Evil Tiger Breaks the Seal, the Patrol Team Arrives

After the pained, unwilling muffled groan from the underground secret chamber, everything returned to dead silence. Yet a deeper, more dangerous undercurrent began to stir quietly beneath Nuoding Academy.

Yue Guan's figure drifted silently back behind Yang Yu like an orchid tainted by the scent of blood. The bewitching smile on his face carried a lingering trace of cruelty.

"Your Highness, it's quiet for now. That brat's Evil Technique is rather strange. His desire to devour is extremely strong; it nearly backlashed against my Soul Power. It took some effort, but... he won't die." Yue Guan's voice carried an almost imperceptible gravity. "But the power inside him is becoming increasingly wrong. It's exceedingly sinister, nothing like a righteous path."

"A righteous path?" Yang Yu sneered, his gaze still fixed on the lights gradually brightening across Nuoding City outside the window. "How can power be righteous or evil? If it can be used, then it is good power. Keep a close watch on him. Don't let him really die. I want to see what he can turn himself into."

"Yes." Yue Guan bowed, then added, "Also, we have just received a highest-priority transmission from Spirit Hall. In three days, a joint Patrol Team led by Ghost Leopard Douluo Gu Rong and Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi will arrive in Nuoding City for the annual inspection and... a focused investigation into the Dai Mubai incident and your safety, Your Highness the Holy Son."

Ghost Leopard Douluo Gu Rong? Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi?

A flicker of understanding passed through Yang Yu's eyes. Gu Rong was a direct subordinate of Empress Bibi Dong, ruthless and responsible for handling dark affairs. Tuoba Xi, meanwhile, belonged to Elder Hall. Rigid by nature and loyal to the old order, he had always been dissatisfied with Bibi Dong and Yang Yu, the Holy Son who had descended from nowhere. Sending these two utterly different men together suggested both protection and investigation—but more likely, Elder Hall intended to use this opportunity to exert pressure and test him.

"Looks like turning Dai Mubai into a cripple still made those old fools from Star Luo Empire restless. They actually managed to persuade those old fossils in Elder Hall to step in." Yang Yu's tone was calm, betraying neither joy nor anger. "Fine. It will give certain people a chance to see things for themselves."

He paused before adding, "Suppress the news for now. Especially from the one downstairs. Don't let him catch wind of it."

"Understood." Yue Guan nodded, his figure slowly melting into the shadows.

The news of the Patrol Team was like another massive boulder thrown into waters already churning with hidden currents. Yet Yang Yu could sense that the struggle between the powers involved was far more complicated than it appeared. Pressure from the Star Luo Imperial Family? A test from Elder Hall? Or was Bibi Dong using someone else's knife to kill, wanting to see how he would handle it?

A cold curve formed at the corner of his mouth. Come, then. This was the perfect opportunity to knock some sense into certain restless people and... let that dangerous chess piece serve a purpose.

Three days passed swiftly beneath the oppressive tension of an approaching storm.

Ning Rongrong became even quieter and gloomier. She barely left her room, where more and more blueprints and calculation drafts piled up. The coldness and obsession in her eyes had nearly become tangible. She seemed to be planning something, a desperate madness brewing in the depths of her gaze.

Zhu Zhuqing had thoroughly stabilized her Soul Power at level thirty-three. Her command of Netherworld Soul Devouring Slash had become astonishingly refined, and her aura grew colder and more dangerous by the day. She was indifferent to the approaching Patrol Team, devoting all her attention to increasing her strength.

Shui Bing'er, however, felt every day stretch into a year. The energy inside Xiao Wu was growing more unstable, and the intervals between its eruptions were becoming shorter. Every episode forced her to exhaust herself just to barely suppress it. Her Soul Power was nearly depleted, her face frighteningly pale, and the string in her heart had been pulled taut to the limit. The news of the Patrol Team only made her more anxious. If they were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As for Tang San in the underground secret chamber, after Yue Guan's "reassurance," he fell into a brief silence. But beneath that deathly stillness, even more turbulent evil Soul Power was breeding frantically. The purple-black patterns over his body grew deeper, slowly writhing like living things. In his hollow, ash-gray eyes, the sickly green evil light became brighter and brighter. His reason was being devoured bit by bit by the backlash of his technique and endless hatred. He was like a wounded venomous beast forcibly suppressed at death's door, licking its wounds in the darkness and gathering strength for an even more terrifying eruption.

On the third day, at dusk.

The setting sun cast Nuoding City in an ominous blood-red glow.

Deep within the enormous underground fissure on the academy's rear mountain, where the Dark Demon Evil Tiger had once been trapped, space suddenly twisted strangely beside the giant tiger's long-dead corpse!

A tiny, nearly invisible purple-black crack appeared soundlessly in the air. From within it seeped an incomparably pure aura of darkness and evil, even denser and more ancient than the Dark Demon Evil Tiger's aura when it had been alive!

Then, a viscous drop of blood, like a black-purple gemstone, slowly seeped out from the crack and fell onto the Dark Demon Evil Tiger's cold forehead.

Sizzle—

It was like cold water falling into boiling oil! That drop of blood instantly merged into the tiger's corpse!

The next instant!

The Dark Demon Evil Tiger's massive dead body suddenly began to convulse violently! Its previously dim golden-silver demonic eyes snapped open. The savagery they had once held was gone, replaced by a deeper, craftier, more evil light! Its shattered eyeballs rapidly healed, the wounds across its body closed at a visible speed, and an aura far more powerful and colder than before erupted explosively!

It had actually returned from the dead! No—it had been temporarily granted the ability to move by some higher dark existence using its corpse!

Roar—

A deep tiger roar filled with sinister, seductive power rang out from the depths underground, piercing through the rock and echoing far into the distance!

This tiger roar was utterly different from when it had been alive. It contained an eerie power that struck directly at the soul!

Inside the dormitory building.

Shui Bing'er, who was doing everything she could to suppress the energy within Xiao Wu, suddenly stiffened! The tiger roar seemed to carry a peculiar magic that caused her mind to lapse into a brief daze, and the ice-attributed Soul Power within her instantly fell into disarray!

Not good! Horror surged through her as she hurriedly steadied her mind, but it was already too late!

Xiao Wu, already on the verge of collapse, was struck by the external, eerie tiger roar. With the energy inside her losing control in that instant, she could no longer maintain the balance!

Boom!!!

A seven-colored Spirit Qi energy far more violent than any previous eruption burst completely from Xiao Wu's body like a volcano that had been building pressure for ten thousand years!

The terrifying seven-colored pillar of light instantly smashed through every ice-sealing barrier Shui Bing'er had erected and shot into the sky! It tore a massive hole straight through the dormitory roof! Dazzling seven-colored radiance and vast, endless Spirit Qi surged forth like a lighthouse in the night, instantly illuminating the skies above all of Nuoding City!

Pfft—! Shui Bing'er bore the brunt of the destructive energy as it slammed brutally into her chest. Blood sprayed wildly from her mouth, and she was hurled backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the wall. Her vision went dark, and she nearly fainted.

The room was in ruins. Xiao Wu's body floated in midair, completely enveloped by dense seven-colored light that formed a huge cocoon of radiance. Terrifying energy ripples spread outward in waves! The aura of the Immortal Herb could no longer be concealed!

Almost at the exact same moment!

Tang San, bound in chains within the underground secret chamber, suddenly raised his head! The sickly green evil light in his ash-gray eyes instantly flared!

The soul-piercing sinister tiger roar and the incomparably pure Spirit Qi erupting above were like the most powerful catalyst, completely igniting all the accumulated evil Soul Power and devouring desire within him!

"Power! It's mine!"

He let out a hoarse roar that sounded inhuman. The purple-black patterns across his body writhed madly like venomous snakes come alive! Vast evil Soul Power erupted explosively!

Crack! Crack!

The thick Soul Locking Chains were instantly corroded and snapped apart! The obsidian walls were blasted with countless cracks by the violent energy!

Tang San violently broke free of every restraint! Wrapped in dense purple-black evil energy, he looked like a vicious ghost crawling out of hell. Filled with boundless greed and the desire for destruction, he smashed through the ceiling of the secret chamber and lunged toward the source of that Spirit Qi above—the room where Xiao Wu was!

At this moment, the evil tiger broke free, the Immortal Herb erupted, and the Evil Cultist shattered his seal!

Every crisis was completely ignited at once!

The enormous commotion had already alerted everyone!

Zhu Zhuqing was the first to rush from her room. When she saw the seven-colored pillar of light shooting into the heavens and the terrifying evil energy bursting through the roof, her cold expression changed sharply! She instantly activated Martial Soul Possession and was about to charge toward Xiao Wu's room!

Ning Rongrong also pushed open her door. Looking at the scene before her, her little face was filled with shock and a strange hint of excitement, though more than anything, it held cold calculation.

Yang Yu appeared at the end of the corridor. His gaze swept over the cocoon of light in the small room, Tang San bursting through the roof, the heavily injured Shui Bing'er, and the sinister tiger roar faintly echoing from the distant underground. His eyes were deep as an abyss.

Everything had unfolded according to the worst scenario he had anticipated.

Even... better than expected.

He did not immediately step in to stop it. Instead, he seemed to be enjoying a carefully arranged play.

"Zhuqing," he said calmly.

Zhu Zhuqing paused and looked toward him.

"Stop him." Yang Yu pointed at Tang San, who was lunging toward the cocoon of light, his entire body wreathed in evil energy. "Don't let him touch that cocoon. But make it look 'evenly matched.'"

Zhu Zhuqing instantly understood Yang Yu's meaning. She had to stop Tang San, but she could not stop him too easily. She had to make it seem like she was barely holding him back. Though she did not understand why His Highness had arranged it this way, she did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Yes!"

The Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul erupted! The Third Spirit Ring lit up! Netherworld Soul Devouring Slash, streaked with silver-black lightning, cleaved precisely toward the charging Tang San!

"Get lost!" Tang San let out a hoarse roar as purple-black evil Soul Power formed a giant claw that viciously swiped at Zhu Zhuqing! The two collided fiercely in midair!

Sinister Soul Power and Netherworld lightning intertwined wildly, annihilating each other! Explosions rang out without end! They were actually evenly matched! Tang San's Evil Technique was strange and tyrannical, with an extremely powerful devouring force! Yet Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Soul Devouring Slash carried soul damage, which happened to counter him to some extent!

The aftermath of their battle reduced the already devastated corridor to even greater ruin!

Ning Rongrong hid by the doorway, watching the chaotic battle beyond imagination and the seven-colored cocoon of light emitting an alluring aura. Her eyes flickered uncertainly, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Shui Bing'er struggled to get up, but her injuries were too severe. She spat out another mouthful of blood and could only watch helplessly as energy continuously leaked from the cocoon Xiao Wu had become, panic burning in her heart.

Then, at that moment.

Several incomparably powerful sounds of rushing wind came from the distant night sky beyond the academy! A terrifying pressure rapidly descended like dark clouds!

"Impudent! Who dares cause trouble in Nuoding City!" A thunderous roar rolled over, filled with majesty and rage!

Another, colder voice followed, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. "What dense Spirit Qi... and this evil Soul Power fluctuation as well... it seems we arrived at precisely the right time!"

Amid flashing light, several figures appeared above the academy!

The leading pair consisted of a tall, gaunt man in a pitch-black cloak. His face was sinister, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and his aura resembled a leopard concealed within the shadows. He was Ghost Leopard Douluo Gu Rong!

The other was broad and powerfully built, dressed in magnificent gold-white armor. His expression was arrogant, his golden hair like a lion's mane, and a blazing, majestic aura of light surrounded him. Yet unlike the holiness of the Angel Martial Soul, it leaned more toward domineering Dragon Might. He was Holy Dragon Douluo Tuoba Xi!

Behind them followed more than ten Soul Masters dressed in the uniforms of Spirit Hall elites, the weakest among them already at the Soul Emperor rank!

Spirit Hall's Patrol Team had actually arrived at this very moment!

Gu Rong's cold gaze instantly locked onto the seven-colored pillar of light shooting up from below and Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San, who were locked in fierce combat. Shock and greed flashed through his eyes! An Immortal Grade Herb?! And those two young Soul Masters—one possessed evil, strange Soul Power, while the other had a rare top-tier darkness Martial Soul and such a powerful soul skill?!

Tuoba Xi, on the other hand, frowned deeply. His gaze swept over the academy in ruins before finally falling on Tang San, who was wrapped in evil energy. Disgust flashed through his eyes. "Evil Soul Power? So it truly is the work of an Evil Soul Master! To dare attack the Holy Son's residence! Take him down!"

The Patrol Team's sudden arrival instantly brought the already chaotic situation to its peak!

Zhu Zhuqing and Tang San's battle involuntarily slowed.

Ning Rongrong shrank back into her room in fright.

Shui Bing'er's face turned ashen.

Yang Yu watched the two Titled Douluo in the sky and the elites behind them, then looked at the chaotic battlefield below and the dazzling seven-colored cocoon of light. The cold curve at the corner of his mouth finally rose slowly.

The audience had all arrived.

It was time for the show to begin.

He took one step forward, appearing amid the ruins of the corridor. Facing the two Douluo in the sky, his calm voice clearly carried across the entire scene.

"Elder Gu, Elder Tuoba, you arrived at just the right time."

"An Evil Soul Master and a soul beast have colluded here, intending to seize an Exotic Treasure and disturb the Imperial Presence. They have already been intercepted by my guards."

"I ask that the two elders... assist me in eliminating these petty threats and protecting the peace of this place."

With those words, he branded Tang San an Evil Soul Master, attributed the disturbance Xiao Wu had caused to a "soul beast Exotic Treasure," and cleanly removed himself from the matter, instead making himself the one who needed protection.

Gu Rong and Tuoba Xi's gazes instantly focused on Yang Yu, their expressions each different.

Hearing this, Tang San let out an incomparably furious roar, and the evil energy around him grew even stronger!

Zhu Zhuqing, following Yang Yu's instruction, intensified her attacks and firmly entangled him.

Deep underground, that sinister tiger roar faintly echoed once more, filled with provocation and temptation...

The situation instantly became incomparably delicate and complicated.

Everyone's eyes focused on the black-clad youth standing calmly amid the ruins.

The eye of the storm had formed.