Spirit Hall

Spirit Hall

"Netherworld Overlord?" Dai Yao repeated in astonishment.

"Yes. In appearance, it isn't much different from the Netherworld Cat Spirit, but in essence, the difference is as vast as heaven and earth."

"If the Netherworld Cat Spirit is a traveler of the Netherworld, then your current Martial Soul is the ruler of the Netherworld."

Zhu Zhuqing explained.

Indeed, just by looking with the naked eye, Dai Yao couldn't distinguish any difference between the two. But when the Ice Crystal Crown appeared on top of Zhu Zhuqing's head, although she herself hadn't changed, her entire bearing became completely different.

She now possessed an air of ruling over heaven and earth, standing high above all others.

"Then what was that coldness just now?" Recalling the shivering chill from earlier, Dai Yao couldn't help asking.

"That is the aura of the Netherworld. The Netherworld doesn't affect the real world. It affects the human soul."

Dai Yao pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Although I can't distinguish the changes in your Martial Soul from the outside, those high-level Soul Masters are knowledgeable and experienced. If you aren't careful, they'll notice the change in your Martial Soul."

Hearing Dai Yao's words, Zhu Zhuqing's expression grew serious.

"Don't use your Martial Soul again for now. Once my duel with Dai Yaming is over in a few days, we'll immediately leave the Star Luo Empire and go somewhere no one knows us." Dai Yao instructed her.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly, then asked, "Did everything go smoothly when you obtained your Spirit Ring?"

"Everything went smoothly."

"That's good." Zhu Zhuqing suddenly became somewhat hesitant.

"What do you want to say?" Dai Yao noticed the change in Zhu Zhuqing and asked with a frown.

"If—I mean, if..." Zhu Zhuqing grabbed Dai Yao's hand, not daring to meet his eyes. "If I didn't let you duel and we left this place immediately, would you be angry?"

Dai Yao cupped her delicate pretty face, making her look into his eyes, and said seriously, "Do you want me to become a deserter who flees without fighting? Am I, in your eyes, just as much a coward as I am in the eyes of those people?"

"No." Zhu Zhuqing hurriedly shook her head in denial, nearly bursting into tears. She anxiously explained, "It's just that the Second Prince is too powerful. You're no match for him!"

"Temporarily avoiding the fight doesn't mean you're cowardly. Your potential is greater than the Second Prince's. If you wait a few more years, you'll definitely surpass him."

Dai Yao suddenly felt like laughing. In the original story, Dai Mubai had avoided the competition for the throne and fled to the Heaven Dou Empire, which became a deep regret in Zhu Zhuqing's heart.

Now, she was instead persuading him to avoid fighting the Second Prince.

"Do you believe me?" Dai Yao asked seriously.

"Of course I believe you, but there's no need to fight just because of a dispute over pride..." Zhu Zhuqing anxiously tried to persuade him.

But Dai Yao interrupted her.

"Then take a look at my Second Spirit Ring." Dai Yao spoke slowly.

"Second Spirit Ring? Aren't the White Tiger Family's Second Spirit Rings all Earth Walking Dragons? What's so strange about it?" Zhu Zhuqing wondered.

But as the purple Spirit Ring slowly emerged, her eyes widened, and she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

"This... this is..."

"Now you should believe that I can defeat Dai Yaming, right?" Dai Yao said confidently.

The purple Spirit Ring shattered all her worries and doubts, and Zhu Zhuqing's mood immediately calmed.

......

The next day.

The streets of Star Luo Imperial City were packed with carriages and people, with all kinds of buildings standing in rows.

Two children around ten years old walked along the road.

A boy and a girl.

The boy was heroic, while the girl was as exquisite as a porcelain doll.

They were Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's face was cold and indifferent, as though she had no interest in anything. Yet the hand tightly gripping the corner of Dai Yao's clothes revealed her true feelings.

"Relax. There's no need to be so nervous." Dai Yao comforted her.

He also extended his arm, indicating that Zhu Zhuqing should hold it.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly and tightly hugged his arm, as if afraid of getting lost. Although her expression remained cold, the corners of her eyes kept observing the novel things around them.

After all, she had spent the past three years in dull cultivation, with no opportunity to come out and have fun.

Dai Yao also found everything novel. In his previous life, he had only been an ordinary wage earner and had never had much experience traveling. Everything he had seen and heard had been limited to his home and school.

Now that he was seeing living classical architecture for the first time, the excitement in his heart was indescribable.

Several idle men in an alley watched the extravagantly dressed pair and revealed greedy expressions.

"These two little things look pretty valuable. After we finish the job, we'll definitely make a fortune," a short man urged the leader.

But the leader suddenly punched him in the head.

"You brat, don't you have any eyes? Can't you see what they're wearing? The Netherworld Cat and White Tiger—they're members of the Star Luo Imperial Family!"

"We're in Star Luo Imperial City right now. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

The leader issued a vicious warning.

Whenever pedestrians on the road noticed the clothing worn by Dai Yao and Zhu Zhuqing, they would look shocked before slightly lowering their heads to express their respect.

Because this was Star Luo Imperial City.

The place where imperial power was at its strongest.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Dai Yao arrived at his destination.

The Spirit Hall in Star Luo Imperial City.

"What an imposing place." Dai Yao sighed in admiration.

The Spirit Hall in the imperial city not only occupied a vast area, but had also been built with an elegant and solemn style. Even after ten thousand years, it still looked as good as new.

For the Spirit Hall to possess such a huge building in Star Luo Imperial City, it was clear just how terrifying its power was.

Patting Zhu Zhuqing, who was still in a state of shock, he said, "Let's go. Let's head inside."

Spirit Hall, the most powerful force in the original story.

Of the three deities, both the Angel God and the Rakshasa God had come from this place.

During his nine years in the Star Luo Empire, the entire world had been gray and unbearably oppressive to Dai Yao.

He had once thought about fleeing this land of trouble, like Dai Mubai.

But the Empress's powerful influence had extinguished that idea.

Dai Mubai was the Empress's son. If not for the Empress's efforts, he probably wouldn't have found it so easy to flee the Star Luo Empire.

If he left the imperial city without the protection of the Council of Elders, the Empress certainly wouldn't let such an opportunity pass.

But now, Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul had mutated, and she could no longer stay in the Academy.

Dai Yao had to leave the Star Luo Empire.

There were the forces of the two princes, Dai Weisi and Dai Yaming; the power of the Zhu Family represented by the Empress; the imperial power represented by the Star Luo Emperor; and the Council of Elders representing the various families.

With so many forces intertwined, and the two princes and the Empress hating him to the bone, leaving would be anything but easy for Dai Yao.

Now, the only force capable of breaking this deadlock was Spirit Hall.

An old man stopped the two of them. When he saw the clothing Dai Yao was wearing, he was shocked.

"Are you two members of the Imperial Family?" the old man asked uncertainly.

After all, in the Star Luo Empire, Spirit Hall's relationship with the Imperial Family was far from good. Especially during the period when the Star Luo Empire had cooperated with the Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall had been practically unable to take a single step in the imperial city, suppressed completely by the Clear Sky Sect.

Thus, the Imperial Family and Spirit Hall had always kept out of each other's affairs and never interacted.

For someone suspected to be a member of the Star Luo Imperial Family to come to Spirit Hall was undoubtedly a major event.

"Indeed. Dai Yao, Fourth Prince."

Dai Yao answered.