Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

hypocritical?

Only Dugu Bo, Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, Ning Fengzhi, and Jian Gu knew about Tang San's plans to travel. Therefore, even Ning Fengzhi himself subconsciously began to recall whether he had done anything to wrong Tang San.

"Still trying to pretend you don't know?" Tang San roared. "Back then, you all knew Xiao Yan's true strength, right?!"

As Tang San roared, a wind carrying a strong smell of blood swept across the land that had long been corrupted by demonic energy. However, unlike the naturally occurring winds of the past, this wind contained an extremely strong demonic energy.

"So?" After casting a burst of Yuan energy to protect the elemental barrier from the demonic energy contained in the wind, Zhu Zhuqing asked, "You and he didn't get along back then. Are you implying that he didn't save your father?"

"Oh, no, not at all."

After noticing that the demonic energy contained in the wind was blocked by the Yuan power unleashed by Zhu Zhuqing, Tang San did not show any expression. However, the demonic energy contained in the wind gradually faded away, but the gale he had stirred up did not subside.

“I just suddenly realized that the gap between him and me… seems to have gradually widened after he returned from the Star Luo Empire,” Tang San suddenly smiled. “And before I left, I overheard your conversation. You, Zhu Zhuqing, were you planning to return to the Star Luo Empire before fully joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, weren’t you?”

"So, you followed me? After I entered the Yin-Yang Pool, you came into contact with the Ghost King and became its avatar?!"

In that instant, Zhu Zhuqing understood everything, but there was still one thing she couldn't understand at all—

“Since taking the inheritance won’t affect the seal…” Zhu Zhuqing stared intently at Tang San, completely ignoring the raging winds around them, “How did you break the seal?”

Yes, if taking away the Dark Sacred Tiger's inheritance doesn't actually affect the seal, then how did Tang San, who hadn't even reached the level of a Soul King at the time, manage to break the seal?

Recalling the completely shattered seal she saw in the Star Luo Empire's imperial city after the Ghost King left, Zhu Zhuqing stared intently at Tang San, who had a strange smile on his face.

Chapter 404 Fragments of the Past (Part 1)

Tang San, who wanted to sell hidden weapons to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, saw Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Fengzhi and others opposite her in the training ground of Shrek Academy. However, before he could greet her, he read what Zhu Zhuqing was saying from her lip movements—

I want to go to the capital of the Star Luo Empire first.

"Tang San? What brings you here?"

Before he could even think, Ning Fengzhi turned his head at Dugu Bo's prompting and saw Tang San standing at the edge of the training ground looking this way, and his feet hovering in mid-air.

"I...I came to see the dean, is he not here?"

Before his brain could process it, Tang San unconsciously uttered those words. At that moment, he suddenly realized that his reaction was exactly the same as when he was discovered by an inner sect elder during his previous life's exploration of the route.

"Flanders? He's been invited to the palace by the Emperor. If you have something to do, you might have to come later."

Despite knowing that Tang San was Tang Hao's disciple and that the Clear Sky Sect was the target of the Spirit Hall, Ning Fengzhi did not reveal any flaws. After all, according to Qian Daoliu, he only needed to wait for Xue Qinghe to become emperor.

"If he's not here, then forget it," Tang San smiled. "I was thinking of saying goodbye to the Dean before traveling the continent... If he's not here, then forget it." With that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

"Traveling across the continent? Have you decided on your first stop?" Gu Rong smiled amiably. If it weren't for his somewhat frightening appearance, he might really look like a kind old man.

"The first stop? Probably..." As if he was completely unprepared for Gu Rong and the others, Tang San thought for a moment, "I guess I'll go home first?"

"Go home? To the Haotian Sect?" Ning Fengzhi asked, just like a kind elder who cares about a relative's child.

"The Clear Sky Sect?" Upon hearing these three words, Tang San gave a helpless bitter smile. "My father has never mentioned this to me... In fact, the name Clear Sky Hammer was only given to me by Senior Titan. I think if it weren't for that accident, I probably wouldn't have known the name of my second spirit until my father was captured by the Spirit Hall."

Hearing Tang San's heartfelt words, Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly. He could tell that there was no falsehood in Tang San's words.

"I just didn't tell you the name Haotian," Dugu Bo sneered. "When Shrek Academy came to Tiandou City, Tang Hao stayed by your side the whole time."

Upon hearing this, Tang San suddenly thought of the blue-gold soul bone that Yu Xiaogang had given him back then—a 100,000-year soul bone.

"...So, I'm planning to go back to Holy Soul Village," Tang San continued after a moment of silence. "When we were little, Grandpa Jack and the others took good care of our family, and I want to see them before I travel the continent."

In the southwestern part of the Heaven Dou Empire, in the province of Fasno, in Notting City, in Holy Soul Village, Tang San revealed the exact location of his "first stop" without any hesitation.

"Do you need your uncle to arrange a carriage for you?"

"No need. Since we're traveling the continent, we should take it one step at a time. I'll be going now."

After politely declining Ning Fengzhi's offer, Tang San left the training ground with a smile. This smile remained until he left Shrek Academy and Heaven Dou City, and only after he was sure that no one was following him did he slowly let it go.

"The Star Luo Empire...?" Tang San murmured, recalling what he had "heard" earlier.

When Tang San first met Xiao Yan, he knew that Xiao Yan was very strong, even far surpassing him when he didn't use hidden weapons. But that was all. Even though he was still crushed by Xiao Yan after using hidden weapons, Tang San did not change his mind.

It wasn't until Xiao Yan reappeared more than a month later that Tang San realized his advantage over Xiao Yan was diminishing. When Xiao Yan and Lin Dong competed in the Soul Master Tournament, Tang San became even more certain that if he couldn't reproduce the most powerful hidden weapons from the Xuan Tian Treasure Record, he would definitely not be Xiao Yan's match.

The gap had widened so much in just over a month that Tang San couldn't help but suspect that Xiao Yan had encountered something extraordinary during that month, and that Xiao Yan must have visited certain places during that month...

"It's also the Star Luo Empire." A wild smile appeared on Tang San's face. He still remembered what Xiao Yan had said that night—"I went to the capital of the Star Luo Empire a while ago."

"This time, Zhu Zhuqing is also heading to the capital of the Star Luo Empire," Tang San said, moving quickly after confirming the direction. "That means there are still remnants of the 'fortuitous encounter' that helped Xiao Yan increase his power countless times in a month, and... there's still enough for at least one person to use!"

In order not to leave any clues for Ning Fengzhi, Tang San refused the carriage arranged by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, but Zhu Zhuqing could not refuse. In other words, if he wanted to arrive at the Star Luo Empire before Zhu Zhuqing, he had to travel at full speed without stopping.

"Should we assign someone to keep an eye on Tang San?"

After Zhu Zhuqing left Shrek Academy, Ning Fengzhi, who was walking towards the dean's office, looked at Dugu Bo and asked.

“There’s no need. Even if a guy with twin martial souls isn’t a Soul King, he can’t cause any big trouble,” Dugu Bo yawned. “The Spirit Hall will make its move against the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in five years at most. Even if he becomes a Fallen One and a Title Douluo in those five years, it will just be another Title Douluo’s corpse in five years.”

“That’s true.” Ning Fengzhi, who was completely on the side of the Spirit Hall, nodded.

*

"You actually knew to come back?"

Under the cover of night, the moment Zhu Zhuqing stepped into the Zhu family mansion, she heard a familiar voice. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw the current Grand Duke of Youming, who was also her father, Zhu Guohu.

“...Father.” After a brief silence, Zhu Zhuqing said softly.

"What are you looking for?" After discovering that only Zhu Zhuqing had returned, Zhu Guohu sighed and asked, "The collection of books? Or the soul bone? Or perhaps a self-created soul skill passed down from your ancestors?"

With a wave of his hand, the lights in the courtyard came on. Seeing that Zhu Zhuqing didn't seem to intend to give an answer directly, Zhu Guohu casually sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, picked up the wine pot on the stone table, and poured himself a cup of wine.

"Yin-Yang Pool".

After a long pause, as if she had received a definite answer, Zhu Zhuqing softly uttered three words.

click!

The sound of shattering ceramics came from Zhu Guohu's palm, followed by Zhu Zhuqing hearing Zhu Guohu's incredulous voice, "The thief who broke into the palace a couple of days ago... was that you?!"

Seeing the incredulous expression on Zhu Guohu's face, Zhu Zhuqing was slightly puzzled. "The palace? No, I just came back today... I came in with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's caravan."

Seeing that the first half of the sentence had not dispelled Zhu Guohu's doubts, Zhu Zhuqing hesitated for a moment before giving a precise explanation.

"You've joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?"

Although he didn't go to Wuhun City to witness the final of this Soul Master Competition, Zhu Guohu still knew that Shrek Academy, an unknown academy, had won the championship. He also knew that the team had the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Therefore, when he asked this question, he slowly put away his doubts.

"Mm." Zhu Zhuqing nodded gently.

“Let’s wait until things calm down before we go,” Zhu Guohu said softly after a moment of silence. “Recently, there have been signs that the palace has been ransacked in many places. Going there now would just be taking the blame for someone else.”

After a brief moment of surprise, Zhu Zhuqing nodded.

*

"It's here?"

Watching Zhu Zhuqing's figure gradually disappear into the distance, and feeling the strange aura that had not yet dissipated in the pool, Tang San was filled with disbelief. He had arrived half a month earlier than Zhu Zhuqing, and in those half a month, he had searched almost the entire capital of the Star Luo Empire, and even visited the imperial palace several times, but he had found nothing.

After Zhu Zhuqing arrived in Xingluo City, he kept a close eye on her movements. Then, more than a month later, after all the rumors about her had disappeared, he followed in Zhu Zhuqing's footsteps and came to the Xingluo Empire's palace once again.

After determining Zhu Zhuqing's destination, Tang San planned to knock her unconscious and use this treasure land alone. However, before he could make a move, Zhu Zhuqing was sucked into the pool by a sudden flash of light, and he had no choice but to flee out of the palace. The flash of light attracted the powerful guards in the palace. Although more than a month had passed, there were still several Soul Saints present.

When he finally shook off those Soul Saints and returned to the palace, he only saw Zhu Zhuqing's receding figure.

"Let's see if there are any remnants..." Sensing the aura of the Soul Saint appearing outside the palace, Tang San gritted his teeth and jumped into the shallow pool.

*

"You...can make me the strongest?"

Just as Tang San was feeling utterly hopeless and about to leave the pool to hunt down Zhu Zhuqing, a weak voice suddenly rang in his mind. Although the voice was extremely weak, Tang San still clearly heard the two words: "Strongest".

"Y-yes..." the weak voice still broke off, "Relax your mind..."

There was no follow-up, as if something was blocking all the words from being spoken, but Tang San still clearly understood what the voice wanted to say.

"Release the protection of your mental energy... is that right?"

There was no answer, but Tang San had already confirmed his thoughts and unhesitatingly released the protection of his mental energy.

*

"What's your name?" Tang San asked coldly, sensing the strange humanoid figure within his spiritual world.

“You can call me… Ghost King,” the twisted, strange humanoid figure revealed a pair of eyes and a mouth, which displayed a bizarre smile, “The one who will save you, and the one who will save this world… Ghost King!”

"Ha, save the world?" Tang San scoffed. "What's so great about saving this rotten world?"

“You’re right,” a fragment of the Ghost King’s soul resided within Tang San’s sea of ​​consciousness, so it naturally wouldn’t refute what Tang San said. “Speaking of which, you want to become the strongest… is that right?”

"That's right, the strongest! The strongest who can completely destroy this world!"

For Tang San, there was no reason for the world to exist if it destroyed his father, the only person in the world who was good to him. As for Yu Xiaogang... if it weren't for this good-for-nothing, how could Xiao Yan have comprehended the so-called self-spirit fusion technique?

"Destroy the world?" the Ghost King chuckled. "Even destroy your own family?"

"That's right, even my own family!" In Tang San's view, the so-called Clear Sky Sect, the so-called number one sect in the world, was nothing but bullshit. If it were truly the number one sect in the world, why would it fear the mere Spirit Hall? Why would it expel the strongest Clear Sky Douluo in history, his father Tang Hao, from the sect because of the so-called Spirit Hall?

"Good, that's ambitious!" The Ghost King could no longer contain his smile. "Now, you have two choices. First, wait here for a hundred years. After a hundred years, I will be able to break free..."

"I choose the other one!" Without the slightest hesitation, Tang San interrupted the Ghost King.

Chapter 405 Fragments of the Past (Part 2)

"Are you sure you want to choose the other one?" Like a benevolent person, the Ghost King advised, "You're going a bit too far right now. Destroying the world is just talk, isn't it? You need to think about your loved ones; they're still alive in this world!"

For a fleeting moment, the Ghost King even doubted whether its mental power was far stronger than before it was sealed. After all, it had only slightly manipulated the host, yet even this slight manipulation had given rise to the thought of destroying the world within him, and this thought was growing ever more profound, as if it were completely etched into his mind. This was simply—

'Fantastic! This is the perfect clone!'

If such people existed on the Tianxuan Continent, and there were many of them, they would have already completely conquered the Tianxuan Continent and devoured the embryo of that plane. It would have been impossible for it to be destroyed...

After considering that person's strength, the Ghost King slowly withdrew its disrespectful thoughts. Although its race was destined to be at odds with the Three Thousand Worlds, a powerhouse comparable to the Demon Emperor was not someone an ant like it could presume to criticize. Now, it was only a matter of time before it could take over this plane. If it were to be found by the river of time for criticizing such a powerful being, then everything would have been wasted!

"Relatives? I don't have any relatives."

As the Ghost King gloated, Tang San said with a twisted expression, "My last remaining family member is dead! Killed by those indifferent people!"

Even though the Clear Sky Sect had no idea what happened in the Soul Master Competition or the finals, Tang San still unhesitatingly blamed Tang Hao's death on everyone in the Clear Sky Sect.

"I see..."