"Master."
"How many days have we been down here?"
Yang Fan felt like he had a very, very long dream.
Before the dream, he felt a particularly strong sense of powerlessness when facing Hellfire. However, when he woke up, Hellfire had miraculously become his first Heavenly Flame.
"Days?"
"I think you silly boy really have been burned silly."
"Master and disciple, from the time we came down until now, more than half a year has passed."
Yang Fan's eyes snapped open.
"Half a year?"
It took him half a year to absorb Hellfire?
Yang Fan suddenly had a feeling of being disconnected from the world.
No wonder there were such huge changes in his body and surroundings when he woke up.
Half a year...
Calculated this way, he had been in Slaughter City for a year and a half.
"Master, let's get out."
Yang Fan only wanted to go out and see the outside world now.
A year and a half...
How was the Breaking Clan?
How was his grandfather?
And how was Blazing Fire Academy?
...
After successfully subduing Hellfire, the magma below the Hell Road could no longer cause him any harm.
Not only that!
The strange creatures on the Hell Road also seemed to have disappeared.
He didn't know if they were afraid of him!
Although he had been dormant on the Hell Road for half a year, when he prepared to leave, it took less than an hour.
Cool breeze blowing, sunlight shining!
Yang Fan greedily breathed in the air from nature.
This long-missed coolness and plant fragrance—he hadn't enjoyed them for a year and a half.
At this moment!
Yang Fan suddenly felt a special abnormality in his body.
That feeling was indescribable.
But it gave Yang Fan a particularly strong sensation in his heart.
"Killing God Domain?!"
Yes!
He had obtained a domain skill matching his Slaughter God title.
Yang Fan's will moved slightly.
A blood-colored light instantly expanded from his body, encompassing a hundred-meter radius around him.
This was the Killing God Domain?
The original work mentioned...
The Killing God Domain could increase one's own imposing aura.
Within the domain, the enemy's strength would automatically weaken by ten percent, while the user could exert one hundred ten percent of their power.
Of course!
This was only the basic ability of the Killing God Domain.
As the martial soul grew and strength improved, the buff effects of the Killing God Domain would also increase.
Like Yang Fan right now!
His current Killing God Domain could already provide him with one hundred twenty percent imposing aura, while also weakening opponents by twenty percent.
Good stuff!
The amplification effect of the Killing God Domain, combined with his soul skill amplification and weakening of opponents.
With this contrast...
Yang Fan felt that he could now go toe-to-toe with an ordinary Soul Douluo.
...
Tian Dou City.
A year and a half had passed, and this city didn't seem to have changed much.
Because of the Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament, the city had become even more lively compared to before.
Every academy was preparing for this once-in-five-years grand event, and every soul master student was also preparing for this elite tournament.
However...
Blazing Fire Academy hadn't been having an easy time lately.
Because... Yang Fan had gone missing!
Yang Wudi had come to Blazing Fire Academy upon hearing this news, but left without saying anything.
In comparison, Dugu Bo's emotional fluctuations were actually greater.
Upon learning of Yang Fan's disappearance, Dugu Bo came directly to Blazing Fire Academy to demand an explanation.
Fortunately, Dugu Bo only threw a temper tantrum and didn't spew poison mist at Blazing Fire Academy.
Otherwise...
This year's Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament would probably only have three veteran powerhouse teams participating.
"Once the competition starts, we just need to play like we are now and we can definitely reach the final stage of this Soul Master Tournament."
A year and a half had passed.
The levels of Huo Wushuang and his sister had both reached forty-third rank.
This was an existence like a leader among students in the Tian Dou division.
Precisely because of this!
Huo Wushuang had the confidence to say that their Blazing Fire Academy had the ability to break into the final stage of this Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
"If only that guy Yang Fan were still here."
Huo Wushuang nodded silently.
Yes!
That guy Yang Fan was too abnormal.
If not for his disappearance, they probably wouldn't have known until now that the guy actually came from the Breaking Clan.
If Yang Fan were still alive, it wouldn't be impossible for their Blazing Fire Academy to contend for the championship.
"Alright!"
"Let's not think about that so much."
"If Yang Fan is still alive, he would certainly hope we can achieve better results in this elite tournament."
Huo Wu seemed as if she hadn't heard.
Her fire-like eyes stared straight ahead.
"Brother—"
"Is that Yang Fan over there?"
Huo Wushuang was helpless.
He hadn't noticed before that his silly sister had those kinds of feelings for Yang Fan.
Since Yang Fan's accident, had she become obsessed?
Huo Wushuang was just about to comfort his silly sister.
However, when his peripheral vision glanced over...
He couldn't believe his eyes!
Steadying himself!
"Yang Fan?"
"You... you... you..."
His silly sister hadn't seen wrong. The person walking toward them was indeed Yang Fan.
"What's wrong with me?"
Yang Fan pretended to be nonchalant.
After being cut off from the outside world for a year and a half, he had too many things he needed to understand.
After thinking it over...
Starting with Blazing Fire Academy was most appropriate.
"Fuck!"
"Bro, you didn't die?!"
The return of a missing person left Huo Wushuang's excited mood beyond words.
Huo Wu beside him even stepped forward and delivered a solid punch to Yang Fan's chest.
There was sensation!
She wasn't dreaming!
"Hey—"
"Where the hell have you been for such a long time?"
The return of someone who had been 'dead' in their eyes was certainly something to be happy about.
However, within this joy, there was also anger mixed in!
Yang Fan disappeared without a word for half a year, then returned quietly as if nothing had happened.
Even if something happened, he shouldn't have left without saying goodbye!
This clearly showed he didn't consider them friends.
"Previously, because I was missing two medicinal herbs for alchemy, I went to the soul beast forest to pick them."
"Unexpectedly..."
"I directly fell into a very deep cave."
Such an explanation obviously couldn't convince the Huo siblings.
"If you don't want to say it, don't say it."
Huo Wu's brows furrowed tightly.
She treated Yang Fan as a brother, but Yang Fan seemed to be treating her as an idiot.
"I'm telling the truth!"
On this matter, he really wasn't lying.
Entering Slaughter City was indeed a muddled matter for him.
"Let me ask you something."
"During the time I left Blazing Fire Academy, did anyone come to the academy looking for me?"
Yang Fan asked.
"Your grandfather came!"
Yang Fan rubbed his nose.
From the attitude of the Huo siblings, it wasn't hard to see they already knew his identity from the Breaking Clan.
"Did my grandfather cause trouble?"
This was what Yang Fan worried about most.
Although he spent most of his time in Tian Dou City and hadn't gone back even once in so many years.
His contact with his grandfather Yang Wudi had never been interrupted—letters every three months, unshakable for so many years!
However, this time...
During his year and a half in Slaughter City, he never had any news about his grandfather Yang Wudi.
"No!"
"Your grandfather should be fine now, but Dugu Bo almost flipped our Blazing Fire Academy over."
Yang Fan's expression was awkward!
What he worried about most was that his grandfather Yang Wudi would do something impulsive, thinking Spirit Hall had made a move.
He could only say he was extremely lucky now!
Otherwise, he really didn't dare to imagine what the Breaking Clan would look like now.
But thinking that Dugu Bo could stand up when he went missing, Yang Fan's heart suddenly had some wonderful changes.
"Let's go!"
"I'll treat you to a meal."
Through conversation along the way, Yang Fan gained a general understanding of the changes in the Douluo Continent over this year and a half.
First was the Elephant Armor Sect!
Because they were without a leader, the remaining old, weak, sick, and disabled of the Elephant Armor Sect completely left Tian Dou City one night.
Where they went, no one knew!
And no one paid any more attention!
But one thing was certain—the remaining old, weak, sick, and disabled of the Elephant Armor Sect would never have a day to restore the sect's glory.
Correspondingly...
The veteran Elephant Armor Academy also completely closed down because of the Elephant Armor Sect's departure.
When Yang Fan asked about the Breaking Clan, the Huo siblings showed complete ignorance.
It wasn't that they didn't want to say, but they really didn't know!
Since Yang Fan's disappearance, this family that had gradually been making a name for itself on the Douluo Continent became even more low-key than before.
No one knew what they were doing!
Then there was the recently hugely popular Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
The decline of Elephant Armor Academy gave other soul master academies in the Tian Dou division ideas about breaking out of the Tian Dou division.
After several courses of dishes...
The first thing Yang Fan did upon returning to the academy was write a letter of safety to his grandfather.
He really didn't intend to cut off contact with his family!
Unfortunately, everything happened too suddenly, causing him to be 'imprisoned' in Slaughter City for a year and a half.
Yang Fan only hoped his letter could return to the Breaking Clan as soon as possible, into his grandfather's hands.
"Who?"
Yang Fan suddenly raised his head.
In an instant...
A cold, chilling aura instantly filled this dormitory room of only a few dozen square meters.
"Kid!"
"After not seeing you for a year and a half, your strength has improved again."
Before the words finished.
An aged figure had already silently appeared in the room.
It was Dugu Bo!
Calculating the time...
Exactly a year and a half had passed since the two last met, and during this time, Yang Fan's strength had actually undergone another eye-catching change.
Truly abnormal!
Even as a Title Douluo, Dugu Bo couldn't help but admire that he had never seen a soul master progress as rapidly as Yang Fan.
"How did you know I returned?"
Obviously!
Dugu Bo had come specifically for him.
"Tian Dou City is my territory."
"Can you little freak's return escape this old man's discerning eyes?"
Regarding this question, Yang Fan didn't dwell on it too much.
Although Dugu Bo was arrogant, he was after all a guest elder of the Tian Dou Empire.
Perhaps someone had seen him with the Huo siblings in Tian Dou City and told this old man.
"You kid didn't come back this time for the Soul Master Tournament, did you?"
The reason Dugu Bo appeared here today was for this matter.
There was nothing to worry about regarding Yang Fan's strength!
The Spirit Hall Golden Generation was indeed gifted, but they were far inferior to Yang Fan.
As long as nothing unexpected happened during the competition, with Yang Fan's strength leading Blazing Fire Academy to the championship was almost a certainty.
But...
This fucking wasn't about whether they could win the championship or not—it was about Yang Fan's survival problem after being exposed to Spirit Hall.
Would they really let a genius soul master who posed a threat to Spirit Hall go?
"Of course!"
Yang Fan also learned a most crucial piece of intelligence today.
Spirit Hall had already announced the championship reward for this Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
Just as in the original work: three soul bones.
Yang Fan smiled!
This was Spirit Hall simply not knowing who he, Yang Fan, was. Otherwise, even if you gave them ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare use soul bones as the championship reward.
"You brat might as well have died out there."
This wasn't false!
If Yang Fan hadn't returned, he would have just treated it as if this kid had died.
Now that he's back...
Once Spirit Hall kills him, he would have to suffer again.
"But aren't you still here?"
"You said you would protect me completely. You wouldn't go back on your word, right?"
Spirit bones... he was determined to get them!
Currently, there really wasn't any method simpler and more direct than participating in the Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
There was another even more important reason why he chose to participate in the Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament.
He didn't want to hide anymore!
If he kept hiding like this, the Breaking Clan would never become a top family on the Douluo Continent.
"This old man said he would help you, but never said he would go to his death."
Dugu Bo was proud all his life, but he also had a very clear understanding of his own strength.
Below Titled Douluo, he was invincible!
But facing a powerful soul master organization like Spirit Hall, his abilities were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
"No one is asking you to go to your death!"
"I'm just going to participate in the Soul Master Academy Tournament. Don't make it sound like I'm going to the execution ground, okay?"
Yang Fan said.
"I just don't get it. Is one soul bone worth you going to your death?"
"When did your horizons become so small?"
Yang Fan didn't speak.
But he couldn't deny that such a soul bone was really too important to him.
He had searched for several years on the Douluo Continent—this was the only mental-type soul bone that could reach fifty thousand years.
"Eh..."
"What are you going to do?"
Dugu Bo didn't stay, only leaving one sentence when he finally departed.
"This old man is going to Yunluo City to see if all you Yang family members are this stubborn."
Dugu Bo's appearance and departure disrupted all of Yang Fan's thoughts, but also gave him a warning.
If he went to participate in the Continental Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament half a year later just like this, bare naked, it obviously wouldn't work.
He had to make complete preparations!
...
Yunluo City.
Yang Wudi's aged hands tightly gripped the letter.
Slightly trembling!
"He's fine!"
"Indeed fine!"
Yang Wudi had never believed that Yang Fan had suffered a poisonous hand.
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