Response, Great Merit

"...Yes, Your Grace."

Ye Xilan took a deep breath, rose from the ground, glanced at the horrifying wound on Tang Hao's abdomen, and raised her hand to summon her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul.

She began treating him.

Under the torrential rain, Ye Xilan held up an umbrella to shield them both, gently urging her Martial Soul to release its Soul Skill. Petals formed one after another and fell onto Tang Hao's body.

The rain was kept beyond the umbrella. The two stood silently amid the ruins, allowing the heavy atmosphere to spread.

Lake Heart Island—although Spirit Hall had retreated, it was nearly destroyed as well.

Ruins lay everywhere, accompanied by the cries of people who discovered their loved ones dead while gathering the bodies.

The sorrowful wails rang out endlessly, while thunder boomed through the skies from time to time.

Boom!

A streak of lightning flashed. Ye Xilan continued treating him with her Martial Soul, then took out bandages and wrapped Tang Hao's abdominal wound, speaking softly.

"Your Grace."

There was no response. Ye Xilan returned to silence and tied the bandages bit by bit.

Then she spoke softly again.

"Your Grace."

Boom!

Explosive lightning struck the wreckage of a wooden house on Lake Heart Island, crackling and dancing as it illuminated everything around them.

Even with the umbrella shielding them, it lit Tang Hao's profile brightly.

Making the other side seem especially dark.

"Your Grace." Her gentle voice rang out once more.

This time, however, Ye Xilan lifted her head, her eyes seeming to hold the ripples of autumn water as she looked straight at Tang Hao.

"The injury has stabilized."

Tang Hao lowered his head, met Ye Xilan's eyes, and grinned.

"Mm!"

Bang!

The lightning on the ground dispersed. Tang Hao's figure flashed in an instant, turning into a violent streak of blood-red light as he shot toward the direction where the Spirit Hall members had vanished.

The violent wind howled, whipping her blue dress and tossing her hair about.

Ye Xilan stood amid the ruins with her umbrella, silently watching the direction in which Tang Hao gradually disappeared.

"Pavilion Master, what should we do now?"

Someone beside her wailed miserably through the rain.

"Yes, Pavilion Master, let's run. Let's flee into Heaven Dou City."

Someone said in despair.

Spirit Hall's efficient slaughter of ordinary people had driven some of them to collapse.

Not to mention that most of them had originally been ordinary people. They had only remained on Lake Heart Island because they were relatives of healing-type soul masters.

Facing their breakdowns and sobs, Ye Xilan remained silent, her gaze fixed on the direction Tang Hao had disappeared.

As though she were waiting for an answer.

An answer to why their Begonia Pavilion had suddenly been targeted by Spirit Hall and nearly half its people massacred.

Boom!

Lightning flashed everywhere amid the dark clouds. Atop a relatively tall tavern, several armored men hid nervously behind a window, watching what was happening on Lake Heart Island from afar.

"Commander, is... is it over?"

A gaunt man who looked like a junior officer clutched the blade in his hand nervously and asked the Fat Regiment Commander, who had been pressed against the window the whole time.

The Fat Regiment Commander was nervous too. They had originally rented the tavern for the night and planned to drink until dawn.

But then terrifying battle auras had suddenly erupted from Lake Heart Island.

The two had been badly startled. When they fearfully looked out the window and discovered that it was a battle between Titled Douluo, their hearts trembled even more.

They were terrified that the violent shockwaves of battle would reach them.

At the same time, they bitterly regretted coming here to drink tonight.

Wouldn't the barracks have been better?

They could drink there too.

The Fat Regiment Commander felt miserable. Regret scrunched up his chubby face.

"C-Commander, they seem to have all retreated." The gaunt officer nervously reminded him from the side.

He could not see the battle on Lake Heart Island from where he stood, but he could see the direction in which Spirit Hall was retreating.

And it was very close.

"They retreated?" The Fat Regiment Commander froze, then hurriedly looked over. To his delight, those suspected Spirit Hall Titled Douluo experts had truly withdrawn.

"Wonderful, Iron Rod! We'll return to the barracks immediately!" the Fat Regiment Commander said happily.

"Huh?"

But Iron Rod looked stunned as he glanced at the pitch-black streets outside.

Return to the barracks now?

"Yes, now!"

"And we'll ride back at full speed. Then we'll report the battle between four Titled Douluo here to the royal family."

"This is information involving Titled Douluo. It's absolutely worth a huge merit!"

Without another word, the Fat Regiment Commander's eyes gleamed as he immediately dragged Iron Rod downstairs toward the stable.

Titled Douluo.

Although he did not know why Lake Heart Island, which had always been peaceful, had suddenly become the site of a Titled Douluo-level battle.

And a battle involving four Titled Douluo at that.

But that did not stop him from immediately thinking of how much merit he could earn if he reported what had happened here to the royal family right away.

At the very least, it should be enough to move him up from his current position as regiment commander.

In the face of such enormous benefits, fear vanished, and he no longer cared about drinking. The Fat Regiment Commander's eyes gleamed as he dragged Iron Rod to the stable.

They each took a horse. With a crack of their whips and lanterns in hand, the Fat Regiment Commander took the lead and charged toward the city gates.

He was a regiment commander. He could have the city gates opened even in the middle of the night.

But in the next instant, an incomparably violent aura suddenly erupted in the distance.

The Fat Regiment Commander had barely registered his surprise when that violent aura surged toward him as swiftly as a tidal wave.

Then—

Boom!

A figure seemingly wrapped in blood-red light swept violently down the street. With a slap, the Fat Regiment Commander slid to his knees in terror, while the horses neighed fearfully.

Only after a long while, with the torrential rain battering his face, did he dazedly come back to his senses and shakily rise to his feet.

A Titled Douluo.

That blood-red figure that had just flown past so violently had to be a Titled Douluo expert.

"C-Commander, are... are we still going back to the barracks?" Iron Rod's voice trembled with fear.

A Titled Douluo.

If their little bodies continued onward and offended a Titled Douluo, they would not even be enough to swat aside.

Even dragging their entire clans here probably would not be enough.

The Fat Regiment Commander was terrified as well, but—

Seeing that the rain in the sky had begun to weaken, as well as the horses lying on the street like limp puddles of mud after being frightened senseless—

The Fat Regiment Commander immediately realized that the Titled Douluo had already been gone for quite some time.

So the Fat Regiment Commander gritted his teeth. "Go!"

"This is a fortune beyond measure. If we let it slip away like this, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives!"

Tears nearly streamed from Iron Rod's eyes, but the Fat Regiment Commander paid him no attention.

If the horses could not go, then they would run themselves!

With a clatter, the Fat Regiment Commander removed his armor, grabbed a lantern, and dragged Iron Rod as they desperately ran toward the city gates!

Run!

As long as they made it back to the barracks before dawn, this great merit would be theirs!

Boom!

Lightning suddenly flashed as the Fat Regiment Commander desperately dragged Iron Rod forward.

The outline of the city gates gradually emerged. The Fat Regiment Commander took out his identification token and opened his mouth to shout for the soldiers to open the gates and let them pass.

But then—

The two stood frozen in place, their pupils widening as they stared at the scene before them.