12: Chaotic Time and Space, the Four Who Accidentally Arrived Ten Thousand Years Ago

The fury in Beibei's chest nearly erupted, but when the corner of his eye caught the faintly appearing World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head, he forcibly suppressed the urge to rush forward.

Now was not the time for recklessness.

The two strong people before him were unfathomable. Rather than dwell on the insult of being called a "mongrel," it was better to use their hands to eliminate Lu Jing, this grave threat. As long as an Evil Soul Master remained alive, they would remain a danger to the continent. What was more, this bastard had killed Tang Ya...

He took a deep breath, bowed to Qian Daoliu and Yu Yuanzhen, and spoke with deliberately restrained earnestness. "Seniors, I know my words carry little weight, but Evil Soul Masters are cruel, and the corrosive power of the World-Destroying Black Lotus can pollute all living things. If he is allowed to leave today, he will surely become a great threat in the future!"

"For the safety of the continent, I ask that you make a move and kill him here in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

Every word rang with conviction as his gaze swept over the grass and trees withered by the World-Destroying Black Lotus's aura. He tried to persuade them with the evidence before them. "Please look, Seniors. This is the sinister nature of his Martial Soul. It can even corrode the grass and trees of heaven and earth. If he is allowed to grow, who knows how many living beings will suffer!"

Lu Jing's eyelids twitched furiously. Before Qian Daoliu and Yu Yuanzhen could speak, he hurriedly retorted, "Stop slandering me! I'm not an Evil Soul Master at all!"

He pointed at his own nose, his voice trembling slightly with urgency. "You call me an Evil Soul Master only because my Martial Soul has a darkness attribute! Do you know why there are so many Evil Soul Masters on Douluo Continent? It's because self-righteous people like you drive them into a corner."

Despite his words, he had no confidence in his heart. Once the label of Evil Soul Master was pinned on someone, it was often impossible to clear their name. Still, he clung to a sliver of hope—these two strong people did not seem like those who could not distinguish right from wrong. What if they reached a different conclusion?

With the mindset that a miserable life was still better than death, Lu Jing stiffened his neck, his eyes full of defiance, and continued, "So what if my Martial Soul has a darkness attribute? Does that alone make someone an Evil Soul Master? Ten Thousand Years Ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had an elder whose Martial Soul was the Bone Dragon. It also had a darkness attribute. Does that make him an Evil Soul Master too?"

Upon hearing the name Gu Rong, Yu Yuanzhen nodded instinctively. He had dealt with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect before and knew that Gu Rong's Bone Dragon Martial Soul was indeed eerie and sinister. Judging by attributes alone, it was probably even more like that of an Evil Soul Master than this child's Black Lotus.

He turned to Qian Daoliu and asked quietly, "Great Enshrined, what do you think we should do?"

Qian Daoliu's gaze rested on the World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head for a moment before sweeping over the withered grass and trees nearby. His expression remained utterly calm. "It merely has a somewhat darker Martial Soul Attribute. What is the big deal?"

He spoke blandly, his tone carrying an indifference that saw straight through to the heart of the matter. "Whether someone is an Evil Soul Master depends on their character and deeds, not anything else. If attributes alone were enough to determine it, then wouldn't Bibi Dong be considered the leader of Evil Soul Masters?"

Yu Yuanzhen immediately understood and agreed. "The Great Enshrined is absolutely right!"

The forms and attributes of Martial Souls were inherently strange and varied. If one judged good and evil solely by appearances, it would be far too arbitrary. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was domineering and bloodthirsty—did that mean everyone who possessed that Martial Soul was evil? Clearly not.

Lu Jing's eyes lit up as though he had seized a lifeline. "This Senior is absolutely right! Shouldn't judging whether someone is an Evil Soul Master depend on what they have done? I, Lu Jing, have never slaughtered an innocent person. On the contrary, Beibei and the others start shouting about killing people at the slightest disagreement. So who exactly looks more like an Evil Soul Master?"

Not far away, Wang Dong'er quietly raised her head. A flicker of agreement passed through her pale blue eyes, and she nodded softly. She had seen the cruelty of Evil Soul Masters and hated those scum who brought calamity upon others, but that did not mean a person's good or evil could be judged solely by their Martial Soul. Killing innocents by mistake was no different from the actions of Evil Soul Masters.

Qian Daoliu noticed Wang Dong'er's small movement, surprise flashing through his eyes. Then he turned to Qian Renxue beside him, his tone softening somewhat. "Xue'er, how do you think this should be handled?"

Qian Renxue tilted her head and thought for a moment, a serious light shining in her golden eyes. "I think... we shouldn't make a move."

She pointed at Lu Jing. "He doesn't look like a bad person. Besides, they only said that he killed someone, but they didn't explain what happened before or after. What if it really was a misunderstanding?"

After a pause, she added, "Didn't Grandfather say that an angel's duty is to protect justice, not to casually decide whether others live or die?"

At that, an almost imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth. He nodded. "You're right."

Beibei's expression darkened completely. He had not expected these two strong people not only to refuse to help him, but to defend Lu Jing at every turn. Even that little golden-haired girl was taking Lu Jing's side. A wave of helplessness surged through him as he stared at Lu Jing, the hatred in his eyes nearly overflowing.

Just then, Lu Jing suddenly frowned. His gaze traveled between Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue, and Yu Yuanzhen, as if he had suddenly figured something out. Unable to resist, he cautiously asked, "Forgive my presumption... but could the three Seniors tell me your identities?"

The more he thought about it, the more Something is Wrong.

Not only did these three not know that Spirit Hall had already fallen, but they knew nothing about figures from Ten Thousand Years Ago such as "Ancestor Tang San" and "Angel God Qian Renxue." Yu Yuanzhen had even called Beibei, who possessed the Holy Dragon of Light Martial Soul, a "mongrel"... This completely defied normal historical understanding.

Especially that golden-haired man, who kept saying that "Spirit Hall is perfectly fine" and had even mentioned Bibi Dong... Could their identities be extraordinary?

Qian Daoliu glanced at him and did not hide anything. "I am Qian Daoliu, the Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall."

He pointed at the maiden beside him. "This is my granddaughter, Qian Renxue."

Then he looked at Yu Yuanzhen. "This is the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen."

"What?!"

Lu Jing, Beibei, the Man in Black, and Wang Dong'er all cried out in shock at once, their faces filled with disbelief.

Qian Daoliu?! Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined, the legendary Limit Douluo who had lived for over a century, the Angel God's representative? Hadn't he sacrificed himself Ten Thousand Years Ago to help Qian Renxue become a god? How could he be standing here alive and well?

And Qian Renxue... wasn't she the Angel God? Hadn't she vanished after the final battle? How could she appear here as a little girl, still absorbing a Soul Ring?

What shocked Beibei the most was Yu Yuanzhen—the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? The strong person who had fallen when Spirit Hall wiped out the clan? How could he be here, questioning Beibei's origins?

For a time, the Dense Forest fell deathly silent, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Lu Jing opened his mouth, his mind in utter chaos. Suddenly, he thought of an absurd yet seemingly only reasonable explanation—they seemed to have arrived in the Douluo Continent of Ten Thousand Years Ago?

The instant that thought arose, it felt as though all the blood in his body had frozen.

If it was true, then everything before them made sense—why they did not know Spirit Hall had fallen, why Qian Daoliu and Yu Yuanzhen were still alive, why Beibei's Holy Dragon of Light was being called a "mongrel"...

Beibei and Wang Dong'er had clearly thought of the same thing. Their faces turned deathly pale as they stared at the three before them, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Qian Daoliu frowned slightly at their shocked reactions. "What? Do you know me?"

Lu Jing swallowed, his throat so dry it felt like it was smoking.

Know him? It was far more than that—his name was practically thunderous in their ears!

But... how were they supposed to explain to this great figure from Ten Thousand Years Ago that they were "people from the future," from Ten Thousand Years Later?