Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi entered Duoluo City, but instead of looking for an inn, they headed straight for the City Lord's Mansion, determined to uncover the truth behind the strange yet unsettling atmosphere of the city.
According to the Academy's intelligence, the City Lord of Duoluo City was an evil soul master named Zhang Ao. His martial soul was said to be the Deathfiend Demon Blade, a weapon capable of devouring the life force of living beings to strengthen its master. Zhu Ziyang had studied Zhang Ao's background carefully: just a year ago, Zhang Ao had been only a Soul Emperor, and a respected teacher at a senior soul master academy within the Heavenly Soul Empire. Known for his upright and kind demeanor, he was the last person one would imagine as an evil soul master.
If Zhang Ao's abilities were truly as the reports described, then the strange peace pervading Duoluo City finally made sense.
To determine the truth, Zhu Ziyang only needed to see Zhang Ao in person—to sense whether or not he bore the weight of sin. That would decide whether he was a good man walking in darkness, or a monster hiding his evil nature beneath a flawless mask.
The two strode boldly into the City Lord's Mansion. Inside the grand hall, they found Zhang Ao himself.
Zhu Ziyang fixed his gaze upon the man—and in that instant, his heart reached a conclusion. Without hesitation, he seized Qian Lingyi's hand and turned to leave.
The abruptness of their actions left Zhang Ao dumbfounded and angry. Who barged into another's home without reason, stared silently, and then turned away as if the master of the house were nothing? Fury burning in his chest, he immediately ordered his men to hunt down the two intruders.
Though Zhang Ao prided himself on being a benevolent ruler, this was still his home—no one could trespass without consequence. He was determined to find them and teach them a harsh lesson, to remind them what respect was due a Soul Douluo-level expert.
But his efforts were doomed to fail. Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi had already left the city far behind.
"Why did you run off so suddenly?" Qian Lingyi complained, panting as she struggled to keep up. "I could barely follow you!"
"We had the wrong target—why stay?" Zhu Ziyang shook his head. "That Zhang Ao bears no trace of sin. He's not the one we're after."
"So you're saying Shrek Academy's intelligence is unreliable?" Qian Lingyi sneered lightly.
"Wrong," Zhu Ziyang corrected firmly. "First of all, it's not your Shrek Academy—it's our Shrek Academy. Don't forget, you're one of us now. Second, the intelligence wasn't wrong. Zhang Ao truly is an evil soul master—but one not recognized by the traditional soul master world."
"…I can't win an argument with you," Qian Lingyi muttered, glaring at him. After a long silence, she asked, "So… where do we go next?"
"To Tianhui Grand Canyon," Zhu Ziyang replied. "We're going to help you obtain your sixth spirit ring."
Tianhui Grand Canyon.
After leaving Duoluo City, Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi traveled north, entering the canyon through its southern pass. Guided by Qian Lingyi, they ventured deeper into the gorge.
"Hey, we've been wandering for three days already," Zhu Ziyang said at last as they paused beside a lakeshore deep in the canyon. "Are you certain there's really a clan of Radiant Tigers here?"
"My grandmother told me so," Qian Lingyi answered quickly. "Her fifth spirit ring came from a Radiant Tiger!"
"Alright then. We'll search for another two days. If we don't find them, we'll try the northern mountains instead," Zhu Ziyang sighed, indulging her persistence.
"Hehe, we'll definitely find them!" Qian Lingyi grinned playfully.
And indeed, fortune favored them. On the fourth afternoon of their search, a thousand-year Radiant Tiger appeared in the distance. Excitement lit both their faces, and without hesitation, they began trailing it, hoping it would lead them to its clan.
But after three days of stalking, they realized the beast was a loner. It wandered endlessly without seeking others of its kind. Exhausted and frustrated, Qian Lingyi finally snapped.
"I can't take it anymore! Why won't this stupid tiger go back to its clan?!"
"Perhaps it's an outcast," Zhu Ziyang suggested.
"Then we've wasted three whole days?!" Qian Lingyi's face fell. "Forget it, I don't want to keep searching!"
"Calm down. I already know where the clan is," Zhu Ziyang said soothingly. "Follow me."
"You do?!" Qian Lingyi gasped. "How?"
"Haven't you noticed? For days now, that Radiant Tiger has been circling a single area. There's a hidden ravine there—I saw it by chance when the tiger passed close. That must be where the clan resides."
"You mean… the Radiant Tigers are inside that ravine?" Qian Lingyi's eyes sparkled with joy.
"Almost certainly," Zhu Ziyang nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" she cried, tugging him along eagerly.
Together, they cleared away brush at the ravine's entrance, revealing a massive cave three or four meters tall. And there, lying just inside, was a colossal white tiger with six radiant wings folded at its back.
"The Six-Winged Radiant Tiger!" Qian Lingyi gasped in delight. At last, they had found their quarry.
This beast was no ordinary Radiant Tiger. Having cultivated for over thirty thousand years, its body bore six snow-white wings streaked with golden, red, and silver patterns—the marks of its mastery over three elements: Light, Fire, and Holy.
"A thirty-thousand-year Six-Winged Radiant Tiger," Zhu Ziyang murmured. "Can you handle it?"
"Who do you think you're looking down on? My fifth ring was twenty-thousand years!" Qian Lingyi boasted proudly.
The tiger's roar shook the canyon as it lunged.
"Noise," Zhu Ziyang muttered, raising his hand. The Scythe of Eternal Silence appeared, and with a single strike to its skull, he smashed the beast to the ground.
Qian Lingyi seized the chance, her Angelic Sword plunging into its abdomen.
The tiger howled in pain, jaws wide. Zhu Ziyang's scythe swept again, cleaving half its jaw away. Blood sprayed across the cavern floor.
Before it could recover, Qian Lingyi unleashed her second ability, severing its left forelimb in a flash of radiant steel. Then, with another thrust, her blade pierced its throat.
Life drained from its eyes. The mighty Six-Winged Radiant Tiger, apex predator of the canyon, had fallen like a mere beast before them.
Almost immediately, a dozen lesser Radiant Tigers burst from the cave, but their highest cultivation was only a thousand years. Neither Zhu Ziyang nor Qian Lingyi spared them a glance.
Dragging the corpse of the Six-Winged Radiant Tiger, they quickly departed the canyon.
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