Tang Sect

Gale winds howled, and giant waves surged!

The short-haired youth spread his wings, forming a battle formation with the others, and as soul power surged, a screen of light condensed into existence!

The next instant, the crashing waves slammed into that shield!

One breath, two breaths, three breaths!

The battle formation shield, composed of numerous Soul Grand Masters, Soul Elders, and led by a Soul Saint, held for a mere three breaths before sounds of unbearable strain and shattering erupted!

Buzz—

The shield emitted a humming sound, and after flickering a few times, it was shattered by the towering curtain of water. Following that, everyone except the leader was swept away by the tide, tossed like fallen leaves in a gale, carried off in all directions by the current until they vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Ah! Damn it!"

The Soul Saint leader roared in fury, just about to activate his Martial Soul Avatar, when he saw the Kan-Water Profound Turtle condense a black water orb in its mouth. The next instant, the Mystic Water Breath swept toward him!

The leader didn't even have time to activate his Martial Soul Avatar; in a split second, he was pierced through by the water flow, and a clan elder of the main family fell right there.

Boom!

The giant waves were still roaring. Xiao Yulü, who was being dragged along by Xiao Yan, glanced back in haste, only to see that wall of water, several zhang high, still pressing down upon them.

He estimated for a moment and knew that with their leg power, they could not escape this strike from the Kan-Water Profound Turtle.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!

Then he would not run, and he would not hide!

Xiao Yulü let out a roar, shook off Xiao Yan's hand, and without a shred of fear or retreat, his soul power surged, and that giant ruler burning with raging flames manifested before him!

He actually intended to resist this heaven-toppling might with his own strength!

Seeing that Xiao Yulü, whom he had been dragging along, no longer intended to run, Xiao Yan cursed him for a madman, but he stopped fleeing as well.

"Little Fire Dragon! Possession!"

"Jigu!"

Flames swept out, and Xiao Yan transformed once more into his half-dragon, half-human form. Xiao Yulü turned back, meeting Xiao Yan's eyes, which were burning with crimson fire.

"Brother Xiao!"

The corners of his mouth curled up in a bright smile.

"I know!"

No further communication was needed; Xiao Yan naturally understood what Xiao Yulü wanted.

It was the peak of their respective strengths, displayed during that hearty, unrestrained duel.

The next instant, both of them simultaneously channeled the soul power within their bodies!

"Buddha Fury! Fire Lotus!"

"Flame Split! Wave-Devouring Ruler!"

A crimson fire lotus and a pitch-black ruler shadow! They whipped up a towering tide of scorching flames! Roaring and bellowing, they collided with that water wall that looked as if the heavens were collapsing!

The collision of fire and giant waves sent up white mist that blotted out the sun and sky, emitting a shrill "hissing" sound.

For a moment, the surrounding temperature rose sharply, as if the entire lake were about to be boiled by the two of them.

However, it was only for a moment.

The seemingly surging waves of flame only hindered the water wall for an instant, causing its seemingly endless advance to pause for a heartbeat.

The next instant, an infinite flow of water surged in from all directions, completely wrapping, crushing, and extinguishing that ball of fire.

The ultimate combined technique they had bet everything on was declared useless in that instant.

"Pfft!"

With their soul power exhausted and their soul skills backfiring, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yulü spat out a mouthful of blood simultaneously.

Before they could even catch their breath, the towering tide finally slammed into them.

A massive, overwhelming force struck, and Xiao Yan felt as if every bone in his body were being shattered. He only saw himself being swept away by the waves and saw Xiao Yulü being carried off in the opposite direction, drifting further and further away.

Coldness, suffocation, the world spinning, and the darkness gradually rising before his eyes.

With no time to think, Xiao Yan could only deactivate his Martial Soul Possession, clutching the weak Little Fire Dragon tightly to his chest.

The next instant, the world plunged into total darkness.

"Hey, I'm telling you, Yu Hao, you really have a knack for this. Not only are you great at grilling fish, but you're also skilled at spearing them—you actually managed to spear a person."

A crisp, lively female voice, tinged with a bit of teasing, drifted vaguely into his ears.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the boundless darkness gradually faded. Xiao Yan's nose twitched, and he caught the scent of a faint, lingering fragrance.

His entire body still throbbed with the pain of being nearly shattered, but it made one thing clear to Xiao Yan.

He had survived that towering curtain of water.

"Xiao Ya, stop messing around. He's badly injured; he needs to rest properly."

Another voice rang out, warm and mellow, like a spring breeze brushing against one's face.

"Hehe, I was just trying to liven up the atmosphere. But seriously, Yuhao, your grilled fish skills are getting better and better—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and the aroma is mouth-watering!"

The girl's voice was muffled, as if she were chewing on something.

Yuhao... grilled fish...

Xiao Yan keenly captured these two keywords and immediately recalled his current situation. In the next instant, he jolted upright from his near-death state.

He saw the three people in front of him all staring at him: a youth with blue hair and spiritual eyes was grilling fish by the campfire; a girl with a delicate, oval face looked lively and charming, stuffing two grilled fish into her mouth; and another youth with short, neat hair exuded a gentle aura beneath his handsome appearance.

The youth's heart stirred as he roughly connected their appearances to their identities.

That blue-haired youth with spiritual eyes must be the Child of Destiny, Huo Yuhao. Judging by the timeline and the appearances of the other two, everyone was still quite young, so this should be the early stages of the plot.

Hmm... the characters appearing at this time would naturally be Tang Sect Master Tang Ya and Thunderbolt Beibei.

"Who are you all..."

Although he had guessed their identities, Xiao Yan feigned ignorance to make his own presence seem reasonable.

"My name is Beibei, and she is Tang Ya. As for this little brother here, his name is..."

"Hello, my name is Huo Yuhao."

The blue-haired youth still looked a bit immature, yet one could already discern his extraordinary nature; his eyes shimmered with a luster that was truly captivating.

Xiao Yan stared into his eyes for a moment, then smiled:

"Nice to meet you all. My name is Xiao Yan, from Xiao Family Village in the South Prefecture of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"Xiao Family Village..."

Huo Yuhao fell into deep thought. Although he had grown up in the Duke's Mansion since he was a child, he had never been anywhere else. He couldn't help but fantasize: what would the life of a child his age be like?

Surely, his parents would love him dearly, free from hatred, possessing only a heart that yearned for the pinnacle of strength.

Noticing the youth's desolation, Xiao Yan took the initiative to laugh it off:

"Hey, it's fine, don't worry about my background. My parents died early, and I'm just a child who grew up eating food from a hundred families in the village. By the way, what about you, Yuhao? I must say, this grilled fish of yours... smells delicious!"

"Ah?"

Tang Ya was stunned. This sunny and cheerful-looking black-haired youth before her had also lost both his parents? Could it be that he wasn't sad at all, and didn't want to avenge them?

She widened her eyes, carefully scrutinizing Xiao Yan. He was smiling, and when he spoke of his background, there wasn't the slightest hesitation, as if he had long since accepted the fact.

Could there really be someone in this world with such a strong heart?

Or was it possible that he, too, carried some deep, blood-soaked vendetta?