Inside the imperial palace of the Heaven Dou Empire, within the crown prince's private chamber—
A tall, powerfully built man lounged lazily on a massive bed, his gaze resting on the voluptuous blonde beside him. He asked softly, "Xue'er, are you sure this kind of thing can help you pass the Angel God's trial? It just sounds… kind of off to me."
A blush crept across Qian Renxue's proud, holy face, softening it with a rare shyness. She murmured, "It's true. I only have one last inherited soul bone left to absorb. As long as you help me complete the trial of emotion and desire, I'll be able to ascend to the Angel God's throne soon."
Yu Tianming scratched his head, a strange look flashing across his face. "Who came up with this Angel God trial? This is just… absurd."
At his words, Qian Renxue silently pulled the blanket over her head and turned away, golden hair falling in waves over her shoulders.
Yu Tianming chuckled and pulled her back into his arms. "Xue'er, the Haotian Clan outside Heaven Dou City has been wiped out—none survived. It's time to announce the Heaven Dou Empire's submission to Spirit Hall. After that, you can fully focus on preparing for your godhood."
Qian Renxue peeked out from beneath the blanket and replied softly, "The four lesser clans under the Star Luo Empire, along with other major sects, have already pledged loyalty to Spirit Hall. The royal family of Star Luo holds little real power. Once the Heaven Dou Empire becomes the Spirit Empire, unifying the continent won't be far off. I just don't know how to convince that woman to willingly relinquish the papal throne."
Having absorbed the Yearning Heartbroken Red and the Star Luo Soul Pearl, Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Spirit was already showing signs of evolution. Once the Spirit Empire was founded, she fully intended to rule it herself, collecting the continent's faith to fuel her spirit's growth. But because of her relationship with Bibi Dong—and the Angel Spirit's natural moral compass—she was hesitant to forcibly depose her mother.
"Don't worry. Bibi Dong's twisted nature came not only from her experiences, but also from the influence of the Rakshasa God. But times have changed. The Rakshasa God no longer favors her like before. As long as you bring it up, she'll willingly step down."
"Tianming… do you think the Rakshasa God lost interest in her because of you?"
"Maybe."
——————————————
Guided by Tang San's soul, Xiao Wu traveled far and finally arrived at the ruins of Shrek Academy outside Nuoding City, in the Hagen Das Kingdom.
After the Spirit Master Tournament, most of Shrek's teachers had joined the Blue Tyrant Academy. As the villagers had resettled, the academy's old site was left abandoned. Wind and rain had eroded the buildings, and the once-lively campus had become a wilderness overgrown with tall weeds. Only a faint footpath, carved by hand, suggested recent human activity.
Staring at the decaying wooden walls and leaky straw roofs, Xiao Wu murmured, "I can't believe it's only been a few years… Shrek Academy is in ruins. San-ge, are you sure what you need is really here? The buildings are falling apart—surely the books have been destroyed by now?"
From the spiritual space, Tang San's soul replied firmly, "Don't worry. The books I left here weren't especially valuable, so Teacher didn't take them. But they're rare, unique volumes not available on the market. They were sealed in a chest—they should've survived."
As Yu Xiaogang's only true disciple, Tang San understood him better than even Yu Yuanzhen or Liu Erlong. After leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, Yu Xiaogang had brought many precious books with him. The ones unrelated to martial spirits had been left behind at Shrek when he gifted Tang San with the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges. These included vital books on souls—exactly what Tang San needed.
Xiao Wu followed the hand-hewn path to a cluster of small wooden cabins that once served as dormitories. Oddly enough, the boys' dormitory was remarkably clean, and the teacher and girls' dorms had clearly been swept.
"San-ge, someone's been living here. Maybe villagers came back? Would those books still be intact?"
"Shrek was founded over a decade ago. Any villagers have long moved on. It's probably just a vagrant. Let's check—it's all we can do. Hopefully, they didn't touch the books Teacher hid."
Seeing the place, Tang San's soul tensed. Ever since sacrificing himself to Xiao Wu, his physical body—though preserved with ice in her storage ring—had slowly begun decaying. The tenuous connection between his soul and body was fading. His only hope for resurrection lay in those hidden books. If they were gone… he might be trapped in Xiao Wu's spiritual space forever.
Inside Yu Xiaogang's old room, all furniture was gone—just four bare walls and a floor of green bricks.
Xiao Wu tiptoed to knock on the floor and asked mentally, "San-ge, are the books under the floor? Like the storytellers always say?"
Tang San was silent for a long while. Only after Xiao Wu asked repeatedly did he reply in despair, "The books were in a wooden chest under the bed. But the bed is gone. If the chest was moved, the books are probably gone too. I… I might have to stay in your spiritual space forever now."
Xiao Wu gently bit her lip. "San-ge, if you've lost your body… it just means we'll always be together now. Whatever you want to do—eat, play, anything—just say the word. I'll make it happen."
Her comforting words only deepened the silence from within.
Evening painted the sky in fiery orange, and the wind carried a gentle coolness. In the overgrown weeds of Shrek's ruins, the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs echoed, lending the scene the serenity of a countryside cottage.
"Xiao Wu? Is that you?" a familiar voice called out from behind.
A tall, chubby man appeared, his mohawk swaying in the evening breeze. Though he'd grown into a full adult, that red crest was unmistakable—Ma Hongjun.
Xiao Wu stepped forward excitedly. "Fatty! What are you doing here? I thought this place was deserted."
"It is deserted. After wandering the continent for a few years, I came back to find the place falling apart. I just finished fixing these cabins. Wait—Xiao Wu, didn't you die five years ago? How are you here?"
Taking a few startled steps back, Ma Hongjun stared at her with shock.
Xiao Wu sighed and explained again. "I did sacrifice myself to Rongrong… but Yu Tianming has reached godhood. He revived me not long ago. I'm fully human now."
"Yu Tianming, huh? If it's him, becoming a god isn't surprising. Congrats on your revival, Xiao Wu." Ma Hongjun's small eyes sparkled. Though he fancied himself a Phoenix Spirit genius, he had always seen Yu Tianming as the true prodigy.
Xiao Wu crossed her arms proudly. "Fatty, I didn't just revive. I'm a Soul Saint now. I'll protect you from now on!"
"You're a Soul Saint?! That's the same level as Dean Flender!" Ma Hongjun's eyes nearly popped out. After braving Slaughter City, he was proud to have become a Soul King in months—but Xiao Wu's mere revival had jumped her straight to Soul Saint? Outrageous!
Taking a deep breath, he smiled and led the way. "You don't have a place to stay, right? Why not crash here with me tonight?"
"Sure!" Xiao Wu bounded after him cheerfully.
But inside the spiritual space, Tang San's expression twisted with fury. 'Ma Hongjun… you filthy bastard. I helped you through Slaughter City, guided your every step… and when I was unconscious, you did that to me. You have earned your death!'
Despite his rage, Tang San didn't dare say anything to Xiao Wu. After all, Ma Hongjun was a former teammate. And how could he ever tell her what had happened while he was out cold? If he wanted to survive in her spiritual space for the rest of his existence… this secret had to stay buried.
Following Ma Hongjun to the dormitory, Xiao Wu plopped herself onto a wooden chest and stretched. "Fatty, Xiao Wu-jie's starving. What're you gonna feed me to celebrate our reunion?"
Ma Hongjun chuckled and pulled out half a plum-blossom deer from his storage ring. "Roast venison tonight! It's a real tonic. Watch the master at work."
He sparked a small fire and began preparing the meat with various spices.
Just then, Tang San noticed something. "Xiao Wu! That's the very chest Teacher used for storing books! Quick—check inside! And don't let Fatty find out about me!"
Xiao Wu immediately stood and opened the chest—only to find it completely empty.
Even before Tang San could urge her, she asked Ma Hongjun, "Fatty, this was where Teacher stored his books. What happened to them?"
Still skewering the venison, Ma Hongjun laughed. "They were in there, yeah. But two months ago, when I got back, this place was falling apart. I used furniture from the other rooms to fix things up."
"As for the books? They had nothing to do with martial spirits, so I figured Teacher didn't need them anymore. I burned them all as firewood."
"What?! You have a fire attribute spirit, why use the books?!"
"Xiao Wu-jie, there wasn't a single chair here. I wanted to use the chest as a stool. It was too heavy with all those books."
Xiao Wu gave up arguing and returned to the spiritual space to comfort the devastated Tang San. "San-ge, don't be sad. Even if the books are gone, at least we're still together."
But Tang San didn't respond. He just squatted on the ground, muttering like a broken man. 'Ma Hongjun… you've earned your death. You've earned your death!!'
Back in the real world, Ma Hongjun called out, "Xiao Wu-jie, what's wrong? Were those books important to you?"
Xiao Wu sighed. "One of them was… it had information about souls. It might've helped me."
"Huh. Actually… I remember that one," Ma Hongjun said, scratching his head. "The cover had a half-naked mermaid on it. Title was The Sea Enchantress's Soul Guide. I remember 'cause it stood out. I heard the Sea Enchantress lives on Sea God Island—where chosen ones can gain divine inheritance. I've been wanting to explore the exotic sea tribes anyway. Xiao Wu-jie, wanna come with me?"
(End of Chapter)
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