The Second Domain

Zhang Lexuan looked down at Yue Ling, unconscious on the ground, her expression unusually complicated.

She bent down and gently lifted the young man, carrying him over to a clean tree nearby and laying him beneath it.

In the faint light filtering through the woods, she got a clear look at the boy. His hair was orange-yellow, and beneath his filthy skin was a hint of fair complexion, yet deep in his heart lurked a boundless hatred.

If his family were still alive, if he had never suffered the pain of seeing his village wiped out, he would have been a carefree boy, growing up in peace.

Zhang Lexuan sighed softly and turned toward the Evil Soul Master's corpse. She took out a packet of white powder and sprinkled it over the body. In moments, the entire corpse had dissolved, leaving the spot spotless.

Only one thing remained, lying silently on the ground and glittering.

Zhang Lexuan blinked in surprise and bent to pick it up.

"It's actually a Spirit Bone?"

She recognized it at a glance: the left leg Spirit Bone of a thousand-year Shadow Leopard, an item of tremendous value.

She glanced back at the sleeping Yue Ling but said nothing, quietly stowing the Spirit Bone in her Soul Tool.

She would give it back to him just as it was once he woke up.

After cleaning up the scene, she sat down not far from Yue Ling and silently meditated to recover her Soul Power. She kept watch over him as she waited in silence for Xuan Zi to return.

Elsewhere, Yue Ling's consciousness sank completely, tumbling into a dreamscape where light and darkness intertwined.

At last, he saw the parents he had longed for day and night.

"Dad! Mom! You're still alive! This is wonderful!"

Yue Ling rubbed his eyes hard to make sure it wasn't an illusion, then hurried toward them, wanting to embrace them.

But no matter how far he went, it was as if an invisible barrier stood in his way. He couldn't get any closer.

He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but when he truly saw his family, his throat tightened painfully, and not a single word came out.

His parents gazed at him tenderly, their eyes filled with heartache.

"Silly boy, this isn't where you belong. You have to stay safe and live well."

"That's right, A-Ling. Train hard and grow strong. In this world, strength is everything."

"Your dad and I have to go. If you meet a girl you like someday, remember to bring her to see us."

"We have to go now. It's time for you to wake up, too."

They looked at him one last time, then pushed him out of that place.

Yue Ling didn't notice what happened next: the faces of his parents slowly flickered and became the Fifth Elder's hideous face.

In the real world.

Xuan Zi squatted beside the unconscious Yue Ling and clicked his tongue.

"Lexuan, this kid's been asleep for ages. Shouldn't he be waking up by now?"

He rubbed his chin, wearing a thoroughly roguish expression.

"How about I give him mouth-to-mouth? Heh, this kid would be getting quite the bargain."

Zhang Lexuan's cheeks instantly flushed red. Embarrassed, she raised a hand to cover most of her face, peeking out through a tiny gap.

"Xuan Zi! Mouth-to-mouth is for rescuing people who've nearly drowned. You can't just use it whenever you want!"

"Is that so? It's all pretty much the same."

Xuan Zi paid her no mind. He leaned closer, his mouth still greasy with oil, and moved toward Yue Ling's face. "Here I come, yellow-haired brat!"

Yue Ling's consciousness slowly rose to the surface. He groggily opened his eyes and saw a filthy, oil-stained old man in white leaning toward him, apparently trying to kiss him.

His scalp instantly went numb!

"Ahhh!!!"

He sprang up in terror, scrambling behind a tree and clinging to its trunk as he warily watched Xuan Zi.

Xuan Zi scratched his head and slowly stood up. He pulled a chicken leg from his robes, took a bite, and said, "You're awake?"

"I went to your village just now. There aren't any Evil Soul Masters left there. I also buried the two bodies on the road—the ones who'd died protecting you."

With that, he let his joking expression fall away and walked over to Yue Ling, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"I used my Soul Power to investigate... Not a single person in the whole village survived. But that evil aura was very familiar to me..."

Yue Ling stiffened. He jerked his head up, his eyes trembling. "Who was it?"

Xuan Zi thought for a moment, then answered with certainty. "A Titled Douluo among the Evil Soul Masters, working for an organization."

That brief sentence struck Yue Ling's heart like a boulder.

A Titled Douluo...

He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, his nails nearly digging into his flesh.

He would remember this blood feud.

One day, he would personally cut down every Evil Soul Master and make the organization behind them—and that Fifth Elder—join every man, woman, and child in his village, his parents included, in death! And... Tang San!

Xuan Zi and Zhang Lexuan exchanged a glance. Neither spoke, and they quietly waited for Yue Ling to regain control of his emotions.

A full half-hour later.

Yue Ling's legs gave way. He dropped to his knees with a thud, then kowtowed deeply to the two of them, his forehead striking the ground with a muffled sound.

"Thank you both, seniors, for saving my life! I have no way to repay you!"

Xuan Zi looked at him, his gaze clear and serious. "Kid, I didn't save you for nothing."

"Whatever you ask of me, senior, I'll agree! Even if you want my life, that's fine!" Yue Ling looked up, his eyes resolute.

Watching him, Zhang Lexuan felt a jumble of emotions and couldn't help thinking of her younger self.

She had been born into a noble family in the Heaven Dou Empire. She possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and her Martial Soul was the rare Moon Martial Soul. But her family's great strength had made others wary of them. In a single night, her entire clan had been wiped out, with not one of them surviving.

Back then, her mother had fought to protect her in her bed, and that was how the young Zhang Lexuan had survived.

Later, Mu En discovered her talent and, after she begged him desperately, helped her avenge her blood feud. But the price was that she had to protect Shrek for the rest of her life and become Bei Bei's child bride.

She had borne that responsibility for all these years, right up until today...

Xuan Zi wiped the grease from his hands and spoke solemnly.

"I have three conditions. First, become my direct disciple. Second, swear on your Martial Soul to protect Shrek for the rest of your life. Third, after you graduate from Shrek Inner Court, you must join the Shrek Inspection Team and devote yourself to hunting down Evil Soul Masters."

Then, worried Yue Ling might have reservations, he added:

"I am a Super Douluo. You won't lose out by becoming my disciple."

Yue Ling quickly thought it over.

Joining Shrek and becoming the disciple of a Super Douluo would give him the best resources and let him grow as fast as possible. Joining the Inspection Team and hunting Evil Soul Masters fit perfectly with what he wanted.

He needed power, a platform, and the right to hunt Evil Soul Masters openly.

Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped to his knees again.

"Your disciple Yue Ling pays his respects to you, Master!"

He completed the full ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows, formally becoming Xuan Zi's disciple.

Then, without hiding anything further, he willed his Second Martial Soul into being.

An immortal flower resembling a peony blossomed silently. It had no leaves, only a slender stem, and its petals were tinged with a faint red. It was none other than Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

In front of Xuan Zi, he solemnly swore on his Martial Soul to uphold his promise for the rest of his life.

Xuan Zi's eyes lit up the instant he saw this Martial Soul. He grinned so widely his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Twin Martial Souls? Excellent! Wonderful! Hahaha!"

Zhang Lexuan, Shrek Inner Court's senior disciple, had broad knowledge. She recognized the Martial Soul's origins at a glance, her eyes full of shock as she murmured softly:

"The king of flowers... Lovesick Heartbreak Red. I can't believe someone really possesses such a Martial Soul."

Xuan Zi turned to her curiously. "Lexuan, what's special about this flower Martial Soul?"

"There are so many things that make it special."

Zhang Lexuan came back to herself and explained seriously.

"It is the king of flower-and-grass Martial Souls. Every plant-type Spirit Master in the world will have their Martial Soul absolutely suppressed when facing Lovesick Heartbreak Red, and their Soul Skills will be greatly weakened. It's just like an Ultimate Attribute suppressing an ordinary attribute."

As she spoke, she looked at Yue Ling and asked softly:

"Yue Ling, your Martial Soul should come with a domain of its own, right?"

Yue Ling hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Yes, Sister Lexuan."

Zhang Lexuan was taken aback when he called her Sister. For a moment, she thought of Bei Bei, then gently shook her head and set the thought aside.

He hadn't enrolled at Shrek yet, so he didn't count as her junior fellow disciple. There was nothing wrong with calling her that.

Her curiosity piqued, she asked, "Could you show me what your domain does?"

Yue Ling felt the Soul Power and mental strength he had recovered. He had enough to activate the domain once, so he nodded.

With a thought—

"Heartbroken Red Domain!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, an invisible domain burst outward from him.

A faint, sorrowful floral fragrance spread domineeringly through the woods as red petals drifted down.

It wasn't pungent, yet it seeped into the soul.

The domain precisely drew out the deepest, purest obsessions and emotions hidden in people's hearts.

Those who loved someone would sink into a gentle illusion; those consumed by obsession would lose themselves in the illusion of a perfect ending.

Who in this world had no obsession? Who had no love or hate?

That was precisely why this domain was almost impossible to resist.