(Everyone, regular updates are back. This book actually got signed today. How amazing.)
In the villa's living room, five pillars of light lit up one after another.
The first to appear was a golden light, pure and radiant, giving off a lofty, superior air.
A pink light lit up next. Although it was pink, Chen Shi sensed a faint wildness within it.
The third light was pale blue, giving off an ethereal, unapproachable air.
The fourth light was purple and gave off a faint rank smell, making Chen Shi cover his mouth and nose. He could not help retreating several steps and hiding in the kitchen, observing through the crack in the door.
The last to light up was a yellow light, giving off a warm, alluring air.
As the light faded, a tall, slender woman appeared in the center of the living room from within the first pillar.
Her long golden hair fell behind her shoulders, its ends slightly curled, gleaming like flecks of gold beneath the lights.
Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent and glowed with a luster. Her features, in particular, were so exquisite they seemed to have been molded by a god's own hands.
Her high, straight nose, thin lips, and golden eyes were all masterpieces of the Creator.
Her chin was slightly raised, giving off a contemptuous air that said, "You are all mere ants."
She wore a long golden dress, its hem trailing along the floor. Intricate angel patterns were embroidered on her cuffs, and a white satin ribbon cinched her waist. She looked like an angel who had stepped out of an oil painting.
At the sight, Chen Shi swallowed.
Qian Renxue was even more breathtaking than the original novel had described.
In the living room, Qian Renxue stood where she was, her golden eyes sweeping over her surroundings as her brows drew together slightly.
"Where is this?"
Her voice was very cool, yet carried a faint tremor, like the nervousness of suddenly finding herself in an unfamiliar place.
She clearly remembered being in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace just moments ago, preparing to investigate the recent incident at the Heaven Dou Royal Soul Master Academy.
Yet a light had suddenly enveloped her, and she had appeared in this living room. Even her outfit had changed, which was another reason she was nervous.
Just then, she raised her right hand. Shock crossed her face, and her pupils abruptly contracted.
"My... why has my Soul Power disappeared?"
She looked at her right hand, rather bewildered.
Just then, the pink pillar of light beside her also vanished, and a clear, bright voice came from within:
"Brother San, Brother San, is that you?"
Chen Shi and Qian Renxue looked up.
The speaker wore a short pink dress and looked about fifteen or sixteen years old (people on the Douluo Continent generally looked more mature). She had a cute face and a curvaceous figure, with a pair of long legs that were particularly eye-catching. Unfortunately, there was a faint wildness about her.
She wore a cute bunny-ear headband. Half of her long scorpion braid had come loose, and dirt and bits of grass still clung to her clothes. Her eyes were red, as though she had just been crying.
This was none other than Xiao Wu. Seeing her appearance, Chen Shi immediately understood.
At this stage, there was only one thing that would make Xiao Wu cry: Tang San had been taken away by Dugu Bo. He just did not know how long ago Tang San had been taken.
Once Xiao Wu steadied herself, the first thing she did was look around. Her expression then shifted from anticipation to disappointment, and from disappointment to wariness.
She looked at Qian Renxue standing a short distance away and asked coldly:
"Who are you? Where is this? Were you the one who brought me here? Where's my Brother San?"
In response to Xiao Wu's questions, Qian Renxue merely gave her a long look before disdainfully turning her gaze away to the other three pillars of light, as though Xiao Wu was not worthy of speaking to her.
"You..."
Seeing Qian Renxue's reaction, Xiao Wu was so furious her teeth itched. She was just about to attack when she suddenly discovered that her Soul Power had vanished. She froze on the spot, somewhat at a loss.
Just then, the third pillar of light faded.
A girl in a pale blue dress appeared slightly to the left in the living room. She had an elegant bearing, with an aristocratic air in every gesture.
When she first appeared in the living room, she was a little nervous, but upon seeing Xiao Wu, she hurried over to her and said excitedly:
"Xiao Wu, why are you here? Where is this? Just now, I felt a pillar of light envelop me, and then I ended up here."
Hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Wu came back to her senses. When she saw Ning Rongrong, she brightened too:
"Rongrong, you're here too?"
"Xiao Wu? Rongrong?"
Hearing Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong address each other, Qian Renxue frowned slightly and stepped back a few paces.
She had not expected some of the others to know each other. With her Soul Power gone, she would be at something of a disadvantage if someone attacked her.
When Ning Rongrong appeared, she had found her familiar at first glance, as though she had seen her somewhere before.
Suddenly, she seemed to think of something.
"Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
She murmured under her breath, finally recognizing Ning Rongrong.
In that case, the girl with the scorpion braid was a student at Shrek Academy.
At that thought, she breathed a sigh of relief. After all, everyone who had appeared was from the Douluo Continent, which put her considerably more at ease.
Meanwhile, after Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong recognized each other, Xiao Wu told Ning Rongrong what she knew.
"I appeared here out of nowhere too. That person was already here before I arrived, and my Soul Power has disappeared. What about you, Rongrong?"
Hearing Xiao Wu's words, Ning Rongrong finally took a proper look at Qian Renxue. Then her whole body trembled, and she barely even reacted to her Soul Power disappearing.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's reaction, Qian Renxue's brows knitted tightly. She glanced at her own clothes, clearly also realizing that her identity seemed to have been exposed.
But she was not particularly worried, because what had been exposed was probably her identity as a member of the Angel Clan. Her actual background was a secret within Spirit Hall. Even Ning Fengzhi did not know it, let alone Ning Rongrong.
"Rongrong, what's wrong? Do you know her?"
Seeing Ning Rongrong's reaction, Xiao Wu frowned and asked.
Ning Rongrong gave Qian Renxue a wary look and was just about to speak when the purple pillar of light in the living room slowly dissipated.
This also drew the attention of all three women in the living room.
Yet when they saw the person who appeared, all three of their expressions turned strange.
Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong, in particular, had faces full of hatred.
Qian Renxue, meanwhile, looked thoughtful.
Clearly, all three of them knew the woman in the purple pillar of light, because she was none other than Dugu Yan. The prior enmity between her and Xiao Wu was precisely because of Tang San.
"Dugu Yan, it's you!"
At the sight of Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu could no longer hold herself back. Although several meters separated them, she pushed off with both legs and lunged at Dugu Yan.
Dugu Yan had only just arrived in this unfamiliar place, and her body had yet to adjust. Suddenly seeing someone lunge at her, she instinctively tried to use her Soul Power to fend off the attacker.
But reality dealt her a heavy blow: she could not summon her Soul Power.
While she stood bewildered and at a loss, Xiao Wu had already shoved her to the floor and begun pounding her with her fists.
As she struck, she shouted:
"It's all your fault! Give me back my Brother San! Give me back my Brother San!"
The pain coursing through her body made Dugu Yan immediately fight back.
Although Xiao Wu was considerably younger than Dugu Yan, she was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast cultivating anew and excelled at close-quarters combat. Coupled with her intense fury, her blows carried no small amount of strength.
For a time, Dugu Yan was the one pinned down and beaten instead.
As the two grappled, Dugu Yan also recognized Xiao Wu and immediately sneered:
"So it's the trash from Shrek. Your Brother San was taken away by my grandfather. You think he can come back alive? Dream on."
Although the surprise attack had put her at a disadvantage, she held nothing back with her words, making Xiao Wu scream, "Aah! Aah!" Her attacks grew increasingly vicious, gouging, scratching, and pulling in a fluid succession that left everyone else present stunned.
Before you continue