Finding Xing Hu

After resting for a while, the two continued onward. After another hour of walking, they arrived outside a mountain forest.

The forest before them was extremely dense, with only a narrow path stretching into its depths. A gust of wind swept through, rustling the leaves, while the occasional chirp of cicadas and birds drifted out from within.

Looking at the forest ahead, Tang Yuehua could not help but complain.

"If Xing Hu is really hiding in this forest, I have to wonder whether he is actually filial."

His mother was already in poor health, yet her son had brought her into this remote wilderness. If her illness acted up, even finding medicine would be difficult. Tang Yuehua did not think the herbs in these mountains could cure his mother's illness.

If they could, Xing Hu's mother would not still be sick after all this time.

Ordinary herbs were useless. They needed rare medicinal herbs with sufficient age, but such medicines were precious and difficult to find. Although Xing Hu was a Soul King, he ultimately had no power of his own. Unlike those major factions, he could not simply find whatever he needed.

Of course, nothing was absolute. Sometimes, luck favored those without power.

"He has no other choice," Huangfu Ji explained on Xing Hu's behalf.

"The Meng family has put a bounty on him. Soul Masters who want to kill him are everywhere in Baihe City, and even if he leaves this place, there will be no shortage of people elsewhere who want him dead."

"Compared to heading to other cities, this remote mountain forest is actually the safest place."

Tang Yuehua nodded slightly.

"That is true."

"Xing Hu's father died early, and his mother raised him alone. He lived in the mountains from childhood. When his Martial Soul Awakened at the age of six, he did not join Spirit Hall or enter a Soul Master Academy. Instead, he chose to figure out cultivation on his own."

"Honestly, I admire him a little. With no one to teach him and relying entirely on his own exploration, it truly was not easy for him to reach the Soul King level."

"According to what I've learned, when he was at Level 30, he fought a Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone and ultimately succeeded in killing it."

Huangfu Ji was somewhat surprised.

"Where did you hear that?"

None of this had been recorded in the information Tang Yuehua had given him before.

Tang Yuehua said, "I only learned about it recently as well. Before Xing Hu turned thirty, he was practically a wild man."

Huangfu Ji nodded thoughtfully, then entered the mountains without hesitation. Tang Yuehua followed after him.

As they walked, she warned him, "We should still be careful. If Xing Hu really is here, it would be easy to cause a misunderstanding."

The outside world was full of people seeking to kill him, yet she and Huangfu Ji had entered the mountains at such a time. If he mistook them for people who had come to kill him, it would be troublesome. After all, he was a Soul King, and an exceptionally powerful one at that.

Tang Yuehua herself was only Level 9 and had no combat ability at all. Even Huangfu Ji was only Level 32.

After leaving Qingyang Duchy, Huangfu Ji had not been slack in his cultivation. His Soul Power Level had now broken through by another level.

Level 32 at twelve years old—such talent was already terrifying. How many Soul Masters on the continent had not even reached the Soul Grandmaster level by the age of twelve?

At this rate of cultivation, Tang Yuehua felt that Huangfu Ji might reach the Soul Ancestor realm within two years and break through to become a Titled Douluo before the age of fifty.

What did becoming a Titled Douluo before fifty even mean? Among all the Titled Douluo recorded throughout the continent's history, practically none had broken through before the age of fifty. Even the greatest geniuses only broke through after fifty, and many geniuses were already in their sixties when they reached the Titled Douluo realm.

Even her own grandfather, Tang Chen, had been in his fifties when he broke through to become a Titled Douluo.

If someone broke through to become a Titled Douluo before fifty, it would be simply unimaginable. Just how powerful would such a person be?

Her second brother, Tang Hao, was already known as the number one among Clear Sky Sect's younger generation. He had reached the Soul Emperor level in his twenties and was not far from becoming a Soul Saint.

She was now somewhat looking forward to Huangfu Ji's future as well.

A fully grown Grand Duke Qingyang, a peak Titled Douluo—she wondered what he would bring to the continent.

The farther the two ventured into the forest, the quieter their surroundings became. When they had first entered, they could still hear cicadas and birds, and even the roars of wild beasts from time to time. But now, there was not a single sound around them. The silence was terrifying.

Huangfu Ji stopped and warily scanned the area. Tang Yuehua stood behind him.

"Why is it so quiet here?"

Tang Yuehua moved closer to Huangfu Ji, as though doing so would make her feel safer.

Right now, Huangfu Ji was the only one who could protect her.

Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air rang out.

"Get down!"

After shouting, Huangfu Ji immediately pressed Tang Yuehua down and dropped to the ground as well.

The instant they hit the ground, a Mountain Splitting Axe flew out from the forest and cleaved through a thick tree beside them.

Lying on the ground, Huangfu Ji looked toward the direction the Mountain Splitting Axe had come from and could not help but let out a breath of relief.

"That was close. Just a little more."

Had he been a second slower, that Mountain Splitting Axe would likely have taken his head off.

"Pah, pah." Beside him, Tang Yuehua spat out the dirt in her mouth. Huangfu Ji had shoved her straight to the ground just now, face-down at that, so she had inevitably gotten some dirt in her mouth.

At that moment, her once beautiful face was covered in dirt, and even her dress had become filthy.

Huangfu Ji looked to the side with an awkward expression. He had indeed been a little rough just now.

"I'm sorry."

Tang Yuehua shook her head. She did not blame Huangfu Ji. The situation had been urgent, and if he had not reacted quickly, she would probably have been separated from her head by now.

"That was really thrilling."

Though she appeared poised and elegant on the surface, she still had a bit of an adventurous spirit deep down. After all, she was from the Clear Sky Sect. If she had been able to become a powerful Soul Master and continue cultivating, she would have long since traveled the continent, punishing evildoers and upholding justice.

She had never done anything like this before, yet only a few days after meeting Huangfu Ji, she had already encountered something so thrilling.

Tang Yuehua rose and patted the dirt from herself. She had no time to tidy herself up at the moment; her emotions were surging.

At that moment, the Mountain Splitting Axe on the ground was drawn away, flying back in the direction it had come from.

Huangfu Ji stepped in front of Tang Yuehua to shield her. He felt terribly sorry toward her. Logically, this had nothing to do with her, yet she had been dragged into it because of him. He felt deeply ashamed.

If he still failed to protect her, then even if he achieved great things in the future, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Besides, if anything happened to her, the Clear Sky Sect would never let him off.

The brothers Tang Xiao and Tang Hao could hammer him into a pulp.

"Come out." Huangfu Ji called toward the left, his voice carrying and echoing through the forest.

Before long, Xing Hu emerged from behind a large tree. He gripped the Mountain Splitting Axe tightly in his hand, five Soul Rings pulsing around him as he remained ready to fight at any moment.

"You two think you can kill me?"

Xing Hu took Huangfu Ji and Tang Yuehua for bounty hunters who had come to kill him. His voice boomed like a great bell, his presence intimidating as his eyes remained fixed on Huangfu Ji.

Of the two, Huangfu Ji was the only one Xing Hu considered capable of fighting. Tang Yuehua was completely ignored.