Chapter 15 No Wrongful Souls Under the Panlong Staff: The True Strength of Emperor Soul Village
The night wind in the North seemed to stop flowing at this moment, and the dim street lamp at the alley entrance made a crackling sound, its flickering light reflecting off the snow and creating a pale halo.
The alley was deathly silent. The Soul Saint, dressed in black robes and a powerful expert of level seventy or above, was now like an old duck with its neck being choked. His whole body was stiff, and cold sweat slid down his forehead, instantly freezing into ice beads on his chin.
In-depth understanding
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His originally terrifying, abyss-like soul power, which had made Ye Feng and Ye Shaotian breathless, melted away completely in front of the old woman carrying the vegetable basket, like snow under the blazing sun, without even causing a ripple.
Ye Feng turned his head with difficulty and looked at the familiar figure behind him. The old lady was wearing the patched floral cotton-padded jacket and a pair of black cloth shoes with embroidered soles. In her hand, she carried a bamboo basket containing a few white radishes she had just bought from the night market and a bunch of slightly wilted bok choy.
In-depth understanding
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This was clearly the kind grandmother who nagged them every day to wear more long johns and always put the meat on their plates at the dinner table. But at this moment, her hunched back was straight, and her cloudy eyes no longer held their usual kindness. Instead, there were two golden beams that seemed to be real, a terrifying killing intent that had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, making one's soul tremble.
"Ye... Ye Juanjuan..." The black-robed man's voice trembled violently, his teeth chattering, "The 'Soul-Shattering Dragon Mother' from back then... you're still alive? You're hiding in this godforsaken border town selling vegetables?"
Standing behind his grandmother, Ye Feng's lips twitched involuntarily upon hearing the domineering nickname "Soul-Shattering Dragon Mother." Looking at the imposing figure that seemed so tall at that moment, a storm raged within him.
Shattered Soul Dragon Mother? This name, which sounds like it's full of violent aesthetics, really doesn't belong to my grandmother who talks about killing chickens for ages.
Grandma ignored the black-robed man's fear. She slowly bent down and gently placed the vegetable basket on the ground, her movements as delicate as if it were the most precious treasure in the world. She muttered, "These radishes are good, so fresh. Perfect for making soup for those two rascals when we get back." After placing the basket down, she slowly straightened up, and her seemingly withered hand suddenly grabbed at the air.
"Buzz—"
A deep, muffled hum suddenly rang out, as if the very space itself was trembling. The ordinary rolling pin, usually used for rolling out noodles and spanking her grandson, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden and red light in her hand.
As the light faded, the wooden rolling pin disappeared, replaced by a two-meter-long, dark red staff with gold-plated ends, adorned with coiled dragons. A lifelike golden dragon coiled around the staff, its scales clearly defined, its eyes wide open in fury, as if it might burst forth from the staff at any moment, unleashing a roar that would shatter the heavens.
This is Grandma's true martial spirit—a top-tier weapon martial spirit, the Panlong Staff!
As the Martial Soul was released, rings of spirit rings slowly rose beneath Grandma's feet. Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black! Eight spirit rings! A full eight spirit rings! The deep black light, like eight black holes, devoured all the surrounding light—the symbol of an eight-ringed Soul Douluo!
Moreover, judging from the color of that spirit ring, Grandma's cultivation level was far beyond simply entering level 80. The strength of that aura even faintly touched the edge of a Title Douluo.
深入瞭解
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"I originally wanted to live a peaceful retirement for a few years, raise these two children, and watch them get married and have children." The grandmother gently stroked the cold stick in her hand, her tone as calm as if she were talking about everyday matters, but every word was like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone present. "I haven't touched this old fellow for so many years. I never expected that you people from the Snow Demon Sect would be so eager to die."
The man in black robes was so overwhelmed by this aura that he nearly vomited blood. He knew that running away was futile against the god of death from back then; his only chance of survival was to fight to the death, perhaps offering a sliver of hope. Fear at its extreme turned to madness. He suddenly roared hysterically, "Attack! Attack now! She's alone! I refuse to believe that someone her age can still maintain her former fighting prowess!"
"Seventh Soul Skill - Snow Demon True Form!"
The black-robed man roared, his eyes bloodshot. His seventh black spirit ring suddenly lit up, emitting a blinding black light. His body instantly swelled, his previously slender human form vanishing, replaced by a colossal snow demon standing five meters tall. This snow demon was covered in long white fur, had a blue face and fangs, and muscles bulging like granite. Wielding two enormous battle axes formed from solidified ice, it swung them down with a world-destroying aura towards the small, thin figure.
At the same time, Xue Li and the other dozen or so Snow Demon Sect assassins, standing to the side, also launched their attack with gritted teeth. They knew that if the elder was defeated, they would not survive either. In an instant, multicolored soul skill lights lit up the alley, and countless sharp ice spikes, poisonous mist, and insidious hidden weapons swept towards Grandma from all directions.
"Grandma, be careful!" Ye Shaotian exclaimed, instinctively wanting to draw his Frost Sword and rush to help, but Ye Feng grabbed him. Ye Feng shook his head, his gaze fixed intently on his grandmother's back, and whispered, "Look closely, this is a battle between strong people."
Faced with an attack powerful enough to level the entire alley, Grandma didn't dodge, nor did she even activate all the spirit rings beneath her feet. She simply stood there, a disdainful sneer playing on her lips, gripping the end of the Dragon-Piercing Staff with one hand, seemingly casually flicking it upwards, and softly uttering, "First Spirit Skill—Shock!"
It's merely the first soul skill, a hundred-year soul ring skill.
However, with the support of the vast and boundless soul power of the eight-ring Soul Douluo, this attack underwent a qualitative change. The tip of the Panlong Staff drew a semicircle in the air, and a visible golden ripple instantly spread outwards from Grandma.
"Puff puff puff puff!"
The flying ice spikes, poisonous mist, and hidden weapons, upon contact with this golden ripple, shattered instantly, dissipated, and rolled back as if they had struck an invisible wall of bronze and iron! The dozen or so low-level assassins who rushed up didn't even have time to scream before they were sent flying by the recoil, crashing heavily against the walls on either side, spitting blood, and slowly sliding down like paintings, instantly losing consciousness.
The enormous snow demon's true form, along with its two powerful ice axes capable of splitting boulders, was effortlessly blocked in mid-air by this single blow. The seemingly slender coiled dragon staff steadily held the two giant axes in place, and no matter how the snow demon roared and exerted its strength, it could not make the axes press down even an inch.
"How is this possible... just the first soul skill..." The black-robed man, now transformed into a snow demon, was filled with shock and despair. He had activated his Martial Soul True Body! With all attributes amplified by 100%, he couldn't even break through a casual attack from an old woman?
"Don't you know the difference between level 70 and level 80? Besides, do you even deserve to be called Snow Demon?" Grandma sneered, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She shuddered as she brandished the Dragon-Piercing Staff. "Get down! Third Soul Skill—Dragon-Piercing Mountain-Shattering Strike!"
The third purple soul ring at Grandma's feet lit up. The golden dragon on the Panlong Staff seemed to come alive, letting out a deafening roar, its golden light blazing brightly. The staff's shadow fell heavily, carrying the force of Mount Tai crashing down, slamming heavily onto the Snow Demon's shoulder. This strike had no fancy techniques, only pure power and domineering force.
"Snap!!!"
The sickening sound of bones cracking echoed through the night sky, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet night.
"ah--!!!"
The man in black robes let out a shrill scream. His incomparably strong and proud Snow Demon True Body defense was as fragile as paper under the Coiling Dragon Staff. His massive body was slammed to his knees, and the hard stone pavement beneath his knees instantly shattered, forming a crater ten meters in diameter, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading in all directions.
The Snow Demon's true form was forced to dissipate under this attack, and the black-robed man reverted to the withered old man, slumped at the bottom of the pit. His entire right arm was completely twisted and deformed, the bones shattered into pieces, hanging limply at his side, clearly useless.
One move. Just one move. A seven-ring Soul Saint who had awakened his Martial Soul True Body was crippled in combat. This is the terrifying power of an eight-ring Soul Douluo, this is the domineering nature of Ye Juanjuan, the "Soul-Shattering Dragon Mother" who once shook the Soul Master world!
Xue Li, standing to the side, was completely terrified. His legs trembled violently, and a warm liquid flowed down his trouser leg—he had actually wet himself in fear. He looked at the elder at the bottom of the pit, his fate unknown, and then at the old woman wielding the stick like a demon; his mind went completely blank.
Grandma put away the dragon-patterned staff; the golden light dissipated, and the staff transformed back into an unremarkable rolling pin. She picked up the vegetable basket from the ground, dusted off a speck of dust, and walked to the edge of the pit as if nothing had happened. Looking down at the half-dead Soul Saint, she coldly said, "Go back and tell your Snow Demon Sect Master that these two children are my grandsons, Ye Juanjuan's. I don't care about the outcome of a sparring match between peers; they were simply outmatched, and they deserved to die. But if any old geezer dares to bully the younger ones and try anything with my grandsons…"
A chilling glint flashed in Grandma's eyes, and her voice was like a cold wind from the depths of hell: "I don't mind going to your Snow Demon Sect's headquarters again, tearing down your ancestral hall, and feeding all those old bones of yours to the dogs! Do you understand?"
"roll!"
A furious shout, like a thunderclap.
Xue Li felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled into the pit, carried the unconscious Soul Saint on his back, and led the remaining disciples who could still move away. They fled the alley in a disheveled state, wishing they had two more legs. They didn't dare leave behind a single harsh word.
The alleyway returned to silence, with only the large crater in the ground and bloodstains bearing witness to what had just happened. Ye Feng and Ye Shaotian stared blankly at their grandmother, unsure of what to say, or perhaps too afraid to say anything. Their grandmother was too unfamiliar, too powerful.
Grandma turned around and looked at the two dumbfounded children. The murderous look on her face vanished instantly, and she returned to being the kind old lady, only with a hint of weariness in her eyes. She glared at them and said irritably, "What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen an old lady fight before? Hurry up and go home, the radish soup is getting cold. Shaotian, didn't you want to eat roast whole lamb? Grandma will make you braised pork when we get home."
"Grandma...Grandma, you're amazing!" Ye Shaotian finally reacted, rushed over and hugged his grandmother's arm, his face full of admiration. "An eight-ring Soul Douluo! And a Dragon Staff! Our family is so powerful? Does that mean I can do whatever I want in Northern Border City from now on?"
"Walking sideways? Do you want to be a crab?" Grandma tapped him on the head in annoyance and pulled them back. "Don't tell anyone about what happened today, especially when we get back to the village. Don't gossip. If that old man, the village chief, finds out I laid a hand on him, he'll nag me for ages."
The moonlight lengthened the shadows of the three generations of the family. As Ye Feng walked home, his emotions remained unsettled. Back in the rented courtyard, under the lamplight, his grandmother picked vegetables while slowly recounting those long-forgotten stories.
It turns out that in her youth, Grandma was a renowned Soul Master on the continent, known for her fiery temper and hatred of evil. Because of the immense power of her Martial Soul, the Panlong Staff, and her fierce and uncompromising style, she offended many powerful forces. Later, due to an unexpected event, she became disheartened and, with Ye Feng, who was still an infant, and the orphan Ye Shaotian, went into seclusion in the remote Emperor Soul Village.
"That old guy, the village chief, used to be a formidable figure. He was a Soul Emperor, and his martial soul was the Extreme Speed Wolf. We two are old partners, watching over you as you grew up in this godforsaken place."
Grandma looked at Ye Feng, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Xiao Feng, the reason Grandma kept this from you all this time was because I didn't want you to bear the grudges of the previous generation. I wanted you to live a peaceful life, even as ordinary people. But, as the saying goes, 'The awl in the bag will soon reveal its tip.' You two little devils are too promising, with innate full soul power, twin martial souls, and Shao Tian's mutated Frost Sword. You are destined to be eagles soaring in the sky. This old woman can't protect you forever."
Ye Feng fell silent. He walked over and gently took his grandmother's rough hands. A thousand words were condensed into one sentence: "Grandma, thank you." He knew how much his grandmother had concealed her sharpness and suffered how many grievances she had endured over the years in order to live in anonymity and protect them.
"Don't thank me, silly child." Grandma patted his head and took out two yellowed ancient books from her bosom. "Now that your identities have been exposed, Grandma won't pretend anymore. After what happened tonight, the Snow Demon Sect won't dare to touch you for a while. But it's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. You must become stronger as soon as possible, so strong that no one will dare to covet you."
This is Grandma's cultivation experience from back then, along with a self-created soul skill called "Subduing Dragon Staff Technique" to complement the Panlong Staff. Xiao Feng, you can use the spear form; Shao Tian, you can also learn from its power generation techniques in your swordsmanship.
That night, the lights in the courtyard stayed on for a long time. The two boys eagerly absorbed the life experience of a Soul Douluo powerhouse, laying the most solid foundation for their future soaring success.
In the days that followed, the Northern Arena lost a legendary duo known as "Happy," while the training grounds of the Northern Junior Academy gained two figures who trained with frenzied intensity. With their grandmother's guidance and Mingyue's special training, Ye Feng and Ye Shaotian's strength improved by leaps and bounds.
Ye Feng perfectly integrated the shockwave power from the "Subduing Dragon Staff Technique" into the spear form of the Thousand Chance Umbrella, developing the prototype of the new move "Subduing Dragon Soaring to the Sky". Although he could not yet transform into a dragon, the spiraling force of the spear thrust out was enough to penetrate any shield of a defensive Soul Master of the same level.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Ye Feng's soul power reached level fifteen, and Ye Shaotian's reached level thirteen. This cultivation speed was simply astonishing in the junior academy.
Mingyue looked at the graduation application in her hand, her eyes filled with both reluctance and pride. She signed her name, stamped it, and, gazing at the swirling snow outside the window, said to the two boys:
"The Northern Intermediate Soul Master Academy is located in Winter City, the capital of the Northern Province. It gathers the most outstanding geniuses in the entire Northern Region, and even exchange students from other provinces of the Heaven Dou Empire. The competition there will be a hundred times fiercer than here. Moreover, as far as I know, the headquarters of the Snow Demon Sect is located in the snow-capped mountains near Winter City. If you go there, it will be like stepping into a wolf's den."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Ye Shaotian chuckled and patted the heavy sword on his back. "If the wolf comes, we'll have a shotgun; if the ghost comes, we'll have our boss. We're going to school, not to die."
Ye Feng smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with confidence: "The most dangerous place is the safest place. In Winter City, under the watchful eyes of everyone, the Snow Demon Sect wouldn't dare to act openly. As for underhanded methods... that depends on whose methods are tougher."
Mingyue turned around, took a letter from the drawer, and handed it to Ye Feng: "This is my letter of recommendation. Give it to the dean of Winter Academy. He is an old friend of mine and will arrange the best resources for you, but he will also arrange the most rigorous tests. Go, fledglings, soar to a wider sky."