"So, you knew all along that your master was using you for his schemes?" Fu Ye asked, looking somewhat puzzled, while Ye Xishui appeared much more at ease.
"Yes! Although Master seems fierce to others, he has always been very good to me. His training was strict, but he was the one who saved me from the slums and helped me awaken my martial soul." A trace of nostalgia flickered within Ye Xishui's clear eyes.
"I can never forget his kindness. Without Master, I wouldn't be who I am today. That's why, even though I feel a bit upset that he secretly left a mark on my soul..."
Fu Ye could tell that Ye Xishui didn't strongly resent Zhong Li for placing the soul mark. She understood clearly that she owed her life to him.
"You're quite an interesting girl, and you're right. He did give you a second chance at life." Having said this, Fu Ye paused briefly before continuing, "But your ties with him are severed now. However, if I discover you've secretly returned to him, I won't be as lenient as I was today."
It was true that Zhong Li had done Ye Xishui a favor, but she was now his maid. As for that debt, Fu Ye had already repaid it on her behalf. After all, Zhong Li was likely the only person who had dared to attack him and still lived. This could be considered a life for a life.
"Yes, I understand. From now on, I will stay by your side, Brother Fu Ye." (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)
Hearing Ye Xishui's words and her lighthearted tone, Fu Ye found it hard to believe this was a mindset a native of the Douluo Continent could possess.
Ye Xishui seemed desireless and always cheerful. Even knowing her benefactor was using her, she had still helped him complete various tasks without hesitation.
But this very lively and cheerful girl would later be coerced by circumstances, eventually completely degenerating and becoming the supreme leader of the Holy Spirit Church.
"Stop smiling like that. You're just a little maid now," Fu Ye said, casually ruffling her long, lavender hair.
"Brother Fu Ye, you're so mean! You messed up my hair!"
Perhaps having been bored for too long under Zhong Li's care, she had become much more lively after following Fu Ye. However, her behavior and actions remained measured; she knew perfectly well what she could and couldn't do, what she should and shouldn't do.
Fu Ye was pleased with this. After all, he was here purely out of boredom. Now, having a maid to accompany him while shopping was actually quite nice.
However, as they strolled through the night market, two hidden forces suddenly charged straight towards Fu Ye and Ye Xishui, who were still buying snacks on the street.
Thud!
Just as these two forces were about to reach them, they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Ye Xishui, sensing the unusual movement around them, immediately became vigilant and scanned their surroundings.
"Divine Mind Sword Box: Activate!"
Fu Ye murmured to himself. A jade sword box, resembling solid white jade, materialized beside him.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a faint sound of cutting through the air, an ice-blue sword shot straight into the sky almost instantly.
"Brother Fu Ye, this is..." Seeing the white jade sword box and the flying sword Fu Ye released, Ye Xishui thought it was some kind of high-level soul tool.
"This is my first martial soul, the Divine Mind Sword Box. There's a flying rat lurking above us, but he'll soon get the punishment he deserves." Having said this, Fu Ye turned his attention back to the squid at the food stall. "Boss, make it spicy, extra spicy. If it's not spicy enough, I'll overturn your stall."
Seeing Fu Ye's relaxed expression, Ye Xishui gradually felt reassured.
'What do I have to worry about? If the sky falls, someone taller will hold it up.'
Fu Ye's strength was enough to easily defeat her former master, so what danger could there possibly be in following him?
Meanwhile, high above the Star Luo Imperial City, a middle-aged man in a white robe adorned with golden patterns was locked in combat with the ice-blue divine sword.
One must know that the magic swords within Fu Ye's sword box possessed a degree of intelligence and were genuine divine artifacts. The last two swords could even be compared to ultra divine artifacts.
Boom!!!
The sword grew increasingly frustrated at its inability to defeat the old man in the white robe across from it.
The white-robed, gold-patterned middle-aged man, for his part, felt a pang of trepidation.
He was being pushed back by a single sword! He was, after all, a genuine Limit Douluo, even without summoning his martial soul!
Shiiing!
A sword cry echoed through the sky as a thin layer of ice coated the sword. Witnessing this, the middle-aged man's dark eyes filled with horror. "This is... Ultimate Ice!"
Simultaneously, far away in the Star Luo Imperial City, Fu Ye sat in a teahouse with Ye Xishui, enjoying the delicious food they had bought and drinking warm tea, feeling utterly content. However, he was muttering something under his breath at this moment, and a curious Ye Xishui quietly eavesdropped.
"Ultimate Ice, Great Crimson Lotus."
Ye Xishui was somewhat confused upon hearing this, but then she remembered the ice-blue sword that had shot into the sky earlier and recalled the person who had attacked them.
High above the Star Luo Empire.
To the middle-aged man in the white and gold robe's utter disbelief, the power contained within the sword suddenly multiplied dozens of times!
"No! This is fatal! I'll definitely die here!"
His instincts screamed that if he didn't act, he would undoubtedly perish here! But just as he tried to escape, he discovered the soul power within his body was slowly freezing solid from the extreme cold.
"Hmph! If that's how it is, then let me witness the strength of the one who could severely injure my Sea God Pavilion Elder!"
"Wood Spirit Qilin, Possess! Wood Qilin True Body!"
That's right! This person was the current master of the Sea God Pavilion, Tang Sen! His martial soul was originally an ordinary Qilin.
In his early years, he gained the favor of the Ancient Golden Tree, which enhanced his innate talents and evolved his martial soul into a Wood Qilin!
However, the moment he fully unleashed his power, a soft, cold voice whispered in his ear.
"Ultimate Ice, Great Crimson Lotus Hell... Ice Slash!"
BZZZT!!!!
A sharp sword cry erupted from the sword. Along with it, the ultimate ice power instantly burst forth. A crescent-shaped slash, infused with Ultimate Ice, struck the chest of Sea God Pavilion Master Tang Sen almost instantly.
Shiiing!
The ice-blue light was only blocked for a moment before his proud defenses were shattered completely. It wasn't until a golden light flared to life that he realized just how perilous his situation was!
But how could Fu Ye's attack end there?
Crack!
Fissures snaked across the golden protective shield. The eyes of Sea God Pavilion Master Tang Sen were filled with utter shock. Yet, just as he turned to flee...
"Pfft!"
A blade of extreme ice streaked across the sky. The white-robed man's entire right arm, along with the sleeve, was now gone, cleanly severed by the sword.
"Ugh—"
A stifled groan escaped the middle-aged man almost instinctively as he felt his arm being severed, his cultivation wavering uncontrollably in that instant.
But in the very next moment...
"Shhh!"
A ray of piercingly cold sword light shot directly towards his severed limb!
"This is bad!"
The white-robed middle-aged man's heart sank, but his hesitation a moment ago had cost him any chance to prevent what was happening.
Buzz!
The moment it made contact, the sword erupted with a fierce, blinding radiance. The flesh and blood of the severed arm were instantly torn apart!
Suspended in the air now was a cyan-gold soul bone.
That was all that remained. His right arm was utterly destroyed, leaving behind only this top-tier soul bone.
"NO!!!"
Seeing his arm shredded to pieces, he knew he would never, in this lifetime, reach the realm he had always dreamed of.
Yet, in the very next second, a dazzling, nine-colored dragon claw tore through space and slammed directly into his chest.
BOOM!!!!
This completely unexpected strike left him with no capacity to resist.
As terror contorted the middle-aged man's face, a calm, yet icy voice reached his ears.
"This is the second time Shrek has provoked me. If it happens again, I will pay a personal visit to your Shrek Academy."
…
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Fu Ye had lived here for a month.
During this time, Fu Ye had made Ye Xishui, absorb the immortal herb and a full set of fierce beast soul bones. Fu Ye also bestowed upon her twelve god-given soul rings.
One must remember, her original strength was already at level 68. After absorbing all these treasures, her power skyrocketed.
Now, her strength had reached the peak of a Title Douluo—level 99.
Her first martial soul, the Phaseless Puppet, evolved into the Yin-Yang Demon Puppet, while her second martial soul, the Bright Phoenix, evolved into the Candle-Illuminating Fire Phoenix.
…
Inside Shrek City.
Fu Ye lounged leisurely on a recliner, basking in the sun. His little maid, Ye Xishui, showing not a hint of shyness, had found herself a recliner too and was comfortably sunbathing.
During this period, he had used gold soul coins to purchase a large villa and several shops on the central commercial street.
After all, Huo Yuhao, the future Son of Destiny on the continent, would still come here someday. Since he had arrived so many years early, it was only natural to make preparations in advance.
A great deal of time passed in this uneventful manner, though his maid, Ye Xishui, had recently begun showing a desire to stir up some trouble.
"Hey, you're the maid. How can you sleep in later than me, your master? Do you even understand the basic ethics of being a maid?"
Looking at Ye Xishui, still cocooned in her quilt and refusing to get out of bed, Fu Ye lifted her up, quilt and all.
"Mmm, Brother Fu Ye, please don't. I don't need to train right now, so it's fine if I sleep a little longer, right?"
'This...'
Really, this girl was something else. If she claimed to be a transmigrator from Blue Star, Fu Ye would believe it 100%.
Her temperament and personality were completely at odds with the natives of the Douluo Continent.
He believed that if she hadn't been persecuted by that old ghost Zhong Li in SL 2, and if she and Long Xiaoyao hadn't made their foolish mistakes later on, even if she had fallen onto a darker path, she wouldn't have become a demon who killed without blinking.
"Alright, it's time for us to leave this place."
Fu Ye casually purchased another low-level small world from the system mall. He hadn't known there were such useful items in the system before.
Now that he knew, he would naturally take Ye Xishui along to the future.
"Ah? Where are we going? Wait for me to get dressed!"
But before she could finish her sentence, Fu Ye tossed her—along with her quilt and clothes—into the newly purchased small world that shared a similar atmosphere with the Douluo Continent.
"Hurry up and get dressed, or I'll spank your bottom into eight pieces."
Having said that, Fu Ye directly opened the system mall and bought a Time-Space Teleportation Card.
After a moment's thought, he set the destination for over a hundred and twenty years in the future. After all, the Peerless Tang Sect era had its share of beauties.
He was certain that after he took Ye Xishui away, our esteemed God King Tang would definitely intervene to correct the timeline once he realized the continent's situation wasn't developing as he had intended.
Back in SL 1, the gods wouldn't have bothered with mortal affairs. But this was SL 2: The Peerless Tang Sect. Even with the final boss, Ye Xishui, gone, Fu Ye was sure their pure and innocent Tang San would find a way to create a new one.
"System, travel one hundred and twenty years forward!"
Fu Ye left without the slightest hesitation. There was nothing here worth staying for anyway.
As a white light enveloped Fu Ye, his figure vanished in the next instant.
…
At the same time, in the Divine Realm, within the Asura Temple.
"Hmm? How did the situation on the continent change?"
God King Tang San, seated upon the Asura Throne, gazed down at the Douluo Continent with a trace of doubt and confusion knitting his brow, though it soon smoothed away.
"Never mind. There are still nearly two hundred years until the next Son of Destiny is born. There's plenty of time."
A smug smile curled at the corner of God King Tang San's mouth as he spoke.
"Will of the plane, did you truly think I was unaware of your schemes? I will let you watch with your own eyes as the Son of Destiny you poured your heart into cultivating ultimately becomes a loyal dog of my Tang Family. Hehehe..."
…
Douluo Continent, 120 Years Later.
Fu Ye had returned.
Now, however, patches of unknown weeds sprouted from the cracks between the courtyard's bricks.
The small villa itself was covered in a layer of dust, seemingly untouched since the day they had left.
Fu Ye waved his hand casually, reducing all the weeds in the courtyard to dust that scattered on the wind.
Creeeak~
He gently pushed the door open.
But as he stepped inside, a faint noise came from a small room on the second floor.
"Huh? Someone actually moved into the villa without permission?"
A flicker of curiosity sparked in Fu Ye's eyes. Although he had just arrived after more than 120 years, he still felt a tinge of displeasure at someone breaking into his home.
Yet, as he probed with his senses, he discovered the source of the noise on the second floor was actually a child. At this moment, she seemed to be hiding inside the closet's secret compartment, afraid of being discovered?
"A child?"
Realizing it was just a powerless child, his disgust faded. Had it been an adult, Fu Ye would likely have treated them to a serious beating.
Just then, a panel of personal information materialized directly before Fu Ye's eyes. What he saw there stunned him.
"Hmm? Xian Lin'er? The future Elder of the Sea God's Pavilion from the original story? The future disciple of that old man, Mu En?"
Shrek City, Second Floor of the Villa.
Fu Ye had already entered the room on the second floor.
The small room was kept surprisingly tidy. The bedding on the bed was the same set Fu Ye had stored in the wardrobe years ago.
Though it carried the musty scent of age, the fabric—the finest available on the market when he bought it—remained undamaged, if a little old.
Squeak.
Fu Ye gently opened the wardrobe. It was empty, save for a few pieces of moldy bread and some rotten fruit.
He had checked earlier; the water was still running, and a small, clean cup sat on the washbasin in the room.
"Little one, trespassing isn't something good children do," Fu Ye said, squatting down to peer into the hidden compartment at the bottom of the wardrobe.
Xian Lin'er was curled up inside, not daring to make a sound.
Receiving only silence, Fu Ye simply opened the secret wooden panel.
Click.
The panel swung open, allowing sunlight to flood into the compartment and illuminate a skinny little girl huddled there, dressed in ragged, homespun clothes.
"No! Don't hit me! I didn't mean to! I'll leave right now, I won't bother you at all!" The girl's voice trembled with fear. Bruises marked her arms, evidence of a recent beating. She raised her scarred arms to shield her slightly damp cheeks.
"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm not here to hurt you," Fu Ye reassured her.
He reached out with a pale hand. Seeing this, Xian Lin'er instinctively shrank back deeper into the closet.
But instead of the expected blow, she felt only a gentle, warm touch.
Buzz!
A green-gold energy emanated from Fu Ye's palm, pouring directly into Xian Lin'er's body.
The six-year-old girl suddenly felt her hunger vanish, and the aches throughout her body began to fade. As the light from Fu Ye's hand fully merged with her, her emaciated frame seemed to fill out.
A warm, comfortable sensation washed over her—a feeling she had scarcely known in her short, difficult life.
Click. Click.
Crisp sounds came from within Xian Lin'er's body as her bones realigned. With each pop, she felt her body grow lighter and lighter.
Fu Ye was clearing her Eight Extraordinary Meridians—a feat impossible for ordinary people on the Douluo Continent, but he was no ordinary man. Thanks to the nanny-level tutorials from his system, he had a perfect understanding of the human body's acupoints.
In less than two and a half minutes, he had opened all the acupoints in Xian Lin'er's body. By the end, she was covered head to toe in a layer of black impurities, like a "little mud figure."
"It's so smelly..." Xian Lin'er mumbled, snapping out of her blissful state as an indescribable stench reached her nose.
She noticed Fu Ye, who was now gently resting his palm on her head. Checking her body, she found all her wounds had completely healed.
"Thank you, Sir," Xian Lin'er said, immediately dropping to her knees. Whether it was due to Fu Ye's palpable kindness or her genuine gratitude for his help, she felt compelled to kowtow.
However, Fu Ye simply pulled an oversized bathtub out of nowhere and, before her bewildered eyes, placed her inside.
Splash!!
A stream of steaming hot water poured over her head from an unseen source.
In Fu Ye's hand appeared a god-level bath towel he had obtained from the system—the instructions claimed one rub would keep one clean for a year, so he didn't think too much of it.
A quarter of an hour later.
After changing the water for her, Fu Ye had finally scrubbed the little mud girl Xian Lin'er completely clean.
'Phew~ Much fresher now. Though, this is my first time bathing a child.'
Looking proudly at his handiwork, Fu Ye gave himself a mental thumbs-up. As expected of him!
"Um… Big brother, I want my clothes," Xian Lin'er stammered, her cheeks flushed as she pointed to the dirty rags Fu Ye had tossed onto the table.
"Your clothes?" Fu Ye glanced back at the tattered cloth, then directly purchased a set of children's clothing from the system mall.
"Here, wear these. Now that you're clean, don't get dirty again." Without giving her a choice, Fu Ye used the system to recycle the dirty bathwater and then gently dried her body and hair with his soul power.
"I..."
Another quarter of an hour passed.
"So, you fled here from the border of the Dou Ling Empire?" Fu Ye now had a basic understanding of how Xian Lin'er ended up here. It seemed her family had been torn apart by the war.
"Yes! Luckily, I found your empty house, big brother, otherwise I might have..." Her voice trailed off, cheeks reddening again at the admission that she had been squatting in his property.
"That's not important," Fu Ye waved it off. "Since we've met, it must be fate. I see you haven't awakened your martial soul yet. Let me help you with that."
As he spoke, he purchased a single-use Awakening Stone from the system mall—one guaranteed to provide a perfect awakening for a soul master.
"Ah? Big brother, you're really going to awaken my martial soul for me?!" Xian Lin'er was thrilled. She knew well that awakening one's martial soul elsewhere cost a small fortune!
"Now, now, there are no free lunches in this world. The cost of the awakening, healing your body, and cleansing your marrow is not small. You'll have to work for me to pay off the debt," Fu Ye said, shaking his head. Then he added, "But if your talent proves exceptional, that's another matter. I could find you a teacher then."
Hearing this, gratitude shone brightly in Xian Lin'er's large, light-green eyes. She knew in her heart that the big brother before her was truly a good person!
"In that case, let's begin."
Seeing the determination on Xian Lin'er's face, Fu Ye knew further words were unnecessary.
Buzz!
A nine-colored light shot from the Awakening Stone and converged at the center of Xian Lin'er's brow.
A powerful aura instantly erupted from her small body. Materializing behind her was a dragon with an emerald-green body adorned with blood-red patterns.
Fu Ye recognized it immediately: the Azure Flame Dragon from the original story—a top-tier martial soul possessing dual wind and fire attributes!
Yet, Fu Ye felt it wasn't enough. Seeing her martial soul hadn't fully stabilized, he decided to administer a final, potent boost.
Observing the imperfect Azure Flame Dragon, Fu Ye directly condensed two drops of elemental essence, infused with the dual attributes of Extreme Wind and Extreme Fire.
One must understand that Fu Ye's martial soul is the Dragon God, the progenitor of all soul beasts on the Douluo Continent.
Lan Xuanyu from SL 4: Ultimate Douluo could rely on his patchwork bloodline to help others improve their martial soul quality, let alone Fu Ye's pure essence derived from the Dragon God's bloodline.
At that moment, Xian Lin'er also sensed two completely different forces floating above her. This power caused her martial soul to tremble uncontrollably.
"Infuse!"
With a press of Fu Ye's hand, the two drops of essence instantly merged into the shadow of Xian Lin'er's martial soul, the Azure Flame Dragon.
"Boom!!"
Almost instantly, Xian Lin'er's body was enveloped by two distinct energies.
Fu Ye promptly released a barrier to prevent the aura from leaking out. After all, while he wasn't afraid of trouble, he disliked anyone causing trouble for him.
The fusion of the essence and Xian Lin'er's martial soul took a full quarter of an hour. As the light gradually faded, Xian Lin'er slowly opened her large, light-green eyes.
"Whew~"
As her consciousness returned, the little girl let out a sigh of relief.
"How do you feel?" Fu Ye asked softly, looking at Xian Lin'er, who was gradually regaining awareness.
"I-I'm great!! Thank you, Brother Fu Ye! Please let Ling'er stay with you from now on!"
Without any hesitation, Xian Lin'er moved to kneel on the ground and bow to Fu Ye.
"No need for that. Just remember the sentiment."
Seeing her action, Fu Ye knew that if she didn't stay with him, the one to take her in would likely be someone from Shrek Academy.
As she was about to kneel, Xian Lin'er felt her body supported by a gentle soul power. Her large, light-green eyes were filled with gratitude. She knew she had met her life's benefactor.
In truth, Fu Ye's main purpose in coming was to take Xian Lin'er away. He hadn't expected her to accidentally find her way to his vacant residence.
Just then, Xian Lin'er's information appeared before Fu Ye:
[Name: Xian Lin'er]
[Age: 6]
[Soul Power: Level 10]
[Martial Soul: Wind and Flame Holy Dragon (Extreme Wind, Extreme Fire)]
[Background: Once lived in a village on the edge of the Dou Ling Empire. Her parents died in the war, and she began wandering at the age of three.]
After a quick glance, Fu Ye patted her head.
"From now on, you can follow my little maid and practice martial arts together. It'll give her something to do as well."
Upon hearing this, Xian Lin'er's large eyes sparkled with curiosity.
'Huh? Big brother's little maid?'
But now she trusted Fu Ye completely and would naturally not object to any of his arrangements.
"Mhmm!" Xian Lin'er nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"Then I'll send you over now to meet your future master."
With that, Fu Ye directly placed Xian Lin'er into the small world he had bought before.
Meanwhile, inside the small world, Ye Xishui, who had just finished dressing and was tidying the bedding, noticed the arrival of another pretty little girl.
Before she could speak, Xian Lin'er stepped forward first, saw her, and without the slightest hesitation, bowed respectfully.
"Disciple pays respects to Master Maid!"
Back in the outside world, Fu Ye was preparing to use a new Time Teleportation Card.
After all, in this era, only Xian Lin'er was worth his training, and there didn't seem to be any other girls with notable talent. After some thought, Fu Ye directly decided on the next time period for his journey.
"System, use the Time Teleportation Card to travel 70 years into the future."
Fu Ye was very familiar with the plot of SL 2: The Unrivaled Tang Sect. Among the people associated with Shrek, one he could take in advance was Xian Lin'er. The other was Zhang Lexuan, whose family would be annihilated by their enemies 70 years later, only to be ultimately saved by the Mu En.
Since he was here and could intervene, there was no reason to let her end up working for Shrek.
[Ding! Time Teleportation Card successfully used!]
In another flash of light, Fu Ye once again vanished from his dust-covered villa.
Simultaneously, in the God Realm, at the Asura Temple…
God King Tang San seemed to sense something and extended his divine sense to cover the entire Douluo Planet. However, upon sensing changes on the continent again after a span of one hundred and twenty years, a solemn frown appeared between his brows.
"The situation on the continent has shifted slightly. Will of the Plane, do you really think these little tricks of yours will be effective?"
…
Taking a step, Fu Ye arrived directly seventy years into the future.
Looking around, the scenes and smells were familiar, though the villa was somewhat more aged, and it was already late at night.
"System, use the God-Tier Positioning Card to locate Zhang Lexuan for me."
[Ding! The God-Tier Positioning Card has marked the location of the future Shrek Academy inner courtyard senior, Zhang Lexuan, for you!]
After learning her location, Fu Ye directly tore through the space before him and stepped inside.
On the other side, three hundred kilometers north of Shrek Academy, in the second-tier city of Moon City…
Swish!
Thud!
Sword shadows, stained with blood, flashed under the bright moon. The city was currently experiencing a merciless massacre.
"Who are you people? Why are you attacking my Zhang family?!" a middle-aged man, drenched in blood, clutched his bleeding chest, his dark eyes filled with hatred and resentment. The nine spirit rings behind him—yellow, purple, black, black—testified to his power as a Titled Douluo.
However, the black-robed swordsman offered no response.
Swish!
In an instant, the blood-soaked middle-aged man fell dead on the spot. Yet, the black-robed swordsman did not leave. After confirming that only one child in the city remained alive, a strange smile appeared beneath his mask.
But at that very moment, a violent spatial fluctuation erupted around the man in black!
"BOOM!!!"
Accompanied by a deafening roar, Fu Ye stepped forth imposingly.
"Who are you? State your purpose!" the man in black demanded sharply.
Before he could finish, Fu Ye's palm instantly transformed into a magnificent, nine-colored dragon claw.
Clang!
The dragon claw tightly gripped his neck, the immense pressure causing the soul power within his body to stagnate completely.
"To think the Pavilion Master of Shrek's Sea God Pavilion would commit such a ruthless act," Fu Ye remarked coolly.
With that, he casually tore off the man's remaining arm right before his horrified gaze.
"AHHH!!!!"
…
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