The Tang Sect was in Zhi District, south of Star Luo City.
Moving at the speed of Super Douluos, En Ci and Zhang Geyang soon reached the Tang Sect's address.
The Tang Sect's former complex had become a stretch of grassland. A few ancient trees even grew peacefully upon it, as though the Tang Sect had never existed.
En Ci and Zhang Geyang exchanged a glance, each seeing a trace of terror in the other's eyes.
If the power behind that world-shifting upheaval could erase Hu Jie, the Smiling-Faced Douluo with twin martial souls and level 98 cultivation, it could naturally erase the two of them as well.
"I'll go check whether any of the Tang Sect's senior members have gone missing." En Ci rose into the air and flew toward the city.
Zhang Geyang hurried back to the Spirit Pagoda branch in Dingchuan District to gather his subordinates.
"Check the soul spirits and our treasured collection, quickly! And check whether we can still enter the Spirit Ascension Platform!"
The imperial preceptor and the master of the Spirit Pagoda both carried responsibility for millions upon their shoulders. They were all weightlifting champions of the Star Luo Continent.
Those below knew nothing of the considerations of those above. In any case, tonight would be another sleepless night.
The same was true for Long Yue.
All was silent within the Imperial Junior Soul Master Academy. Moonlight spilled across the flagstone path like overturned milk.
Long Yue bounded along, his shoes kicking up scattered fallen leaves.
"Brother Long, where are we going?" His roommate, Su Mu, had come out with him.
Su Mu had handsome, refined features, and his martial soul was the Nine-Tailed Fox.
"Fox-eyes, we'll find Ye Zhi first, then go have some fun at East City Park in the East City District."
Long Yue stretched, loosening his body. His burly frame led the way in front of Su Mu, like a father taking his son out.
Although Long Yue was only nine, his height and build were already close to an adult's. Apart from the lingering childishness in his face, he was practically a big brother.
Fox-eyes... The corner of Su Mu's mouth twitched.
Still, he did not refuse. He followed Long Yue over the academy gate, leaving the Star Luo Imperial Junior Soul Master Academy under the security guards' watchful eyes.
The Imperial Junior Soul Master Academy had a rule forbidding boarding students from leaving at night.
But as everyone knew, rules were not meant for the people who made them.
"Shouldn't we stop them? What if something happens while they're out?" As the greenhorn guard watched Long Yue climb over the gate, Long Yue even gave him a salute.
The older guard, Uncle Qin, shook his head and imitated the speech of ancient people on soul guidance television. "Newcomer, remember this well. Those are Mad Dragon and Young Master Fox. Whatever they do, you needn't interfere."
Realization dawned on the greenhorn. "Oh, Mad Dragon! So he was the lunatic singing and dancing up on the tower during dinner!"
Uncle Qin picked up the Fixed Soul Guidance Communicator in the guardroom. "Hello. This is Old Qin from the guardroom. Students Long Yue and Su Mu have gone out."
"Uncle Qin, didn't you say we shouldn't interfere?"
"I didn't stop them. I'm just doing my job and reporting it to the school."
Outside the academy.
Star Luo City had soul guidance energy storage devices, so the soul guidance lamps along both sides of its main roads still shone.
Long Yue's shadow stretched across the ground, lengthening and shortening as though invisible hands were playing with its silhouette.
Having drunk alcohol that evening, Long Yue was in high spirits.
Su Mu followed behind. He was not as wild as Long Yue, but his steps had grown lighter too.
There was one advantage to hanging out with Brother Long.
Even if they did something out of line, everyone would assume Long Yue had led the charge. Su Mu could happily fade from view and continue being a model student.
The gates to Star Luo City's main urban area had already been shut. Numerous soul guidance detectors patrolled, and the Soul Guidance Defense System atop the walls had been switched to alert mode.
Su Mu felt this looked like a sign that something major had happened. "Brother Long, could it be dangerous?"
"Su, look at me. Don't I look reassuring?" Long Yue flexed his biceps for Su Mu.
"..." Su Mu was speechless.
"We're soul masters. You have one ring, and I have two. If things really go wrong, the Security Force's mechas are patrolling too. We can just call for help." Long Yue was unconcerned.
Ye Zhi, whom they were looking for, lived in a private manor in the West District.
Ye Zhi's father was an imperial official, and her mother was a senior executive at a soul guidance technology company. Her family's inherited martial soul was none other than the renowned Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
When the Star Luo Empire migrated, some disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had followed it to what was now the Star Luo Continent.
One could only say that betting on both sides was a hallmark of aristocratic families they could hardly resist trying.
As times changed and the world moved on, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples who had migrated also lost their tightly organized sect structure.
Its disciples scattered to pursue their own paths. The Seven Treasure Ye family was merely one of the branches that had done relatively well.
Avoiding the patrolling officers and white mechas, Long Yue and Su Mu reached the back gate of Violet Thorn Manor, where Ye Zhi lived.
"How are you going to get her out to go wild with you? The whole city's under martial law after this upheaval. She must be confined at home too," Su Mu asked curiously.
Normally, it would not matter, and Ye Zhi could come out to play with them. But now the city was under martial law.
"We're soul masters." Long Yue released his hundred-year soul spirit, the Mountain Sprite.
An adorable little red-faced monkey soul spirit appeared before them. Long Yue gave him a hand signal, and the little monkey squeaked as he sank into the ground.
"Mountains and Rivers."
Long Yue activated his first soul skill. The ground trembled slightly, and a rough underground passage appeared before them.
Su Mu immediately found it fascinating. "You can use soul skills like this?"
"My soul skills can be used like this. Don't forget, my martial soul is the Mountain Dragon King." Long Yue did not jump down, but stood where he was and waited.
Inside Violet Thorn Manor.
The little Mountain Sprite had already found his target.
The moment Ye Zhi saw Long Yue's soul spirit, she followed the little Mountain Sprite without the slightest hesitation to the square pond in the back garden.
"River."
The Mountain Sprite soul spirit activated the second soul skill.
Splash-
Ye Zhi jumped into the water.
As though they had received some mysterious command, the previously tranquil waters drew aside in every direction.
The pond water parted around Ye Zhi, forming a perfectly round air bubble. Like an enormous crystal dome, it held her safely within.
Ye Zhi walked to the edge of the pond bottom, where a tunnel had abruptly appeared.
As she stepped inside, the small patch of earth beneath her feet suddenly seemed to come alive. It carried her slowly forward, delivering her safely outside.
"Brother Long!" Ye Zhi jumped up in delight and hugged Long Yue. "Let's go find Hua Lantang."
With a sweep of Long Yue's large hand, the earth quietly returned to its place and leveled out, as though nothing had ever happened.
"I knew you'd want to find your childhood sweetheart, so I picked East City Park. Let's head to the East City District. Hua Lantang lives there too."
Long Yue cut quite a dashing figure as he called his friends together. The three cheerfully dodged the patrolling officers and darted from Star Luo City's West District to the East City District.
Fortunately, they were soul masters and could use soul power to speed their journey.
For ordinary people, walking from the West District to the East City District would have been utterly exhausting.
"Haha. These children certainly know how to make work for this old man."
A retainer of the Ye family watched Ye Zhi and her companions leave with a smile, then turned toward an empty patch of air on the other side.
"Dean Wang."
Dean Wang of the Imperial Junior Soul Master Academy revealed himself and said rather helplessly, "Long Yue led the way."
Ye Zhi also attended the Imperial Junior Soul Master Academy, though she was not a boarding student.
"Haha, I'm used to it."
Seeing Dean Wang's pained expression, the Ye family retainer stroked his beard and laughed.
"Who doesn't know that Mad Dragon is a little troublemaker? The imperial preceptor has found himself a fine disciple."
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