietly in this repetitive and intensive operation.
Tang San has already completed over ninety acts of destruction and creation. In at most another ten days or so, they will be able to complete the goal of the Third Trial.
At this moment, his Soul Power had reached the peak of level 89, and there were faint signs that he was about to break through to Level 90.
Each judgment, each act of sowing, makes his Soul Power fuller and more solid.
On this day, they arrived at a small town located on the border between the Heavenly Frost Duchy and the Salikel Duchy.
The town is small, but because it is close to the border between the two countries, you can occasionally see some patrolling guards on the streets.
The atmosphere in the town was very oppressive, and there weren't many pedestrians on the streets.
Tang San and his companions entered a restaurant that looked fairly clean and sat down by the window on the first floor.
We ordered a few dishes and a pot of hot tea, planning to rest for a while before setting off to explore the surrounding area.
Just as the tea was served, the wooden door of the restaurant was pushed open.
Four figures walked in through the main gate.
The two leading figures walked side by side. One of them was tall and slender with an ordinary face, but his eyes held a cold and murderous aura.
The other woman had alluring orange hair, a slender figure, and a captivating charm as she walked.
Zhang San and Hu Liena.
Xie Yue and Yan followed behind them.
The moment their eyes met in the air, the atmosphere in the restaurant froze.
The diners felt the invisible pressure, put down their chopsticks and bowls, and quickly left the restaurant with their heads down.
The restaurant owner huddled behind the counter, cautiously observing the situation.
Tang San's gaze sharpened slightly, and he put down his teacup. "What a small world."
Tang San didn't know why Zhang San and the others were here, but thinking about it, it wasn't surprising.
Tensions are high in this region; perhaps they're preparing to attack the Heavenly Frost Duchy.
On the other side, when Zhang San saw Tang San, his expression was one of surprise, which quickly turned into a complex look of wariness and excitement.
He stopped in his tracks, his gaze sweeping over Tang San from head to toe, a confident smile slowly curving his lips.
"Tang San, what a coincidence. I was just worried about not being able to find you, and you've delivered yourself right to my door."
Zhang San appeared very calm, perhaps because the Divine Slaughter's Domain he gained during his training in the Slaughter City gave him confidence, and he also knew that there were definitely experts protecting them.
His voice carried a mixture of long-suppressed resentment and eager excitement.