Twenty Years Ago, I Saw You

Above the sky, Hsi Wu circled the valley, surveying it.

The uneven ground was dotted with towering ancient trees, while slender, twisted trees clung to the sheer cliffs.

Apart from a horde of hundred- and thousand-year-old Soul Beasts, there wasn't even a single one that had lived for more than ten thousand years.

Once the Soul Beasts living here reached ten thousand years of age, their intelligence would greatly increase. Somehow, they also knew that this wasn't where they were meant to stay, so they would leave for the outside world of their own accord.

The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python had both done the same.

Hsi Wu crashed to the ground, smashing out a huge crater. He scooped up some soil and rubbed it between his fingers. It was no different from ordinary dirt.

His wings roared, sending several tornadoes sweeping through the valley. Like vacuum cleaners, they cleared away every Soul Beast and tree.

He also gouged several deep ravines into the ground. Broken trees and Soul Beast corpses flew everywhere, leaving the entire valley in ruins.

"How ridiculous. There's nothing special here at all. Shendu really is useless." Hsi Wu dropped a broken tree trunk and took off into the sky.

Still, this place would be perfect for building himself a palace.

Zhong Su already had a palace, so he couldn't go without one. He would build Sky City here!

But Zhong Su had those lowly humans to serve as his servants. He couldn't very well build his own palace himself, could he?

Looks like I'll have to find some servants to wait on me, too.

Hsi Wu flew beyond the valley.

There was no shortage of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. He decided to conquer every Soul Beast in the forest and make them his servants, building him a city above the heavens—Sky City.

Thunder City, a place that had recently appeared on the Douluo Continent.

It was the Thunder Demon Zhong Su's territory, where the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had once lived, now serving Lord Zhong Su.

At Lightning Plaza, Yu Yuanzhen had been cultivating in the sky when he was suddenly summoned back to discuss expanding Thunder City. The Defense Clan had already arrived. How should he arrange things?

Yu Yuanzhen frowned at his clansman's question and replied irritably, "Isn't my second brother in charge of this? Where is he?"

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's day-to-day affairs had always been handled by Yu Luomian. Yu Yuanzhen only made major decisions and focused on his cultivation. That had been their custom for many years.

But the clansman looked helpless. "Elder Yu Luomian has shut himself in and won't answer, no matter how much we call. We don't dare disturb him, either."

Impatiently, Yu Yuanzhen signed the relevant documents.

A short while later, Yu Yuanzhen went to Yu Luomian's courtyard to check on him. He wanted to see what the man was doing, locked away in his room.

Just as the clansman had said, Yu Luomian didn't answer, even after Yu Yuanzhen called several times.

"Bang—"

He kicked the door open and went inside. There was no one in sight. After searching around, he finally found Yu Luomian unconscious in the secret chamber.

"Second brother!" Yu Yuanzhen hurriedly caught him and examined him carefully. "Your Soul Power is completely depleted. How did this happen?"

Shocked, he quickly took out a Dragon Soul Pill, placed it in Yu Luomian's mouth, and held his jaw so he could chew it.

A great surge of Soul Power burst from the pill and flooded every part of Yu Luomian's body, gradually replenishing his depleted reserves.

After a long while, Yu Luomian slowly came to. He opened his eyes and saw his elder brother, his gaze alight with excitement, as if he had something to say.

"How did you end up like this?" Yu Yuanzhen asked, sounding displeased.

With his Soul Power restored, Yu Luomian had completely recovered. He stood up, his voice brimming with excitement. "Big brother, I have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!"

"What!"

As Yu Yuanzhen watched in shock, a red Soul Ring slowly rose beneath Yu Luomian's feet, flecked with blue lightning.

"This is..." Yu Yuanzhen stared at the Soul Ring in disbelief.

"A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, the real thing!" Yu Luomian clutched his sleeve in excitement. He'd never imagined he would have a chance to obtain one himself.

Earlier, while cultivating, he had tried gathering his Soul Power and relying on himself to condense a Soul Ring. The idea had come from Soul Beast Transformation.

He had learned through certain channels that after a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast transformed into a human, it could cultivate without hunting Soul Beasts and could condense its own Soul Rings.

But after transforming, a Soul Beast should be no different from a human. So he had wondered: could humans condense their own Soul Rings, too, but most people simply couldn't manage it?

After all, Lord Zhong Su had let him reach the Titled Douluo realm without any Soul Rings. So it made sense that he could condense one himself, right?

"I never thought you'd be so clever, you little rascal. This is wonderful! Now the rest of the clan can all get Soul Rings, too." Yu Yuanzhen slapped his shoulder heartily and burst into delighted laughter.

Yu Luomian felt a little unhappy at that, but could only manage a strained smile.

A hundred miles outside Heaven Dou City stood Sunset Forest. The Spirit Hall had claimed its most secluded, outlying region, calling it the Soul Hunting Forest. In truth, it was Bibi Dong's secret base.

There was an underground laboratory within this base.

In the laboratory, a scruffy, bearded man stood beside the table with the noble Pope, Bibi Dong.

The man kept glancing at Bibi Dong. Her peerless beauty was captivating, and her noble bearing stirred all sorts of thoughts.

"The last time we met was twenty years ago, wasn't it?"

"Cut the nonsense, Yu Xiaogang. Do you have a way or not?" Bibi Dong met his gaze with cold eyes.

Yu Xiaogang coughed awkwardly and pointed to the Broken Horn on the table in front of him.

"Dong'er, you..."

"Do you want to die? Don't call me Dong'er!" Bibi Dong glared at him.

Yu Xiaogang drew his neck back and murmured, "All right, Your Holiness the Pope."

The two continued their conversation.

"Your Holiness, how did you obtain this fragment?" Yu Xiaogang stared at the Broken Horn with feverish fascination, unable to resist reaching out to touch it.

Even after being separated from its body for so long, it was still faintly warm.

"You don't need to ask. Didn't you say you were the foremost expert on Soul Beasts on the continent? Find out what power it contains. Name your price." Bibi Dong leaned on the Pope Staff and spoke calmly.

"I'm afraid this isn't a Soul Beast!"

Yu Xiaogang traced the patterns on the Broken Horn, his expression absorbed and exhilarated.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't. I'm asking if you can do it." Bibi Dong frowned, growing impatient.

"I can study it, of course, but it will take time. I'll also be taking my disciple to the Continental Advanced Soul Master League soon, so I'm afraid I can't stay here and study this thing the whole time."

Reluctantly, Yu Xiaogang set down the Broken Horn and looked at Bibi Dong.

"The continental tournament? Ha!" Bibi Dong scoffed and turned to leave. "Do as you like. Just make sure you figure it out as soon as possible."

Just as she was about to leave, Yu Xiaogang called after her. "Wait, Dong'er. Do you... still love me?"