Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Chapter 98: The Domain Unfolds, Brothers from All Corners of the Earth!

In Lu Ren's memory, Zhang Peng was a respected elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, a level 95 Super Douluo, and the owner of the Scorpion Tiger Martial Soul. In the original story, Zhang Peng did not dare to reappear until after Mu En's death. Before that, he strictly adhered to his promise to Mu En, never to appear in the world or harm a single person in his lifetime.

Therefore, according to the normal plot development, Zhang Peng shouldn't be here at this point.

Mu En is still alive, how dare Zhang Peng come out?

Was something wrong with the Holy Spirit Cult, or did my appearance change some predetermined course?

With this in mind, Lu Ren's gaze became even more cautious.

He scrutinized Zhang Peng closely, but he couldn't detect any murderous intent in the depths of those cloudy old eyes.

Although the other party released a powerful aura, it was more like a test, without any intention to kill.

If he had no intention to kill, then why was he following me for no reason?

Why would someone travel all the way from the Holy Spirit Cult to the Jingyang Mountains just to spy on him?

Are you just bored and have nothing better to do?

Despite judging that the other party was not hostile at the moment, Lu Ren kept his hands firmly in the position of preparing to form a hand seal.

Facing a level 95 Super Douluo, any moment of relaxation could become a fatal mistake.

"It's very simple. Senior was able to conceal his own aura, but he couldn't hide the changes in the surrounding environment."

Lu Ren's voice was not loud, but every word was clear and carried far in the silent, dense forest.

"You are not a wisp of air after all, and given your position, the airflow will be disturbed when the night wind blows past you."

"And your weight pressing on the tree trunk will cause the bark to deform in minute ways due to the force. In addition, although your breathing is very shallow, each breath will cause a slight change in the density of the surrounding air. These things are enough for me."

After saying this, Lu Ren seemed to be very confident.

Actually, he was just bragging.

Despite the mystical explanation, the real principle is simply that he sensed Zhang Peng's presence using his magical power.

Curse power is energy formed from negative emotions, and Zhang Peng's body contains a large amount of negative emotional energy.

In Lu Ren's perception, this negative energy was like a bonfire in the dark night; no matter how weak it was, it could not be completely hidden.

As for the airflow and tree bark deformation, those were just made up on the spot. Anyway, Zhang Peng didn't understand magic, so he just made up a few sentences and that was it.

Zhang Peng gazed at the boy under the tree. His aged face underwent several subtle changes in a short period of time.

The guy didn't feel any fear when he saw me; he even maintained a fighting stance.

This calmness that emanated from his very bones was unbelievable to Zhang Peng.

Could it be that he has a way to deal with me?

Zhang Peng was quickly calculating in his mind.

This thought made Zhang Peng's mood even more complicated, and his admiration for Lu Ren increased even more.

"Good lad." Zhang Peng's voice regained some of its composure, but his old eyes revealed undisguised admiration. "You are the first person to remain unfazed under my pressure."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ren, and said thoughtfully, "You have already entered the realm of oneness with heaven and man, haven't you? That's right, only by achieving oneness with heaven and man can one detect my presence from subtle differences in the environment."

Lu Ren did not answer the question. He lowered his hands, temporarily releasing the posture he was preparing to form hand seals. His movements were unhurried, as if he had decided to temporarily lower his guard after some assessment.

Then he asked, "You must be the renowned Scorpion Tiger Douluo, His Excellency Zhang Peng?"

Zhang Peng raised an eyebrow slightly: "You actually know my name? I'm embarrassed to admit it; my reputation isn't exactly good. What, are you scared?"

"No, not at all." Lu Ren's answer was surprisingly frank. He even let his hands hang naturally at his sides, relaxing his posture. "Because Your Majesty has never harmed anyone. In order to uphold your ideals, you would rather drink the blood of soul beasts to satisfy your cultivation needs than follow the evil nature of your martial soul to harm others."

"What do I have to be afraid of about someone like that?"

Zhang Peng was stunned.

As if a hundred-year-old, frozen defense line in his heart had been shattered by a thunderbolt, Zhang Peng's cloudy old eyes surged with extremely complex light, and the beard on his lips trembled slightly.

He wanted to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

Zhang Peng has carried too much burden in his life. When he was young, his martial soul needed to absorb blood to quickly improve his cultivation, and then he was indiscriminately labeled as an evil soul master.

Not to mention that he later encountered Mu En, and was inexplicably beaten up—almost killed as a real evil spirit master.

In the end, Zhang Peng still embraced the fate of joining the Holy Spirit Cult. Although he received protection, he also solidified his reputation as an evil spirit master in the eyes of others.

He had considered offering an explanation. But who would listen to the explanation of an evil spirit master?

Who would believe a bloodsucking Soul Master who claims he has never harmed anyone?

He spent his whole life trying to explain, but the more he tried, the worse it got, so he simply stopped trying.

He kept all his grievances to himself and never revealed them to outsiders, because he knew it would be useless to do so.

But this young man in front of him, whom he had only met for the first time today and had never seen in person before, Zhang Peng, spoke these words without the slightest hesitation, as if he had known him for a very long time and understood everything about him.

In fact, Zhang Peng was still able to tolerate this feeling, after all, he had endured it for almost a hundred years.

But people's psychological defenses can be instantly broken down when they receive comfort or hear some unintentional words.

The resentment, grievances, bitterness, and loneliness that Zhang Peng had accumulated over the years—emotions that had gnawed at his heart during countless secluded nights—were suddenly ripped apart by a stranger's simplest words.

Everyone called him an evil spirit master, and everyone looked at him with fear or disgust. Even his so-called colleagues in the Holy Spirit Cult were only polite to him because of his strength!

Until today, he met Lu Ren!

This was the first time in so many years that he had met someone outside of the Holy Spirit Church who could understand him.

Even if the other party is just a junior, a boy they've never met.

Even such a young child understands this principle, but those self-proclaimed righteous adults just can't comprehend it, and even beat him up as an evil spirit master!

Zhang Peng was so aggrieved that he had nothing to say.

Based solely on Lu Ren's words, Zhang Peng secretly made up his mind that no matter what happened in the future, he would definitely protect this young man!

Anyone who dares to bully him, Zhang Peng will fight them to the death!

Those emotions that had been sealed away for far too long surged within the cracks, almost overflowing from my eyes.

Zhang Peng's expression clearly changed; his lips trembled slightly, and his Adam's apple bobbed. After a long while, he finally composed himself and managed to squeeze out a few words: "Kid, what's your name?"

His voice was half an octave higher than before, and his tone carried a sense of joy after a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Senior, my name is Lu Ren."

Lu Ren cupped his hands in a fist salute and bowed slightly.

His words possessed an inexplicable affability, neither humble nor arrogant, neither overly obsequious nor lacking in respect.

It was just polite talk, but the way he said it made it sound especially pleasant.

"Lu Ren—Lu Ren."

Zhang Peng repeated the name twice, then suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"Great name!"

He stepped down from the branch, his figure leaving a blur in mid-air, and landed steadily in front of Lu Ren.

Then he raised his withered hand and patted Lu Ren's shoulder heavily.

"Little guy, the more I look at you, the more pleasing you become!" Zhang Peng smiled and patted him twice more, displaying the affectionate attitude of an elder towards his proud junior.

In a short while, the distance between the two quietly shifted from wariness and probing to a familiar rapport like that between friends of different ages.

Lu Ren secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Zhang Peng was a member of the Holy Spirit Church, he remained untainted by its corrupt practices and had indeed never harmed anyone; otherwise, he wouldn't have been spared by Mu En.

Next, Zhang Peng took the initiative to pull Lu Ren to sit by the campfire and chatted about everyday things.

Deep in the dense forest, far from the camp, were only the two of them. The firewood crackled, and the flames danced on their faces.

Zhang Peng poked at the campfire with a twig, then suddenly sighed, "When I'm alone, I'm too lazy to even start a fire, but I'm making an exception for you today."

He then started chatting with Lu Ren about everyday things, and the topic gradually shifted to Lu Ren's situation. Lu Ren didn't hide too much and gave a general account of his experiences.

Born an orphan with innate full soul power, he cultivated alone in the Star Dou Great Forest. He encountered Shrek Academy students bullying him, so he didn't have a good impression of Shrek Academy.

Later, in order to fight against Shrek Academy, they traveled all the way to the Sun Moon Empire.

Zhang Peng nodded repeatedly as he listened, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Upon hearing that "Shrek students are bullying others," he stabbed the branch in his hand into the fire, sending sparks flying.

"It's Shrek again! Those self-proclaimed righteous guys are nothing but wolves in sheep's clothing!"

Zhang Peng's face was full of anger.

"They did the same thing to me back then. I had never harmed anyone, yet they sided with the people who originally belonged to the Douluo Three Kingdoms, and forcibly branded me as an evil soul master! They even issued a warrant for my arrest throughout the entire continent, forcing me into a corner!"

His fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking.

"Shrek—Shrek Academy!"

Zhang Peng spat out the name through gritted teeth, his anger almost solidifying in his eyes.

"If I weren't lacking in strength, I would really like to overthrow their lousy academy and see how much of their justice is genuine."

How much of it is fake!

Lu Ren looked at him in silence.

He did indeed feel some sympathy for Zhang Peng's plight, even though he was now a member of the Holy Spirit Cult.

But hearing him say it with my own ears now, the frustration and anger he felt were unmistakable.

A person was labeled an evil spirit master because of his special martial soul, even though he hadn't done anything wrong. He was wanted by the entire continent and spent his whole life hiding. In the end, he couldn't even find a single person who would listen to his explanation.

This kind of experience would be unpleasant for anyone.

"What a pity," Zhang Peng suddenly sighed, his anger largely gone, replaced by a deep regret. "If only I had met you sooner."

"What do you mean?" Lu Ren asked at the opportune moment.

"If you had been born a few decades earlier, and were the same age as me, we would definitely have become best buddies!"

Zhang Peng laughed heartily, his laughter carrying a hint of boldness, but also a subtle sense of desolation.

"Let's conquer the continent together, drink and eat meat together, and accomplish some truly great things, or even fight against Shrek Academy! Hahahaha!"

He laughed heartily, but there seemed to be a hint of tears in the corners of his eyes.

Lu Ren looked at him like this, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly spoke up: "But I think it's not too late now."

"Would you mind, senior?"

Zhang Peng's laughter stopped. He turned his head, his cloudy old eyes staring straight at Lu Ren.

The firelight danced on his face, illuminating every wrinkle on his aged face clearly.

After a long while, he finally broke into a smile again, this time a smile that was deeper and more genuine than before.

"Mind? Why would I mind?"

Zhang Peng's voice carried a hint of emotion that he himself was unaware of.

"To be friends with a genius like you is an honor for me; how could I possibly mind?"

He reached out and punched Lu Ren hard on the shoulder, much harder than the previous pat, but still within the range of not causing injury: "Since that's the case, then I'll call you 'little brother' too! Hahaha, let me feel young again!"

Lu Ren's shoulder swayed from the punch, but a genuine smile appeared on his face.

It became.

Lu Renzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

Why do I feel like I can find brothers wherever I go?

First it was Ji Juechen, then Long Aotian, and now Zhang Peng has arrived.

It really is true that all men are brothers under heaven.

However, this feeling isn't bad at all; it's much better than going it alone. Maybe Zhang Peng can offer me some help in the future.

For example—a few months from now, after the competition, will I be able to safely leave the Star Luo Empire?

In the match a few months later, given Lu Ren's previous fighting strength, it's almost certain he'll win!

But even if we win, so what?

Will Shrek, who will be furious, really let him go so easily?

Therefore, for Lu Ren, the more helpers the better!

After catching up on everyday things, Zhang Peng finally steered the conversation to business.

"Young man, you might find it strange that I've come here." His tone softened, even carrying a hint of self-deprecating laughter, his words revealing a frankness. "I've come here simply to confirm one thing."

"What is it?"

"That's all, just confirming what your martial soul is."

Zhang Peng frankly stated that he had no intention of hiding anything.

"Regarding your information, the section on your Martial Soul has been deliberately omitted, which has attracted attention and led to my being sent to investigate you. However, you don't need to be nervous; I saw clearly the blood manipulation you used just now."

"Don't worry, I mean you no harm, and I won't—hmm? What's wrong with your complexion?"

Lu Ren's expression did indeed change, becoming very strange.

His facial muscles went through several expressions in a very short time, first a look of realization, then a look of astonishment, and finally a subtle expression that seemed to say, "So that's how it is."

The Holy Spirit Cult was indeed after the sacred attribute martial soul, just to confirm what their own martial soul was.

Moreover, judging from his words, the Holy Spirit Cult had already used its network to investigate his information, even finding out details such as the fact that his martial spirit information was hidden when he enrolled.

but----

Wait a moment.

What did he say again?

My martial soul information has been hidden?

Lu Ren suddenly understood the cause and effect, and felt somewhat ashamed.

Jing Hongchen and the others had absolutely no idea what their martial souls were!

All that was known was that he was a spirit-type soul master, but he himself couldn't explain what kind of martial soul he possessed at the time.

After all, he used the binding technique to replace the information about his martial soul.

Even after he learned from Electrolux about his brain-based martial soul, he did not proactively update the academy's records.

That's why the Martial Soul field is blank.

However, in the eyes of the Holy Spirit Cult, a super genius who was carefully cultivated by the Mingde Hall Master and defeated seventy-seven people on the first day of school deliberately concealed his martial soul information. What else could this be but a guilty conscience?

That's why the Holy Spirit Cult has become suspicious.

After all that fuss, it turned out that the mistake was on their side, and it even implicated the entire academy, leading the Holy Spirit Cult to suspect them of harboring a Holy Attribute Soul Master.

Lu Ren secretly memorized it.

Once we get back, the first thing we'll do is have Jing Hongchen register my martial soul information completely.

Since I have a spirit-type martial soul, and it's not something shameful, I can just make up a name for my martial soul to cover up this hole and completely dispel the Holy Spirit Cult's doubts, so they won't send people to test me every few days.

As for why he didn't honestly say that his martial soul was the brain—if he did, wouldn't he be labeled a member of the Body Sect by the people of the Sun Moon Empire?

After all, as long as it's a Body Martial Soul, it's assumed that the person belongs to the Body Sect.

"Your Majesty----"

Lu Ren had just opened his mouth when Zhang Peng raised his hand to interrupt him. A hint of impatience appeared on his old face: "Alright, alright, you don't need to call me Your Majesty. I'm not the kind of person who likes formalities. I've already called you little brother, so you can just call me Brother Peng."

Zhang Peng's move was crucial for Lu Ren.

After all, she would now have someone influential within the Holy Spirit Cult, and could even use Zhang Peng's power to deal with other evil spirit masters. If she could also rely on Zhang Peng to infiltrate the upper echelons of the Holy Spirit Cult, it would greatly benefit her future actions.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Lu Ren agreed.

Looking at Lu Ren's self-glow, Zhang Peng became more serious and curious: "Then—I'd like to ask you, young brother, how exactly do you manage to convert your soul power into blood?"

"Young brother, you must have heard of my legend. My martial spirit needs to absorb blood to cultivate. If you can understand the principle behind your transformation, perhaps—it will also inspire my cultivation."

"oh."

After hearing Zhang Peng explain things to this point, Lu Ren suddenly realized what was going on.

He wanted to know if he could absorb the converted blood, since Zhang Peng's Scorpion Tiger Martial Soul relied on blood-sucking cultivation, while he could convert soul power into blood out of thin air.

If this blood could be absorbed, it would be equivalent to Zhang Peng having an inexhaustible blood bank.

After understanding Zhang Peng's intention, Lu Ren spread out his command palm and activated his soul power.

The Crimson Blood Manipulation Technique was activated, and the soul power in the palm of the hand transformed into bright red blood at a visible speed.

The blood rippled slightly in his palm, glowing red in the moonlight and emitting a very faint smell of rust.

"I know what you mean, but unfortunately, you can't absorb the blood I transform."

Zhang Peng frowned, clearly quite dissatisfied with what Lu Ren said.

He concluded that the other person was looking down on him: "How do you know I can't absorb it? I've dealt with blood my whole life, what kind of blood haven't I absorbed? I've tasted the blood of all kinds of soul beasts—even the blood of a 100,000-year-old soul beast. What difference could your blood, converted from soul power, possibly have from ordinary blood?"

"I can't explain it clearly, and I can't explain it in a short time." Lu Ren stretched out his hand. "Brother Peng, if you don't believe me, you can try it. If you feel any discomfort, just stop immediately."

"Okay." Zhang Peng took a step forward and dipped his withered finger into the pool of blood in Lu Ren's palm.

He was always cautious in his actions, and even when facing a mere level 50 Soul King, he did not overestimate himself.

This is the secret to his survival through countless life-or-death crises.

He brought his fingertips close to his nose and closed his eyes.

The drop of blood on his fingertip seemed magnified countless times in his perception, and then he began to slowly absorb the blood from Lu Ren's palm into his body.

In the next second, his whole body began to tremble violently.

The soul power within his body issued a frantic warning the moment the blood entered his body, as if thousands of needles were simultaneously piercing his meridians.

An unprecedented burning sensation exploded from the inner wall of the blood vessels, flowing through the bloodstream to the limbs and bones.

The Scorpion Tiger Martial Soul instinctively roared—

This, this is—

poisonous!

Lu Ren's blood was poisonous!

Moreover, this is not an ordinary poison; it is a deadly poison that would make even a super Douluo-level evil soul master like him feel terrified!

Zhang Peng's expression changed drastically. He decisively cut off the absorption of blood and forced that tiny drop of blood out of his body.

He suddenly opened his eyes and mobilized all his soul power to eliminate the remaining toxins in his body.

The illusory image of the scorpion tiger loomed behind him, emitting a low roar.

Fortunately, the drop of blood was extremely small, and although the toxin was potent, the amount was not enough to be fatal. Under his full suppression, it was gradually forced back.

"Brother Peng, if you don't mind, I'll help you detoxify."

As Lu Ren spoke, he raised the order to place it on Zhang Peng.

But his expression seemed hesitant, as if he were undergoing an internal struggle.

"Should we take this opportunity to cripple Zhang Peng using a reversal technique?"

Lu Ren thought to himself, if he wanted to kill Zhang Peng, now was the best opportunity, and he didn't even need to use the Rotten Leaf Bone Robe.

At this moment, in Lu Ren's mind, Zhang Peng was undoubtedly a super-sized experience point. If he killed him, his and Ye Guyi's cultivation levels would increase wildly.

That's quite a temptation.

Even though he harbored the intention of befriending Zhang Peng, a surge of greed still uncontrollably rose in Lu Ren's heart.

Until Lu Ren had already placed the order on Zhang Peng's shoulder.

"Please help me detoxify, young brother." Zhang Peng chuckled and actually removed the protective soul power that had been festering around his body, allowing Lu Ren to do as he pleased.

"I never expected your skills to be so formidable. No wonder you caught the eye of Hall Master Jing. Not bad!"

Lu Ren smiled and began to activate the reversal technique, but he did not choose to cripple Zhang Peng. Instead, he controlled the positive energy, simply wiped away the toxins in his blood, and then took back the book.

In the end, he did not issue the order to kill.

"If we kill Zhang Peng like this, the Holy Spirit Cult will really start to doubt us—" At this moment, Lu Ren was so frightened that he was covered in cold sweat and almost died because of his own greed!

You have to understand, Zhang Peng's current mission is to figure out what his martial soul is. If he dies here like this, the next one to come won't be Zhang Peng, but Ye Xishui!

>