Today's capture of the Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire would play a pivotal role in the Douluo Empire's expansion and its eventual conquest of the Star Luo Empire.
"Rongrong! What have you done to Rongrong?" Oscar was frantic. Ever since learning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan's destruction, he had been searching the continent for any trace of Ning Rongrong.
He believed that, given the strength of the Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, even if the Spirit Hall had the power to destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Rongrong would have been unharmed.
But reality often defies expectations.
"Ning Rongrong is detained in the Spirit Hall, Oscar. You're talented—if you abandon the darkness and join the light, leaving the filthy Shrek Academy behind, I can reunite you with Rongrong and ensure you'll stay together forever."
Ye Hao's offer was tempting. To Oscar, who had always loved Ning Rongrong, it sounded too good to be true.
"What you're saying—"
Before Oscar could finish, Dai Mubai stomped hard on his foot. The sharp pain snapped Oscar back to reality.
"Dammit! I almost fell for Ye Hao's trap!" Oscar shook his head, regaining some clarity.
"It really was you who kidnapped Rongrong! What did you do to her?" Oscar shouted in fury. He couldn't bear to imagine what Rongrong must have endured in Ye Hao's hands.
Every time the thought crossed his mind, Oscar clawed at his scalp as if struck by lightning.
"..."
Ye Hao was speechless.
"Enough nonsense!" Ma Hongjun was the first to provoke. His Fire Phoenix soul emerged, and his fifth soul ring gleamed instantly.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Phoenix Meteor Shower!" Ma Hongjun soared into the sky, fiery wings spread wide. With a powerful flap, countless flaming meteors rained down, filling the sky until the very air twisted under the heat.
"Fourth Soul Skill—White Tiger Meteor Shower!"
Dai Mubai didn't hold back either, unleashing countless punches.
War between the Spirit Empire and the Star Luo Empire was inevitable. As the Crown Prince of Star Luo, Dai Mubai understood the Spirit Empire's ambitions all too well.
Facing these two powerful soul skills head-on, Ye Hao remained nonchalant. He shook his head slightly and muttered, "Ignorance breeds audacity. Mere child's play—utterly laughable."
With a mere raise of his right hand, a violet barrier materialized before him.
Every single one of the White Tiger and Phoenix Meteors was completely blocked. The combined assault of two Soul Kings was effortlessly nullified by Ye Hao.
"What?!"
"How is this possible?"
"After five years apart, how has Ye Hao grown this terrifyingly strong?"
The trio gaped in stunned silence.
"This... how?"
Liu Erlong was equally shocked. She had once witnessed Ye Hao's strength firsthand. Years ago, even with Flender by her side, they had been no match for him.
"Ye Hao... how could this be?"
Liu Erlong clenched her fists in frustration. If only her soul hadn't been crippled by him.
Perhaps she could have avenged Flender and Yu Xiaogang with her own hands.
The destruction of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan remained an unhealed wound she could never forget.
"Is this all you've got?"
Ye Hao smirked, glancing around.
"The feng shui here looks decent—perfect for some renovations."
He eyed Liu Erlong. "You've been guarding this place for years. Must've been exhausting. How about I buy this land from you? I'm thinking of developing it into the Spirit Empire Academy. What do you say?"
"Don't even think about it!"
Liu Erlong seethed. The Spirit Hall had killed Yu Xiaogang, and now they wanted to lay hands on Shrek Academy?
The academy was Flender's life's work. Even in his absence, Liu Erlong had sworn to defend it to the death—if only to honor his memory.
"Relax, I'll pay you a generous sum to live out your remaining years in peace."
Ye Hao turned away from Liu Erlong, pointing casually at a spot nearby.
"I've decided—once the Spirit Empire Academy is built, I'll erect a memorial for Yu Xiaogang. The inscription will read: 'Trash Master, Ruiner of Students. There are no useless martial souls, only useless soul masters. The Douluo Continent's Top Scum, Top Delusional Narcissist, Top Fraud of a Teacher—Proud Mentor of the Disgraceful Tang San It's an honor to raise such a despicable disciple...'"
As he rambled on, Liu Erlong's eyes blazed with fury, her entire body trembling with rage.
"Shut up already!"
She roared, flames of anger erupting around her.
"Oh, I'm not done. This memorial will stand at the academy's entrance—a cautionary tale for future students. Let his infamy endure for millennia, staining history forever!"
Ye Hao finished with a grin.
Liu Erlong let out a primal scream, smoke practically rising from her head before she spat blood and collapsed unconscious.
"Pathetic resilience. Yu Xiaogang, of all people—a worthless fraud who loved to flaunt imaginary superiority, a textbook armchair strategist. Liu Erlong, I genuinely pity you." Ye Hao sighed, shaking his head.
Then, he turned back to face Dai Mubai and the others.
"Now, it's your turn."
Ye Hao's voice seemed to carry a hypnotic weight. The trio instinctively retreated, memories of their brutal defeat at Ye Hao's hands during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Elite Tournament flooding back—a lifelong trauma they could never shake.
"Dammit! We have no way out."
Dai Mubai gritted his teeth. This trip from Star Luo was supposed to be foolproof, yet here they were, cornered.
"Boss Dai, what do we do now?"
Ma Hongjun's heart pounded, his face flushed as he looked to Dai Mubai.
"Escape is impossible. This is the Spirit Empire's capital—with Ye Hao here, how could we possibly outrun him?"
Oscar sighed. "Ye Hao, I'll go with you. Just... let Boss Dai and Fatty go."
"Little Ao!"
Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were stunned.
"You're in no position to negotiate." Ye Hao flicked his fingers, giving Oscar a dismissive glance.
"Given that you'll soon be my prisoners, what leverage do you even have?"
Their fate was sealed.
"Fight him!"
"Ye Hao, we're taking you down with us!"
Bristling with desperation, the three prepared for a last stand.
"Fools."
Ye Hao exhaled, then eight soul rings rose beneath his feet—
Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Red, Red, Red!
The eight soul rings pulsed with terrifying energy, freezing Dai Mubai's group mid-charge.
"Th-this..."
"Three... three hundred-thousand-year soul rings!"
"Soul... Soul Douluo?! Impossible!"
They stared, unable to believe that Ye Hao—a Soul King just five years ago—was now a Soul Douluo.
In just five years!
They had trained relentlessly, confident in their talent.
But compared to Ye Hao? A firefly daring to rival the moon.
The sheer ignorance!
"Split up and run!"
They exchanged glances and bolted in separate directions, hoping to scatter Ye Hao's focus.
"Run?"
Ye Hao chuckled coldly.
"Do you really think you can?"
With that, he summoned the Death God's Heart.
Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar felt an inescapable vortex dragging them backward.
"AAAAHHH—!!"
Just like that, Ye Hao retracted the Death God's Heart, sealing them inside.
"With these bargaining chips, the Star Luo Empire will have no choice but to surrender."
Suddenly, Liu Erlong—who had passed out earlier—began to stir.
"W-what happened...?"
She staggered to her feet, her mind foggy.
"Ye Hao?"
"Where are Dai Mubai and the others? What did you do to them?"
Liu Erlong demanded anxiously.
"Dead."
Ye Hao's reply was flat, his gaze indifferent.
"Dead?"
Liu Erlong's face paled, her fists clenching in grief.
"Ye Hao, aren't you afraid of retaliation from Star Luo? Dai Mubai is their Crown Prince! Do you truly want to provoke war?"
Unfazed, Ye Hao glanced at her dismissively.
"Old Lady Liu, your meddling is unwelcome. You're just a cripple now—enjoy your retirement."
"Wait!" Liu Erlong suddenly cried. "Xiao Wu—my daughter Xiao Wu! Is she still in your custody?"
"Xiao Wu? You mean that rabbit?"
Ye Hao patted his stomach. Liu Erlong stiffened.
"You... you... you..."
Trembling, she stared at him as if facing a demon from hell.
"Gotta say, hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit meat is delicious. Maybe I'll bring you some next time."
At those words, Liu Erlong collapsed, hollow-eyed, kneeling on the ground as memories of Xiao Wu flashed before her.
Then—snap—the illusion shattered.
"You... you'll pay for this! Xiao Wu was my daughter! How could you—"
Liu Erlong's chest heaved, her fury beyond words.
"Are you insane?"
Ye Hao rolled his eyes.
"You're human, yet you adopted a beast as your daughter—a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, no less. People might think it's some heartwarming mother-daughter tale, but the truth is... do you have some twisted fetish, Liu Erlong?"
"..."
Silence.
From beginning to end, she had suppressed her rage.
"The Spirit Empire—mark my words, divine retribution will come for you!"
"Boring."
Ye Hao ignored her and walked away.
"If gods truly existed, why would the world be this rotten? Good riddance."
Three Days Later...
Inside the Spirit Hall:
Ye Hao had imprisoned Dai Mubai in the dungeon, guarded by two Soul Sages and one Soul Douluo. The Crown Prince of Star Luo was too valuable a bargaining chip.
As for Ma Hongjun, he was tossed into the same cell—left to his fate.
Meanwhile, on the way to check on Ning Fengzhi's group, Ye Hao strode ahead with Oscar trailing behind.
"Ye Hao, you didn't... do anything to Rongrong, did you?"
Oscar fretted, terrified of what might have happened to her.
"..."
Ye Hao sighed. "Oscar, you have potential. The fall of Shrek Academy speaks for itself."
Yu Xiaogang had brought his fate upon himself. Flender had been killed by Tang San. The once-united Shrek Academy had splintered beyond recognition.
"What's your point?"
Oscar halted, puzzled.
"Nothing much."
Ye Hao shrugged. "Just fulfilling my promise to reunite you with Rongrong. You're a food-type soul master—hardly a threat. Relax, once we're there, you'll understand."
Soon, they arrived at the holding area where Ning Fengzhi and the others were kept.
"Rongrong!"
"O-Oscar?"
Their reunion was a shock. Ning Rongrong covered her mouth, unable to believe she'd see him again.
*Ahem.*
Ye Hao cleared his throat, interrupting the moment.
"You!"
Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo instantly shielded Rongrong. Though they'd been kept comfortable all these years, they remained wary—convinced the Soul Hall's kindness hid darker motives.
Time had aged them visibly, their wrinkles deeper than before.
"Me."
Ye Hao exhaled. "Why do you all look like mice spotting a cat? Am I that terrifying?"
"..."
"Why are you here, Ye Hao?" Ning Fengzhi eyed him cautiously, pulling Rongrong closer.
"Simple. Seeing how lonely you four are, I thought I'd deliver you a son-in-law." He gestured at Oscar.
"Son-in-law?"
Ning Fengzhi scowled.
"I don't need one."
His rejection hit Oscar like a blow.
"Don't need? Tough luck. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is gone—no more formalities. Stop acting like you're still some grand patriarch."
With that, Ye Hao left Oscar behind and walked off without another word.
Silence.
Only after Ye Hao vanished did Ning Fengzhi relax.
"Oscar, how did Ye Hao capture you?"
He questioned.
After the clan's fall, when Ning Fengzhi's family was taken, contact with Oscar had been severed.
Now, his reappearance alongside Ye Hao raised suspicion.
Had Oscar... betrayed them?
"A few days ago was our five-year reunion—promised since the tournament. But then..."