Eventually, he opened the system menu, scanning through the latest offerings:
Yin-Yang Destiny Herb – Stock: 99,999. Grants a 100% increase in one's soul power tier, permanently removing future cultivation bottlenecks. Free.
Divine Kidney Elixir – Stock: 999,999. Increases strength, power, and… certain other attributes with a small chance of size enhancement. No side effects. Free.
Level 99 Extreme Douluo Puppet – Stock: 99,999. Fully obedient, no independent consciousness, capable of hiding within shadows. Free.
Yuan Longxuan's eyes lingered on the Divine Kidney Elixir. Interesting… not only could it make me stronger, but also… larger? He recalled Ah Yin's experience the previous day and smirked. Well, I suppose one more dose can't hurt.
Without hesitation, he purchased the elixir.
[Congratulations! Host has acquired 1 Divine Kidney Elixir.]
He downed the elixir in one gulp. A surge of raw energy coursed through him, leaving him charged with renewed vigor.
But as for Ah Yin… she needed more rest before they could resume any playful antics.
After dressing, Yuan Longxuan's gaze fell upon the Level 99 Extreme Douluo Puppet. He immediately purchased one, curious to see its abilities.
[Congratulations! Host has acquired 1 Level 99 Extreme Douluo Puppet.]
With a thought, a black-armored figure appeared before him. Its armor gleamed like polished obsidian. The puppet immediately knelt, its mechanical voice sharp but obedient:
"Master!"
Yuan Longxuan instructed, "Protect Ah Yin. Do not allow her to be harmed under any circumstances."
The puppet nodded, its dark form merging seamlessly with Ah Yin's shadow.
Yuan Longxuan felt reassured....though even he could not detect the puppet's presence, the system's tracking beacon ensured he always knew her location.
Yet, Yuan Longxuan hesitated. What if the old despot Qian Daoliu and Tang Chen decided to strike Ah Yin? Better safe than sorry.
He purchased nine more Level 99 Extreme Douluo Puppets. One by one, they knelt before him:
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Master!"
"Master!"
With all nine merging into Ah Yin's shadow, Yuan Longxuan finally allowed himself to relax. She was no ordinary soul beast now....she was his.
And with that ownership came responsibility: her safety had to be absolute.
Meanwhile, he pondered his next steps.
The Martial Soul Hall had not seen him for half a year, yet no one had reported his absence.
He felt disappointment, tinged with amusement.
Qian Daoliu and the others would soon learn that hiding from Yuan Longxuan came at a cost.
He had plans for the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus clan, but the time was not yet right. As for the Hao Tian Sect… well, he would watch and wait.
A small curiosity nagged at him, though....his senior Bibi Dong's favorability seemed to be climbing at an abnormal rate.
From seventy-five, it rose to eighty, and now, mysteriously, it had reached eighty-nine, approaching the coveted ninety-mark.
Yuan Longxuan shook his head, bewildered. I haven't interacted with her much… yet her favor seems… unusual.
Elsewhere, in the Martial Soul Hall, within the interrogation chamber:
"Slash!"
"Crack!"
Bibi Dong's steel whip lashed through the air, her gaze as sharp as a venomous serpent.
Before her were several department heads, tied and bloodied, their bodies mangled by her punishment.
"Ah! Holy Lady, spare us!"
"We truly don't know anything!"
"Please, it's not our fault!"
Bibi Dong ignored their cries, letting them squirm under the whip.
She wanted the truth to come from them willingly, not from her questioning.
"You may continue whining and screaming, or you can report to me by 9:00 a.m.
Tomorrow who bribed you to conceal Yuan Longxuan's disappearance."
She had deduced who imprisoned him from the documents Qian Xunji provided, but lacked definitive proof.
The culprit's father, Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus clan, was not someone she could confront lightly.
Her plan was precise: extract the truth from the low-level offenders, and punish those who had betrayed the hall, making each a lesson to the rest.
Bibi Dong's lips curled into a cold smile. "Yu Xiaogang… if you fall into my hands, I will make you understand the torment of balancing on the knife's edge between life and death."
She stepped out of the chamber, issuing a final command to the guards:
"Every fifteen minutes, douse them with concentrated salt water and acid. Fail to comply, and you join them inside."
The two guards standing night watch outside the interrogation room broke into a cold sweat upon hearing her command.
Dousing the prisoners with concentrated salt water and acid every fifteen minutes, alternating between them....it was cruel beyond imagination.
After Bibi Dong departed, the guards hesitantly stepped into the interrogation room.
But what awaited them was a scene so horrific that even seasoned veterans of bloodshed recoiled in shock.
Four men hung from iron chains, their flesh ripped and flayed in chunks.
Not a single part of their bodies remained untouched.
"Brother… if we do this every fifteen minutes, won't they die in here?" one guard whispered, voice trembling.
"Does it matter to us? We're just following orders. Alive or dead, it's not our concern," the other replied, shrugging.
"True…" The first guard could only nod, his face pale.
Meanwhile, Bibi Dong walked slowly to the small garden behind the High Priest's Hall, a place she often visited to clear her mind. Sitting on the cold stone steps, she gazed at the star-studded sky.
Memories, warm and painful, swelled within her chest, and tears traced paths down her cheeks.
If she hadn't been the Sacred Lady of the Martial Soul Hall… could she have been with him? Would he have survived the cruelty of the Blue Electric Tyrannosaurus clan? Rage and grief coiled tightly in her heart.
Her hatred for the clan, and for Yu Xiaogang, the cold-blooded murderer, burned like fire.
She longed to carve him limb by limb, to make him pay for every ounce of suffering he inflicted.
Yet, hidden in the shadows, Qian Xunji observed silently.
Human life could not be restored once taken.....but luckily for him, Yuan Longxuan had not perished.
"