Backhand Summoning a Guardian Spirit to Sanction, Redeeming Jiang Nannan with the Ultimate Fire

Cao Longyan stepped out from the shadows first, positioning himself in front of Jiang Nannan to shield her from the others, though his lack of height meant the effect was less than intended.

His gaze was icy as he stared down the three members of the Mysterious Underworld Sect.

"Oh? Where did this little brat come from? You dare meddle in the affairs of our Mysterious Underworld Sect? Tired of living?"

The lead senior brother's expression darkened. His tone was arrogant and his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at the boy who barely reached his waist, causing the two men beside him to burst into laughter.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Zhang Lexuan appeared beside Cao Longyan. Her expression was cold and detached, her eyes piercingly frigid as she looked at the three disciples.

However, the three disciples seemed to have a death wish. Upon seeing the more mature and beautiful Zhang Lexuan, their eyes lit up with lust. They wore lecherous grins, their gazes raking over her entire body, lingering especially on her exquisite face and her curves.

Zhang Lexuan felt deeply uncomfortable under their disgusting stares. Just as she was about to teach them a lesson, Cao Longyan beat her to it.

"You three pieces of trash, what are you staring at my sister for? Do you not want your eyes anymore?!"

Cao Longyan stood before Zhang Lexuan, his eyes devoid of emotion as he looked at the three men as if they were already corpses, his tone thick with fury.

Zhang Lexuan felt an indescribable emotion as she watched this scene...

"Pfft—"

The three of them couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Little brat, you haven't even been weaned yet, and you're already acting so big? Watch how your 'brothers-in-law' take your sister for themselves, hahahaha!"

"Insolent!"

Cao Longyan's eyes turned cold. Despite the brevity of the word and his six-year-old frame, he exuded an incredibly domineering aura.

"Kid, let me show you what 'insolent' really means!"

The lead senior brother sneered in disdain. He made the first move, summoning his Mysterious Underworld Shield martial soul. With three soul rings—one white and two yellow—rising from beneath his feet, he lunged toward Cao Longyan.

Seeing the Mysterious Underworld Sect members attack, Jiang Nannan moved to step in front of Cao Longyan to block the blow.

They were kind enough to help her; she couldn't let them get hurt on her account.

But then, Cao Longyan reached out his right hand and grasped at the empty air. With a flash of light, the Ten Halls of Yama appeared in his grip, and a dazzling purple soul ring rose from beneath his feet.

Jiang Nannan stopped mid-step, her eyes widening as she stared at that purple soul ring.

The three members of the Mysterious Underworld Sect reacted much the same way, exclaiming in shock.

"A thousand-year first ring? How is this possible?! It must be some trick this brat is playing—don't think you can fool me!"

The Mysterious Underworld Sect's senior brother did not let this sudden shock halt his attack.

Cao Longyan clicked his tongue, his lip curling into a defiant expression as he shouted.

"Xu Chu, Dian Wei, beat them to death!"

Two massive waves of baleful energy erupted instantly. Xu Chu and Dian Wei, the two guardian spirits, materialized out of thin air. Their figures were tall and imposing, radiating an aura of fearless ferocity that instantly enveloped the three sect members.

"Understood, my Lord! This subordinate obeys!"

Xu Chu roared, swinging his massive fist forward to collide directly with the senior brother's punch.

"Boom—!"

A thunderous roar echoed out. The senior brother was sent flying by Xu Chu's punch, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Dian Wei flashed forward, instantly reaching the other two disciples. Within a few moves, he had beaten them black and blue, leaving them in a pathetic state without the strength to even resist.

The three disciples lay on the ground, gasping for breath, realizing they had run into a wall of iron.

The lead senior brother struggled to his feet and pulled a signal flare from his robes, intending to ignite it and summon reinforcements from his sect.

"You dare call for backup?" Zhang Lexuan's eyes turned cold. She flashed forward, blocking his path, and pulled out a token. The token was pure white, engraved with the bold characters "Shrek," and glowed brilliantly. "Open your dog eyes and look at what this is!"

Upon seeing the characters on the token, the three men were terrified out of their wits. Their last shred of composure snapped, and they trembled uncontrollably, their previous arrogance completely extinguished.

The name of Shrek resonated throughout the entire Douluo Continent; even the Mysterious Underworld Sect, which lorded over the Heaven Dou Empire, dared not offend anyone from Shrek.

The lead senior brother hurriedly put away the signal flare and dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly to Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! We were blind and didn't recognize greatness! We didn't know you two were masters from Shrek! Please, spare us! We won't ever dare do it again!"

The other two disciples scrambled to their knees as well, begging for mercy in a pathetic display.

Cao Longyan glanced at them coldly, then pointed at Jiang Nannan.

"If we spare you, will you let her go once we leave?"

The three disciples froze. They knew the answer was no, but they put on a show, groveling as they pleaded.

"Masters, we absolutely would not..."

Before they could finish, Cao Longyan activated his first soul skill, Great Flame Sky-Splitting Hammer, reducing them to ashes.

Their hesitation had betrayed their true intentions, and Cao Longyan would never leave such a threat alive.

Zhang Lexuan did not stop him; she didn't feel he had done anything wrong.

With the crisis resolved, Jiang Nannan watched the scene before her, the light returning to her eyes. Her despair vanished, replaced by gratitude and astonishment.

She looked at Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan, her voice choked with emotion.

"Th-thank you, masters. Are you... are you from Shrek?"

Cao Longyan recalled Xu Chu and Dian Wei, put away the Ten Halls of Yama in his hand, and turned around, his tone softening considerably.

"No need to call us 'my lord.' I am Cao Longyan, and she is my elder sister, Zhang Lexuan. We saw that you were in trouble; tell us, what exactly happened?"

Zhang Lexuan also moved closer to Jiang Nannan, her tone gentle as she chimed in.

"That's right, little sister. You can tell us about any difficulties you're facing. We are fated to meet, and as long as it is within our power, we will certainly help you."

Jiang Nannan could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down her face once more, her body trembling as she spoke with a choked voice.

"My name is Jiang Nannan. My mother is bedridden with a severe illness; there is an unknown filth within her body. The physician said that only a Mystic Water Pill can completely cure her. I saved money for a long time, intending to bid for the pill, but they..."

Jiang Nannan... it was the Jiang Nannan from the original story!

Cao Longyan instantly matched the name and image. The joy in his heart was evident; he had long wanted to help Jiang Nannan escape the shadows of her childhood.

He never expected that, through a twist of fate, he would actually be the one to redeem her childhood.

After hearing her story, Zhang Lexuan was filled with pity.

"Sister Nannan, can you take us to see your mother? Although we don't have a Mystic Water Pill, perhaps we have other ways to save her."

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Jiang Nannan's eyes. She nodded quickly and led the two of them toward her home.

Jiang Nannan's home was in a remote alley of the Heaven Dou Empire's capital—a crude, mud-brick house. It was narrow and dim, with simple furnishings. There was only a dilapidated wooden bed, and lying upon it was a woman with a pale complexion and weak breath—Jiang Nannan's mother.

Cao Longyan walked to the bedside and carefully examined the mother's aura, his brows knitting slightly.

At that moment, the voices of Xu Chu and Dian Wei echoed in his spiritual sea.

"Master, her illness might be very troublesome for ordinary people because her soul has been tainted by filthy energy. However, your Hellfire is pure and domineering; it is the natural nemesis of this filth. Purifying it will be very easy, and you can cure her completely."

Cao Longyan was startled. With a thought, a faint wisp of Hellfire—his Ultimate Fire—flickered in his palm.

"Sister Nannan, I might have a way to cure your mother."

"Really!"

Jiang Nannan was so excited she almost lunged forward.

"Yes, I will do my best."

Cao Longyan nodded at Jiang Nannan, whose eyes were shining with golden light.

He did not want her to lose hope.

He carefully injected the Hellfire into the mother's body. The gentle flames flowed slowly, enveloping the filthy energy within and purifying it bit by bit until it dissipated.

As the filth was purged, the mother's complexion gradually turned rosy, her breathing steadied, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Mother!"

Jiang Nannan excitedly threw herself onto the bedside, clutching her mother's hand tightly. Tears fell again, but these were tears of joy.

The mother looked at her daughter, then at Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan. She struggled to prop up her body, which had been ravaged by illness, and said weakly, "Th-thank you, two benefactors."

Seeing this, Cao Longyan hurried forward to support the swaying, yet stubbornly persistent woman, a sincere smile on his face.

"No need for formalities, ma'am. It was just a small effort. You must focus on your recovery and regain your health; don't let Sister Nannan's efforts and intentions go to waste."

After settling the mother, Jiang Nannan led Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan outside. She moved to kneel, but the two of them quickly caught her.

She straightened her back and bowed deeply to them. Raising her head, her eyes were filled with determination.

"Brother Longyan, Sister Lexuan, words cannot express my gratitude. I, Jiang Nannan, will never forget your kindness in this life! I have nothing to repay you with, but tell me—as long as it is within my power, I will do it!"

Cao Longyan saw through her thoughts and her awkwardness. He gave a faint smile, his tone gentle yet firm.

"Sister Nannan, there is no need to repay us. If you really want to do something, then work hard at your cultivation and get into Shrek Academy. Becoming strong and protecting yourself and your mother is the best reward you could give us!"

Jiang Nannan stepped forward and hugged Cao Longyan, happy tears spilling from her eyes.

"Thank you, Brother Longyan! You are so kind..."

Zhang Lexuan looked at Cao Longyan, her gaze complex.

Brother Longyan, if you act like this, it's going to be very hard for people to forget you... Gentle and kind, it's truly hard not to fall for you...

If I were a little younger, would I... Pfft, pfft, pfft, Zhang Lexuan, what are you thinking!

After they parted a moment later, a flash of resolve appeared in Jiang Nannan's eyes. She nodded heavily, tears falling once more, but this time they were filled with longing and determination.

"I will! I will definitely get into Shrek, and I will definitely work hard to become strong so I don't let you down!"

Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan exchanged a smile. After bidding farewell to Jiang Nannan and her mother, they prepared to embark on their journey home.