Tang Buddha Ancestor Senses Something Is Wrong, Qian Fei Awakens

At the heart of an emerald ancient forest lay a vast lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains soaring thousands of meters high. The lake spanned over a thousand meters in radius and reached dozens of meters deep, its waters crystal clear to the bottom and giving off a faint immortal aura.

At the center of the lake stood a small house on the water. Its door, fashioned from leaves brimming with life energy, slowly opened.

"Sea God, you have nearly recovered as well. That truly astonishes me. Could that Angel God from back then really have beaten you, the Asura God, into such a state?"

As a cerulean figure departed, a gentle voice came from within the house.

Sea God Tang San repeatedly thanked the deity inside. "Thank you, senior Goddess of Life, for treating me all these years..."

"It was nothing... Remember, when little Wu Tong returns, bring her to play in my Forest of Life more often."

At the mention of his daughter, Sea God Tang San's expression shifted slightly. Keeping his composure, he said, "Certainly. Then I'll head back and spend time with Xiao Wu first."

"Forgive me for not seeing you off."

After bidding farewell to the Goddess of Life, Tang Buddha Ancestor immediately hurried back to the uppermost level of the God Realm. He had appeared calm and unhurried before, but now he seemed pressed for time.

This was the exclusive territory of the God Kings. Ordinary gods were forbidden from entering unless they possessed a God Realm Enforcer badge. In the spacious, magnificent hall, blue as the sea and grand as a palace, sat a woman in a pink dress with long hair braided into a scorpion tail. Seeing him return, she was pleasantly surprised.

"Third Brother, you came back from your treatment so early today?"

Tang Buddha Ancestor Tang San's expression immediately softened. "Xiao Wu, it's fine now. I've fully recovered... except..."

He subconsciously touched his right shoulder again, and his face twitched.

If he could not defeat and kill Sirin, Tang Buddha Ancestor feared he would never forget the nightmare-like pain and blow of being pierced by the Subspace Spear and having the Asura God Sword shattered.

"Enough of that. I need to see how Wu Tong is doing in the lower realm. That girl... I'll still have to leave her in Big Brother Niu and Big Brother Titan's care."

At the mention of those two, Xiao Wu's expression softened as well. "Da Ming and Er Ming... Don't worry. They'll definitely take good care of Wu Tong."

"Mm. Then I'm off."

The moment he left the God Realm Committee, the eyes of Sea God Tang San, who had just been so gentle, immediately turned sharp. "Tsk... I haven't paid attention to Douluo Star for so many years. The Child of Destiny... I hope my daughter has already tied him down."

Mist swirled all around. There were no living creatures in sight, not even a single plant unique to the God Realm. This place was extremely secluded, and few ever came here.

Taking a crystal ball from his robes, Tang God of Death infused it with divine power. The image he sought quickly appeared, but what it showed left him utterly stunned.

"What?! Isn't this one of those beasts from Star Dou... How did she enter the human world so quickly, and end up with that brat Huo Yuhao... And this is the Sun Moon Empire?!"

Tang God of Death realized that things seemed to have completely slipped beyond his control.

Indeed, the image projected by the crystal ball showed Huo Yuhao supporting Youlan as they returned to the dormitory building.

The girl's face was pale, golden hair over her forehead concealing her right eye, yet the smile at the corners of her lips could not be hidden. Though her arm was somewhat numb, she deliberately—or perhaps unconsciously—maintained the posture of holding a blade.

Some things, once experienced even once, became impossible to stop wanting. Youlan was like a born Valkyrie.

"Youlan... Miss, um, can you still walk?" Huo Yuhao asked as he supported her. The two had already arrived beneath the girls' dormitory.

Youlan nodded lightly, then turned and smiled at him. "Thank you... I can still walk."

Huo Yuhao released the hand supporting her. "Then go up by yourself. Goodbye. Teacher Lu assigned me a task for tomorrow, so I'll be leaving first."

"Mm..." Youlan lifted her leg to take a step, but quickly turned back. "Oh, right. I still don't know your name."

Huo Yuhao replied gently, "My name is Huo Yuhao. I'm in the same year as you, except... you're already a core disciple of the academy. I might even have to call you Senior Sister in the future."

Youlan said nothing more and headed upstairs. However, every one of her movements was caught by Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Eye, making the corners of his mouth twitch.

As she walked along the stone steps in the corridor, Youlan seemed to still be practicing the various moves she had used while wearing the Crimson Armor. She looked unbearably chuunibyou.

"Brother Sky Dream, I really want to wear that kind of armor too..."

Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's teasing voice came from the Sea of Consciousness. "What, you're not planning to be a man anymore? Why don't you ask that big brother whether there's some way to modify one for you?"

"Cough, cough... Forget it." Huo Yuhao hurriedly waved his hand, then his expression turned serious. "There's a mission tomorrow. I might... see blood for the first time."

"Little Yuhao... Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself. Those are the rules of this world. And when you decide to act, you must cast all notions of right and wrong aside. You absolutely cannot hesitate!"

Huo Yuhao nodded heavily. "Mm!"

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the purplish-red triangular object expanded by a full circle without Sky Dream Ice Silkworm noticing.

"...Yes. Back then, what exactly was I hesitating over?"

Knock, knock, knock!

"Qian Fei? Qian Fei?!"

The knocking and calls outside were urgent. Inside, the blonde girl sitting on the bathroom floor beneath the warm spray of water raised her head slightly. She could also hear the doorknob being turned.

As she stood up, the purplish-red markings on her body sank back into stillness.

"Teacher Mu Jin, I'm here."

Outside the room, Mu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the response. "Qian Fei, why haven't you come to class yet? I heard from Xiao Xiao that when she passed by your room last night, she seemed to hear you crying out in pain..."

Creak—

The door opened, and the fully dressed Qian Fei stepped out.

"I'm sorry, Teacher Mu. Last night... I had a small problem with my cultivation, but I'm fine now."

Even so, Mu Jin was still worried. "Do you want to visit the infirmary? A soul master's cultivation absolutely cannot go wrong. If you suffer a cultivation deviation... I won't be able to explain it to the dean."

Qian Fei still shook her head, her face calm. "Let's go, Teacher Mu. We should go to class. I probably just missed my sister a little after she left. After all, we had never... been apart for more than three days before."

"That's for the best." Mu Jin took Qian Fei's hand and quickly led her toward the teaching building.

At this hour, the other classes had already begun. They could not afford to delay.

In the corridor, Qian Fei kept her head slightly lowered as she left the new student dormitory. Only after confirming that she had left the sight of the old man downstairs, who was always sunning himself in a reclining chair, did she raise her left hand and press it against her chest.

There, a faint dark-golden radiance flickered in and out of view. It appeared solid, but was not yet complete.

It was like rings of strange patterns, forming and imitating something.