Dong'er Teacher

Tang Ya slowly approached the altar. This time, she did not hesitate in the slightest, reaching out to grip the handle of the scythe.

The moment her fingertips touched the weapon, a thick black mist erupted, instantly sweeping through the entire cave. Within the fog, one could faintly hear the sound of countless shrill, resentful wails.

"Ugh!"

An overwhelming surge of negative emotions slammed into Tang Ya's mind, tearing frantically at her sanity and forcing a painful groan from her lips.

Even Tang Ya's martial soul was released uncontrollably; lush, verdant Blue Silver Grass grew wildly, carpeting the entire cave in the blink of an eye.

The black mist within the cave slowly gathered, eventually solidifying into an ethereal, humanoid phantom.

The figure wore a Nine-Curved Purple Gold Crown and was draped in elegant, luxurious purple-gold robes. Her slender, graceful silhouette clearly marked her as a woman.

In particular, the phantom scythe in her hand was identical to the one Tang Ya was currently clutching.

"Blue Silver Grass martial soul? Interesting."

The phantom's lips curled into a strange, chilling smile before she looked up toward the ceiling of the cave, her deep, profound gaze seemingly piercing through the rock layers.

"Who said... the game was over?"

Tang Ya could no longer hold on. She curled up on the ground, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably. On her forehead, a pitch-black scythe mark flashed and vanished, appearing incredibly eerie.

"Iron Blood Sect..."

The images of her parents' tragic deaths played over and over in her mind, and the bone-deep hatred instantly shattered Tang Ya's reason.

The Blue Silver Grass in the cave, originally a vibrant green, began to develop a strange, black tint on the surface of its vines.

This was only the beginning. As the hatred in Tang Ya's heart intensified, her martial soul seemed to be completely ignited; within the faint black patterns, a demonic, dark red hue began to seep out.

Black and red intertwined, spreading rapidly along the vines of the Blue Silver Grass.

The grass in the cave swayed frantically. The once-soft vines began to twist, and the tender skin of the plants shed away, replaced by cold, rigid stalks.

Even the tiny thorns on the leaves evolved into sharp, hideous barbs.

As the black color within the grass grew denser, it completely masked the original green, until the entire patch of vines transformed into an extreme shade of black and red.

In just a few moments, the once-vibrant Blue Silver Grass had vanished, replaced by dense, pitch-black thorns covered in spikes.

Each thorn shimmered with a cold, blood-red light, and a faint scent of blood seemed to linger in the air.

Tang Ya, curled on the ground, trembled all over, a faint scarlet hue emerging in her eyes.

Dark Blue Silver Grass!

At the same time, the lush forest outside the cave began to wither rapidly, as if something had drained away its life force.

Level 23, level 24, level 25...

With her martial soul completely transformed, the once-thin Soul Power within Tang Ya began to surge wildly. In just a few breaths, she broke through the 30-level barrier—an achievement that would take some soul masters decades of bitter cultivation.

"This is a gift from The Emperor. Do you like it?"

Watching Tang Ya, who had fainted on the ground, the black shadow couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. Her form shifted, and she merged with the scythe into the mark on Tang Ya's forehead, disappearing from sight.

"Ugh, my head hurts..."

It was unknown how much time had passed before Tang Ya regained consciousness. However, the scene that met her eyes left her stunned.

Dense, black thorns grew wantonly all around her, and a rose as red as blood bloomed on the tip of every branch.

"Where is this?"

"This is your Spirit Consciousness Sea, little girl."

As a familiar voice reached her ears, Tang Ya turned around to see a woman in luxurious gold and purple robes sitting on a throne not far away.

The woman's stunning beauty made Tang Ya blurt out instinctively, "Wow, what a beautiful big sister!"

Hearing this, the woman chuckled softly. "I suppose I shall take that as a compliment from you."

Watching Tang Ya's naive expression, the woman couldn't help but marvel, "I didn't expect you to survive. I thought you would turn into a madman who only knew how to kill."

Hearing that familiar voice again, the scatterbrained Tang Ya finally snapped back to reality. She pointed a finger at the woman and shouted, "I remember now! You're that bad person who tricked me!"

"Ouch! You hit me again!"

After hearing Tang Ya's words, a magnificent scepter appeared out of thin air in the woman's hand and struck Tang Ya's little head hard. "How rude. Since you have accepted The Emperor's inheritance, you must address me as Teacher!"

Seeing Tang Ya's indignant expression, the woman couldn't help but find it amusing, a trace of nostalgia flickering in her eyes.

However, she maintained her majestic, cold, and elegant demeanor, smiling lightly. "You say I am a bad person? You are indeed correct, but I would like to hear what you think the difference is between a good person and a bad person."

"Well, about that..."

Tang Ya stroked her smooth chin with her delicate hand, then giggled foolishly. "A good person is someone like Gui Yun, of course! Not only is he handsome, but he's so good to Xiao Ya, always buying me lots and lots of delicious food, hehehe!"

"Ouch, you hit me again!"

Suffering another blow, Tang Ya quickly covered her little head, the pain causing tears to well up in her eyes.

"And what about a bad person?"

Ignoring Tang Ya, the woman asked again.

"You're the big bad guy!"

Seeing the dangerous glint in the woman's eyes, Tang Ya could only force those words back down, changing her tune instead: "Of course, it's those bastards from the Iron Blood Sect!"

At the mention of the Iron Blood Sect, Tang Ya immediately began to gnash her teeth, and even the surrounding thorns began to dance wildly.

"Right, there's one more person, and she's the biggest, biggest villain of them all—Bibi Dong from ten thousand years ago! Have you heard of her?"

"She, she's simply the number one female devil of the continent..."

Tang Ya chattered away to herself, completely oblivious to the woman's tightly clenched fists.

Watching the incessantly chirping Tang Ya, the woman suddenly felt a twinge of regret for choosing her.

But she is so much like Na'er; both are equally naive, and equally stupid... beyond saving.

After rattling on for a long time, Tang Ya finally stopped only when her throat felt parched. Looking at the expressionless woman, she couldn't help but ask: "By the way, my name is Tang Ya. Tang as in Tang Sect, and Ya as in elegant. What about you?"

"And what is this Spirit Consciousness Sea you mentioned?"

Tang Sect...

The woman's eyes narrowed instinctively, and her jade-like hand tightened around her scepter. She sneered, "It is better that you do not know The Emperor's name. From now on, you shall address The Emperor as Teacher Dong'er."

"Oh!"

Tang Ya nodded obediently, casting a wary glance at the scepter in the woman's hand.