That One Soul-Stirring Gaze

That gaze was sharp and domineering, laced with a subtle disdain, as if declaring, "A true master doesn't bother with trifles like you!"

Thomas's heart lurched. *What in the heavens is wrong with me? Damn it, why am I intimidated by a child's gaze!?*

Impossible! Zigurd himself had boasted that his most cherished disciple, Francis, was an Eleventh-level Battle God – undeniably formidable! Yet, even Francis, powerful as he was, was still but Eleventh-level. If Thomas didn't possess the confidence to assassinate an Eleventh-level Battle God, he wouldn't be foolish enough to contend with Francis in the first place! Assassination was distinct from direct combat; given the right hidden opportunity, the Ghoulbat's Ninth-rank peak Spiritual Power and Thomas's own venomous arts could easily dispatch an Eleventh-level Battle God. At worst, Thomas's own genuine skill made him a Level Ten Master, hardly inferior to Zigurd!

Thomas harbored this confidence, this capability! He would never fear an Eleventh-level Battle God, yet now, a mere child's gaze had instilled such dread that he'd lost the conviction to act…

Just then, Cassian rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stepped forward, and shattered some ice. He packed a few shards into his personal box, jesting, "Alright, Anya, let's go. If Beibei gets impatient, you'll be facing a Great Catastrophe, you know!"

Anya coolly nodded, then swaggered towards the Ice Cavern's main gate.

Thomas panicked inwardly. *No, I refuse to believe this brat possesses the power to genuinely frighten me. Perhaps he has some Secret Technique to counteract toxins!* His Battle Soul inquired, "Ghoulbat, how is this child's Spiritual Power?"

The Ghoulbat replied, "Terrible. It's merely the Spiritual Power of an ordinary child!"

Instantly, Thomas's lost confidence seemed to rush back. He sneered, "Excellent. I'll go out and finish him! But to be safe, you stay here. Should that brat show any abnormality, assassinate him immediately with your Spiritual Power!"

The Ghoulbat hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

It wasn't that Thomas was stupid, but rather he held an unshakeable belief in the truth that "a master can be assassinated." Furthermore, this was clearly just a child before him, and the Ghoulbat, his companion for sixty years, had confirmed he possessed only a child's Spiritual Power. So, what was there that couldn't be killed!? Even if this brat was genuinely powerful, if his Spiritual Power was lacking, couldn't the Ghoulbat strike from behind?

Most importantly, Thomas, *he himself*, had been intimidated by a child's gaze. He wouldn't stand for it! He had to reclaim his dignity!

"Trying to leave already?" Thomas sneered, slowly revealing his form from the ice blocks.

Cassian, startled by the voice, quickly dropped the ice box in his hand. He scooped up Anya, turned around, and fixed his gaze on the sudden intruder. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, alarmed.

Thomas merely sneered, offering no reply. He slowly advanced towards the two. His battle qi rippled faintly, and with a resounding *boom*, the Ice Cavern's great door slammed shut…

Cassian was a man who, at twelve, had already plotted to harm Du Chen. If, facing the current situation, he still didn't understand what was about to unfold, then he wouldn't be Cassian. Seeing no retreat, the young Crown Prince hugged the child tighter with one arm, while with the other, he drew the sacred artifact longsword from his waist. His gaze swept the Ice Cavern's interior, paused briefly on a narrow ventilation shaft, then locked onto Thomas, who was slowly approaching. "Friend, let's talk this through. Are you here for wealth, or for vengeance?"

Cassian shrewdly inquired, "I am the Crown Prince of the Nano Empire, and the leader of the Yakun Alliance of Thirty-Six Nations. You must have heard of the Yakun Empire, yes? Everyone has times when they're short on funds. If you need money, just say the word. We can consider it making a friend, and forget about today's events afterwards!"

Thomas smiled, but his gaze remained fixed on Anya, the distance between them shrinking rapidly!

Seeing Thomas's eyes, Cassian urgently said, "Do you have a grudge against my Senior Brother? Friend, whatever it is, don't involve the child. With your skill, it wouldn't be glorious to harm a child, would it?"

Thomas deliberately walked slowly, still wary of Anya's earlier gaze. His slow approach was actually to ascertain if Anya posed any threat, rather than to humor Cassian's "nonsense." Seeing that he was now within arm's reach of the little one, Thomas's heart relaxed. Disregarding Cassian completely, he suddenly lunged, grabbing for Alex!

"Anya, run!" Cassian roared. With one hand, he thrust his longsword at Thomas, while with the other, he flung the child towards the ventilation shaft!

The dissolute young noble who, years ago, would use threats and enticements to infuriate people, was now risking his life to protect a child…

Thomas scoffed, a dismissive smile on his face. Bare-handed, he seized the sword's blade with a single fleshy palm. A ripple of frigid energy surged, and with a crisp *snap*, Cassian's Level Four longsword shattered into ice shards. Thomas's finger then lightly tapped towards Cassian's heart…

The movement was too swift; Cassian didn't even have time to close his eyes and lament his impending death! Just as Thomas's finger reached his throat, a small head suddenly blocked Cassian, fixing Thomas with a chilling gaze!

It was a gaze of aloof dominance, a disdain that looked down upon all the world's powerhouses!

*Little brat, are you courting death!?* A deafening hum exploded in Thomas's mind, and his hand unconsciously froze, leaving him stunned and motionless like a clay statue. It was as if a child had encountered a terrifying, ferocious prehistoric beast… utterly petrified!

Alex, who had been flung towards the ventilation shaft, had returned at some unknown moment, now standing defiantly in front of Cassian!

This left not only Thomas dumbfounded, but Cassian equally stunned. Having just brushed with death, Cassian swallowed hard, staring at the child who had, at some point, returned to his arms. "Anya, you, you…"

*Heavens above, what did I just witness? The little imp who was just whining in my arms actually terrified a peerless master with a mere gaze!?*

Indeed, in the eyes of Cassian, a mere Level Five cultivator, Thomas was undeniably a peak master who could crush him with a single finger…

Alex didn't even spare a glance for the terrified Thomas. He simply looked up at Cassian, giving a cool shake of his head. "Sister is getting impatient. Let's go back to the room!"

Cassian, still dazed, pointed at Thomas. "He, he… you, how did you do that…?"

Anya shrugged disdainfully. "A true master needs no explanation!" With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked to the door, hooked it open with a tiny foot, and stepped out.

Just then, the invisible Ghoulbat, sensing trouble, shot out like lightning. Its eyes fixed on Anya's retreating back, and a surge of Ninth-rank peak Spiritual Power erupted. "Brat, I'll give you…"

The Ghoulbat suddenly froze, its half-released Spiritual Power forcibly reined back—because Alex had turned around, and was staring directly at it!

Again, that soul-shattering, piercing gaze!

Unlike Thomas, the Ghoulbat, being an Aberrant Beast, possessed senses far keener than humans! *Heavens, this, this gaze is… It's no Secret Technique, nor is it a Spiritual Power suppression. It's simply, purely… primal bestiality!*

What happens when a rabbit encounters a tiger?

The Ghoulbat felt exactly this now! This was something only Aberrant Beasts understood: the absolute disparity in racial hierarchy. A rabbit *must* fear a tiger, and the Ghoulbat… *must* fear Anya. No Secret Technique was needed, just a single gaze—it was the innate biological fear of death!

"You, what race are you…?" the Ghoulbat stammered, trembling.

Alex shook his finger, not bothering to answer the Ghoulbat. The little fellow, with an air of immense superiority, walked out with his hands behind his back. But as he reached the threshold… *thud*, he tripped face-first! "Oops, Anya embarrassed himself again!"

The Ghoulbat and Cassian were still stunned, but Thomas had recovered from his shock. *What is going on with this child? A true master, or merely a foolish boy putting on airs?*

To his family, Anya's behavior was perfectly normal; playing the part of a master for a bit, then inevitably letting his true nature as a silly, clumsy boy shine through. It was common. But to an outsider like Thomas, it was utterly bizarre!

Fearing his identity would be exposed, Thomas almost subconsciously fired an Ice Bolt, which spun as it attacked Alex!

Anya turned his head and saw the Ice Bolt. This time, he didn't utter "A true master needs no explanation." Instead, he bolted, screaming in panic as he ran, "Help! Sister, come save me! The master has been exposed!"

This…

A colossal question mark rose in Thomas's mind. *Just moments ago, this fleeing, shouting brat was the one who petrified me?*

The Ghoulbat was the second to react, urgently saying, "Master, I understand! This child is like a young dragon. While he possesses Dragon's Might, capable of terrifying many Aberrant Beasts, his true strength isn't formidable. Only that gaze, imbued with racial aura, is fearsome!"

Thomas stomped his foot in fury. "Damn it, so he's just a young beast that's only just developed its racial aura!"

Yes, Alex had currently only evolved his racial aura. This was akin to a newborn tiger cub: while it could frighten a rabbit, if an adult rabbit genuinely mustered the courage to fight the infant tiger to the death, it was uncertain who would survive!

In truth, Anya had sensed these two dangerous individuals earlier and deliberately feigned the demeanor of a master. On one hand, he used his Battle Soul to notify his sister; on the other, he tried to scare the two away with his gaze, hoping to buy himself and Cassian time to escape!

The little fellow was clever, but unfortunately… still a bit green!

Realizing this, Thomas was genuinely enraged and humiliated. Undeniably, this brat's race was indeed terrifying, but no matter how terrifying, the little one hadn't fully evolved yet. He was just a child with a mere racial aura!

"Damn it! Get back here!" Thomas raged, striding towards Alex!

Anya's face instantly went pale!

But just then, little Beibei, pouting, appeared from nowhere in front of him, complaining, "Hmph, this silly brother is going to make Beibei furious!"

Alex whimpered, crouching behind his sister, wiping away tears. "Sister, they're bullying Anya!"

Thomas was incandescent with rage. He had been played for a fool by such a tiny brat! Even worse, this child was Zigurd's grand-disciple. How could he ever face Sena again and speak of Zigurd? How could he even lift his head in front of Zigurd himself!?

Without a second thought, Thomas reached out to grab both children!

Little Beibei grinned at him. Her voice, crisp, clear, and utterly enchanting, drifted into Thomas's ears, "Uncle Orbach, don't you think Beibei is cute?"

Thomas subconsciously glanced at the child, but the Ghoulbat roared, "This is… Master, flee quickly! It's a Titled-Rank Psychic Aberrant Beast!"

A Tenth-rank Spiritual Power!?

Thomas was utterly horrified, but it was all too late. His mind reeled with dizziness, his legs buckled, and he sagged weakly to the side. Through hazy eyes, he saw the Ghoulbat, engulfed in flames, flying towards him, attempting to rescue him. It faintly muttered, "Ninth-rank flames… what race is this child, truly…?"

Tenth-rank Spiritual Power, Ninth-rank flames – this was the full extent of little Beibei's current power, and the very reason Du Chen felt at ease with his son and daughter!

Perhaps Ninth-rank flames were nothing in Thomas's eyes, but that Tenth-rank Spiritual Power, invisible and insidious, capable of ensnaring one without warning, was truly terrifying!

***

Little Beibei suddenly struck, unleashing Tenth-rank Spiritual Power on Thomas and Ninth-rank flames on the Ghoulbat. Attacking her opponents' weakest points with her strongest abilities, she seized control of the situation instantly! However, the Ghoulbat's startled roar had alerted the hotel's guards, and the thudding of footsteps could already be heard in the distance!

Beibei still wanted to "play" for a bit longer, but then exclaimed, "Oh dear! Papa says Beibei is his secret weapon, and it's not good if just anyone knows how powerful Beibei is… Hehe, anyway, these two are already injured, they can't escape! Anya, tell Uncle Cassian, let's run!"

The two children, giggling, dragged the dazed Cassian away and ran.

As for whether Thomas's capture would expose their secrets, or the myriad consequences of simply running off… the children didn't consider any of it. Who cared about such things? As long as they had fun! After all, they were still just two children, barely knee-high to an adult…

And it was precisely this playful mindset that inadvertently allowed them to escape a Great Catastrophe!

As Thomas collapsed, he saw the guards. His last sliver of consciousness screamed at him, *I am the second-in-command of Thornwood Valley! I cannot be captured, or Sena, who has only days left to live… she will worry! And this is Battle God Isle, where I've just been fooled by Zigurd's grand-disciple. I absolutely cannot be captured by his subordinates now!*

That competitive spirit swelled within him once more. As the guards charged, Thomas roared, "Ghoulbat, I'll use an Ice Toxin Aura to create chaos! Get me out of here!"

The Ghoulbat was aghast, about to speak, but a dazzling white aura had already erupted at the Ice Cavern's entrance…

*Boom!*

The city-center hotel collapsed, and the entire urban area of Battle God Isle was enveloped in a world of ice and snow!

A Level Ten Battle God, Thomas had deployed a Secret Technique of mass destruction, expending his battle qi to exhaustion and falling unconscious. How long it would take him to recover was unknown, but chaos had been unleashed. The Ghoulbat, ignoring its burns, fought desperately to carry Thomas into the sky!

***

The events in the Ice Cavern took place at the Southern Heart Inn, while Du Chen and Xue Ji were drinking at the Listening Snow Pavilion in the Southern District. Half of Battle God Isle separated them from their children, rendering the Battle Soul useless at such a distance. Thus, Du Chen had no idea the immense trouble his children and Thomas had stirred up!

When Anya entered the Ice Cavern, the banquet had just concluded. Du Chen and Xue Ji saw off several lords and walked side-by-side down the street. However, both wore somewhat somber expressions. Their hands weren't intertwined as usual, and they even maintained a distance of several meters between them as they walked…

It was because they had just quarreled – their first argument since meeting!

The cause wasn't complex: after the recruitment fair, several lords had sought to borrow money from Du Chen. And given Du Chen's nature and abilities, a man who "eats people without spitting out the bones"… Heh, need anything more be said?

Du Chen had done such things countless times, far too many to count! While Xue Ji didn't approve of such behavior, she never said much. Yet, precisely during their farewells, one lord inadvertently revealed the reason they needed to borrow money: these lords were effectively "local emperors" along the Newin River, whose people thrived on the developed agriculture sustained by the river. However, in the past two years, Du Chen's construction of the Newin Dam had caused the upstream Newin River's water level to rise, disrupting the agricultural structure on these lords' lands… It turned out Du Chen was behind it all! The lords, utterly desperate, had used the pretense of borrowing money to approach Du Chen for a solution, only to be unexpectedly fleeced by him once again!

The lords dared not provoke Du Chen; having suffered in silence, a few private complaints were all they could manage. But precisely because Xue Ji was an Eleventh-level Battle God, she overheard their grievances!

*Xue Ji thought, what kind of situation is this? You leave people's subjects starving, on the verge of rebellion, and then turn around and exploit that very situation to extract benefits from them…* Thus, Xue Ji gently admonished Du Chen, choosing her words very subtly.

But at that moment, Du Chen had just closed a "major deal," his mood buoyant, his true nature on full display as he swaggered through the streets. Upon hearing her, he casually remarked, "Nobles… if you don't fleece them to death, you're doing a disservice to the common folk!"

His words weren't wrong, and the situation was indeed as he described. Those nobles usually exploited the populace and were truly not "good people." From Du Chen's background as a street ruffian and his temperament, such individuals were simply "ripe for the taking"! But what was Xue Ji's identity? Margaret, a Divine Sovereign, a Divine Princess educated in nobility from childhood! Du Chen's blanket curse on all nobles had effectively insulted all of Xue Ji's relatives and friends!

Xue Ji gently replied, "There are good people among the nobility, too. Even if those lords exploited their people, they are still nobles after all. It's not right to toy with them like this…"

Du Chen pursed his lips. "Just because they're nobles, they can't be toyed with, and they're free to exploit commoners?"

Xue Ji paused, then said naturally, "While it's wrong for nobles to exploit commoners, they are nobles after all…"

A street ruffian by origin, and a noble Divine Princess—a pair of lovers with vastly different backgrounds. Thus, they exchanged words, back and forth, somehow escalating from a discussion to an argument, until finally, they both fell silent, walking towards the hotel without another word.

As they walked, Du Chen's anger subsided a bit. He thought, with amusement, *It's quite funny, really. I used to despise the airs put on by noble young ladies – Avril, Annie, Frinda… all of you! Wouldn't it be better to just casually lean on a table and munch on some sour plums? Why the need to straighten your backs, offer formulaic smiles, and raise your wine cups? Isn't it exhausting!*

*But that Goddess of Fate, that broad, just had to saddle me with a noble among nobles as a wife. This is truly hilarious! Still, no matter what, Xue Ji is my fiancée…*

Du Chen smiled, just about to speak, when suddenly, a surging, boundless force of ice and snow erupted, mingled with faint traces of a foul, bloody stench!

Xue Ji's expression changed instantly, her eyes suddenly turning sky-blue. "Alex, quickly suppress the ice and snow explosion!" Saying this, she soared into the sky, her Water's Embrace Sword transforming into countless threads of energy, enveloping the entire urban area of Battle God Isle!

Du Chen realized the explosion's epicenter was the hotel where he resided. His heart likewise lurched. Various Arcane Artifacts, employing the mightiest Secret Technique of the "Thousand Strands of Benevolent Lock," shot forth, golden light blanketing the urban area! From his sleeve, Fifth Brother Dus flew out, roaring with laughter. He spread himself wide, like a colossal pancake, covering the sky and earth, intending to extinguish the explosion's power with his own body!

Almost simultaneously, the masters on Battle God Isle swiftly used Secret Techniques to suppress the explosion, while Hot Spring Mountain, the symbol of Battle God Isle, emanated a faint, ethereal mist…

A ring of ice and snow aura blossomed at the city-center, but countless rays of light instantly enveloped it, forcibly compressing it back. Finally, with a soft *poof*, the frost dissipated. Only a single hotel had collapsed with a crash, the damage not overly severe.

Du Chen had no time to speak to Xue Ji. He grabbed her hand, Green Cloud appeared, and they streaked towards the hotel, entering the range of his Battle Soul. He urgently asked, "Beibei, Anya, how are you both?"

"Papa, my brother and I are trapped under bricks, but Uncle Cassian is holding them up for us, hehe!"

*Good, the children are alright,* Du Chen breathed a long sigh of relief, slowing his pace. Xue Ji gently nudged Du Chen, lowering her head. "Let's stop fighting! Quickly, let's go see the children!"

Du Chen smiled. "I asked, the children are fine… Hey, really no more fighting?"

Xue Ji lowered her head, smiling bashfully. "Which couple doesn't argue, after all…"

They exchanged a smile, but Xue Ji suddenly took a deep breath, then sharply exhaled. "No good! Quickly, hold your breath!"

Du Chen froze. Xue Ji had already confirmed it, urgently exclaiming, "It's the Blizzard Ice Toxin! Heavens, how can anyone still dare to cultivate such a vile Secret Technique from the Godslayer era!?"