Dragon-shaped lightning fell from a dark cloud that had appeared out of nowhere, accurately striking Dai Huabin in front of Huo Yuhao.
A deafening roar of thunder echoed, accompanied by Dai Huabin's wails. In terms of destructive power, the lightning element was naturally the strongest among all elements, let alone Ultimate Lightning.
The lightning came and went quickly. Once the light dissipated, the person Dai Huabin was no longer in Huo Yuhao's hands; there was only a pile of ash at his feet...
The members of the Shrek team in the rest area all stood up, staring blankly at Huo Yuhao, whose expression was cold and eyes showed no ripple of emotion.
Wait, how did he dare to kill someone in front of so many people...
In the corner, Lan Xuanyu felt his scalp go numb, and his body trembled involuntarily. Was this still the uncle-in-law he knew, Dai Yuhao?
Violent, cold, cruel... completely different from the "nice guy" image of the Emotion God King in his memory. He didn't know if the Huo Yuhao before his eyes was the one he knew, but he didn't dare to gamble.
Lan Xuanyu felt his throat go dry. He instinctively wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move.
Back during the Great God Circle and the Dragon God Realm periods, their Tang family had given this Tang family son-in-law no shortage of trouble. Moreover, at the Tang family gathering before the creation of the God Star, he and his grandfather Tang San had agreed to get rid of Huo Yuhao. To say they were relatives who were worse than enemies was no exaggeration.
If one day...
Lan Xuanyu didn't dare think further. He only wanted to find his mother as soon as possible and then do everything in his power to eliminate this threat! As for reviving the Tang Sect or not, it was no longer important.
"No~"
The furious Dai Hao possessed his Martial Soul. The hoarse roar emitted by the White Tiger made Huo Yuhao feel exceptionally annoyed.
A "Cosmo" explosion was only suitable for those "Children of Destiny." These NPCs shouting about family affection or bonds and suddenly exploding their Cosmo to turn the tide simply wouldn't happen here.
Dai Hao was clearly blinded by rage, completely forgetting that Huo Yuhao's body also carried his bloodline. He directly released his White Tiger True Body, looking as if he intended to swat Huo Yuhao to death on the spot.
A giant black-and-white tiger, seven meters long, pounced directly from the high platform toward Huo Yuhao. Brilliant golden light flickered on its sharp claws—the signature move of the Dai family, the White Tiger Annihilation Kill.
The White Tiger of the Douluo Continent was quite strange. Logically, as one of the four divine beasts, its characteristics of being positioned in the West, belonging to the Metal element, and governing slaughter were nowhere to be found in the Evil Eye White Tiger Martial Soul. They claimed it had a Light attribute, but no power of light was ever seen from Dai Mubai or Dai Hao. One could say it had no special mechanics or high stats; it was likely just a regular tiger with a different color scheme.
However, the White Tiger Martial Soul at least belonged to the top-tier category. With Dai Hao's Soul Douluo cultivation exploding with full force, he likely wouldn't be inferior to the Zhongli brothers that Huo Yuhao and Long Qiu'er encountered in the Star Dou Forest.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't mind sending Dai Hao to see his beloved son today, but currently, he only had four rings and didn't have Long Qiu'er's assistance.
In terms of mechanics, Huo Yuhao was certainly far stronger than Dai Hao, but Dai Hao's stats were at the Soul Douluo level. No matter how poor he was, the soul power and soul skills of a Soul Douluo level were not something a Soul Ancestor could take head-on, and Huo Yuhao couldn't break his Martial Soul True Body in a short amount of time.
Spiritual Shock wasn't a cure-all; when the soul power gap was too large, the effect of spiritual power would weaken. Regardless, it was impossible for Huo Yuhao to make Dai Hao's head explode with a single glare.
Even if he could win, he would likely have to use his Holy Demon Angel Martial Soul. There was a move that could turn Dai Hao completely to ash, but unless absolutely necessary, Huo Yuhao did not want to expose his third Martial Soul.
Whether the finals happened today no longer mattered. A drama of brotherly love and filial piety was playing out right now—wasn't this more interesting than a bunch of youngsters starting a team fight?
Xu Jiawei shouted angrily, "Dai Hao, enough!"
Immediately, the several Protector Douluos by his side prepared to step in and stop the enraged Dai Hao.
But two figures were faster than all of them.
A golden dragon shadow swirled around Huo Yuhao, blocking the White Tiger Annihilation Kill released by Dai Hao; meanwhile, a dark green halo transformed into a giant fist, directly punching Dai Hao's White Tiger True Body into a "Husky."
As the smoke cleared, Dai Hao, who had been forced out of his Martial Soul True Body state, was pulling a Yamcha pose. Two figures appeared simultaneously beside Huo Yuhao.
They were the Dragon God Douluo Mu En and the Body Douluo Du Busi.
"Little guy, are you alright?"
Du Busi looked Huo Yuhao up and down, becoming more satisfied the more he looked. This was simply a successor sent to him by the heavens!
At the same time, a raging fire of anger rose in his heart. Those fools of the Dai family were simply wasting a god-given gift, nearly ruining such a prime talent! Did they even know how top-tier a Body Martial Soul combining the eyes and the brain was? It was countless times stronger than their rigid, unchanging White Tiger "three-trick pony"; at minimum, it was a silver-level awakening.
Moreover, this kid's personality was exactly to Du Busi's liking! If he had met Huo Yuhao earlier, he would have helped him level the White Tiger Duke's mansion without hesitation. Of course, if Huo Yuhao wanted to now, Du Busi could still lend a hand.
Looking at the muscular old man in green skin beside him, Huo Yuhao had already guessed his identity. As for the old man leaning on a cane...
Seeing that Huo Yuhao was fine, Xu Jiawei breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly composed himself and stepped forward, using soul power to amplify his voice. "Citizens of the Empire and friends from afar, the Star Luo Empire has been a poor host and let everyone see a farce. I hereby announce that the finals are postponed and will be held in three days!"
Then, his voice turned solemn, though a hint of irrepressible joy could be heard if one listened closely.
"Guards! Take the criminal official Dai Hao into custody!"
The four Protector Douluos stepped forward together, prying Dai Hao from the ground and taking him away, though they didn't leave immediately. They still had troublesome matters to handle—namely the two men before them—so they had to protect the Emperor.
In the Douluo Continent today, any Titled Douluo had heard of these two to some extent.
Xu Jiawei moved and arrived before them, bowing slightly. "Greetings, Senior Dragon God, Senior Body. May I ask what business brings you two seniors to my Star Luo City?"
Mu En, leaning on his cane, slightly opened his murky eyes. He cast an inconspicuous glance at Du Busi and said indifferently, "This old man came to protect my disciple. Mister Emperor of Star Luo, your people are lacking in discipline!"
Xu Jiawei was shocked. What? When did Huo Yuhao become the disciple of the Dragon God Douluo? Didn't that mean Huo Yuhao was now completely tied to Shrek? If so, his investment would lose much of its meaning.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow and looked at Mu En with a strange expression. He was about to speak, but found himself unable to.
A subtle but extremely pure power of light was controlling his actions, preventing him from opening his mouth and even trying to control his facial muscles.
"!!!"
Is everyone from Shrek this overbearing?!
An indescribable anger rose from his heart. A flash of gold and black light appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes, and the power of light that had been controlling him was absorbed by his Holy Demon Angel Martial Soul.
Mu En's murky eyes widened slightly. Just now, he had actually lost control of his soul power? What was happening? Wasn't his Martial Soul the eyes and an Ultimate type? How could he control Light?
Huo Yuhao tilted his head. His voice carried no particular emotion, but one could clearly feel he was very angry.
"I find it a bit strange. When did I take you as my master? How come I don't remember?"
Hearing these words, Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao felt their hearts skip a beat, looking at Huo Yuhao nervously. This was undoubtedly slapping the face of a Limit Douluo in public. How could this kid be so brave?
Zhang Lexuan quietly pulled his sleeve, but Huo Yuhao acted as if nothing had happened and continued to question, "My memory hasn't been great lately. Could the Senior please provide a hint?"
Mu En gave a dry cough, putting on the appearance of a kind elder. "Little Huo, I am Mu En, title Dragon God, the current Master of the Sea God Pavilion. I am willing to take you as my disciple..."
Huo Yuhao interrupted him directly. "If that's the case, then forget it. I really can't stand your style. I've caused a great disaster today anyway, so please let Shrek Academy expel me."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiawei immediately felt relieved.
Mu En's aged hand clenched into a fist. His expression remained calm, but only he knew that his anger had been ignited by this extremely arrogant boy.
"..."
Even Du Busi didn't speak, simply calculating in his mind.
After a moment of silence, Mu En whispered, "...Little Huo, do you think this old man is just a hypocritical pretender?"
Huo Yuhao glanced at Mu En. "I didn't say that."
Bei Bei walked out quickly from the side, anger on his face. "Huo Yuhao, you..."
Mu En raised a hand to stop Bei Bei and took a few steps back.
Xu Jiawei looked deeply at Huo Yuhao, then said loudly, "I ask everyone to give the Star Luo Empire some face today and not start a conflict here." He turned to leave, waving his hand at the four Titled Douluos. "I must deal with national affairs first; I won't disturb you further."
After Xu Jiawei and the others left, Du Busi exhaled, his gaze toward Huo Yuhao showing a rare touch of kindness.
"Child, I am Du Busi, the current Sect Master of the Body Sect. I won't say anything redundant, and I won't use those hypocritical words." He patted Huo Yuhao's shoulder and said solemnly, "Come home. The Body Sect is your home. I will take you as my personal disciple."
He paused, a gentle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he touched Huo Yuhao's head. "Your temper is to my liking. I will treat you as my own child."
"..."
At least in Huo Yuhao's perception, the straightforward Du Busi was much more sincere than Mu En.
"Thank you, Sect Master Du."
Huo Yuhao exhaled and, under Mu En's sour expression, announced loudly, "I am willing to return to the Body Sect!"
...
In the Star Luo Imperial Court.
Xu Jiawei had looked forward to this day for a very long time...
Dai Hao knelt in the center of the hall, head bowed, lacking all the majesty of the former White Tiger War God.
"Minister Dai, do you have anything else to say?"
At this moment, the Xuanji Douluo stepped forward opportunely, cupping his fists.
"Your Majesty, the White Tiger Duke guards the border. For many years, he has been like a Sea God Needle, protecting the citizens of our empire from the fires of war. Currently, Dai Hao has been away from the army for many days. I fear that if he does not return to preside over things, the Sun Moon Empire might make a move. I hope Your Majesty, for the sake of past sentiment, will give Dai Hao a chance."
Xu Jiawei narrowed his eyes. Good, Dai Hao's first partisan.
"Indeed, Your Majesty! Why damage a pillar of the nation over the words of an illegitimate son!"
Next was the Minister of Military Affairs, from the Nether Duke Zhu family—the same lineage as the Duchess. Tigers and cats in the same den; not surprising.
Following them were several officials with the rank of Marquis, such as the Minister of War and the Minister of Rites, all stepping forward to speak of Dai Hao's past contributions to the Star Luo Empire.
Xu Jiawei took in the whole scene. Although his face remained calm, the chill in his eyes grew deeper.
Wonderful, truly wonderful! Dai Hao had quite a few partisans in court after all these years—nearly half the people! Perhaps one day he would be forced by his subordinates to change into "warmer clothes" (an imperial robe).
"What the ministers say makes sense," Xu Jiawei spoke indifferently. "However, just as Minister Dai once said: [If a man cannot control his desire for women, his achievements are destined not to reach very high.]"
The moment these words came out, Dai Hao's face turned green, and the other ministers who had spoken for him wore strange expressions.
Everyone knew the affairs of the aristocratic circle. Failing to control one's lower half was common, but no one was like Dai Hao, boasting all day about how devoted he was... Now, they couldn't even find a suitable excuse to plead for him.
"I agree," Xu Jiawei continued. "How can a man who doesn't even know how many sons he has manage an army of hundreds of thousands?!"
If Dai Hao still couldn't tell what Xu Jiawei meant by now, he had lived these decades in vain.
Fine, so you were waiting for me here!
At that moment, Xu Jiawei announced the punishment he had envisioned countless times.
"Dai Hao is stripped of his hereditary Dukedom; his rank is demoted to Viscount. His position as Marshal of the Western Army Corps is demoted to Commander of the Second Soul Master Legion. All other court positions are revoked. He is suspended pending investigation and awaiting further orders."
"And..." As if remembering something, Xu Jiawei spoke very "thoughtfully," "Minister Dai should go home and visit more often during this time. Don't go creating more lives without even knowing it yourself."
Looking at the unmasked mockery on Xu Jiawei's face, Dai Hao bit his lip so hard that a trickle of blood seeped out. He slammed his head against the floor, his low voice suppressed with rage.
"This subject... thanks Your Majesty for his divine grace."