"Yay, we're finally back!"
Su Tao threw his arms open, taking a deep breath of the familiar air of Aolai City, his face brimming with the joy of coming home.
The sea breeze still carried that familiar salty, briny scent. Compared to the solemn and dignified Spirit Pagoda in Shrek City, the free-spirited air of this small coastal city made him feel much more at ease.
Liu Yang gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the familiar street scene.
The Spirit Pagoda in Shrek City, a place with rules and regulations everywhere, was indeed not as relaxing as the one here in small Aolai City.
The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder towards the Spirit Pagoda.
The familiar shops and the sounds of vendors on either side of the street were all just as they remembered, as if nothing had changed.
Tall Uncle Yu, who sold fish, was still at his usual stall, and the aroma from the bakery was as tempting as ever.
All of this made the two, who had just returned from a long journey, feel especially warm.
Just then, Su Tao suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Zi, why do I have a bad premonition?" There was a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"Hmm?"
Liu Yang turned to look at Su Tao, his gaze questioning.
Su Tao shook his head, putting on a relaxed smile: "It's nothing, maybe I'm just tired from the journey. Just my imagination."
Liu Yang didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.
In that very instant, the space around them began to subtly change.
The sounds of the street gradually faded, and the scene before them rippled like a reflection in water.
Su Tao and Liu Yang felt their vision transform, and they were already in a completely new world.
The sky here was a pale gold, and the air was filled with pure heaven and earth energy. In the distance, mountains rose and fell, shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland.
Liu Yang immediately looked at Su Tao, his tone calm but tinged with a bit of helplessness: "You..."
"An accident, this was definitely an accident."
Su Tao quickly waved his hands to explain, an innocent look on his face. "It really wasn't me this time."
"Uncle Tao, Senior Liu Yang, long time no see."
A familiar voice came from the void, causing both of them to freeze.
"Fang Yang?"
Su Tao exclaimed in surprise.
Fang Yang's figure slowly materialized, a gentle smile on his face: "It's me."
Liu Yang looked around, sensing the strange energy flowing in this world.
"Where is this?"
"A world I created, named the Emperor Realm."
Fang Yang's tone was nonchalant, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.
"I see..."
Liu Yang murmured, a flash of shock in his eyes.
To create a world was beyond his comprehension of power.
Su Tao, on the other hand, accepted the fact quickly. He curiously looked around, "You are really something now!"
"It hasn't been that long since we last met, and you can already create a world of your own!"
He sensed the energy contained within the world and couldn't help but marvel: "The energy concentration here is more than several times higher than the outside world."
"What realm of cultivation have you reached, kid?"
Fang Yang smiled faintly, not answering directly, but instead said: "It's merely a temporary place to stay."
"However, you brought us here specially. Is there something you need?" Su Tao retracted his gaze and asked seriously.
Fang Yang nodded, his expression turning grave: "Yes, there is indeed something important."
"Just say what you need," Su Tao said straightforwardly.
Fang Yang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Uncle Tao, Senior Liu Yang, have you ever collected souls?"
He knew that evil soul masters could manipulate souls, and with the strength of Su Tao and Liu Yang, it was impossible they hadn't dabbled in this area.
"Yes."
Su Tao admitted frankly, without any intention of hiding it.
Liu Yang nodded slightly, confirming it.
"You want to resurrect someone, don't you?"
Liu Yang suddenly spoke, his gaze sharp as a torch, directly seeing through Fang Yang's intention.
"Yes, Senior Liu Yang." Fang Yang nodded solemnly.
Liu Yang looked at Su Tao and gave a slight nod: "Lan, give it to him."
"Okay."
Su Tao responded, then took out what looked like an ordinary soul tool from his robes.
It was a silver disk with complex patterns carved on its surface, now emitting a faint glow.
"This is the Soul-Storing Plate."
Su Tao handed the disk to Fang Yang and explained, "It contains the souls collected over recent years."
Fang Yang took the soul tool, the Soul-Storing Plate, feeling the powerful soul energy contained within.
He looked at the two of them gratefully: "Thank you, Uncle Tao, Senior Liu Yang."
"Alright, there's no need for such formalities between us." Su Tao waved his hand, not caring in the slightest.
Liu Yang added: "This item is of no use to us anymore."
"After you're done with it, just return it to the main body for us."
"Understood."
Fang Yang nodded solemnly in agreement. "I will handle it properly."
Immediately, his mind moved slightly, and the space around them rippled once more, like water.
Su Tao and Liu Yang felt their vision blur. When they could see clearly again, they were standing back on that familiar street in Aolai City, as if everything that had just happened was a brief illusion.
Su Tao was dazed for a good while before finally letting out a long breath.
His tone was filled with emotion: "Sigh, I really never would have thought... back then at Red Mountain Academy, when I personally awakened his martial spirit for him, how could I have imagined we'd be here today..."
"I! Su Tao! Awakened a god! Hahahahaha!"
Liu Yang looked at his cocky demeanor, as if his tail were about to wag, and shook his head helplessly.
"Alright, stop gloating."
He interrupted Su Tao's self-admiration and turned to walk towards the Spirit Pagoda. "We should go back."
"Coming, coming!"
Su Tao quickly suppressed his smile and hurried to catch up, but he couldn't stop muttering, "Heh, Zi, don't you think this kid, next time we meet, will pull something else..."
Liu Yang didn't break his stride, replying coolly, "With his growth rate, the next time we meet, he might already be in a realm even more unimaginable to us."
As they spoke, the two gradually disappeared at the end of the street...
...
Emperor Realm.
Fang Yang had called everyone over.
The Soul-Storing Plate in his hand emitted a warm, gentle luster. Countless specks of light swirled within the plate, like a river of stars.
"Found them."
Fang Yang tapped his finger lightly, and three particularly bright specks of light slowly rose from the plate.
The first speck of light transformed into the phantom of a white-haired old man—it was none other than the Red Dragon Douluo, Zhuo Shi.
His figure was blurry at first, but gradually solidified as Fang Yang infused life essence into it, his brow carrying a resolute and dignified air.
"I... this is..."
Zhuo Shi looked around in a daze, and when he saw Fang Yang, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
Shen Yi was already in tears. She threw herself forward: "Teacher, you're finally back!"
Zhuo Shi gently patted his beloved disciple's back, but his gaze was fixed on Fang Yang.
Fang Yang gave a slight nod, offering no further explanation, and turned his attention to the second speck of light.
This speck of light transformed into the figure of a woman in white. Her features were cold, her temperament otherworldly—it was Long Bing, the one Wu Zhangkong could never forget.
Her phantom swayed gently in the air, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
"Bing'er..."
Wu Zhangkong's voice choked up. He reached out his hand but didn't dare to touch, afraid this was just a fragile dream.
Fang Yang once again channeled his life essence, and Long Bing's figure gradually solidified.
She opened her eyes, and when she saw Wu Zhangkong, a look of disbelief flashed in them: "Zhangkong? Haven't I already..."
The final speck of light transformed into the image of a gentle woman. Her features were soft, radiating a maternal glow—it was Xie Xie's mother.
"Mother!"
Xie Xie stepped forward, his voice choked with emotion as tears slid uncontrollably down his cheeks.
Xie Xie's mother looked at her son gently: "Xie'er..."
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