Cold Light Valley, Yu Xi

Douluo Plane, northeastern region of the Heaven Dou Empire.

A valley lay blanketed in ice and snow that never melted year-round, its cold biting to the bone. Fragments of sunlight were scattered across the vast snowfield, yet within such a frigid environment grew all manner of strange plants. Once inside, even without blazing sunlight, even ordinary people could not feel the slightest chill.

A winding path could vaguely be seen within the withered black conifer forest. Buried beneath thick snow, it appeared not to have been traveled for many years.

Under the sunlight, the ice and snow coating a plaque slowly melted away, revealing three large characters carved by a sharp weapon—Cold Light Valley.

Legend had it that this was once the place where the Angel Goddess had descended. Using Extreme Cold Profound Ice Stone from Cold Light Valley that had bathed in the Angel's holy radiance, she forged an unparalleled divine bow. The bow was later blessed by a god and could become the Martial Soul of Soul Masters.

However, inheriting the divine bow was exceptionally difficult. More often than not, reverse mutations occurred, causing it to degenerate into an ordinary tool-type Martial Soul.

Yet for more than three hundred years, no one had possessed the divine bow Martial Soul again...

At the deepest part of the valley, a somewhat slender figure sat cross-legged between two mountain peaks. A pair of ice wings, thin as cicada wings, stretched from his back, while an enormous, magnificent ice crystal longbow floated before him. Strands of golden light emanated from its bowstring and danced across the ice crystals.

Nine soul rings pulsed above and below him—two yellow, two purple, and five black—displaying the strength of a Titled Douluo.

The Titled Douluo wore snowy white robes and looked quite young. A faint cold gleam flickered in his left eye. Snow hissed and wind howled beside his ears, while fierce gusts cut painfully across his cheeks. At some point, the snowfall overhead had ceased, leaving only a few loose strands of hair and the cloak on his body swaying amid the wind and snow.

Buzz!!

Suddenly, his brows rose. He gripped the bowstring with his right hand and threw back his head with a roar. In an instant, heaven and earth changed color as an ultimate golden radiance burst from his body like a sharp sword, piercing the gray sky and shining upon the Titled Douluo. Soul Power flooded his entire body in an instant!

Rumble—!!

The golden light burned fiercely, melting the ice and snow from his body and exposing a golden badge at his waist—Radiant Feather.

"Level 97 Peak Douluo... I succeeded..." Radiant Feather Douluo opened his eyes, a smile hanging from his lips. Feeling the power of a higher realm, intense delight filled his gaze.

"Hehe." A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on his face as he turned to look toward the city at the center of the continent. "Azure Luan, to celebrate this old man becoming a Peak Douluo, I'll have to trouble you to arrange a celebration banquet for me."

Whoosh...

His ice wings spread, and Radiant Feather Douluo was about to leave when he caught sight of a white, unidentified object protruding from the snowfield not far away. It was giving off a faint life aura.

"That is..." The ice crystal in his left eye condensed further. Radiant Feather Douluo focused his gaze, then froze in surprise for a moment. "A baby?"

Quickly stepping forward, Radiant Feather Douluo reached out and picked up the infant. Looking down, he saw that the baby lying in the pure white swaddling cloth had a face as pale as paper and weak breathing, seemingly on the verge of death.

Reaching inside, Radiant Feather Douluo pulled a white sheet of paper from the swaddling cloth. Two simple words were written on it in black ink.

Yu Xi.

"Your name is Yu Xi? Whose unlucky child are you..."

Though his words were full of disdain, Radiant Feather Douluo still released a thread of Soul Power to shield the baby's body, preventing the cold wind from tormenting him any further.

"Hm?" The moment he released his Soul Power, Radiant Feather Douluo let out a startled sound.

Perhaps because it had been sustaining the infant's fragile life just now, wisps of golden radiance now emerged and enveloped the child's body, seemingly restoring his weak vitality.

"Sacred Aura... This little fellow was actually born with a Sacred Aura!"

Radiant Feather Douluo was overwhelmed with surprise and delight. He had only sensed such an aura on three people.

Could this little fellow be...

At that thought, Radiant Feather Douluo's expression could not help turning strange. "His Holiness the Pope... Don't tell me you really became a scumbag..."

"Yiya, yiya..."

The little baby woke up.

"So cold... Didn't I kill myself? Where am I..."

Radiant Feather Douluo did not know that this little baby was no ordinary child.

"I... I'm not dead? Then why can't I move..."

The infant began to cry, flailing his tiny arms and legs in a frantic struggle to break free of his restraints.

Radiant Feather Douluo's expression stiffened as he hurriedly soothed him. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, little fellow. There, there, there..."

But it did not last long. The little fellow soon gradually calmed down, seemingly growing accustomed to being restrained. His little head tilted to one side, and he fell fast asleep.

"Seems like... someone is holding me. Does death truly mean rebirth? But why are my memories... Never mind. I can't do anything right now, so I should rest first..."

With the little fellow no longer crying, Radiant Feather Douluo breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he have time to study the little baby.

"It's a boy. How did this child end up in Cold Light Valley... How could I possibly have failed to notice him when I arrived just now..."

"Heh, not bad. He's rather cute, and this Sacred Aura... Could you really be another mistake the Pope made?"

"Forget it, I'll take you back first. With your Sacred Aura, that father and son should be more interested..."

Having made up his mind, Radiant Feather Douluo carefully protected the little fellow with Soul Power, spread his Ice Crystal Wings, and flew away at high speed.

Traveling from the northeast of the Heaven Dou Empire back to Spirit City did not take much time for a Peak Douluo like Radiant Feather Douluo. However, because he had to look after the little fellow, the journey was stretched to around five days.

The little fellow woke up several times along the way, always staring straight at Radiant Feather Douluo with wide eyes. The old child did not mind it and even teased him with his hand a few times.

"Little fellow, what are you looking at? Never seen a handsome old man before?"

The little baby spent half his time sleeping. When awake, he either stared at Radiant Feather Douluo or tried to turn his head to look at the world outside.

"He looks somewhat familiar... Pfft, a handsome old man? He's pretty narcissistic."

"Where exactly is this place? Why can he fly? Did I transmigrate, or am I dreaming... Still, at least I really am alive, even if I've become a child..."

Inside a restaurant, Radiant Feather Douluo took out the thermos he carried with him. Carefully controlling the chill, he brought the water to a temperature that was neither cold nor hot before holding it to the little fellow's mouth. "Ah~"

"Ah~"

The little fellow cooperatively opened his tiny mouth and drank the warm water.

"Haha, this little one is quite obedient." Radiant Feather Douluo smiled faintly and scooped up another small spoonful.

Just as it reached his mouth, Radiant Feather Douluo withdrew the spoon again. The little fellow immediately froze, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Wuwuwu..."

Seeing that the little fellow was about to cry, Radiant Feather Douluo chuckled. He took a milk bottle filled with premium cow's milk from his robes, handed it over, and asked with a smile, "Want some?"

The little fellow's eyes lit up at the sight of the milky-white liquid. Without hesitation, he took the milk bottle.

"Tsk, tsk. You little fellow, why are you so clever? I thought I'd have to coax and trick you for a while..."

Shaking his head lightly, Radiant Feather Douluo continued eating the bun in his hand as he looked toward the tall, prosperous city a hundred meters away.