Shen Hanyu extended his perception as covertly as possible, spreading it outward from the city. Sure enough, he located a concealed aura outside the city.
"The recent movements in Elemental City have been quite significant. The head of the Upper Three Sects, the Haotian Sect, is a bunch of turtles hiding their heads. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has already begun to decline; they can't even produce a single Titled Douluo to show themselves. This Titled Douluo is either a wild one or from Spirit Hall."
Shen Hanyu said softly.
"Then should we just kill him directly?"
Snow Emperor said indifferently. As her white hair danced, Shen Hanyu could still feel the terrifying might of the Extreme North's Imperial Sovereign.
Shen Hanyu shook his head, took Snow Emperor's hand, and she complied very obediently without resisting.
"Let's go take a look. We're free anyway while in the city."
Shen Hanyu felt the icy coolness in his hand and unconsciously gripped it a little tighter.
Snow Emperor nodded lightly and did not refuse.
...
Outside the city, in the dense forest.
There stood a glamorous-looking middle-aged man, dressed in a bright red ceremonial robe covered with golden patterns. His voice sounded somewhat strange, somewhat androgynous. Upon closer inspection, he had an air of nobility that could only be cultivated from a long-term high position.
Several others were dressed entirely in black, their faces even covered with black cloth. They were currently listening attentively as the glamorous man gave them instructions.
After a simple arrangement, one of the black-clothed men hesitated before speaking:
"Elder Ju, we've heard that the dean of Tianshui Academy is also a Titled Douluo and even possesses a 100,000-year soul ring. If we encounter her, what should we do?"
The man addressed as Elder Ju slowly raised his head, revealing the Adam's apple on his neck. This confirmed that he was indeed a man.
"No problem. If you encounter her, just run directly. Remember, your goal is that unknown Titled Douluo and the information on those deeply hidden geniuses from Tianshui Academy. Besides that, there's also… Tang Hao! Remember! Do not startle the snake. For everything else, I will have your backs. You can proceed with peace of mind."
Chrysanthemum Douluo said coldly. As his words fell, the black-clothed men quickly withdrew, leaving only Chrysanthemum Douluo alone in the area.
Currently, the continent's situation is tense. Small frictions between the two great empires occurred daily. Spirit Hall's ambitions were growing ever larger, and the forces under Bibi Dong's control were increasing. The entire continent was filled with an atmosphere of impending crisis; any slight disturbance could ignite the whole mainland.
But precisely in this troubled time, Elemental City had simultaneously produced two Titled Douluos with 100,000-year soul rings. Even in Spirit Hall, those with 100,000-year soul rings were few and far between, let alone two Titled Douluos. The implications behind them were extremely complex. Shui Ningbing was still somewhat traceable on the continent, but the other one had no information at all so far; only that this one was closely connected to Tianshui Academy.
Even stranger was that the Haotian Douluo, who had disappeared for several years, had suddenly reappeared. Spirit Hall had dispatched a large number of people to assassinate him. According to intelligence, Tang Hao had also come to the north, though his exact whereabouts were unknown.
At the same time, Spirit Hall's intelligence personnel had discovered during Shen Hanyu's previous battle with Sword Douluo that Shui Bing'er and the others possessed astonishing cultivation despite their young age. They were shocked and hurriedly reported upward.
Summing up all these factors, Chrysanthemum Douluo, this thankless first lackey under Bibi Dong, had been sent out to investigate.
In the end, Spirit Hall only had these two Titled Douluos that she could mobilize. The rest were under the control of the Worship Hall and looked down on Bibi Dong.
In addition, there was one more reason: the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince would arrive in Elemental City tonight without accident. Everyone knew his purpose—after all, the Heaven Dou Empire currently had no Titled Douluo truly belonging to them. The imperial family, aside from the army, had almost no noteworthy powerhouses.
...
Just as Chrysanthemum Douluo was about to leave, a terrifying aura suddenly appeared and vanished without a trace in an extremely short time.
The terrifying aura left Chrysanthemum Douluo momentarily horrified, his hair standing on end. He quickly scanned his surroundings but found nothing.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was drenched in cold sweat.
"Who!? Who is it!? Who exactly!?"
A brilliant golden chrysanthemum appeared. Countless petals floated down like sharp blades. His nine optimally configured soul rings slowly rose, golden soul power flowing. Yet after a long while, aside from the gentle breeze, there was no movement at all.
Looking at the deep and terrifying dense forest, Chrysanthemum Douluo swallowed hard and swiftly took off, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Only after Chrysanthemum Douluo had completely vanished from the area did Shen Hanyu finally emerge slowly with Snow Emperor.
Earlier, he had merely let Snow Emperor release a trace of her aura, which had directly scared Chrysanthemum Douluo into fleeing. Thinking back now, it was truly somewhat amusing.
A trace of disdain also appeared in Snow Emperor's eyes as she said:
"He seems very cowardly."
Shen Hanyu smiled and said:
"His name is Yue Guan, titled Chrysanthemum. His martial soul is a rare immortal herb and also a top-tier plant-system martial soul. Ninety-fifth-rank Titled Douluo, affiliated with Spirit Hall. However, while his martial soul granted him exceptional talent, it also made him somewhat androgynous."
Snow Emperor nodded and looked at Shen Hanyu, asking:
"Now that we know their purpose, what do you plan to do?"
Shen Hanyu shrugged casually and said:
"Spirit Hall's nose is sharper than a dog's. As long as there's the slightest clue, their hands and feet are more numerous and troublesome than an octopus's. Moreover, we don't need to hide much anymore. Go back and tell the girls to play boldly and freely. Then the two of us can just sit back and watch the show."
Snow Emperor nodded. In many aspects of the human world, she didn't have much opinion and generally followed Shen Hanyu's arrangements.
Shen Hanyu looked at the somewhat dazed Snow Emperor and couldn't help reaching out to pinch that smooth cheek he had long coveted.
The soft sensation made Shen Hanyu involuntarily a little intoxicated. Snow Emperor stared at Shen Hanyu's hand on her face while feeling a strange sensation surge in her heart. The temperature of her cheeks instantly rose a level, becoming breathtakingly beautiful for a moment.
Shen Hanyu was momentarily stunned, then quickly came back to his senses and said softly:
"Still angry?"
Snow Emperor looked at Shen Hanyu's hand still pinching her cheek and lightly rolled her eyes, saying:
"Not angry anymore. Can you let go now?"
Shen Hanyu reluctantly released his hand, somewhat unwilling to part with that unprecedented feeling.
Snow Emperor didn't dare meet Shen Hanyu's eyes and shifted her gaze aside. One hand slowly extended, and finally, steeling herself, she took Shen Hanyu's hand and quickly said:
"Alright, let's go back…"
A smile appeared at the corner of Shen Hanyu's mouth; his mood was excellent.
Snow Emperor… was becoming cuter and cuter.
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