"...Master... I... am still alive?" Tang Wulin tried to move, but the motion tugged at his injured organs. The intense pain quickly snuffed out that thought.
Long Yuan nodded. "Of course you're still alive. A few mere Evil Soul Masters are nothing; I could wipe them out with a wave of my hand."
"But you'd better not move around. Your physical constitution is far beyond that of people at your level, but an injury this severe will still take time to heal."
"...Mm." Tang Wulin nodded with difficulty. "Thank you, Master, for saving my life. I'll never forget your kindness..."
Long Yuan froze for a moment, then immediately understood. "There's no need to say more. You're my disciple, so naturally I must keep you safe."
Tang Wulin said nothing. Those few words had exhausted him, and he had already fainted again.
"Looks like he thinks I'm the one who saved him." Long Yuan pondered. "That means he hasn't met Tang San yet, nor encountered that divine sense avatar."
That was even better!
Long Yuan used his divine sense to set a seal in Tang Wulin's Sea of Consciousness, ensuring that in the future he could enter only his own Sea of Consciousness, and not venture any further into the deeper space where the seal lay!
"Since that's the case, whenever he breaks the seal in the future, I can take over directly and keep him from coming into contact with Tang San. Then I need to quickly strip the Sea God Bloodline from his body and make way for my own bloodline power."
Bloodlines were dispensable in an ordinary world, but in a fantasy world like this, they were vessels for all kinds of things.
The power of the Sea God Bloodline had played no small part in making Tang Wulin trust Tang San the moment they met.
Even though Tang San hadn't said a thing, and the two had never even met before, the stirring of their souls through that bloodline was enough to establish a basic trust between them.
And as long as the problem of the Sea God Bloodline was resolved, even if Tang San returned, he wouldn't be able to fool Tang Wulin.
Once the blood ties between a father and son who had never shared a bond of upbringing were severed, were they really father and son anymore?
What's more, even if Tang Wulin didn't want to become Tang San's enemy, Long Yuan had a backup plan.
His fourth Authority—Ascension—was nominally an ability that amplified power, but its true nature symbolized the Dragon God's dominion. It was also the iron law of the Dragon Clan: bloodlines could never be crossed!
As the king of a branch of the Dragon Clan, Long Yuan's bloodline made Tang Wulin, its inheritor, incapable of resisting his rule. If it came to it, he would forcibly take control of Tang Wulin, then launch a divine sneak attack against Tang San.
The Dragon Clan valued family, but it was also cruel and cold-blooded.
"Tang Wulin, my dear disciple, I hope you won't disappoint me..." Long Yuan murmured as he looked down at his disciple on the ground.
In the dense forest outside Eastsea City, Cao Chun was flapping his wings and struggling to fly.
As soon as he left the city, Cao Chun had abandoned walking and taken to the air to escape.
"Halt! You shall go no further!"
Just as Cao Chun was worrying about whether Pei Wen would make it out alive, a voice suddenly rang out ahead.
The next moment, a blaze as fierce as the sun rose before him. A red-haired woman hovered in the air, a pair of shining wings at her back. The glare stung Cao Chun's eyes, forcing him to stop flying.
Even so, Cao Chun stared fixedly at the figure dangling from her hand. Though his eyes burned with pain, he never looked away.
"Pei Wen!"
"Boss?!"
The person Leng Yaozhu held was none other than Pei Wen, who had fled in the opposite direction. He was scorched black from head to toe, barely clinging to life.
Leng Yaozhu had pursued Pei Wen for quite some time before confirming that no one was coming to help him. She had then decided to stop waiting.
Against Leng Yaozhu, a Limit Douluo, Pei Wen had been utterly powerless to resist. In their very first exchange, the Phoenix Flame had badly damaged his Martial Soul, and she had captured him with ease.
After catching him, Leng Yaozhu confirmed their location once more, then sped ahead and arrived here before Cao Chun to wait for him.
"You two really are close, aren't you?" Leng Yaozhu sneered after hearing their heartfelt exchange. "Cao Chun, Pei Wen, you've been wanted criminals by the Federation all this time. They'd practically stopped looking for you after you'd been on the run so long, yet now you dare set your sights on my Spirit Pagoda's treasures? I'd say you're tired of living."
Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Cao Chun dropped the act. "What do you know?! We were just ordinary students back then. It was people like you who pinned the blame for the Evil Soul Masters' massacre on us. Otherwise, why would we have been wanted?!"
Leng Yaozhu raised an eyebrow. Of course she knew why the two had been wanted. But judging by his tone, he didn't seem to be lying. It looked like they really had been framed.
Who had the governor there been back then?
Leng Yaozhu thought for a moment. Hadn't it been someone from a military family?
But she couldn't remember which one.
"Even so, that doesn't give you the right to attack my Spirit Pagoda."
Leng Yaozhu had no time to waste arguing with these two condemned men. If she did, it would be after the matter was settled. Perhaps she could investigate the case thoroughly, then use the opportunity to win over that military family.
Cao Chun forced an ugly smile. "May I ask who you are?"
He knew he was doomed. Since she could stand right in front of him without him recognizing her, she was certainly far beyond his ability to defeat.
"I am the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, Leng Yaozhu." Leng Yaozhu answered without hesitation. She was confident in herself.
"Hahaha! To die at the hands of the renowned Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, I can't complain about how I've lived!" Cao Chun laughed, though his eyes never left Pei Wen, who dangled from her grip like a dead dog.
If only I'd been more hard-hearted back then—if I'd refused to let him feed on souls and sent him away, perhaps he could have changed his name and lived a good life by now.
They were the same age, but their personalities were worlds apart. Cao Chun had always taken the role of the big brother, looking after Pei Wen in everything.
Little by little, their bond had stopped feeling like friendship and come to resemble family—like brothers, or even father and son.
Leng Yaozhu casually tossed Pei Wen over to Cao Chun. He hurriedly caught him and held him tight.
Pei Wen didn't speak, but after years together, a single glance was enough for them to understand each other.
Cao Chun: All those years...
Pei Wen: Say no more. At least we can die together today...
"You two really are star-crossed lovers." Leng Yaozhu turned serious. "Since you've admitted to repeatedly attacking the Spirit Pagoda and stealing dozens of purple Soul Spirits, hundreds of yellow and white Soul Spirits, as well as a large batch of medicines and rare treasures..."
"Wait, I only took a few..."
Leng Yaozhu remained unmoved. "The figures have been verified. As Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, I must kill you here!"
With that, Leng Yaozhu waved her hand, and the Heavenly Phoenix True Fire swept toward Cao Chun and Pei Wen in a vast, engulfing tide.
"Hahaha, I understand now. This is the tragedy of the weak—even in death, we can't rest in peace..." Cao Chun threw his head back and laughed, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Whoosh—"
The next moment, the flames swept past, leaving not even ashes behind.