"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Ahhhh—!"
Fist clashed against fist, producing violent shockwaves. Shen An and the others could even feel the ground trembling incessantly beneath them.
Tai Long and Tai Nuo, father and son, were utterly dumbfounded. They wanted to help, but even the Tai Tan was being beaten to within an inch of his life—what could two weaklings like them possibly do?
Shen An and the two girls felt the earth-shaking tremors and were momentarily at a loss for words. After exchanging glances, they slowly approached the deep crater before them.
Peering down, they saw a muscle-bound cat violently pummeling an old man.
Tai Tan's eight soul rings blazed brightly as he roared in unwilling fury—how could the Tai Tan lose in a contest of pure strength?
He roared. He struggled. He resisted.
And then he was beaten half to death.
Fists the size of sandbags hammered relentlessly into Tai Tan's body. With each strike, the crater sank even deeper.
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong exchanged glances, swallowing hard. Was this really the same timid, cowardly, and adorable little cat Tom they knew?
"Boom!"
A shadowy figure leaped out of the pit. The monstrously muscular cat Tom emerged, carrying the old man—whose arms hung limp like broken twigs—with one hand.
Tom gave an awkward smile. It might have gone a bit overboard—it seemed like it had crippled the man's arms.
Tom pondered whether it should heal him. After all, it was a miracle-working cat.
"Dad! Grandfather!" Tai Long and his father cried out in unison.
It was almost laughable. Tai Tan, who had come to break one of Shen An's arms, now had both of his own arms completely shattered by Tom—as if karma had come full circle.
Then, the bulging muscles on Tom's body rapidly receded.
The "Muscle Tom" buff had expired.
Tom's expression quickly changed as the once-lightweight Tai Tan on its shoulder suddenly became unbearably heavy.
Thud!
With a heavy crash, Tai Tan's massive body pinned Tom to the ground, leaving it completely immobilized. Jerry, quick as ever, leaped away just in time.
"You brat! How dare you injure my father?! I'll kill you!" Tai Nuo, seeing Tom revert to its weak form, regained his courage and lunged forward.
Shen An was busy pulling Tom free while Tai Tan lay motionless, seemingly lifeless—he had been thoroughly beaten into submission.
At Tai Nuo's threat, Tom's guilt instantly evaporated. These people are all evil! They want to kill my master? Fine, no healing for you!
Shen An raised an eyebrow. While he couldn't defeat Tai Tan, dealing with Tai Nuo didn't even require pills.
Tai Nuo's two yellow and three purple soul rings erupted around him as his body swelled by five inches. His dark, bulging muscles tore through his clothes, making him look like a ravenous beast as he charged at Shen An.
The sheer force of his charge made the ground tremble, sending small stones flying—a testament to his terrifying strength.
Shen An smirked. The power and momentum were impressive, but what good was strength if it couldn't land a hit?
"Step back. I'll handle him," Shen An said quietly.
Zhu Zhuqing immediately pulled Ning Rongrong away, though not before a nine-colored light enveloped Shen An—an enhancement from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Shen An grinned. The buff was nice, but unnecessary. Tai Nuo might look fierce, but against Shen An's speed and offensive power, fighting him was like fighting a toddler.
His three soul rings shimmered brilliantly as Shen An vanished from sight.
In the next instant, Tai Nuo felt an overwhelming sharpness slicing toward him.
At the brink of life and death, Tai Nuo instinctively tilted his head and blocked with his arm—his steel-like bracer-like limb.
Squelch!
"AHHH—!"
Blood sprayed like a fountain as Tai Nuo's arm was severed clean at the shoulder. His face twisted in agony. In a single exchange, he had lost an arm.
Such sharpness. Such speed. How could a mere Soul Elder possess such terrifying power?
Tai Long's face turned deathly pale. To him, it felt like the sky had collapsed—his grandfather was on the verge of death, and his father had just lost an arm.
They had come here fully confident of victory, yet now their entire family lay broken and defeated.
"Shen An! The Strength Clan will never rest until you're dead!" Tai Nuo howled through gritted teeth, his face contorted with pain and fury.
Shen An tilted his head indifferently. "The Strength Clan? I wonder what will happen to it if Tai Tan dies."
Tai Nuo's frenzied expression froze in horror. The Strength Clan's entire standing relied on Tai Tan, a Soul Douluo. Without him, what was the Strength Clan worth?
Tai Tan was currently lying unconscious like a beaten dog. With Shen An's blade-like martial soul, killing a defenseless Tai Tan would be child's play.
"N-no! Don't kill my father! We'll leave right now! We'll never trouble you again!"
"Too late."
In a flash, Shen An appeared beside Tai Tan and swung his sword without hesitation.
Tai Tan died in his sleep. His head flew, blood splattering across the faces of Tai Nuo and his son.
The Old Orangutan Tai Tan—a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse—had died just like that. A meaningless, pitiful death.
Shen An's eyes gleamed with killing intent. Since the elder was dead, why not finish off the younger ones too?
Tai Nuo, feeling the warm blood on his face, felt his mind go blank. His father—the guardian deity of the Strength Clan—was dead?
Tai Long fared even worse. A wet stain spread across his pants as his body trembled uncontrollably.
Regret and hatred filled his heart. Why did I have to provoke Shen An? Now I've gotten Grandfather killed!
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
A regiment of armored soldiers arrived—the City Guard of Heaven Dou. The commotion had been too loud to ignore.
A certain high-ranking figure had specifically ordered increased patrols in this area, so they had rushed over immediately.
"Young Master Shen, what's going on here?"
The captain of the City Guard was familiar with this district and recognized Shen An at once.
Shen An sighed inwardly. What terrible timing. Looks like I can't kill them now.
As a law-abiding citizen, he decided to let it go. Tai Tan was dead, Tai Nuo crippled, and Tai Long was no longer a threat. There was no need to commit murder in front of the City Guard.
"They broke into my home, assaulted me, and insulted me repeatedly. Fortunately, a passing expert intervened on my behalf."
The captain scanned the scene. A terrified young man. A middle-aged man clutching his severed arm in agony. And an elderly man… without a head.
Wait—that old man was the Old Orangutan Tai Tan, a Soul Douluo! There were barely any in Heaven Dou City who could match him!
The captain sucked in a sharp breath. In his line of work, the most important skill was knowing who not to mess with.
Which was why he made sure to memorize all the notable powerhouses in Heaven Dou City.
Now, he deeply regretted rushing here so quickly. Sometimes, knowing too much was a curse. He prayed he wouldn't get dragged into this mess.
Shen An watched as the City Guard hauled Tai Long's family away, his gaze unfathomable.
That night, Tai Long awoke in a cold, damp prison cell, his son slumped beside him in shock.
"Let me out! I'm Tai Long of the Strength Clan! Release me at once!"
A jailer strolled over, utterly unimpressed. "Strength Clan? Once you're in here, you're just another prisoner. Get comfortable."
He sneered. "Besides, without Tai Tan, do you even deserve to call yourselves the Strength Clan?"
Tai Long's eyes burned with fury. Since when did a nobody dare speak to him like this? He wanted nothing more than to break out and beat this jailer to death.
But given his current state, he could only slump in helpless frustration.
Shen An… and that damned cat… I swear I'll make you pay!
Yet as the reality sank in—Tai Tan dead, his own arm gone, the Strength Clan's glory extinguished—his head drooped in defeat.
What could he possibly do now?
Time passed.
Thanks to the Noble Banquet incident, Shen An's fame soared. More and more people knew his name.
News of the Tai Tan's death also spread.
The Shrek Academy intervened to secure Tai Nuo and Tai Long's release from prison.
The fallout from these events further boosted Shen An's reputation.
Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong trained diligently. With their talents enhanced by immortal herbs, their progress was rapid.
The latent energy of the herbs was gradually absorbed as they cultivated.
Over a month later…
Shen An rose early, bathed, burned incense, and then stared intently at his system panel.
The fame points ticked upward—1,999,920… 2,000,019!
Shen An clenched his fists, excitement blazing in his eyes. Two million fame points—achieved!
Today marked the day he would ascend to Soul Ancestor!
For a moment, he sighed nostalgically. I, Shen An, have reached this point through my own hard work and talent.
System! Add points—no, exchange for a soul ring! he mentally commanded.
Instantly, his two million fame points vanished.
A dazzling seven-colored light descended, flooding his body with boundless, overwhelming energy.
A ring materialized, its color shifting—white to yellow, then purple, then black. The black deepened until it was pitch-dark, radiating terrifying pressure.
10,000 years… 20,000… 30,000… 40,000…
At 45,000 years, every additional wisp of energy felt like his body was on the verge of bursting.
At the same time, the seven-colored light nourished his soul, elevating his spiritual power.
The enhanced soul perception allowed him to sense his limits with unprecedented clarity—both his physical threshold and his pain tolerance.
He knew he hadn't reached his limit yet, but the agony of absorbing more energy was maddening.
So he endured, inching closer to his breaking point.
From devouring energy like a whale to sipping it thread by thread…
An unknown amount of time later…
Haaah… Shen An exhaled deeply, his breath condensing into a visible mist.
The fourth soul ring—complete. 50,000 years!
He was now a Soul Ancestor!
The 50,000-year soul ring had enhanced his body in every way, even pushing his rank to 43.
Ignoring the blood seeping from his pores, Shen An focused inward and smirked.
An… interesting soul skill.
Hard to say whether it was useless or godly—it depended on the situation.
Fourth Soul Skill: Unrestrained.