Since Gu Shouchang had chosen to bring him through this secret passage, Dai Weisi's questions would most likely be answered once he met Gu Qingfeng.
The moment the two passed through the secret passage, Gu Qingfeng in the City Lord's Manor at the other end was alerted.
Before long, Gu Qingfeng, clad in armor, appeared in the underground chamber.
When he saw a stranger standing beside Gu Shouchang, the Soul Douluo who had spent his life rampaging across battlefields immediately revealed a chilling expression.
This secret passage was the Gu Family's highest secret.
Even within the Gu Family, only he and Gu Shouchang knew of it. Not even his eldest son was aware of it. Yet Gu Shouchang had brought a stranger here—he must have been taken hostage!
With that thought, Gu Qingfeng clenched his right hand in the air, ready to take down Dai Weisi first and discuss everything else afterward...
But before he could act, a cold snort froze the entire room.
"Hmph!"
"How dare you show such disrespect to His Highness!"
From a corner of the chamber, Li Fu quietly revealed himself. Behind him, nine soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—appeared around his savage Ripping Wind Black Tiger Beast Soul.
Li Fu stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng, undisguised killing intent flashing in his eyes.
In his view, this provincial governor, who was like a feudal king, had grown accustomed to acting as an emperor in this border province. He certainly would not bear much goodwill toward the Star Luo Royal Family's eldest legitimate son.
Yet Gu Qingfeng's response completely overturned Li Fu's assumptions.
Seeing that the other side had dispatched a Titled Douluo-level expert, Gu Qingfeng knew he might not escape this time. Not only did he refuse to stop, but he reacted even more fiercely, launching himself toward Dai Weisi at even greater speed!
"Spirit Hall dogs! The sons of the Gu Family would rather die than betray Star Luo!"
The Rock Armor Dragon Turtle Beast Soul appeared behind Gu Qingfeng, accompanied by eight soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.
Level 84 Soul Douluo—Gu Qingfeng!
With the toughness of a top-tier defensive Beast Soul, even facing a Titled Douluo could not completely crush Gu Qingfeng's fighting spirit!
The Gu Family's inherited Earthwalking Technique displayed an utterly different brilliance beneath Gu Qingfeng's feet than it had with Gu Shouchang.
In the blink of an eye, Gu Qingfeng, who had been dozens of meters away, had already arrived before Dai Weisi, completely overturning the continent's understanding that defensive soul masters were slow.
Gu Qingfeng locked his target firmly onto Dai Weisi.
That youth was addressed as "Your Highness" by a mighty Titled Douluo. He was clearly a core member of Spirit Hall's next generation. As long as he captured him, he could surely threaten that Titled Douluo.
Gu Qingfeng's sixth soul ring lit up—
Sixth Soul Skill: Grip of the Earth!
A massive stone hand suddenly reached up from beneath Dai Weisi's feet, about to seize his body.
This was Gu Qingfeng's fastest soul skill. Through a stone hand emerging from the ground, it could swiftly grab others from beneath the earth and pull them before him.
In Gu Qingfeng's eyes, there was no way Dai Weisi could avoid this strike.
Yet Dai Weisi did not move in the slightest. With Li Fu protecting him at his side, his safety was completely assured.
Clouds followed dragons; wind followed tigers.
The top-tier black tiger Beast Soul known for ripping wind could ride the wind itself. In terms of speed alone, it was unquestionably among the finest tiger-type Beast Souls, even surpassing the Dai Family's White Tiger.
Before Gu Qingfeng could reach Dai Weisi, Li Fu, though farther away, arrived first and firmly positioned himself between them.
However, Gu Qingfeng's declaration that the Gu Family would rather die than betray Star Luo made Li Fu frown. At the same time, most of his killing intent receded, and he did not use the killing move he had originally intended to strike at Gu Qingfeng's waist—Tiger Claw Absolute Hand.
"Bang!"
As the two masters collided, Li Fu remained completely still after his casual strike, while Gu Qingfeng, who had attacked with full force, staggered back seven or eight steps before barely steadying himself.
The gap between a Titled Douluo and a Soul Douluo was obvious at a glance.
This lightning-fast exchange had occurred in only an instant, and Gu Shouchang—the instigator of this misunderstanding—only now found the chance to explain:...
"Father, they aren't enemies!"
What?
You had supposedly been "held hostage" and forced to bring someone through your most secret escape route, and now you were telling him they were not enemies?
Gu Qingfeng immediately wanted to slap his youngest son into the ground and make him wake up properly.
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to explain, Dai Weisi raised a hand to stop him and used a simpler method to prove his identity—
Beast Soul Summoning: White Tiger!
The top-tier White Tiger Beast Soul, possessed only by the Star Luo Royal Family throughout the continent, was the best proof of a Star Luo royal member's identity.
Gu Qingfeng, who had intended to continue attacking, truly stopped when he saw this.
Only then did Gu Shouchang have the opportunity to tell his father everything that had happened tonight, from his three matches with Dai Weisi to Dai Weisi's identity, as well as his decision to join Dai Weisi's Demon King Team.
After hearing his son's account, Gu Qingfeng looked once more at the calm-faced Dai Weisi.
This First Prince seemed completely unaffected by the attack just now, as though even by himself, he had possessed more than enough ability to deal with the situation.
Whether this First Prince truly had the ability to escape Gu Qingfeng's soul skill aside, this composure alone was enough to put his peers to shame.
Gu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment before speaking with a complicated expression.
"Shouchang, you've grown up. Go do whatever you want!"
"However, you are not allowed to use the Gu Family's name. Do not bring disaster upon the family!"
"After you leave, your eldest brother will pledge loyalty to Spirit Hall."
"From today onward, you are merely a distant collateral relative of the Gu Family who was expelled five generations ago. Because of a martial soul mutation, you awakened an ancestral Rock Armor Dragon Turtle Beast Soul. Do you understand?!"