Word Count: 3,277
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The beach lounger still held the sun’s lingering warmth.
Zhao Xuanzhen twisted open the sunscreen cap, and a sweet fragrance melted across his fingertips together with the scent of sea salt.
A strange blend of coolness and warmth wandered down Leng Yaozhu’s spine.
Her long lashes trembled faintly.
Under the heat of her body, the sunscreen seemed to give off a caramel-like aroma that mixed with the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo’s natural rose fragrance, rich and alluring, enough to refresh the heart and cloud the senses.
As a true master of technique, Zhao Xuanzhen’s skill at applying sunscreen was nothing short of superb.
His touch was neither too light nor too heavy, and the lotion spread evenly beneath his hands.
Sunlight poured down, and Leng Yaozhu’s skin shone with a dazzling, nacre-like luster.
He let out a soft breath and admired his handiwork, feeling a small surge of accomplishment.
Throughout the entire process, Leng Yaozhu never said a word.
Her crimson phoenix eyes remained closed, and no emotion showed on her face, as if she were quietly savoring her disciple’s exquisite technique.
“Ding-ling-ling—”
The Spirit Communication Device’s ringtone shattered the warm, pleasant atmosphere between master and disciple.
Leng Yaozhu opened her eyes, glanced at the caller ID, and a flicker of annoyance passed through her gaze.
Qiangu Dongfeng.
Annoyed or not, he was still the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda.
As Vice Pagoda Master, Leng Yaozhu could not simply ignore his call.
She pressed the answer button.
Since she neither asked Zhao Xuanzhen to step away nor sealed off the sound with spirit power, he heard the energetic, eager male voice on the other end with perfect clarity:
“Yaozhu, it’s me.”
“Do you need something?” Leng Yaozhu asked flatly.
“I heard you’ve gone to Eastsea City for a vacation. Eastsea City is picturesque, and its beaches are especially famous. I took Zhangting there when he was little.”
Qiangu Dongfeng chuckled warmly.
“Ever since Yulai left the Spirit Pagoda, you haven’t truly relaxed. I hope you enjoy yourself this time.”
“Thank you. Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.”
The other side fell silent for a second.
Then Qiangu Dongfeng’s voice grew noticeably heavier.
“Yaozhu, what exactly happened at the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda?
Two newly transferred Spirit Ascension Platform guardians are dead, and all three External Spirit Bones have vanished without a trace.
External Spirit Bones aren’t like ordinary spirit bones.
They’re precious assets that are nearly impossible to use a second time.
Even placed inside the Spirit Pagoda’s treasury, accumulated over ten thousand years, those three would still rank among the very best.
The Evileye Tyrant carried the Evil Emperor’s bloodline.
At only a thousand years of cultivation, it had already displayed an extremely rare atavistic form.
If it hadn’t fallen into the Spirit Pagoda’s hands, it might have had a chance to comprehend space-time power and become the next Evileye Tyrant Emperor.
The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear bore Bear Lord’s bloodline.
It was the only super spirit beast in recorded history to have produced two External Spirit Bones.
According to the Spirit Pagoda’s records, Bear Lord went mad on the spot when that Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear was captured and tore apart two Titled Douluo with his Dark Gold Terror Claws.
Yaozhu, this time…
you’ve truly crossed the line!”
The pretense finally fell away, and the dagger beneath the smile came into view.
All that warmth and concern had merely been camouflage.
Qiangu Dongfeng’s real purpose was to question Leng Yaozhu about the three External Spirit Bones.
Conflict had erupted between the Spirit Pagoda’s Pagoda Master and Vice Pagoda Master.
Zhao Xuanzhen instinctively paused his hands, but Leng Yaozhu remained perfectly calm:
“Qiangu Dongfeng, everything I’ve done was fully in accordance with Spirit Pagoda regulations.
Eastsea Branch Master Lu Ming reported that the Eastsea City Spirit Ascension Platform had suddenly developed abnormalities.
The entire Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform was on the verge of collapse, and the original guardian was insufficient to stabilize its energy.
Headquarters urgently needed to dispatch multiple guardians.
I judged the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear and the Evileye Tyrant to be the most suitable choices and had them transferred to Eastsea City.
Thanks to those two spirit beasts, the Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform has already returned to normal.
The issue was resolved satisfactorily.
As for the deaths of the two guardians and the matter of the External Spirit Bones, I truly did not foresee that anyone could kill 1,000-year super spirit beasts under the peak three-ringed restriction of an Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform.
Besides, the Spirit Ascension Platform guardians of the Eighteen Pillars of Heaven are created from spirit bones, and there have never been any absorption restrictions placed on them.
That was originally the Spirit Pagoda’s reward for powerful Spirit Masters.
It’s simply that no one has managed it in ten thousand years.”
As her words fell, Zhao Xuanzhen heard Qiangu Dongfeng’s breathing grow heavy at once.
He finally understood Leng Yaozhu’s method in full.
No wonder she hadn’t simply handed over the three External Spirit Bones directly.
She had been waiting right here for Qiangu Dongfeng!
Everything had gone through proper channels, strictly by the rules, with no handle left behind for anyone to grab.
Zhao Xuanzhen knew that routine far too well.
“Don’t stop. Continue.”
Having verbally checkmated Qiangu Dongfeng, Leng Yaozhu turned her head and shot Zhao Xuanzhen a look of dissatisfaction.
A teacher’s command was not to be disobeyed.
He immediately resumed work and once more transformed into the world’s most diligent sunscreen applier.
“Yaozhu, you…”
Qiangu Dongfeng’s voice on the other end was thick with disbelief.
What kind of vacation is this?
Just how far has this vacation gone?! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“That’s the situation. If you have any objections, bring them up at the next Spirit Pagoda meeting. Oh, and the Eastsea City Elementary Spirit Ascension Platform is short one guardian now. Send back the original 100-year Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear.”
With that, Leng Yaozhu hung up the Spirit Communication Device in brisk, effortless fashion.
“Teacher, will the three External Spirit Bones affect your position as Vice Pagoda Master?” Zhao Xuanzhen asked softly.
“Of course not.”
Leng Yaozhu smiled faintly.
“The Phoenix Clan has been established for a thousand years, and generation after generation has held the post of Vice Pagoda Master in the Spirit Pagoda.
Our influence runs deep, with roots twisted into every corner.
Qiangu Dongfeng wouldn’t dare tear the mask off so easily.
For the past several centuries, the Qiangu Clan has occupied the position of Pagoda Master firmly, lining their own pockets and opening back doors for their family more times than anyone could count.
I merely used legitimate means to take three External Spirit Bones.
That hardly compares to the Qiangu Clan’s high-handed monopoly.
Qiangu Dongfeng understands that perfectly well.
Once filthy things are dragged into the open, nobody looks good.
This call wasn’t about demanding the spirit bones back.
He was using an indirect way to tell me to stop while I’m ahead.
Three External Spirit Bones is the bottom line.
I can’t keep taking more.”
“So that’s how it is…”
…
Spirit Pagoda headquarters, 107th floor, the Pagoda Master’s residence.
A middle-aged man stood behind his desk.
He was tall and handsome, and a powerful pressure radiated from his entire body.
The Spirit Communication Device in his hand creaked and trembled, as if it might explode in the next instant.
Qiangu Dongfeng’s expression was dark as water.
The Spirit Pagoda was the Qiangu Clan’s Spirit Pagoda.
For Leng Yaozhu to swindle away three External Spirit Bones without a sound was already outrageous, but what enraged him most was that one sentence she had so obviously spoken to someone else!
Years ago, he had pursued Leng Yaozhu relentlessly without ever getting what he wanted.
In the end, he had no choice but to marry and have children to continue the family bloodline.
Now his wife had long since passed, and Qiangu Dongfeng had once more begun entertaining thoughts of pursuing Leng Yaozhu.
Yet fate refused to indulge him.
She seemed to have opened her heart and started enjoying a happy life instead!
“Grandfather, please calm down…”
A tall, spirited young man spoke cautiously.
“Grandfather is fine, Zhangting.”
The sight of his grandson, Qiangu Zhangting, finally brought Qiangu Dongfeng a measure of comfort.
Qiangu Zhangting was the Qiangu Clan’s most outstanding younger generation member, and the successor Qiangu Dongfeng was doing his utmost to groom as the next Pagoda Master.
He patted his grandson’s shoulder and said, “Leng Yaozhu has never crossed the line since taking office as Vice Pagoda Master. She adopted two children. Those three External Spirit Bones must have been meant for them.”
Qiangu Zhangting frowned.
“Grandfather, I’ve actually seen them a few times at the Spirit Pagoda. They look very young, practically like children. They don’t seem like much of a threat.”
“Not necessarily.”
Qiangu Dongfeng shook his head, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s.
“After Leng Yaozhu adopted those two children, I once had the sudden urge to see what they were capable of. But she used her Vice Pagoda Master’s authority to wipe every piece of their battle footage from the Spirit Ascension Platform clean. That includes the True Illusory Realm. Illusory Brain Douluo Han Tianyi is standing with Leng Yaozhu on this. Zhangting, they are not simple. You must work twice as hard. The future Pagoda Master of the Spirit Pagoda cannot fall behind others.”
“Yes, Grandfather!”
His grandson’s reply rang out with force.
Qiangu Dongfeng nodded in satisfaction and said, “It’s not too late to mend the fold after the sheep are lost. Leng Yaozhu has, in effect, reminded me. From this day onward, it will be expressly forbidden for Spirit Masters to absorb spirit bones from Spirit Ascension Platform guardians! Come. Grandfather will accompany you to the top floor of the Spirit Ascension Platform and let you endure the will impact of that spirit beast. The Martial God will temper your staff intent…”
…
The sun sank in the west, dyeing the sea orange-red beneath the dimming light.
Waves gradually grew rougher.
Zhao Xuanzhen and Leng Yaozhu lay side by side on their beach loungers, watching as a black dot in the distance slowly grew larger.
“Hahaha! Zhao Xuanzhen, don’t blame the road for being uneven if you can’t walk it properly! You really can catch crabs in the sea!”
Na Er returned from her foraging trip, excitement practically spilling from her face.
The Silver Dragon Spear rested across her shoulder, and four washbasin-sized Green Armored Crabs, blue-black in color, hung from its tip.
10-year Green Armored Crabs.
Big, and delicious!
“The Silver Dragon Spear has had a life worth living by following you.”
Zhao Xuanzhen gave her a thumbs-up and, with pure malice, wondered whether a divine weapon with a spirit might one day abandon Na Er of its own accord and throw itself back into Gu Yue’s arms!
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Na Er glared at him, shook the Silver Dragon Spear, and proudly showed off her catch.
“All you know how to do is bask in the sun and slack off. Unlike me, I don’t even forget to catch seafood while I’m swimming! Crabs this big mean we’re eating well tonight! One for you, one for me! One for Aunt Leng, and one for me!”
…
Some rejoiced while others despaired.
On the beach, the three of them were full of cheer.
At the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda, meanwhile, the baton brothers from the enforcement squad were speaking with a burly man.
The man stood more than two meters tall, with a shaved head and a thick beard.
He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins stood out, yet he forced his tone to remain as gentle as he could manage.
“Gentlemen, the Spirit Pagoda enforcement squad and the Eastsea City Mecha Brigade have cooperated many times, and every mission has been completed successfully. My brother Guang Long acted on impulse and accidentally offended a high-ranking disciple of the Spirit Pagoda. I apologize on his behalf, and I’m willing to offer compensation. Could you give me some face and let him out?”
The baton brothers exchanged glances.
One of them said, “Guang Biao, you’re somebody in Eastsea City. For the sake of our past cooperation, we’ll give you the truth. Guang Long offended people he never should have offended. You should be glad you’re still wearing that Mecha Brigade uniform. If those two little ancestors had suffered so much as a scratch yesterday, your whole family could’ve gone straight to slitting your own throats. The Excellency behind them is someone even Branch Master Lu has to bow and scrape before. So many people in the Eastsea Spirit Pagoda are desperate for a promotion, and for those two little ancestors, it would take only a single word. Guang Long isn’t a street thug anymore. He’s a stepping stone for everyone trying to leap into a higher class.”
“There isn’t even the slightest room for negotiation?” Guang Biao asked, unwilling to accept it.
Excellency was a title reserved for Titled Douluo, beings who stood above the clouds.
He already understood that his younger brother was more likely doomed than not.
The baton brothers said coldly, “Guang Long relied on your power and authority as captain of the Eastsea City Mecha Brigade to do evil all over the place. He just happened to run into a force and authority even greater than yours. In front of that, he’s no different from meat on a chopping block. The big shots might not care whether a thug lives or dies, but the small people clawing their way upward do. If Guang Long’s death can make those two little ancestors crack a smile, then his life will have been worth something. Go back. Pray that Guang Long is reborn into a good family and that in his next life, he doesn’t kick an iron plate again.” The source of this chapter is g.com.
Guang Biao didn’t know how he walked out of the Spirit Pagoda.
Earlier, he had led the Mecha Brigade in surrounding Eastsea Academy, yet he wouldn’t dare treat the Spirit Pagoda the same way.
Captain of the Eastsea City Mecha Brigade.
Spirit Emperor.
Mecha Pilot.
None of those three identities amounted to anything in front of the Spirit Pagoda.
Sending the Mecha Brigade against it would only mean marching them to their deaths.
The Guang brothers came from an ordinary family.
Their parents had died when they were young, and they had grown up in poverty.
Only one of the two brothers could afford a high-quality Spirit Soul to fully realize the potential of his Martial Spirit.
Because of that, Guang Biao had always carried guilt toward Guang Long and had indulged his brother’s wrongdoing again and again, until it finally brought catastrophe upon them.
“Little brother, we’ve depended on each other all our lives. Even if I have to throw away this life, your big brother will avenge you!”
Guang Biao’s eyes turned blood-red.
From the accounts of the people around the old street, he had already memorized the appearances of those two.
…
Late that night, moonlight soaked through wisps of cloud.
The entire sky blazed with brilliance, nine stars at the fore, their silver-frost radiance flowing on the wind.
Swells rose across the Eastsea, shattering the light into countless silver fragments.
When the sea briefly calmed, the broken glow gathered back into whole pools of luminescence.
A night of blazing stars.
Stellar power surged.
For a star-attribute Spirit Master, it was a perfect heavenly opportunity one might not encounter in a thousand years.
In a room inside the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda, golden light flowed through Zhao Xuanzhen’s eyes.
“Teng She, soul of deceit.”
“As my lord commands.”
Streams of black qi condensed into a copy of Zhao Xuanzhen seated cross-legged on the bed.
At the same time, another portion of that qi attached itself to his body and face, making it impossible for anyone to discern his true appearance or build.
Among the Eight Deities, Teng She was the Fire of the South.
Its authority lay in deceit and fraud, and it excelled at disturbing the spirit and confusing the mind.
Using a single soul of deceit to fool Leng Yaozhu’s senses, Zhao Xuanzhen slipped out of the Spirit Pagoda.
Backed by Teng She’s Quasi God power and a night of blazing stars, he intended to settle a matter tonight and eliminate future trouble at the root.
‘Before that, I should deal with the little tail first.’
Guang Biao’s violent, bloodthirsty emotions had already drawn Teng She’s attention.
That bald head was simply too distinctive.
Zhao Xuanzhen needed only one glance to know the man was connected to Guang Long.
In the next instant, Guang Biao, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, felt his vision blur.
The power of deceit fooled everyone else nearby.
Only he saw Zhao Xuanzhen walk out of the Spirit Pagoda.
‘Blood debts must be repaid in blood!’
A savage smile spread across Guang Biao’s face.
The genius was alone.
His chance had come!
To avoid alerting the experts inside the Spirit Pagoda, he followed from a safe distance, planning to strike once they reached a secluded spot.
Yet to his surprise, Zhao Xuanzhen headed straight for the seaside.
Ice formed beneath the boy’s feet step by step as he walked slowly out over the ocean.
That suited Guang Biao perfectly, and he hurriedly deployed his Mecha to follow.
Stars hung across the sky.
Light and shadow flowed between the waves.
Seabirds on night flight skimmed the ocean surface, their wings stained with both starlight and sea-glow.
“This should be far enough. You must be tired of following me.”
The clear voice carried far across the water.
A bear-like black-grade Mecha burst through the sea surface, and the cockpit’s metal canopy rose to reveal Guang Biao’s twisted expression.
“Brat, pay for my brother’s life!”
Two yellow and four purple spirit rings rose around him.
His Martial Spirit, the Armored Dragon, merged with his body, covering him in iron-gray scales like a layer of heavy armor as he drove the Mecha straight at Zhao Xuanzhen.
BOOM—
Beneath Zhao Xuanzhen’s feet, the Divine Plate of the Eight Trigrams Qimen flared into brilliance.
Starlight shattered across the sea surface as a wall of water hundreds of meters high surged skyward.
Two crimson vertical pupils tore through the ocean, their irises swirling with nebula-like patterns of molten lava.
The enormous serpent’s head rose from the depths.
The air released a miserable wail.
Pitch-black scales crushed the light of stars and moon alike, as though all the darkness in the world had been compressed into a single indestructible suit of armor.
Its upper body reared skyward and blotted out the heavens!
Clang—
The black-grade Mecha controlled by a six-ringed Spirit Emperor slammed into the giant serpent’s scales and produced nothing more than a tiny spark before ricocheting back at even greater speed.
Blood roared inside Guang Biao’s eardrums!
He stared at the colossal creature in utter terror.
His black-grade Mecha wasn’t even as large as the serpent’s head!
The great serpent stretched its neck and drew its head back into the arc of a crescent moon.
In perfect silence, it opened a mouth like an abyss.
The instant the first wisp of black flame dripped from its fangs, the air twisted beneath the extreme heat.
Clouds overhead spiraled into a spinning funnel of currents, and fire raced along the serpent’s entire spine, becoming a torrent that linked sea and sky!
Teng She descended, burning the sky and boiling the sea!