On the way back to the palace.
Xu Cheng silently looked out of the window at the passing bustling streets.
But according to the descriptions from the nobility of the original continent, this place was the gathering place for Evil Soul Masters, with bones scattered everywhere, human skin clinging together, souls wailing in agony— a true hell on earth.
He reflected on his earlier conversation with Xu Zhen.
"Since it's Zhang Lexuan from Shrek, this gets interesting. This is the perfect opportunity for you to win over Xu Jiangnian. Based on what you've said, her age and martial soul pretty much match. When the time comes, test her bone age…"
"Try to win over Zhang Lexuan, and your uncle will be secured. Once he's secured, the entire Royal Soul Master Team will be too, hahaha. Just thinking about how that little brat will suddenly lower his status in front of me is amusing…"
"…"
"Could it be that my old dad is really into pure love?" Xu Cheng wondered aloud.
Logically speaking, most princes with strong forces would be somewhat suspicious or suppressive toward each other, but the way the emperor treated him felt more like how historical records describe Zhu Yuanzhang's relationship with Zhu Biao, where he was the emperor's favored son.
"Interesting…"
Xu Cheng shook his head, casting aside the distractions.
He had already reached the peak of Soul King and it was time to obtain his sixth soul ring.
He also needed at least five more soul rings for his Ice Element. It was a bit overwhelming. For ordinary people, soul rings would take a long time to accumulate, giving them enough time to think and plan.
But he was different.
At such a young age, he needed to match eighteen soul rings…
Although it might sound like he was boasting, it was the truth.
"I'll find time to visit the Star Dou Forest." Xu Cheng murmured.
At the Royal Academy of the Sun and Moon Empire.
In a certain dormitory.
Tang Ya was practicing martial arts when she suddenly felt a stirring in her mind.
It felt like some foreign entity was trying to invade her spiritual sea.
"Ah…"
The girl cried out in pain.
"What happened? What's wrong?"
The door opened, and a graceful figure rushed in.
Meng Hongchen, dressed in a pure white nightgown, wearing white rabbit slippers, had a look of concern on her beautiful face.
"Ugh... my head hurts." Tang Ya clutched her head and was held in Meng Hongchen's arms, pain flashing in her eyes.
Fortunately, the intense pain slowly subsided as time passed.
"It's fine now. It should be because of your martial soul's nature," Meng Hongchen gently patted Tang Ya's back, her best friend qualities fully showing. "Your martial soul is Dark Blue Silver Grass. It requires devouring other lives to grow stronger. Once you've experienced that, it's very hard to stop…"
"Ugh…" Tang Ya hung her head.
"I know it's hard. You've been relying on devouring plants and flowers to sustain yourself, but gradually you'll find it's addictive. At first, you only devour a little, but the next time you want to improve your strength, you need to devour more. I'm afraid, I'm afraid that one day I won't be able to control myself… woo woo woo…"
The girl sobbed as she spoke.
"Sigh, should we tell Cheng-ge? He should have a way to help." Meng Hongchen advised.
"Forget it…" Tang Ya pursed her red lips.
She already owed Xu Cheng too much. Though she often appeared carefree, in reality, she felt somewhat inferior. Among everyone, she didn't have the long-standing relationship with Xu Cheng like Nana, nor the political talents of Meng Hongchen and Ju Zi. That's why she was always eager to gain Xu Cheng's attention.
But when something serious happened, she was afraid he would find her troublesome…
"Sigh, then take care and rest."
Meng Hongchen sighed helplessly.
The two had been roommates since the first year. By the time they reached the fifth year, the dormitory was renovated into single rooms, but they remained close, so Meng Hongchen gave her a separate villa to stay in together.
"If you need anything, call me."
"…"
After Meng Hongchen left, Tang Ya curled up in her blanket.
There was a sense of desolation.
Her original dream of revitalizing the Tang Sect seemed farther and farther away.
She had mediocre talent and a strong personal code (she wouldn't fall into darkness). While she had made many friends, not devouring life made her fall further behind other geniuses like Meng Hongchen.
Of course, if she had the "authentic" Tang Sect martial arts, things might be different.
After all, the Xuantian Gong could provide Tang San with innate full soul power. The Purple Demon Eyes, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, and other treasures from the previous life, along with the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus capable of killing nearly a hundred Soul Saints, were all incredibly powerful. If she had those, relying only on hidden weapons, she could easily revive the Tang Sect.
But unfortunately, after a certain person left, they took the authentic techniques with them, and what was left behind were heavily weakened versions.
The so-called Xuantian Gong now was less than one-tenth as effective as it originally was.
Otherwise, with the original technique, every Tang Sect disciple would at least be at the seventh rank of innate power…
Tang Ya sat cross-legged on her bed, practicing Xuantian Gong.
For some reason, the evil feeling of devouring life seemed to be suppressed momentarily by the Xuantian Gong, though the effect was quite limited…
"Interesting, I didn't expect that this other world also has Tang Sect techniques, but it seems they were deliberately weakened…"
A surprised voice echoed in the room.
Tang Ya suddenly tensed, like a nimble rabbit. She kicked off the bed and leaped to the wall, disregarding the exposure, one hand over her chest and the other revealing several hidden weapons.
She vigilantly looked around.
"Heh, don't be so anxious. I come from the Tang Sect of other world.." a woman's voice said gently.
"Tang Sect?!!" Tang Ya froze. Is it one of my Tang Sect predecessors?
And what does this 'other world' mean?
"Yes, it's exactly as you imagine. Another world," the woman's voice said softly. "I was the senior sister of the Inner Sect in that world, but I died in a battle with other sects. For some reason, my soul didn't dissipate and wandered until it entered your consciousness…"
"So, the Tang Sect exists in another world?" Tang Ya's guard gradually faded, her eyes wide.
"Heh, rather, this Tang Sect technique was passed from my world to yours," the woman laughed. "Because I just opened the Xuantian treasure record, and the first page mentions a compiler named Tang San, with his portrait."
"You know Ancestor Tang San???" Tang Ya exclaimed.
"Not just knowing him, I even participated in the siege against him," the woman's voice remained calm. "The Tang Sect has its rules, and only those with Tang blood can practice the Inner Sect techniques. He, being from the Outer Sect, stole the Inner Sect techniques, so he had to be dealt with according to our rules…"
Tang Ya was dumbfounded, feeling as though her entire worldview had collapsed.
The revered Tang Sect ancestor they had always admired actually came from another world, and the most shocking part was… his martial arts techniques were all stolen!
(End of Chapter)