Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 648 Serving a Ruler is Like Serving a Tiger (6K)

Xu Tianran's face turned ashen.

As the regent of the Sun and Moon Empire, he could not remain calm.

Why was such a powerful and groundbreaking new technology born in Shrek Academy instead of in the Sun Moon Empire?

Are all the instructors at Mingde Hall and other Soul Master Academies a bunch of good-for-nothings?

Such technology should be in the hands of civilization!

This is impossible!

No matter how much he raged inside, he couldn't change this established fact.

We can't keep fighting like this.

Jing Hongchen quickly realized the seriousness of the situation.

Facing a monster like Huo Yuhao, even just to test his strength, they had to send Xiao Hongchen, a six-ring Soul Emperor or even a seven-ring Soul Saint, to participate in the battle. If they continued fighting like this, the Sun Moon Empire would be bankrupt.

The most pressing matter right now is to find out where the drone array released by Shrek Academy came from and whether the Sun Moon Empire can acquire this technology. Compared to that, Huo Yuhao's exaggerated performance is a minor matter.

Drone swarm warfare is a revolutionary combat concept. Empires that master this technology first can use their reserves of rare metals to exchange for the lives of other imperial soldiers, which would be a huge blow to the morale of empires that have not mastered this technology.

The audience from the Sun Moon Empire was in low spirits. In contrast, the audience from Douluo Three Kingdoms erupted in cheers that shook the heavens.

We cannot let Shrek Academy continue their momentum. Since Huo Yuhao's momentum is so strong, we must not let him continue to win, even if it means choosing to avoid battle.

A balanced, back-and-forth battle, without deploying high-level combat power, using ordinary team members and smaller, lost matches to fight – that's what intelligence gathering is all about.

Being wiped out by Huo Yuhao single-handedly is not intelligence gathering, it's self-humiliation.

"The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master concedes defeat."

In the end, Jing Hongchen hardened her heart and hid the trump card, Xiao Hongchen.

Xu Tianran's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he held back his anger. He knew that even if he sent Xiao Hongchen, the final result might not be good.

Keeping your skills hidden until the right moment to act is the only way to reverse everything.

Moreover, Xu Tianran was no longer concerned about the outcome of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy team's battle; Huo Yuhao's displayed skills were causing him even more worry.

However, since the Dragon God was not dead, even though Xu Tianran was almost driven mad by the burning greed in his heart, he did not dare to openly attack Huo Yuhao.

He could allow the Holy Spirit Cult members to be cruel during the competition, even brazenly taking the blood and soul of dead competitors in front of the audience.

He could even allow the Holy Spirit Cult to carry out targeted persecution against many participating teams after the competition, but he could not touch a single hair on the head of a member of Shrek Academy.

This was absolutely the Dragon God's bottom line. No matter what the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Cult did before crossing that line, the Dragon God would endure it.

However, if the Sun Moon Empire dares to touch Huo Yuhao, the hope of Shrek Academy, the chosen one, the Dragon God who has lost all restraints might even abandon his responsibility to suppress the Star Dou and drag the entire Sun Moon Empire down to hell.

This is the awe-inspiring power of a Limit Douluo, a power that even a level 98 Xuan Lao and Du Busi could never match. Even with only a breath left, his residual power still lingers.

Xu Tianran's expression changed unpredictably, but it didn't last long.

Soon, a smile returned to his face, and he said calmly, "Send the imperial physicians to Mingde Hall to treat the wounded members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Spare no effort in treating them."

"Your Highness is truly kind-hearted." Orange immediately offered a compliment.

Xu Tianran smiled calmly, a smile filled with utter coldness: "Let's go, it's time to go back."

As she pushed the wheelchair forward, Orange asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, shouldn't we try to appease the people? To suffer such a crushing defeat in the third round of the knockout stage... I'm afraid..."

Xu Tianran said in a chilling tone, "If we're not as skilled, what's there to appease? Wasn't the initial preparation by mobilizing both the legitimate and criminal media to give the public enough warning?"

"The competition isn't over yet, so the public's attention won't be too focused on this. A disgrace, a true disgrace! If it weren't for Xuan Ziwen leaving behind the sealed baby bottle technology before he left, Jing Hongchen would be... *humph*!"

A cold glint flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes, but he remained silent with his eyes closed.

A chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; this saying is absolutely true.

"By the way, while intensifying the investigation into Huo Yuhao, also investigate the background of that Soul Palace. Give me your utmost effort."

"I suspect that Shrek Academy may be secretly possessing a new technology that surpasses our own."

"I just read your battle log of Huo Yuhao and Zhao Yang. He still has that unused bionic mechanical soul-guided tentacle soul-guided device that he hasn't used yet?"

"Investigate, investigate at all costs."

"I won't have peace of mind until I've figured out these two technologies before we start a full-scale war."

"The original plan for the continental war will be postponed indefinitely. We need more and more preparations, more information, more fixed-position soul-guided shells, more sealed milk bottles, and more high-energy compression array soul guides."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The third round of the knockout round of the Continental Youth Advanced Soul Master Elite Competition was tragic, which exceeded many people's expectations.

In order to secure a place in the round-robin tournament, both sides fought fiercely in many matches.

Including the casualties of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, six people were killed and more than twenty were seriously injured in one round.

On average, there are injuries or fatalities in every game.

As a result, many teams raised objections to the tournament organizing committee, strongly questioning the referees' ability to control the game.

However, to say that the referee was entirely incompetent would be somewhat unfair to him.

If anyone's to blame, it should be the voting representatives of the four great empires who agreed to let the sects participate.

These people, who came from a sect, had a rough and unruly air about them, and they really didn't hold back when they attacked.

The upbringing of these sect disciples is not as good as that of academy students who grow up in an ivory tower.

The students have not experienced the dangers of society or the world of soul masters. At most, they usually team up to kill soul beasts or participate in competitions at the academy. They are used to holding back in these kinds of sparring matches, and it is rare for them to be seriously injured or killed.

Disciples of sects, however, are different.

They had been exposed to the dark side of the Soul Master world at a young age and were familiar with the unspoken rules of the martial arts world.

One second they're laughing and chatting with you, the next they're carrying a brick and laughing as they smash it against you, leaving you bloodied and disoriented. It's perfectly normal for that to happen.

(End of this chapter)