Vago Rock Emperor!

"Do you know that Mr. Zhongli is a guest official of my mansion?!"

"Mr. Zhongli's learning is beyond compare. He's a rare talent who appears once in a thousand years."

"Of my mansion" was a form of self-reference generally used by an Empress or Crown Prince.

A Crown Prince resided in the Eastern Palace and could refer to himself that way or call himself "I" in the princely fashion.

Xue Qinghe's face darkened. She had only just recruited Zhongli as a guest official of the Crown Prince's Mansion, and someone had already come knocking to humiliate him!

They weren't slapping Zhongli in the face. They were slapping her, "Xue Qinghe," in the face!

If anything happened to Zhongli, wouldn't her circle of advisers be destroyed before it even got started?

As she had said, Zhongli was a rare talent who appeared once in a thousand—perhaps even ten thousand—years.

Heaven had granted him wisdom and a mutated Martial Soul, but not Innate Soul Power. Perhaps heaven was jealous of his gifts.

"Who are you? Who sent you to harm Mr. Zhongli?!"

Xue Qinghe's expression hardened, and a flash of murderous intent crossed her eyes.

The Shrek group was dumbfounded.

No way. Was this useless man really that important?

The Crown Prince cared about him that much?

Ning Rongrong, in particular, was utterly bewildered.

She had met Xue Qinghe before. He was just like her father, Ning Fengzhi: refined and gentle with everyone.

He was an exceptionally wise Crown Prince.

She had never even heard a rumor of the Crown Prince losing his temper.

Yet for the sake of a useless man with no Soul Power, he was angry!

Flender and the others' eyes twitched. They had only just arrived in Heaven Dou City, and they had offended both the Heaven Dou Fourth Prince and the Heaven Dou Crown Prince.

The Fourth Prince, when it came down to it, was merely a spoiled wastrel with no real power.

He could only rely on the influence of his uncle, Xue Xing.

But the Crown Prince was different!

He was the future Heaven Dou Emperor, and he already wielded considerable power!

"Damn it. Xiao Bai really picked the wrong person to mess with this time."

Zhao Wuji muttered, his expression grim.

Shrek Academy had a tradition of bullying the weak, fearing the strong, and protecting its own. That was fairly normal.

After all, in a fantasy world, anyone who didn't pick their battles might die without knowing how.

Zhao Wuji and the others didn't think Dai Mubai had done anything wrong. He had simply provoked someone he shouldn't have.

"Hey, you! Crown Prince or whatever!"

Just then, a young woman around five-foot-seven stepped forward. Her legs made up two-thirds of her height.

She had a pretty face, but her manner was arrogant and overbearing...

That was only natural. She had been spoiled.

The Sky Azure Bull Python, the Titan Giant Ape, and Tang San had all indulged Xiao Wu without ever guiding her properly. That was how she had developed such an overbearing personality.

"Is that useless Zhongli, who doesn't have any Soul Power, really worth defending like this?"

"He can't compare to my Third Brother. His wisdom is unmatched, and he's pure and noble."

"Not that my Third Brother would want your guest official position anyway!"

Tang San parted his lips, then thought better of speaking.

Xiao Wu had spoken the "honest truth." Though his wisdom was unmatched, he had no desire to get involved with the Royal Family.

"Honestly..."

Tang San rubbed his nose. Why couldn't Xiao Wu keep a lower profile?

"Hmph!"

"What did you say, you rabbit?!"

Paimon planted her hands on her hips and shouted angrily at Xiao Wu.

"Zhongli isn't useless!"

"Apart from always freeloading, he has so many good qualities I could spend three days listing them!"

Xiao Wu didn't hear a word Paimon said after the first part.

All she heard was that one word.

"You rabbit..."

Rabbit!

Impossible. Absolutely impossible!

It's a coincidence. It has to be!

How could this little creature, with no Soul Power to help her, see my true form?

There's no way!

Right, it must be my rabbit-ear hair accessory. That's why she mistook me for a rabbit.

Even if she guessed right, I can just pretend I didn't hear her, so long as I don't admit it.

"Oh? This little thing even knows how to defend her master."

"He's not my master!"

"You're all awful!"

Paimon stamped her foot. Unable to do anything else, she could only stew in her anger.

Seeing this, Zhongli's eyes flashed with an earthen-yellow light.

After more than six thousand years, he had long since learned to remain unruffled. He could ignore the provocations of ants.

But he shared one weakness with the Shrek group!

He protected his own!

He could disregard an ant's provocation against him.

But Paimon had come with him to Douluo Continent, and she was bound to him by contract.

"Zhongli, they're bullying me!"

Paimon returned to Zhongli's side in a huff and complained to him.

Zhongli said nothing. Xue Qinghe was about to speak when he stepped forward, and earthen-yellow light erupted around him!

Xue Qinghe and Zhu Zhuqing froze. That feels so familiar!

Golden light flickered in his amber eyes, and an overwhelmingly powerful pressure burst from his body.

What?!

Wait. Something's wrong!

Wasn't he useless—

Vago Rock Emperor!

That power, the feel of that pressure, was all too familiar!

It belonged to the figure they had so often dreamed of at night.

Xue Qinghe was stunned. She had searched everywhere for him, only to find him where she least expected.

It's him. It's definitely him!

Xue Qinghe trembled from head to toe, gripped by fear, excitement, and something she could not quite name.

As though something had occurred to him, Zhongli paused. When he took another step, his appearance changed completely.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.

Nine conventional "Soul Rings" slowly rose from beneath his feet, while a pair of earthen-yellow dragon horns appeared on his head.

Boom...

Horror filled everyone's eyes, and they instinctively took several steps back.

"Ti—"

"A Titled Douluo!"

"No, he's a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!"

Flender and the others trembled all over. Cold sweat ran down their foreheads, and their backs were soaked.

Paimon: "???"

Paimon stared at Zhongli in confusion, her little eyes full of enormous questions.

Since when did Zhongli have those rings too?

Paimon loved to talk, but she knew to conveniently forget things she shouldn't say.

Like Zhongli's true identity.

When introducing him to others, she always called him Zhongli: ordinary, unremarkable Zhongli.

Not Morax, who had brought an era to an end, nor the Vago Rock Emperor who protected Liyue.

"Huh?"

Qian Renxue and Zhu Zhuqing were just as confused. Neither remembered the Vago Rock Emperor having Soul Rings.

What was going on?

Of course, Zhongli was now someone they had to take seriously. He was an extraordinarily powerful "Titled Douluo"!

Judging by his appearance after Martial Soul Possession, his Martial Soul had to be a dragon!

And he was a Titled Douluo with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring...

The group shook with fear, especially Dai Mubai. His face had gone deathly pale, and his eyes were vacant.

He had only just provoked Dugu Bo. Now he had run into Zhongli, who was far stronger than Dugu Bo...