Unforeseen Disaster

Early the next morning, Ming Lunyu took Ma Hongjun to the back mountain to gather firewood. It was their daily required task.

There were few people in the mountains, and not many small animals either. There were, however, many flocks of birds. Ming Lunyu had once guessed that this was because nearly everyone in nearby Grass Chicken Village possessed Martial Souls related to chickens.

After all, birds and chickens were both fowl. It was only natural for them to gather together.

But the forest was terrifyingly silent today. Not a single one of the chirping birds from usual days could be seen.

Ming Lunyu glanced sideways at Ma Hongjun beside him, secretly wondering if Little Jun's Phoenix Martial Soul had frightened all the birds away.

After walking for nearly half an hour, the two arrived at the summit of a small mountain. They first stood facing the rising sun and admired the distant view for a while, then bent down to select suitable firewood and neatly stack it into their bamboo baskets.

Before long, the bamboo baskets they had each carried up were filled to the brim.

"That should be enough. Let's head back." Ming Lunyu forcefully shoved the last piece of firewood into his basket, then turned to give Ma Hongjun a relaxed smile.

Yet Ma Hongjun did not respond at all. He merely stared fixedly in the direction of the village.

"Little Jun, what's wrong?"

Not understanding, Ming Lunyu turned around and followed Ma Hongjun's gaze.

In an instant, his pupils constricted to the size of pinpoints.

"Brother Yu... the village... the village..."

Ma Hongjun's legs went limp, and he collapsed to the ground with a hoarse cry.

Ming Lunyu's mind went completely blank. It took him a full minute to barely come back to his senses.

"Go, go! Little Jun! We have to get back! Hurry!"

He forced himself to move, roughly hauling Ma Hongjun up from the ground as they raced wildly down the mountain.

In the direction of the village, the quiet, leisurely settlement beneath the morning mist was now engulfed in towering flames, with streaks of strange black fog wreaking havoc within it!

The ground and walls were drenched in blood.

"Haah! Haah! Haah!"

Ming Lunyu ran for his life. Even when the rugged mountain rocks tripped him and sent him tumbling to the ground, he climbed back up immediately as though he could not feel pain.

At last, he finally ran back to the village.

"Wh-what... what happened?!"

Ming Lunyu's legs gave way, and he dropped to his knees.

The once warm and peaceful village had become a living hell.

The neat houses had been reduced to broken walls and rubble, while the kind villagers lay scattered across the ground.

Not one of them had died intact.

Some even bore signs of having been gnawed on.

Blood had darkened the morning sun, and it seemed that nothing remained between heaven and earth but desolation.

"Brother Yu..."

Gasping for breath, Ma Hongjun staggered over to Ming Lunyu's side. Before he could even finish a sentence, the horrific sight before him seemed to tear his soul away.

It felt as if only an instant had passed, yet it also seemed like a very long time.

Like someone rescued from drowning, Ming Lunyu suddenly struggled free from the sight before his eyes.

He barely managed to stand, bracing his hands on his knees as he panted heavily.

"Brother Yu..."

Ma Hongjun had been scared out of his wits by the terrible scene. He could only instinctively seek the support of someone he trusted.

"Let's go home." Ming Lunyu's face was pale, but his expression gradually hardened.

He had to go home and see.

"Grandpa..."

Ming Lunyu prayed without pause.

The two raced onward again, pouring every ounce of strength they had into their legs. They only hated that they could not run faster—faster still!

Finally, a familiar rooftop came into view.

But this time, Ming Lunyu could easily reach out and touch it, because the house had collapsed to the ground, everything buried beneath the ruins.

"Grandpa!" Ma Hongjun cried out, rushing straight onto the wreckage of the house. He looked around blankly, trying to find that aged figure with his kindly face once more.

Only Ming Lunyu could not say a word. He stood motionless some distance away, as if even his soul had fallen silent.

Following his gaze, a figure with unclosed eyes lay beneath a collapsed wall.

It was Hu Dasheng's body.

The lifeless old man stared wide-eyed. One aged arm stretched desperately forward, while his other hand clawed tightly at the earth, revealing the struggle he had endured before death.

Though he no longer had any breath left in him, the scene was filled with tension.

If this had been a painting, it would surely have fetched a high price.

Unfortunately, this was not a painting. It was a real human tragedy unfolding right before their eyes.

Step by step, Ming Lunyu staggered toward Hu Dasheng.

He knew that Grandpa's struggle before death had not been an attempt to escape it. He simply had not been able to see his grandsons one last time.

Ming Lunyu clenched his fists tightly, utterly unaware that his nails had dug deeply into his palms.

When he had left home that morning, he had still been smiling and discussing what to eat for lunch with Grandpa. Yet after only an hour, they had been separated by life and death...

The grief in Ming Lunyu's heart could no longer be described with words.

But he did not cry.

Because he knew that crying would not change any of the facts.

He knew that every tragedy must have someone behind it.

That was the true culprit, the one he would spend the rest of his life avenging himself upon!

"No matter who you are, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you. Then... I will make you suffer every torture imaginable, never to be reborn for all eternity!"

Black and white energy surged uncontrollably from Ming Lunyu's body.

The pupils of the black and white Yin Yang Fish were filled with viciousness.

Though his body was small, it radiated a chilling presence that shook the heart.

"Ah!"

Ma Hongjun's scream jolted Ming Lunyu from his thoughts.

"Has the murderer appeared?!"

In an instant, surging hatred and uncontainable fear flooded Ming Lunyu's heart.

He abruptly turned toward Ma Hongjun, but saw no other figure—only a cold, eerie evil aura enveloping Ma Hongjun.

"Not good!"

Ming Lunyu inwardly cried out in alarm.

He recognized it. That evil aura was the Soul Power the murderer had left behind in the village.

But this Soul Power was completely different from his and Ma Hongjun's. It was thoroughly filled with coldness, evil, and misfortune.

Ming Lunyu rushed over with all his strength, barely catching Ma Hongjun as he fell backward.

"Brother Yu, it's so cold!"

The evil Soul Power ravaged Ma Hongjun's entire body.

"Ah!" Ma Hongjun's face twisted in agony, veins bulging across his forehead as his Martial Soul was summoned against his will.

The black evil Soul Power instantly surged toward the Martial Soul as if it had found its source.

The fiery red phoenix gradually began to be stained black.

Ma Hongjun struggled more and more violently, his eyes completely crimson.

Ming Lunyu gritted his teeth. His heart was anxious, but he had no idea where to begin.

He had already formed a guess.

The feeling these evil strands of Soul Power gave him was very similar to the faint aura hidden within Ma Hongjun's Martial Soul.

Or rather, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Martial Soul had always been flawed. It was not pure, but contained an evil power as well.

Now, the hidden evil aura had triggered a resonance with the residual evil aura in the village, causing it to rush headlong into Ma Hongjun's body.

If he did not find a way to stop it... Ma Hongjun might be eroded by the evil aura and lose himself. He might even be unable to endure the corruption, placing his life in danger!

As Ming Lunyu desperately suppressed Ma Hongjun's struggling, he racked his mind for a solution.

"Damn it!"

But what could a six-year-old child possibly do?

Seeing Ma Hongjun's condition grow increasingly dire, a desperate, reckless method suddenly sprang into Ming Lunyu's mind.

"I can only try."

Ming Lunyu summoned his Second Martial Soul.

A Gray Bead wrapped in black and white appeared in his palm.

His Second Martial Soul, Inverse Yin Yang, had an unknown specific effect, but one thing was certain: anyone contracted with Inverse Yin Yang would definitely receive benefits.

Inverse Yin Yang could form a contract once every ten levels, and Ming Lunyu could now form one contract.

Because his Innate Soul Power was not Level 1 at all.

It was Level 10!

Innate Full Soul Power!

That was why the crystal ball had initially emitted such a blinding light during the Soul Power test.

However, at the instant his Soul Power was tested, his Second Martial Soul had suddenly awakened and absorbed a massive amount of Soul Power, making everyone believe that he possessed only Level 1 Innate Soul Power.