Chapter Seventy-Eight: Yaya

The soldier was somewhat agitated. The familiar scenery made him feel as if he had suddenly returned to his youth.

It was a massive red boulder, about twenty meters tall, its iron-rust hue standing out starkly. The rock was exceptionally hard, like a solitary warrior rising from the desolate wilderness. The soldier drifted to the side of the boulder, gently caressing its surface, his heart filled with emotion as he murmured, “You’re just the same as before…”

Tang Tian was stunned by what he heard, but he said nothing.

Pulling himself free from his emotions, the soldier regained his composure. “Positioning within the Martial Soul Hall is troublesome, so we often need landmarks for reference. This red rock—we all call it the Red Sentinel. Beyond this point, we enter the Soul Hunting Zone. Fortunately, this area hasn’t changed much since our time.”

Following the soldier, Tang Tian suddenly felt the surroundings grow cold and sinister. In the wilderness, a stone forest appeared before him, filled with grotesque, towering rocks, their surfaces pale and eerie, chilling to the bone.

“Be careful,” the soldier warned him.

Tang Tian didn’t hesitate, summoning Peacock Blue and Heavenly Furnace Flame, preparing for battle. He knew his own strength was lacking and braced himself, putting all his focus into it.

Suddenly, Tang Tian sensed something and punched fiercely to his side.

Thud!

His fist seemed to hit something soft. A gray shadow crashed into a stone and bounced back.

The creature wasn’t hurt; it sprang up nimbly. Only then did Tang Tian see it clearly—a fist-sized little soul general. He stood dumbfounded, never having seen such a small soul general. Despite its size, it wore neat armor, vividly lifelike.

The little soul general let out an angry cry, charging at Tang Tian. It raised its tiny bow high and smashed it down at him.

Tang Tian jolted, immediately reacting, and met the flying little soul general with another punch.

Smack!

This punch landed solidly, sending the little soul general flying back at greater speed and embedding it deeply into a stone, arms and legs spread wide.

“What… what is that thing?” Tang Tian swallowed hard, struggling to ask.

“Oh, a Sprout Soul General,” the soldier replied casually. “These things are everywhere. They’re basically the lowest-ranked martial soul fragments that have transformed over time. These ancient martial soul fragments eventually turn into soul generals. Sprout Soul Generals are the weakest, usually around the second or third rank. Still, watch out—they’re hard to destroy.”

No sooner had the soldier finished speaking than the Sprout Soul General tumbled out of the stone, let out a wailing cry, raised its bow, and fired several arrows at Tang Tian.

Tang Tian could only laugh helplessly. The arrows were like tiny toothpicks, but he still raised his fist and smashed them.

The toothpick-sized gray arrows shattered instantly.

The Sprout Soul General’s face flushed with anger. It cried out again, leaping high and swinging its small bow down at Tang Tian’s head.

Mid-air, Tang Tian’s fist struck it squarely.

Thud!

Once again, it was nailed into the stone.

“Just ignore it. These little things aren’t much threat, but they’re very hard to kill. Oh, you can devour it—that’s quite effective,” said the soldier.

Tang Tian imagined stuffing the little creature into his mouth, its tiny arms and legs struggling inside, and shuddered in disgust, shaking his head vigorously. “No, I’ll pass!”

“Then let’s move on,” the soldier said, heading deeper inside.

Tang Tian had barely taken a step when a sudden sense of alertness struck him. He spun and swung his fist.

A direct hit!

The Sprout Soul General was sent flying once again.

Tang Tian began to feel a headache coming on. Just as the soldier had said, this thing was relentless! Without another word, he took off running, trying to shake off the persistent creature.

He’d barely run two steps when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small figure on the stones beside him, chasing tirelessly. The Sprout Soul General bounced from stone to stone like a rubber ball, its speed astonishing. Noticing Tang Tian watching, it bared its teeth viciously and raised its tiny bow.

With a flick of the wrist, Tang Tian fired a sleeve arrow—a flash of black shot out.

Miniature Qiankun sleeve arrow!

Direct hit!

Tang Tian was overjoyed; he knew the power of his sleeve arrows—he’d seen them pierce thick tree trunks. Surely this annoying thing couldn’t escape now.

But the next scene left him dumbfounded.

The Sprout Soul General was merely knocked away by the arrow.

Moments later, a furious cry echoed like a mad dog racing from behind the stones, growing nearer. When the Sprout Soul General reappeared, its face was flushed red with anger, swinging its bow desperately and preparing to charge.

Tang Tian was completely speechless. Shouldn’t it have been pierced through? Why was it just knocked away?

And, honestly, could it please be less stubborn than me…

“If you want a pet, you could toss it a soul core,” the soldier remarked, glancing over.

Soul core! Tang Tian, already vexed beyond endurance, didn’t hesitate and threw a soul core from the Green Sandalwood Arm Ape.

The Sprout Soul General’s expression froze. Its tiny nose twitched twice, and the anger in its flushed face vanished instantly. It dashed to the soul core, eyes squinting with delight, tucked its little bow behind its back, and hugged the soul core with both hands.

Tang Tian breathed a sigh of relief.

Normally, wasting a soul core would pain him deeply, but plagued by this little pest, he was relieved to resolve it with just one.

Money truly makes the world go round—even Sprout Soul Generals respond to it!

Tang Tian regained his composure and continued forward.

Pat-pat-pat sounds followed.

He turned to see the Sprout Soul General hugging the soul core and trailing him step by step. Tang Tian surrendered, spreading his hands. “I’ve given you the soul core—why are you still following me?”

“Yee-yee-yee!”

The Sprout Soul General put down the soul core, face full of excitement, its tiny hands gesturing wildly.

“Oh, he says he wants to recognize you as his master,” the soldier translated, calm and experienced.

“Recognize me as master?” Tang Tian froze, pointing to his own nose.

“Mm, Sprout Soul Generals are easy to buy. Usually, toss them a soul core and they’ll accept you. They make great pets—they’re smart,” the soldier explained, clearly familiar with the process.

Tang Tian shook his head like a rattle. “Forget it, I have enough trouble looking after myself without a pet! I don’t want one!”

The Sprout Soul General’s lips quivered, tears falling like pearls from a broken thread, pattering down. It cried, angrily wiping its eyes with its little hands.

Tang Tian’s mouth hung open; he was utterly stunned.

“Oh, once you accept a Sprout Soul General, the others won’t bother you anymore,” the soldier added.

Tang Tian instantly pictured hordes of Sprout Soul Generals swarming him and shivered, changing his mind and nodding quickly. “Alright, alright, you can follow me!”

The Sprout Soul General’s tears vanished instantly, its face brimming with joy. It picked up the soul core, bounced off the ground in an arc, and landed on Tang Tian’s shoulder.

Tang Tian was a bit uncomfortable; he’d never kept a pet before.

“Give him a name,” the soldier said.

Tang Tian frowned and thought for a long time. “Let’s call him Sprout.”

The soldier’s tone became immediately mocking. “Back in the regiment, there were at least a thousand called Sprout—if not eight hundred.”

Tang Tian rolled his eyes. “But now there’s only one.”

The soldier fell silent.

Tang Tian suddenly realized his words were somewhat inappropriate and hurriedly apologized. “Sorry, Uncle Soldier.”

“What’s there to apologize for?” Uncle Soldier’s voice was as calm as ever. “No matter how formidable the regiment, it too will one day vanish. What in this world can last forever? It’s the law of nature. But in that era, we left our mark. That’s enough.”

Tang Tian fell silent.

Soon, they passed through the stone forest and arrived at a ruin.

After gazing at the ruins for a moment, the soldier said, “Let’s go in.”

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From behind a distant boulder, a few people suddenly appeared.

“They really went into the ruins!” said a tall, thin man in a deep voice. He wore a purple headscarf and his expression was sinister.

“The boss is truly a prophet!”

“I can’t believe the boss predicted even this—amazing!”

The others were full of admiration, never expecting the youth would actually enter the ruins.

The leader with the purple scarf showed no trace of satisfaction. “Stay sharp. That kid’s soul general is dangerous. Even the Panda Bandits took a beating from him. We can’t afford to slip up!”

“Relax, boss! Those three fools from the Panda Bandits can’t hold a candle to us,” boasted a burly man, thumping his chest.

The leader sneered. “You call them fools, but you’re not much better.”

The burly man immediately looked embarrassed.

The leader’s expression flickered uncertainly. The ruins had always been shrouded in mystery; many had ventured in, but few returned alive. He had accidentally discovered the truth—the ruins were once a base of the Southern Cross Regiment. What made his heart race even more was that inside the base lay a military armory.

The Southern Cross Regiment’s armory!

This discovery made him tremble with excitement. If this news got out, it would spark a storm of bloodshed. Not even his own subordinates or companions had heard a word of it.

Back then, the Southern Cross Regiment was one of the three great regiments, renowned above all for their unparalleled bronze machinery. The Southern Cross Regiment was the acknowledged peak of mechanical prowess—even the later Scorpion Dynasty, famous for its machinery, was already in decline.

An armory! Even if they could seize just one item, they would strike it rich.

What he hadn’t expected was that just after his discovery, someone came racing down the street riding a bronze mechanical ostrich!

Bronze mechanical ostrich—another emblem of the Southern Cross Regiment.

He immediately realized this person must be targeting the ruins!

This kid would never guess: while the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole lurks behind.

A cold smile spread across his face.