After leaving Blue Tyrant Academy, Chen Yi didn't immediately leave Heaven Dou City. Instead, he first walked slowly through several relatively secluded city streets before heading slowly toward the western outskirts, where the population thinned and thick forests spread.
In the depths of the forest, sunlight was fragmented by dense canopies, the surroundings silent except for the occasional chirp of insects and birds. Chen Yi stopped in a clearing, slowly turned, and his eyes, like cold electricity, shot toward a shadow behind a massive tree.
"Don't you ever get tired of following me for so long?" His cold voice echoed through the quiet woods.
After a brief silence, a heavy, cold snort came from behind the tree, and then a tall, burly figure as solid as an iron tower emerged from the shadows, revealing his true face.
The newcomer was an old man, around sixty or seventy, with grey beard and hair, but an awe-inspiring presence—standing there, he exuded mountain-like pressure. His rough face and wide eyes were now glaring at Chen Yi, burning with intense fury and bitter hatred, a hideous smile at his lips.
"Hey! Little beast, not only do you have a keen nose, you can even detect your grandpa's tracks!" The old man's voice was as hoarse as a broken gong, like metal scraping, filled with violence and murderous intent. "But it won't change your fate of dying here today. Today, I'll use your life to comfort my master's soul in heaven!"
As he spoke, he took a step forward, the ground shaking slightly, terrifying killing intent spreading like a cold wind, enveloping the area and dropping the temperature by several degrees.
"Master?" The moment Chen Yi heard these words and saw the man's iconic burly figure, he immediately understood—this was the giant, Clan Master of the Strength Clan, Tang Hao's most loyal house servant, Tai Tan himself.
Seeing the killing intent in the other's eyes, not only was Chen Yi unafraid, but he sneered with barely concealed sarcasm, as if looking at a pathetic worm: "Who am I? Turns out, you're the loyal old dog. What's wrong, couldn't stay lying in your kennel? Came running here to stop the young master? Hurry back and stay by your lonely ghost of a master, wag your tail and keep begging for forgiveness?"
At that moment, not only did Chen Yi call him "old dog," but he also spoke disrespectfully of Tai Tan's spiritual master, Tang Hao, even using words like "lonely soul and wild ghost." Tai Tan's anger surged like a bull's, his eyes red.
"Little beast, you seek death! Today, you'll pay for those words!" Tai Tan roared, his chest heaving violently. But then, as if realizing something, his smile turned even more twisted, and he gritted his teeth. "There are two traitors, Yang Wudi and Niu Gao. They're worse than pigs and dogs. They were favored by their masters, but now that their masters have been killed by you, instead of seeking revenge, they shamelessly remain your underlings. One day, I'll personally cut off their heads to offer to the masters, and your whole clan will pay too! The price will be paid in full!"
In Tai Tan's twisted mind, those two should have suffered like him and sought revenge for Tang Hao's death, not grown strong by joining the enemy.
Hearing this, Chen Yi's sneer deepened, looking at Tai Tan as if he were a pitiful, hopeless bug: "You've been a slave for so long you've even made kneeling into a backbone. A little Soul Douluo making a big fuss here, daring to insult Soul Breaking Douluo and Dragon Rhino Douluo? You're not only old and dizzy, you've lost even the most basic self-awareness a dog should have."
"Oh, but you are old." Chen Yi lightly shook his head, the contempt in his tone stabbing Tai Tan's already paranoid pride.
"Elder Yang and Elder Niu have now attained the Title of Douluo, revered by thousands. And you, Tai Tan, are just a little Soul Douluo, an old dog barking only at tombstones. Who gave you the courage to bark here?"
"You…!!" Tai Tan's body shook with rage, his face turning from red to blue to purple, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Chen Yi's words cut to the bone, mercilessly exposing the reality Tai Tan most hated to face. Of the four clan leaders, his soul master level had always been the highest, but the once-lagging Yang Wudi and Niu Gao had broken through to Title Douluo ahead of him. This was the deepest wound in his heart, now ruthlessly revealed by Chen Yi!
"Little beast! I'll crush every bone in your body! Prepare to be dragged, half-dead, to the master's grave, offered alive to suffer endless pain and regret until your last drop of blood!"
Tai Tan's voice was like a beast's roar, filled with blood and cruelty, as if he saw a "wonderful" scene. But before this vicious curse, Chen Yi suddenly fell silent. Tai Tan thought he'd finally intimidated him, and was about to further destroy his confidence, when he saw Chen Yi look up with a very strange expression.
Chen Yi lightly tapped his temple with a finger, as if recalling something, then asked, very seriously and with a probing tone, "Wait… there's something I never understood."
Tai Tan was stunned, unable to guess what trick this youth was trying at the door of death. He heard Chen Yi slowly say, "I remember… wasn't Tang Hao's body taken away by people from Spirit Hall back then?"
"Later, I heard… his sins in life were so great, even Spirit Hall despised him and just tossed him out to feed the watchdogs. Is that right?"
Chen Yi paused, staring at Tai Tan's instantly frozen, distorted face, and continued in a questioning tone, "So… you keep talking about the 'master's grave'… Where is it, exactly?"
"Could it be…" An expression of sudden realization appeared on Chen Yi's face, but his eyes were icy with sarcasm. "You loyal servants, after that, sneaked into Spirit Hall and did everything to snatch that dog's remains… holding the excrement with great ceremony, treating it as your master's 'relics,' building a grave for his clothes… So every day you kneel and bow to a 'grave of excrement'?"
Bang!
This final line was the last straw, like an invisible slap, smashing into Tai Tan's already twisted heart as if he'd seen something utterly disgusting.
"Little beast! You seek death!! Ahhh!!"
Tai Tan could no longer bear it—he went completely mad, letting out an ear-splitting roar, his eyes instantly red.
ROAR!
A terrifying soul power erupted from Tai Tan's body like a volcano, his figure swelling rapidly, already burly frame growing, thick black hair sprouting over his skin, his muscles bulging like granite, filled with explosive strength. An ugly black giant ape phantom appeared behind him, roaring at the sky—his martial spirit, the Orangutan.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black! Eight soul rings rose from beneath his feet, especially the last four dark black ten-thousand-year soul rings, radiating a heavy oppression that made hearts pound. At that moment, Tai Tan resembled a savage beast from ancient times, trapping Chen Yi in death, his eyes intent on devouring him alive.
Before this terrifying force that could make even an ordinary Soul Sage pale, Chen Yi's face showed not the slightest fear, but a long-lost fighting spirit blazed in his deep eyes.
"Good!"
Chen Yi let out a clear whistle, and instead of retreating, advanced. His clothes rustled without wind as domineering purple-gold lightning exploded around him.
Boom!
As if thousands of thunders awoke at once, purple-gold electric snakes danced wildly, instantly vaporizing all grass, trees, and rocks within a hundred meters. Scorching heat and a destructive aura filled the air, contending with Tai Tan's crushing force.
Purple twice! Black thrice! Five soul rings breaking all conventions appeared, and the terrifying energy fluctuations coming from Chen Yi's body caused Tai Tan's pupils to contract in fury.
Chen Yi's eyes flashed with lightning, his long hair swirling in thunder and lightning. With a step, thunder roared beneath him as his entire figure turned into a purple-gold bolt, splitting the sky to charge straight at the mountain-like Tai Tan.
If a peer is invincible, then use the blood of this old Soul Douluo to sharpen my blade and prove my path!
…