"I don't think you even know what being an idiot means,"
Chen Yi's cold eyes swept over the paralyzed, urine-stained Yu Xiaogang lying on the ground, full of contempt.
His gaze shifted to the trembling Xiao Wu, and his face instantly softened, a warm smile curling his lips as if he'd found an amusing toy. But to Xiao Wu, that smile was colder than ten thousand years of ice, chilling her to her core. She felt the despair of prey being targeted by a natural predator.
Chen Yi's next words sent her into complete despair, his voice ringing in her ears like a death knell:
"Tch, who'd have thought I'd find such a 'pleasant surprise' in a remote city like this?"
He looked at her with interest, eyes seeming to pierce her skin and see straight into her soul, his voice a devilish whisper:
"I just don't get it. You're not even mature yet—who gave you the courage to come to a city of humans?"
"Did you think the soul masters here were too weak to notice you? Even now... are you desperate to live?"
A thunderclap went off in Xiao Wu's mind. All her disguises and precautions shattered in an instant. Her body trembled violently, face as pale as paper, her wide eyes filled with indescribable fear and despair.
He saw! He really saw! He knows I'm a soul beast… it's over… this time it's truly over!
Tang San didn't understand the precise meaning of 'mature stage', but he could feel Xiao Wu's terror and despair deep in his soul. Seeing his little sister in such a state, anger and protectiveness overwhelmed his reason. He struggled to his feet despite the pain, staggering in front of Xiao Wu, eyes fixed bravely on Chen Yi:
"Shut up! I won't let you scare Xiao Wu! If you want to hurt her, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
Unfortunately, his words had barely landed when Chen Yi impatiently raised his foot again.
"Bang!"
Tang San was sent flying like a broken sack, smashing into a roadside pillar before rolling on the ground, coughing blood, unable even to stand.
Without even a glance at Tang San, Chen Yi said coldly:
"Noisy. If there wasn't still research value in what you carry, the fact you used those hidden weapons would've meant death for you today."
He was thinking of the 'Mysterious Heaven Skill' Tang San carried from his previous life. Such a foundational cultivation technique, if studied, especially for building foundations and exploring potential in junior disciples, would be of great value to his sect's future. That was the only reason he hadn't killed Tang San's group outright.
"Xiao Wu… hurry… I'll… hold him off…"
Tang San, lying on the ground bleeding, still forced himself to shout at Xiao Wu.
Seeing this, Chen Yi smirked, touching his face with mock surprise:
"Am I some villain specialized in bullying protagonists?"
But he didn't play along any longer. He raised his right hand, gathering purple-gold lightning between his fingers with a soft crackle.
Yu Xiaogang, regaining his senses, shouted in terror:
"Stop! How dare you hurt him?! Do you know who he is?! Do you know what'll happen if you do?!"
"Hmph—"
His answer was a thin arc of electricity. Purple lightning shot from Chen Yi's fingertips, striking Yu Xiaogang's body.
"Ah—!!!"
A sharp scream echoed down the street. Yu Xiaogang convulsed like a shrimp thrown into boiling oil, his body shrouded in greenish smoke, mouth foaming, eyes rolled up. The sight made the scalps of bystanders crawl.
Chen Yi plucked at his ear, asking blandly:
"So, do you know who I am?"
Yu Xiaogang, of course, could not answer. He was barely conscious, making only incoherent noises. The puddle of urine beneath him had grown, a foul fishy smell filling the air.
In this chaotic moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the sky, charged with boundless fury and oppressive majesty:
"Little beast who knows not the height of the heavens! How dare you hurt my son!"
Before the voice finished, an overwhelming pressure descended like a mountain, crushing everyone's hearts. In the next instant, a towering figure appeared in the middle of the street without warning.
Tang San struggled to look up. The newcomer wore filthy, wine-stained clothes, hair tangled like a bird's nest, beard matted like a beggar's. Yet as he stood there, he was like the center of the world. The aura he exuded dwarfed everyone present, a true ruler as if a god had descended.
"Father… is that… really you?"
Tang San looked at the familiar yet strange back, disbelieving. He never expected his father, who'd left silently over three months ago, to appear at this crucial moment—and exuding an aura utterly unlike the drunken, broken blacksmith he remembered.
"Father?"
Even Xiao Wu, at first dazed, was shocked by the address, her eyes lighting up with complex emotions—shock, confusion, and an unspoken dread.
Tang Hao ignored Tang San's call. His eyes, hidden behind messy hair, were as cold as drawn blades as he stared at Chen Yi:
"Where did this little beast come from? How dare you touch my son, do you have a death wish?"
His low, oppressive voice rumbled like thunder. Though he looked dismissive, a storm raged inside. The boy before him seemed older than the protagonist, but the faint fluctuation of soul power from his body had already reached the Soul Douluo level—a terrifying feat.
But no matter how shocked, Tang Hao's domineering tone did not diminish. He looked down at Chen Yi, as if declaring fate:
"You hurt my son and deserve death, but for your talent, I'll give you a chance to live."
Pausing, he issued an unquestionable order:
"Kneel now, acknowledge my son Tang San as your master, swear to be his lifelong retainer, and I'll spare your life!"
In Tang Hao's mind, this youth's talent was extraordinary. If subdued, he would be a great help to his master. Was he from the Spirit Hall? Tang Hao didn't care. In fact, he'd relish having such a genius destroy the Spirit Hall from within—what irony, what fun.
Hearing this, Chen Yi realized this father was even more idiotic than his son and 'Grandmaster'. He sighed inwardly at how the warped 'might makes right' culture of the Douluo Continent had produced so many self-righteous fools.
Instead of fear, Chen Yi fanned the air before his nose with his hand, openly displaying his disdain:
"Where did this stinking old beggar come from, daring to bluster in front of me? Get lost before you dirty my eyes."
"You…!"
Tang Hao's eyes grew so cold they seemed to solidify. He'd planned to observe secretly, but the commotion in front of the Spirit Hall forced him to intervene. Now that he was exposed, he knew he couldn't stay in Nuoding City any longer.
"You seek death!"
Tang Hao roared, ceasing all nonsense. He raised his right hand, and a gigantic, black-patterned war hammer appeared in midair! Its head was as large as a water tank, exuding an overwhelming, destructive aura.
Even more shocking, as the Clear Sky Hammer appeared, nine spirit rings rose from Tang Hao's feet: two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—each shining with a terrifying soul fluctuation.
A Title Douluo!
The pressure exploded like a tsunami, centered on Tang Hao, engulfing half of Nuoding City. Soul masters and ordinary folk alike went pale, legs weak, many collapsing in terror.
"A Title Douluo! It's a Title Douluo!"
To the onlookers, this was like gods descending to earth!
Seeing the nine dazzling rings, especially the blood-red one, Tang San's pupils shrank to pinpoints, his heart filled with incomparable shock. He could not connect this war-god-like Title Douluo with his own degenerate, alcoholic father.
But soon, Tang San was filled with ecstasy. His father was so strong! The one who hurt his teacher and Xiao Wu was dead!
"If he swears fealty, I'll make him suffer a hundredfold for today's humiliation!"
Tang San believed that, faced with absolute power and death, Chen Yi would surely submit. That's human nature.
But before the pressure that could shatter the spirit of any ordinary soul master, Chen Yi just glanced at it, shook his head, and sighed softly in disappointment:
"Ah, when did noble Douluo dare act so madly before me?"
He paused, met Tang Hao's shocked, angry gaze, and mimicked his tone:
"Then let me give you a chance too. Kneel, acknowledge me as your master, swear loyalty, and I won't kill you—just take your soul bone. How about it?"
Tang Hao was so stunned he barely reacted, his fury reaching its peak. No one has dared provoke the Clear Sky Douluo like this for years!
"Fine! Let's see if your bones are as hard as your mouth when I get my hands on you!"
Before his words finished, Tang Hao's soul power erupted. He didn't even use soul skills—just the raw, crushing power of a Title Douluo, condensed into an invisible hand, smashing down at Chen Yi.
The intent was clear: to crush Chen Yi utterly and strip him of any resistance.
As the terrifying blow approached, Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and even Xiao Wu watched with a mix of hope and dread. Yet in the eye of the storm, Chen Yi stood unmoved, his hand slowly reaching behind him, as if the wrathful strike of a Title Douluo was just a breeze.
…
Bonus chapter at 300 PS