"But you think the four of you can take me down? You're dreaming!"
"First Soul Skill: Moon of the Nine Heavens!"
"Invincible Golden Body!"
A golden halo radiated around Ye Yan. Razor-sharp feathers sliced across him with the piercing clang of metal on metal, sending sparks flying.
Yet he remained completely unaffected. He shot thousands of meters into the sky, flipped gracefully, and condensed an enormous pink full moon in his palm.
He pointed a fingertip. Boom!
The pink moon plummeted at tremendous speed, bearing a terrifying force that could topple mountains and overturn seas. The air screamed as it burst beneath the pressure, and even the ground shook violently.
"Oh, this kid really does have a few tricks."
Lion, who had been watching the fight, was visibly surprised. Even four of his brothers attacking together had failed to take Ye Yan down. As he watched the moon's silhouette fill the heavens, a black-and-red lion with two horns abruptly materialized behind him.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Flame Barrier!"
With a beast's soul-shaking roar, his crimson soul power condensed into a thick, curved wall of fire in midair. Space itself warped beneath the scorching waves of heat.
Although Ye Yan had used an extraordinarily powerful hundred thousand year soul skill, his soul power level was simply too low. The imposing full moon struck the wall of fire, producing only a series of crackling explosions before gradually dissipating.
High in the sky, Ye Yan's gaze suddenly cleared considerably. Ahem, I think we can consider a more roundabout strategy.
"Vast Sea Protective Shroud!"
The triangle between his brows emitted a blue halo that enveloped him, and Ye Yan vanished.
"Huh? Where did he go?"
The little femboy below, who had been aiming his sniper rifle/Light Feather Bow at Ye Yan, was puzzled. Wasn't he just right there? Can teleportation take him that far?
It wasn't just him. The other six worship elders and Snake Lance looked equally bewildered. Ye Yan had simply disappeared, and even their spiritual power couldn't detect him. This clearly wasn't an ordinary invisibility-type soul skill.
Even Qian Daoliu's Angel Domain failed to sense where he was.
Jiang Mo slapped his forehead.
"Oh, no! That kid said we should add a wager. If we couldn't hurt him within the time it took an incense stick to burn, we'd lose and have to do something for him. I figured there was no way he could win, so I agreed on the spot."
"Huh?"
They turned toward the green incense stick on the ground. More than half had already burned away, and it would last another two or three quarter-hours at most.
"Let me try again."
The little femboy opened his ice-encrusted left eye and began scanning their surroundings, but even after the incense burned out, he hadn't discovered the slightest anomaly.
It might have been a cheap trick, but losing to a junior still drove him mad.
"Aaah! That's way too shameless! He said he wanted to experience a Titled Douluo's strength, then went off to play hide-and-seek!"
"Hey, how is that shameless? Perception is an important part of strength too."
Hearing Guang Ling's complaints, Ye Yan quietly appeared behind him and slapped his shoulder, startling Guang Ling into jumping several meters into the air.
"Holy crap, you scared me to death! Xu Xiaoyan, right? What kind of soul skill was that, anyway? None of us could detect you!"
At that, the other worship elders discreetly pricked up their ears too. It was one thing when he had been far away, but he had just crept right up to them, and they still hadn't sensed anything amiss.
Meow? Should I tell them?
After mulling it over, Ye Yan decided to play it safe for now and told them it was a skill from another hundred thousand year soul bone he had obtained.
I'm tired. Let it all burn. (ᯣ_ᯣ)
Another hundred thousand year soul bone? Was that even something a human being could say?
"Speaking of which, Xu Xiaoyan, how did you get your first soul ring?"
This time, Azure Luan Douluo asked the question. He didn't have a hundred thousand year soul ring either, and looking at Ye Yan's first soul ring nearly made him rot with jealousy.
"Oh, that? I got lucky. Right after awakening my martial soul, I ran into a soul beast in human form. After I promised to avenge her mother, she 'voluntarily' sacrificed herself to me."
This wasn't a freeze-frame. All seven old geezers stood rooted to the spot.
After a long while, they came back to their senses and chose to ignore this fellow whose luck defied the heavens. They were afraid they would lose control and beat him up if they kept looking at him.
With a bang, the doors of the Worship Hall slammed shut, leaving Ye Yan and Snake Lance outside. The two exchanged a helpless look.
"Ahem, well, Xu Xiaoyan, the young lady told me to head back once I'd brought you to the Worship Hall. You take care of yourself, okay? I'm heading back now."
Snake Lance finally had the rare pleasure of seeing Ye Yan suffer a setback. It was already generous of him not to kick him while he was down. Why would he stay here to keep him company? He chose to floor it and make his escape.
"Pah. Not one of them is reliable."
Ye Yan muttered under his breath. He was a stranger here and didn't even have a place to stay. Should I go seek shelter with Hu Liena?
Hmm, the little fox probably wouldn't mind taking me in, right? At worst, I could pay rent-with my body or my money, either would do~
He descended the stone steps of Worship Mountain. As he passed near the magnificent Papal Hall, Ye Yan encountered a tall, graceful figure dressed in purple.
She held a silver scepter tightly in her left hand. Upon seeing Ye Yan, she walked slowly toward him, clearly having waited for quite some time.
After meeting her cold, wine-red eyes for a few breaths, Ye Yan quickly surrendered. A blush rose to his cheeks, and his hands unconsciously clasped together.
"Your Holiness, did you need something from me?"
Bibi Dong chuckled at his bashful demeanor. Just as Nana had said, his beauty seemed almost unearthly. Even she felt a little stir of attraction.
"I heard you injured Yan and said you would reduce his resources and privileges to the lowest tier."
Her cool voice sounded beside Ye Yan's ear, leaving him a little entranced. How can someone's voice sound so lovely~?
Noticing his slightly dazed gaze, Bibi Dong raised her voice and repeated herself. Only then did Ye Yan snap out of it.
Meow, meow, meow. ≽^⚈⩊⚈^≼
Why is Dong'er concerning herself with trash like Yan? Still, since it was her, Ye Yan admitted it outright, saying that Yan was too useless to deserve wasting resources on.
Bibi Dong snorted coldly. Her surging soul power forced Ye Yan to bend under its pressure, leaving him unable to move.
"I acknowledge that you are a genius rarely seen in this world, but that does not give you the right to issue orders beyond your authority. Such overstepping should warrant severe punishment. However..."
She paused, resting her fair, jade-like hand on Ye Yan's head. Her fingertips combed through his sky-blue hair. It felt silky and soft, with a sweet floral fragrance that was utterly enchanting.
"If you are willing to become my disciple, I will consider this matter settled. I hope you give it some thought."
Purrr~
Ye Yan thoroughly enjoyed being stroked like a cat and obediently nuzzled her palm. So she wants to take me as her disciple. A master-disciple relationship sounds pretty nice too.
"Teacher~ I'm willing. Could you help me take care of my hair more often from now on, though? I'm not very good at it myself."
Just like that?
Bibi Dong was a little surprised. She had thought she would need to give him a thorough threatening before he obediently complied. She hadn't expected... Well, this is good too. It saves me wasting so much breath.
"Mm, Xu Xiaoyan, come with your teacher, then. From now on, you'll stay in the Papal Hall and cultivate with me~"
After stroking his lovely hair once more, Bibi Dong resumed the demeanor of a cold, aloof pope.
Before you continue