"Reporting to the Alliance Leader: the crying little girl's voice suddenly disappeared just now," a woman reported quietly to the beautiful woman beside her.
The beautiful woman looked about thirty, graceful and alluring. She was none other than Shangguan Wei'er, leader of the Ordinary Alliance, one of the three great underground powers of Mingdu in the Sun Moon Empire.
"A little girl couldn't have appeared in this Strange Stone Valley for no reason." Shangguan Wei'er's tone was firm. "She must have been abducted by Evil Soul Masters."
An older woman beside her hurriedly urged, "Please think twice, Alliance Leader! We're traveling to the Heavenly Soul Empire to discuss selling Soul Tools. We only cut across this valley to shorten the journey. We mustn't invite unnecessary trouble!"
Shangguan Wei'er frowned. She was no fool. Now they had lost the source of the little girl's voice, and the terrain here was far too complicated. She made a prompt decision and waved her hand. "Withdraw. Return to our original route."
"Yes!" everyone answered in unison.
In the distance, Qian Chen had already spread his four wings and flown out of Strange Stone Valley with Qian Guyi in his arms. Several days later, the two arrived in another quiet, secluded valley.
"Uncle, what is this place?" Qian Guyi looked around curiously, then suddenly raised a hand and pointed. "Look, Uncle! There's a manor over there! There's such a huge palace inside!"
After several days together, Qian Chen had grown increasingly fond of the little girl. She was strong, brave, and diligent. He smiled dotingly and said, "This is my home. That manor is called Angel Mountain Manor, and the great hall is called Angel Hall. As for the whole valley, I bought all this land too, but I haven't named it yet. Why don't you give it a name, Guyi?"
Qian Guyi pursed her lips in a smile and shook her head. "I don't know how to come up with names. You should name it yourself, Uncle."
Qian Chen considered briefly. Calling it "Angel Valley" as well would indeed feel like nesting dolls, and it could easily draw Evil Soul Masters to investigate. He had originally bought this place to make it convenient to check on the child of destiny, Huo Yuhao, whenever he pleased.
"Let's call it Watch Valley," Qian Chen said gently. "From now on, this will be your home."
"Okay, Uncle!" Qian Guyi nodded emphatically. "This will be my home from now on!"
After taking Qian Guyi back to Angel Mountain Manor, Qian Chen carefully instructed Pan Long, who was staying behind, to take good care of her and ensure she lacked not the slightest bit of cultivation resources. If any low-ranking Evil Soul Masters were discovered nearby, he was to let Qian Guyi kill them as practical training.
Time flowed by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
The Soul Master Tournament, held once every five years, was hosted by the Heavenly Soul Empire. This time, with Qian Chen holding the fort, the Shrek Team easily claimed the championship at the Soul Master Tournament in Heaven Dou City. Qian Chen never made a move throughout the event. Bing Ling practically tore through every match single-handedly, becoming the tournament's best competitor. Handsome and liked by both Ling Luochеn and Ma Xiaotao, two beauties of ice and fire respectively, Bing Ling became a legend in the students' hearts in one fell swoop.
Time flowed by, and another two years passed. Inside a secret chamber of the Iron Blood Sect in Heaven Dou City, in the Heavenly Soul Empire.
"Father, let's make our move!" The speaker was Tie Tang, the Iron Blood Sect's young sect master. "I've already made inquiries. The Tang Sect only has twenty-odd people left now, all trash with the trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass. If we wipe out the Tang Sect and seize their sect grounds, our Iron Blood Sect will surely attract countless talented applicants next year. Then our sect will surely rise!"
Yet Tie Li still hesitated. "The Tang Sect was once the greatest sect in the world, after all. It has ties to the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy. If either of those powers intervenes, our Iron Blood Sect will be ground to dust in an instant."
"Don't worry, Father. That was all thousands of years ago!" Tie Tang lowered his voice and coaxed, "The Tang Sect has neither money nor influence now, yet it occupies such a fine location in Heaven Dou City for nothing. If the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy truly regarded it as an ally, why would they refuse to offer even the slightest help? Think about it, Father. Those playmates of yours from before you were six, the ones without Soul Power-do you still consider them friends now?"
Tie Li remained silent for a long time before finally making up his mind. "Very well. Let's do it."
Tie Li also secretly found it strange. Why was this son of his, who had never amounted to anything, so fixated on the Tang Sect's land? He had spent a full three years trying to persuade him, refusing to give up in the slightest.
That very night, Tie Tang set out with an entire chest of Gold Soul Coins and arrived at Heaven Dou City's patrol camp. Before long, the camp's patrol routes were temporarily altered, all giving the Tang Sect's location a wide berth.
Tang Ya was already twelve that year and had grown into a graceful young girl. With delicate features and long black hair tied into a neat ponytail, she looked spirited and dashing. Unfortunately, her talent was somewhat lacking. Already twelve, her Soul Power Level had only just reached fourteen, not even meeting the entrance requirements for Shrek Academy's outer court.
Tang Ya and her parents took it well enough. Their daughter's Martial Soul was only Blue Silver Grass, universally acknowledged as a trash Martial Soul. No matter how hard she cultivated, she would probably only amount to so much.
The night gradually deepened.
There had never been many people in the sprawling Tang Sect grounds. Tang Ya lay in bed, but her heart suddenly began pounding wildly. A sense of danger coiled tightly around her heart like an icy venomous snake, refusing to leave.
The feeling drove away every trace of sleepiness. She climbed out of bed, wanting to find her father and mother and tell them about her unease. But just as she reached their room, she saw someone brutally kick the door open, and a burly man charged inside.
"Who's there!" Tang Ya's father demanded sharply.
The burly man raised his blade and brought it down, and Tang Ya's father never made another sound.
"Ah!" Her mother's heart-rending scream followed, only to cut off abruptly the next moment.
Young though Tang Ya was, she understood in that instant. Her father and mother had been murdered. The Tang Sect was under enemy attack.
Overwhelming terror weakened her legs, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. Just then, however, a powerful impulse suddenly surged from the depths of her heart: Run! Hurry, run! Run to Shrek Academy!
Spurred on by this will, Tang Ya bit down hard on her lip and steadied herself. She immediately thought of an escape route and darted toward the garden behind the Tang Sect. At the base of the garden wall was a small gap that had cracked open after years of disrepair. Precisely because the Tang Sect had no money, the gap had never been repaired, and now it was just large enough for a child to squeeze through.
Tang Ya swiftly scrambled up to the gap. She was already twelve, and her build made it difficult to fit through, but at this moment of life and death, an immense will to survive erupted within her. Enduring the agonizing scraping and squeezing of protrusions inside the crack, she forced herself through.
The moment she escaped the Tang Sect, she wanted to cry, but she knew she was still in danger. Only one thought remained utterly clear in her heart: Only by escaping to Shrek Academy and asking the academy for help can I take revenge and rebuild the Tang Sect. Tang Ya turned and, without hesitation, ran desperately into the depths of the darkness.
Meanwhile, inside the Tang Sect, the bodies of its members were being carried out one after another. After a count, nearly everyone in the Tang Sect had been exterminated. Only the sect master's young daughter, Tang Ya, was missing.
Tie Li turned his head coldly, his blade-like gaze pinning the disciple assigned to ambush and kill Tang Ya.
The disciple said in a panic, "Sect Master, I don't know where that little girl went either! When I rushed into her room, there was no one there!"
"Find her." Tie Li's face was dark, his tone chilling. "Find her for me. You must find that little girl and kill her."