Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 669 The Killer's Shadow (6K)

Even Nana didn't expect that Mingde Hall not only had defensive soul tools to prevent soul attacks, but had even miniaturized them into miniature soul tools.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any tutors in Mingde Hall who specialize in this field.

As Huo Yuhao's head steward, Nana knew very well that only the Holy Spirit Cult had any knowledge of similar soul tools. The Sun Moon Empire knew almost nothing about the study of the soul, let alone researching such soul tools.

But if that's the case, why would the Holy Spirit Church so selflessly share this technology with Mingdetang?

Huo Yuhao had the same question. If this technology was meant to defend against the Soul Palace, then Huo Yuhao would leave without hesitation and find a place to hide right now.

The reason is simple: unless the Holy Spirit Cult possesses the ability to foresee the future, it is impossible to have taken precautions against the Soul Palace before it deliberately appeared in public and displayed its power.

If that's the case, why would the Holy Spirit Church hand over this clearly proprietary technology, which belongs exclusively to them, to Mingdetang for improvement?

Huo Yuhao subtly turned his head to look northwest, in the direction of the Demon Forest.

They selflessly contributed such a formidable technology and, with the help of Mingdetang, further developed and improved it.

What exactly is the Holy Spirit Church trying to prevent, or rather, prepare to kill?

On the Soul Battle Stage, Nana, whose attack had missed, was now in an awkward situation where her old strength had been depleted and her new strength had not yet been generated. She subconsciously wanted to swing her double-headed sword at Xiao Hongchen, but was instead blasted away by Xiao Hongchen's shockwave cannon.

"That's fine."

Huo Yuhao nodded. Xiao Hongchen's possession of a means to defend against soul attacks was indeed beyond everyone's expectations. At this moment, Nana's soul spirit was severely injured by the life decomposition ray, and her own soul power was basically exhausted. There was no need to continue fighting.

Fortunately, Nana's fourth soul skill, Wraith, did not throw out her own soul. Otherwise, if it had been reflected by Xiao Hongchen's defensive soul tool, her soul would have been severely damaged, and even if Ilex had come, he would have been helpless.

Upon receiving Huo Yuhao's signal, Ji Juechen flashed onto the Soul Battle Stage. Despite being unarmed and appearing on the stage with his bare hands, he still exerted immense pressure on Xiao Hongchen.

"You...you've broken through to the Soul Saint realm?"

Xiao Hongchen was somewhat surprised. How could these people's cultivation levels have increased so rapidly after joining the Soul Palace?

Xiao Hongchen had a premonition that among those of the same level, he was no match for Ji Juechen. Even if the other party did not release his Martial Soul True Body, he would have a hard time defeating him!

The fact that Nana had forced him into such a sorry state, nearly unleashing the blade's aura after destroying his soul and attempting to kill him at close range, was the best proof of that. After some time apart, not only their cultivation levels but also their combat skills had improved rapidly.

Ji Juechen completely ignored Xiao Hongchen's meaning. After nodding to the chief referee, he helped Nana up and then left the stage without looking back.

Zheng Zhan looked at Ji Juechen with astonishment, as if the other party were a sharp sword that could be drawn at any moment.

Seeing that Xiao Hongchen had won the match, Jing Hongchen finally breathed a slight sigh of relief and nodded in Zheng Zhan's direction.

"The match is suspended; the playing field needs repairs."

Upon receiving a signal from Jing Hongchen, Zheng Zhan immediately raised his hand and stopped the match.

While the aging ray is incredibly powerful, it also consumes an enormous amount of soul power from a soul master. Even a Soul Saint-level expert like Xiao Hongchen finds it somewhat unbearable.

Therefore, Zheng Zhan immediately used the excuse that Xiao Hongchen's previous metal storm had damaged a lot of the Soul Arena ground to forcibly suspend the match and begin repairing the venue, giving Xiao Hongchen time to rest.

To some extent, this can be considered a privilege of the organizers. However, the audience from the other three countries did not tolerate Zheng Zhan. Even though he was a nine-ring titled Douluo, he still had to endure boos from all sides.

The audience of Sun and Moon Empire immediately realized what was happening and began to cheer.

The audience from the Three Kingdoms glared angrily, while the audience from the Sun and Moon Empire glared back fearlessly, their cheers even louder.

For a moment, two opposing emotions surged and brewed in the audience, as if they were about to erupt at any moment.

"See that, Orange? This is what you call a mob. Their only value is to be used as bargaining chips, to be pushed onto the dinner table at the most opportune time."

"As the future Queen Mother, you must put aside your mercy and make them toil their entire lives, paying a continuous tax burden for the empire. This, along with directly making them nourishment for the empire to become stronger, is essentially a method of personnel management. Do you understand?"

Xu Tianran smiled broadly as he watched Xiao Hongchen in the rest area, who was making the most of his time to recover his soul power. He was clearly in a very good mood.

Upon hearing this, Ju Zi felt a chill run down her spine, and her expression became even more submissive and obedient: "Your Majesty, I will obey your teachings."

However, upon hearing these words, a moment of confusion flashed across Orange's eyes.

She saw in Xu Tianran the shadow of the person who killed her parents.

Her father was forcibly conscripted to the front lines when she was nine years old and never returned during the war with the Star Luo Empire.

When she was twelve, her mother fell seriously ill due to excessive grief and passed away three years after her father left.

She had always told herself that her goal was revenge, revenge by any means necessary, even if it meant giving up the most precious qualities of humanity.

Although she had never seen the figure of the person who killed her father, Ju Zi seemed to see that person's appearance in Xu Tianran.

The man's appearance wasn't that of a soldier with a weathered face and several dried pancakes stuck to his stomach as protective gear, but rather a soldier who thrust his spear at the enemy in pursuit of military merit.

It wasn't a general covered in blood, his armor frayed and torn, laughing heartily while holding the enemy general's head atop a pile of corpses.

Instead, they are elegantly dressed, with serene smiles, living far away, enjoying the company of beautiful women while wielding power over the world.

Orange lowered her head abruptly, not daring to think any further, but her body trembled violently.

"Hmm? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xu Tianran's smile remained serene, his tone filled with concern.

"Your Highness, I do indeed feel somewhat unwell."

Ju Zi quickly and discreetly covered her lower abdomen, her brows furrowing slightly, revealing a hint of unbearable discomfort.

"You've worked hard these past few days, go and get some rest."

(End of this chapter)