It was with jittery excitement that the boy known as Feiyun held himself back when the fight began. But when the red and yellow wolves tore a single Late-stage Soul Exalt in half, the boy let out a yelp and fell to the ground. From there, he promptly ran behind Wang Tong and watched the rest of the battle behind the older maleâs back.
Not even Wang Tong and Kai Wen were able to watch the wolves with a straight face. This was the first time they saw a battle as bloody as this.
It was only when the battle was over and silence was all that was left when Wang Tong let out a sigh. âHow about it?â He asked Kai Wen.
A single eye of Kai Wen twitched at the question. âThese peopleâŠare far weaker than the soulbeasts we fight near the depths of the Qimang Mountains.â
âCut the crap, you know thatâs not what I meant.â Wang Tong retorted.
âHow does it feel to âkill a personâ for the first time?â
This was the first time they had ever killed a person!
âI didnât do a thing.â Kai Wen replied monotonously.
Wang Tong looked like he wanted to retort but then thought twice about it. âI guess none of us really did anything, hahaâŠraising soulbeasts to kill for us is only an excuse. I donât think I could be able to kill someone if I had to personally do it myselfâŠâ
âThey were enemies. We donât know what they wouldâve done if they were to find us. The only possible result wouldâve been toâŠkill them all.â
âYouâre rightâŠI guess thereâs just some things we canât avoid. Two thousand years of hiding and we were still found out. Iâm almost afraid to see how powerful our enemies are if the scouting party was this strongâŠmaybe three or four Soul Kings?â
Kai Wen looked cautiously around themselves. âItâs not safe here. Letâs head back.â
âFine by me, letâs get going then.â
A âwaveâ of black flowed towards Kai Wen as they spoke. It was the swarm of ants. Now that they were done eating the soul cultivators, they were ready to head to reform to their original size and shape as a small black sphere to enter his sleeves.
The two vipers were en route back to Wang Tongâs side as well. Coiled around their tails were the two Late-stage Soul Exalts they fought. One of them was still alive.
The Late-stage Soul Exalt was thrown to the ground in front of Wang Tong. Acting immediately, he pressed several points on the Soul Exaltâs body and knocked him unconscious.
The red, green, and yellow dogs were back by Feiyunâs side and wagging their tails excitedly. With how they were acting, no one wouldâve thought that these three loveable dogs had only just a while ago defeated two Late-stage Soul Exalts.
Wang Tong took a look at the bloody area here and then to the nearby village. âIâŠthink we should clean up this place first.â He muttered.
âObviously. Otherwise, the villager would be considered our accomplices.â
The two sprung from body to body to take and store into their space rings while Feiyun gave a sharp whistle to the yellow dog. Barking in response, the dog sent a wave of soulforce into the ground beneath and had it rumble violently before the scarred ground was restored back to its original state! The green dog was also doing something similar and accelerating the growth of the plants around to cover the places the yellow dog mightâve missed. Soon, not even the âdestroyedâ trees and plants were there to be seen as they were replaced by whole and healthy onesâŠÂ
In less than a few minutes, the entire scarred hillside was back to its original prime state!
Some of the villagers who were hiding behind the trees let out an audible gasp. One of them could even be heard whispering âmagicâ again.
âAlright that should be enough. No one should be able to think anything of this place now. As long as those villagers stay quiet they shouldnât be in any danger.â
Wang Tong spoke once the last of the corpses was taken care of. âLetâs get going then.â
Just as the three prepared to take off into the skies, Feiyun suddenly turned his head to look towards the village. âYouâre already awake?â
A newly awakened Bai Yunfei was standing there where Feiyun was looking at. His eyes were wide open as he took in the handiwork of the three soul cultivators. âThank you very much for your assistance.â He bowed, âIf not for you, our village wouldâve been destroyedâŠâ
Wang Tong stared curiously at Bai Yunfei. âDonât be so polite with us, brother.â He grinned, âthis has to do with us, so donât think too much about it.â
The reason why Wang Tong was curious at Bai Yunfei was because of him being a Soul Warrior. A soul cultivator living amongst villagers? It was a curious sight and not something he expected to see, especially out here.
Bai Yunfei was looking hesitant to speak, but he managed to say what he wanted after a second or two to recollect himself. âMayâŠmay you three be from the âalchemy schoolâ?â
âOh?â Wang Tong raised an eyebrow in guarded caution. âWhy might you ask that, brother?â
âPlease donât misunderstand,â Bai Yunfei bowed, âI mean no harm. IâŠI only justâŠâ
He didnât know how to say what was on his mind. It was a very difficult thing for him to do, since he wasnât even awake when he was healed by them.Â
âI know the âelixirsâ the village talked about comes from the âImmortalsâ. I know you are from the alchemy school, and that these âelixirsâ are powerful beyond belief. I even heard that a single âelixirâ the honored Elf gave me when I was injured was able to heal my wounds. I am extremely grateful for you saving me, butâŠbut IâŠâ
He paused. It was getting harder for him to speak his mind now.
âBut I would like to askâŠwould you happen to have an âelixirâ that brings back memories? If there isâŠpleaseâŠif I may have one. IâllâŠIâll do whatever it takes for such an elixir! If itâs within my powers, Iâll work my hardest!â
He had said it at last. There was hopeful desperation that these Immortals might have what he wanted, but he was so nervous in hearing their answer that his hands clenched tightly in on themselves so hard that they turned white.
âRestoring oneâs memories?â Wang Tongâs eyes narrowed. âYou lost your memories?â
Bai Yunfei noded.
âHow did you cultivate into becoming a Soul Warrior?â Wang Tong asked.
âA Soul Warrior?â Bai Yunfei looked confused. âAre you asking about my strength? I donât know what you mean by âcultivateâ, but my body has been growing stronger and stronger for the last three years.â
âYouâve self-awakened?!â Wang Tong gasped, âAnd you got this far without relying on anything else but yourself? How!?â
At first Wang Tong thought that Bai Yunfei was lying. There was no way this shouldâve been possible, but Bai Yunfei didnât look like he was lying, and there was nothing wrong with his soulforce. He didnât need a truth pill to know that Bai Yunfei was telling the truth, and that mystified Wang Tong.
âBrother Wang Tong.â Feiyun whispered into his ear. âI saw his soul and originseed was damaged earlier. Itâs been a very long time since then.â
âDamage to his soul and originseed?!â Wang Tong sucked in a deep breath. âAre you sayingâŠheâs lying? ButâŠâ
âIâm not.â Feiyun interrupted. âIâm not saying that. Iâm pretty sure heâs telling the truth. What I meant wasâŠhis soul was damaged for some reason and probably caused his soulforce to awaken. It feels like a contradiction, but itâs probably the reason why he was able to get stronger so fast and become a Soul Warrior. I heard dad say before that thereâs a symptom of something like this. A personâs soulforce will grow stronger and stronger beforeâŠit becomes too strong for the person to control. His life will be in danger soon!â
ââŠâ Wang Tong took a moment to think about what Feiyun was saying. âSo you want to save him?â
âI saw him fighting against the original four intruders when I was on my way here. He risked his soul and life to fight those guys. I think this person is a good guy and is worth saving, donât you think?â
Wang Tongâs eyes flickered over to Bai Yunfei for a moment as if debating if he should believe in Bai Yunfeiâs word or not.
âFeiyunâs grown up I seeâŠâ Wang Tong smiled at last. âYouâd best think about this. Bringing an âoutsiderâ back, even for treatment, will most likely get you in heavy trouble.â
âIâm not scared!â Feiyun brightened up. âDad is always saying that we should be good to others. Iâm just following his teaching by treating people! Why should I be punished for it?â