Ten Years Was Too Long to Wait!

Yang Que sprinted with Zhu Zhuqing in his arms!

When the smoke cleared, the three Soul Kings stood there with blood at the corners of their mouths, their bodies covered in wounds! Ming Yi's face twisted with rage. "Damn that brat! After him! He's only a Soul Elder, and he's carrying someone. He can't have gone far!"

Carrying Zhu Zhuqing, Yang Que used Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps and raced deep into the Star Dou Great Forest, stopping beside a stream. I've run far enough. We're five or six miles from my Cave Abode, too. We should be safe! he thought.

"Why did you save me?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, looking at Yang Que in confusion.

Yang Que glanced at her and opened his arms. Thud! Zhu Zhuqing fell from his embrace to the ground!

"You!" Zhu Zhuqing glared at him, her beautiful eyes blazing.

"What do you mean, 'you'? You're lucky I got you out of there. Did you expect me to keep carrying you?" Yang Que said with a pout.

Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks flushed. Being held by a man like that really was rather improper!

"As for why I saved you?" Yang Que thought for a moment, then grinned. "I couldn't mind my own business!"

"..." Zhu Zhuqing froze, plainly caught off guard by his answer.

"All right! They won't catch up for now. Follow the river downstream, and you'll get out of the Star Dou Great Forest! Remember, whatever you do, don't go upstream!" Yang Que told Zhu Zhuqing. My little hideaway's upstream, after all!

"Got it? Now get going, woman! What a nuisance! I don't have time to waste on you. I'm leaving!" Yang Que said, looking thoroughly put out.

"..." Zhu Zhuqing was speechless. I'm a great beauty, yet he thinks I'm a nuisance!

"Where are you going now? Three Soul Kings are hunting us. Aren't you coming out with me?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

"Out? I came into the Star Dou Great Forest to train!"

"Besides, three little kittens actually hunted me down! If I don't butcher them, I'll be letting down my glorious reputation..." Yang Que fumed.

"..."

Good grief! Little kittens? Those are three Soul Kings! Zhu Zhuqing was utterly speechless.

"They're three Soul Kings. Wouldn't it be better to take revenge once you're stronger?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.

"Heh! If someone wrongs me, I settle it on the spot! A gentleman may wait ten years for revenge, but ten years is too long for me!" A cold smile tugged at Yang Que's lips.

"Then be careful!" Seeing that she could not stop Yang Que, Zhu Zhuqing gave up trying to persuade him.

"Mm!" Yang Que answered without a care.

Yang Que turned to leave.

"Wait!"

"Hmm?" Yang Que turned back, puzzled.

"Could you... could you tell me your name? So I can repay you if I get the chance!" Zhu Zhuqing asked bashfully.

Yang Que gave her a teasing look. "Heh. Forget repaying me. With your strength? Hah!"

"You're a little weak, but you're pretty enough. If you really want to repay me, you could be my maid and warm my bed!" Yang Que grinned wickedly.

"You! Shameless!" Zhu Zhuqing's face turned scarlet.

"Hahahaha! Little lady, remember not to go upstream. Keep going downstream, and you'll get out of the Star Dou Great Forest!" Laughing, Yang Que used Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps and vanished before Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

Yang Que leaped into a tree and pondered. In the original story, Zhu Zhuqing was supposed to be a cold girl who hardly spoke. Why didn't she seem that way to me? Could I be so handsome that I captivated her?

In the original story, Zhu Zhuqing really was a cool, aloof girl. But Yang Que had saved her today without wanting anything from her. Perhaps she had felt a little warmth from him and let her usual reserve fall away! Maybe even Zhu Zhuqing herself did not understand it!

"What a bastard!"

"Even so, he's not a bad person, and he's a little handsome! He saved me without asking for anything in return, and he didn't try anything improper while I was hurt. He really is a gentleman!" Zhu Zhuqing murmured to herself.

Yang Que's figure rose unbidden in her mind, and her cheeks reddened.

"He said he came here to train? With his strength, he really doesn't have much to fear!" Zhu Zhuqing could not help recalling those three terrifying Soul Rings.

"He told me not to go upstream. Is there danger up there, or..." Zhu Zhuqing wondered. As if drawn by a ghost, she started walking upstream...

Yang Que probably never imagined that the more he warned Zhu Zhuqing not to go upstream, the more he would stir her curiosity! A girl's curiosity could be fierce!

"Damn it, where did that brat run off to? Ah! Come out! Second Soul Skill: Netherworld Hundred Stabs!" Unable to find Yang Que, Ming San grew increasingly agitated and unleashed a barrage in every direction!

"Settle down, Third Brother. Keep blasting everything like that, and you'll scare them off even if they're nearby!" Ming Er said.

"Mm! Second Brother's right! Settle down!" Ming Yi said.

Then they resumed their search for Yang Que and Zhu Zhuqing!

With my current strength, I can handle one Soul King alone, but taking on all three at once would be far too difficult!

Yang Que brought up his status panel!

[Infinite Upgrade System]

[Host: Yang Que]

[Level: LV35]

[Title: Soul Elder]

[Soul Power: 5000/35000]

[Gold Coins: 157856]

[Martial Souls: Nine-Headed Demon Lion, Soul-Slaying Sword]

[Arts: Azure Yang Art, Jade-Suppressing Nether King Body (First Part), Thunderclap Sword Shadow Steps, Dragon-Tiger Roaring Heaven Art (Unavailable)]

[Weapon: None]

"Sigh! I'm still not strong enough! If I had a Titled Douluo's strength, I'd have flattened them with one slap! The Clearwind Sword broke, too. I'll have to buy another sword from the system!" Yang Que muttered.

He opened the weapon page in the System Shop!

At my current strength, I need a good sword to go with it! I have over a hundred thousand Gold Coins. I wonder if that's enough to buy one! Yang Que thought.

Heaven-Seizing Sword, Heaven Tier high grade! Description: A legendary weapon said to have belonged to a Heaven-Defying One, with the power to seize heaven and command earth! Price: one billion Gold Coins!

Dustless Sword, Heaven Tier mid grade! Description: Said to have been the sword of an immortal who attained the Dao, sealed within Dao Origin Mountain after its owner fell! It has the power to cut through the dust of mortal life! Price: five hundred million Gold Coins!

"What! Why are all the good swords so expensive? I can't even afford a fraction of one!"

"Sigh. Guess I'd better stick to the lottery!" Yang Que said helplessly.

He opened the weapon lottery panel!

Suddenly, the words "Upgrade the wheel?" appeared!

"Huh! The wheel can be upgraded? System, what features and benefits do I get if I upgrade it?" Yang Que asked curiously.

"Yes. After the lottery wheel is upgraded, it will offer better weapons and a higher chance of winning. It may even yield a gold-quality sword!" the system said without a trace of emotion.

"There are benefits like that? Then upgrade it already!" Yang Que's face lit up.

"Ding! Upgrading the lottery wheel to the next level requires 100,000 Gold Coins! Continue?"

"..."

"Seriously? System, be honest. Are you after my hundred thousand Gold Coins? How could the upgrade happen to cost exactly that much? Can't I catch a break?" Yang Que demanded angrily.

"These are set system prices, not adjustments made at will! The first wheel upgrade costs 100,000, the second one million, the third ten million... Lottery prices will change accordingly, rising to one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, and so on!"

"..."

"Fine! Upgrade it!" Yang Que said helplessly.

"Ding! Lottery panel upgraded successfully!"

"Ding! New system functions unlocked! Weapon enhancement unlocked! Weapon synthesis unlocked! Weapon sales unlocked!"

"Upgrading the lottery panel unlocked new functions too... I've struck gold!"

"Wait! System, tell me straight. If I hadn't upgraded the lottery panel, would these functions have stayed locked forever?"

"In theory, yes!"

"Fuck! What a profiteer!" Yang Que fumed.

Forget it! What's the point of getting angry at an emotionless machine?

Yang Que rubbed his hands together. Here we go! Time for the thrilling lottery!

He opened the lottery wheel again!

It now showed options for a single draw and ten consecutive draws! Each draw cost 1,000 Gold Coins!

Wow, not bad. It's even more user-friendly!

Yang Que looked at the wheel. The gold square at the very top made his mouth water!

Heaven-Slaying Grudge Demon Calamity, Heaven Tier high grade (sealed)! Description: Mo Zhantian's personal sword! Forged from Chaos Stone and chains of resentment and vengeful souls from an entire world! Its wielder once used it to slaughter that world's Heavenly Dao! It could be called a peerless weapon of evil!

Yang Que swallowed. What kind of murderous weapon is this? It's even slaughtered the Heavenly Dao! And it's still Heaven Tier high grade while sealed! Once it's unsealed, wouldn't it be a divine weapon? If I draw this thing, I could crush heaven, earth, and everything in between! Hahahahaha! Yang Que laughed with a thoroughly lecherous grin.

He looked at the other squares!

They held everything from Yellow Tier and Black Tier to Earth Tier and Heaven Tier. Unlike the previous wheel, this one had no "Better luck next time" square!

Nice. That upgrade wasn't wasted!

Come on, lucky emperor, possess me!

Ten consecutive draws!

"Ding! Congratulations, you have received the Nightmarish Female Demon, Earth Tier mid grade. Congratulations, you have received the Benevolent One's Staff, Yellow Tier mid grade..."

"..."

"My heavens! Is my luck really that bad? What are these weapons? Not even one sword! What the hell is a Nightmarish Female Demon? Sigh!" Yang Que grumbled, looking thoroughly unlucky.

"Again! I've only got enough Gold Coins for one more round. If I don't get a sword, I'll have to use the Nightmarish Female Demon for now. At least it's blue rare quality!"

He selected ten consecutive draws!

"Ding! Congratulations, you have received the Ice Sword, Black Tier mid grade, Yellow Stone Hammer, low grade... Heaven-Slaying Grudge Demon Calamity, Heaven Tier high grade (sealed), Peachwood Sword, Yellow Tier high grade!"

Yang Que's eyes nearly popped out. "My heavens, the lucky emperor really did possess me! I actually drew it! Hahahaha! I'll be invincible across the Douluo Continent!"

"Ding! As the host has drawn Heaven-Slaying Grudge Demon Calamity, a friendly reminder: this sword is excessively violent and shunned by the Heavenly Dao. The host is advised to use it with caution until sufficiently strong, or risk falling into a demonic frenzy!"

"..."

"Fuck, so I can't use it? I can only stare at it? What rotten luck! Pah!" Yang Que spat.

"Forget it. If I can't use it, I can't use it! I drew an Ice Sword, at least, and it's Black Tier! Not bad, not bad. My luck finally turned!" Yang Que took a deep breath.

He opened the Ice Sword's description. Ice Sword: Forged from thousand-year-old cold iron. Sword techniques performed with it carry the ice attribute!

"I've got a good sword now, so I can use sword techniques again. It's so annoying that my Martial Soul can't perform them! Sword techniques are stronger! Add the Sword Intent I've comprehended, and maybe one day I'll roam the world with nothing but a sword!"

"The system seems to have added an enhancement function. What should I use for it? Going by the games I played in my past life, I should be able to feed it useless weapons! Let's try!"

"Ding! Use the Nightmarish Female Demon to enhance the Ice Sword?"

"So it does work! Heh, now this'll be fun! Enhance it! Enhance it! Throw everything into it!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host. Ice Sword has been enhanced to +5. Five more enhancement points are needed to reach the next level!"

Yang Que used every useless weapon in his inventory to enhance the Ice Sword! All except that heaven-defying Heaven-Slaying Grudge Demon Calamity, of course!

"I've got a sword, but that's not enough to kill those three Soul Kings! I need another layer of insurance!"

Yang Que opened the pill panel!

Life-and-Death Pill (Heaven Tier mid grade): Can restore the nearly dead to life and regrow flesh on bare bones. As long as a person has one breath left, it can heal them completely! Price: 70 million Gold Coins! Note: (Ineffective on God-level experts!)

Nirvana Pill (Heaven Tier high grade): Can bring someone back from the dead (provided their soul remains) and grant them a new life, freeing them entirely from their mortal body! Price: 100 million Gold Coins! Note: (Ineffective on God-level experts!)

Vitality Pill (Earth Tier high grade): Can extend one's lifespan! Price: 10 million Gold Coins! Note: (Ineffective on God-level experts!)

Berserk Pill (Black Tier mid grade): Instantly raises the user's strength by ten levels, but the surge in power drives them into a frenzy for one hour! Afterward, their Soul Power enters a weakened state for three hours! Price: 5,000 Gold Coins! Note: (Ineffective on experts above Soul Douluo!)

Aura-Concealing Pill (Black Tier low grade): Can conceal one's entire aura for two hours! Price: 2,000 Gold Coins!

The rows upon rows of pills made Yang Que's eyes swim. He scrolled all the way down to the Black Tier pills before finding the two kinds he urgently needed!

"Ding! Confirm purchase of a Berserk Pill for 5,000 Gold Coins? Purchase two Aura-Concealing Pills for 4,000 Gold Coins?"

Confirm!

"Ding! Ding!"

Yang Que checked his inventory. Sure enough, it now held one pill so red it was almost purple and two white pills. His Gold Coin balance had fallen to a little over eight hundred. Sigh. Four years of savings, and I'm right back where I started! If I don't butcher you three, I'll be letting down every Soul Beast I've killed these past four years!

"Heh heh heh! Three little kittens! I'm the man who's going to rule the entire Douluo Continent, and you've hunted me down like this. How could I let you keep your lives? A gentleman may wait ten years for revenge, but ten years is too long!" A cold smile curled Yang Que's lips as he watched the three Soul Kings still frantically searching for him and Zhu Zhuqing!

Perhaps it was time for the hunter and the prey to trade places...