After leaving the Lake of Life, Qin Chao walked for a long time along the path he had taken to get there.
As night approached, Qin Chao found a secluded spot and lit a campfire.
The black hair Xiao Wu had given him really did work. Over the past two days, some soul beasts had tried to attack this juicy little morsel, but they had all fled in panic after catching his scent. With no need to worry about soul beast attacks, Qin Chao's journey through the Star Dou Forest had become remarkably easy and pleasant. What he did not know was that, in this dark forest, danger came from more than just soul beasts...
In the darkness, two pairs of resentful eyes stared fixedly at the little figure beside the campfire, their owners almost grinding their teeth to pieces...
"Do we beat him?" The girl's voice was quiet, but she could not hide her anger.
"Yes! Jade won't become a fine vessel without carving, and a sapling won't grow straight without pruning. When teaching lacks discipline, the teacher is to blame. In short, there's no escaping this beating. Today, I'll show him what a complete childhood looks like!"
An androgynous, soft voice answered, the anger surging in his heart making his voice distort slightly.
The two itching to act were none other than Yue Guan and Hu Liena.
After helping Hu Liena successfully hunt down her third soul ring, the two had rushed back to camp out of concern for Qin Chao, only to discover that the child who should have been waiting obediently in the tent had vanished.
Had there been any signs of an attack around the camp, they probably would have started slaughtering things already.
They had searched desperately for five days without resting, day or night, and had finally found Qin Chao here. Yet the little fellow was actually having a leisurely barbecue. How could they not be furious?!
Master Little Chrysanthemum's class was in session. What should you do when a child misbehaves? Give him a beating. If one beating didn't work, give him two.
Yue Guan and Hu Liena exchanged a glance, then both shot forward, heading straight for Qin Chao, who was happily eating soul beast meat beside the campfire.
Seeing powerful enemies approaching, Qin Chao immediately threw away the meat in his hand. His soul power circulated rapidly, and he swiftly summoned the Heaven and Earth Tower.
Two dark figures were attacking, and Qin Chao dared not let his guard down. His deep-yellow soul ring flashed, and flames instantly ignited across the Heaven and Earth Tower. The tower expanded, stopping just as it reached the height of a person, then hurtled toward the first dark figure.
Since Yue Guan had deliberately let her go ahead, Hu Liena was leading the charge. Seeing the Heaven and Earth Tower hurtling toward her, she curled her lips into a mocking smile.
Who would have thought the little fellow could react so quickly? This is a perfect chance to test his strength...
With that thought, Hu Liena summoned her Martial Soul.
Her long hair instantly turned a fiery crimson, and a fluffy red tail appeared behind her, adding to her beauty. Her first soul ring flashed rapidly, and a ball of blazing foxfire abruptly appeared in her right hand...
This was Hu Liena's First Soul Skill, Foxfire. Although it came from only a hundred-year soul ring, with her level-thirty soul power supporting it, its might was still terrifying.
The foxfire collided with the Heaven and Earth Tower, sending sparks flying.
Both were soul skills bestowed by their first soul rings, so the ages of their soul rings and their soul power levels now became additional factors in this contest of strength.
Although Hu Liena's soul power was higher, the age of Qin Chao's soul ring was nothing to scoff at either. After absorbing his second soul ring, Qin Chao's soul power had risen considerably again, and his first soul ring had now grown to eight hundred years old. When the two attacks collided, the Heaven and Earth Tower actually came out on top.
Hu Liena had only intended her attack as a probe, but Qin Chao had unexpectedly turned the tables on her. In her momentary distraction, the Heaven and Earth Tower struck her squarely.
Naturally, Qin Chao was not strong enough to injure Hu Liena. But the flames on the Heaven and Earth Tower came from the soul beast Flame Tiger. Though those flames were not particularly hot, they clung tenaciously to anything they touched and were difficult to shake off.
Hu Liena rolled rather awkwardly across the ground before finally managing to extinguish the flames on her body. She was unharmed, but her clothes had suffered. Her fiery-red dress was now riddled with charred holes and gave off an unpleasant smell...
"Qin! Chao!"
Seeing the sorry state she was in, Hu Liena grew even angrier, though deep down, she was also faintly shocked by the power of Qin Chao's attack.
As far as she knew, Qin Chao had only recently awakened his Martial Soul and was still just a six-year-old child. Given the right room to grow, his future achievements would be limitless.
While Hu Liena was still reeling in shock, Chrysanthemum Douluo had already reached Qin Chao.
He had witnessed the entire exchange between Qin Chao and Hu Liena. Sensing the fluctuations of soul power coming from Qin Chao, Chrysanthemum Douluo was secretly astonished as well.
He had not expected the little fellow's strength to improve so much in just a few days. A surge of childish playfulness rose in Yue Guan's heart, and he, too, decided to test Qin Chao's strength...
"Brat, take this!"
To deal with Qin Chao, Yue Guan did not even summon his Martial Soul. Soul power surged from his body, forming a small barrier around Qin Chao.
Qin Chao felt his whole body grow heavy beneath an unprecedentedly powerful pressure. He swayed, almost dropping straight to his knees.
Attack was the best defense. Naturally, Qin Chao would not sit inside the barrier and wait to die.
With a sweep of his right hand, the golden Heaven and Earth Tower instantly returned to his grasp.
Purple light flickered across the golden tower as it flew from his hand again, charging straight toward Yue Guan.
Yue Guan's pupils constricted. He could barely believe his eyes.
"A second soul ring?! And it's a fucking Thousand-Year Soul Ring?! What kind of monster have I taken as my disciple?!"
So overwhelming was his shock that Yue Guan blurted out the profanity without thinking.
"Master?!"
By now, how could Qin Chao fail to understand? The powerful enemies he had imagined were actually his master and companion. This truly was a flood washing away the Dragon King's own temple.
In that brief moment of stunned hesitation, the Heaven and Earth Tower had already reached the space above Yue Guan. Its purple light flickered ever more rapidly, and the tower abruptly enlarged, firmly enclosing Yue Guan within it...
Shit, I'm done for!
Bitterness filled Qin Chao's heart. He glanced at Hu Liena's disheveled clothes, then at the Heaven and Earth Tower enclosing Yue Guan, and gained a profound understanding of what it meant to want to cry but have no tears.
At this point, there's no better option!
Qin Chao secretly gritted his teeth. Anger rose in his heart, and reckless courage swelled within him. His soul power circulated rapidly as he recalled the Heaven and Earth Tower into his hand.
Clenching his teeth hard, Qin Chao abruptly tensed his muscles and dropped to his knees with a thud...
"Master, Sister Nana, I was wrong!"
Delivering the most cowardly words in the fiercest tone, Qin Chao fully demonstrated what it meant for a true man to bend and straighten as needed.
The sight made Yue Guan and Hu Liena laugh, quietly extinguishing the raging flames of anger in their hearts.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of teasing in the other's eyes.
Yue Guan spoke first. "You were wrong? What did you do wrong?"
Hearing that classic, potentially fatal question between lovers, Qin Chao's bitter smile deepened.
How could a mouth at thirty-seven degrees spit out such cold, merciless words? Could Heaven truly be out to destroy me?!
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