I Call You Brother, You Call Me Dad

In the northern part of the Sun Moon Empire, there lies an endless plain, and nestled upon this plain is a vast forest.

It is the forest with the highest concentration of Soul Beasts on the continent, second only to the Star Dou Forest—the Demonic Forest.

Because this forest is situated relatively far north, a glance across the landscape reveals mostly coniferous trees.

Furthermore, looking down from the sky in the distance, one can see that many of the branches and leaves within this coniferous forest are a dark, grayish-black. A suffocating pressure hits you before you even step inside, as if a dark, oppressive cloud hangs over the land.

Deep within the Demonic Forest, there is an inconspicuous little hill. From the outside, it looks no different from anywhere else, perhaps only distinguished by its unsettling silence.

But if you lower your gaze, you would discover that beneath the hill lies a massive structure forged of steel, intricate and complex like a labyrinth.

The underground facility is heavily guarded, with Soul Masters in black robes patrolling at regular intervals. If one were to sense carefully, they would detect the cold, evil aura radiating from these Soul Masters; they are all Evil Soul Masters.

"A bunch of trash!"

An aged voice filled with fury echoed through the room, causing the surrounding space to ripple outward from the source of the sound.

This is a room resembling a conference hall, with a long mahogany table placed in the center.

Seated along the two sides of the mahogany table are over a dozen figures of varying appearances. Each figure exudes a powerful aura; they are all Title Douluo level powerhouses.

Yet, at this moment, these titans of the Soul Master world are trembling like cicadas in winter when faced with that angry rebuke.

This shows just how terrifying the owner of that voice is.

The one who spoke is an old woman with a full head of white hair sitting at the far end. Her face is lined with wrinkles and filled with a sharp, piercing aura, though it is not hard to see that she must have been a stunning beauty in her youth.

Death Douluo, Ye Xishui!

She sits upright at the end of the mahogany table.

Despite her advanced age, her eyes are exceptionally bright, without a hint of cloudiness.

Her eyes, burning with rage, sweep across the people present. Every person she glances at shudders, lowering their heads in trepidation.

She never expected that such a massive incident would occur while she was in seclusion.

Not only did so many experts die, but even her own son, Zhongli Wu, was killed.

It was supposed to be a simple mission, yet it turned into this, and the mission was not even completed.

Although Zhongli Wu was born because Zhongli Old Ghost forced her, she held no affection for him.

But Zhongli Wu was, after all, the Sect Master of the Holy Spirit Cult and her son; he was still useful to the Holy Spirit Cult, not to mention the loss of six Title Douluos.

The Holy Spirit Cult has suffered a grievous blow this time; nearly half of the foundation they painstakingly accumulated has been wiped out in one stroke.

"Mu En..."

Ye Xishui's gaze is complex. She cannot remember how many years it has been since she last heard that name, and now, she is about to see him in person.

However, the next moment, her eyes turn back into a pool of stagnant, silent water, and she says indifferently:

"Prepare yourselves, and then follow this Sect Master to Shrek. We must have an explanation for this matter.

As for Xu Tianran, set that aside for now. After we return, you will take your men to the border and rebuild our strength."

Everyone replies in haste:

"As you command, Supreme Sect Master!"

"All of you, withdraw."

Watching everyone exit the room one by one, the air suddenly turns cold and quiet.

Ye Xishui remains seated at the end of the mahogany table.

After a while, she speaks to the empty room:

"Xiaoyao, you will accompany me, won't you?"

Just as she finishes speaking, the space beside her gradually twists, revealing the figure of an old man.

The old man is tall and straight, full of vigor, with a ruddy complexion and an aura as majestic and imposing as a mountain.

Dragon Emperor Douluo, Long Xiaoyao!

Perhaps no one in this world knows that the renowned Dragon Emperor Douluo has actually joined an Evil Soul Master organization.

Long Xiaoyao says without hesitation:

"I have said it before, Xishui. I will always protect you and stay by your side, no matter where you go."

Yet, his heart is conflicted. After everything that happened back then, he actually does not want to see Mu En, his former brother, but it is clear now that there is no turning back.

Hearing this, a trace of imperceptible tenderness flashes deep within Ye Xishui's heart.

She had already known the answer; asking was merely to seek affirmation.

In the core area of the Far North, inside the Ice Crystal Palace where the Ice Empress resides.

Xu Lanqing does not know how long he has been waiting. After all, he cannot see the outside from here; there is no day or night, only a world of white.

It might have been about half a day when the Ice Empress returned. Her expression is as cold as ever, but her attitude toward Xu Lanqing is clearly better than before.

At the very least, she brought him a Millennium Snow Lotus to soothe the pain on his face.

Looking at the snow lotus in his hand, Xu Lanqing said with a grin:

"Ice Emperor, the moment I saw you, I knew that not only are you beautiful on the outside, but you are also beautiful on the inside."

He had completely forgotten who it was that had beaten him into such a state.

Ice Emperor arched her willow-leaf eyebrows, feeling a bit uncomfortable all over:

"If you keep talking like that, do you believe I'll help you 'exercise' every single day from now on?"

Her voice carried a chill that seemed to seep from the very marrow of her bones.

Xu Lanqing gave a sheepish laugh and immediately changed the subject: "There are people waiting for me outside. When are we heading out?"

"Ahem!"

Ice Emperor didn't speak, but instead, a coughing sound came from outside the Ice Crystal Palace.

There were others?

Xu Lanqing was stunned, and then he saw two men walk in.

He was very familiar with one of them; the burly man was the Titan Snow Demon King he had encountered when he first entered the Far North.

As for the other, it was his first time seeing him, so he looked him up and down.

He was a spherical human, sticking out a massive belly, his body covered in pale, chubby fat, and even his head was shaped like a ball; he looked truly simple-minded.

This must be the Ice Bear King.

The Titan Snow Demon King first glanced at the ice-blue crystal, then looked at Xu Lanqing with a complex and strange expression.

He hadn't expected to see this human a second time, especially under these circumstances; it was clear that Ice Emperor had already told them everything.

"Mom!"

As for the Ice Bear King Xiaobai, he shouted as soon as he entered and lunged toward the ice-blue crystal, looking exactly like a rolling meatball.

"Hello everyone, let's get reacquainted. My name is Xu Lanqing."

Xu Lanqing beamed with a smile and said enthusiastically: "Everything before was just a misunderstanding. Now that we are all on the same side, I'll be counting on you all to look after me in the future. What should I call you, big brother?"

"Just call me Titan."

The Titan Snow Demon King replied indifferently. If it weren't for the Ice Empress and the Soul Spirit Method, he wouldn't even have spared Xu Lanqing a glance.

Despite the cold shoulder, Xu Lanqing just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

After all, Soul Beasts believed in the principle that the strong are respected. It wasn't just Soul Beasts; humans were the same. Without corresponding strength and status, one shouldn't expect others to respect them.

He turned his head to Xiaobai and said: "You must be the Ice Bear King Xiaobai, right?"

Xiaobai was stunned and muttered in a muffled voice: "How do you know my nickname?"

"The Ice Empress told me."

Xu Lanqing spouted nonsense casually. Since the Ice Empress hadn't woken up yet, he could say whatever he wanted.

The Ice Bear King Xiaobai's bean-like eyes rolled around, and he scratched his head.

The Ice Empress was his mother, she was soul-bound to this human before him, and she had even told him his nickname.

His eyes lit up, and he blurted out to Xu Lanqing:

"Dad!"