"It's probably just too hot from the sun." Xiao Huiying's eyes darted around unnaturally as she offered a rather flimsy excuse.
"Oh… is that so?" Zi Yan glanced up at the blazing sky. The sun was indeed fierce, but a strange sense of déjà vu tugged at her mind. *Why does this feel so familiar? Like I've seen it somewhere before… Forget it. Thinking too hard gives me a headache. Better to just find something fun to smash.*
For Zi Yan, if something couldn't be figured out quickly, it was best not to dwell on it at all. Fighting was always the superior alternative.
She casually handed the scorpion's dripping tail stinger over to Xiao Huiying. Just as the two lolis were exchanging their "toy," the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion seized what it thought was a golden opportunity. Its massive pincers swung down toward them with murderous intent.
Xiao Huiying simply extended one fair, delicate palm.
*Bang!*
The pincer was slapped backward with terrifying force. A sharp, searing pain shot through the beast. When it instinctively brought the limb close to its face to inspect the damage, it saw a perfect handprint embedded in the carapace—cracks spiderwebbing outward from the center, green blood oozing from the fissures.
The scorpion promptly fainted from sheer terror.
*My life is over…*
Xiao Huiying, now gripping the stinger, swung it casually toward the enemy formation.
*BOOM!*
The impact shook the earth. A deafening explosion rang out as the tail smashed into the ground like a divine hammer.
"Did I… break the toy?" Xiao Huiying blinked, realizing she had gotten a little too excited and failed to control her strength properly.
She turned her head to sneak a glance at Zi Yan—only to find the purple-haired girl's face completely ashen.
"Hui Ying… don't kill it or smash it too fast. Otherwise we won't have anything left to play with later."
"Probably… not, right?"
The two lolis immediately rushed over to check on their unfortunate plaything.
At this moment, the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion was clinging to life by the thinnest thread—half-dead, twitching feebly in a crater of its own making.
"Good, it's still breathing. You really need to hold back next time."
Zi Yan patted her flat little chest in relief.
Xiao Huiying also let out a soft sigh and patted her own (far more prominent) chest. Luckily it wasn't dead—otherwise Zi Yan would definitely throw a tantrum later and complain for days.
But just then, she felt a gaze land on her—or more precisely, on her chest.
The source was Zi Yan.
Zi Yan had never really paid attention to such things before, but Xiao Jietian's recent behavior had left a deep impression. He never treated *her* the same way he treated Hui Ying—he didn't even pat her head properly.
Xiao Huiying immediately understood the meaning behind that stare. She reached out and comforted her in a gentle voice:
"Master said that small ones are also very cute."
Hearing those words only made Zi Yan more upset.
*That's what he says, but… but if he doesn't look at my head, he can't even tell front from back!*
"We're both lolis—why are you so outstanding?!" Zi Yan instantly fell into an emo spiral.
"What are you afraid of?" Xiao Huiying continued soothingly. "Master also said: 'If the chest isn't flat, how can one pacify the world?' Don't you agree?"
"Exactly! I love hearing that!" Zi Yan's mood flipped instantly. She nodded with utmost seriousness.
Seeing Zi Yan regain her usual energy, Xiao Huiying wisely decided not to mention the *other* phrase she had overheard from Xiao Jietian:
*"If the chest isn't big, how can it gather people's hearts?"*
She feared Zi Yan might not be able to handle that one.
"That's right. And once you accumulate enough energy and enter your mature phase, you might not be bad at all. I have high hopes for you."
Xiao Huiying continued her gentle brainwashing and encouragement.
"I think so too! When I reach my mature phase, I definitely won't lose to you. Then I'll flaunt myself right in front of Xiao Jietian—make him only able to look, but not eat!"
Zi Yan seemed to vividly imagine the scene. Her mood instantly soared to cloud nine.
Xiao Huiying looked at her friend's dreamy, smug little expression and chose not to pour cold water on it:
"With your current personality… Master would have you completely under his thumb in minutes."
The soldiers of the Jia Ma Empire stared in stunned silence at the two loli-like figures wreaking havoc—cold sweat pouring down their faces.
As for the troops of the Three Great Empires—they weren't thinking about anything so philosophical. While the two little killing gods were busy chatting, they only wished their parents had given them a few extra legs so they could run even faster.
…
The massive commotion caused by Xiao Huiying immediately drew the attention of the other battlefields.
Especially the Four-Star Dou Zong, who frowned deeply and cursed inwardly:
*"I really raised a bunch of good-for-nothings… they can't even handle two little girls."*
Xiao Yan, on the other hand, lit up with excitement the moment he spotted Zi Yan and Xiao Huiying.
Their presence here meant his big brother had arrived.
This battle was now a guaranteed victory.
*We have nuclear weapons—what do you have? Grave-mound grass?*
Xiao Yan immediately fought with renewed ferocity, making the three already-suppressed Mulan Elders even more miserable.
The tiger-headed elder grew more and more terrified as he fought. He roared in frustration:
"Where the hell is that dog Yan Luotian?! Don't tell me he ran off chasing women again?!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a fist smashed straight into his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
"You dare get distracted while fighting me? You're a bit too confident in yourself."
…
At the same time, high in the sky, Xiao Jietian stepped out of folded space and appeared directly behind a hidden black-robed figure.
"Excuse me—are you the Iron Protector of the Hall of Souls?"
The black-robed man's hair stood on end. He spun around instantly.
"Who are you?! I am from the Hall of Souls!"
"Don't worry about who I am. Just answer my questions. Don't say anything useless. Understand?"
Xiao Jietian casually restrained him with one hand.
"Dou Zun?! You're a Dou Zun?!"
*Bang!!*
One of the black-robed man's arms exploded into a bloody mist.
"I told you—answer only what I ask. You just wouldn't listen."
Xiao Jietian patted his shoulder lightly. The man's entire body trembled violently. With a bitter, terrified expression, he stammered:
"My lord… please ask. Please ask. I'll control myself—I'm scared."
"Answer my previous question."
"This humble one is indeed named Tie—a Human-level Protector of the Hall of Souls." He emphasized his affiliation, hoping to instill some wariness in his captor.
"What are you here for this time?"
"This humble one came to investigate the disappearance of Vulture Eagle… and also because there was intelligence from above that the Xiao Family is suspected to be hiding in the Jia Ma Empire."
The Iron Protector knew the other party's strength far surpassed his own. He could only confess honestly—while secretly searching for any possible escape route.
"Then what does that have to do with you starting this war?"
Xiao Jietian frowned.
"I… I am here to collect souls. Also, if the Jia Ma Empire is conquered, it will be much more convenient for me to search for the Xiao Family. If I had to rely solely on myself, finding them in such a large empire would be nearly impossible. How many Xiao Families could there be?"
Xiao Jietian laughed when he heard the explanation.
As expected of the Hall of Souls' outsourcing culture—each one more explosive than the last.
"My lord… I've told you everything I should. May this humble one leave now?"
The Iron Protector asked in the most fawning tone he could muster.
"How many souls have you collected? Show me."
The man hurriedly produced his soul-collecting bag.
"I just started… only a few dozen, and they are all relatively weak."
Xiao Jietian glanced down at his robe—at a small, dried water stain on the right thigh.
"You actually dirtied my clothes. It seems I cannot let you live."
He reached out and slapped the man's head.
The Iron Protector opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out.
*What does that water stain have to do with me?! I'm a soul body—I don't have blood or fluids! How would I know where you got it from?!*
Xiao Jietian crushed him into a ball, erased his memories, sealed him inside a small bottle, and locked it with Strange Fire.
He touched the stain again—sticky, slippery. A memory surfaced.
"Oh… right. This seems to be from Hui Ying. Looks like I wrongly accused him. Really—if it wasn't you, you should have just said so. Why force me to prove your innocence with death?"
Iron Protector (in soul form, silently screaming): *For my peanut-sized life… did you even let me speak?!*
Xiao Jietian stepped out of the isolated spatial pocket and appeared above the battlefield, hovering in mid-air.
"Xiao Yan Zi… after only a few months, why have you become so weak?"