"..."
"And so, Boss Dai, Fatty, and I were all captured by Ye Hao."
Oscar didn't hesitate to recount the entire ordeal of how they were captured.
"What?! Three hundred-thousand-year soul rings?!"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's face paled in shock.
In just a few years, Ye Hao's strength had grown to such a terrifying level.
"That boy is no ordinary fish in a pond."
Ning Fengzhi sighed, his edges worn down after years of imprisonment.
With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan destroyed, his heart had died long ago.
Surviving this catastrophe and being confined was already a mercy compared to the total annihilation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Fengzhi, with the Crown Prince of Star Luo captured, the Spirit Empire will inevitably declare war on Star Luo next. It seems the day the Spirit Empire unifies the continent is not far off."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong guessed correctly. The Spirit Empire was at its peak, and Ye Hao's actions were clearing the path for its dominance.
"Indeed..."
Ning Fengzhi lingered in melancholy before finally shuffling back into the house, his figure desolate.
After his departure, Ning Rongrong sighed. "Father has been like this ever since the clan was destroyed."
As the clan leader, he should have died with his people. Instead, he lived on, drowning in guilt and torment every day.
Ning Fengzhi had considered suicide, but the Spirit Hall wouldn't allow it.
Worse, their every move was monitored. Their words held no privacy. They were destined to rot here until death.
"Rongrong, I'm just so happy you're alive."
After years of searching, Oscar had finally found her—alive and unharmed.
Though her soul was crippled, she was still breathing. To Oscar, who valued her more than life itself, nothing else mattered.
---
Meanwhile, in the Spirit Hall's dungeons...
Dark, damp, and filthy, the floor was littered with scattered straw.
Ma Hongjun was thrown roughly into one of the cells, the stench making him pinch his nose while cursing under his breath.
"Fatty, save your energy."
Dai Mubai sat calmly in the cell across from him. The doors were forged from special steel, strong enough to imprison even formidable soul masters.
"Boss Dai, Ye Hao is too much! Throwing us in this hellhole while Oscar gets to reunite with Ning Rongrong? Unfair!"
"And who should I complain to?"
Dai Mubai sighed. "Quit whining. The fact that Ye Hao captured us instead of killing us outright is already a mercy. The Spirit Empire plans to use me as leverage against Star Luo. Over the years, border conflicts have been frequent. As Crown Prince, I've dealt with many of them."
His status meant that if Star Luo's soldiers learned their Crown Prince had been captured, morale would plummet.
"We can't just sit here! Boss Dai, what if—"
Ma Hongjun shivered, the grime making his skin crawl.
Ahem.
Dai Mubai coughed pointedly. Two Soul Sages and a Soul Douluo were stationed nearby as guards.
"Relax. Star Luo will send help."
Using soul power to transmit his voice, Dai Mubai reassured him.
Ma Hongjun finally settled down.
Before Dai Mubai's trip to the Spirit Empire, Star Luo's royal family had secretly arranged for spies to follow him.
News of his capture had already reached the palace.
---
Half a month later...
Nightfall draped the Spirit Hall in darkness.
Under the cover of night, shadowy figures slipped in silently.
Leading them was a slender woman in black, her veil blending into the night. Behind her, a dozen cloaked operatives moved like ghosts.
"Your Highness, we've infiltrated the Spirit Hall," one whispered.
The woman nodded. "Stay quiet. Don't alert anyone."
No sooner had she spoken than arrows rained from above.
Whoosh— Whoosh— Whoosh—
Half her team fell instantly, bodies riddled with bolts.
"Retreat!" she gasped.
"Retreat? To where?"
Ye Hao's voice cut through the darkness.
Rows of Spirit Hall disciples emerged, wielding upgraded Crossbow Godkillers. The remaining intruders were surrounded, weapons trained on them.
Hovering midair, Ye Hao smirked down at the Star Luo operatives.
"You there—yes, you."
His gaze locked onto the veiled woman. Something about her voice felt familiar.
"Have we met before?"
The team was now trapped, no escape in sight.
Suddenly, a short but burly man lunged, his eight soul rings flaring—two yellow, two purple, four black. A Soul Douluo.
"Ye Hao, DIE!"
The man's fists glowed, a colossal gray bear materializing behind him.
"Vigorous Vajra Bear martial soul?" Ye Hao raised an eyebrow. "So it's you—Zhao Wuji. After Shrek Academy disbanded, you became Star Luo's lapdog?"
Casually, he raised a hand to block the strike.
Crack!
Zhao Wuji recoiled, face twisting in pain.
In just a few years, Ye Hao had surpassed him.
"I'll avenge Flender and the Master!" Zhao Wuji roared, tearing off his disguise.
"You've got the wrong guy."
Ye Hao rolled his eyes. "Yu Xiaogang was killed by Flender, and Flender was killed by Tang San. If you want revenge, go find Tang San. Why me?"
"Don't play dumb!" Zhao Wuji spat. "You destroyed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! If not for you, the Master and Flender would still be alive! You're the root of it all!"
His logic wasn't entirely wrong, but Ye Hao couldn't care less.
"Done talking?" Ye Hao yawned.
Before Zhao Wuji could retort—
Slash!
The Death God's Scythe flashed.
Thud.
Zhao Wuji's head hit the ground before his body did.
"Villains die from monologuing. Didn't anyone teach you that?"
Ye Hao turned to the remaining intruders.
"Capture them. Alive."
At his command, the Spirit Hall disciples attacked.
Chaos erupted—sparks flying, clashing steel—until Ye Hao spotted something.
"A Nether Spirit Cat martial soul?"
His eyes narrowed. The leading woman's movements were unmistakable.
Her?
In a blur, he weaved through the fray, effortlessly subduing the team.
When he reached the woman, she barely had time to react before he seized her.
"Ah!"
Ye Hao tilted her chin up, studying her widened eyes.
"Zhu Zhuqing. Fancy meeting you like this."
He hauled her away, barking orders: "Lock the rest up for interrogation."
---
Spirit Hall, Inner Chambers
"Zhu Zhuqing. Long time no see." Ye Hao dumped her unceremoniously on the floor.
"Five years, and you've only grown stronger. Even Zhao Wuji was no match."
She removed her veil, revealing a face matured beyond its youthful delicacy. Her lithe frame, hugged by the black stealth suit, was undeniably alluring.
"How did you find us?"
Their mission had been airtight—no leaks.
Unless... Star Luo had a traitor?
"This is the Spirit Hall. Did you think you could waltz in?"
Ye Hao chuckled. "The moment I captured Dai Mubai, I sensed spies nearby. The Crown Prince of Star Luo, bold enough to waltz into the Spirit Empire alone? Amusing."
"So you set a trap."
"And you walked right in. Half a month of waiting, and the prize is you." He eyed her with interest.
"They called you 'Crown Princess.' Correct me if I'm wrong, but you and Dai Mubai had an engagement?"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded stiffly. "We did. But why capture him? What's your goal?"
Ye Hao didn't hesitate. "Leverage. If Star Luo surrenders, Dai Mubai lives. If not..."
He mimed a blade across his neck.
"You'd start a war! Countless innocents will suffer!"
"Relax. Once I break through level 100, the war will end swiftly. My word on that."
"Level... 100?"
His confidence was staggering. The way he'd killed Zhao Wuji with a flick of his wrist—his power was beyond comprehension.
"Enough chit-chat. Zhu Zhuqing, trespassing into the Spirit Hall is a capital offense." His tone turned icy.
"You—"
She stepped back, wary.
From the start, Star Luo had miscalculated.
This reckless rescue plan was the royal family's idea. They'd sent her, relying on the Nether Spirit Cat's nocturnal prowess.
With Zhao Wuji's support, they'd assumed success.
But the Spirit Hall wasn't just any enemy.
Even without Ye Hao's intervention, their aura would've alerted the Hall's Titled Douluos.
"So... what now?"
"Given our past as classmates, I'd prefer leniency. But for the Spirit Hall's sake, I can't be merciful."
His gaze left no room for negotiation.
---
Another half-month later...
The same scenario repeated.
Under night's cloak, another team infiltrated—this time led by a woman even more curvaceous than Zhu Zhuqing.
And just like before, they were ambushed.
"Another Nether Spirit Cat? Don't tell me..."
Ye Hao dragged the woman back, yanking off her mask.
"Zhu Zhuyun?"
Star Luo's Crown Princess—Zhu Zhuqing's elder sister.
Her voluptuous figure was impossible to miss.
"Are they serious? Sending sisters in batches?"
He summoned Zhu Zhuqing.
When she saw her sister, even she was speechless.
"Zhu Zhuqing, is Star Luo's royal family allergic to learning? Or do they just love gifting me prisoners?"
Zhu Zhuqing had no answer.
The Nether Spirit Cat martial soul excelled in stealth, but this was beyond foolish.
"Fine. I'll take it as a goodwill present."
With a shrug, Ye Hao pulled both sisters into his arms.