"Hmm?"
The sudden turn of events caused Goku's expression to darken instantly. A terrifying killing intent erupted from his body, making the entire battlefield tremble.
"Well, aren't you bold… You really dared to play tricks on me!"
"Hmph! These Soul-Eater Ants really are as vile as they come. So much for a duel—resorting to hostage-taking instead."
Cai Lin's voice was icy as her gaze fell on the sixth-rank Soul-Eater Ant gripping Ya Fei. The hatred she had started to let go of was rekindled with even more disgust than before.
"Goku! Hurry and save Sister Ya Fei!"
Zi Yan immediately ran up to Goku, tugging urgently at his arm. If she had the strength, she would've rushed out first herself.
Goku looked calmly at the sixth-rank Soul-Eater Ant and said indifferently, "I gave you credit when you suggested a duel. I thought you might finally have a little sense. Turns out… you're still just a fool. Do you actually think that holding Ya Fei hostage will let you escape?"
The ant trembled under Goku's terrifying aura, its words stammering with fear:
"B-Better to die… f-fighting… than wait… for death…"
Ever since gaining intelligence, it had also learned to feel fear—something ordinary ants didn't understand. Now, that fear wrapped around its mind like chains.
For the sake of survival, it forced itself to stay composed, shouting:
"If you don't want her hurt, then remove the barrier! Let us go! I know how much you care about these women. This was supposed to be a trial, yet you protected them with a shield! It's obvious you won't allow any harm to come to them!"
"…It seems," Goku said coldly, "that you've misunderstood something."
"What?!"
The sixth-rank ant suddenly felt a chill run down its spine. It instinctively pressed its sharp claw a little closer to Ya Fei's neck, red eyes flaring with madness.
"Don't move! Don't try anything! We'll die together if we have to. We've been trapped for over half a month—we've had enough!"
"You did get one thing right," Goku replied flatly. "They are important to me. I won't let them suffer even a scratch. But here's what you're wrong about…"
Goku's eyes sharpened, a cold gleam flashing in them.
"Do you really think you have the power… to hurt them in front of me?"
"Wha—?!"
The ant's expression changed drastically. It tried to move—only to realize it couldn't.
Not even slightly.
Its entire body felt like it had been chained in place. Not just it—even the thousands of remaining Soul-Eater Ants were frozen mid-action, caught in midair or stuck in mid-run as if someone had cast a stasis spell over them.
This was the manifestation of space law pushed to the extreme: Void Lock.
With a casual gesture, Goku pointed forward.
A stream of black flames shot from his fingertip, incinerating every ant in its path—clearing a straight corridor through the swarm.
As Goku walked through the sea of frozen Soul-Eater Ants, the sixth-rank ant's eyes filled with utter terror. Now it understood the true gap between them.
It couldn't even threaten someone in his presence.
It couldn't even blink.
It wanted nothing more than to flee with its tail between its legs, but it couldn't move—couldn't escape. All that remained was bitter regret.
Had it not gambled everything on this foolish scheme, maybe—just maybe—they could've lived a little longer. What it thought was a clever plan… turned out to be nothing but idiocy.
Goku stopped in front of it.
In his hand, a blade of light formed.
Swish!
With a clean strike, the ant's claw—pressed against Ya Fei's throat—was severed instantly. The limb clattered to the ground, and Ya Fei was free.
She stumbled toward Goku, face slightly flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't expected to be taken hostage in her first real duel.
Thankfully, Goku was terrifyingly strong—otherwise, the consequences could have been dire.
"How does it feel to be someone's hostage?"
Goku asked with a faint smile.
"It sucked," Ya Fei muttered, shooting the ant a venomous glare. "That was supposed to be my first proper duel… and that bastard turned it into a trap."
Then she turned to Goku, her expression softening.
"But… thank you for saving me."
She stood on tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his cheek, her enchanting eyes twinkling.
"Consider it a reward."
Seeing Ya Fei unharmed, Saeko and the others finally relaxed, descending from the sky and crowding around her with concern. Clearly, no one was in the mood to keep fighting.
"Heh… not bad," Goku said with a smirk.
"Managed to earn a kiss from the lady. Guess I'll return the favor with a little generosity."
With a mere thought, the black flames surrounding him surged forward—instantly engulfing the thousands of Soul-Eater Ants. In moments, the terrifying fourth- and fifth-rank swarm was reduced to ash. All that remained were scattered magic cores on the ground.
"Waaah! So many magic cores!"
Zi Yan squealed, her figure flashing across the battlefield as she gleefully began scooping them up.
Goku led the girls back toward the palace. He glanced at the group of snake-women nearby and said lightly:
"Go give them a hand."
"Yes, Lord Goku!"
Over a hundred snake-women responded respectfully, rushing out to help gather the magic cores.
At that moment, Goku's senses picked up a familiar aura.
He looked up toward the sky, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"Yun Yun has emerged? Dou Venerate, huh… Looks like she succeeded."
---
Deep in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, a tear in space slowly opened in the sky. Two graceful figures flew out from within the rift. Behind them, the spatial fissure gently closed.
"We're finally out. Teacher, let's go find Goku!"
Nalan Yanran's voice trembled with excitement. As her azure battle aura wings flapped behind her, the breeze stirred around her. The runic glow on the wings showed this was no innate ability—it was a high-level flight technique.
"No," Yun Yun said gently, shaking her head. Every movement radiated calm maturity and ethereal grace. "We've been away from the Misty Cloud Sect for too long. We should return there first."
"Oh…"
Nalan Yanran's excitement deflated, her head drooping slightly in disappointment.
"Let's go," Yun Yun said, glancing at her disciple. Then she shot into the sky, heading for the Misty Cloud Sect.
Nalan Yanran hesitated, looked longingly into the horizon, then followed close behind.
__
After flying for nearly half a day, Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran finally arrived at the Misty Cloud Sect.
However, even from afar, Yun Yun could sense something was wrong.
A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the sect—so unlike the serene tranquility she was used to. Her brows furrowed slightly, and a sense of unease stirred in her chest.
She quietly extended her senses.
Instantly, she picked up several hidden yet terrifying auras within the Misty Cloud Sect.
Her expression turned grim.
"Teacher…"
Nalan Yanran looked at Yun Yun, just about to speak, but Yun Yun raised a hand to silence her. Without another word, the two of them swiftly descended toward the sect.
"Th-the Sect Master… The Sect Master has returned!"
Some of the disciples spotted Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran approaching. But instead of joy on their faces, there was only anxiety and fear.
One young disciple rushed forward. There was no reverence in his eyes, only desperation.
"Sect Master, you shouldn't have come back! You must leave immediately! If they find out you're here—it'll be too late!"
"What's going on?"
Yun Yun's gaze remained calm, but her voice carried an invisible authority.
The disciple, visibly shaken under her pressure, clenched his fists and spoke quickly:
"There's no time to explain! The sect has been targeted by a terrifying organization. Even the former Sect Master couldn't last a single exchange with them! They're after you!"
"After me?" Yun Yun's eyes narrowed. "A terrifying organization…"
She swept her gaze across the surroundings and suddenly said in a low voice, "Looks like… it's already too late to leave."
The moment the words left her lips—
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Several streaks of light shot out from all directions, encircling her and Nalan Yanran. Spatial ripples flickered in the air as a figure cloaked in gray slowly emerged before them.
"So you're Yun Yun, Sect Master of Misty Cloud Sect? As expected of someone who inherited that power," the gray-robed elder said, his voice calmed but tinged with an eerie excitement. His black eyes gleamed, and though his body looked frail, the aura that leaked from him was bone-chilling.
"Dou… Saint!"
Yun Yun's pupils contracted. Her heart sank.
She turned her head and scanned the five other black-robed figures surrounding them. Each of their auras was oppressive—no weaker than a Dou Venerate.
This… is an ambush.
"We've been waiting for you," the gray-robed elder said with a twisted smile. His presence alone made every disciple of the sect fall into utter silence. Clearly, the sect had already seen a demonstration of these men's terrifying power.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Yun Yun demanded coldly, her presence growing sharper. A fearsome aura pulsed faintly from her body—subtle, but enough to make seasoned warriors uneasy. Her eyes glittered with danger.
The gray-robed elder ignored her question. Instead, his eyes locked onto her brow—and when he saw the faint lotus-shaped mark glow faintly, he laughed wildly.
"So it's true… you really did obtain the legacy of the Dou God! Hahaha! The heavens favor our clan indeed!"
Then, as if a switch had flipped, his expression turned cold and emotionless.
"Looks like you won't surrender willingly. Then let's not waste time. Subdue her quickly. The longer this drags on, the more risk we face. Rumor has it she has ties to him—and if he senses this, we're finished."
The mention of him caused a flicker of fear to flash across the elder's eyes.
The five black-robed men around them nodded in unison. With a sudden surge of spatial energy, their figures vanished.
A moment later, each stood atop a separate peak surrounding Misty Cloud Sect, forming a pentagonal array. They raised their hands, forming strange, synchronized seals. Dark energy swirled in the air as a spatial barrier began taking shape—cutting the entire sect off from the outside world.
"With this, we're sealed off. No one can intervene," the gray-robed elder said with a faint smirk. The aura of a Dou Saint exploded outward from his frail body—shaking the mountaintops.
The disciples of Misty Cloud Sect froze in terror. This was the same man who had slain their former Sect Master with a single strike. And Yun Yun… was only a Dou Emperor.
They wanted to help. But this kind of battle was so far above them, they could barely breathe, let alone fight.
"A spatial sealing array… You've planned this thoroughly," Yun Yun said coldly, eyes fixed on the elder. The aura radiating from her brow became more intense—so much so it made even the Dou Saint hesitate.
"Hurry up and finish this," the elder growled. "The Patriarch was clear—we must not delay. Capture her and withdraw at once. If he appears… none of us will leave alive."
At that moment, a new figure emerged from a nearby spatial rift.
An elder dressed in blood-red robes stepped forward, his presence reeking of blood and slaughter. A second Dou Saint.
"Tch… Do you really need to step in? She's just one girl. I can handle this myself," the gray-robed man said.
"You forget who's backing her. If something goes wrong, can you take the blame?" the blood-robed elder replied coldly. His words dripped with killing intent.
The gray-robed elder flinched. He seemed to remember something—and went pale.
Even now, none of them dared say Goku's name aloud. That alone spoke volumes about how much their "Patriarch" feared him.
"You're right. We'll strike together. This girl inherited the Dou God's legacy—she's no pushover. Let's end it quickly!"
His voice fell, and black energy exploded from his body like a tidal wave. He launched the first strike—dark clouds surging toward Yun Yun like a storm.
Yun Yun's expression hardened. She dared not underestimate the attack. Her own aura erupted as the lotus mark on her brow shimmered. Its power flowed into her hands and into the sword she conjured—her battle aura blazing with a mysterious energy.
With a cry, she unleashed her strike—one infused with the destructive force of the god's legacy!
BOOM!
The two powers collided violently. The resulting shockwave sent an earthquake through the sect. Mountains crumbled. Buildings collapsed. Several disciples—too slow to flee—were instantly caught in the blast and torn into a mist of blood.
____
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 40+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
You'll also get access to firsthand girls' pics as a bonus!
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon