Chapter Seventy-Seven: Evolution of the Soul Domain

Tang Tian walked into the card shop, his face deathly pale and his back hunched. The three pandas were bound tightly together, a brass rod belonging to the white panda piercing through them in a row.

Upon seeing the trio, Sarei's anger flared up instantly. If it hadn't been for these three idiots, she wouldn't have been so humiliated today, wouldn't have had to...

Without hesitation, Sarei strode forward, raised her leg clad in high heels, and unleashed three consecutive kicks straight to their chests. Thud, thud, thud! At that moment, the devastating power of her heels was fully unleashed—their faces twisted together like noodles tangled in a pot after being stirred with chopsticks.

"And you lot still dared to plot against me!" Sarei lifted her proud face high, her gaze filled with disdain. She sneered, "Consider yourselves lucky. If something truly bad had happened to me, you’d regret ever coming into this world."

Hearing Sarei’s murderous words, Tang Tian kept his distance. This crazy woman was simply impossible to reason with—best to stay well away from her.

"What do you plan to do with them?" Uncle Bing asked Tang Tian.

Tang Tian was momentarily at a loss. What should he do with these three? Kill them? In the heat of battle, he could have done it without hesitation, but looking at their current miserable state, he found himself wavering.

Sarei glanced at Tang Tian. Seeing his indecision, she interjected, "Leave them to me!"

Tang Tian nodded quickly. "Alright!"

Finally, he could hand off this hot potato. He felt genuine sympathy for the three—falling into the clutches of such a venomous woman, what awaited them could only be a fate worse than death.

Sure enough, the three men’s faces turned ashen. The flower panda’s eyes flickered with fear, but he spat out, "You crazy woman! If you have any guts, just kill us!"

Sarei snorted. "You’re far too naïve."

Tang Tian shuddered at her words. He maintained a calm expression but quickly took several steps back, putting some distance between himself and her.

"What brings you here?" Sarei ignored the three captives, turning to ask Tang Tian and Bing.

Tang Tian handed Sarei the blueprint Bing had given him. "Uncle Bing said you might be able to make this."

Sarei took the blueprint and looked it over. At once, she was deeply engrossed, her eyes glued to the page. "A Soul Refining Device... The legendary Soul Refining Device... What a strange structure, how ingenious! Incredible—just which genius designed this?"

"His name is Andre," Uncle Bing said suddenly.

"Andre?" Sarei looked up, frowning in thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Never heard of him."

"He’s not well known, but he’s an outstanding mechanic. Mechanic Number Five of the Southern Cross Legion," Bing replied evenly.

"As expected of a design from the Golden Age of Mechanics. Only in that era could such genius arise," Sarei murmured to herself. "This section here... Let me see... Ah, I understand now! They used eight circuits to resolve it! My God, their understanding of martial souls had already reached this level back then? Astonishing!"

"Can you make it?" Bing’s wooden voice broke in.

"Don’t underestimate me!" Sarei suddenly raised her head, a trace of annoyance in her eyes, but also a proud glint. "Though the genius mechanics of that era are worthy of admiration, I, who am destined to become the greatest mechanic of this age, am no less than they!"

Her expression returning to calm, she said, "Wait a moment."

She quickly pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled a list. After a moment, she handed it to Tang Tian. "This is the list of materials I need."

Tang Tian passed the list to Bing, who glanced at it and nodded. "I have some of these prepared."

With that, he took out a pile of materials.

Sarei inspected them, then looked at Bing with some surprise. "This is the first time I’ve met a Soul General so well-versed in mechanics."

Bing remained indifferent. "My skills are merely average."

"The materials are mostly complete but missing two crucial items: a fourth-tier soul core with both earth and water attributes, and Soul Jade Steel."

Bing’s tone finally softened. "You’re quite skilled. By this time tomorrow, we’ll have the rest."

"Excellent! I’ll start on the preliminary work," Sarei replied, a feverish excitement shining in her eyes. She was like a different person, brimming with confidence—none of her usual laziness or listlessness remained.

"Are you sure you don’t need us to deal with these three captives?" Bing asked before leaving.

"Go gather the materials!" Sarei, already working, didn’t even look up. "I have a few little surprises prepared for them—they’ll love it."

Bing said no more and left with Tang Tian.

The moment Tang Tian stepped outside, he let out a long sigh of relief and muttered, "That woman is terrifying!"

"Terrifying?" Bing was a little surprised, but quickly changed the topic. "Are your injuries serious?"

Tang Tian tensed for a moment but soon composed himself. "Ah, it’s nothing serious!" He felt awkward and hurried to change the subject. "Bing, where are we going to find the soul core and Soul Jade Steel?"

"To the Soul Hunting Zone," Bing replied.

"Soul Hunting Zone?" It was the first time Tang Tian had heard the term.

"Yes. I’ve read some books about the Soul Zones and finally figured out what’s going on," Bing explained as they walked. "Roughly speaking, after the late Scorpion Dynasty, the Martial Soul Hall was no longer a secret. More and more entrances were discovered, and more people flooded in. Many unexplored areas were gradually opened up. The Soul Zones today are dozens of times larger than the Martial Soul Hall of our era."

Tang Tian listened intently.

"Because there are so many ancient martial soul fragments here, which are very beneficial for cultivating martial souls, the Soul Zones quickly became areas with frequent human activity, and cities began to appear. But in some places, the ancient soul fragments are too numerous and emerge periodically, making them extremely dangerous. Towns couldn’t be built there, so those areas were designated as Soul Hunting Zones."

"Why do ancient martial soul fragments keep appearing?" Tang Tian couldn’t help asking.

"We’d noticed this issue before," Bing said, pondering. "Although the answer is still unclear, there are several theories. Some believe that beneath the Martial Soul Hall lies an ancient tomb. In ancient times, it was customary for warriors to be buried with their kings. Although it seems foolish now, it was a source of pride back then. Still, we never imagined that the Soul Zone would be so vast. I’m starting to doubt that theory myself."

"Ancient times..." Tang Tian felt lost. Even Bing’s era seemed unimaginably distant, let alone the ages before him. The thought made Tang Tian’s head ache.

"So much has changed here," Bing sighed, his tone tinged with emotion. "The world has been turned upside down. I wonder what the Soul Hunting Zones are like now. If they haven’t changed too much, I know where to find an earth-water soul core and Soul Jade Steel."

Tang Tian followed Bing out of Three Souls City.

Outside the city, the world looked entirely different. A desolate wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, a few withered trees stood scattered about, a sense of indescribable bleakness washing over him.

"The strength of a martial soul depends on two factors: solidity and purity. Devouring martial souls is the simplest and most direct way to rapidly increase solidity. However, this method has its drawbacks—it makes your soul more chaotic. The more you devour, the more muddled it becomes. That’s why the Soul Refining Device was invented, to purify the martial soul. Other than the pain, it has no side effects."

Bing’s explanations always struck Tang Tian as profound and vast.

"I don’t know what the other Soul Zones are like, but back in the day, the Martial Soul Hall had neither night nor day—it was very peculiar. It’s always this gloomy. Plants are rare here; the environment is unsuitable for vegetation. The ancient martial souls were all extremely fierce, making this place notorious for its dangers—hence the rumors about underground tombs," Bing continued, drifting ahead. "As expected, things have changed a lot. In the past, you’d often encounter ancient martial souls here."

"What do ancient martial souls look like?" Tang Tian was full of curiosity.

To be honest, he’d never imagined there could be such a strange place in the world. Three Souls City had already broadened his horizons. He wondered if Qianhui had ever been to a Soul Zone. Well, she probably had. Maybe he could run into her here. But Bing had said there were many entrances to the Soul Zone... Maybe he should ask if Perseus’ White Rainbow Star had an entrance to a Soul Zone.

If Three Souls City had another entrance, could he just leave through the Soul Zone? Tang Tian let his thoughts wander.

"You’ll see soon enough," Bing said. "There’s all sorts—nothing you can’t imagine. Some Star Soul Beasts also absorb martial soul fragments. Those become much stronger and are tough to deal with. The Soul Zone’s Star Soul Beasts are far fiercer than those outside—you need to be careful."

Tang Tian replied absentmindedly. The prospect of having to stay a few months longer disrupted his plans, leaving him a bit glum. He had hoped to see Qianhui soon, but now it would be delayed again. The young man’s spirits fell.

Still, Tang Tian knew nothing was more important than strength.

Qianhui must be incredibly powerful by now. She was already so strong before—he couldn’t afford to fall too far behind. They’d promised to walk the Heavenly Road together. If he couldn’t protect her, what use would he be?

Tang Tian steadied his heart.

He mocked himself inwardly—after all these years, he’d persevered, yet now, in this moment, he was unsettled.

So much for being mature... Well, maybe not yet...

But even a boy like me can have a resolute heart!

Tang Tian clenched his fist quietly and encouraged himself.

He lifted his head again.

Bing glanced at him, a little puzzled by Tang Tian’s sudden gloom and then his sudden surge of fighting spirit.

But Bing’s attention was soon drawn to a familiar scene not far ahead.