I Will Be Your Nightmare

A chilling voice rang out in the room.

"Who's there?" Salide immediately summoned his Martial Soul. His already bloated body swelled further, snowy-white scales covering his face and arms as three Soul Rings gleamed beneath his feet.

"The one here to take your life!"

Salide sensed a disturbance behind him and turned around, only to see a man in a black robe and a white mask.

Before he could say anything, however, a spear shot straight toward his face.

The spear pierced straight through his entire head as Liu Yanyang slowly approached.

"Take a deep breath. Feeling dizzy is normal!"

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot you don't have a head anymore."

As he spoke, Soul Power surged, and the spear trembled violently. Salide's head exploded.

With a bang, the door shattered. A six-ringed Soul Emperor appeared in the doorway—it was the middle-aged man who had just left.

He had not gone far before sensing a fluctuation of Soul Power in his young master's room, so he immediately rushed back.

After smashing through the door, all he saw was the headless corpse on the floor and a black-robed man wearing a white mask.

He immediately flew into a rage. "Who are you? What grudge does our City Lord's residence have against you?"

The Middle-aged Soul Emperor knew it was already over the moment he saw his young master's corpse on the ground. Now, only by bringing the murderer back could he lessen the City Lord's punishment.

"Me? I'm nobody!"

"However, I will become your nightmare. No hope, no light—only despair shall exist!"

Liu Yanyang looked at the Middle-aged Soul Emperor and spoke calmly.

"You deserve to die!" the Middle-aged Soul Emperor bellowed. Soul Power surged around him as he lunged at Liu Yanyang.

The eyes beneath the white mask flickered brightly, seeming to mock the Middle-aged Soul Emperor. Liu Yanyang turned, smashed through the window, and jumped down.

In midair, he summoned his Golden Scale Wings. The brilliant golden wings, spanning more than six meters, beat once, and he shot away in an instant toward the outskirts of Skywater City.

The Middle-aged Soul Emperor followed closely behind. His third Soul Skill lit up beneath his feet, and a pair of azure wings appeared behind him as he pursued Liu Yanyang.

The two flew one after the other, not far apart. Liu Yanyang glanced at the Middle-aged Soul Emperor behind him, a slight smile curling his lips as he accelerated and flew directly toward the Extreme North Land.

The Middle-aged Soul Emperor could only increase his Soul Power output to keep up with Liu Yanyang.

Three hours later.

At the edge of the Extreme North Land, ice and snow filled the sky. As far as the eye could see, everything was a vast expanse of white.

Liu Yanyang continued to lead the Middle-aged Soul Emperor along, alternating between fast and slow speeds. His Golden Scale Wings consumed very little Soul Power, so he had no need to worry about running out.

Ahead in the sky, three Snow Wing Ice Eagles, each around ten thousand years old, were flying toward him.

Liu Yanyang landed steadily on the ground. After activating "Cheng Ying," he stopped circulating his Soul Power.

The pursuing Middle-aged Soul Emperor discovered that Liu Yanyang's presence had vanished, while the three ten-thousand-year Snow Wing Ice Eagles likewise failed to notice Liu Yanyang's trace.

"Cry! Cry! Cry!"

The three Snow Wing Ice Eagles screeched and charged at the Middle-aged Soul Emperor.

A violent aura rushed toward him. He still had seventy percent of his Soul Power left, but against three ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts, the Middle-aged Soul Emperor could only cry out in despair.

One purple and one black Soul Ring lit up around him, and dozens of violent azure wind blades shot toward the three Snow Wing Ice Eagles.

With a screech, the Snow Wing Ice Eagles flapped their wings, sending countless ice spikes hurtling toward the wind blades.

Boom! The explosion echoed through the sky, throwing the air currents into chaos and creating a blind spot.

The Middle-aged Soul Emperor seemed to see hope. He immediately turned around, preparing to fly away.

Rip!

A spear pierced straight through his heart. Trembling, he turned his head and saw the bright eyes beneath the white mask.

"Only despair shall exist!"

Liu Yanyang slowly said to the Middle-aged Soul Emperor.

The corpse crashed heavily onto the ground. Liu Yanyang flew into a nearby forest, stopped circulating his Soul Power, and concealed himself within.

A few breaths later, the three Snow Wing Ice Eagles landed beside the corpse and began to devour it.

After taking a few bites, they screeched several times before flying elsewhere.

Only after half an hour did Liu Yanyang lift his concealment and slowly walk out. Other than a Storage Soul Tool, nothing remained on the snow.

He held it in his hand and injected Soul Power into it. Aside from some Gold Soul Coins, there was only a letter and two sheets of paper.

He opened the envelope and unfolded the papers, quickly reading through them.

"So you people really know how to play the spy game!"

Liu Yanyang sneered. The letter was a report addressed to the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial family, while the papers contained a defense map of Extreme North City and a distribution map of the outskirts of the Extreme North Land.

After storing everything in the Storage Soul Tool, Liu Yanyang silently began calculating in his heart.

These things might not have much of an impact, but they could still cause Spirit Hall and the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family some trouble.

With a light sigh, he prepared to fly back to Skywater City, only to hear the sound of a branch snapping behind him.

He immediately turned around, the eyes of his mask fixed intently on the source of the sound.

Two blue-clad women appeared before him.

"Little brother, we heard an explosion here not long ago and came specifically to take a look. Sorry for disturbing you!"

"It's me, Aunt Shui."

Liu Yanyang removed his mask, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as he looked at the two with a bright smile.

"Xiao Yang, why is it you?" Shui Xinrou asked in surprise.

At the same time, she felt happy and gratified. The lonely little boy from back then had now grown into a young man capable of standing on his own.

"It's been a long time, Liu Yanyang." Shui Bing'er walked up to him with a radiant smile, her voice gentle.

But then she saw the black Cheng Ying on the middle finger of Liu Yanyang's left hand.

A faint blush spread across her cheeks and ears as she lowered her head to look at the platinum Han Guang on the middle finger of her right hand.

Her thoughts in disarray, she raised her right hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Looking at Liu Yanyang, she suddenly asked—

"Have you been well?"

Liu Yanyang, who had been about to respond, froze in place, unsure of what to say.

Looking at Shui Bing'er, whom he had not seen for years, he saw that she had grown even more beautiful and graceful. Her light blue-and-white dress accentuated her already well-developed, lovely figure.

Liu Yanyang scratched his head awkwardly, wondering what was wrong with this girl. Why was she always acting so strangely whenever they met?

He could only force himself to reply, "Uh... I've been doing alright."

Shui Xinrou quietly watched the scene from the side, occasionally revealing an auntie-like smile.

The moment Shui Bing'er spoke those words, she regretted them. The blush on her cheeks became impossible to suppress, and she lowered her little head, not daring to look at Liu Yanyang again—or even see the tips of her own shoes.

"Xiao Yang, why are you in the Extreme North Land?" Shui Xinrou asked at just the right moment.

Liu Yanyang began explaining what had happened earlier. Shui Xinrou's expression shifted from worry to anger, before finally turning into helplessness. Shui Bing'er, standing beside her, was similarly helpless.

"The conflict between Spirit Hall and the two great empires is only growing more intense. What should Skywater Academy do?" Shui Xinrou sighed helplessly, her eyes lost.

"There are always more solutions than difficulties. Don't worry too much, Aunt Shui," Liu Yanyang comforted her.

Then he asked, "Aunt Shui, did you come here to obtain Soul Rings?"

He could sense that Shui Bing'er's Soul Power had already surpassed Rank 30.