"Ahhh—!!"
Screams rang out from every direction at once as a rain of golden swords swept precisely through the bodies of the Fallen Soul Masters.
Blood sprayed, and cries of agony rose one after another.
Some tried to run. They had barely taken two steps before three swords pinned them to the ground. They lay there, wailing and struggling, but could not break free.
Others tried to unleash Soul Skills in defiance. But before they could do more than raise a hand, a golden sword pierced their wrist. Their Soul Power scattered, and they dropped to their knees with a scream.
In the space of a few breaths, only a handful of the Fallen Soul Masters who had been swaggering around moments ago were still able to move. They lay on the ground, groaning in pain, dark red pools of blood spreading beneath them.
Then several purple, crescent-shaped blades of light silently descended from the sky.
Thin as cicada wings, the blades swept precisely across the throats of the few Fallen Soul Masters still struggling. Their screams cut off abruptly!
Several bodies stiffened at once, then slumped to the ground, never to move again.
The clearing fell completely silent.
The villagers stood rooted to the spot. Some gaped, some covered their eyes, and some collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.
No one dared make a sound. They hardly dared breathe, afraid they might disturb the being in the sky, whether god or demon.
Ah Yin stood where she was, staring up at the sky, her mind utterly blank.
She watched the golden rain of swords gradually fade, panic churning in her heart.
A Soul Master who could fly?
Could it be... a Titled Douluo?
Her heart suddenly raced. Instinctive fear shot up from the base of her spine, spreading through every limb.
If the other really was a Titled Douluo, then in her current state, she had no chance of escaping—and nowhere to run.
Just as she hesitated over whether to fight to the death, the shadow in the sky suddenly moved.
Golden light flared again. The figure turned, then shot toward the distant horizon. In the blink of an eye, it became a tiny speck of light and vanished into the distance.
Ah Yin stared blankly in the direction the light had disappeared, then let out a long breath. Her taut body finally relaxed, and her legs gave way. She nearly fell to her knees.
"Thank goodness..." she murmured. "He probably wasn't a Titled Douluo. Otherwise, I'd really have been in danger..."
Several days later.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Seven Treasure Main Hall.
Ever since bringing back Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo a year ago and successfully taking over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi had grown increasingly confident and ambitious.
At that moment, he sat calmly in the seat of honor, holding two freshly delivered intelligence reports and studying them intently.
The first report contained only a few brief lines: former Pope Qian Daoliu had joined Clear Sky Douluo Tang Chen in traveling to the distant seas. Their return date was unknown.
The second report was much more detailed: Qian Xunji had ordered that a Youth Spirit Master Tournament be held three months from now.
The winner would be crowned by the Pope himself before Douluo Hall and awarded the title "The Greatest of the Younger Generation."
Ning Fengzhi read and reread both reports. His hand holding the documents dropped to his thigh as he gazed through the open doors of the hall toward the pale golden clouds in the distance, lost in deep thought.
There was one question he had been pondering for a full hour, yet he still could not come up with a definite answer.
The two strongest men of their age had set out to sea together. They were surely pursuing something extraordinary.
But how long would they be gone?
When would they return?
Could it be... that they would never come back?
He closed his eyes and tapped the armrest twice with his fingers.
If Tang Chen left Douluo Continent for good, then the world would once again belong to Spirit Hall.
The thought made him uneasy.
The delicate balance between the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall depended to a great extent on Tang Chen alone.
Without him, the Clear Sky Sect would lose its sharpest blade, while Spirit Hall...
Ning Fengzhi sighed again, opened his eyes, and turned his attention back to the second report.
What exactly was Qian Xunji planning by suddenly holding a tournament like this?
He carefully considered every possibility behind the news.
He did not know Qian Xunji very well, but from what he had seen, the man was certainly no foolhardy sort.
If he was willing to hold such a grand Youth Spirit Master Tournament at a time like this, wasn't he afraid that his disciples might lose to someone else and bring utter disgrace upon Spirit Hall?
Or was it that... he had absolute confidence in his own disciples?
"Fengzhi."
Footsteps sounded outside the hall, interrupting his thoughts. Gu Rong strode in.
"Have you heard?" He entered without even bothering to salute, then sat straight down in the guest seat.
"Heard what?"
"That thing," Gu Rong said, leaning forward. "Recently, a genius Soul Master has suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He's been traveling across the continent, clearing out the Fallen Soul Masters and bandit Soul Masters entrenched in the mountains."
"Have you heard about him?"
Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, his tone mild. "I've heard a little. What about it?"
His mind was entirely occupied by the two reports, and he had little interest in these trifles.
Gu Rong, however, was fired up. "Here's the thing. According to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's informants, that genius Soul Master is no more than sixteen or seventeen, yet his Soul Power Level has already reached Soul Emperor."
"And his Soul Ring configuration is astonishing. His First Soul Ring is a purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring."
Ning Fengzhi raised an eyebrow slightly. He had not wanted to be distracted by these trifles.
But then he thought better of it. Gu Rong was a pillar of the sect; he could not slight him over something like this.
Besides, a genius Soul Master whose First Soul Ring was a thousand years old sounded far-fetched—but if it was true, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could put him to use...
"Then we'll do as you suggest, Uncle Gu," Ning Fengzhi replied casually, his tone somewhat perfunctory.
Then he added, "Be sure to act carefully. Don't give anyone a handle to use against us."
"Mm." Gu Rong nodded, rose, and left.
Evening.
A nondescript tavern outside Sunset Forest.
Zhao Linchuan was at the front desk arranging their rooms. Yan Lingji and Bibi Dong had gone ahead and taken seats at a long table by the window.
Outside the window lay the direction of Sunset Forest. In the twilight, the forest was quiet and deep. Every now and then, a few birds returning to their nests swept past the treetops, leaving a string of clear chirps in their wake.
Bibi Dong propped her chin on her hand, studying Yan Lingji's face. She leaned forward, curiosity getting the better of her, and asked, "Sister Ling Ji, I've always wanted to ask—how did you and Linchuan get together?"
Yan Lingji had been sipping her tea. At the question, she put down her cup, a half-smile on her face.
"He took me by force," she said evenly. "I had no choice but to stay with him."
"Ah?!"
Bibi Dong cried out in shock, loud enough to draw glances from several people at the neighboring table.
Only then did she realize she had lost her composure. She quickly covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief.
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