It was three days later when he returned to Nuoding City.
In the rear courtyard of the City Lord Mansion, at the training grounds.
Xiao Chenyu sat cross-legged on the flagstones.
Before him stood the stalactite pillar he had hauled all the way back from the Soul Hunting Forest, a thousand li away.
Its cut surface was smooth as a mirror, reflecting a cold gleam in the sunlight.
This thing had become his personal "trophy display," and a handy reminder of three things.
First, I'm strong.
Second, I'm dangerous too. An old Ferocious Beast with over 400,000 years of cultivation might be keeping a little black book on me.
On the surface, he was the young master of Nuoding City, a Twin Martial Souls wielder, a genius boy who had just absorbed a top-grade thousand-year Soul Ring, and a rising star with a limitless future.
In reality, he was scared shitless.
"A direct descendant of Xiong Jun, huh..."
Xiao Chenyu muttered to himself. In his mind appeared a gigantic dark-gold bear that towered between heaven and earth, slapping him into the dirt with one paw.
The image was too terrifying to keep imagining.
[Xiao Chenyu]: @Will of Douluo Planet, is there really no way to get another Concealment Mark that works on Xiong Jun?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: There's nothing I can do~ The Chat Group's current permissions are too low. Getting you one Concealment Mark is already the last ripple of the group master's power. (ó﹏ò｡)
[Xiao Chenyu]: Then how do I raise my permissions?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Easy! Beat up Tang San more, snatch more opportunities, and make him suffer more! The more his Heavenly Dao fortune weakens, the more power the Chat Group can wield!
[Man Faced Demon Spider]: Beat up Tang San! Beat up Tang San! Beat up Tang San!
[Xiao Chenyu]: If I could beat up Tang San right now, would I still be worrying here?
[Xiao Chenyu]: That guy's still in Holy Soul Village swinging a hammer with his dad. I can't exactly rush to his house and beat him up, can I?
[God of Destruction]: Hmph. At the end of the day, it's only a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear with slightly higher cultivation. Is there any need to be this afraid?
Xiao Chenyu looked at God of Destruction's message, the corner of his mouth twitching.
[Xiao Chenyu]: My dear divine king godfather, you're the Destruction God King. You could wipe out a hundred Xiong Juns with a sneeze, so of course you're not afraid.
[Xiao Chenyu]: What about me? Facing Xiong Jun, I'm the one who could be wiped out a hundred times with a sneeze.
[God of Destruction]: ...
[Goddess of Life]: Xiao Zi, say a little less.
[Goddess of Life]: Chenyu is still a child. It's a good thing for him to know what awe feels like.
[Goddess of Life]: Given his current cultivation, Xiong Jun is indeed an unbeatable existence.
Xiao Chenyu sighed.
He lay back on the flagstones at the training grounds and stared blankly at the sky.
Nuoding City's sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the sunlight was warm.
But in his heart, a dark cloud loomed.
It was shaped like a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, baring its teeth at him.
[Xiao Chenyu]: @Will of Douluo Planet, you're the embodiment of Douluo Planet's will. In theory, the Star Dou Great Forest is your territory too.
[Xiao Chenyu]: Can't you just give Xiong Jun a heads-up and ask it to turn a blind eye?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: I'm just a wisp of an echo right now. Being able to know what's happening on Douluo Planet is already impressive. Influencing reality is really difficult.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: But if you can torment Tang San until he's crying for his dad, this baby will be able to recover even more power!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: When that happens, forget making Xiong Jun suffer. I could even make it dance the "Subject Three" on the spot! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
[Xiao Chenyu]: We've got "Subject Three" now... Just how eclectic is your knowledge? That's a huge leap.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Hehe, this will has read widely across the myriad worlds. I know a little bit about memes from all kinds of worlds! (≧∀≦)
Xiao Chenyu rolled his eyes and casually closed the Chat Screen.
It seemed he couldn't count on the Will of Douluo Planet to bail him out anytime soon.
For now, he'd have to face the ticking time bomb that was Xiong Jun on his own.
Even if he couldn't handle it, he'd have to try. After all, he had personally killed its descendant.
[Goddess of Life]: Chenyu, don't be too anxious.
[Goddess of Life]: That bear king is powerful, but it won't leave the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest lightly.
[Goddess of Life]: By the time you get the chance to face it directly, your strength will be worlds apart from what it is now. Xiao Zi and I both believe in you.
[Xiao Chenyu]: All right. I guess all I can do is cultivate hard.
[Xiao Chenyu]: Still, it'd be even better if I had some ways to protect myself in an emergency.
After all, Xiong Jun wasn't the only danger in this world. What if he walked out the door one day and ran into a Titled Douluo?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Speaking of ways to protect yourself, there's actually an amazing life-saving treasure you can get before you reach the Second Soul Ring.
[Xiao Chenyu]: What?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: The 100,000-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. (:3っ)っ
Xiao Chenyu froze.
He knew that name all too well!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: That old drunkard Tang Hao has a 100,000-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone. It's hidden in a valley behind a waterfall in the mountains behind Holy Soul Village!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Tang Hao hid it really well. No one but him knows about it.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: Well, no one except this baby, of course! (≧▽≦)ﾉ
Xiao Chenyu sat bolt upright with a sudden "whoosh," his formerly languid eyes now shining so brightly they were almost alarming.
The 100,000-Year Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone!
The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone Tang San had obtained from Tang Hao in the original story.
It had two Soul Bone Skills that were practically heaven-defying: "Flight" and "Wildfire Cannot Destroy, Spring Breeze Brings Life Anew."
This healing Soul Bone Skill was said to be a god-tier skill that could pull someone back from the gates of death as long as they still had a breath left.
Bringing the dead back to life and restoring flesh to bare bones was no exaggeration.
"If I could get my hands on that Soul Bone..."
The little theater in Xiao Chenyu's mind immediately sprang into action.
Scene one: Xiong Jun slapped him into critical condition, leaving him on the brink of death.
Then "Wildfire Cannot Destroy, Spring Breeze Brings Life Anew" activated.
Back to full health!
Xiong Jun was completely dumbfounded!
Scene two: A pack of ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts chased him to the edge of a cliff.
Then the Soul Bone's Flight skill activated, and he took off!
The Soul Beasts below could only stare in frustration!
Forget Xiong Jun—even if Xiong Jun and the Titan Giant Ape attacked him from the front and behind at the same time, as long as he ran fast enough and healed quickly enough, he had a chance of surviving!
[Goddess of Life]: The Blue Silver Emperor... Is that Tang San's mother?
[God of Destruction]: Hmph! That's the Blue Silver Emperor Tang San forcibly brought to the Divine Realm in violation of its rules!
[Goddess of Life]: I remember Tang San's parents did appear in the Divine Realm, but they disappeared not long afterward. What exactly happened?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: She returned to Douluo Planet!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: You don't know what that bastard Tang San did. He not only wanted Tang Hao to possess me and replace me as the Plane Master of Douluo Planet.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: He also wanted his mother, Ah Yin, to devour the Eternal Tree and take the place of Douluo Planet's Life Core! (▼皿▼#)
[Will of Douluo Planet]: You be the judge! Is that something a person should do?
[Will of Douluo Planet]: I worked so hard to raise him to godhood and poured every resource into him, and then he turned around and tried to wipe out my whole family! (T＿T)
[Man Faced Demon Spider]: Tang San, you scumbag! Tear him apart!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: The group master created this Avengers Chat Group at the end of time, gathering all the resentment in existence, because he simply couldn't stand all the things Tang San had done!
[Will of Douluo Planet]: So, Avenger, you carry more than just your own fate on your shoulders.
[Will of Douluo Planet]: You also carry the hopes of the group master, me, the Destruction God King, the Goddess of Life, Little Spider, and every being Tang San has harmed! (◦˙▽˙◦)
"..."
Xiao Chenyu fell silent for a moment.
His feelings were complicated.
It wasn't exactly heavy, but it was definitely no cause for relief either.
It was like he'd only wanted to be a humble worker, then suddenly someone had shoved the job of saving the world into his hands.