Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?

"Phew..."

As the two girls whispered and teased each other, the air high above the city gate, which had been rushing past, suddenly froze for an eerie instant.

Then a young man in plain black fighting clothes drifted down from the sky without alerting a single guard.

He tapped a treetop with the tip of his foot and landed steadily on the ground.

It was Xiao Dong, who had flown in from far away.

As his feet touched solid ground, a red glint flickered in Xiao Dong's dark eyes. He quietly withdrew his superhuman vision, keen enough to pierce the clouds, and brushed nonexistent dust from his clothes.

"I got here fast enough by flying, but the waters of Shrek City really do run deep..."

Xiao Dong slipped his hands into his pockets and surveyed the towering city with an idle gaze, though a trace of coldness entered his eyes.

He could clearly sense two vast, terrifying concentrations of energy deep within Shrek Academy.

One was withered and decaying, yet carried divine might that could shake heaven and earth. It was probably Mu En, the Dragon God Douluo, one of the continent's Limit Douluo, who spent his days paralyzed on a lounge chair outside the Sea God Pavilion.

The other was even more immense and brimming with life, as though rooted in the ley lines of the entire continent. Naturally, it had to be the Golden Ancient Tree, which had lived for untold ages.

With his Homelander Physique and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame he had just fused with, ordinary Titled Douluo and even Super Douluo posed little threat to Xiao Dong now.

But he was genuinely wary of a level ninety-nine powerhouse like Mu En, as well as the Golden Ancient Tree, which God-King Tang had meddled with in who knew how many hidden ways.

After all, Xiao Dong had yet to test the limits of his body or learn how much Soul Power bombardment he could withstand head-on.

This was a crucial place on a continent where God-King Tang could send down a divine thought to interfere at any moment. Staying a little clearheaded was hardly a bad thing.

"But... that's all it is: a little caution. If they really push me too far, I'll set off the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame right here in Shrek City. Then we'll see who loses more."

A faintly icy smile tugged at Xiao Dong's lips. He turned and walked toward the city gate.

As he drew near, two young women huddled together and whispering nearby came into view.

One was an elegant, noble-looking girl with short, pale-gold hair. The other was a tall, wild beauty with short, fiery-red hair and long, taut legs.

They were Ning Tian, young sect master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, and Wu Feng, a Power Attack System Battle Soul Master whose Martial Soul was the Red Dragon.

Remembering Wu Feng's unabashed declaration that she would offer herself up as a bonus to anyone who could beat her, Xiao Dong raised an eyebrow and chuckled to himself.

Looks like the story of the Peerless Tang Sect is right at its beginning.

Since I've run into them, I won't have to go hunting around for entertainment.

"Hey, little redheaded wild mare. Did you mean what you just said?"

Xiao Dong sauntered over with his arms folded. His gaze, amused and appraising, swept over Wu Feng's long, straight legs and full chest before he gave a soft laugh.

"If you did, why don't you come find a secluded alley with me and have that fight now? We wouldn't want some so-called gifted mediocrity getting a bargain later."

The sudden, flippant remark made Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who had been talking together, both stiffen.

Wu Feng's pretty face darkened almost instantly. Fierce hostility surged into her narrow eyes as she stepped in front of Ning Tian and pointed at Xiao Dong. "Where did this blind cur come from? You dare wag your tongue in front of Master Feng? Tired of living?!"

As her shout rang out, a wave of searing Soul Power rose from her body.

Faint, crimson dragon-scale phantoms flickered over her skin. Clearly, if Xiao Dong wasted even half another sentence, her fire-laden fist would slam into his face.

Unlike Wu Feng, whose temper ignited at the slightest spark, Ning Tian stood behind her looking far more grave and wary.

Ning Tian stared at the seemingly ordinary young man. She did not know why, but with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's instinctive sensitivity to the flow of Soul Power, she could not sense a trace of it from Xiao Dong.

Either he was a complete cripple who had never cultivated, or... his strength or methods of concealment far surpassed the limits of what she could detect!

"Friend, we are members of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. What we said was only a private joke. Isn't it rather unbecoming of you to provoke us to our faces?"

Ning Tian gently tugged Wu Feng's tense arm, signaling her not to act rashly. Then she took a deep breath and spoke with polite but unmistakable distance and pride.

In her view, once she named the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, most Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent with any sense would know to keep their distance.

"The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect?"

Hearing the name that had shaken the world ten thousand years ago, Xiao Dong showed not a shred of awe. Instead, he laughed, shook his head, and let undisguised mockery flash through his dark eyes.

"Just a bunch of pitiful fools clinging to their ancestors' glory from ten thousand years ago. You call yourselves the Nine Treasures, but surely you know what actually runs in your veins?"

Xiao Dong stepped forward and looked down at the pale-gold-haired girl, whose expression had shifted. His calm voice struck both girls squarely in the heart like a heavy hammer.

"Back then, your ancestor Ning Rongrong ascended to the Divine Realm. With an Immortal Herb, she broke through her limits and evolved her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Yet you, her direct descendants after ten thousand years, are still struggling on the broken steps of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda."

"So much for divine protection. So much for a great sect with ten thousand years of history. You're nothing but a joke: after ascending, certain people cast aside their own bloodline like worn-out shoes."

A scornful smile curled Xiao Dong's lips. "Your ancestor became a god but couldn't even leave her descendants a complete path to evolve. Instead, you spend your days hoping to cling to someone else's leg at Shrek just to keep yourselves alive. It's ridiculous."

"Shut up! Don't you dare insult Ancestor Rongrong or Lord Sea God!"

Those words cut straight into the most vulnerable part of Ning Tian's heart like a knife. Wu Feng erupted, her pretty face flushing scarlet. Dragon scales swept over her arms, and scorching Soul Power burst from her like an erupting volcano. Without a shred of mercy, she drove a heavy punch wreathed in flames straight at Xiao Dong's chest!

Yet faced with a blow powerful enough to shatter a boulder, Xiao Dong did not even feel the urge to raise a hand.

Hum!

When the fist came within half an inch of his chest, a ripple silently spread across a thin, utterly invisible layer of Biological Force Field.