"That brat knows how to run! He actually ran all the way from Longxing City to Gengxin City, making us waste so much time!"
The thin Second Elder looked at the intelligence report in his hand and said angrily.
"Second brother, don't be angry. At least we know where that kid is. This time he won't be able to escape."
Beside him, the slightly plump Third Elder chuckled and offered words of comfort.
The Second Elder snorted coldly, turned his head, and said sternly to the Fifth Elder:
"Fifth Brother, I know you pity that wretched child, but this kid is too much of a threat to the Empire. Once he returns to the Spirit Hall, the consequences will be unimaginable. This time, don't hold back."
The Fifth Elder's lips moved as if he wanted to explain, but in the end, he could only sigh helplessly.
Back then, he personally awakened Dai Yao's martial soul. As soon as the Sacred White Tiger martial soul appeared, he foresaw that this frail child would surely lead the Star Luo Royal Family to a new peak in the future.
However, due to family rules, he had no choice but to watch helplessly as this child joined the brutal struggle for the throne. In truth, in his heart, this child was already dead.
No matter how amazing his talent is, it cannot make up for the nearly nine-year age gap with Davis.
On one hand, there was Dai Yao's talent; on the other, there were his family's rules. After weighing the options for a moment, he ultimately chose the family's rules. After all, their Star Luo Empire had been powerful for tens of thousands of years precisely because of these cruel rules. Only a life-or-death struggle could determine the greatest emperor.
However, Dai Yao's performance exceeded his expectations. He defeated the Third Prince Dai Mubai and the Second Prince Dai Yaming in succession. Clearly, this boy has the potential to defeat the First Prince Dai Weisi.
Just as he was about to offer some help to the child, a piece of news struck him like a bolt from the blue, shattering his hopes.
This kid actually betrayed the Star Luo Empire and joined the Spirit Hall!
At first, he was furious and wanted to stop Dai Yao and bring him back, thinking that after punishing him, he would still give Dai Yao a chance if Dai Yao showed a good attitude in admitting his mistake. But in front of Wuguan, Dai Yao's attitude of preferring death to submission softened his heart.
It wasn't until later, when Dai Yao shone brightly in the Soul Master Competition, that he heard some news about Dai Yao.
Over the years, he has been reflecting on whether he made a mistake, whether his family made a mistake, and whether Dai Yao would not have left if he had given Dai Yao more care back then.
The elders wouldn't harbor deep resentment towards Dai Yao; instead, they would cherish him as a valuable asset, viewing him as a future leader in the Star Luo Empire's soul master world...
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life...
Dai Yao has now become a huge threat to the Star Luo Empire and must be eliminated as soon as possible. As a member of the family, he could only bury his complicated feelings and join the operation to deal with Dai Yao.
The Fourth Elder, who stood calmly to the side as if nothing was amiss, glanced coldly at the other elders around him before closing his eyes to rest.
There were six other men and women of varying ages around them, some standing and some sitting on the ground, in different postures. However, their expressions did not show the anxiety of the Soul Douluos in the Elder Council, but rather a certain indifferent calmness, somewhat similar to that of the Fourth Elder.
The six individuals possessed extremely powerful auras, with one of them even rivaling the Second Elder's aura.
These six individuals are all Soul Douluo-level powerhouses from the Star Luo Empire. Together with the four Soul Douluos from the Elder Council, the Star Luo Dai family dispatched ten Soul Douluo-level powerhouses to hunt down Dai Yao, demonstrating the importance they place on him.
The six exchanged glances, all somewhat mocking. The royal family of the Star Luo Empire had actually forced their own genius out of the country, and now they were so afraid that they sent ten Soul Douluos to try to eliminate him. It was truly laughable.
If their family had produced a genius comparable to Dai Yao, they would have immediately poured all their family's most precious resources into him. How could things have turned out like this?
"Alright, let's hurry up and set off, lest that wretched creature escape again!"
The Second Elder said in a sinister tone.
Everyone nodded, tidied up, and dozens of streaks of light shot into the sky, rapidly heading towards the southern sky.
······
Gengxin City.
Looking at the pile of precious ores before him, Lou Gao was speechless with excitement. Among these ores were rare materials for crafting the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles and Buddha's Wrath Tang Lotus, which were outlined in the blueprints for those hidden weapons. After a long while, he finally exclaimed with emotion:
"Thank you, Sect Master, and... Sect Master's wife?"
He looked at Ning Rongrong and said somewhat uncertainly.
After all, these three women were quite close to Dai Yao, and he really couldn't figure out their relationship with him. Moreover, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was, after all, the second-largest sect in the world, and he felt that Ning Rongrong should be the sect leader's wife.
Hearing such a formal address, Ning Rongrong, though she liked Dai Yao, hadn't married him yet! A blush immediately appeared on her face, and she shyly lowered her head as she looked at Dai Yao's back.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's reaction, Dai Yao smiled, turned to Lou Gao, and said seriously:
"Senior Lou Gao, please consider these as a gift for joining the sect. But I hope that you will not sacrifice your life for the creation of a hidden weapon out of momentary excitement. Your life is far more precious than a hidden weapon."
In the original novel, Lou Gao poured his life into the furnace to forge the peerless hidden weapon, the Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles. Therefore, Dai Yao had already given Lou Gao a heads-up to prevent him from doing the same thing again.
After all, Dai Yao had high hopes for Lou Gao. A genius who was laying the foundation for future offensive soul tools could not be wasted on creating a hidden weapon.
Lou Gao was taken aback. Although he didn't understand why Dai Yao said that, would forging hidden weapons really cost him his life? However, he also understood Dai Yao's concern for him, and his heart warmed. He felt even more respect for Dai Yao, the nominal sect leader.
They were even more convinced of Dai Yao's previous statement about creating a path for the Soul Guidance System.
He laughed and said, "Put it down, Sect Master. I'm reluctant to die so early. I still want to see the brilliant future of soul tools that you described."
After speaking, he turned to Si Long, who was standing to the side, and instructed him:
"Alright, Silong, I'll head to the Heaven Dou Empire now. I'll leave the Blacksmith Association to you. Try to transfer all the sect's important data to the Heaven Dou Empire within a year."
Silong nodded helplessly.
He also wanted to go to the Heavenly Dou Empire to learn those hidden weapons from Lou Gao, but after Lou Gao left, someone with enough prestige needed to stay behind at the Blacksmith Association. Among all of Lou Gao's disciples, only he had such prestige.
"Sect Master, get in the car."
Lou Gao took out the pile of hidden weapon blueprints, dragged his obese body onto the carriage, and prepared to spend the time on his journey to the Heavenly Dou Empire studying the concepts of hidden weapons.
Dai Yao nodded and helped Dugu Yan and the other two women into another carriage. Just as he was about to board the carriage at Lou Gao's place, a powerful aura, undisguised and unrestrained, suddenly appeared from the horizon, getting closer and closer to Gengxin City.
Dugu Yan and Feng Wutong woke up at the same time, leaned out of the window, and frowned.
"What's wrong?"
Ning Rongrong noticed the two women's unusual behavior and asked in confusion.
Dugu Yan's face remained expressionless as she coldly said, "Trouble is brewing. Several Soul Douluos are rushing here. If I'm not mistaken, these guys are after us!"
Ning Rongrong's expression changed, and she and the two women quickly got off the carriage and came to Dai Yao's side.
Lou Gao finally looked up from the hidden weapon blueprints, sensing the approaching aura of Contra. He squeezed his large face out of the window and exclaimed in surprise:
"What's going on? Ten Soul Masters have shown up! When did Soul Masters become so common?"
In just a few breaths, the aura that was originally far away suddenly appeared above Gengxin City.
First to arrive was a Soul Douluo of the agility-based attack type, followed by one after another. They hovered above the four corners of the city, firmly locking down the city's entrances and exits.
Eight spirit rings flashed on their bodies, yellow, purple and black, filling the sky. Although the spirit ring configurations of some of them were not optimal, the terrifying aura gathered together was enough to suppress the ordinary people and low-level spirit masters of Gengxin City so much that they could not raise their heads.
Amidst the horrified gazes of many, the gaunt Second Elder coldly looked down at Gengxin City, raised the White Tiger Token in his hand, and said in a chilling voice:
"I am the Second Elder of the Xingluo Dai Family. Be under the jurisdiction of Xingluo. Immediately seal off Gengxin City and do not allow anyone to leave."
The city guards were initially puzzled, but upon seeing the White Tiger Token in the Second Elder's hand, they quickly carried out the order to seal off the city.
Seeing the city walls slowly being sealed off, the Second Elder nodded in satisfaction and shouted:
"You wretched creature, why aren't you coming out?"
Although Dai Yao did not know who the old man was, when he saw the Fifth Elder beside him, he knew that this man was the important figure in the legendary council of elders.
"Ten Soul Douluos, they really think highly of me."
He smiled and murmured.
Gazing at the ten Soul Douluos suspended in the sky, Dai Yao felt an indescribable emotion welling up from the depths of his heart. His body seemed to heat up, and he trembled slightly all over.
Back then, he exhausted all his strength and racked his brains to escape the Star Luo Empire with the help of the Spirit Hall, narrowly escaping death from the Fifth Elder. Now, these guys want to use the same trick again to keep him in the Star Luo Empire.
He no longer cared who had leaked his whereabouts. At this moment, although he really wanted to let these guys taste the flames of revenge he had suppressed for decades, he knew even more clearly that this was not the time to be reckless.
Suddenly, he felt his hands being grasped from the left and right.
"Yao, you are not alone now, you have us."
Dugu Yan smiled gently.
"Me too!"
Ning Rongrong blurted out, afraid that Dai Yao would be a second too slow to understand her feelings.
Dai Yao looked left and right, then burst out laughing:
"Alright, there are only ten Soul Douluos. They can't do anything to me. The important thing is you guys. I'll distract them in a bit, and then you can escape in the chaos. If something happens to you, I'll be in real trouble."
Dugu Yan asked suspiciously:
"You're not thinking of sacrificing yourself so we can escape, are you? If you really do that, I'll never forgive you for the rest of my life!"
Thinking of Dai Yao's incredible 100,000-year spirit ring and his achievements in the Spirit Hall, Ning Rongrong, in a moment of desperation, had to make a choice. Gritting her teeth, she stared intently at Dai Yao and said:
"Alright, we'll go first. You mustn't lie to us."
"Um."
Dai Yao nodded, then turned to Lou Gao and said:
"Senior Lou Gao, I entrust these three girls to your care. I think I cannot leave with you."
Lou Gao was initially puzzled by Dai Yao's words, but suddenly, his eyes widened and he said:
"These guys aren't looking for you, are they?"
"That's right, these guys are from the Star Luo royal family. I'm a notorious traitor to the Star Luo Empire, but I never expected them to send so many powerful people to capture me."
Dai Yao explained.
"No, you're just a Soul Emperor. Staying here would be suicide. I'm a Soul Douluo, though I'm not very good at fighting, I can still stall for time."
Lou Gao hurriedly said. Now that he had accepted Dai Yao, he would never stand idly by and watch Dai Yao die.
A warm feeling rose in Dai Yao's heart, and he smiled:
"Don't worry, Senior Lou Gao. If these people can capture me, what right do I have to be the leader of a sect? I want to see the Qinglian Sect grow stronger and see you create a new path for Soul Masters. I won't die so easily."
Lou Gao said suspiciously, "Kid, don't be reckless. You only have one life."
Dai Yao calmly said, "I don't make empty promises."
Lou Gao sized up Dai Yao for a while before finally making up his mind. He turned to the three women and shouted:
"Let's go, little ones! If we linger any longer, we won't be able to leave."
The three women stared blankly at Dai Yao. Suddenly, Feng Wutong rushed to Dai Yao's side and, to Dai Yao's surprise, kissed him fiercely.
For Feng Wutong, today was the most humiliating day of her life. She wanted to be Dai Yao's most reliable partner, but now she didn't even have the right to stand by his side.
After they parted, she still stared intently at Dai Yao, and said unwillingly:
"Young master, next time, I will definitely be qualified to stand by your side."
Dai Yao gently stroked Feng Wutong's hair and softly comforted her, "I believe in you."
"How can you do this? I want some too!"
Dugu Yan feigned jealousy, wrapped her arms around Dai Yao's neck, and kissed him as well. For five years, since her affair with Dai Yao, she had remained chaste. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't be alone with Dai Yao after seeing him, she would have taken advantage of him long ago.
Unbeknownst to her, Dugu Yan's movements became increasingly aggressive, so Dai Yao quickly pushed her away and hurriedly said:
"Shut up! Are you leaving or not?"
Dugu Yan, with seductive eyes, leaned close to Dai Yao's ear and whispered something before turning and boarding the carriage.
Seeing such an intimate scene, Ning Rongrong blushed with shyness and walked over to Dai Yao.
Seeing Ning Rongrong's hesitation, Dai Yao asked:
"Rongrong, you wouldn't be thinking of...?"
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth slightly, stood on tiptoe, her indigo skirt drooping slightly, and gently kissed Dai Yao's face, leaving as lightly as a dragonfly skimming the water, whispering:
Come back soon.
Then, she shyly and quickly boarded the carriage.
Dai Yao stroked the spot where Ning Rongrong had kissed him and chuckled to himself.
Inside the carriage, Lou Gao marveled at the sight; it seemed this sect leader had more than one wife. Even with his many years of experience, he had never witnessed such an astonishing scene.
The numerous men from the blacksmiths' guild around stared in disbelief, filled with envy for Dai Yao, wishing they could take his place. How could this guy have such good luck with women?!
If it were any of them, they would want to pluck the stars from the sky and give them to her if they could have even one of them. But this man not only has three women of unparalleled beauty, but these three women also don't fight over him!
Once the three women had boarded the carriage, Dai Yao's expression suddenly tightened. He looked around and sped off towards another area of Gengxin City.
If he were to expose himself here, those guys in the sky would inevitably find out, hindering Dugu Yan and the others from leaving. Therefore, he must deliberately expose himself elsewhere to draw their attention away.
Staring at the city's inhabitants, who resembled ants, the Second Elder frowned and shouted sharply:
"What? You little brat, you're too scared to show your face? Weren't you very arrogant when you were in the Spirit Hall? How come you're as cowardly as a mouse now?"
The ten Soul Douluos' gazes searched Gengxin City relentlessly. They had rushed over at full speed after receiving the news; logically, that wretched creature shouldn't have left.
If that monstrous creature doesn't actually appear, they'll have no choice but to send reinforcements from nearby areas to seal off the city and search it one by one.
Just then, under everyone's gaze, a blond man flapped his eight pairs of wings and slowly rose into the sky.
"You wretched creature, you've finally dared to show yourself."
Upon seeing Dai Yao, the Second Elder's gaze instantly turned sinister, and he said in a cold voice.
In mid-air, Dai Yao glanced around before finally fixing his gaze on the Fifth Elder, and calmly smiled:
"The Dai family of Xingluo, it's been a long time." (End of Chapter)