Sudden Change and Fleeing for Life

Su Zhen spent the night at Otto's house, and the next morning, he went to bid him farewell.

"Child, rest for a few more days. There is no need to rush to find your relatives."

Su Zhen politely declined. Qian Daoliu had only given him one month, and he had only covered a small portion of the journey from Suotuo City to Martial Soul City; he had to pick up the pace.

Otto shook his head helplessly, turned, and took a cloth bag from beside the stove, stuffing it into Su Zhen's hands.

"Child, this contains some wild vegetable cakes I made. Take them to eat on the road."

Su Zhen's hand trembled as he gripped the bag; this old man he had met by chance was truly kind.

"Grandpa, thank you. Once I reach Martial Soul City, I will come back to take you there to live."

Su Zhen knelt and kowtowed heavily to Otto three times.

"Oh, child, get up quickly, you mustn't do this! It's just a few vegetable cakes, there's no need for this. As long as you reach Martial Soul City safely, I will be at ease."

Otto hurriedly helped Su Zhen up.

Su Zhen was momentarily speechless; he would definitely repay Otto's kindness in the future.

After saying goodbye to Otto, Su Zhen prepared to continue his journey.

"Roar~"

A beast's roar came from behind the house. Otto and Su Zhen were startled and rushed over to investigate.

They saw a colorful tiger crouching on the window, its dark red eyes staring greedily at little Oscar on the bed. Drool dripped from the tiger's fangs onto the infant's face, causing him to wail in terror.

"Little Oscar!"

Otto was horrified. He summoned his Martial Soul, a harpoon, and charged at the tiger. He stabbed the beast's head, but the harpoon couldn't even pierce its hide, and his actions only served to enrage it.

"Ah!"

The tiger bit down on Otto's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. Enduring the agony, he grabbed the swaddle with one hand and threw it toward Su Zhen at the doorway.

Su Zhen stepped forward and caught Oscar steadily, looking at Otto with eyes full of grief.

"Take little Oscar and go!"

Otto shouted at Su Zhen while struggling to hold the tiger back. Su Zhen took one last deep look at Otto, turned, and sprinted out of the village.

Seeing that Su Zhen had run far away, Otto let out a long sigh of relief. As long as little Oscar was safe, there was nothing else he cared about. He closed his eyes to welcome his final moments.

Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted before him, and the sensation of the tiger tearing at his shoulder vanished. Otto opened his eyes to see a middle-aged man with six wings on his back appearing before him, the golden longsword in his hand still dripping with blood.

"Is it an angel?"

Otto was overjoyed. To think that an angel had come to receive him in his death; he could go to heaven now.

Otto died nonetheless. The wounds left by the tiger on his shoulder were too severe, and being elderly, the massive blood loss led him to his end.

Qian Daoliu looked at the deceased Otto and the carcass of the tiger he had slain, his expression grave.

He had sensed a trace of a god's aura on the tiger—the same aura belonging to Tang Hao. He had intended to take Su Zhen as his disciple all along; the so-called conditions were merely a test, and he had been protecting Su Zhen from the shadows.

Which deity is pursuing little Zhen so relentlessly? What secret is hidden within little Zhen's Martial Soul?

He used his spiritual power to scan the entire village, but it was as if all the villagers had vanished; in an instant, the entire village had become a ghost town.

Qian Daoliu vanished from the spot. He sensed that Su Zhen had already run out of the village, and he had to follow to continue protecting him, preventing that deity from striking from the shadows again.

Su Zhen ran for his life; only by putting distance between himself and the village could he be safe.

Su Zhen ran for a long time, stopping only when he was five miles outside the village to gasp for air. Oscar had stopped crying in his arms, likely exhausted, and was now whimpering softly with his eyes closed.

Why did a beast appear in the village? And with such a loud commotion, why didn't any villagers come out to see?

Su Zhen was deeply puzzled. The whole affair reeked of the abnormal, and Otto was gone, but he had to suppress his confusion and grief to continue his journey. He was still too weak; had he been a Spirit Master, Otto would not have died.

Su Zhen continued forward with little Oscar. After walking about ten miles, he stopped—not because he was tired, but because a middle-aged man in a black robe was standing under a large tree ahead, watching him.

"Uncle, what are you doing here?"

Su Zhen looked at the middle-aged man with great vigilance.

"Su Zhen, Martial Soul: Thunder Prison Qilin."

The man's tone was calm, as if he were stating something trivial, but had Su Zhen been able to see the eyes beneath the black hood, he would have found them filled with fanaticism and joy.

"Who are you? How do you know me?"

Shocked, Su Zhen retreated, his grip tightening on Oscar.

The black-robed man flashed behind Su Zhen in an instant, his broad palm pressing onto Su Zhen's shoulder.

"Do not be afraid. I will never harm you."

"You do not need to know who I am; you only need to know that I am the partner you can trust the most."

"Take this dragon scale. Wearing it on your person will conceal your aura."

The black-robed man handed Su Zhen a black scale. It was hard, its smooth surface shimmering with a metallic luster, and it felt ice-cold to the touch.

"Do not take it off lightly. If you lose it, I will come to find you when you summon your Martial Soul in the Star Dou Forest. When you need to hunt for spirit rings, you can also go to the Star Dou Forest."

After giving his instructions to Su Zhen, the man in the black robe turned and left. However, before departing, his gaze lingered for a fleeting moment on a tree not far away, a movement so subtle it escaped Su Zhen's notice.

Star Dou Forest, black robe, dragon scale... could it be him?

A guess formed in Su Zhen's mind, though he could not be entirely certain. He tucked the dragon scale away and continued on his journey with Oscar.

Deep within a dense forest, the man in the black robe came to a halt.

"Come out, servant of the Angel God."

Qian Daoliu instantly appeared a short distance in front of the black-robed man, his hand gripping the Angel Sword.

"Who are you? If my senses do not deceive me, you are not human. Why do you care about Su Zhen?"

Qian Daoliu was deeply surprised that this person had guessed his identity; the strength of this individual was certainly no less than his own.

"I am called Di Tian. As you can see, I am not human, but rest assured, I will never harm Su Zhen."

"Hmph, I hope you keep your word."

"In the future, if there are matters concerning Su Zhen, you may come to the Lake of Life in the core area of the Star Dou Forest. Just tell those four soul beasts. Let that little fellow grow stronger as quickly as possible; there is not much time left for him."

Qian Daoliu watched the black-robed man depart. He had sensed no malice from him; had he felt otherwise, he would have ensured this person remained there forever.

This person seems to know the secret of Xiao Zhen's martial soul.

Lost in thought, Qian Daoliu turned and went back to protect Su Zhen.

Su Zhen toyed with the black dragon scale in his hand, pondering the black-robed man's actions.

I ran into him as soon as I left. Could the tiger at Meat Fragrance Village have been his doing? No, if it were truly that person, he wouldn't do such a thing. Furthermore, giving me this dragon scale must be to protect me. That leaves only that place.

Su Zhen looked up toward the sky.

I just don't know which one it is. Still, with this dragon scale, I will be safe for a long time to come. It seems I must grow stronger as quickly as possible.

Su Zhen's conjecture was bold. If his guess were true, his future enemies would not be the father-son duo of Tang San and Tang Hao, but the gods standing behind them.

Su Zhen encountered no special circumstances during the remainder of his journey. He traveled in fits and starts, eating wild vegetable cakes when hungry. Since Oscar was still young, he would tear the cakes into pieces and soak them in water to feed him.

On the thirtieth day after leaving Hound Village, Su Zhen finally caught sight of the towering city walls.

The dragon scale he gave me really does have its uses.

Qian Daoliu, who had been protecting Su Zhen from the shadows, also breathed a sigh of relief.

The granite walls, eighty meters high and thirty meters thick, stood in silent majesty. The hexagonal perimeter featured six giant reliefs embedded on each face, corresponding to six top-tier martial souls.

Looking at the massive Clear Sky Hammer relief, Su Zhen was speechless. The former Pope had been hammered to death and the Clear Sky Sect had been forced into seclusion; why did Martial Soul Hall still keep this relief? To remind everyone who saw it of that shameful affair?

One day, he would replace the Clear Sky Hammer relief with his own Thunder Prison Qilin.

The butterfly has found the place to form its cocoon. After a long incubation, it will break through the shell, spread its wings, and soar across the sky.