Golden Crocodile Douluo abruptly shook his head, casting the absurd thought from his mind.
"An illusion. It must be an illusion."
"Ancestor passed away countless ages ago. How could he..."
Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
Dugu Bo stared at the reward in the sky, completely dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes hard before he dared believe he hadn't seen wrong.
A sacred land?
A place of immense benefit to Soul Masters?
He trembled with delight, almost ready to throw his head back and roar!
Just then, a golden pillar of light containing boundless power of creation crashed down from the heavens, precisely enveloping the entire Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well!
Rumble!
The earth shook violently. The twin springs spun wildly, the forces of water and fire intertwining and rising as they formed a massive phantom dragon of yin and yang. It coiled above the valley and let out a roar that shook heaven and earth!
Awooo—!
Every plant in the valley grew and transformed at a visible speed!
Under the golden light's baptism, ordinary herbs one after another blossomed with radiant splendor, transforming into spirit herbs and celestial treasures!
An overwhelming vitality and pure Soul Power filled the air.
Dugu Bo had only to take a deep breath before he felt a warm energy flow through every limb and bone.
He could clearly feel the chronic ailments within him rapidly healing, the poison in his bloodline being cleansed bit by bit, and even the Soul Power bottleneck that had plagued him for years seemed to loosen!
"Hahaha! The Heavenly Dao's blessing! This is the Heavenly Dao's blessing!"
Dugu Bo laughed aloud, tears streaming down his face.
"Grandpa!"
Dugu Yan ran over, her face filled with joy, but then worry crept into her expression.
"Over at Shrek... Tang San and the others probably won't let this go."
Dugu Bo's laughter cut off abruptly, the joy on his face quickly fading.
He fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
"Whatever happens, Tang San once saved both our lives."
"Forget it. When he gets here, I'll set aside part of this sacred land for him to use. That will settle the debt between us."
As soon as he finished speaking, a vast, immense aura descended like heavenly might, enveloping the entire valley.
Dugu Bo's expression changed.
Tang San slowly descended through the air, clad in the Sea God Divine Attire and holding the Sea God Trident. He looked down at Dugu Bo with an indifferent gaze.
"Dugu Bo, it's been a while."
The few servants beside Dugu Bo had already been crushed to their knees by the divine pressure. They cried out in trembling voices:
"Greetings, Lord Sea God!"
Tang San's gaze passed right over Dugu Bo and greedily swept across the transforming sacred land. He got straight to the point.
"This place possesses heaven-defying benefits. Only those of virtue and ability are worthy of it."
"From this day onward, the Ice and Fire Sacred Land belongs to the Tang Sect."
Dugu Bo's expression instantly darkened.
He hadn't expected Tang San to be so blunt, without even bothering to disguise his intentions.
Back then, Tang San had stripped the place bare. Now he even wanted to openly seize a reward bestowed by the Heavenly Dao!
Dugu Bo suppressed his fury and said in a low voice:
"Tang San, for the sake of our past relationship, you and the people from Shrek may use this place."
"But this is my home. Please leave my granddaughter and me a place to live."
Tang San heard him and curled his lips in a mocking smile.
"Old fool, are you really confused, or are you pretending not to understand?"
"I gave you your life. Naturally, everything you own belongs to me!"
As his words fell, an even more terrifying divine pressure crashed down!
Pfft—
Dugu Bo took the blow as if struck by a heavy hammer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, flew backward, and slammed hard into the ground.
Struggling to lift his head, he looked at the awe-inspiring figure in the air. The last remnants of hope and gratitude in his eyes turned completely into disappointment and hatred.
"Tang San!"
"You... you shameless bastard! You're even trying to seize a blessing from the Heavenly Dao? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?!"
Tang San scoffed disdainfully, looking at him as if he were an ant.
"Divine retribution? On this continent, I am heaven!"
"Since you refuse to see reason, take your granddaughter and die with her!"
A chilling killing intent enveloped Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
A light of destruction ignited on the Sea God Trident.
Feeling the power that could erase him in an instant, Dugu Bo was overcome by despair and regret.
He hated it!
He hated himself for failing to recognize a wolf and inviting one into his home!
At this critical moment, a pure, brilliant golden holy light descended without warning, precisely blocking the path in front of Dugu Bo.
Boom!
Tang San's attack, powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth, struck the holy light, yet vanished like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without raising the slightest ripple.
Dugu Bo was stunned.
In a daze, he seemed to see the phantom of a Six-Winged Angel within the holy light—overwhelmingly domineering, sacred and majestic, as if a true immortal god had descended!
Tang San was also startled by the sudden turn of events and took half a step back, his expression grave.
"Who is it?!"
The holy light faded.
Two figures appeared silently in their midst.
At the front stood a man in black, handsome and composed. It was Qian Ye.
Half a step behind him, Qian Renxue stood respectfully in golden armor.
Qian Ye glanced at the transforming Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, then turned his gaze to Tang San and said calmly:
"I expected you to be greedy, but I didn't think you'd have no bottom line at all."
His voice was quiet, yet Tang San's heart gave a sudden jolt, and he felt as though he'd been seen through completely.
An illusion!
Tang San immediately suppressed the unease. He assumed that Qian Renxue had been the one to block his attack.
"Qian Renxue!"
Tang San looked at Qian Renxue, but when he saw how docile and mild she was standing beside Qian Ye, his heart jolted again.
This woman had always been exceedingly proud. Why was she acting this way toward a young man?
Who exactly was this young man?
Qian Renxue was no less unsettled.
That holy light had been incomparably pure, carrying a pressure that came from deep within her bloodline. Even she had been shaken by it.
Had her master made that move?
She was becoming more and more certain that her master's identity was unfathomably mysterious.
On the ground, Dugu Bo saw that the newcomers were the young master of Spirit Hall. He was startled at first, but then overwhelming hatred and the desire to survive drove him to make a decision.
He struggled to his feet and shouted hoarsely in Qian Ye and Qian Renxue's direction:
"Honored guests of Spirit Hall! Tang San is trying to seize my home by force, and he wants to kill my granddaughter and me to silence us!"
"I, Dugu Bo, am willing to offer this Ice and Fire Sacred Land to Spirit Hall!"
"I only ask... I only ask that you protect my granddaughter Yanyan!"
At that, Qian Ye didn't even look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the center of the valley.
"I'm not interested in your territory."
He said calmly, "I only came here to see two old friends."
Before you continue