"Let's go. I'm treating you to Kenty Duck! They're running a promotion today."
Huo Mu tossed the cards in his hand onto the conference table, stood up, stretched his limbs, and let out a long sigh.
Supreme divine power radiated from Huo Mu's deep eyes. With a glance, he could pierce the barrier of the Douluo Plane and look straight at Huo Tian and Huo Yutong being lovey-dovey.
"Ah, Xiaotian really needs a shock."
Huo Mu pinched the bridge of his nose, his face helpless, and smiled wryly.
"Let's go."
The Destruction God King also stood up and looked at Tang San. The three released their divine power and vanished from the central hall, leaving it quiet once more.
The three headed toward the southern part of the Divine Realm.
Half a day passed in the Divine Realm, while half a year had already passed on the Douluo Continent. At that moment, a great bird wreathed in flames soared through the vast blue sky.
"Master! Fly faster!"
Huo Yutong stood atop the Vermilion Bird, looking delighted. Ever since she had begun riding the Vermilion Bird Huo Tian transformed into every day, she had grown increasingly bold.
Over the past six months, Huo Tian and Huo Yutong had traveled the entire continent, enjoying its mountains and waters. They had already toured the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire; only the Dou Ling Empire remained.
Huo Yutong suddenly flopped down onto the brilliant red feathers and rolled around on them. Under Huo Tian's attentive care, her figure had gradually grown rounder.
Huo Yutong had also grown considerably taller. She wore a lovely emerald dress, her long silver-blue hair streaming in the wind, her entire figure radiating an intoxicating beauty.
Although Huo Yutong's cultivation remained at rank 10, the internal energy in her dantian was abundant. Like a bucket filled with water, her soul power seemed about to spill out.
Half a year ago, the maximum age Huo Yutong could withstand for her first soul ring had been seven hundred years. After six months of tempering her physical strength and Mental Power, her current limit for her first soul ring was sixteen hundred years.
"Master, we're almost at Lingdou City!"
Huo Yutong's voice echoed through the air as an enormous city came into Huo Tian's view. This was Lingdou City, the capital of the Dou Ling Empire.
Huo Tian landed in a forest. Holding Huo Yutong's little hand, he walked out of the trees and headed toward Lingdou City's gates.
The two passed through the checkpoint without trouble and successfully entered Lingdou City. Inspections at the entrance were very strict, for fear that spies from enemy nations might slip inside.
The Dou Ling Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire had originally been one nation ten thousand years ago, splitting into two countries ten thousand years later. Of the Douluo Continent's three nations, the Dou Ling Empire had the smallest territory and was also the weakest.
Huo Tian noticed that Lingdou City was not as prosperous as Heaven Dou City. There was practically not a single decent soul tool to be seen on the streets.
Although the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire both felt some aversion toward soul tools, they at least had them.
Despite being the capital of the Dou Ling Empire, Lingdou City had pitifully few soul tools, let alone widespread knowledge of soul tools throughout the country. Thus, the Dou Ling Empire's overall national strength was very weak.
"Master! This place feels so old-fashioned!"
Huo Yutong looked curiously at the old houses around them, which had stood for who knew how many years. Compared to the capitals of the other two nations she had seen, this place was as far apart as heaven and earth.
Huo Tian did not know how to answer Huo Yutong's question either. He shook his head helplessly, then continued holding her hand as they wandered along the street.
Although the Dou Ling Empire's thinking was still rather outdated, its people had preserved quite a few traditional festivals, and people came out to perform every night.
Dou Ling City had pitifully few people shopping during the day, but its visitors gradually grew livelier at night, and the entire city became a sea of people.
"Master! Tongtong wants to watch the street performers, especially the ones who smash big stones on their chests!"
Holding two skewers of candied hawthorn, Huo Yutong wore an adorable smile as she took Huo Tian's large hand and led him all the way to the center of Dou Ling City's square.
At that moment, Lingdou City's square was packed so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through. All the evening performances and food stalls were out in full force.
Using his soul power, Huo Tian reached a higher spot and lifted Huo Yutong to sit on his neck. Huo Yutong crossed her legs around his neck.
"Wonderful! This is so much fun!"
Huo Yutong ate her candied hawthorn while clapping and cheering, her tender cheeks flushing red.
The performance at the center of Lingdou City's square had reached its climax, completely capturing Huo Yutong's attention.
In a corner not far from the bustling square, two vagrants were cornering a boy.
"Get lost! This gold soul coin is mine!"
The boy wore a filthy, tattered shirt. His long hair was a tangled mess, and his whole body gave off a foul stench.
He was a boy missing an arm. His right hand tightly gripped a rusty sickle, and a scar on his face made him look sinister.
"Bai Qi, hand over that gold soul coin if you don't want to die!"
"That's right!"
The two vicious-looking toughs trapped Bai Qi in the corner. One held a large chopping saber, the other a kitchen cleaver-these were their martial souls.
"Get lost! Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"
The yellow soul ring beneath Bai Qi's feet flickered with light.
"Ha! You? We're two Soul Grandmasters! Crushing you would be as easy as crushing an ant!"
Two soul rings, one white and one yellow, flashed beneath the saber-wielding man's feet. An oppressive aura erupted from him as he attacked Bai Qi head-on.
Bai Qi desperately held on under that force. Both his eyes were bloodshot, his right hand trembled incessantly, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Bai Qi had only broken through rank ten a few days earlier. He had also happened to pick up a bargain in the form of a hundred-year soul beast and absorbed it as his first soul ring. His cultivation was only at rank eleven; he could not possibly defeat two Soul Grandmasters.
"Why does everyone bully me?! Why?! What did I ever do wrong?!"
"First Soul Skill, Sickle Moon Slash!"
Bai Qi completely broke down. His eyes bloodshot, he swung the sickle in his hand, unleashing a crescent-shaped blade that sliced straight toward the two men.
"You're courting death!"
The man holding the kitchen cleaver easily blocked Bai Qi's attack and kicked him into the wall. Bai Qi slammed hard against it and spat blood.
"You wasted the chance I gave you! Die!"
The man raised his kitchen cleaver and chopped toward Bai Qi's head. Powerless to resist, Bai Qi let both hands fall limply to the ground and waited for death.
My birth was a mistake. At one, I caused my mother's death. At two, I caused my whole family's deaths. At six, my Martial Soul Awakening caused the deaths of everyone in the village!
Perhaps I really am the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star they call me!
For these past five years, I've wandered in darkness. It's time I died.
Even a cornered beast will fight, let alone a person!
A trail of bloody tears flowed from Bai Qi's eyes.
Bai Qi waited a long time, yet felt no pain anywhere on his body. With difficulty, he opened his eyes. At the sight of the two men's corpses on the ground, he froze.
Both had been beheaded, their blood staining the ground red.
Two figures, one large and one small, stood at the entrance.