Nearly four years had passed since the end of the previous All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition. The exceptionally talented Dai Huabin had long since become a high-ranking Soul Emperor. Even without using his martial soul, the kick powered by his soul force was something Huo Yuhao could not possibly withstand.
Dai Huabin's kick directly scattered the soul force within Huo Yuhao's body and left him severely injured.
Huo Yuhao stared fixedly at the Dai Huabin before him with bloodshot eyes. Blood kept spilling from his mouth as he made hoarse "he he" sounds. It was not only the immense physical pain he was enduring; more than that, it brought back memories of the deep blood feud from years ago.
Back then, his mother, who had long been worn down by overwork and illness, had been kicked by Dai Huabin and eventually died from it. Now he himself had been crippled in his martial soul by Dai Huabin in the same way.
It was simply the greatest irony.
"Ah—"
Huo Yuhao's face twisted ferociously as he swallowed the blood in his mouth and began struggling madly, roaring in rage like a madman.
He had not yet avenged his mother; how could he be willing to accept this?!
But Huo Yuhao's struggles were completely futile. Before his soul force could regroup, a White Tiger bodyguard stepped forward and struck him a few times.
His meridians were severed inch by inch, and the origin of his Spirit Eyes martial soul was shattered.
From now on, he had completely lost any hope of becoming a powerhouse.
Huo Yuhao's gaze instantly became dazed, unable to accept the cruel reality before him. In the next instant, his consciousness also grew blurry.
Dai Luoli looked at the miserable state of Huo Yuhao. Although he felt some pity, he did not say anything.
The area within several dozen kilometers was all territory of the White Tiger Duke's mansion. Trespassing in the first place was already wrong. Moreover, the intruder Huo Yuhao was a soul master; if viewed in the worst light, executing him on the spot as a spy would draw no criticism from anyone.
The White Tiger bodyguard lifted the unconscious Huo Yuhao, who was now like a dead dog, and asked Dai Huabin for instructions: "Young master, how should this trespasser be dealt with afterward?"
"Throw him out and let him fend for himself." Dai Huabin snorted coldly with disdain. Inside Shrek Academy, there was a genius like Yu Tianhuang who could suppress him, so his personality had become much steadier. But his arrogance, or rather, his contempt for everyone, was deeply engraved in his bones.
He could sense the soul force fluctuations within Huo Yuhao. A mere three-ring Soul Venerable was not even qualified to make him look straight at him.
"Yes!"
The White Tiger bodyguard responded, then grabbed the clothes at Huo Yuhao's chest with his right hand and rose into the air using a flight soul tool.
Disheveled black long hair fell aside, revealing Huo Yuhao's face.
Dai Luoli's gaze slightly narrowed. For some unknown reason, he felt a sense of familiarity, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
While the White Tiger bodyguard was taking Huo Yuhao away, Dai Huabin walked thoughtfully in the direction where Huo Yuhao had been fleeing earlier. Dai Luoli, who had come back to his senses, quickly followed Dai Huabin.
That person could not have intruded into the White Tiger Duke's territory for no reason.
The moment Dai Huabin and Dai Luoli brothers saw Huo Yun's tombstone, their eyes widened instantly.
"Beloved wife Huo Yun's tomb."
Especially the signature in the bottom right corner, Dai Hao was so glaring.
"Is this Father's handwriting?" Dai Luoli subconsciously murmured. But he quickly reacted and couldn't help looking toward Dai Huabin beside him.
Within the White Tiger Duke's mansion, the only one Dai Hao would call "wife" was the Duchess, that is, Dai Huabin's mother.
The expression on Dai Huabin's face was somewhat uncertain. He naturally recognized his father's handwriting as well.
In Dai Huabin's mind, his father's image had always been very majestic. The White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, in his opinion, was the most perfect. Yet the father, whom he viewed as a hero of the Star Luo Empire, had secretly done such a despicable and shameful thing behind his mother's back.
It was normal for someone of Dai Hao's status and position to have multiple women. If it were only that, Dai Huabin would have had no objections. But Dai Hao had deliberately concealed these matters and even called Huo Yun "beloved wife" behind the Duchess's back. It was truly too despicable.
By doing this, what did Dai Hao take the Duchess for?!
What emerged in Dai Luoli's mind was another question.
Since Father loved that woman named Huo Yun so much, why did he have no impression of her at all inside the White Tiger Duke's mansion? Even if she were only a concubine, she should at least have had an open status like his own mother.
By coincidence, the image of Star Luo's number one deeply affectionate man that Dai Hao had cultivated gradually collapsed in the hearts of his two sons.
He claimed to have always been self-disciplined and not close to women—so why would he do something like this?
Fortunately, the White Tiger bodyguards knew their place and had not followed Dai Huabin and Dai Luoli over to see Huo Yun's tombstone. Otherwise, the White Tiger Duke's romantic affairs would probably have been impossible to keep hidden.
"Huo Yun, Huo Yun, Huo Yun…" Dai Luoli frowned and silently recited the name in his heart. Vaguely, he seemed to have some impression of this name, but after searching all his memories, he still couldn't recall where it came from.
It must be my imagination.
During this time, the White Tiger bodyguard who had thrown Huo Yuhao outside the White Tiger Duke's mansion returned.
After their initial surprise, Dai Huabin and Dai Luoli also realized that the person from earlier might have some connection with Huo Yun. They even thought of another possibility.
The two brothers exchanged a glance. Dai Huabin then suddenly turned around and sternly ordered the ten White Tiger bodyguards: "Go bring him back again."
"Yes, young master!" Although the White Tiger bodyguards were somewhat puzzled, since it was the young master's command, they would carry it out.
But by the time they rushed over, Huo Yuhao's figure was already nowhere to be seen. Not far from the White Tiger Duke's mansion was the Star Luo Empire's capital, Star Luo City. Once he entered the bustling Star Luo City, finding him in a short time would be completely unrealistic.
Thinking that they still needed to hurry to the northwest border frontline to report back, Dai Huabin could only let it go. He led Dai Luoli and the White Tiger bodyguards to continue their journey.
The Sun Moon Empire had been quiet for more than a year and was most likely unable to hold back any longer. Reliable intelligence from the Star Luo Empire's agents indicated that the Sun Moon Empire seemed to have begun making moves recently.
However, Dai Huabin had his own selfish motives. Even if the person whose martial soul he had just crippled was his father's bloodline, he was nothing more than a lowly illegitimate son. What did that person's life or death have to do with him?
...
Sun Moon Empire Imperial Palace.
Juzi, dressed in a long crimson palace gown, was hugging Xu Xiyan while sitting by the bed.
Just as she had predicted back then, Xu Tianran, whose physical condition worsened day by day, had indeed prepared to send her to the frontline again after more than a year of silence.
Long lashes glistening with moisture framed Juzi's beautiful eyes, which were filled with reluctance and worry.
The reluctance was for Xu Xiyan, while the worry was for Xu Zihuang. Xu Zihuang's time in seclusion had far exceeded the original expectations.
The one-year-old-plus Xu Xiyan had perfectly inherited the advantages of Xu Zihuang and Juzi. Leaning against Juzi's chest, his pair of large, black, spirited eyes looked at his mother with puzzlement. He tried stretching out his chubby little hand to wipe away the crystal tears at the corners of Juzi's eyes.
"Mommy…"
Hearing Xu Xiyan's call, Juzi instantly froze. Her eyes reddened slightly as she hugged Xu Xiyan even tighter.
"Baby, don't worry. Daddy and Mommy will never let you suffer the slightest grievance in the future."
Of course, the "Daddy" she spoke of here naturally could not be Xu Tianran, but Xu Zihuang, Xu Xiyan's real father.
In the study, quite a long distance from Juzi's bedchamber, Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, expressionless, listening to a report from a man in black.
Although he had no feelings for this crown prince, who was not his biological son, the existence of this crown prince was extremely important for his rule over the Sun Moon Empire. It was the cornerstone of the empire's stability. Because the crown prince represented that the empire had a successor.
Otherwise, he would not have gone to such lengths back then, even sacrificing the last shred of dignity he had as a man, to let Juzi give birth to the crown prince.
After a moment of silence, Xu Tianran couldn't help but sigh with melancholy. His heart was somewhat moved by Juzi's final words.
"Juzi, over all these years, only you have given to me without seeking anything in return. As long as you do not betray me, the vast empire in the future will naturally be handed over to the crown prince. This can be considered my compensation to you."
But what he did not know was that everything he did was merely preparing a wedding dress for his own blood-related imperial younger brother. Only when the truth was revealed would it be true cruelty toward him.
Xu Tianran took a deep breath and raised his right hand slightly.
"Pass down the order: let Her Majesty the Empress delay her departure for the campaign by a few days."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The man in black respectfully responded, then his figure silently disappeared from the spot.
Inside the spacious and luxurious study, only Xu Tianran remained. He stood up just like that, his gaze icy as he looked toward the pitch-black night sky outside the window.
"Heaven Dou Empire, humph! For now, we will leave you with your final breathing room. Once the empire first pacifies Star Luo, the next one will be you."
This was the Sun Moon Empire's main strategic line this time. Although the Heaven Dou Empire's national strength had declined, it still had several Limit Douluo guarding it. Limit Douluo-level powerhouses were still too much for him to ignore. In comparison, the Star Luo Empire was much weaker in terms of top-tier powerhouses.
And with the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool technology, it was enough to crush the Star Luo Empire in all aspects. Once the Sun Moon Empire occupied the originally strongest Star Luo Empire on the Douluo Continent, swallowing the remaining Heaven Dou Empire and Dou Ling Empire would only be a matter of time.
At the same time, on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The originally stable space suddenly split open with a pitch-black, deep fissure, through which a vast starry sky could vaguely be seen. Two figures immediately stepped out of the spatial fissure into the void.
The two figures were one male and one female, both appearing to be only about twenty years old.
The man wore a purple-gold long robe, with a head of black long hair fluttering behind him. His cold and handsome features were flawless. His deep purple eyes were extremely majestic and carried an otherworldly aura. Around his body, it seemed as though brilliant halos were flowing. The colors of the halos shifted gradually from brilliant gold to deep purple to pitch black. With every flicker, his aura would undergo an obvious change.
The woman beside him had an exquisitely beautiful face that was even more radiant, as if it made heaven and earth lose their color. Her powder-blue, wavy, long hair hung down from behind all the way to her feet. Although her expression was slightly indifferent, her pair of similarly powder-blue eyes was brimming with joy and sweetness.
The two were precisely Xu Zihuang and Wang Qiu'er, who had finished their seclusion and returned to the continent.
Those returning to the continent this time were not only they, but also Yao Yang and the entire former Imperial Dragon Soul Mentor Corps. However, Yao Yang, Wang Xiao, and the others were currently inside Xu Zihuang's Huanglong space.
"Once I settle everything, I will come into the Star Dou Great Forest to pick you up." Xu Zihuang intimately stroked Wang Qiu'er's cheek.
What he needed to do next was too dangerous. He did not want Wang Qiu'er to take the risk with him. And to prevent Wang Qiu'er from falling into Tang San's schemes, having her return to the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest to receive Di Tian's protection should be the safest. Moreover, deep underground in the Star Dou Great Forest, that one was still sleeping.
"Mm."
Wang Qiu'er gently nodded. Only by personally experiencing the marvel of Xu Zihuang's yin-yang complementary triple soul cores would one have some understanding of his power.
With Xu Zihuang's current strength, he was only stronger than that Evil Eye Tyrant Monarch, not weaker. Moreover, Xu Zihuang's abilities completely countered the Evil Eye Tyrant Monarch in all aspects.
Wang Qiu'er did not doubt in the slightest that Xu Zihuang could defeat the Evil Eye Tyrant Monarch on this trip.
Xu Zihuang smiled faintly. With a wave of his right hand, another extremely stable silver spatial gate appeared before Wang Qiu'er. This spatial gate led directly to the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
He was confident he could do this without alerting the Beast God Di Tian.
Wang Qiu'er pursed her red lips and walked in. Before the spatial gate closed, she did not forget to turn around and exchange a look with Xu Zihuang.
Once the spatial gate fully closed, the smile on Xu Zihuang's face suddenly vanished. With a sweep of his hands, he disappeared into the void.
When his figure reappeared, he had already crossed over half the continent and was now above the core area of the Evil Demon Forest.
Xu Zihuang smiled indifferently. His calm voice then spread throughout the entire Evil Demon Forest.
"Evil Emperor, I'll give you a chance to willingly become my soul ring and soul bone."
Before Xu Zihuang's words even faded, the entire space above the Evil Demon Forest seemed to shake violently. A terrifying spiritual power like an abyss descended from the sky.
A low, majestic, and icy voice echoed in the air.
"Who is it? Who dares disturb this sovereign's slumber?" The low voice boomed, and the sky actually began to twist, finally turning completely dark.
Pitch-black, ink-like dark clouds slowly parted to both sides. The sky seemed to be split into two halves. A huge, eerie silver pupil appeared just like that in midair. The gaze pointed exactly at Xu Zihuang's position.
The silver pupil was filled with icy colors. The diameter of this pupil exceeded three hundred meters. Around the terrifying giant eye were a full eighty-one tentacles, each over five hundred meters long, waving in the air.
Behind its massive body was a completely dark-red ocean; this was the projection of its sea of spirit. To be able to achieve this level showed just how profound its control over spiritual power was.
"It has been unknown how many years since a human soul master last dared to violate this sovereign's dignity. Arrogant human, I wonder whether you are ignorant or fearless."
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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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