If Gods Stand in My Way, I Will Slay Them (Please Keep Reading! Please Bookmark! Please Invest!)

"No!"

Qian Chaoguang roared as the Extreme Ice Light erupted with unprecedented power, dyeing everything in the room an icy blue.

Huo Yutong, who had been cultivating next door, was jolted awake by the powerful icy force and rushed into the room.

"Brother Zhaoguang, what happened... Grandpa!"

The moment she entered, she saw Qian Chaoguang holding Old Butler's corpse.

The Extreme Ice Light flickered before his chest, radiating intense cold that made Huo Yutong shiver involuntarily.

The light had already become exceedingly faint.

All that remained was endless cold.

"Grandpa... is gone..."

There was not the slightest fluctuation in Qian Chaoguang's voice, as though it were ancient ice that would never melt.

He raised his head to look at Huo Yutong. His eyes had turned bloodshot, filled with grief and hatred.

Huo Yutong covered her mouth, holding back the urge to scream.

Tears streamed from her eyes, only to freeze into ice upon her cheeks in the cold air.

How could she not be heartbroken over Old Butler's death?

In Huo Yutong's heart, Old Butler held a place equal to that of her mother, Huo Yun'er.

Who could have imagined that their meeting half a month ago would be their final farewell?

She could still clearly remember Old Butler's kind smile before he left.

"Be good, Xiao Tong. Cultivate properly at home with Xiao Guang. Grandpa is going on a long journey, and when I return, I'll bring you some crisp candy, all right?"

"Mm-hm, goodbye, Grandpa."

Huo Yutong crouched on the ground, silently shedding tears.

This was already the second time she had experienced the departure of a loved one.

Tears blurred her vision.

She crouched there, sobbing without stop, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She wanted to ask the heavens why fate was so unfair, why they had treated her this way!

Qian Chaoguang sat on the bed in a daze, holding Old Butler's corpse.

His trembling hand reached out and laid Old Butler flat, then gently closed those eyes that had lost their light.

At that moment, reason gradually returned to his mind, while indescribable grief flooded his entire body.

Grandpa, I won't let you die in vain.

Once my cultivation succeeds, I will search the heavens and scour the Underworld to snatch your soul back!

No one can stop me from bringing you back to life!

The Extreme Ice Light erupted violently once again, coating even the walls with a layer of frost.

Huo Yutong was forced awake from her overwhelming grief. The moment she opened her mouth, a puff of white mist escaped.

"Brother Zhaoguang... cold..."

Only upon hearing Huo Yutong's voice did Qian Chaoguang withdraw from that strange state.

In an instant, the ice and snow melted away, and the cold receded.

The Extreme Ice Light no longer flickered, and the temperature slowly began to rise.

What... happened to me?

Before he had time to reflect on his previous state, Qian Chaoguang instinctively embraced the shivering Huo Yutong, circulating his blood and vitality to give off warmth.

Her tears had already frozen into tiny ice pellets on her pale little face.

The intense grief coupled with the prolonged cold had left her somewhat dazed.

Huo Yutong mumbled something indistinctly.

"Mom left... Grandpa doesn't want me anymore either..."

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Tong. You still have me. Your brother is still here. From now on, I'll be your real older brother."

"Brother..."

After suffering one devastating blow after another, Huo Yutong could no longer hold on and fainted.

Her Sea of Spirit was currently surging violently.

Qian Chaoguang held her for a while longer. Only after confirming that her body temperature had recovered did he carry her back to the bed where she slept every day.

Returning to his room, Qian Chaoguang took several deep breaths, forcefully calming his turbulent emotions. He then stored the bloodstained bed and Old Butler's corpse in the Storage Bracelet.

Under cover of night, he quietly left the city.

He ran all the way to the mountain where he and Huo Yutong usually trained in the mornings.

There was already a grave there.

It belonged to Huo Yun'er.

He dug a pit, chopped down trees, and lit a fire.

As he watched Old Butler's body gradually be swallowed by the flames, Qian Chaoguang cried again, weeping loudly and without restraint.

When the fire had burned out, he placed Old Butler's ashes into a porcelain jar and buried them there, allowing him to rest in peace.

He carved, erected a gravestone, kowtowed, and burned incense.

Several simple yet bold characters were carved into the gravestone—

[Grave of Zhu Qichen]

By the time he finished everything, dawn had broken.

Light and warmth once more spread across the land, driving away the darkness.

By the time Qian Chaoguang returned to the little courtyard, it was already broad daylight. Huo Yutong was still unconscious.

He returned to the empty room, opened the Storage Bracelet with Soul Power, and sorted through the relics Old Butler had left behind.

One thousand and fifty-six Gold Soul Coins, thirty-two Silver Soul Coins, and seventy-eight Copper Soul Coins.

For an ordinary family, savings of over a thousand Gold Soul Coins could be considered a vast fortune, enough to live without worries.

But for a Soul Saint, one who was even on the verge of breaking through to Soul Douluo, this money was truly far too little.

Qian Chaoguang felt a knot in his chest.

Nearly all of Old Butler's lifetime savings had been spent on his and Huo Yutong's cultivation over the past few years.

The vast quantities of medicinal herbs and Heavenly Treasures used for his Medicinal Baths alone had been an enormous expense.

Aside from the coins, there were three boxes, an identity token, and some miscellaneous items.

The heavy token bore a lifelike tiger head carved on its front, the emblem of the White Tiger Duke.

The reverse side was blank.

Qian Chaoguang opened the first box. Inside was a Heavenly Treasure called a Golden Spirit Fruit. It was extremely effective for tempering a Soul Master's physique and was worth a fortune.

The second box did not contain anything precious, only a simple box of crisp candy.

The moment Qian Chaoguang picked up the third box, he sensed that its weight was off.

Upon opening it, he found two envelopes laid neatly inside, along with a crumpled sheet of letter paper.

On the back of the paper were uneven, messy purple-red strokes that had pressed through the page, carrying a faint scent of blood.

Qian Chaoguang's heart tightened as he carefully unfolded the letter.

"Xiao Guang, by the time you read this letter, I should already be dead. Do not avenge me, and do not make pointless sacrifices—unless one day, your cultivation can break through to Titled Douluo."

"There are two letters of recommendation personally written by the City Lord here, bearing your name and Xiao Tong's respectively. If possible, try Shrek Academy before you turn twelve. I was once a member there myself."

"If you cannot enter Shrek, that is fine. I once told you that there is a sect on the continent called the Body Sect. Go to the Heaven Dou Empire and try your luck. Perhaps they will recognize that strange martial soul of yours."

"Match the Golden Spirit Fruit with the remaining medicinal ingredients yourself. It should be able to help you..."

The letter ended abruptly there, with no further words.

Qian Chaoguang smoothed out the letter, folded it, and placed it back into the box with great care. Together with the two recommendation letters, he stored them in the Storage Bracelet.

Shrek?

If this is Your Legacy, I will give it a try.

When Qian Chaoguang had first begun planning for the future, he had considered whether he should attend the Sun Moon Empire Royal Soul Tool Academy.

Although Shrek was indeed powerful and possessed abundant resources unavailable to other sects and academies, he truly found many of Shrek's educational philosophies difficult to accept.

Now, there was no need to consider that question.

As the state religion of the Sun Moon Empire, the Holy Spirit Cult was his sworn enemy.

How could he possibly join the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy now?

Douluo Continent really does have a fleeting setting involving the Underworld. In the Original Work, Huo Yun'er's soul was brought out of the Underworld by Dai Mubai.

To be honest, writing this chapter and the previous one left me upset for an entire night.