That night, Li Changsheng opened his weary eyes. He suddenly felt a strange, cool, refreshing sensation all over his body, and an itch at the center of his brow. He raised a hand and touched it.
Pfft!
That touch proved consequential. The moment his fingertip brushed his brow, the Night-Startling Spear mark suddenly loosened, as if it were floating down.
In an instant, the Night-Startling Spear appeared in his open hand.
He barely had time to catch it before the spear dropped straight onto his stomach.
But, to his surprise, it was light as a feather—no heavier than a sheet of paper falling on him.
Li Changsheng had still been half-asleep, but the instant this happened, he was wide awake.
"Why is the Night-Startling Spear so light? And how did it appear?"
Staring at the suddenly appeared spear, Li Changsheng froze for a moment.
Then he stood up, picked up the Night-Startling Spear, and gently set it on the floor.
Bang!
The floor, which already had a huge hole smashed through it, now had another hole of the same size.
Li Changsheng seemed to understand. A glint of wisdom flashed in his eyes as he raised the Night-Startling Spear and brought it close to his brow.
Whoosh!
The two-meter-long spear instantly became a stream of black light and settled against the center of Li Changsheng's brow.
Li Changsheng walked over to the mirror in the room and lifted the strands of hair hanging over his forehead.
A mark shaped like the Night-Startling Spear, shimmering like black light, floated there. Black, red, and gold gleamed and flowed across it.
"Interesting. So besides storing the Night-Startling Spear away, I can also put it directly into my brow? That's convenient."
Li Changsheng understood. He let his hair fall over the mark, then straightened his clothes.
Feeling that he had grown used to this small body and the Night-Startling Spear's power, he thought of the few spear techniques he had read about before. He was sure his plan to steal the Mysterious Heaven Skill tonight would succeed.
He opened the rear window.
Li Changsheng climbed out and jumped down, reaching the back street without a hitch.
It was nearly midnight, but God Soul Village was still lively. From far away, he could hear the spectators shouting at the Soul Fighting Arena in the outer city.
Li Changsheng didn't run. Instead, he strolled leisurely down the street.
Tang San's home wasn't far from here. More than ten thousand years had passed, but because it had been carefully preserved, his home still looked almost exactly like the original blacksmith's shop. Even the nearby woods were still there, though after ten thousand years, they had grown into a forest.
Li Changsheng soon reached the forest surrounding Tang San's former home.
Blue Silver Grass grew in abundance, blanketing everything. It was soft underfoot, and the midnight dampness that seemed to seep through his clothes felt soothing.
In the distance, he spotted the patrolling city guards and the brightly lit former home of Tang San. Li Changsheng's expression gradually grew serious.
So many Soul Masters wanted to visit Tang San's former home that, long ago, Li Changsheng had suggested to the village chief of that era that they turn it into a tourist attraction and charge admission.
The pie had grown bigger and bigger, until even the lord of Nuoding City had grown envious. Under the pretext of protecting the ancestral home of Tang San, he had sent in troops. In truth, he just wanted a share of the profits...
"As far as I know, these city guards aren't Soul Masters, and their weapons are just ordinary spears. Only their commander is a level-twenty-three Soul Grandmaster. His Martial Soul is a Berserk Dog, and his Soul Ring Configuration is one white and one yellow. Regulations require them to patrol back and forth at night, so there's no way into Tang San's former home except to force my way in... Before my appearance changed, I might've had a chance to sneak in. But now, there's only one option..."
Recalling what he had learned and taking the situation into account, Li Changsheng hadn't expected the night watch to have become so strict lately.
"Good thing I have the Night-Startling Spear now. Otherwise, I'd definitely fail the side quest."
Li Changsheng reached out and touched the center of his brow.
A flash of black light passed, and the Night-Startling Spear dropped into his hand.
A violent baleful aura spread out. A chilling wind swept through the forest, and the trees swayed, their branches clattering together. More eerily still, all the Blue Silver Grass within a meter of Li Changsheng instantly withered and crumbled to ash.
Feeling the surging power, Li Changsheng pulled out the mask he had prepared in advance and put it on.
The mask was strange. From the outside, it looked like a wolf's head shaped to resemble a human face, and gray-white fur had been attached to it, hanging almost to his neck. Through the only two openings in the mask, Li Changsheng's clear black-and-white eyes had turned a ghostly green.
A werewolf!
Li Changsheng's getup undoubtedly made him look like one.
His small stature made him look a little ridiculous, but only from a distance. Up close, anyone would feel the terrifyingly palpable killing intent emanating from him.
This was Li Changsheng's plan. Simple and straightforward.
He would disguise himself as a marauding Wind Wolfman bandit and storm in with the Night-Startling Spear!
Wind Wolfmen were bandits, and everyone knew it. Ordinary people would surely be terrified to see him in this guise, and Soul Masters knew that Wind Wolfmen lived in packs, so they would be even more afraid.
But there might be an exception. If someone made trouble, Li Changsheng would have no choice but to kill one as a warning to the rest.
No one could stop him from becoming stronger! Whoever stood in his way would die! That was what Li Changsheng, after ten thousand years of solitude, thought.
Without another word, he gripped the Night-Startling Spear and headed toward Tang San's former home, one step at a time.
With every step, the Blue Silver Grass, growing in waves, withered meter by meter, rotted, then turned to ash.
Li Changsheng watched it all, feeling wonderful.
That's right!
Exactly!
Everyone might seek eternal life, but the journey toward it was the best part.
Beneath the werewolf mask, Li Changsheng gradually broke into an innocent smile.
"Stop! Who goes there? No outsiders may approach Ancestor Tang San's former home after seven in the evening!"
The sound of clanking armor approached, followed by a low, hoarse shout.
Li Changsheng raised his head and looked at the tall, officer-like figure walking toward him. Scorn flashed in his green eyes, visible through the mask.
This was the commander of the soldiers. His name was Zhao Hai, a level-twenty-three Soul Grandmaster with a Berserk Dog Martial Soul. He was just like a dog himself. He usually looked down on the people of God Soul Village and snapped at anyone he saw, but if you gave him Gold Soul Coins, he'd grin more sweetly than a dog.
God Soul Village might be famous, but in the last ten thousand years it hadn't produced any great powerhouses. Forget anyone on Tang San's level—even a Soul Elder hadn't come along! Of course, as mentioned long ago, the heart of God Soul Village was the Holy Soul Village of ten thousand years ago. The towns outside had all been founded by outsiders.
The soldiers who had been patrolling nearby soon gathered around as well.
They all wore armor, but their lazy, lackadaisical attitude was obvious from a mile away.
"It's a Wind Wolfman!"
When Zhao Hai saw Li Changsheng clearly in the light of the Soul Guidance Lamp, his murky eyes flickered. He was clearly startled.
He wasn't just surprised by how short Li Changsheng was, but by the Night-Startling Spear in his hand, too! Did werewolves know how to wield spears?
"What? A Wind Wolfman? The Wind Wolfmen who are infamous for rape and pillage?"
"Really? Tsk, I didn't think there were Wind Wolfmen in Heaven Dou Empire territory!"
"I heard Wind Wolfmen live in packs! They're as strong as Soul Masters! Are we surrounded?"
The soldiers behind Zhao Hai didn't look down on Li Changsheng just because he was short.
On the contrary, they had never seen a werewolf before, and the sight left them more afraid than ever.
It had to be said that the Wind Wolfman mask Soul Tool Li Changsheng had bought at great expense was incredibly lifelike.
"Awooo!"
Li Changsheng planted the Night-Startling Spear in the ground, threw his head back, and imitated a wolf's howl. A clear, high-pitched cry rang out as he curled a finger at Zhao Hai in challenge.
"A mere Wind Wolfman, and you dare court death!" Zhao Hai instantly flew into a rage, his features contorting.
"Spread out and keep watch! Don't let the pack ambush us! Today, I'm going to skin this little wolf!"
Zhao Hai's Martial Soul was a mutated Berserk Dog. It was powerful, but it came with a drawback.
The villagers in the village where he was born all had ordinary Martial Souls like pugs. He alone had a mutated one, which was how he had achieved his current position.
He was the sort of person who flew off the handle at the slightest provocation. Perhaps his Mutated Martial Soul had warped his personality, but Li Changsheng's taunting, as a small, lowly werewolf, enraged him beyond reason.
"Woof!"
The soldiers scattered at once. They didn't want to get caught up in the fight, and the clever ones were already preparing to run... They knew a thing or two about Wind Wolfmen. They lived in packs!
A deep dog bark rang out.
Zhao Hai's body began to change. His Martial Soul was a mutated type. It was powerful, but had a drawback.
He dropped to the ground, his hands becoming forelegs as his original legs braced him from behind. His scarred, fearsome face changed too, his lips curling back to bare his teeth. A pair of long ears pushed his helmet aside, and the saliva dripping from his mouth reeked.
Two Soul Rings, one white and one yellow, began to emerge...
"Taking this long just to release your Martial Soul? Die, mutt!"
Li Changsheng cursed. He had looked into it.
Zhao Hai's Martial Soul had a flaw: he had to assume a specific pose to use Martial Soul Possession, which took a long time. That was enough time for Li Changsheng to kill him a thousand times over!
The Night-Startling Spear thrust out with a sudden jab.
It was a simple thrust.
There was no dazzling light, no rumble of thunder. It was so fast that nothing could be seen clearly; only a black streak disappeared into the beautiful night.
At the same time, the instant Li Changsheng thrust out with the Night-Startling Spear, a scream rang out.
"Whimper..."
His shattered head flew away, his Soul Rings disintegrated, and a doglike wail echoed through the air. All that remained on the ground was a headless corpse in armor.
That was what it meant to have your dog's head smashed to bits!
Bang!
Li Changsheng planted the Night-Startling Spear in the ground.
His ghostly green eyes swept over the stunned soldiers.
"Awooo... Why aren't you running yet?" Li Changsheng howled again, putting on a wolfish voice as he shouted in a high, childlike tone.
Clang, clatter...
More than ten soldiers dropped their weapons and ran for their lives.
In the blink of an eye, every patrolman had fled.
Li Changsheng put away the Night-Startling Spear and glanced at the headless corpse on the ground. He flicked his sleeve and snorted. "When I, Li Changsheng, make a move, a foul-tempered Soul Grandmaster turns to ash in the blink of an eye!"
With that, he twirled his spear, stepped right over the corpse, and headed for Tang San's former home.
He kicked the door open.
Li Changsheng glanced at the familiar furnishings inside. Without stopping, he went straight into the bedroom.
The bed was still there. It had actually gone up for auction several times, but the price was so high it often went unsold. Li Changsheng was puzzled for a moment. Had no one noticed the inheritance carved under the bed frame?
Li Changsheng quickly confirmed that this was the only bed in the room, summoned the Night-Startling Spear, and used it to lift the bed frame. Then he raised it into the air.
"As expected, as long as an object's attached to the Night-Startling Spear, it becomes lighter no matter how heavy it is."
Li Changsheng looked thoughtful, then balanced the bed frame on the spear and raced off.
He didn't dare waste time. The soldiers who had run away had definitely gone for help, and it wouldn't be long before a large number of Soul Masters arrived.
That last thrust had nearly drained all his strength. If the soldiers hadn't run, he would've been in real trouble.
"Help! Help! The Wind Wolfmen have come down from the mountain! A Wind Wolfman has stolen Ancestor Tang San's former home!"
"The Wind Wolfman defies all human morals and decency! He's defiled the Sea God's residence! He must be executed! Heaven will punish him!"
"Quick! Send reinforcements!"
Just as Li Changsheng had predicted, the soldiers charged into the streets, shouting at the top of their lungs.
Before long, a massive force of Soul Masters headed for Tang San's former home, and high-level Soul Saints could even be seen flying through the sky...
But Li Changsheng, carrying the bed frame on his spear, had already escaped.
As he raced away, Li Changsheng suddenly heard a notification from the Myriad Worlds Sign-in System:
"Ding! Quest to obtain the Mysterious Heaven Skill complete. Reward: skill—God of Wisdom!"
Before you continue