In the darkness of the Douluo Continent, two figures were conversing.
"Enjou, it seems you've been exposed."
"Your Highness, this subordinate has not been exposed. It's just that they discovered something amiss during the 'account reconciliation.'"
It was only during the "account reconciliation" that they noticed something was off, as many things were not handled by them.
This was normal. Even they sometimes needed to "reconcile accounts" to see where things didn't add up.
Aether nodded slightly, not saying much more.
In his deep eyes, a faint glimmer of light flickered.
"Any news of others?"
"There's news of some people!"
"Oh?"
"It seems our speculation was correct."
Aether wasn't very surprised, as if he had already anticipated such an outcome.
"This world is becoming more and more fascinating."
"Especially the changes in the Heaven Dou Empire, which seem to remind me of something, yet I can't quite recall."
Aether shook his head calmly, murmuring to himself.
The changes in the Heaven Dou Empire indeed gave him a faint sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
What he was more concerned about now was when his sister would arrive on the Douluo Continent.
In Teyvat, he had his own mission, making it inconvenient to reunite with his sister, and he didn't want her to be exposed to those matters so early.
But the Douluo Continent was different. Here, he didn't need to worry about the mission.
The scene shifted to the Eighteenth Level of Hell.
At this moment, Tang San was no longer recognizable as a human. He had long lost the ability to speak.
For ordinary people, this was just a little over a year, but for him, it was over four hundred years!
In these four hundred years, he had endured nothing but punishment, repeated over and over.
"Who am I?"
"What are they doing?"
Now, Tang San had even forgotten his own name.
Even though he had lived two lifetimes, the combined time was only a tenth of this period. That he could still remember a few things was purely due to instinct.
But speaking? That was impossible.
Yes, Tang San could no longer speak. Throughout his punishment, no one had spoken to him; it had all been in complete silence.
For over "four hundred years," he had gone from cursing loudly, to begging for mercy, and finally to complete silence.
Not speaking for so many years had almost robbed Tang San of the ability to speak.
Tang San was no ordinary person, yet four hundred years of isolation and punishment had reduced him to this state.
Furina, the "Hydro Archon," was a true ordinary person. Five hundred years of disguise, five hundred years of constant fear, terrified that one wrong step would bring doom to Fontaine.
"This kid is quite something. For him, this is over four hundred years of torment, yet he still remembers some things. Impressive!"
A dark soul master spoke up.
"Indeed, there's something to him. I wonder if, by the time the three-year period is up, he'll still remember who he is, or if he'll be like this now."
The punishment was still far from over. Only a little over a year had passed, with nearly two years remaining. It was uncertain whether Tang San could endure.
"Truly excellent material."
"Indeed."
Tang San could no longer hear their words. He faintly felt something in his mind, guarding something, but he couldn't recall or perceive it.
A new round of torment began.
In the northern region of the Douluo Continent, the Frozen Forest.
A group of people was facing off against several spirit beasts. They had never expected to encounter such a situation.
"Yue'er, don't be afraid. I'll cover the rear. You follow Xue Wu and the others and run!"
Shui Bing'er said with a serious expression.
This trip was for her to obtain her fifth spirit ring, but they had unexpectedly encountered five ten-thousand-year spirit beasts at once. What's more, these spirit beasts were not just one or two thousand years old.
Even the Soul Sage leading the team was sweating profusely, his scalp tingling.
To sweat in such cold weather was indeed a skill.
Hearing this, Shui Yue'er quickly shook her head.
"If we go, we go together. If we die, we die together!"
She and Shui Bing'er were half-sisters, and their bond was very strong, a true sisterly love.
Now, in this life-and-death situation, how could she abandon Shui Bing'er and flee?
"We still have our spirit fusion skill. We can definitely get through this."
"This is no time for sisterly affection. All of you run. I'll cover the rear!"
At this moment, the team leader, with a dark expression, spoke up.
The academy had taught them what to do in such situations, but the top student had forgotten it all.
It was somewhat frustrating, yet also somewhat gratifying.
"Teacher!"
"You'll die!"
The girls exclaimed anxiously. If the teacher were to cover the rear alone, she would undoubtedly be torn apart by the spirit beasts.
Hearing this, the "young" teacher's face darkened. If not for these burdens, she could have escaped; these spirit beasts couldn't stop her.
But these burdens were people she had to protect.
"Hurry and go. Without you, I might still have a chance to escape."
This was indeed the truth.
Without these burdens, she might have been able to escape, though the odds weren't great.
Shui Bing'er and the others also understood the teacher's words and began to think about how to escape.
At that moment, a young man about 1.6 meters tall suddenly appeared in their sight.
His body was covered in many patterns, and he was quite handsome, but there was an air of aloofness about him.
He crossed his arms, calmly looking at Shui Bing'er and the others, then at the spirit beasts.
With just a glance, he made the spirit beasts tremble.
Of course, Shui Bing'er and the others didn't notice.
"All actions are impermanent, all is suffering."
"Sigh~"
With just this one compassionate statement, Shui Bing'er and the others fell into deep thought.
How could this little brother dare to come to the Frozen Forest alone?
He was quite handsome and had a unique personality, but he looked like a child...
"Little brother, it's very dangerous here. Run away quickly!"
Shui Yue'er, being a fan of good looks, instinctively spoke to the newcomer.
Hearing this, the newcomer was slightly stunned, looking at Shui Yue'er with some confusion.
Little brother?
What an absurd title. Could she be a human who had lived for thousands of years?
After looking at Shui Yue'er, the newcomer shook his head. She was only slightly stronger than an ordinary human; it was impossible for her to have lived for thousands of years.
She had misunderstood.
The newcomer snorted coldly but did not leave.
If he left, these people would surely suffer heavy losses.
"If you encounter the calamity of losing your way in the wilderness, the calamity of encountering bandits, the calamity of fire, water, blades, or soldiers, the calamity of ghosts, gods, poison, or medicine, the calamity of vicious beasts or poisonous insects, the calamity of enemies or evil people, call my name."
"Golden-Winged King
Conqueror of Demons — Xiao, hears the call, comes to protect."