The Soul Beast Clan's Counterattack Begins!

Xiao Wu sat up, her slightly disheveled hair clinging to her sweat-dampened neck. The flush had yet to fade from her pretty face, while the confusion in her eyes deepened. "Brother, what happened? Why did you suddenly stop?"

She reached out to touch Tang San's cheek, but he instinctively avoided her.

That fleeting distance made Xiao Wu's heart tighten, and she vaguely sensed that something was wrong—Tang San had never looked at her like this before. Shock was wrapped in panic in his eyes, as though the sky had fallen.

"Xiao Qi..." Tang San's voice was hoarse, as though it had been scraped by sandpaper. Every word weighed as heavily as Qian Jun. "Xiao Qi has disappeared."

"Xiao Qi?"

Xiao Wu froze for a moment before her face suddenly turned deathly pale. She grabbed Tang San's arm, her fingertips whitening from the force. "What did you say? How could Xiao Qi disappear? Wasn't she training in the Douluo Continent? Did you sense it wrong?"

Tang Wutong was the daughter she and Tang San cherished most, her childhood name Xiao Qi. Ever since their daughter had descended to the lower realm to train, Xiao Wu had worried about her every day. If Tang San had not said that training would help Xiao Qi grow faster, she would never have been willing to let her leave the Divine Realm for even half a step.

"I couldn't be wrong."

Tang San shook his head, his tone so heavy it was nearly suffocating. "My bloodline connection with her has been severed. Even the Divine Sense I left in her soul has completely lost contact. In this situation... there is only one possibility."

He did not continue, but Xiao Wu already understood. It meant death. It meant losing her forever.

"No... That's impossible..."

Xiao Wu's voice began to tremble, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Xiao Qi is so powerful, and she has your Divine Sense protecting her. How could she..."

Tang San took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He swiftly put on his divine robes, unable to conceal his urgency. "I have to go to the Douluo Continent and find out exactly what happened."

Xiao Qi could not be allowed to come to harm.

Not merely because she was his and Xiao Wu's daughter, the treasure he held closest to his heart.

More importantly, Xiao Qi was a crucial part of his plans—now that the Child of Destiny of the Douluo Continent had emerged, coupled with the destiny of the Star Dou Great Forest, Tang Wutong would never have been allowed to descend to the lower realm otherwise. He had intended to use this opportunity to draw the Child of Destiny to his side and seize the destiny of Star Dou.

So, whether for love or reason, he had to find Xiao Qi, even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance.

"I'm going with you!" Xiao Wu hurriedly climbed out of bed and moved to get dressed.

"You stay in the Divine Realm."

Tang San pressed down on her shoulder, his gaze resolute. "Someone needs to hold things down here. Besides... I'm not sure what I'll encounter in the lower realm. Bringing you with me would only be inconvenient."

Xiao Wu bit her lip. She knew he was telling the truth, but worry surged through her like a tide, nearly leaving her unable to breathe. As she watched Tang San's resolute back, she suddenly remembered something and hurriedly called out, "Brother, should we tell the God of Destruction first?"

The God of Destruction was a colleague from the God Realm Committee. Though stubborn by nature and often at odds with Tang San, he was exceptionally fond of Xiao Qi, even closer to her than an actual uncle. Xiao Qi also loved to cling to the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life, and they were very close.

"He might not agree to abandoning his post without permission normally, but this time is different. It concerns Xiao Qi. Perhaps he will..."

Tang San paused and looked back at Xiao Wu. A trace of hesitation flashed through his eyes before he nodded. "You're right. It would be good to let him know. If I run into trouble in the Douluo Continent, there will be someone here in the Divine Realm to support us."

He turned and headed out of the hall. His Blue-gold divine robes cut a sharp arc through the morning light, his upright back carrying the heavy stillness of an approaching storm.

Xiao Wu remained where she was, watching his figure vanish into the clouds and mist. Her hands tightly clutched the hem of her clothes as she silently prayed.

Tang San did not waste a moment and headed straight for the palace of the God of Destruction. The destructive aura outside the divine hall was as frigid as ever, but it could not stop his anxious steps.

At the same time, deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, at the Lake of Life.

The lake water was emerald-green like jade, so tranquil that not a single ripple disturbed it. It reflected the towering ancient trees along the shore and the curling mist. Di Tian hovered above the center of the lake, his massive dragon claw lightly brushing the surface and sending rings of ripples outward.

Bi Ji stood on the shore, her voice gentle but carrying a trace of gravity. "We questioned every soul beast over fifty thousand years old in the core region. Not a single one admitted to killing a human with a Bright Holy Dragon Spirit. I also used life energy to search the outer regions of the forest. There truly are no traces of Soul Power from that spirit."

Myriad Demon King toyed with a vine around his fingertips, confusion on his feminine face. "According to Mu En, the youth had a Soul Sage protecting him. To deal with both of them at once without leaving a trace would be beyond any ordinary soul beast. But our people truly did not act. Could it be..."

"Could it have been another force?" Xiong Jun cut in with a deep, muffled voice. A vicious glint flashed through his crimson eyes. "Could it have been those Spirit Masters of Evil from the Holy Spirit Cult? They love doing this kind of sneaky business."

Di Tian remained silent. His golden vertical pupils reflected the shimmering lake surface, but his thoughts were racing.

Where exactly had that youth gone? He could not have simply vanished into thin air. Mu En insisted that Star Dou was responsible, yet after all their investigation, they had not found even the slightest clue. This conflict had begun strangely and ended just as strangely, as though an invisible hand was pushing everything from behind the scenes.

"No matter where he went, it no longer matters." Di Tian suddenly spoke, a cold smile in his voice. "What matters is that Shrek Academy has already suffered severe losses."

Xiong Jun stepped forward, his claws carving several deep furrows into the ground. "What do we do next? Are we just letting it go? I haven't had enough fighting yet!"

"What's the rush?" Di Tian slowly turned around, his enormous dragon head facing the gathered ferocious beasts. "Do one thing—release word discreetly that Shrek Academy suffered devastating losses in this incident, and that three senior elders have already fallen."

Bi Ji's willow brows furrowed slightly in concern. "Won't that be too obvious? Other forces may not believe it. Shrek Academy's reputation is there, after all."

"Whether they believe it is not important." Di Tian waved a dragon claw, calculation gleaming in his golden eyes. "What I want is not for all of them to believe it, but to plant a seed of doubt. Once the news is released, someone will naturally be unable to resist probing and investigating."

What he wanted was to muddy the waters.

Shrek Academy was like a great mountain, crushing the breath out of the other forces on the continent. Now that cracks had appeared in that mountain, those forces watching hungrily from the sidelines would never let this opportunity slip away. The Sun Moon Empire, the Holy Spirit Cult, even other academies... they would certainly make their moves.

By then, Shrek Academy would be too occupied to care about causing trouble for Star Dou. And they could take advantage of this opening to uncover the truth behind that youth's disappearance while building up their strength.

"I understand."

Bi Ji nodded, the concern in her eyes fading and giving way to understanding. "I'll make the arrangements immediately."

With that, everyone departed one after another, leaving only Di Tian standing there.

He raised his head and looked toward the heavens, murmuring, "The soul beast clan's counterattack has begun!"