The woman in the blood-red robe was none other than Ye Xishui.
In the battle back then, both she and Long Xiaoyao were injured by Hai Bodong, suffering serious wounds.
Hai Bodong's ultimate ice was overbearing and powerful, causing Ye Xishui immense trouble.
Although Ye Xishui was also an Ultimate Douluo, she still couldn't easily dispel Hai Bodong's lingering power.
It's no exaggeration to say that, even with the use of some sinister methods, it would take Ye Xishui at least ten years to recover.
At least ten years of painstaking effort would be needed to expel that ultimate ice embedded deep within her organs.
But ten years?
That's too long.
How could Ye Xishui be willing to wait so long?
She was not like Long Xiaoyao, who, despite his injuries, appeared completely unbothered.
He would eat, drink, and idle about every day, utterly relaxed.
But she couldn't tolerate these wounds, as they prevented her from regaining her peak power.
She was fixated on avenging herself against Hai Bodong for this humiliation.
After all these years, this was the first time she had suffered such a heavy loss—how could she swallow this humiliation?
"Hai Bodong, I will never let you off."
Ye Xishui gritted her teeth, her blood-red eyes full of venom, as if she wanted to devour someone.
At that moment, a cold and sinister, sharp voice suddenly echoed through the great hall.
"Looks like you need some help, hehehe."
The sudden eerie voice made Ye Xishui's eyebrows shoot up as she shouted sternly, "Who's there?"
Ye Xishui was shocked—someone had crept up soundlessly, and she hadn't noticed at all.
Even Long Xiaoyao might not have such ability.
She was an Ultimate Douluo, after all.
Instantly alert, Ye Xishui's aura surged, pressing down on the entire hall.
"Tsk tsk, quite the temper you have."
Spatial ripples appeared, and a figure emerged.
He wore a loose black robe that completely shrouded his form.
At a glance, he seemed to float above the ground, giving off an illusory and mysterious feeling.
Especially his face—it was hidden, only a pair of green eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
Ye Xishui's blood-red gaze narrowed, staring intently at the black-robed figure, ready to strike at any moment. "Who exactly are you?"
This black-robed figure gave Ye Xishui a feeling both contradictory and bizarre.
It was as if he wasn't even human.
And her imposing aura did not affect this shadow at all. One must know, Ye Xishui was an Ultimate Douluo.
Just based on these points, Ye Xishui was certain this black-robed figure was no ordinary being.
"Who I am—you're not qualified to know yet. You only need to know that I can help you," the black-robed figure said.
Ye Xishui sneered, "Why should I trust you?"
The shadow laughed eerily, "Don't you want to recover from your injuries?"
"Don't you want revenge?"
"With your power, revenge is as difficult as reaching the sky."
"Do you want to spend your life swallowing your anger like this?"
"Shut up!"
A flash of anger appeared in Ye Xishui's bloody eyes. "My affairs are none of your concern."
"You coward who hides your face, dare to raise your voice before me?"
"You think I don't know?"
"A mere spiritual projection—did you think I wouldn't see through you?"
Calming down, Ye Xishui realized something was wrong. This person wasn't physically present at all.
"Yes, yes, as expected of someone valued by my clan. You are qualified to cooperate with us."
"Today, I appear before you only as a projection, but one day, I will come in person."
"When my clan arrives, all things shall end."
"Bragging!"
Ye Xishui sneered coldly. "The Douluo Continent is full of powerful beings. You vermin don't know your place."
"Heh, it is you who do not know your place, Ye Xishui. You have no idea what you're dealing with."
"My clan values you—consider it your fortune, but it's not as if you're irreplaceable."
"Think carefully, Ye Xishui. You don't have much time left. Hehehe."
With another burst of eerie laughter, the black-robed shadow vanished before Ye Xishui's eyes.
Ye Xishui's expression was grave, her blood-red eyes flickering.
A bizarre figure, strange power, a mysterious clan.
All of this was far beyond Ye Xishui's expectations.
In her memory, there seemed to be no such existence on the Douluo Continent.
She rubbed her brow, searching her memory carefully, but still found nothing.
"I wonder if Xiaoyao knows?"
Ye Xishui muttered to herself, turning to leave the hall.
Outside, several gray-robed figures bowed respectfully.
"Have you seen the Grand Worship?"
Ye Xishui asked calmly.
"Reporting to the Supreme Elder, the Grand Worship left early this morning."
Ye Xishui frowned a trace of displeasure in her red eyes.
Long Xiaoyao didn't seem to care about his injuries at all, idling about every day.
To Ye Xishui, this was typical neglect of duty.
"Xiaoyao, do you care so little about what happened back then?"
"You've disappointed me."
Ye Xishui shook her head—she hadn't seen any desire in Long Xiaoyao for revenge.
How could she allow this?
She wanted revenge, and she couldn't do it without Long Xiaoyao's power.
Compared to those strange people, she trusted the Long Xiaoyao who had stood by her side for a hundred years.
After all, that was the power she could fully control.
After a brief pause, Ye Xishui ordered, "Go and bring the Grand Worship back. Tell him I have matters to discuss."
"Yes, Supreme Elder."
An evil soul master took his leave. Ye Xishui gazed at the sky, now near dusk, the sunset turning the horizon blood red.
As she looked at the setting sun, a fierce light gradually appeared in her blood-red eyes.
...
...
After staying only a short time at the Ice God Palace, Su Yu and his group set off again, arriving at Radiant City.
There was still some time before the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Sect Tournament began, but the atmosphere in Radiant City was already starting to change.
After all, this was a grand event that only happened once every twenty years, and this time, it was open to sects as well.
As the host, they naturally needed to make extensive preparations.
Su Yu's group consisted of ten people—besides his team members, there were also Hai Bodong, Shui Lingguang, and Mu Wu accompanying them.
With such a powerful escort, they could face any force head-on and make their opponents doubt their lives.
The Ice God Palace was temporarily left in the care of Lu Yuan, who had now reached the peak of Level 98 Douluo.
Lu Yuan had long accumulated enough strength; his breakthrough was only a matter of course.
With Lu Yuan's foundation, even when facing those who had lingered at Level 98 for a long time, he would not fall behind.
Moreover, the Ice God Pearl and the Ice Dragon Bingbing were left to guard the Ice God Main Hall.
The Ice God Palace was still as impregnable as ever.
Mainly, Su Yu was worried that something unexpected might happen at the tournament, so he was making preparations just in case.
He wasn't afraid, but with so many women around him, he had to be more cautious.
Arriving at Radiant City, the largest and most prosperous city on the continent, was dazzling to the eyes.
For regular visitors, it was no big deal, but for Lan Fozhi, Di Mingli, and Jiang Nannan, it was their first time.
The city's prosperity far exceeded their expectations.
This wall-less, number one city deeply shocked them on their first visit.
Su Yu didn't go to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy but instead went to his own Holy Slayer Palace.
With so many people, staying at the Academy was inappropriate.
Besides, Su Yu intended to represent Holy Slayer Palace in the tournament, so naturally, he had to stay there.
The Holy Slayer Palace was located in the southwest of Radiant City, and after several months, it had become quite grand.
Built like a fortress, Holy Slayer Palace was practically impenetrable.
"This is the Holy Slayer Palace. We'll be living here from now on," Su Yu said to his companions. The women all looked at the palace with curiosity.
The palace covered a vast area, one of the largest properties in land-scarce Radiant City.
Other than the imperial palace and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, Su Yu's Holy Slayer Palace was the largest.
Truthfully, the nobles and powerful families of the Sun Moon Empire were well aware of this new force.
Some had wanted to stir up trouble, but before they could, they were dealt with.
All the major families and powers knew very well who was behind the sudden rise of Holy Slayer Palace.
Even the arrogant Holy Spirit Sect didn't dare provoke Holy Slayer Palace, despite both being based in Radiant City.
"Xiao Yu, I didn't expect you to have such a huge foundation in Radiant City. What a surprise," Jiang Nannan said, not knowing anything about Su Yu's activities in Radiant City.
Even Xue Di knew little.
The Ice God Palace members weren't talkative. If Su Yu didn't mention something, no one dared to reveal his affairs.
"You are secretive. You transferred a squad of Ice God Guards here for this, didn't you?" Xue Di glanced at Su Yu. As a member of the Ice God Palace, she was aware of their movements but didn't know their purpose.
Now she realized that the guards here were all from the Ice God Palace—Su Yu had recruited them from his ranks.
Su Yu chuckled, "Let's go in."
The group entered the gates.
After several months, the palace had been completely renovated.
There were new soul tools, more complete facilities, and even a batch of new disciples had been recruited—everything was running smoothly.
Meng Hongchen was also there. Even though Su Yu was away, she often came to check on things.
After all, it was Su Yu's foundation, so she was naturally attentive.
Nothing about the palace's soul tool production was hidden from her; as long as she wanted, she could know almost everything.
But Meng Hongchen was disciplined, never peeking at things she shouldn't, even though the advanced soul tool technology would benefit her growth.
That was her charm—she was always sensible and knew her boundaries.
At this moment, news of Su Yu's return reached Meng Hongchen.
She immediately abandoned her research and ran off to greet him.
Su Yu and his group had just reached the main hall when they ran into Meng Hongchen.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the familiar figure, joy written all over her face.
"Yu!"
Meng Hongchen called out, throwing herself into Su Yu's arms.
Su Yu's expression softened as he hugged her.
Upon seeing this, Xue Di was unmoved, Wang Dong'er looked relaxed, and Jiang Nannan's eyes flashed with envy, but only Di Mingli frowned slightly.
Tsk, another one!
But she said nothing—her mood had been low these past few days.
Because she had lost badly in a fight with Xue Di.
She'd lost miserably.
Xue Di's soul power was far beyond hers—she was only a Soul Emperor, while Xue Di was a Soul Sage.
Someone with the true body of an ultimate ice martial soul could even fight a Titled Douluo.
Di Mingli's disadvantage was her lack of a martial soul true body.
Add to that Xue Di's battle experience and mastery of ultimate ice, and even with a Golden Dragon Spear, Di Mingli stood no chance.
The loser naturally had no say. Xue Di didn't ask anything of Di Mingli, but Di Mingli herself was deeply affected.
She was too embarrassed to even tell Su Yu about the fight—it was humiliating.
But she wasn't about to give up. Once she broke through to Soul Sage, she'd challenge Xue Di again.
A strong woman never admits defeat.
Su Yu gently held Meng Hongchen, his mood lifting as he gazed at her sweet, tranquil face.
He smiled, "Meng, you're here?"
Meng Hongchen smiled, "I've always been here. Even when you're away, I help keep an eye on things."
Su Yu felt a wave of tenderness and gently stroked her cheek.
Among all his women, the most obedient and sensible was probably Meng Hongchen.
She'd always been a source of comfort for Su Yu.
After a while, Meng Hongchen stepped away from his embrace.
She glanced at the people behind Su Yu, her eyes suddenly freezing, and a hint of confusion appeared on her previously sweet face.
Why… are they all women?
Some were familiar—Wang Dong'er and Lan Lan, of course.
She also knew Jiang Nannan, Su Yu's childhood friend.
During their time at Shrek Academy, she and Su Yu talked about everything—she knew quite a bit.
But the others—Xue Di, Di Mingli, and Lan Fozhi—she'd never met.
Facing Meng Hongchen's scrutiny, Lan Fozhi nodded kindly, Xue Di's expression remained unchanged, and only Di Mingli glared back.
Meng Hongchen blinked, looking at Su Yu in confusion, "Yu, are they all…"
Su Yu hurried to explain, "Meng, don't misunderstand, these are all my battle team members."
"Battle team members?"
Meng Hongchen was stunned.
Except for Su Yu, they were all beauties?
What kind of bizarre battle team was this?
Couldn't the Ice God Palace find any other men?
Meng Hongchen didn't understand, but she was shocked.
Su Yu coughed. "Meng, let me introduce you."
"This is Sister Nannan, whom you've met."
"Hello."
"Hello."
The two smiled at each other—Meng Hongchen was polite, and Jiang Nannan was easy to get along with.
"This is Lan Fozhi—she's Lan Lan's older sister."
"Lan Lan's sister?"
Meng Hongchen looked at Lan Fozhi with some surprise.