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Tang Yuehua added, "Don't forget, only those who survive until the end are truly the strongest."
"In the generation of Brother Xiao and Brother Hao, there were countless genius powerhouses. But today, aside from Brother Xiao and Brother Hao, have you heard of anyone else?"
Yu Xiaogang understood her meaning and continued to counsel Tang San, "Xiao San, Ning Tianchen's brilliance on the continent is undoubtedly buying you precious time for cultivation."
"He did defeat Huyan Zhen and suppress the Holy Dragon Sect—but so what?"
"It's easy to fool the King of Hell, but hard to deal with the little ghosts. These two sects will retaliate in secret—how will Ning Tianchen fend them off?"
Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against!
When everyone on the continent focuses their attention on Ning Tianchen, they—the Shrek Five Monsters—can catch their breath and rapidly grow stronger during this period.
Yu Tianxin, the eldest among the Shrek Five Monsters, understood Yu Xiaogang's point and quickly calmed down.
"Do not rejoice over external gains or grieve over personal setbacks. We just need to focus on ourselves. Time will prove to the world who the top powerhouses of the future will be."
After learning that Tang Xiao and the others planned to place Dai Mubai on the throne, Dai Mubai found a new goal to strive for, and his mindset shifted greatly.
He quickly calmed himself and advised Tang San, "Xiao San, everyone is right. Right now, we're in the shadows and aren't drawing attention. We must remain silent until the moment we can make a stunning impact!"
"Don't forget, the Shrek Five Monsters are one unit—we all work together."
"Everyone…" Tang San murmured softly, gradually calming down. He took several deep breaths and bumped fists with the group.
Seeing this, Tang Xiao smiled and said, "Good. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Great Star Dou Forest to hunt for souls. Afterward, you won't need to return to the Tang Sect—I'll send you to Hanhai City in the Tian Dou Empire, where you can set off directly."
"By the way, Mubai, your strength has just reached level fifty-nine—you're still some distance from sixty. On the road, I hope you'll train diligently and break through to level sixty as soon as possible. Don't hold the team back."
Dai Mubai patted his chest earnestly and said, "Don't worry, I'll do my best."
Tang San turned his gaze toward the window, silently vowing in his heart, "Ning Tianchen, there will eventually be a battle between us. I hope you don't get killed by someone else before then. I will defeat you honorably and repay the humiliation you've caused me tenfold!"
"Alright, children, hurry and pack your things. This journey will be long, and who knows when you'll return." Yu Xiaogang urged them, feeling a wave of emotion.
Liu Erlong chuckled, "Perhaps by the time the kids return, their strength will surpass mine. I'm looking forward to the day they become true powerhouses."
"Aunt Erlong, rest assured. We'll train hard. In the future, we'll rebuild the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!" Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng declared earnestly.
Tang Xiao couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The current situation of the Hao Tian Sect was far worse than that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng were determined to rebuild their clan, while Tang San had founded the Tang Sect. Even if they managed to destroy the Spirit Hall in the future, he and Tang Yuehua wouldn't be able to rebuild the Hao Tian Sect.
But soon, he came to terms with it.
As long as the Hao Tian Hammer martial spirit remained, the Hao Tian Sect wouldn't disappear—it would continue to exist on the continent in another form.
The road to the Great Star Dou Forest wouldn't be easy for them.
The two empires had amassed a million troops at the border, ready to go to war at any moment.
The Great Star Dou Forest extended deep into the heartland of the Tian Dou Empire, with parts bordering the Star Luo Empire.
With tensions high at the border, crossing into the Great Star Dou Forest would be no simple task.
Moreover, the Tian Dou Empire would undoubtedly tighten its defenses around the Great Star Dou Forest to prevent the Star Luo Empire's forces from penetrating its core territory.
They were wanted fugitives of the Tian Dou Empire—if discovered, a fierce battle would be unavoidable.
Thus, the journey ahead held countless potential dangers for them.
---
Meanwhile, inside the Great Star Dou Forest.
After much difficulty, Feng Xiaotian and his group finally arrived at the butterfly forest that Yu Die had mentioned.
The butterfly forest was a small, isolated woodland within the Great Star Dou Forest, teeming with butterfly-type spirit beasts.
Feng Xiaotian stroked his chin and said, "Your martial spirits are quite peculiar—they seem to require the power of the spirit beast world to evolve. It feels vaguely familiar."
Previously, during the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's academic exchange conference, Qin Tian, the principal of the Spirit Hall Academy, had privately discussed how Tang San's martial spirit could evolve.
This information wasn't made public but was compiled by Ke Jie and gifted to the three affiliated families of Feng, Shui, and Huo at the time.
Feng Xiaotian had seen this theory but couldn't recall it at the moment.
Yu Die and Cai Die waved to the group and then walked under the shade of a tree.
Yu Die spoke first, "You've always been curious about our mother's situation, haven't you?"
Years ago, Zhang Erhe had taken refuge in the Great Star Dou Forest to evade pursuit and unexpectedly encountered their mother.
The couple lived in the Great Star Dou Forest for a long time until the Star Luo Empire eased its pursuit of Zhang Erhe. They then left the forest and moved to the Tian Dou Empire to start a new life.
However, their happiness was short-lived. Not long after the birth of the Yu Die sisters, their mother broke through to level seventy and decided to head to the butterfly forest to complete her breakthrough.
Before leaving, she mentioned details about the butterfly forest and the evolution of her martial spirit.
However, after entering the Great Star Dou Forest alone, she vanished without a trace.
Zhang Erhe had searched the forest multiple times but never found her.
Later, while searching for their mother, Zhang Erhe was targeted by old enemies and had to go into hiding with the sisters. They never had the chance to search for their mother again.
Feng Xiaotian suddenly recalled the theory and couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that your mother was a transformed spirit beast?"
Yu Die was startled and denied it firmly, "Impossible. My parents once met the king of the Balak Kingdom. If my mother were a transformed spirit beast, she would have been recognized."
"However, Father rarely talks about Mother. I remember him casually mentioning once that Mother had hidden in the Great Star Dou Forest to escape her pursuers."
"We don't know the specifics—we'll have to ask Father when we return."
Feng Xiaotian realized his words might have been offensive and quickly changed the subject, "By the way, didn't Elder Zhang use the sect's resources to search for your mother when he was still in the sect?"
Thinking carefully, he realized he had never heard Zhang Erhe mention such a past.
Cai Die shook her head and explained, "Father mentioned this to the sect leader, who sent Elder Bai He to search. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and it was in the Great Star Dou Forest. Any traces Mother left behind had long been covered by the activities of spirit beasts."
The group exchanged glances and tacitly agreed not to bring up the topic again.
Changing the subject, Oscar smiled and said, "Since we're here, let's first help you evolve your martial spirits. There are only low-year spirit beasts here, so there shouldn't be any danger."
"And we can enjoy the scenery while we're at it."
Yu Die nodded but then expressed her helplessness, "Mother revealed very little information back then. To be honest, we don't even know how to evolve our martial spirits."
"This…" Oscar hesitated.
The butterfly forest was vast, and searching aimlessly could take years.
Chen Huayu shrugged and reminded them, "Our fourth trial has only a one-year time limit, and we still don't know the identities of our collaborators."
After pondering for a moment, Feng Xiaotian said, "There's no rush for now."
"Yu Die and Cai Die are our companions. The first three trials required teamwork to complete, and I believe the subsequent trials will also treat us as a single unit."
"Therefore, we cannot abandon anyone."
The butterfly forest was beautiful, and as they searched for ways to evolve Yu Die and Cai Die's martial spirits, the group's mood improved significantly.
---
A few days later, Feng Xiaotian discovered something beneath a bush and hurriedly called everyone over.
"There's trash left behind by human activity here!"
As he spoke, his hand transformed into a blade, cutting down the bush to reveal the garbage below—a long-broken water flask.
Feng Xiaotian wasn't very familiar with the butterfly forest and looked at Yu Die, asking, "This trash has been here for a long time. Was it something your mother used?"
The sisters examined it closely and uncertainly replied, "We don't know. We were very young when Mother left, and we've forgotten many things."
Feng Xiaotian nodded and took out a cloth bag from his soul-guiding tool, placing the broken flask inside and handing it to the sisters.
"Take good care of this flask and ask Elder Zhang about it when you return. If it belonged to your mother, he might remember something."
Yu Die thanked him and carefully stored the flask in her soul-guiding tool.
Unfortunately, they couldn't determine how long the flask had been abandoned here.
It was possible that the flask had been left behind by Zhang Erhe during his earlier searches for their mother.
Feng Xiaotian stood up and glanced around. "The growth period of these bushes doesn't exceed five years. Whether or not the flask belonged to your mother, it must have been abandoned here before the bushes grew, otherwise it wouldn't be embedded in the roots."
"In the past, this place was likely flat ground. Something as important as this flask would only be abandoned if someone dropped it accidentally while fleeing in a panic."
Feng Xiaotian's expression turned cautious. "There may be danger nearby. Everyone, stay alert."
The others agreed with his analysis and immediately adopted defensive postures.
Of course, just because there was danger here over a decade ago didn't mean there was still danger now.
Having failed to find a method for the sisters to evolve their martial spirits, they still needed to press forward and explore further.
After several more days of exploration, a massive butterfly appeared in the group's line of sight, resting on a distant tree.
"A thirty-thousand-year-old Blue Scenery Butterfly—it might have seen our mother," Cai Die said as she began walking forward.
Feng Xiaotian stopped her, his face stern. In a low voice, he said, "Thirty-thousand-year spirit beasts possess some intelligence, but they can't communicate with human soul masters. Moreover, we're not sure if there are other high-level spirit beasts nearby. It's best not to approach it rashly and avoid it altogether."
Yu Die disagreed. "I remember Mother saying that to complete the evolution of our martial spirits, we need guidance from a butterfly-type spirit beast. Perhaps this one is our guide."
A thirty-thousand-year spirit beast was within Feng Xiaotian's capabilities as a Soul Sage to handle.
However, they were unfamiliar with the situation in this forest, so avoiding it was the safest option.
But since it was related to whether the sisters could successfully evolve their martial spirits, he had to consider carefully.
In the end, Feng Xiaotian proposed a compromise.
"Here's what we'll do: the two of you go first. If there's any danger, we'll support you immediately."
The sisters didn't hesitate and walked forward at once.
Feng Xiaotian and the others hid nearby, remaining vigilant at all times.
---
The Blue Scenery Butterfly wasn't too far from the sisters. Five minutes later, they arrived at the base of the towering ancient tree.
The Blue Scenery Butterfly resting on the trunk seemed uninterested in them.
Cai Die nudged Yu Die's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, what should we do?"
Yu Die raised her head, her gaze resolute.
Finding a guide would allow them not only to evolve their martial spirits but also to learn more about their mother.
Since the butterfly showed no interest in acknowledging them, she decided to take the initiative and speak.
But just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly echoed in both sisters' minds: "Do not disturb this poor child."
"Telepathy!"
The sisters exchanged glances. They were certain the voice hadn't reached their ears but had directly resonated in their minds.
Yu Die pointed at the Blue Scenery Butterfly on the trunk and uncertainly whispered, "Is it referring to that poor child?"
Suddenly, the giant tree trembled without any wind. The Blue Scenery Butterfly spread its wings and flew into the distance.
"I didn't expect anyone from your lineage to still be alive. Has the person who was searching for the Butterfly Valley returned yet?"
Yu Die immediately realized the source of the voice wasn't the Blue Scenery Butterfly but likely the enormous tree before them.
They had no knowledge of tree-type spirit beasts and were unsure about the situation with this giant.
"Do you know our mother?" Cai Die asked suspiciously. "But our mother came here over a decade ago, not recently!"
The voice continued, "For me, a hundred or a thousand years is but the blink of an eye. A decade isn't even enough time for me to take a nap."
"In any case, the only ones to come to this forest in the past century are you and that person—I don't know who they are."
The sisters felt a surge of joy and quickly asked, "Then where did our mother go?"
Yu Die pressed further, "Also, what do you mean by 'your lineage'? Do you know about our mother's family?"
The voice didn't answer immediately.
Suddenly, the giant tree before the sisters shook its trunk, and two palm-sized leaves floated down into their hands.
"She likely went in search of the legendary Butterfly Valley. Heh, judging by what you've said, she probably hasn't returned."
"For humans, a decade isn't particularly short or long. After such a long time, she probably can't return. As for you two, it's better not to go. Just follow your current path in life."
"Butterflies can never fly across the vast sea, much less reach the other side."
Yu Die was startled.
The last sentence of the voice sounded strikingly similar to something their mother had once said.
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