"Where am I?"
At the foot of a great mountain wreathed in ethereal clouds, a blond man stood out among the bustling crowd.
The man looked around in bewilderment. He clearly couldn't understand what they were saying, yet it was as though some power conveyed their meaning directly into his mind.
"What kind of faction is the Primordial Sect?" The man frowned slightly. Of all the factions he knew, he had never heard the name Primordial Sect.
The clothes of the people around him, in particular, were completely different from anything he knew.
Meanwhile, in another world.
A maidservant attending the crown prince gently knocked on the door of his bedchamber in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
"Your Highness, it's almost seven. Are you awake?"
But though the maidservant knocked several times, there was no response from within.
At the same time, Tang San, using the alias Tang Yin, had just escaped the Hell Road, where death was certain and survival impossible, alongside Hu Liena, Spirit Hall's saintess in name, and successfully obtained Divine Slaughter's Domain.
"Tang Yin, that was so dangerous. Thank goodness you were there, or I might have..." Hu Liena looked at the forest before her, her taut nerves finally relaxing.
After working with Tang Yin for so long, she had long since developed traces of feeling for him. Now that the two of them had faced life and death together and escaped the Hell Road, Hu Liena was just about to ask Tang Yin to return to Spirit Hall with her.
But when Hu Liena turned to ask him, Tang Yin had vanished.
"Tang Yin? Are you there?" Hu Liena panicked a little and hurriedly looked around, but the surroundings were frighteningly quiet, and the person known as Tang Yin no longer existed in this world.
"Little San!?"
Tang Hao, who had been waiting in secret all along, rushed straight out of the forest, then left as Hu Liena watched in bewilderment.
Five years had now passed since the finals of the Soul Master Tournament in Spirit City.
The members of the Shrek Seven Devils had also returned to Shrek Academy one after another for their five-year reunion.
In Heaven Dou City, on the grounds of what had once been Blue Tyrant Academy and was now Shrek Academy.
"The Little Monsters are all back." Dean Flender stood with Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong, smiling broadly at the four people before him.
These were all students he was proud of.
"Dean Flender, Grandmaster, and Teacher Liu, it's been a long time," Dai Mubai greeted them.
"It seems we're all on the same wavelength. Even after five years apart, we all agreed to come back at this time," Ning Rongrong said with a soft laugh.
"Speaking of which, where's Little Ao? Didn't he come with you?" Flender looked behind Ning Rongrong. Apart from Sect Master Ning Fengzhi and the two Douluo, Sword and Bone, who had come with her, there was no one else.
"Little Ao..." Ning Rongrong told Flender what Oscar was thinking, and Flender finally understood.
Ning Fengzhi came forward then. "It's a good thing for young people to want to venture out. But Dean Flender, Shrek Academy is flourishing even more than before."
"Of course. It's all thanks to Xiaogang." Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang, who also came forward with a smile.
"The whole continent now knows I taught the Shrek Seven Devils, so naturally Shrek Academy is flourishing," Yu Xiaogang said proudly.
"As expected of the Grandmaster." Ning Fengzhi nodded. "In the future, I hope you'll visit my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect more often and help teach those ignorant children."
"A small matter, a small matter." His vanity satisfied, Yu Xiaogang nodded.
Look, even the sect master of the greatest sect under heaven had to lower himself before the Grandmaster. He'd like to see who still dared look down on him now.
"Grandmaster, after Little San and Xiao Wu left with Little San's father back then..." Dai Mubai asked, looking at Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang's expression softened. "Don't worry. With Tang Hao, a Titled Douluo, protecting them, they'll definitely be fine. Besides, Tang San has completely mastered my Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul theory."
"He won't stray from the right path in the future, either, so just wait. They'll definitely grow stronger and come back."
Just then, Ning Rongrong seemed to notice something. She glanced up and suddenly froze.
"E-everyone, look! What's that in the sky? Is that Third Brother?"
Everyone looked in the direction of her voice and froze.
And it wasn't just them. Across the entire continent, whether at Spirit Hall or anywhere else, everyone could see two enormous screens appear in the sky.
The blond man appeared on one screen.
"Is that... His Highness the Crown Prince?!" The ministers of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace stared at the person on the screen in shock. Xue Ye could hardly believe it either. What on earth was going on? Why had the crown prince appeared up there?
"Is that... Lady Saintess?!" The two Douluo, Snake Lance and Pufferfish, watched Qian Renxue from the shadows, their faces full of shock. Why had Lady Saintess appeared there?
They had clearly been guarding the area the whole time and hadn't noticed any sign of Lady Saintess leaving.
Inside Spirit Hall's Worship Hall
"Xue'er? What on earth is going on?" Qian Daoliu frowned as he looked up at Qian Renxue. Though she had Xue Qinghe's appearance, he knew that person was his granddaughter, Qian Renxue.
Bibi Dong and the other Douluo also came out, their expressions shifting as they looked at the screens above.
"Could the Rakshasa God have done this?" Bibi Dong wondered.
On the other screen appeared Tang Yin, or rather, Tang San.
But Tang San's appearance had changed drastically, and only faint traces of his former self could be made out.
"That's right, it's Little San." Yu Xiaogang nodded, recognizing Tang San at a glance.
"But why has Little San appeared in the sky?" Yu Xiaogang was puzzled. He paused, then suddenly grew excited.
"Grandmaster, have you guessed something?" Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help asking.
The others looked over as well.
At that, Yu Xiaogang composed himself and said proudly, "If I'm not mistaken, this must be the work of a god."
"Little San has caught a god's attention. Otherwise, why would he appear in the sky?"
At the thought, Yu Xiaogang was so excited he couldn't contain himself. What did this mean? A god had taken notice of his disciple.
In other words, Tang San would surely become a god in the future. He had taught a god!
His disciple was a god! Who would dare say his talent was poor and that he could only reach level thirty now?
"So that's what happened?!" Though Ning Fengzhi had doubts, for now he could only think the same. After all, no mortal could possibly do such a thing, so it could only be a god.
"That must be it." Yu Xiaogang was adamant. He would not allow anyone to contradict him. What but a god could do such a thing?
Everyone's eyes turned to the screen. Finally, Qian Renxue moved.
"My friend, what kind of faction is this Primordial Sect? Why is everyone talking about it? Could it be a very powerful faction?"