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One morning, several days later.
Ye Lan and Xiao Xue were strolling along the path to the training grounds.
"Ye Lan, how do you think my progress has been these past few days?" Xiao Xue asked expectantly.
"Xiao Xue, your progress in swordsmanship is simply too fast! Your and Zhuqing's understanding of swordplay can no longer be described as genius. You can only be called monsters!" Ye Lan stated frankly.
A single genius working in isolation might take years to achieve something significant.
But when two monsters collide and exchange ideas, their rate of improvement becomes exponential.
Although the two of them would quickly reach a bottleneck in their swordsmanship, their progress was absolutely much faster than if one were to practice the sword alone!
After hearing Ye Lan's praise, Xiao Xue smiled happily.
"I have my grandfather to thank for that. He started teaching me how to use a sword when I was very young!"
Qian Daoliu?
No wonder Xiao Xue's sword movements were so concise; they must have contained much of Qian Daoliu's own understanding of the way of the sword.
In terms of sword skills, Qian Daoliu is in no way inferior to the Sword Douluo, Chen Xin!
Just as Ye Lan was about to ask about Xiao Xue's grandfather, Qian Daoliu, a trembling figure slowly approached them.
"Young friend, do you know the way to the academy dormitories? I want to see my grandson, whom I haven't seen for a long time," the old man said, his voice hoarse with age.
Ye Lan glanced over and saw that the old man's hair and beard were completely white. He was dressed in thick linen clothes and had a very benevolent appearance.
Ye Lan didn't pay it much mind and turned to point toward the distant academic building.
He began to say, "Old sir, the academic building is..."
At that moment, Xiao Xue was shocked to see the benevolent old man instantly complete his Martial Soul Avatar—the Vigorous Ape God!
In a flash, the human had swelled into an eight-meter-tall black titan.
The air around the old man's body was instantly compressed by the Vigorous Ape God into a fierce gale that rushed toward Xiao Xue and Ye Lan.
By the time Ye Lan felt the blast of wind, the first and second yellow soul rings of the black Vigorous Ape God lit up in an instant.
"Power Surge!"
"Power Condensation!"
The Vigorous Ape God's arms swelled rapidly, and yellow lava seemed to flow over its black, diamond-like biceps. The ape's fist was now larger than Ye Lan's entire body!
The barrel-thick, black fist shot instantly toward the completely unprepared Ye Lan!!
Xiao Xue's expression changed drastically!!
The Vigorous Ape God's martial soul possession, skill release, and right hook all happened in less than a single second!!
"Look out!!!"
Without any time for her brain to think, Xiao Xue instantly tackled Ye Lan, throwing her body in front of his!
Look out?
The moment he was pushed to the ground by Xiao Xue, Ye Lan's gaze turned to her.
He saw Xiao Xue's entire body erupt in a brilliant golden soul power.
In the next instant, Xiao Xue was struck by the immensely powerful fist!
Xiao Xue vanished in a flash, and a shower of golden blood splattered all over Ye Lan's body.
Ye Lan's pupils contracted.
He subconsciously wiped the blood from his cheek with his hand. Looking closely, he saw that his right hand was covered in golden blood.
For that single moment, Ye Lan refused to accept that this was reality. In just an instant, it felt as though countless years had passed in his consciousness.
"Xiao Xue!!"
Ye Lan instantly transformed into a flash of light and disappeared from his spot.
After being enhanced by his first and second soul rings, the Vigorous Ape God's strength already surpassed that of many Titled Douluo. This heavy blow had sent Xiao Xue flying hundreds of meters away.
Ye Lan used his Flash Step at full power, and after three blinks, he arrived above a pool of golden blood.
Xiao Xue was lying in the middle of the pool, golden blood pouring endlessly from countless ruptured wounds.
Seeing Xiao Xue in such a tragic state, Ye Lan immediately cradled her in his arms.
He bared his teeth and bit through the blood vessel in his wrist, a spurt of his own blood flying out.
Ye Lan frantically circulated the soul power in his body, continuously converting his Blue Silver Grass into life force. The spurting crimson blood began to glow with a verdant light.
Ye Lan fed the blood of life into Xiao Xue's mouth.
Lying in Ye Lan's arms, Xiao Xue looked at his anxious face, and she smiled! It was a tragic smile.
"Ye Lan, am I going to die?"
Ye Lan suppressed the tumultuous storm in his heart, forcing himself to remain calm. "Xiao Xue won't die! You must not fall asleep. Hold on. We'll go see the snow together in the future, okay?"
However, the rate at which Xiao Xue's life was slipping away did not bend to Ye Lan's will. Although Ye Lan's Blue Silver Grass could also repair the body, it was not the Nine Heart Begonia, after all.
Xiao Xue's injuries were simply too severe.
Facing a surprise attack with the power of a Titled Douluo, Xiao Xue had no time to circulate her soul power to bolster her defenses. Relying solely on her Soul Emperor-level physical constitution to withstand the Vigorous Ape God's sudden assault, the fact that she didn't die on the spot was already the result of her desperately circulating her soul power.
The blood of life continuously replenished the blood in Xiao Xue's body, but this new blood immediately flowed out from her ruptured wounds. More and more golden blood flowed out, and the pool gradually formed a small river of blood.
"Ye Lan, that's enough!"
Qian Renxue looked with heartache at Ye Lan's pale, bloodless face. She used her last ounce of strength to press down on his bleeding wrist.
"After I die, go to the Douluo Palace and find my grandfather, Qian Daoliu. Help me tell him I'm sorry."
"Then, help me apologize to the Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong. I'm sorry I couldn't complete the Heaven Stealing Plan."
Ye Lan grabbed Xiao Xue's hand, shaking his head frantically.
"Ye Lan, there's one more thing I haven't told you. I..."
Xiao Xue slowly closed her eyes, her body emitting a constant golden glow.
At this moment, Titan had already arrived behind Ye Lan.
He looked at the tragic state of Ye Lan and the blonde woman, and the Vigorous Ape God let out a loud laugh: "Hahahaha! Ye Lan! Now you know the same pain I feel, don't you?! My son was crippled, and you are to blame!! Now, die for me!!"
The Vigorous Ape God leaped a dozen meters into the air, its enormous fist plummeting towards Ye Lan!
But just as Titan was about to strike, Ye Lan's golden soul power and Qian Renxue's golden soul power fused together.
An intense white light exploded, instantly blanketing everything within several hundred meters in pure white.
A white hole appeared where Ye Lan and Xiao Xue had been!
When the eight-meter-tall Vigorous Ape God's attack hit the white hole, it was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, crashing into another mountain peak hundreds of meters away.
The white light gradually faded, and the white hole slowly dissipated. In its place, a sacred figure of indescribable form floated peacefully in mid-air.
His figure was a full three zhang tall. Countless rays of light were bent by him into various planetary rings, which constantly orbited his body. Four pairs of wings, like crystal-carved rivers of stars, spread out layer by layer behind him. Every feather shimmered with a different luster: the emerald of ultimate life, the dazzling gold of ultimate light, the sacred silver-white of ultimate divinity, and the blazing radiance of ultimate fire.
Intricate, ancient, and mysterious runes swirled across the feathers. When the wings beat gently, thousands of fine points of light fell like meteors, and wherever the meteors passed, space itself rippled.
His face was perfect, conforming to the art of aesthetics from every angle. His eyes were as bright as stars, filled with a light that intertwined pity and compassion, as if he could see through the essence of all things. He had a high nose bridge and lips as vibrant as rose petals, with the corners turned up in a faint, subtle smile that was both holy and approachable. His hair was like a waterfall, silver-white mixed with strands of gold, moving without wind. Each strand emitted a faint glow, like a flowing galaxy cascading over his shoulders.
"Xiao Xue?" he spoke.
Ye Lan looked down in confusion at his hands, which seemed both solid and illusory. It was clear they were not his own. From the corner of his eye, he saw the four pairs of wings behind him. These wings gave him the strange sensation that wherever he wanted to go, he would appear there in the next moment.
So this is mine and Xiao Xue's Martial Soul Fusion Skill?
The moment Titan had appeared behind him, the frequency of his and Xiao Xue's martial soul fluctuations had reached one hundred percent compatibility. After that, his consciousness had blanked out for a moment, and then he found himself in mid-air.
So, have Xiao Xue and I fused into one?
Just as Ye Lan was wondering why he couldn't sense Xiao Xue's presence, a flood of information about the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin rushed into his mind.
Through this information, he learned that his and Xiao Xue's Martial Soul Fusion Skill was not an eight-winged angel, but the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin. The reason it currently had only four pairs of wings instead of six was because Xiao Xue had not yet cultivated to the level of a Soul Sage. A six-winged angel at the Soul Emperor stage only had two pairs of wings. Therefore, the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin temporarily had only four pairs of wings.
But even an incomplete Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin was terrifying!! All of its skills were God Skills. However, because Ye Lan and Xiao Xue's levels were too low, these God Skills were all temporarily sealed.
But even the innate domain and basic abilities of the Angel of Origin left Ye Lan dumbfounded! And this was coming from Ye Lan, who had seen all sorts of skills from the self-selection system!
First, the moment they executed the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, no matter what state they were in, they would be instantly reset to their 'initial state'. Life force, soul power, spiritual power, buffs, debuffs—everything was reset!! This fit the concept of 'Origin,' as origin means birth!
Based on this characteristic, Xiao Xue had already been pulled back from the brink of death!!
But for some unknown reason, the controller of the Angel was not Xiao Xue, but Ye Lan. He guessed it was because Xiao Xue had been on the verge of death.
Knowing that Xiao Xue was safe, Ye Lan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to receive information.
The Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin had only one domain: the Origin Domain! But this single domain possessed four properties!!
Forbiddance: Enemy domains below the god-level are prohibited from use!
Equilibrium: Increases own all-attributes by twenty percent, and decreases all-attributes of enemies within the domain by twenty percent!
Purification: Melts one percent of all enemies' energy within the domain per second, including soul power, spiritual power, divine power, etc.
Solidification: Refreshes own debuff status ten times per second!!
Basic Abilities:
Eye of the Sun: Wherever the sun shines, the vision will be shared with the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin!!
Origin Holy Sword: A sword of ultimate light; its attack range is as desired. Wherever light shines, it is under the judgment of the Origin Holy Sword!!
God Cannot Be Looked At Directly: Effect unknown.
God Skills: (All Sealed) Judgment, Divine Punishment, Origin Holy Shield, Song of Returning Life, Origin Flash, Holy Edict, Benediction.
By the time Ye Lan had processed all the information, only a few seconds had passed. Under the sunlight, the "Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin" could last for one hundred seconds! Without the sun, it could only exist for ten seconds. And at this very moment, the sun was just rising!! It still had ninety-seven seconds left!
As the Angel of Origin floated, countless rays of light converged upon it, making even the sun seem dim. Countless students at Heaven Dou Royal Academy looked up at the bright spot in the sky, their eyes filled with nothing but piety, shock, fear, and worship. It was the instinct of a weak creature in the face of a god.
On the other mountain peak, the Vigorous Ape God shook its head, confused. How did I get here? Wasn't I attacking Ye Lan? Why can't I remember what happened?
Just as Titan was trying to make sense of the gap in his memory, the intense light in the sky made him instinctively look up. The moment he saw the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin, he instantly remembered that he had been sent flying by it.
At this time, Ye Lan had just finished processing the information. Through the vision of the Eye of the Sun, he instantly locked onto Titan on the distant mountain.
It was this man! Xiao Xue had almost died right before my eyes!! Unforgivable!
An extremely dazzling light burst forth from the Angel! The Origin Domain, accompanied by Ye Lan's endless rage, instantly enveloped Titan. He immediately felt his spiritual and soul power draining away rapidly. Furthermore, all of his attributes—strength, soul power, speed, defense—were reduced by twenty percent!!
A fine cold sweat broke out on Titan's forehead. What in the world is that creature??
From the star-bright pupils of the Angel, Titan saw only pity for an ant. Every cell in the Vigorous Ape God's body trembled; this was a reaction one only had when facing a natural predator. Titan knew that if this continued, he would not survive. Once his soul power was drained, he would be completely crushed!
Every cell in his body began to exert one hundred and twenty percent of its effort just to overcome his body's terrifying instinct. The eighth black soul ring of the Vigorous Ape God lit up!
"Vajra's Fury!!"
"ROAR!!!"
Titan opened his cavernous mouth and shot a black death ray, pulsating with violent energy, at Ye Lan. He was confident in this skill. Not only was its power immense, but it first emitted a sonic attack that would stun the enemy. He was confident that even that eight-winged creature could not dodge it!
However, the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin was stunned for a mere 0.06 seconds before the domain skill 'Solidification' cleared the debuff. The eight wings flapped lightly, leaving only countless specks of starlight in its place. Ye Lan instantly dodged the attack; the black death ray only hit the afterimage.
The next second, Ye Lan used Flash to become a golden meteor, instantly closing the distance. The moment Titan saw the creature disappear, he momentarily forgot why he had used his attack. Why did I just attack the air?
The next moment, the Angel appeared beside him, and he finally remembered. However, it was now too late to redirect his attack. The Origin Holy Sword in the Angel's hand was aimed at Titan's shoulder. He saw an ultimate white light flash from its hand, and in the next instant, his body was sent flying hundreds of meters, impaled into the mountain peak by the hundreds-of-meters-long blade.
"Cough!" The huge black ape coughed up black blood. He tried to pull the sword of light out of his chest, but the instant his fingertips touched it, the flesh was sliced away. He prepared to use another soul skill, but just as a black light began to glow on his body, the Origin Holy Sword vanished.
Then, countless flashes of light appeared in his field of vision! Every time the light in the Angel's hand flashed, another bloody line appeared on Titan's body.
Ye Lan, controlling the Angel, constantly extended and retracted the length of the sword, instantly piercing through the Vigorous Ape God's massive body each time. When he thought of Xiao Xue's selfless sacrifice, he could no longer suppress his boundless rage. With every flash, he skillfully avoided Titan's vital points.
At this moment, Titan was enduring the agony of a thousand cuts, constantly rolling and wailing.
"Ah! Aaaah!"
"I beg you, kill me!!"
"Please!!"
"Oh, God! Just kill me!!"
However, under the pitying, starry eyes of the Angel, it merely watched the 'monkey' rolling on the ground as the Origin Holy Sword continued to flash. When only one second remained on the time limit, Ye Lan controlled the sword to instantly pierce through Titan's forehead and heart!!
The moment the Twelve-Winged Angel of Origin disappeared, all who had witnessed it stood blankly, looking at each other.
"Why are we all looking over there?"
"I don't know!"
"There's nothing to see there but the sun, right?!"
As the Martial Soul Fusion Skill deactivated, Ye Lan instantly caught Xiao Xue, who was floating in mid-air. Her eyes were tightly closed, a happy smile on her lips. Ye Lan stared at her smiling face, dazed for several seconds.
Coming to his senses, he hurriedly checked her injuries. After finding that she was completely unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He recalled the image of Xiao Xue selflessly tackling him, and he knew he could never let her go.
At this moment, Xiao Xue suddenly hugged him tightly. "Ye Lan... don't leave me!"
Ye Lan hugged her back and said seriously, "I will never leave you, Xiao Xue!"
Xiao Xue suddenly laughed. "Really?!"
"???"
"Xiao Xue! You were pretending to be asleep!" Ye Lan instantly let go.
She snorted in dissatisfaction. "Hmph, you just said you would never leave me!"
"Alright, alright, you win!" Ye Lan could only helplessly hug her again.
After a long while, Ye Lan said, "Xiao Xue, let's go deal with Titan's body first. It would be quite creepy if the other students saw it."
Xiao Xue smiled. "Weren't you quite handsome just now, standing up for me?"
"Xiao Xue, you were able to feel my battle with Titan?"
"Mmm!" Xiao Xue's cheeks reddened. The Angel was originally supposed to be under her control. But within their shared consciousness, she had been hugging Ye Lan and hadn't let go. So in the end, Ye Lan became the controller, while she watched the battle, holding onto him.
Ye Lan murmured, "Our Martial Soul Fusion Skill is too overpowered. It feels like it shouldn't exist on the Douluo Continent."
At its current stage, the Angel could probably deal with a Titled Douluo, right? Although its stats were only at the Soul Sage level, it had easily defeated Titan with its terrifying domain and abilities. Not to mention the series of God Skills still sealed. He couldn't imagine what level it would reach when he and Xiao Xue both became Titled Douluo!
Thinking of this, Ye Lan suddenly wondered what his fusion skill with Ye Leng Leng would be. After all, his compatibility with her was over one hundred percent!
"Ah!" Ye Lan cried out.
"Xiao Xue, what are you doing!?" He looked painfully at the soft flesh on his waist.
She snorted coldly. "Ye Lan, were you thinking about another woman just now!?"
"No... not at all," Ye Lan said awkwardly. Well, I was thinking about the fusion skill, not Ye Leng Leng herself.
Xiao Xue continued, "I don't care how many women you have. But I have only one request. When you are with me, you cannot think of other women!"
Looking at her serious face, Ye Lan promised, "I understand, Xiao Xue."
Her request made his heart ache for her even more. In matters of love, he was indeed in the wrong. Under the fervent advances of Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan, even a block of wood like him had gradually become aware of their feelings. But he couldn't choose any one of them. He knew that once he did, the others would be hurt. He'd never even been in a relationship in his previous life, let alone known how to handle such a complex emotional problem.
Therefore, he was deeply moved by Xiao Xue's willingness to take a step back. He couldn't imagine how heavy her love was, that she could give up her own life to let him live. Thinking of this, his sense of responsibility grew heavier.
Using his 'Eight-Faced Exquisite Heart' to instantly recall Xiao Xue's life from the original work, he resolved to give her a perfect future. Qian Daoliu's sacrifice, the Sea God's schemes, and reuniting with Bibi Dong. These were all difficult problems he would have to solve.
Ye Lan suddenly pulled Xiao Xue into his arms, dotingly ruffling her hair.
Xiao Xue rested her head against his chest with a look of peace, quietly feeling the warmth.
If only this moment could last forever...
(End of chapter)