While Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er were in secluded cultivation inside the Huanglong Space, Wang Xiao and Yao Yang also began to take action.
Ever since they rescued Xu Zihuang, they had been looking forward day and night to taking revenge on Xu Tianran and helping Xu Zihuang reclaim everything that should have originally belonged to him.
Wang Xiao first summoned all the members of the original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Regiment back to Moon Pivot Island, putting them on full alert. Among them was Nana, who had previously been gathering intelligence on the Douluo Continent. Over the years, Nana had gradually earned the trust and recognition of the original Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Regiment through her actions. Her martial soul abilities were particularly suited for concealment and infiltration, so Wang Xiao simply put her fully in charge of this matter.
Of course, Nana was not the only one left on the Douluo Continent to gather intelligence; there was an entire special squad.
Wang Xiao's ability to make contact with those old subordinates of the former Purple Emperor King in the southern part of the Sun Moon Empire had relied heavily on the crucial role played by this squad.
Yao Yang, on the other hand, had his subordinates take over these responsibilities. At the same time, he began making preparations so that the situation in the Moon South Archipelago would not become turbulent again after he left.
However, the situation on the continent remained remarkably calm during this period.
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
Inside the Huanglong Space, the phenomenon of the Golden Sun and Purple Moon once again appeared behind Xu Zihuang. Strangely, this time, no terrifying aura overflowed from his body. There wasn't even the slightest fluctuation of soul power or spiritual power.
Wang Qiu'er, who had been sitting cross-legged beside Xu Zihuang with her eyes closed in meditation, slowly opened her eyes as if sensing something. However, upon seeing Xu Zihuang completely naked, her eyelids couldn't help but twitch.
Although Wang Qiu'er had taken human form, her original body still possessed the characteristics and abilities of the Emperor's Auspicious Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Not only was her physical strength astonishing, but her absorption speed of various heavenly materials and earthly treasures was also far superior to that of human soul masters.
In these three months, Wang Qiu'er had completely absorbed the medicinal effects of the three Nine-Turn Thunder Spirit Pills. While her physical strength had further improved, her soul power cultivation had also reached the bottleneck of level eighty.
Xu Zihuang's eyes opened and met Wang Qiu'er's gaze. He didn't pay much attention to it and simply stood up casually, stretching his body. After all, he and Wang Qiu'er had already seen each other naked countless times.
Seeing Xu Zihuang strolling over, Wang Qiu'er immediately felt her cheeks flush. With a mix of shame and annoyance, she took out a set of clothes from the Huanglong Ring on her right index finger and threw them at Xu Zihuang.
"Put your clothes on!"
Xu Zihuang smiled slightly and obediently took the clothes and put them on.
Only then did Wang Qiu'er's expression ease a little, returning to her usual habitually indifferent look.
"My soul power has also reached level eighty. If I want to break through, I need to make a trip back to the Star Dou Great Forest. The target for your Golden Pupil martial soul's ninth soul ring should be that Evil Eye Tyrant Lord in the Evil Demon Forest, right?"
"Slap—"
Xu Zihuang did not answer Wang Qiu'er's question. Instead, he reached out with his right hand and gave her soft waist and buttocks a light pat.
Wang Qiu'er was stunned for a moment, then bit her red lips and glared at Xu Zihuang with a mix of shame and anger.
"You?!"
Xu Zihuang grabbed Wang Qiu'er's fair wrist and chuckled lightly, his expression unchanged.
"Can't you be a little more honest?"
Wang Qiu'er let out a cold snort of embarrassment, but looking at the smile deep in Xu Zihuang's eyes, she finally faced her own heart honestly.
"Accompany me to the Star Dou Great Forest. I'll help you obtain the Evil Emperor's soul ring."
Facing Xu Zihuang's gaze, Wang Qiu'er deliberately turned her head away and pouted.
Xu Zihuang sighed softly and, before Wang Qiu'er could react, opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
Although he had some guesses in his heart, he hadn't expected Wang Qiu'er to be willing to go this far for him. And with Wang Qiu'er's personality, since she had said so, she definitely had the confidence to do it. Perhaps it involved asking the Beast God Di Tian for help.
Wang Qiu'er's delicate body stiffened briefly, then quickly relaxed, greedily savoring the warmth in Xu Zihuang's arms and his familiar scent. A moment later, Xu Zihuang's gentle voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.
"I know you mean well, but I actually don't need this."
Hearing this, Wang Qiu'er lifted her head in confusion.
Xu Zihuang gently touched his lips to Wang Qiu'er's soft ones, their faces close, skin touching. In each other's eyes, there was only the reflection of the other.
As if touched, Wang Qiu'er's pink-blue eyes filled with a hazy color, her red lips slightly parted.
"Why are you refusing?"
"We can't leave here for the time being." Xu Zihuang smiled and shook his head, speaking seriously and candidly: "Because next, I plan to continue attempting to condense the third soul core of the Ultimate Lightning attribute."
Wang Qiu'er's expression changed drastically. While there was at least the precedent of Di Tian for successfully cultivating Yin-Yang complementary dual soul cores, Yin-Yang complementary triple soul cores were filled with unknowns.
She believed that with Xu Zihuang's talent and sufficient accumulation and foundation, he would definitely have the possibility of attempting a Yin-Yang complementary third soul core in the future. But she couldn't understand why Xu Zihuang was in such a hurry, even willing to take such enormous risks.
However, Wang Qiu'er, who was familiar with Xu Zihuang's personality and experiences, ultimately did not voice any doubts.
Xu Zihuang knew what Wang Qiu'er was thinking. Holding her jade-like hand, he explained softly:
"The reason I choose to continue attempting the Yin-Yang complementary third soul core is, first, because I truly have confidence in it. Second, my situation is different from that of ordinary soul masters. For other twin martial soul masters, the two soul cores they condense naturally correspond to the main attributes of their two martial souls. But my second martial soul is extremely special. Not only are the two bloodline powers in a balanced state, but the Ultimate Lightning and Destruction attributes are also in balance. And the second martial soul maintains yet another special balance with the Golden Pupil.
Therefore, I must cultivate the third soul core of the Ultimate Lightning attribute again within the shortest possible time interval, so that this balance will not be broken."
Wang Qiu'er instantly understood Xu Zihuang's meaning. She didn't say anything more, only replying calmly:
"I'll accompany you."
These simple three words contained an indescribable firmness and persistence.
"Good." Xu Zihuang smiled and nodded.
"However, before that, let's go out first and explain these matters to Elder Wang and the others, and also tell them about us."
Thus, during Xu Zihuang's cultivation period, such an interlude occurred. But it didn't delay too long. After explaining the reason, he took Wang Qiu'er back into the Huanglong Space once more and began a second round of secluded cultivation.
...
One year later.
Star Luo City, northwest, White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
As one of the top nobles in the Star Luo Empire and even on the entire continent, the location of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was naturally chosen with great care. The area surrounding the White Tiger Duke's Mansion was a vast plain, with only a small mountain to the west. This was one of the few hilly areas around the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
A thin black figure shuttled through this small mountain range. A loose black cloak covered his figure, hiding his appearance.
The black figure seemed to be searching for something in the small mountain. After about half a quarter of an hour, he stopped in front of a tall tombstone.
The tombstone was over two meters high and quite wide, built with exquisite granite and decorated with carvings of auspicious beasts.
Looking at the tombstone, the black figure's body began to tremble violently. He quickly took a few steps forward. The brim of his hood fell back, revealing his slightly pale face. He appeared to be only about twenty years old.
His long black hair was messy and unkempt, as if it hadn't been taken care of for a long time. A pair of deep blue eyes was abnormally dull and lifeless, filled with indescribable decadence.
The short and thin young man was none other than Huo Yuhao, who had defected from the Tang Sect more than three years ago.
The inscription on the tombstone clearly appeared before his eyes.
"Tomb of Beloved Wife Huo Yun." The signature read: Dai Hao.
"He came… and even repaired Mom's grave again." A trace of light finally appeared in Huo Yuhao's dull and lifeless eyes as he knelt before his mother's tombstone.
But Dai Hao's act of compensation only further ignited the hatred in his heart.
Tears slid from the corners of his eyes. Bloodshot veins filled Huo Yuhao's pupils, and the intense hatred almost condensed into something tangible. He looked as if he was gnashing his teeth.
"Dai—Hao—"
In the more than three years since defecting from the Tang Sect, to become stronger, he had worked tirelessly, almost without rest, mingling in the dark corners of the continent. Due to his personality, he had been extremely ruthless toward others over the years, and his hands had inevitably been stained with blood.
But he had only been throwing his weight around in front of ordinary people and low-ranking soul masters. Limited by his talent and having used drugs that excessively stimulated his potential, after more than three years, his cultivation was still lingering at the low ranks of a Soul Venerable. He hadn't even reached level thirty-five in soul power.
Huo Yuhao's hands sank deeply into the soil. The hatred in his eyes faded, replaced by a thick look of sorrow.
"Why is this world so unfair? I only wanted to avenge my mother. Why does it have to treat me like this?! Why, no matter how hard I train with everything I have, am I still inferior to those pampered young masters from great families?! Is a person's fate decided from the moment they are born…"
One sentence could perfectly summarize Huo Yuhao's experiences over these years.
That is: After wandering half a lifetime, he returns still a waste.
At the same time, more than a dozen streaks of light shot westward from the direction of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion. This was the effect produced when flight soul tools were activated.
Flying at the very front were Dai Huabin and Dai Luoli. The other ten were White Tiger Guards escorting the two dukes' sons.
After leaving Shrek Academy, Dai Luoli had not managed to reach the northwest frontier of the Star Luo Empire as he wished. Instead, he had been ordered by his mother to remain inside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
After Dai Huabin graduated from Shrek Academy, Dai Luoli had also broken through to a five-ringed Soul King. The two brothers had received permission from the White Tiger Duke Dai Hao to go to the front lines for training, and a squad from the White Tiger Guards had been dispatched to escort them along the way.
Unlike Dai Huabin's expressionless face, the excitement in Dai Luoli's heart was completely evident.
At that moment, Dai Luoli suddenly looked toward a small mountain below and stopped in mid-air with a solemn expression.
Dai Huabin and the other ten White Tiger Guards beside him all frowned slightly as they controlled their flight soul tools to stop, hovering in the air.
Dai Huabin asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong?"
"Second brother, I sensed a faint spiritual fluctuation down there." Thinking of how they were finally heading to the front lines, Dai Luoli was already eager to try. He immediately released his Blood Tiger martial soul and searched for that spiritual fluctuation.
It didn't take long before he locked onto the target. His eyes immediately lit up.
"Found it! There really is someone!"
Huo Yuhao, who was kneeling in front of Huo Yun's grave, suddenly raised his head and looked toward the sky. Relying on the innate ability of his Spirit Eyes martial soul, he instantly saw the faces of Dai Huabin and Dai Luoli clearly. Affected by the deep-seated hatred from back then, he felt so suppressed that his entire body trembled.
With eyes full of resentment, he pulled up his cloak and fled.
But before Huo Yuhao could run far, a cold-looking blond young man swooped down from the sky and kicked him squarely in the chest. Pale-colored soul power surged, accompanied by a low tiger roar.
"Wah—" A mouthful of blood uncontrollably sprayed from Huo Yuhao's mouth as his body heavily slammed into the trunk of a tall tree.
Dai Huabin didn't even look at Huo Yuhao again. He coldly ordered the White Tiger Guards who had just arrived:
"He dared to trespass into the White Tiger Duke's territory. Destroy his martial soul."
"Yes, Young Master!"
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are chapters available on Patreon."
"From Douluo to Godhood by Defy 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo: Far North Invincibledo 30 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Peerless: Living as an Evil Soul Master 40 Advance chapters."
"Douluo Dalu 2:Peerless Tang Sect Dawn of Sun and Moon 40 Advance chapters."
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