Xiao Wu's Sacrifice

(From this episode onwards, the plot is independent.)

Qin Chuan's body suddenly tensed as a wave of killing intent surged from the distance.

No, that wasn't right.

It wasn't killing intent, but a wave of Soul Power with extreme suppressive force—thick, violent, and carrying a suffocating sense of pressure.

Qin Chuan's Samsara Eye instantly operated at full capacity, his spiritual power probing toward that direction.

Ten kilometers away, two figures were moving rapidly. One behind the other, they were traveling from the northwest toward the southeast, seemingly rushing toward a specific location deep within the forest.

The figure in front possessed a terrifyingly powerful Soul Power fluctuation; when Qin Chuan's spiritual power touched the edge of that aura, his mind buzzed, and a sharp pain flared.

Level 95, Tang Hao!

Qin Chuan's pupils constricted sharply.

The Soul Power fluctuation of the figure behind was much weaker, around level 60. Young and moving with hurried steps, he followed closely behind Tang Hao.

Qin Chuan condensed his spiritual power further, piercing through the distance and the obstruction of the tree canopy, and that face gradually became clear.

Tang San.

Six years had passed, and Tang San had changed quite a bit. His stature had grown much taller, the childishness on his face had mostly faded, and his features had become more rugged. Yet, the essence in those eyes remained unchanged—still that same deep, hidden shrewdness.

Level 60.

Hmm, Tang San, not bad. To have reached level 60 already. He must be going to hunt a soul beast.

Qin Chuan felt a weight lift from his heart. Tang San was only level 60, posing little threat. But with Tang Hao by his side, things became troublesome.

He did not retract his Heavenly Dao Power, continuing to maintain his tracking of the two figures.

At a distance of ten kilometers, with the precision of the Samsara Eye's perception, he could capture the content of their conversation. Amplified and parsed by the Heavenly Dao Power, every word and syllable was transmitted clearly into Qin Chuan's ears.

Tang Hao's voice rang out.

Deep, hoarse, and carrying an unquestionable sense of coercion.

"Xiao Wu has already been controlled by me. She has lost herself and can be sacrificed at any moment. Follow me."

Qin Chuan's breathing hitched for a beat.

"Understood, Father!" Tang San's voice followed immediately, his tone laced with undisguised excitement.

Qin Chuan's mind buzzed.

What? Xiao Wu? Sacrifice?

His fingers clenched involuntarily, his nails digging into his palms. A surge of rage rushed up from his chest, burning until the back of his head went numb.

Xiao Wu was his person.

Six years ago at Shrek Academy, he had already intercepted this fate.

He never expected that Xiao Wu would be controlled by Tang Hao now.

The sacrifice of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Qin Chuan knew all too well what this meant. Xiao Wu's true form was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit; once the sacrifice was successful, Tang San would obtain a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone, causing his strength to skyrocket.

No.

Absolutely not!!

Qin Chuan took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger, his brain working at high speed.

With Tang Hao there, he couldn't act recklessly. But if he did nothing, Xiao Wu would be finished.

He turned his head to glance at Hu Liena, who was currently absorbing a soul ring, then looked at Yue Guan, Xie Yue, and Yan, who were standing guard nearby.

"Elder Yue Guan, I'm going to take a walk nearby and will be back shortly."

Yue Guan looked back at him without much thought. "Hmm, alright. Don't go too far."

Qin Chuan nodded, tapped the ground with his toes, and his figure darted toward the northeast.

Once out of everyone's sight, his speed instantly reached its limit. Driven by the Heavenly Dao Power, his body moved like an arrow through the dense forest, the shadows of the trees retreating rapidly on both sides.

The wind rushed into his mouth, making his throat dry. Qin Chuan ignored it, his spiritual power locked firmly onto the positions of Tang Hao and Tang San.

They were slowing down.

They were about to stop.

Qin Chuan also slowed his pace, approaching silently.

The distance of thirty li took him less than five minutes at his current speed.

He landed on a thick, horizontal branch of an ancient tree, pressing his body against the trunk and keeping his breathing to a minimum.

In a clearing about two hundred meters ahead, Tang Hao and Tang San had come to a halt.

Tang Hao looked up at his surroundings and let out a low hum. Immediately after, a slender figure leaped down from a hidden tree.

Xiao Wu.

Qin Chuan's heart gave a sharp tug.

It had been six years.

Xiao Wu had grown quite a bit taller, her figure slender and lithe. That signature scorpion braid hung down her back, the tip nearly reaching her waist. Her features had become much more refined, the contours of a young woman now clearly visible.

But her eyes were wrong.

Hollow, vacant, devoid of even a glimmer of light. Those eyes that were once so lively and spirited now resembled two dead glass beads, lacking focus on anything they looked upon.

"Xiao Wu, begin the sacrifice," Tang Hao commanded.

"Understood, Master."

Xiao Wu's voice was mechanical and hollow. That lively, forthright girl who loved to champion the weak had been reduced to nothing more than a manipulated shell.

Qin Chuan's teeth ground together with a sharp click.

Tang San walked up to Xiao Wu, the expression on his face making Qin Chuan feel nauseated to the core.

"Heh heh heh, wonderful! Father, once I obtain this hundred-thousand-year soul ring, my strength will advance by leaps and bounds!"

Tang San rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with nothing but greedy light.

Tang Hao nodded, a trace of satisfaction playing on his lips. "My Clear Sky Sect is the strongest on the Douluo Continent. Very well, begin the sacrifice; I shall stand guard nearby."

With that, Tang Hao's figure flickered as he headed toward the dense forest to the west.

He did not go far, stopping at a distance of about a hundred meters.

Watching all of this from the shadows, Qin Chuan felt the blood rushing to his head.

Those damned father and son!

One controlled the minds of others, while the other spoke of taking lives for sacrifice as if it were nothing. Xiao Wu had been a classmate of Tang San for so many years, yet now she had become mere fodder for his advancement.

Qin Chuan forced himself to calm down, his mind racing as he calculated the situation.

Although Tang Hao had moved a hundred meters away, with his perception as a level ninety-five Title Douluo, such a distance meant nothing. At the slightest disturbance, he could return in a single second.

To snatch Xiao Wu away right under Tang Hao's nose without being detected was nearly impossible.

The only way was a lightning-fast strike: grab her and run.

It would be a gamble on speed, a gamble on that window of a few seconds.

Qin Chuan's gaze swept between Tang Hao and Tang San twice before he selected a position facing away from Tang Hao and moved silently toward it.

Tang San had already reached Xiao Wu, raising his hands to begin channeling his Soul Power.

A pale blue halo of light rose from beneath Tang San's feet; it was the preparatory stage for the sacrifice.

Time was running out.

Crouched on a tree branch, Qin Chuan pushed his Soul Power to its absolute limit, the Six Paths Purple Rings within his Samsara Eye spinning rapidly.

He had no time left!

Tang San's Soul Power halo grew brighter and brighter, and Xiao Wu's body began to glow faintly as a layer of pale golden vitality seeped out from within her.

The sacrifice had begun.

Now!

"Bansho Ten'in!" Qin Chuan thrust his left hand out violently, and a terrifying gravitational force erupted from thin air.

The gravity did not target Tang San, but instead locked precisely onto Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu's glowing body shuddered violently. The next second, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, she was yanked away from her position in front of Tang San, whistling through the air straight toward Qin Chuan.

Tang San's hands remained in the posture of channeling Soul Power, but the person in front of his palms had suddenly vanished.

He froze for half a second!

Xiao Wu's body landed in Qin Chuan's arms, light as a feather—even lighter than he had imagined. Her body temperature was slightly low, her skin cool to the touch, and she possessed not a shred of vitality.

Qin Chuan had no time to check her condition; he wrapped his left arm around Xiao Wu's waist while his right hand was already aimed in Tang San's direction.

Tang San finally reacted. He whipped his head around and saw the black-clad figure perched on a tree branch fifty meters away.

"You..."

"Sixth Soul Skill, Soul Judgment!" Qin Chuan did not give him the chance to finish his sentence.