Yue Guan and the others flew for nearly half an hour without stopping.
The terrain beneath them shifted from the dense forest of Star Dou Great Forest to rolling hills, then to open plains. On the distant horizon, the outline of a huge city gradually emerged. Flags bearing the emblem of Spirit Hall fluttered atop its walls in the evening breeze.
Yue Guan sensed the area for dozens of kilometers behind them. Only after confirming there were no pursuers did he slow down.
"Down."
Yue Guan dropped vertically from the sky and landed steadily on a flat patch of grass. He gently lowered Xie Yue, who had been slung over his shoulder, and propped him against a rock. He released Yan as well, and Yan dropped onto the grass with a thud, gasping for breath.
Qin Chuan descended from another direction with Hu Liena, touching down two seconds after Yue Guan.
The moment Hu Liena's feet hit the ground, her knees buckled, and she nearly fell to her knees.
Qin Chuan reached out and supported her at the crook of her elbow, keeping her from falling.
Almost at the same time, everyone turned to look at Qin Chuan.
Yue Guan spoke first. "Thank you for your help, young friend."
His tone was courteous, gentle in the way an elder spoke to someone younger, but his eyes were full of scrutiny. A strange boy had dropped out of the sky and used a white Soul Ring ability to make Tang Hao stop. No matter how he looked at it, something didn't add up.
"Thank you for saving us," Hu Liena added.
Her voice still trembled a little. Her purple-red dress was covered in dust, and the strap over her left shoulder had slipped down to her upper arm, exposing a broad expanse of fair shoulder and skin. The wind had tousled her loose strands of hair, which clung to her cheeks and neck, and one of her gold earrings had slipped askew.
She looked thoroughly disheveled, but her slightly upturned eyes held unmistakable curiosity and scrutiny.
"You're welcome." Qin Chuan let go of Hu Liena's elbow.
Yan sat on the ground with his legs spread and his hands braced behind him. He stared at Qin Chuan for several seconds, then asked the simplest, bluntest question.
"Who are you?"
Qin Chuan stood where he was, the hem of his black robe stirring slightly in the wind.
"Qin Chuan of the Heaven Dou Empire. I used to study at Shrek Academy in Suotuo City, Heaven Dou Empire."
"What?" Yan sprang to his feet. "Shrek Academy? Do you know Tang San?"
Qin Chuan nodded.
Yan's expression changed. He'd nearly been crushed to death by Tang Hao's hammer just now, and now someone connected to Tang San had appeared. Anyone would be on edge.
"Then are you on his side?"
Yan's tone hardened, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. He'd only just absorbed a Soul Ring and was still weak, but he had already taken a fighting stance.
Qin Chuan shook his head. "No. He's my enemy."
The moment he said that, everyone's expression changed.
Yan froze, mouth agape, unable to react for a moment.
Yue Guan raised an eyebrow.
Hu Liena tilted her head, her curiosity deepening.
Qin Chuan's gaze settled on the distant horizon. "And I'm sworn against the entire Clear Sky Sect."
Silence fell for two seconds.
Yue Guan was the first to break it. "Oh?"
Yue Guan had spent decades in Spirit Hall. He'd seen all kinds of people. A boy of fifteen or sixteen, a level-56 Soul King with Twin Martial Souls who could fly and use a white Soul Ring ability to immobilize Tang Hao.
A talent like that was rarer than a needle in a haystack.
Yue Guan had only one concern.
What was this boy's connection to the Clear Sky Sect? What was his connection to Tang San? If he was on the Clear Sky Sect's side, then they would have to think carefully about this "debt for saving their lives."
But Qin Chuan's words had put that concern to rest.
Sworn against the entire Clear Sky Sect.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Yue Guan's gaze shifted from scrutiny to admiration.
"Good. Very good." Yue Guan stepped closer, his voice turning gentler. "Qin Chuan, you have Twin Martial Souls?"
Qin Chuan nodded and raised both hands.
A translucent purple bell slowly appeared above his left palm, its surface rippling with intricate patterns.
A long, ancient-looking sword took shape above his right palm. Its blade was narrow and long, gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
The Illusion Bell and Zhu Xian Sword appeared before Yue Guan at the same time.
Yue Guan's gaze lingered on the Illusion Bell for a second, then quickly shifted to Zhu Xian Sword.
His pupils contracted sharply.
As a level-95 Titled Douluo, Yue Guan could judge the quality of a Martial Soul more accurately than any instrument.
The Illusion Bell was a control-type Martial Soul. He'd seen plenty of those; it was nothing unusual.
But the energy radiating from the sword in Qin Chuan's right hand made his breath catch.
He had felt such razor-sharp Sword Intent only once in his life before.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword.
But the energy level of the sword before him was even higher than that of the Seven Kill Sword.
Its oppressive presence even faintly reminded Yue Guan of the Clear Sky Hammer that had nearly killed him earlier that day.
"What kind of sword is that?" Yue Guan's tone grew unconsciously grave.
"The Zhu Xian Sword."
"The Zhu Xian Sword?" Yue Guan repeated the name, searching his memory.
Nothing.
In all his years, he had never come across that name, even after combing through Spirit Hall's archives and records.
Yue Guan looked at the Illusion Bell in Qin Chuan's left hand again. It seemed ordinary, nothing that stood out.
But he remembered the move Qin Chuan had used on Tang Hao.
"What Soul Skill did you use just now to put Tang Hao in that state?"
Yue Guan wasn't the only one who wanted to ask.
Hu Liena listened with her ears pricked up. Yan stopped gasping for breath, and even Xie Yue, leaning against the rock, lifted an eyelid.
"Fourth Spirit Ability: Memory Kill," Qin Chuan replied.
Yue Guan pondered for a moment.
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be a Soul Skill from a Lovesickness Heartbreak Butterfly."
Qin Chuan was slightly surprised. Chrysanthemum Douluo was indeed well-informed.
"That's right."
Yue Guan nodded, rubbing his chin.
"Interesting. A Ten-Year Soul Ring ability can actually cause this level of Mental Interference. But something doesn't add up." Yue Guan looked at Qin Chuan. "Tang Hao is a Titled Douluo. His mental defenses are as thick as city walls. If the mental fluctuations from your white Soul Ring tried to force their way in, he could shatter them with a twitch of his little finger."
Qin Chuan didn't deny it. "That's right. He could have woken up at any time, but he didn't want to."
Yue Guan's expression changed.
A boy of fifteen or sixteen had such a keen understanding of human nature. He knew his ability wasn't strong enough to control a Titled Douluo, but he'd gambled on Tang Hao's psychological weakness.
What Tang Hao cared about most was Ah Yin. The Memory Kill had dredged up exactly what he most wanted to see, yet was most afraid to remember.
Faced with those scenes, Tang Hao had chosen not to resist.
That had nothing to do with Soul Power Level. It was a weakness of human nature.
Yue Guan gave Qin Chuan a long look. "Qin Chuan, would you be interested in joining Spirit Hall?"
Qin Chuan raised his head and met Yue Guan's gaze.
"If you're willing, I'll personally recommend you to His Holiness the Pope." Yue Guan sounded sincere and direct, without the slightest hint of evasion.