[Er Ni's suicide completely enraged the bandit leader. In his fury, he nearly massacred the village.]
"Bitch!"
The One-Eyed Brute flew into a rage and kicked the table over.
"Kill them! Slaughter this shitty village...!"
Screams, cries, and the crackling of burning flames filled the air.
[In the end, Er Gouzi's entire family was killed.]
Aunt Li lay in a pool of blood.
Er Gouzi's corpse hung from the fence in the courtyard, his eyes still wide open in death.
"..."
Lin Qing in reality fell silent.
He stared fixedly at the light-and-shadow image, at Er Ni's figure lying in the pool of blood, his expression exceptionally grim.
"Bandits..."
He squeezed out those two words through clenched teeth, his voice frighteningly cold.
Killing intent surged from the deepest depths of his heart.
Though he could not confirm whether this Er Ni was virtual or from a Parallel World, she certainly was not his Er Ni.
Yet the sight still made him furious.
No matter what, Er Ni was his savior.
The Lin Qing in the last words was also filled with fury, and the warmth in his eyes gradually faded away.
[I asked the villagers where the bandits' hideout was and planned to avenge Er Ni and the others. After Xiao Wu heard what had happened here, she decided to come along too.]
"I'm going too!"
Xiao Wu blocked Lin Qing's path, her eyes red.
"Those beasts absolutely cannot be spared!"
[Tang San tried to stop Xiao Wu.]
"Xiao Wu, we can report this to Spirit Hall or the city guards."
"Shut up!"
Xiao Wu suddenly glared at Tang San.
"If you're scared, then don't come!"
[But Xiao Wu shut him down with just that glare.]
Tang San opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only follow helplessly.
[Under cover of night, the three of us found the bandits' hideout.]
Black Wind Cave.
Torches lit the cave entrance, while two bandit lackeys leaned against the stone wall and dozed off.
[Xiao Wu helped me hold off the lackeys.]
"Hey!"
Xiao Wu flashed forward and threw out a kick!
Before the two lackeys could react, they were sent flying, smashing into the stone wall and passing out.
[Seeing Xiao Wu make a move, Tang San reluctantly joined in. He had no interest in Lin Qing's affairs; he only cared about Xiao Wu's.]
Tang San sighed and flicked his wrist.
Several flashes of cold light streaked through the air, and several bandits rushing over in the distance fell at once.
A sleeve arrow was embedded in each of their throats.
[I entered the depths of the cave alone, found the bandit leader, and fought him one-on-one!]
[With the unpredictability of my mental-type martial soul and the illusion power of my Thousand-Year second Soul Ring, I easily killed the bandit leader, avenged Er Ni and the villagers, and found the strange piece of metal the villagers had described among the bandit leader's treasures.]
Seeing this, Lin Qing slowly let out a breath.
"At least... they were avenged."
His counterpart in the Parallel World had gotten justice for Er Ni.
That slightly eased the killing intent in his heart.
But,
just as he thought the last words were about to end,
the scene took a sudden turn.
[Tang San and Xiao Wu were shocked that my second Soul Ring was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring.]
At the cave entrance, Tang San and Xiao Wu stared blankly at the purple Soul Ring beneath Lin Qing's feet.
"A Thousand-Year second Soul Ring?"
Tang San muttered, his eyes filled with disbelief.
[But then, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky without warning!]
"Boom!"
The entire cave shook, and fragments of stone rained down.
[A black-robed man suddenly appeared before me. A black cloak hid his face, but that aura... cold, vast, and unfathomable.]
[The pressure bore down on me, leaving me unable to breathe.]
Lin Qing groaned, his knees buckling as he nearly fell to the ground.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand upright.
But blood had already seeped from the corner of his mouth.
[The black-robed man demanded to know how I had absorbed a Thousand-Year second Soul Ring.]
The black-robed man slowly spoke.
His voice was hoarse and low, as though it contained endless indifference.
"Speak."
That single word made the air heavy and suffocating.
[In an instant, I understood who this man was. He was the owner of the cold gaze I had felt for countless days and nights—Tang Hao!]
The young man raised his head and stared fixedly at the black-robed figure.
Realization flashed through his eyes, followed by despair.
Lin Qing's heart in reality sank sharply.
"This is bad. The worst-case scenario still happened."
[Seeing me treated like this, Xiao Wu immediately attacked Tang Hao, only to be easily subdued by him.]
The black-robed man did not even move.
He merely waved a hand lightly.
An invisible force imprisoned Xiao Wu in place, leaving her unable to move.
[At the same time, Tang Hao's intense killing intent toward me surged forth. That killing intent nearly took physical form, icy and piercing, enough to suffocate.]
[At that moment, I looked at Tang San in the distance, only to find his gaze on Tang Hao was complicated. He showed no intention whatsoever of speaking up or helping.]
[At that instant, I understood. Tang San had recognized Tang Hao as well, and he did not intend to do anything.]
Young Lin Qing gave a miserable smile.
The blood at the corner of his mouth flowed more and more.
[Whether it was the secret of my Thousand-Year second Soul Ring or my friendship with Xiao Wu, Tang Hao probably would not spare me this time.]
[So... I stopped pretending.]
"HAHAHA!"
Young Lin Qing suddenly laughed, wildly and maniacally.
Under that terrifying pressure, he staggered as he forced himself upright.
Blood streamed from his mouth and nose, but he did not care.
[Standing up against the pressure, blood flowing from my mouth and nose, I pointed at Tang Hao in black robes and shouted madly.]
"Xiao Wu!!"
"He is Tang San's father, a Title Douluo!!!"
He roared those words with every ounce of strength he had.
"..."
A deathly silence followed.
Xiao Wu froze.
Tang San froze as well.
[After I said those words, Tang Hao's pressure suddenly increased!]
"RUMBLE!!!"
The entire cave completely collapsed!
[With a bang, my body exploded, flesh and blood flying everywhere.]
[Unfortunately, I died.]
The light-and-shadow image abruptly ended, plunging into darkness.
Lin Qing in reality sat blankly in the dilapidated wooden hut, staring at the empty air before him.
After a long while,
he slowly lowered his head and looked at his hands.
Then he raised his head and looked at the black Ash Urn on the table.
On its surface, the portrait of his twelve-year-old self seemed to be quietly watching him.
"Tang Hao..."
Lin Qing murmured the name.
Then he smiled, a chilling smile.
"What a Clear Sky Douluo."
He stood and walked to the window.
He pushed it open.
The evening breeze blew in, carrying the scent of earth and grass.
In the distance, smoke curled up from Emperor Soul Village.
In Er Ni's small courtyard, he could vaguely see the busy figure of a young girl.
"Brother."
Lin Qing spoke softly to the air, as though he were speaking to the dead Lin Qing from the Parallel World, and also to himself.
"I'll remember your grudge."
He turned around and looked once more at the Ash Urn.
[Ding! Listening to the last words complete!]
[Receiving Lin Qing's relics...]
The lid of the Ash Urn automatically sprang open.
There were no ashes inside.
Only two items.
The first: a strange piece of metal the size of a palm.
The second: a purple phantom of a Soul Ring that seemed to be condensed from light.
[Obtained relics: "Gold of Life," "Two-Thousand-Year Illusion Fox Soul Ring"]
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