Beneath the waterfall, Dai Yao, enduring its pressure, slowly opened his eyes. After sensing the solidified soul power within his body, he finally let out a long sigh and thought:
"I've finally adapted to the surge in soul power within me, thanks to my trip to the Star Luo Empire. The sparring with three Soul Douluo-level experts and the pursuit by the group of Soul Douluos from the Star Luo Dai family didn't pose a significant threat, but they did solidify my soul power without me even realizing it."
After absorbing Xiao Wu's 100,000-year soul ring, Dai Yao's soul power surged from level 60 to level 68. Such a dramatic increase would be extremely detrimental to his future cultivation if he didn't solidify his foundation in time.
Fortunately, Dai Yao resolved the feeling of unsteadiness caused by the surge in soul power.
He leaped lightly off the waterfall, casually standing on a rock on the bank, basking in the warm sunlight, and began to plan for his future.
"According to the original plot, the Heaven Dou Palace Coup should have already progressed to this point. Tang San entered the Heaven Dou royal family to cure Emperor Xue Ye's illness. However, due to Bibi Dong's urging, Qian Renxue had to carry out the coup ahead of schedule. As a result, she was outmaneuvered and lost to Tang San."
From then on, he could never forget Tang San.
"However, because of my butterfly effect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School remained neutral, Dugu Bo was also won over by me, and Yang Wudi of the Breaking Clan even joined my sect. In the original story, the three great helpers that enabled Tang San to defeat Qian Renxue were all not by Tang San's side."
"The only variable, Haotian Sect, is now blocked at the door by the Second Elder and cannot get out at all."
"This time, there's no way Tang San can defeat Qian Renxue."
"With the Heaven Dou Empire overthrown by Qian Renxue, Tang San can only flee to the Star Luo Empire. At that time, the Dai family and Tang San can settle their scores together."
Thinking of this, a fierce glint flashed in his golden eyes.
Of course, he also harbored a deep grudge against Tang Hao for nearly killing him, a grudge he would never forget. Tang Hao was now a cripple with missing limbs, living in a valley not far from Holy Soul Village. Given the right opportunity, he would eventually uproot the very person he was protecting.
However, after resolving the grudges, he needs to think about what path to take next.
Firstly, if he doesn't find a deity to inherit his skills from, his cultivation speed will drastically decrease. The many aging Soul Saints and Soul Douluos in the Spirit Hall serve as a cautionary tale. Secondly, however, which deity should he choose to inherit his skills from?
The Rakshasa God and the Angel God already have masters. Among the gods that appeared in the first part of Douluo Continent, only the Sea God and the Asura God remain.
He was familiar with the Sea God, and he knew very well about the Sea God's trials, having read Douluo Continent. However, the drawback of the Sea God's position was that his strength was too weak; he was only a first-level god.
While the Asura God is powerful, he doesn't know the specific tests he will undergo. In the original story, even the exceptionally talented Tang Chen failed at the final step of inheriting the Asura God's position, but Dai Yao is confident that he can pass the Asura God's test.
However, if Dai Yao is not mistaken, if one wants to pass the Asura God Test and inherit the Asura God position, then one must stay in the City of Hell indefinitely.
He could neither help the women around him improve their soul power, nor could he separate from them. Even though the Asura God's position was one of the top among all the gods, he would still refuse.
"Thinking about it this way, it really is a bit of a headache. With my current strength, it would be too much of a waste to inherit the position of only one first-level god. But, apart from the Asura God, how do I find the divine inheritances of the other four supreme gods? After all, it wasn't mentioned at all in the original work."
Dai Yao thought to himself with some distress.
In the realm of the mind, the Chaotic Green Lotus swayed gently. Dai Yao's somewhat troubled mood immediately calmed down considerably.
"Forget it, I might not even inherit a godhood in the future. Nobody knows where this Chaos Lotus will lead me. Maybe those godhoods are nothing in front of the Chaos Lotus."
Dai Yao comforted himself.
Just then, the maid Peacock walked to Dai Yao's side and whispered a reminder:
"Young master, we have a guest."
Dai Yao was somewhat surprised. His place was remote and secluded, and almost no one came here all year round. How come someone suddenly came?
"who?"
Dai Yao asked.
The peacock replied, "Yes... Your Highness the Holy Maiden."
"Hu Liena?"
Dai Yao was even more surprised. To be honest, he didn't want to see Hu Liena because of his identity as the 'Asura Emperor,' which had caused Hu Liena to search for him for many years. However, he couldn't reveal his identity, and given his cruel rejection of Hu Liena last time, he often avoided her.
Why did Hu Liena seek him out this time?
He quickly waved his hand: "Tell Her Highness that I'm not here."
"What? Dai Yao, you really don't want to see me?"
Just as Dai Yao finished instructing the peacock, a tall, slender figure gracefully approached, speaking with displeasure. Her fox-like eyes darted around, fixed intently on Dai Yao.
It was Hu Liena.
Dai Yao smiled helplessly, waved his hand, and dismissed the peacock. Turning his head, he met Hu Liena's eyes, and his heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him.
"Nana, you must have misheard me. I'm very happy to welcome you."
Hu Liena snorted lightly: "That's more like it."
Led by Dai Yao, the two arrived at a pavilion by a lake. Having lived in the valley for so long, Dai Yao had also built some recreational areas.
Inside the pavilion, the two sat facing each other.
Dai Yao personally poured tea for Hu Liena, stealing a glance at her out of the corner of his eye, only to find her staring intently at him, which intensified his unease. After pouring the tea, Dai Yao sat down and asked casually:
"Nana, tell me, what do you want to see me about?"
Hu Liena propped her head up with one hand, while the other idly stirred the tea in her cup with the lid, every movement exuding a captivating allure. Her fox-like eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled:
"It seems like we've rarely seen each other since you joined the Spirit Hall. Back then, I first went to Death Valley for training, and then to the Slaughter City for training. After returning with a narrow escape from death, I finally managed to suppress the killing intent within me. It was only when I was hunting spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest that I saw you."
"My progress over the past few years has been praised by my teachers, but compared to you, it is still so insignificant."
"I really want to know, what have you been through these past few years?"
Dai Yao inwardly pursed his lips in exasperation. Could I possibly tell you that I was right beside you when you were in the City of Slaughter?
Dai Yao smiled and said:
"You are undergoing training, and so am I."
"Oh? As far as I know, the most brutal training ground on the continent is the Slaughter City. Where did you train? And when?"
Hu Liena glanced at the pile of rubble below the waterfall and said, seemingly unintentionally.
Those were the stones Dai Yao used when he practiced shooting.
The damage to the rubble was very regular, clearly caused by an extremely sharp weapon. Hu Liena strongly suspected that the rubble had been pierced by a gun.
If Dai Yao's training period coincides with her training period in the City of Slaughter, she can confirm that Dai Yao is the 'Asura Emperor'. Otherwise, how could there be so many coincidences?
Dai Yao's heart sank. Why would Hu Liena ask about this? Was she testing him? A hint of wariness flashed in his eyes, but he laughed and said:
"Even the Spirit Hall on the continent cannot be certain that they know all the secrets. The place where I trained was personally taken by His Holiness the Pope, and I personally believe that it may be even more dangerous than the City of Slaughter."
"As for the timing of the training, if I remember correctly, it was right after you left Death Valley."
The time he disappeared from the Spirit Hall could not be kept secret, so he simply told Hu Liena directly.
Hu Liena's hand froze, and she gave Dai Yao a complicated look. She had already confirmed that Dai Yao was the 'Asura Emperor'.
The 'Asura Emperor' entered the Slaughter City exactly six months earlier than her, and Dai Yao also disappeared at that time. How could there be so many coincidences in the world?
Before coming, she specifically investigated Dai Yao's experiences after arriving at the Spirit Hall. But for some reason, she found nothing; Dai Yao's past seemed to have been erased by an invisible hand. Within the Spirit Hall, the only person capable of keeping this from her was her teacher, Bibi Dong.
All she knew was when Dai Yao was in the Spirit Hall and when he disappeared.
Moreover, she learned from Yan that Dai Yao had spent a year in the Spirit Hall's library.
Looking back now, Dai Yao probably used that time to calm the murderous intent within him...
A deep sense of grievance welled up inside me. I knew I was looking for you, that you were right beside me, yet you said nothing. And not long ago, you so cruelly rejected me.
She felt both excited to have found the 'Asura Emperor' and a surge of desire for revenge.
"Now you know I'm searching for the 'Asura Emperor,' and I also know you are the 'Asura Emperor,' but I'm not going to tell you. I'll keep tempting you and watch how you keep up the act!"
She smiled gently, pushed aside the teacup, took out a jade bottle from her soul tool, opened the cap, and a strong aroma of wine instantly wafted out.
"Since we've been through so much hardship, we should celebrate properly."
Dai Yao quickly refused: "No, no, no, Nana, I'll have tea instead of wine."
Hu Liena frowned slightly. She really wanted to see Dai Yao in this embarrassed state. The thought of Dai Yao deceiving her for so many years made her grit her teeth in hatred.
"What? I'm a small woman and I can drink it, but you can't?"
Dai Yao said helplessly, "Well... alright then."
Hu Liena poured wine for Dai Yao, raised her glass, clinked glasses with Dai Yao's, and smiled:
"The first toast is to celebrate our successful trial."
Dai Yao drank the wine, and to his surprise, it was unusually strong. Just as he frowned, Hu Liena refilled his glass. Both of them were Soul Masters, so this amount of wine was nothing to them, but Dai Yao wasn't particularly fond of drinking.
After a few drinks, Hu Liena's face flushed, and she looked at Dai Yao with hazy eyes.
"Taking advantage of the wine, Dai Yao, how about I dance for you?"
Warning bells rang in Dai Yao's mind. It was just him and Hu Liena here; this was a solo dance, and the implications were far from simple. Just as he was about to refuse, Hu Liena stood up, looked down at Dai Yao sitting in his chair, and smiled gracefully:
"We're friends, and we'll be working together in the future. I'm a girl and I don't mind, so why are you, a guy, hesitating? Anyway, this is your territory, who's going to spread rumors?"
Since Hu Liena had said so, Dai Yao couldn't refuse, so he simply smiled and said:
"Then I'll enjoy watching Her Highness's dance."
Hu Liena nodded slightly, and on the beach, she assumed a starting stance. As a gentle breeze blew by, a bewitching fox spirit danced in the wind.
At first, Dai Yao was enjoying the performance immensely; the beautiful women and scenery were a feast for the eyes. But the more he watched, the more uneasy he felt. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he sensed in Hu Liena's dance the persistence in searching for her lover and the sorrow of being alone in her empty room.
For a moment, his feelings became incredibly complicated. He dared not look at Hu Liena again and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp. The strong liquor burned his heart, and only then did the pain make him feel a little better.
He didn't know if Hu Liena had figured out his identity and was deliberately putting on an act for him, or if she had failed to find the 'Asura Emperor' and was looking for someone to confide in, to pour out her heart's sorrow.
After a long while, the dance finally stopped. Dai Yao forced a smile and clapped his hands in praise:
"It's so beautiful. It's an honor to see such a dance."
Hu Liena smiled softly, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and calmed her somewhat rapid breathing. When she reached Dai Yao's side, she seemed to trip over something and fell to the ground.
"careful!"
Dai Yao said urgently, and quickly reached out to hug Hu Liena.
It must be said that Hu Liena's fall was very skillful, which resulted in her being caught in Dai Yao's arms.
At this moment, Hu Liena, who had already drunk a few glasses of wine and was feeling slightly tipsy, had an even more flushed face after the dance. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared intently at Dai Yao. Reaching out, she gently stroked Dai Yao's cheek, and softly said, to his astonishment:
"Dai Yao, if only you were the 'Asura Emperor'..." (End of Chapter)