Five Years Later

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

The villagers of Holy Soul Village had long grown accustomed to the important figure living in the small courtyard by the village entrance. Over the past five years, Mr. Tang had kept a low profile, only occasionally walking through the village. Whenever he met someone, he would merely nod slightly and never speak much. His courtyard gate stood open all year round, yet no one dared enter casually—except the Tang blacksmith's family, of course.

Tang Ling sat in a wicker chair in the courtyard, a cup of clear tea at his side, its fragrance curling through the air.

Five years had left no trace on his face. He still looked barely over twenty. Yet his cultivation had risen all the way from the middle stage of Deity Transformation to the initial stage of Void Refinement.

Naturally, he had his good adopted son to thank for all of it. Little San.

Over the past five years, it had gone from making Tang San acknowledge him as his adoptive father, to making Little San call him Dad, serve him tea and water, massage his shoulders, and pound his legs...

Every time, it struck Tang San's adult soul with pinpoint precision, and the system rewards followed accordingly.

The most ruthless occasion had been when Tang Ling, in front of the entire village, smilingly patted Tang San on the head and said, "Little San has been smart since he was young. Just like me."

Tang San's little face had turned green on the spot, yet Tang Hao had stood nearby with an honest grin, chiming in, "That's right, that's right." The emotional devastation had soared straight to SS-rank that time, and the reward had allowed Tang Ling to leap from the great perfection of Deity Transformation directly into the Void Refinement stage.

At that thought, Tang Ling lifted his teacup, a faint, barely discernible smile touching his lips.

"What are you smiling about?"

Ah Yin came out of the house carrying a plate of freshly washed fruit. Seeing Tang Ling smile, she asked curiously. Today, she wore a light green dress, her jet-black hair casually pinned up with a wooden hairpin, exposing her fair, slender neck.

Five years had passed, but her memories had yet to return.

"Nothing." Tang Ling withdrew from his thoughts and glanced at the plate of fruit. "Picked these in the mountains again?"

"Mhm. The wild fruit is sweeter this year than last year. Try some." Ah Yin set the plate beside Tang Ling, then naturally sat on a little stool beside him. Resting her chin in both hands, she watched him eagerly, waiting for his verdict.

Tang Ling picked up a fruit and took a bite, then nodded. "Not bad."

Ah Yin immediately beamed. Then, as if she had remembered something, she glanced toward the village entrance. "Brother Ling, Little San ran up the mountain early this morning and still hasn't come back. That child has seemed troubled lately. Do you think Tang Hao has been too strict with him?"

Tang Ling put down the fruit and calmly looked toward the distant hill.

Troubled?

Naturally. According to Soul Land's timeline, Tang San would soon turn six.

Six was the age for martial soul awakening.

Before long, Old Jack would organize the village children of appropriate age to awaken their martial souls.

Tang San had waited for this day for a full six years.

Over those six years, Tang San appeared to be a well-behaved and sensible child. Every day, he helped Tang Hao chop firewood, tend the fire, forge iron, and cook. Occasionally, he ran and played around the village, seeming no different from the other children there.

But Tang Ling knew that this boy had secretly begun cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Skill when he was one year old, and his inner strength had already reached a modest level. For some reason, though, Tang Ling could sense a mysterious power inside Little San that was suppressing his breakthrough. That power was exceedingly strange, somewhat similar to the power of his system.

Of course, in the eyes of Tang Ling at the Void Refinement stage, none of that was worth worrying about. So he had not paid it any further attention.

"Let him go." Tang Ling picked up his teacup again, his tone casual. "It's normal for children to have worries once they grow up."

Ah Yin nodded as though she understood, then her eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had recalled some fresh piece of news.

"Oh, right, Brother Ling. Yesterday, in the valley, I saw a very strange blue silver grass. There were two silver veins on its leaves. I'd never seen that kind before—"

Before she could finish, Tang Ling abruptly put down his teacup.

It was not because of the blue silver grass with silver veins.

What had stopped him was the jade pendant he had given Xiao Wu—it had shattered.

That was a distress signal—from Star Dou Forest.

Xiao Wu.

Tang Ling shot to his feet, his robes stirring despite the absence of wind.

"Brother Ling?" Ah Yin was startled by his reaction and hurriedly stood as well, her eyes full of alarm. "What happened?"

"I need to go out for a while." Tang Ling's tone returned to calm. "Tell Tang Hao to keep an eye on Little San for the next few days. Don't let him run around everywhere."

Before his words had even faded, the space before him suddenly tore apart, and a pitch-black fissure appeared out of thin air.

Tang Ling stepped into it. The fissure closed, and he vanished from the courtyard just like that.

Ah Yin stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared. The fruit in her hands rolled to the ground, and it took her a long while to come back to her senses.

At the same time, deep within Star Dou Forest.

Xiao Wu tightly gripped her mother's hand and desperately ran deeper into the bamboo grove.

Behind them, three figures were rapidly closing in.

The leader was a middle-aged man dressed in Spirit Hall robes. His face was sinister, and a cruel smile hung at the corner of his mouth. The two following him were both experts sent by Spirit Hall—one wielded a spear martial soul, while the other had his arms covered by a bear-type beast martial soul.

"Run. Go on, keep running." The middle-aged man sneered as his sixth soul ring lit up beneath his feet. His body abruptly accelerated, and in the blink of an eye, he blocked the path of Xiao Wu and her mother. "A hundred-thousand-year soul beast that has taken human form—this is an enormous achievement. Surrender obediently, and I can grant you a quick death."

A Rou shielded Xiao Wu behind her, her pale face utterly devoid of color.

Although Tang Ling had long since healed her injuries, taking human form had reset her cultivation. Though she had diligently cultivated over the past five years, she had not improved much. Against these three people, in her current state, she had no chance of defeating them.

"Mom—" Xiao Wu clutched at her mother's clothes. Her little face was full of fear, but even more than that, there was an almost stubborn unwillingness to accept this. Her other hand tightly gripped the jade pendant hanging around her neck, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Crush it.

Big Brother had said that if she encountered danger, she should crush it.

But—this was the depths of the Star Dou Forest, who knew how far from the human world. If she crushed the jade pendant, could Big Brother really make it here in time?

"Xiao Wu." A Rou's voice was gentle yet firm. Without turning around, she kept her eyes fixed on the middle-aged man ahead. "In a moment, Mother will hold them off. Run toward Er Ming. Remember, don't look back."

"I won't!" Xiao Wu's eyes instantly reddened. She clutched her mother's hand tightly and shook her head desperately. "If we leave, we leave together!"

"What touching mother-daughter devotion." The middle-aged man clapped mockingly, the greed in his eyes growing fiercer. "But neither of you is going anywhere. Do it!"

The moment his words fell, the two behind him attacked at once. The Bear Martial Soul roared, slamming both palms into the ground. An earth-yellow shockwave crashed toward A Rou like a tidal wave. The Spear Martial Soul struck from the side, his long spear turning into a skyful of cold flashes that sealed off every path of retreat for Xiao Wu and her mother.

A Rou gritted her teeth as six soul rings rose beneath her feet. She crossed her arms before her chest, condensing a pale pink shield of light in front of her.

Boom!

The shockwave slammed into the shield. A Rou groaned, blood seeping from the corner of her lips.

At the same time, the spear's gleam had arrived.

A Rou shoved Xiao Wu away and took the spear with her back.

Pfft—

The spear pierced through her shoulder, spraying blood. A Rou was nailed to the ground, yet she clenched her teeth tightly and did not let out a single cry of pain.

"Mother!!!" Xiao Wu screamed, tears bursting from her eyes.

The middle-aged man slowly walked forward, looking down at the mother and daughter with a cruel smile curling across his lips. "A hundred-thousand-year soul beast is worth more alive than dead. Cripple their soul power first, then take them back."

The Bear Martial Soul master strode toward Xiao Wu with a savage grin, his fan-sized hand reaching out to seize her.

Xiao Wu watched that hand draw closer and closer. She looked at her mother lying in a pool of blood, and the fear in her eyes suddenly vanished.

In its place was a nearly crazed resolve.

She yanked the jade pendant from around her neck and crushed it viciously with all her strength.

"Big Brother—save me!!!"