After briefly treating the shattered remains below Yu Xiaogang's waist, Flender wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief.
He had no idea how to handle the... remains. Keeping them was pointless, but discarding them risked Yu Xiaogang searching for them later—a disaster waiting to happen.
"Doing this for a brother... I, Flender, am probably the first in the Douluo Continent to experience this."
After a moment's hesitation, Flender disposed of the fragments to spare Yu Xiaogang further agony upon waking. He then lay down on a rock by the pond, bitterly reflecting on Yu Xiaogang's condition and Zhao Wuji's group, scattered by the beast tide.
"To think we'd encounter a soul beast tide on our first trip to the Star Dou Forest... What rotten luck."
Had his martial soul not granted flight, he—a mere Soul Sage—and Yu Xiaogang, a 29th-rank Great Soul Master—would've been torn apart. Though they'd survived, they were now separated from the others. In the vast Star Dou Forest, finding them would be near impossible.
"Enough. I need to restore my soul power in case more beasts attack."
Flender stopped overthinking. After confirming their temporary safety, he meditated to recover.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang awoke groggily nearby.
"Where... am I? Am I alive?"
He rubbed his throbbing forehead, memories flooding back: the pachycephalosaurs swarming him, the crippling blow to his groin, then darkness. He vaguely recalled Flender saving him.
As he struggled upright and spotted Flender meditating, he tried to call out—but a searing, emptiness between his legs silenced him with a gasp.
"Why... does it hurt so much?!"
His face paled as the horrifying truth dawned on him.
"Impossible. It can't be!"
He shook his head violently, denying the reality. Yet the void beneath his clothes and the raw agony felt all too real—worse than swallowing dung.
Trembling, he peeled back his trousers.
His already ashen face whitened further.
"My... my m-manhood...? Gone?!"
His lips, hands, and body quivered uncontrollably. Even if shattered, it should've been there! Why is nothing left?!
He yanked his clothes shut and stared at Flender, the only possible culprit.
Just then, Flender stirred awake. Seeing Yu Xiaogang conscious, he hesitated, words dying in his throat.
"Xiaogang... try not to dwell on it. Surviving the beast tide is miracle enough."
But Yu Xiaogang was beyond consolation. The phantom pain and hollowness screamed one truth: he was now a eunuch.
He slumped by the pond, silent. Flender watched, granting him space.
After an eternity, Yu Xiaogang thought of Liu Erlong. Would she scorn him now? Without manhood, he could father no heirs...
Heirs? Wait—Erlong carries my child! I will have descendants!
Ignorant that the child wasn't his, hope surged through him. Clinging to this delusion, he steadied himself.
He met Flender's eyes, voice low and firm: "Swear you'll never speak of this. No one can know."
"You have my word," Flender vowed.
"Good. Now—update me on the others."
Regaining his icy composure, Yu Xiaogang shifted focus.
Flender sighed. "The tide hit too fast. I ordered everyone to flee while rescuing you. By the time we escaped, they'd vanished. Who knows where they are now?"
Yu Xiaogang grimaced. Even his vast knowledge held no record of such a devastating, high-level beast tide. This update ıs available on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
"The earlier battle between powerhouses likely triggered this. We must recover quickly and regroup."
"You need rest more than any of us," Flender stressed.
Yu Xiaogang glanced downward. After a strained pause, he muttered, "...Fine."
Evening, Beside a Stream
Tang Yin, Liu Erlong, Ah Yin, and Zhu Zhuqing had set up camp, unaware of Yu Xiaogang's fate. As they ate around a fire, Zhu Zhuqing broke the silence.
"Teacher Ah Yin, what kind of powerhouse could've caused that earlier battle? It even sparked a beast tide!"
Ah Yin paused. As the Blue Silver Emperor—strongest of all Blue Silver Grass—she knew legends of the soul beasts' overlord. That cataclysm could only be the work of such entities.
Suddenly, Tang Yin cut in: "I suspect it was Di Tian."
Ah Yin stared at her foster son. "How do you know that name?"
"I know many things," Tang Yin replied cryptically. "But what matters is: who fought him?"
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