Douluo Continent: The Peerless Hunting Heavenly Lord, Huo Yuhao!

He had already planned everything out in his mind.

Xuanzi has been stuck at level 98 for many years, with no hope of reaching level 99 and becoming a Limit Douluo. Now, with one arm severed and his foundation damaged, not only will his cultivation level inevitably drop, but he will also completely lose any chance of reaching the limit in this lifetime.

Mu En shook his head inwardly.

Thankfully, I didn't actually hand over the future Shrek Academy to Xuanzi.

With his temperament, combat strength, and ability to cause trouble, if he were truly given power, given Huo Yuhao's current personality and stance, Shrek Academy would probably be wiped out overnight before he even closed his eyes.

"Elder Mu...it's a ferocious beast!"

Xuanzi clutched the empty wound on his right arm, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His voice was hoarse and dry, filled with humiliation and resentment.

"It was a 400,000-year-old, extremely ferocious beast, the Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion, that suddenly attacked the auction! Cheng Gang and I joined forces to stop it, but its combat power was unpredictable, and I was seriously injured and lost an arm!"

"A ferocious beast?" Mu En was puzzled for a moment, then sensed that there was nothing else besides an extremely cold aura.

Hmm... Ice Emperor and Ahri don't have any soul beast aura, which is also a bug in the "Symbiotic Soul Contract". They have completely broken free from the shackles of the soul beast system and become part of Huo Yuhao's natal martial soul.

Although they still identify themselves as soul beasts, according to the rules of heaven and earth, they have long been a part of Huo Yuhao, leaving no trace and no evidence, making them a rule-level bug.

After a long while, Mu En withdrew his senses and stopped investigating. He turned to look at the healer Douluo Wang Xian'er beside him.

"Xian'er, please do me a favor and stop the bleeding and heal Xuanzi's wounds."

"I will follow Elder Mu's instructions."

The Healer Douluo raised his hand and unleashed a warm green light, covering Xuanzi's hideous severed wound, quickly suppressing the injury and healing the flesh.

"Thank you." Moon nodded, his tone calm. "I'll remember this favor, and Shrek Academy will repay it in the future."

"It's just a transaction, each getting what they need. No need to make a fuss about it," Wang Xian'er replied calmly.

After treating the injuries, Mu En ordered in a deep voice, "Xuanzi, come back to Shrek Academy with me to recuperate and await punishment."

"Yes." Xuanzi lowered his head, looking extremely disheveled, with not a trace of the arrogance of a Super Douluo left.

The group of top-tier titled Douluo exchanged glances, their eyes all turning to Cheng Gang, who was lying flat on the ground.

Xuanzi was severely injured and his account of what happened was incomplete. To reconstruct the whole story, the only option was to wake up the sleeping Giant Douluo.

Unable to bear it any longer, Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, stepped forward and slapped Cheng Gang hard across the face several times.

"Hey! You big oaf! Wake up!"

Several slaps landed, and the unconscious Cheng Gang suddenly sprang to his feet, his eyes bloodshot, his instinctive killing intent erupting, and he roared:

"Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion! You vile beast, prepare to die!"

Before he could finish speaking, a heavy punch landed squarely on the face of the Heavenly Fiend Douluo without warning.

Huang Jinxu was stunned on the spot, half of his face instantly turned red and swollen, and the veins on the top of his head bulged wildly.

Cheng Gang only recognized the person after throwing a punch, looking completely bewildered: "...Tian Sha? How come it's you?"

Huang Jinxu's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth: "You're awake? If you're awake, then explain to us what just happened!"

……

Night fell over the entire Star City.

The Starlight Auction was completely destroyed, the high-end viewing banquet scheduled for the night was canceled, and none of the participating academies received an invitation. The atmosphere in the entire imperial city was oppressive and mysterious.

The Star Emperor Hotel, Huo Yuhao's private room.

The room was at a comfortable temperature, with soundproofing barriers and mental barriers activated to prevent any outside exploration.

Huo Yuhao rubbed his throbbing temples, looking at the Ice Emperor before him with an open and shameless expression, his face filled with disbelief.

"So, you just barged into the Starlight Auction House, confronted two Title Douluos head-on, severed Xuanzi's arm in public, and incidentally brought out the Snow Empress's embryo?"

“Yes.” Ice Emperor blinked her clear, ice-blue eyes, speaking with righteous indignation, “Those people coveted the Snow Emperor’s essence and deserved to die. I was just taking back what belonged to our Extreme Cold lineage. Is there anything wrong with that?”

Huo Yuhao remained silent for two seconds, then his pent-up anger finally broke free, unleashing a torrent of venomous rants:

"I really don't understand the thought process of these people!"

"That old bastard Xuanzi is so pedantic, hypocritical, arrogant, and bullying. He deserved what happened today! Even if you hadn't crippled his arm, I would have dealt with him myself sooner or later! He's always putting on airs and using his seniority to morally blackmail people. Does he really think everyone will tolerate him? I...!"

After a series of frenzied outputs of birdsong and fragrant flowers, Huo Yuhao's pent-up frustration vanished, and he appeared visibly relaxed and refreshed.

Hyotei, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded.

She had always thought Huo Yuhao was gentle, humble, and tolerant, rarely getting angry, but she never expected him to be so malicious towards Xuanzi.

He couldn't help but secretly grumble to himself:

What earth-shattering thing did Xuanzi do? Did he desecrate Yuhao's ancestral grave?

No... if he really dug up the ancestral graves, given this kid's cunning nature, he'd probably party for three days and three nights straight.

Huo Yuhao calmed himself down and continued to complain helplessly:

"And then there's Cheng Gang. As the titled Douluo guarding the auction house, he holds a high position and wields power, yet he doesn't even know what his own auction house is hiding or how many valuable items it contains? Hmm... well, he probably doesn't know."

Then he remembered the original plot and instantly felt relieved.

Cheng Gang was truly just a tool and henchman, simple-minded and lacking in combat skills, who only knew how to rely on brute force his whole life.

"Alright, let's not talk about these outsiders anymore."

Hyotei interrupted his rant at the right moment and asked seriously:

"The Snow Empress's embryo has been retrieved. What do you plan to do with her?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled lightly upon hearing this, his eyes calm and composed.

"You should be aware of my current symbiotic soul contract system; the attributes of the soul rings within me are already fixed."

He did indeed covet the Snow Emperor's ultimate ice soul skill, but his path was well-ordered and his foundation was solid, so there was no need to forcibly pile up soul rings to increase his combat power.

"Then... what about Snow Empress?" Ice Empress hesitated.

Huo Yuhao's eyes were clear, and his tone was extremely serious:

"Let Xue Di choose for herself."

"But let me make this clear beforehand," he instructed in advance, "when you unseal the embryo, release her consciousness, and don't unconsciously freeze the whole room."

"Understood." Ice Emperor nodded and smashed the Consecration Platform with ice element.

Click!

The tiny ice crystals shattered instantly, and the boundless extreme cold suddenly exploded!

The temperature in the entire room plummeted to tens of degrees below zero in an instant, and frost spread rapidly along the walls and floor, condensing into a snowy white mist in the air.

A stunningly beautiful, aloof, and ethereal female figure slowly emerged from the ice crystals.

With silver hair cascading down to her waist, her brows and eyes cold and aloof, and her entire being enveloped in an aura of extreme cold and icy ferocity, she was none other than the Snow Empress, the leader of the three supreme beings of extreme cold!

The moment she awoke, Xue Di's mind was not yet fully calmed. The pent-up anger from her imprisonment erupted completely, her cold voice carrying boundless fury, echoing throughout the room:

"Despicable humans!! Even if my soul and spirit are annihilated today, I will still..."

Before she could finish speaking, her gaze suddenly fixed on Hyotei, and her furious tone abruptly stopped.

"...Hyotei?"

Snow Empress was completely astonished, never expecting that among the human camp that had trapped her, there would be friends from the far north, and in excellent condition with a calm aura, not at all like someone who had been enslaved and bound.

Ice Emperor spoke softly, quickly recounting the whole story, including the cause and effect, the symbiotic soul contract, Huo Yuhao's character, and all his past experiences.

"Snow Emperor, he is not like those greedy and despicable humans. You don't need to be hostile to him. Stay and join us."

After a long silence, Xue Di slowly turned her cold gaze to the young man in front of her.

The boy had gentle and clean features, and a clear and open aura, without a trace of greed or plunder, making him completely different from those humans who imprisoned and coveted her essence.

"Huo Yuhao, is that right?" Xue Di spoke softly, her voice as cold as frost. "I'll only ask you one question."

"If I were to enter into a contract with you, would you imprison my freedom, bind me, and turn me into your tool of war?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled upon hearing this and calmly retorted, "Why would I imprison you?"

His path is one of impartiality and openness towards all beings, free from the vices of imprisoning life and plundering its essence.

Xue Di lowered her eyes and remained silent, her proud and stubborn nature hidden in her aloof gaze.

Thank you for your frankness.

“But I refused.”

She looked up, her gaze unwavering:

"I, the Snow Emperor, was born in the extreme cold and grew up amidst wind and snow. I am long tired of depending on others. The divine position is too high and difficult to attain, but I still want to forge my own path to survival through my own strength..."

"Like a bird soaring in the sky, I have never braved the wind and waves, yet I will always yearn for the heavens. I do not wish to depend on anyone, not even those who offer well-intentioned protection."

This pride is pure and resolute.

Huo Yuhao had anticipated this and was not surprised at all. He smiled faintly, a confident look flashing in his eyes.

I guessed what you would choose.

"Snow Empress, I won't force you to form a contract," Huo Yuhao said earnestly. "Snow Empress, let's make a deal. You... can't refuse!!"