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

Chapter 82 One chip is enough.

"trade?"

The Snow Emperor's illusory body paused slightly, a hint of confusion appearing in her clear and beautiful eyes.

She had anticipated forcing a contract, taking in people out of kindness, and even the greedy plundering of humans, but she never imagined that the other party would propose a deal after refusing to bind with her.

Huo Yuhao smiled calmly, seemingly making a casual joke, but with a calculated mind: "Well, it's a sure-fire deal. To put it simply, I'm using the Ice Palace as a bargaining chip to exchange for your future."

Snow Empress frowned: "Ice Empress is your spirit ring, your combat power, not a bargaining chip. What exactly do you want?"

"It's very simple."

Huo Yuhao's playful expression vanished, his tone became serious, and his words were clear and distinct, piercing through the frost-covered room:

"I will refine a Transformation Pill for you to help you solidify your physical body and break free from your confinement."

"Once you join my forces, you will not be bound by contracts, soul power, or freedom."

"In the end, I... will help you ascend to godhood."

He looked up at the Snow Emperor's trembling eyes and added a sentence:

"Let me tell you in advance, in this entire Douluo world, only I can do this. Not just an ordinary Douluo God, but a god who truly transcends the DouTu system."

The Snow Empress was deeply shaken, her clear, cold voice tinged with doubt: "What's the difference between this and forming a soul contract? It's still about being dependent on someone! And what makes you so certain that only you can help a soul beast become a god?"

"The difference is like night and day." Huo Yuhao explained calmly, his logic crystal clear. "A soul contract is about belonging, a bond, and me controlling everything about you. A transaction, on the other hand, is about equal cooperation."

"You only need to lend a hand when I need it. You are free to come and go as you please, and no one will interfere with you."

As for the secret to becoming a god, Huo Yuhao shrugged and spread his hands, his posture casual yet insightful: "The reason is very simple. After the Dragon God fell, he established a strict rule: if the Dragon God does not appear, no soul beast in the world can ever become a god."

Upon hearing this, the extreme cold surrounding the Snow Emperor abruptly stopped.

This is the ultimate destiny shackle passed down through the soul beast race, a secret that no ferocious beast can ever know, not even she.

Her eyes were filled with disbelief: "You even know this secret? But the Dragon God has long since perished. How can you defy the will of Heaven?"

"The details are too abstract, and I can't explain them clearly for now." Huo Yuhao waved his hand, no longer speaking of the secrets of heaven. Some paths ahead need to be paved by oneself, step by step.

Xue Di remained silent for a long time.

Soul beasts are destined to have no hope of becoming gods.

The boy before her was the only chance she could see to break free from her fate in her desperate situation.

Pride as she may be, and integrity as she may be, she did not want to be trapped in a cage forever, to fade away in obscurity.

Once she made up her mind, Xue Di raised her eyes, her gaze resolute: "Fine."

"What?" Huo Yuhao asked in confusion.

"I agree." Xue Di said slowly and deliberately, finalizing the lifelong cooperation, "Huo Yuhao, this deal is settled between you and me."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Snow Empress."

Huo Yuhao smiled brightly, picked up a gleaming gold soul coin between his fingers, and tossed it high into the air. The golden light drew a clean arc in the cold mist.

"All or nothing."

"I won't lose if I bet the weight of a single chip."

"What do you mean by that?" Xue Di asked.

"It's just idle gossip, no need to delve into it," Huo Yuhao said casually.

Only he himself knew that this sentence was proof that he had completely severed ties with the original Huo Yuhao.

In the original book, Huo Gua followed the Tang dynasty's lead, rose to power by taking advantage of its momentum, received divine favor, and had a smooth and easy path.

He, burdened with the destiny of a hunter, wielding the Fool's clone, and seeking to cleanse the entire continent of its decay, walks a solitary path where he faces enemies from all sides and has no way out, destined to stand in opposition to the supreme god who rules this world.

It's either a complete victory and reaching the top, or nothing at all!

……

At the same moment, in the main hall of the Star Luo Empire's imperial palace.

Inside the solemn and magnificent hall, the atmosphere was eerily silent.

Xu Jiawei stood before the dragon throne, staring at the ten complete ten-thousand-year-old soul bones neatly arranged on the table, his brows furrowed, lost in deep thought.

Cheng Gang, the Mighty Douluo, stood with his hands at his sides, his tone extremely certain: "Your Majesty, it is absolutely true! The 400,000-year-old Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion defeated me and Taotie Douluo. I found these ten 10,000-year-old soul bones in the ruins of the auction house. It seems that they were deliberately left behind."

Xu Jiawei felt a mix of emotions, both regret and relief.

They had meticulously planned to use the Snow Empress's 100,000-year-old soul beast embryo as a trap to ruthlessly exploit the Sun Moon Empire and reap huge profits. Now that the embryo has been stolen, their entire plan has fallen through.

But then I thought about it again, ten pure ten-thousand-year-old soul bones are already incredibly valuable, so it's not a bad deal.

That's some consolation.

He slowly reached out his hand, his fingertips touching a jet-black skull soul bone, and slowly infused it with a wisp of tentative soul power.

The instant the soul power invaded the core of the soul bone

boom!!

A sudden burst of chaotic laughter erupted in the ears of everyone in the hall!

Children playing, teenagers being arrogant, old men being sinister, women being sarcastic, teasing and joking... a myriad of voices intertwine and entwine, piercing the soul, eerily strange to the extreme.

Xu Jiawei froze, his scalp tingled, and an extremely eerie feeling swept over him.

The next second, a youthful voice, free from playfulness and languid ease, dominated all the noise and resounded throughout the hall:

"Hello, friend, who has obtained the Soul Bone!"

"My name is Sambo. Now, let's play a game!"

"You won! Old Sangbo will give you an extra top-grade soul bone as a reward! The important thing is... you don't have the right to refuse!"

Xu Jiawei's pupils contracted sharply as a strange sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.

He had experienced this unrestrained, manipulative, and pleasure-seeking style on the field!

"This game is Super Monopoly!"

Ripples spread through the void, and the figure of a young man with blue hair, green eyes, and a cunning air quietly materialized.

It was Huo Xiaohei, who had changed his identity and come here specifically to cause trouble.

"His Majesty!"

Cheng Gang's alarm bells rang instantly. As a Title Douluo, he felt an overwhelming sense of crisis. He unleashed a powerful punch with his fists, imbued with heavy earth-elemental soul power, towards Huo Xiaohei's figure!

Having suffered a great loss once, he would never dare to underestimate anyone again!

"Hey, don't be so grumpy, big guy~"

Huo Xiaohei chuckled and turned to the side. Cheng Gang's heavy punch passed straight through his body, as if striking a phantom in the air, without any resistance and causing no harm whatsoever.

Spiritual form becomes ethereal, immune to physical attacks!

Cheng Gang's pupils dilated in shock, his face filled with horror.

Xu Jiawei forcibly suppressed his shock, took a deep breath to calm himself, stared intently at the young man before him, and spoke in a deep voice:

"It's you? The one who stole the soul beast embryo at the Starlight Auction, was it you?"

"To be precise, it's my eldest child."

Huo Xiaohei tilted his head and chuckled, lying without a care in the world, his persona perfectly crafted: "My boss is called Aha, and he thinks exchanging rare embryos for ten ten-thousand-year soul bones is an incredibly worthwhile deal. As for me, I love adding some fun to a dull game of chess."

"Fun?" Xu Jiawei's tone was heavy, and his apprehension rose sharply.

"correct."

Huo Xiaohei strolled leisurely around the ten soul bones, speaking casually: "I'm different from the Huo Xiaohei you know from the arena. He just casually seeks fun, I create fun myself."

"We, this group, are collectively known as the Masked Fools. We have no affiliation, no good or evil, no rules; the rigid rules of the world are our best toys."

At that moment, Xu Jiawei finally understood.

The group of people in front of me are truly insane.

He is not greedy for power, wealth, or spiritual cultivation; his actions are illogical, driven solely by a desire for fleeting pleasure.

Compared to the ambitions of the Sun Moon Empire, the pedantry of Shrek Academy, and the domineering nature of the Body Sect, these capricious and unpredictable individuals are the most terrifying and unpredictable top-tier destabilizing factor!

"May I ask which faction you belong to?" Xu Jiawei suppressed the gravity in his heart and asked in a deep voice, trying to find out the other party's background.

"One last question~" Huo Xiaohei held up a finger, smiling slyly, and then slowly uttered a name that left everyone scratching their heads.

"We come from the ends of the earth [the tavern]."

"A tavern?"

Xu Jiawei's mouth twitched violently.

A mysterious force that overturns the Star Luo strategy, toys with Title Douluos, and possesses heaven-defying and bizarre abilities—how could its name be so casual and outrageous?

Before he could think any further, a vast Monopoly chessboard, covering the entire palace, slowly unfolded from the void.

Huo Xiaohei stood with his hands behind his back, his emerald eyes gleaming, and his smile was blatant:

"The game is officially starting."