"Wretched mortal!" The Rakshasa God flew into a rage before the Asura God. She snapped, "I've never seen a mortal so arrogant. I'll bring down divine punishment and destroy him!"
The Asura God's expression had darkened, too. He was a God King and the enforcer of the Divine Realm, one of its most revered deities.
Whether they were First-Level Gods or Second-Level Gods, they had to bow respectfully whenever they saw him.
And yet a mere mortal had humiliated him so thoroughly, trampled his dignity underfoot.
It was more than he could possibly bear.
At that moment, fury blazed in the Asura God's eyes, and a terrifying aura erupted from him.
The Asura God looked ahead and said coldly, "No one in this world may show disrespect to me. You insignificant mortal will pay for this!"
Qian Xun'an emerged from that world. To his surprise, he was no longer in Slaughter City. Instead, he had arrived in a dense forest.
"Why does this forest look like the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Qian Xun'an shot into the air and reached the sky in an instant, looking down below.
He was rather surprised. This really was the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Why did breaking through space bring me straight to the Star Dou Great Forest?" Qian Xun'an wondered.
Qian Xun'an activated the ring on his hand. The guard immediately emerged and looked at him. "My lord, you finally let me out! Do you know how stifling it was in there?"
Qian Xun'an looked at the guard. "You were in there for such a short time, and you were already stifled?"
"My lord, I've been in that room for months," the guard promptly replied.
At that, Qian Xun'an's eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at the guard. "What did you say?"
The guard looked at Qian Xun'an, not daring to defy him, and repeated himself.
Qian Xun'an was astonished. He had spent less than an hour in that strange space, yet several months had passed in the outside world.
Could time pass much more slowly in that space?
Qian Xun'an thought of the old tale that a day in heaven was a year on earth. Perhaps that space existed independently, and time flowed differently there than on Douluo Continent.
Qian Xun'an didn't mind. He had all the time in the world; whether he gained or lost a little time made little difference to him.
It only meant Bibi Dong had lived a few months longer.
"All right, let's head back to Spirit Hall!" Qian Xun'an said to the man.
As he spoke, he put the man back into his spatial-ring Soul Tool, then prepared to make his way to Spirit Hall.
As Qian Xun'an traveled through the forest, he suddenly sensed several familiar auras.
He immediately flew toward them.
Concealing his presence, he alighted soundlessly on a great tree and looked down.
There were twenty-five people below. At the front walked a middle-aged man in white: Yue Guan.
Right behind Yue Guan were Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan.
Behind them were twenty Spirit Hall members, all wearing black fitted uniforms. They looked composed and were between forty and sixty years old.
"So they're from Spirit Hall. What have they come to do in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Qian Xun'an looked down indifferently and spoke in an even tone.
Just then, he sensed another presence concealed in the forest.
He focused his gaze and saw Tang San hiding in a tree, watching Spirit Hall's movements.
Tang San had been present during several of Qian Xun'an's operations, so he recognized him.
But Qian Xun'an didn't take him seriously. He had never given the gods in the heavens a second thought, let alone the insignificant Tang San.
Qian Xun'an had originally planned to return at once, but now that he had run into people from Spirit Hall, he wanted to see what they were up to.
At that moment, Tang San charged into Spirit Hall's camp.
"Who's there?" Tang San was spotted a hundred meters from the camp. At least four figures reached him the instant the shout rang out.
Tang San warily watched the four men, his hand already resting on the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges.
"Is it really you?" A delighted voice rang out. Three figures emerged from the depths of the woods. They were none other than the Spirit Hall Golden Generation.
A cold glint flickered across Tang San's face. When he saw the blue light in Hu Liena's eyes, he immediately suppressed it and put on a look of surprise instead.
"What are you doing here?" His appearance and bearing had changed so much that Hu Liena hadn't recognized him back then. Xie Yue and Yan didn't recognize him now, either.
Hu Liena hurried over and reached Tang San in just a few steps. Delight flashed in her eyes again and again. She seemed to want to say something, but also seemed hesitant.
Seeing Tang San's handsome face brought back everything she had experienced in Slaughter City. She could never forget that brief journey.
"Everyone, he's a friend of mine," Hu Liena told the four Soul Saints surrounding Tang San.
The four Soul Saints glanced at her and silently recalled their Martial Souls. Though they were more powerful than Hu Liena, they still respected her greatly.
After all, Hu Liena had successfully returned from Slaughter City and earned the title of God of Slaughter.
The Pope had also promised to restore her position as Saintess, so they treated her with great respect.
Xie Yue and Yan came over as well. They had spent the most time with Hu Liena. Xie Yue was her biological older brother, too, so they could both sense that something about her seemed different. Xie Yue was surprised, while Yan's gaze toward Tang San was far less friendly—indeed, it was openly hostile.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Tang San said calmly.
Hu Liena smiled faintly, her soft, captivating eyes fixed on the coldness in Tang San's gaze. "I didn't expect it, either. Are you here to hunt Spirit Beasts?"
Tang San nodded silently. "I'll be reaching level sixty soon."
At this, Xie Yue and Yan, standing behind Hu Liena, were both taken aback. They had also reached level sixty, but only recently.
Yan couldn't hold back any longer. He asked Hu Liena, "Liena, who is he? How come we've never met him before?"
Hu Liena frowned slightly and replied coolly, "He's a friend of mine." After that brief explanation, she turned back to Tang San.
"Tang Yin, that was a misunderstanding. Don't take it to heart. Our camp is set up not far ahead. They were only on guard. Why are you hunting Spirit Beasts alone? Isn't that too dangerous?"
Tang San looked at Hu Liena, a trace of loneliness in his eyes. "Who else could I ask to help me?"
Hu Liena froze. For some reason, seeing the loneliness in Tang San's eyes made her heart ache.
The words escaped her before she could stop them. "You have me!"
Only after she said it did she realize what she'd said. She hurriedly added, "I mean, we're friends."
"Since it was a misunderstanding, I'll be going." With that, Tang San turned to walk into the woods.
"Stop." Just as Hu Liena was about to call after Tang San, Yan spoke first.
Tang San slowly turned around and looked at the young man radiating hostility. "What else?"
Yan said coldly, "Leave the Star Dou Great Forest at once. This isn't a place for you. Spirit Hall is conducting business here, and other Soul Masters won't be allowed in until six months from now."
Tang San smiled. The faint smile made the coldness on his face disappear, replaced by a noble elegance. "Does the Star Dou Great Forest belong to Spirit Hall?"
Yan flew into a rage. "Are you challenging us? Challenging Spirit Hall's authority?"
Tang San smiled faintly. "You're from Spirit Hall. I'm not. I'm just an independent Soul Master. You're the one picking a fight, not me. Hu Liena and I are friends. You and I aren't."
After saying that, he turned and walked away without hesitation.
A fierce wave of scorching heat suddenly burst from behind him. Even the darkness beneath the trees turned scarlet in an instant.
"Watch out!" Hu Liena shouted almost at once.
Pivoting on the tip of his foot, Tang San spun around with astonishing speed. The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand swept out, and a surging black light spread as a powerful gust of air burst forth in an instant.
It collided head-on with a fireball more than a meter in diameter.
A deafening boom rang out as countless sparks scattered in every direction. The fireball shattered completely.
"Yan! What are you doing?" Hu Liena stepped in front of Tang San.
"Liena, we can't let him go. He's showing contempt for Spirit Hall, and he must be punished. Besides, you saw it yourself: his Martial Soul is the Clear Sky Hammer! He's from the Clear Sky Sect, isn't he?
"If we take him back, it'll count as a merit.
"If he leaves and alerts our target, all our efforts could be wasted. You wouldn't be able to answer to His Holiness the Pope, either."
Hu Liena's gaze turned cold. She stared at Yan and said, "I told you he's my friend. Yan, I'll let this go because of our years of friendship. If you do it again, don't expect me to show you any mercy.
"Is attacking someone from behind what a true man does?"
"Can I leave now, Miss Hu Liena?" Tang San asked calmly.
Hu Liena turned to look at the first man who had ever captured her heart. For some reason, she felt uneasy.
She hurried over to Tang San and stopped in front of him. "I'm sorry. Yan was too impulsive. Don't take it to heart. Are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"You can't leave yet." A cold voice rang out. Tang San saw a blur, and in the next instant, a figure stood before him.
"Grandpa Ghost, what are you doing here?" Hu Liena exclaimed.
Ghost Douluo's face remained impossible to make out. His voice was steady and measured. "I heard your conversation. Yan was right about one thing.
"If he alerts our target and ruins everything, neither Chrysanthemum Guan nor I could escape the blame. Liena, you know how important our target is to His Holiness."
A cold glint flashed in Tang San's eyes. "So you're planning to keep me here?" He slowly raised the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand.
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