Huo Yuhao did not linger in Star Luo.
The next day, he and Snow Lady set off for the Sun Moon Empire.
As for staying behind to “scheme from within the tent and decide victory from a thousand miles away”—to toy with the Dai family?
That would only result in him falling into Tang San’s hands ahead of schedule and becoming his plaything.
Though his actions had slightly altered the original pattern of the Douluo Continent that the Tang family had set, they were still within the bounds of what could be justified under the title “favored child of the plane.”
All that would change next was merely that the continent-wide advanced soul master academy tournament would be held in a different location.
As for the fact that his return route happened to pass through the Mingdou Mountain Range?
That was simply because Snow Lady, having taken human form, would have her aura sensed by high-level soul beasts if she passed through the Star Dou Forest, and if she passed through the former Heaven Dou Empire’s territory—with its many soul master sects and academies—she might attract the attention of evil soul masters.
Hence, he avoided both routes.
But in truth, Huo Yuhao was worried that Dai Luoli, in Dai Hao’s military camp, might meet with foul play before the Xu family’s rescue arrived, which was why he “happened to pass by.”
He did not wish the aunt who had cared so much for his mother and him during his childhood to suffer the loss of her son.
As a Divine King who had lived two lifetimes, he traveled leisurely toward the Mingdou Mountain Range.
Over these days, he soon sensed a powerful devouring-attribute aura.
The leader of the group’s aura was above Rank 95—a Super Douluo!
That aura immediately confirmed his identity: Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng!
The Star Luo Empire’s Western Army Group was not highly disciplined—their military order was lax.
Not far from the Star Luo army camp, numerous establishments like Drunken Dream Pavilion provided beauties for the officers.
In such an army, making a person die “accidentally” was child’s play for Zhang Peng.
“No wonder Dean Yan Shaozhe told me in my previous life that Zhang Peng was an evil soul master.
I always wondered why someone who only cultivated by drinking animal blood was defined as evil in human society.
When a black glove has been stained with too much blood, it’s only natural for the master to distance himself from the glove.”
From awakening his martial soul to becoming a Super Douluo, Zhang Peng’s demand for soul beast blood was clearly more than he—not being from a noble or wealthy family—could satisfy on his own.
Over the years, he had been employed by various parties, including but not limited to the Holy Spirit Church, and had slain many high-value targets for his patrons.
The vast wealth he gained was how he could afford so much blood.
That day was no exception for Zhang Peng: just crushing a discarded bastard.
That day, Dai Luoli, who had grown up following his father in the military from a young age, had no idea what was about to happen.
He merely saw a black-clad man appear before him—and then a purple-black light shot toward him.
If nothing intervened, the young Dai Luoli would lose his life that day.
But at that moment, a star suddenly descended from the sky, shattering the purple-black pillar of light hurtling toward Dai Luoli.
“Zhang Peng, what is the meaning of you running wild in our nation’s strategic stronghold?” The one who had intervened was Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Punishment Douluo who had been recruited by the Xu family.
After taking a deep breath, he asked this question.
Zhang Peng was not about to explain anything to Huang Jinxu.
The two immediately engaged in battle.
In the distance, Huo Yuhao, sensing the soul power fluctuations from the clash, maintained a calm expression as he continued walking toward the Sun Moon Empire.
Upon sensing Huang Jinxu’s appearance, he finally relaxed.
“The Xu family acted quickly.
In that case, Dai Luoli should be safe!” Huo Yuhao sighed softly inwardly.
He knew that the first grand drama was about to begin.
Upon returning to the Mingyue Hotel, Huo Yuhao noticed that Ye Guyi, who was working as a waitress, wore a worried expression.
What surprised him was that this girl was simultaneously training as a soul master and a soul engineer, while also working to support her studies, yet she had already reached the three-ring Soul Elder level at such a young age.
Her soul power showed no signs of instability, clearly indicating that she had taken no shortcuts in her cultivation—she had progressed steadily and solidly.
“Miss Ye, I haven’t seen you for over a month, and your cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds!” Huo Yuhao greeted her.
“Yuhao, you’re not bad yourself!
I can sense that your soul power fluctuations have become much more solid.” She cast a glance at him, then looked at Snow Lady beside Huo Yuhao and asked softly, “Who is she?”
“She’s an old companion of mine,” Huo Yuhao said with a light laugh.
Snow Lady eyed Ye Guyi warily and added, “Back in our sect, I was his neighbor.
He came here to study soul tools, and I was worried, so I came along with him.”
Watching Snow Lady with her hands in her pockets, solemnly spinning some fabrication about a “Spirit Eye Sect” in front of Ye Guyi, Huo Yuhao looked at her as if he had discovered a new continent.
After he gave Snow Lady a look that said “she can be trusted,” her wariness finally subsided.
“I see.
You two have also suffered from the scourge of evil soul masters…” Ye Guyi murmured to herself.
“Miss Ye, you look unwell.
Has something happened recently?” Huo Yuhao asked.
Hearing Huo Yuhao’s question, Ye Guyi seemed to jolt as if struck by lightning.
She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.
Ever since the Star Crown martial soul Xu clan had taken the throne as emperors of Star Luo, the Angel family’s stronghold had been in the south of the Douluo Continent, in Star Luo.
After all, even back in the Spirit Hall era, the Xu family had been close to the Angel family.
But not long ago, Scorpion Tiger Douluo had gone to the Star Luo Empire’s Western Army Group camp to carry out an assassination—and had been captured.
This had exposed the masterminds behind the hiring: the Evil Eye White Tiger Dai family and the Zhu family, instantly plunging the Star Luo situation into chaos.
The news that the White Tiger Duke—who had famously passed by his home three times without entering while guarding the border—had disgraced the nation through military defeat, with 70,000 soldiers dying in a single day and another 210,000 captured, injured, or missing, had been exposed.
As had the revelation that this upstanding White Tiger Duke had an illegitimate son, Dai Luoli.
Even more explosive was the fact that the target of Zhang Peng’s assassination had been precisely that illegitimate son, Dai Luoli.
What could the Xu family do to the two divine-descended families, the Dai and Zhu, with this?
Naturally, they could play the ostrich and pretend nothing had happened.
But the Dai and Zhu families could not let this awkward situation continue.
They immediately launched a military coup, attempting to reclaim the throne ahead of schedule and then suppress the matter through a purge.
After all, at this time, the Dai family had numerous heirs while the Xu family was in decline.
The Xu family naturally dared not directly suppress the rebellion launched by the Dai family.
Emperor Xu Jiawei chose compromise.
Because he was Dai Hao’s “sworn brother,” and acting on the principle that “brothers are like limbs,” the Xu family even agreed to the Dai family’s autonomy in western Star Luo.
Of course, the Xu family simultaneously gathered all their forces to guard themselves, preventing the Dai army—which had been pillaging and burning along its entire path of rebellion—from going on a rampage.
Thus, the two sides were now locked in a standoff.
The Star Luo Empire had split into the Western Star Luo Empire controlled by the Dai family and the Eastern Star Luo Empire controlled by the Xu family.
“So, Miss Ye, you’re worried that your clan might come to harm in this chaos?”
Listening to Ye Guyi’s account, Huo Yuhao immediately understood what she was worried about.
After all, once the taboo topic of “restoring the evil Spirit Hall” was brought up on the Douluo Continent, the first to be targeted would surely be her family.
“To characterize the Xu family’s imperial throne as Qian Renxue’s Snow-Qinghe identity, the Dai family would have to deny the abdication edict of that year,” Huo Yuhao thought.
“And to argue that the Star Luo Empire was originally the Dai family’s property—that without the Dai family’s army, Star Luo would have ceased to exist long ago—to justify this military rebellion, then the Spirit Hall would actually have a say, because without the Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire would have been destroyed by Star Luo long ago.”
At this thought, seeing Ye Guyi nod gloomily, Huo Yuhao smiled and said, “Miss Ye, don’t rush—because rushing won’t help.
What should be worrying right now is Shrek Academy, the actual power center of the Douluo Continent.”
“How to define these two Star Luo Empires—that is the headache that Shrek Academy has to deal with.”