Saving Xiao Wu Again, Descending Upon Spirit Hall

The instant the jade pendant shattered, a dazzling light erupted from Xiao Wu's palm.

Within the light, space suddenly split apart.

A tall, slender figure stepped out of the rift. His green robes fluttered, and his features were handsome and refined. There was not the slightest trace of soul power emanating from him, yet all three Spirit Hall powerhouses present felt a tremor rise from the depths of their souls.

Tang Ling lowered his head and glanced at the blood-covered A Rou, then at Xiao Wu's tear-streaked face, his brows knitting slightly.

Then he raised his head and swept his gaze across the three Spirit Hall powerhouses.

His gaze was as calm as a pool of dead water—without anger, without killing intent, without anything at all. Yet that nearly indifferent look made every hair on the middle-aged man's back stand on end.

"Y-you... who are you?"

The middle-aged man forced himself to speak, but his voice trembled. "Spirit Hall is conducting business. Uninvolved persons—"

He did not get to finish.

Because Tang Ling moved.

No one saw how he moved. In an instant, Tang Ling was already standing behind him.

His eyes widened as he looked down at his chest. A transparent hole the size of a fist had appeared there, piercing straight through from his chest to his back.

He did not even have time to feel pain before he crashed to the ground, the light in his eyes rapidly fading.

Killed in one strike.

"Old Bear!" The spear martial soul powerhouse's pupils shrank sharply. He instinctively tried to draw back his spear to defend himself, only to discover that he could no longer move.

Tang Ling's gaze fell upon him. Just one look.

The spear martial soul powerhouse was struck as if by a heavy blow and flew backward like a kite with its string cut. He spat blood wildly from his mouth before slamming into an ancient tree thirty meters away. More than half the bones in his body shattered, and he fainted on the spot.

The middle-aged man's face turned deathly pale as he staggered back again and again. The ninth soul ring beneath his feet finally lit up. It was the life-saving soul skill he had kept in reserve, one that required burning his source soul power to activate.

Yet Tang Ling merely raised a hand and pressed down lightly.

The glow on the ninth soul ring seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand and abruptly went out.

The middle-aged man felt as though a mountain were crushing down on him. His knees bent uncontrollably, and he slammed heavily to the ground. The instant his knees struck the earth, a crisp crack of breaking bones rang out.

He did not even know what kind of attack this was.

There was no soul power fluctuation, no soul ring lighting up—nothing at all. The other party had merely raised a hand, and he had been forced to kneel without the slightest ability to resist.

How was this possible?

What kind of monster was this?

"I..." The middle-aged man spoke with difficulty, his voice distorted by fear. "I am an elder of Spirit Hall. You cannot kill me. Spirit Hall will not let you—"

"Spirit Hall?" Tang Ling looked down at him, his tone as calm as if he were mentioning something insignificant. "Go back and tell Pope Bibi Dong. Let's see if she dares come looking for trouble with me."

The middle-aged man froze. What was this man saying? The Pope would not dare trouble him?

Tang Ling did not say another word. He raised his hand and waved it.

The middle-aged man's body was sent flying like a rag doll. He rolled across the ground dozens of times before stopping. More than half the bones in his body had shattered, but he still had one breath left in him.

"Get lost."

The middle-aged man dragged his unconscious companion away, crawling and stumbling as he fled without daring to look back.

Tang Ling withdrew his gaze and turned toward Xiao Wu and her mother.

Xiao Wu stood there blankly, looking at this big brother who had become even more unfathomable than he had been five years ago. At last, the tears in her eyes burst forth. She threw herself into Tang Ling's arms and wailed.

"Big Brother! Mother, she—"

Tang Ling gently patted the top of her head, then walked over to A Rou and crouched down. A ball of gentle green spiritual energy emerged from his palm and covered the wound on A Rou's shoulder. The wound began to heal at a visible rate, while her pierced meridians and bones rapidly recovered under the nourishment of the green light.

In less than ten breaths, the wound on A Rou's shoulder had completely healed without leaving even a scar.

A Rou slowly opened her eyes. The moment she saw Tang Ling, her eyes reddened as well.

"Benefactor..."

"Let's go back first." Tang Ling rose to his feet, lifted Xiao Wu from his arms, and helped A Rou up with one hand. "This place isn't safe."

Deep within the bamboo forest, the wooden house remained as it was.

After drinking the medicinal pill Tang Ling had given her, A Rou fell into a deep sleep. Xiao Wu sat by the bedside, holding her mother's hand, the tear tracks on her face not yet dry.

Tang Ling stood at the doorway with his hands behind his back, his gaze cast into the distance.

Spirit Hall.

He had not planned to deal with Spirit Hall so soon, but since they had crossed paths now, he might as well go with the flow and settle everything at once.

On the system interface, a line of golden text slowly appeared:

[Special Side Quest Triggered: Subdue Spirit Hall's Pope, Bibi Dong. Quest Reward: Cultivation breakthrough by one minor realm.]

[Quest Description: Overwhelm Bibi Dong with absolute strength and force her to sign a soul contract to receive the reward.]

Tang Ling looked at the quest, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

From early Void Refinement to mid Void Refinement—a leap across a minor realm. Under normal cultivation, it would take at least several years of hard work, but now...

More importantly, controlling Bibi Dong meant indirectly controlling Spirit Hall—the largest force on Soul Land.

There were far too many things he needed Spirit Hall's power to accomplish.

Implementing an education system, spreading the Tang Sect's cultivation techniques, changing the structure of this world... Doing all that alone would be far too taxing. But with the colossal entity that was Spirit Hall pushing things forward, everything would become much simpler.

Tang Ling glanced back at Xiao Wu on the bed.

"Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu raised her head, her eyes rimmed red as she looked at him.

"Wait here. I'm going out to take care of something."

Xiao Wu nodded vigorously, then seemed to remember something. She took out the now-shattered jade pendant fragments from her clothes and carefully held them out before Tang Ling. "Big Brother, the jade pendant... it broke."

Tang Ling looked down at the fragments, then raised a hand and rubbed her head. "It's alright. I'll make you another one later."

As his words fell, his figure had already vanished into the depths of the bamboo forest.

Spirit City, Papal Hall.

Bibi Dong sat upon the lofty papal throne, one hand propping up her forehead as she rested with her eyes closed.

Her features were so exquisite they seemed almost unreal. Time had left no trace upon her face; instead, it had endowed her with the charm unique to a mature woman. Her purple papal robe outlined her graceful figure, and upon her head rested a violet-gold crown symbolizing Spirit Hall's highest authority. Her entire presence radiated an imposing majesty even in silence.

Yet at this moment, her brows were slightly furrowed.

Five years ago, the two Soul Douluos and four Soul Sages she had sent to capture Tang Hao had been grievously wounded by a single strike from a mysterious expert, returning in utter disgrace. At the time, she had ordered the area within a hundred li of Holy Soul Village designated a forbidden zone, and in the five years since, she had never sent anyone there again.

But today, the experts sent to Star Dou Forest had been beaten half to death, and the information they brought back left her too unsettled to sit still.

"Describe that person's appearance again."

"He was a very young man, seeming no more than twenty or so. He wore a green robe and had refined, handsome features. His strength was terrifying. This subordinate didn't even see how he attacked before I... I..."

"What was his soul power rank?" a red-robed cardinal interjected.

"No soul power fluctuations were detected. He seemed... seemed not to need to release soul power at all to fight."

The great hall fell deathly silent.

He could crush experts at the level of Titled Douluo without even releasing soul power? The red-robed cardinals exchanged looks. Recalling that night five years ago, varying degrees of shock and unease surfaced in their eyes.

Bibi Dong remained silent for a long while, just about to say something—

BOOM!!!

A vast, indescribable pressure descended from the heavens like an invisible mountain, crashing down upon Papal Hall.