Two Years Later

In August of the 2622nd year of the Douluo Calendar, the summer sun blazed down. -Manga~'¨¯¨'·Dance~ ~Dance'¨¯¨'·~Manga-

In the northern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, in an unnamed town.

The moment Yu Xiaogang stepped into the town, he felt a chill creep up from the bottom of his heart, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

The town is small. If you walk along the bluestone road from the south, you can see the town exit on the north side when you are on the edge of the town.

As he walked along the cobblestone path covered with fallen leaves, Yu Xiaogang's gaze swept over the jagged, dilapidated old houses along the street. Occasionally, he could spot a pair or several pairs of eerie green eyes flashing past behind the dark windows of the old houses.

In the center of the town, in front of an equally dilapidated tavern, Yu Xiaogang paused, a look of hesitation in his eyes, and remained motionless for a long time.

"Bang--!"

With a loud bang, the tavern's vermilion, peeling paint door was suddenly pushed open from the inside, and a foul, pungent odor wafted out, hitting Yu Xiaogang, who was a few meters away, directly.

With a furrowed brow, Yu Xiaogang subconsciously took two steps back. Just then, two tall figures walked out of the tavern one after the other.

"Tang Hao?!" / "Yu Xiaogang?"

Two voices rang out simultaneously, one from Yu Xiaogang and the other from one of the tall figures.

With a flicker of his eyes, Yu Xiaogang looked at the person who walked out of the tavern first with a surprised expression. It turned out to be Tang Hao, the young sect master of the Clear Sky Sect.

The person following behind Tang Hao was none other than Tang Hao's older brother, Tang Xiao!

It's not surprising that Yu Xiaogang knows Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, because in the past two years, the name "Clear Sky Twin Stars" has resounded throughout the continent. In addition, with the Green Wood Merchant Association under Lingyun City selling various convenient Soul Tool, among which the price of "Image Recording Stone" is relatively affordable, many famous figures in the Douluo Continent inevitably have their images captured when they appear in public.

Tang Hao's ability to recognize Yu Xiaogang is due to the fact that Yu Xiaogang has made a name for himself on the Douluo Continent over the past two years. In addition, as the youngest son of Yu Yuanzhen, the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the "Thunder Douluo," Tang Hao, who is also a descendant of Upper Three Sects, naturally paid attention to him.

Of course, the fame that Yu Xiaogang has made in the past two years is different from the way Tang Hao and his brother used force to show off. He made a name for himself by spending money lavishly, well, in Gold Soul Coin.

According to some observant people, in just two years, Yu Xiaogang spent at least 1.5 million Gold Soul Coin!

What does this mean?

It's safe to say that, currently on the Douluo Continent, apart from a handful of organizations like the Spirit Hall, the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, and the Great Soul Fighting Arena Alliance, no other force, including the Clear Sky Clear Sky Sect, which is the number one sect in the world, would allow a single member, including the sect leader, to use such a large sum of money!

More precisely, even for a sect like the Elephant Armor Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects, if you asked the sect leader, Huyan Zhen, to take out a million Gold Soul Coin in one go, he would have to go back to the sect and hold a meeting with the elders to discuss whether he could take out such a huge sum of money from the sect's treasury.

"What are you doing here?" Tang Hao stared at Yu Xiaogang with eyes like lightning, his tone tinged with surprise.

"Do you even know where you are? How dare you come here?"

Upon hearing Tang Hao's question, Yu Xiaogang frowned. He disliked Tang Hao's tone and the look in his eyes, as if he were looking at a fool who overestimated himself.

"That won't trouble Young Master Tang," Yu Xiaogang replied calmly and slowly.

"Tsk~"

Upon hearing this, Tang Hao raised an eyebrow and clicked his tongue, glancing up and down at Yu Xiaogang a few meters away. He shook his head indifferently and said to Tang Xiao beside him, "Big brother, let's go."

As he spoke, Tang Xiao nodded and strode towards the south of the town, the direction from which Yu Xiaogang had just come.

As for the purpose and thoughts behind exploring Yu Xiaogang?

Sorry, he's not interested.

A mere level 39 Soul Elder, coming to the outer entrance of the "Slaughter City" to set up camp, whether he gets killed inside or at the gate, is none of Tang Hao's business.

After walking about ten meters, Tang Xiao stopped, turned his head slightly, and reminded Yu Xiaogang, who was still standing still behind him, "I advise you not to even think about going in. With your current strength, going in is tantamount to courting death."

"If you really want to get something from inside, come after you become Soul King, or better yet, Soul Emperor."

As soon as the words fell, without waiting for Yu Xiaogang's response, Tang Xiao took a step forward and chased after Tang Hao, who was already several steps ahead.

After glancing at the two Tang Family brothers who had already disappeared into the distance, Yu Xiaogang turned his gaze back to the dilapidated tavern in front of him.

After taking a deep breath, Yu Xiaogang finally took his first step and walked towards the tavern door.

"Squeak—!"

A piercing sound rang out, and Yu Xiaogang walked into the dimly lit tavern. Everything he saw was decorated in black, and even though the sun was shining brightly outside, the interior gave him a strong sense of coldness.

"Oh? Someone else has arrived?"

A hoarse voice came from behind. Yu Xiaogang looked in the direction of the voice and saw a middle-aged man with a pale face wearing black leather armor bending over, holding one of the two corpses by the ankles in each hand, preparing to drag them to the corner of the wall.

It is clear that the two corpses were killed by having their skulls and sternums violently smashed with a blunt object.

The person who made the move must have had a very precise control over the force, because apart from the obvious collapse of the skull and sternum, there was hardly any extra blood flowing out.

After glancing around a few times, Yu Xiaogang twitched his nose slightly, feeling somewhat disgusted by the even stronger stench inside compared to what he had smelled at the entrance. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the scattered figures, some sitting and some standing, and asked indifferently, "Is Hannibal here? I arranged to meet him here."

"Hannibal? You're looking for Hannibal?!"

The pale-faced middle-aged man who had spoken earlier casually tossed the two corpses into the corner, turned to face Yu Xiaogang, and looked at him with amusement. Then, like Yu Xiaogang, he glanced around at the other people in the tavern, a strange smile appearing on his face, "He's looking for Hannibal?"

As he spoke, he pointed to Yu Xiaogang, whose brows were furrowed.

The next second, a series of eerie, howling laughter suddenly erupted from the dimly lit and oppressive tavern, with various "ga ga ga~" and "hehehe~" sounds rising and falling.

After a while, the pale-faced middle-aged man leaned closer to Yu Xiaogang and chuckled, "Hannibal went to find the ingredients. Would you like to have a drink while you wait for him?"

Without waiting for Yu Xiaogang's reaction, he turned to the bar and called out, "Bill, give this Hannibal's friend a Bloody Mary!"

About an hour later, on a small hillside about forty miles south of the nameless town.

Yu Xiaogang leaned over, supporting himself on a rock about a meter high, and vomited violently until he was almost vomiting bile before he gradually stopped.

More than ten meters away, Tang Hao, leaning against another three-meter-high boulder, crossed his arms and looked down at Yu Xiaogang with a disdainful sneer on his lips.

→

"Brother Hao ~"

Tang Xiao, standing beside him, gently called out, signaling Tang Hao to tone down his expression. After all, Tang Hao was the son of the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, one of the Upper Three Sects, and Tang Hao should be given some face.

Upon hearing Tang Xiao's reminder, Tang Hao curled his lip, nonchalantly turned his body to the side, facing the coniferous forest to the southwest, leaving the back of his head to Yu Xiaogang.

Tang Xiao shook his head helplessly, but didn't say anything more. He could still tell who was inside and who was outside.

On the other side, Yu Xiaogang, who really couldn't vomit anything, finally straightened up with the help of the stone, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and turned to walk towards the two brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao.

"Thank you both for saving me..." Yu Xiaogang cupped his hands in thanks.

"It's nothing~" Tang Xiao waved his hand, a hearty smile appearing on his resolute face, and said, "It was just a small favor. We are all disciples of the Upper Three Sects, it's nothing—"

After a pause, Tang Xiao changed the subject, a hint of curiosity on his face, and asked, "By the way, why did you get there so early? Didn't His Your Eminence Thunder stop you?"

"Um?"

Just moments ago, Tang Xiao's words had reminded him of the Bloody Mary, causing his stomach to Yu Xiaogang again. His attention was drawn to this, and he suppressed his nausea, asking in a hoarse voice, "My father? What exactly is that place? Does my father know about it?"

"You don't know?" A strange look appeared in Tang Xiao's eyes, and Tang Hao next to him couldn't help but turn his head to look at Yu Xiaogang.

"Then what were you doing there?" Tang Xiao asked.

"..." Yu Xiaogang bit his tongue, using the pain to temporarily forget the unpleasant memories, and replied to Tang Xiao, "I made a deal with someone, and the location is the tavern we just met."

"..." *2

Tang Xiao and Tang Hao both fell silent.

"Tsk!" Tang Hao clicked his Delia, saying nothing.

Tang Xiao then organized his thoughts and kindly reminded them, "Next time there's a transaction in such a remote location, it's best to bring some people from the family along."

"Hmm~" Yu Xiaogang nodded and said again, "Thank you."

Then, a silence fell between the three of them, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Five days later, in the Fasinuo Province of the Heaven Dou Empire, on the edge of a branch of the Heavenly Yuan River.

"Old Mo, give me a fish—!" Li Yang shouted at the top of his lungs towards the water.

The moment the sound faded, a huge splash erupted from the previously calm river surface, and a massive black shadow hurtled straight toward Li Yang.

"Holy crap—!" Li Yang yelled, stretching out his right hand like a claw and grabbing the dark figure.

As soon as I got my hands on it, I felt another gust of wind rushing towards me, and I immediately reached out with my left hand to meet the direction from which the wind was coming.

Clutching the two large, bluish-black pincers tightly in the left and right, Li Yang forcefully pressed the crab, which was about half a meter square, to the ground, then stepped on it, raising his eyebrows and looking towards the river.

A burly man, over two meters tall and with bulging muscles, was seen walking ashore step by step.

In the big man's left and right hands, there was a large fish, each over two meters long, one with large silver-gray scales and the other with fine black scales.

"Fish-Slapping Bear, you son of a bitch!" Li Yang cursed at the big man.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

Mo Yuxiong tossed the two large fish, their gills still attached, to his feet and glanced sideways at Li Yang: "What do you want, calling me 'Grandpa'?"

Li Yang: "What the hell...!"

Wow! Such a huge "Azure Hornless Dragon Crab"?!

A gasp interrupted Li Yang's fragrant words. A white figure quickly ran to Li Yang's side, squatted down, and looked at the large, bluish-black crab that was still baring its fangs and claws.

"Huh? Old Chen?" Li Yang, who had just swallowed the fragrant soup, looked down at the newcomer and asked curiously, "From what you're saying, this crab is something good? Soul Beast?"

As she spoke, she looked up and glared at Mo Yuxiong, who was approaching.

"It's definitely a good thing." Chen Tianqi reached out and grabbed the "Azure Hornless Dragon Crab's" two large pincers, gesturing for Li Yang to lift his legs, and replied at the same time, "But it's not Soul Beast, it's Beast of Peculiarity!"

"I heard my master (Li Zhishu) say that Beast of Peculiarity are different from Soul Beast. Their flesh and blood power is purer than that of Soul Beast because they do not have Soul Power. They are either pure Qi and Blood and qi power or elemental power..."

"So what?" Li Yang scratched his head, still not understanding what was so good about this Beast of Peculiarity.

"If you're ugly, you should read more books," Mo Yuxiong said abruptly as he dressed.

"Damn it!" Li Yang couldn't hold back any longer, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to summon his Martial Soul to start fighting.

"Cough cough cough!" Chen Tianqi quickly stepped forward, grabbing the "Azure Hornless Dragon Crab's" large pincers with both hands. He could only use his shoulder to block the other party and whispered, "You forgot, there is a book called ' Douluo Beast of Peculiarity Record ' in the city library, written by the city lord."

"Because these Beast of Peculiarity lack Soul Power, their pure Qi and Blood energy or elemental power is more easily absorbed. In fact, every Beast of Peculiarity, as long as it's not poisonous, is a highly nourishing food!"

"I even heard my master say that if you know how to cook, even a highly poisonous Beast of Peculiarity can become a delicacy—the absolute best of the best!"

"Come on, you two, stop arguing. Take these two fish with you and come with me. I'll show off my skills in a little while and cook a 'Fish and Crab Feast'!"

"I guarantee you'll swallow your tongues!"

Hearing Chen Tianqi say that, Li Yang also put away his stance and only took the opportunity to give the middle finger to Mo Yuxiong next to him.

Just as the three of them were each holding a fish and a crab and preparing to walk toward the caravan, three figures approached from a distance.

"Huh? A ' Azure Hornless Dragon Crab '?!"

The young man on the right of the three men's group caught sight of the large, dark blue crab in Chen Tianqi's hand. His eyes lit up, and he swung his foot, walking towards the three of Chen Tianqi.

As they approached, the six people on both sides simultaneously recognized each other's faces.

"Tang Hao?! Tang Xiao?! Yu Xiaogang?" *3

Yu Xiaogang: "Li Yang?"

After glancing at Mo Yuxiong, who was even taller than the Tang Hao brothers, and Chen Tianqi, who was somewhat handsome, Yu Xiaogang's gaze met that of Li Yang, with whom he had a previous encounter.

After all, he was the deputy captain of the Guard Team who escorted him all the way from Lingyun City to the Jade Dragon Mountain Range.

"Captain Li Yang," Yu Xiaogang greeted, "Long time no see."

"It's been quite a while~" Li Yang nodded in response, holding the silver-scaled fish in one hand.

Sensing Li Yang's somewhat distant response, Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but couldn't quite bring himself to say what he was going to say next.

Tang Hao, seemingly unconcerned, stepped forward and ignored Li Yang and Mo Yuxiong, who were holding large fish on either side of them. He went straight to Chen Tianqi, who was between the two, and asked, "How much is this ' Azure Hornless Dragon Crab '? We'll buy it!"