Dragon Emperor Takes Action

The Sun Moon Spirit Pagoda, first floor lobby.

Huo Yuhao was sitting in a chair in the hall with his eyes closed, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, as if he were dozing off.

However, in a sudden moment, he opened his eyes wide, his gaze sharpening instantly.

His Divine Power had already covered a large area around the Spirit Pagoda, and at this moment he sensed a group of Soul Master rapidly approaching the Spirit Pagoda.

Those people moved with incredible speed, their steps chaotic and hurried, as if they were fleeing for their lives.

Huo Yuhao had already recognized the newcomers; they were from the Star Luo Imperial Soul Master Academy.

The dozen or so people rushed across the square in a panic, heading towards the gate of the Spirit Pagoda.

Just as everyone rushed to the gate of the Spirit Pagoda, the gate slowly opened, and Huo Yuhao slowly walked out.

When these people saw Huo Yuhao, the teacher leading the group, named Xu Yun, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was much older than Huo Yuhao, he dared not act like an elder in front of this young man, and his tone was filled with heartfelt respect. "Tower Master."

Huo Yuhao's gaze swept quickly over everyone, confirming that although their breathing was disordered, none of them were injured, and then he nodded.

He then asked directly, "Isn't Princess Jiujiu with you?"

Xu Yun shook his head and explained, "The princess went to meet the others, and told us to come to the Spirit Pagoda first."

Huo Yuhao didn't press further. He shifted his gaze from Xu Yun to another direction in the distance, his composure slowly fading, replaced by a somber expression.

Almost simultaneously, his voice clearly entered the minds of every member of the Spirit Pagoda: "Assemble and leave Ming Capital according to the previously planned route."

He had prepared a contingency plan before coming to participate in the competition.

Evacuation routes, rendezvous points, and backup plans were all arranged in advance, and everyone knew how to proceed.

Although Huo Yuhao did not explain the specific reason, the people inside the Spirit Pagoda were not stupid.

The sound of the explosion coming from the direction of the palace was still ringing in their ears, and many people had a vague guess that it was probably related to the incident at the palace.

But no one asked any questions; everyone immediately sprang into action, packing their belongings without the slightest delay.

Soon, everyone from the Spirit Pagoda had finished packing and came downstairs to gather in the lobby on the first floor.

Huo Yuhao was still standing in the square outside the gate, his gaze fixed on the depths of the night.

Wang Dong'er quickened her pace, weaving through the crowd, and walked to his side, slightly out of breath. She asked softly, "Are you alright?"

As soon as the words were spoken, an extremely powerful aura swept across the entire square like a whirlwind.

The oppressive force pressed down heavily, as if an invisible sky were falling, causing everyone in the square to hold their breath.

Everyone looked up, their gazes fixed on the figure that had appeared in mid-air at some unknown time.

The man hovered above the plaza, his gray-black robe motionless in the night wind, his aged yet sharp eyes looking down.

This figure had appeared at the opening ceremony of the competition, and now everyone present knew his identity.

Limit Douluo, Long Xiaoyao, the titled Dragon Emperor!

Upon seeing this person suddenly appear above the Spirit Pagoda, everyone's expression changed.

The appearance of a Limit Douluo- level being here at this time and in this manner clearly indicates ill intent.

The oppressive aura permeating the air was like a solid film of ice, clinging to everyone's skin and sending chills down their spines.

Huo Yuhao's expression also became more serious, but his voice remained steady, carrying a reassuring tone as he said, "You guys go first. With the tracking Soul Tool, I can find you."

"Yuhao!"

Wang Dong'er glanced at the figure in mid-air, then turned her gaze back to Huo Yuhao, her pinkish-blue eyes filled with worry.

Huo Yuhao turned to look at her and said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Jin Li, standing behind him, also had a serious look in her golden eyes. She stood at the front of the formation, paused for a moment looking at Huo Yuhao's back, and then shouted loudly as the team leader, "Everyone, follow me!"

Wang Dong'er also knew that with her abilities, staying here would only cause trouble.

She stood there, clenching her fist tightly. Finally, she gritted her teeth and shouted to Huo Yuhao, "I will always wait for you!"

After saying that, she didn't look back. Instead, she turned and followed the crowd, quickly disappearing into the distance.

Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and looked up at the figure hovering in mid-air.

He stood calmly with his hands behind his back, as if the person standing in front of him was not a Limit Douluo, but just an ordinary guest who had come to visit late at night.

He said calmly, "Surely you wouldn't stoop so low as to attack these juniors, would you?"

Long Xiaoyao's gaze remained fixed on Huo Yuhao, and he didn't even glance at those who had "escaped."

He was silent for a moment, then spoke, "Kid, I'm quite curious, is your composure due to some real source of confidence, or are you just putting on an act?"

Huo Yuhao smiled upon hearing this, "Confidence comes from strength, senior should understand."

Long Xiaoyao frowned slightly. With his cultivation level, he could naturally sense that Huo Yuhao's Soul Power fluctuations were roughly at the Soul Douluo level, but the composure on the young man's face did not seem like a bluff.

He couldn't quite see through his opponent's true strength, but he didn't think a Soul Douluo could escape from his grasp.

Long Xiaoyao continued, "If you surrender and come with me, you might still be able to save your life."

Although Long Xiaoyao joined the Holy Spirit Cult and became its first honorific, he was not Evil Soul Master.

His actions over the years were a result of that unforgettable relationship that led him astray.

He considered himself deeply sinful, but he was not a born evil person.

At least for now, when facing a genius junior like Huo Yuhao, he was indeed unwilling to kill him outright.

Huo Yuhao's unhurried approach to dealing with Long Xiaoyao was naturally to buy time for Wang Dong'er and the others.

Every line of dialogue, every pause, was buying those who were evacuating a little more time to catch their breath.

Upon hearing Long Xiaoyao's choice, he shook his head slightly. "I don't want to stay in the Sun Moon Empire Sect, much less visit the Holy Spirit Cult Sect."

Long Xiaoyao, unwilling to waste any more words, snorted coldly, "That's not up to you."

Before he finished speaking, he made his move.

He reached down with his right hand, the movement seemingly casual and slow, but a huge dark dragon claw appeared out of thin air.

The dragon claw was pitch black, each claw blade gleaming with a cold metallic luster, carrying a heavy aura that seemed to crush space itself, and it reached straight for Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao's expression suddenly hardened, and metallic luster rapidly shone around him as silver-white armor instantly covered his entire body.

After that, his aura suddenly surged, forcefully elevating him from the level of Soul Douluo to the strength of Titled Douluo.

Long Xiaoyao hovered in the air, watching this scene and sneered, "Boy, today I'll show you what Limit Douluo is all about."

Then, without Long Xiaoyao making any changes to his moves, the dark dragon claw continued to advance unhurriedly.

Huo Yuhao's Soul Ring lit up one after another, and Soul Skill poured out as if they were free. Various colors intertwined to form a dazzling light screen, which crashed hard into the dragon claw.

However, when this Soul Power landed on the dragon claw, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without even causing a pause.

The enormous dark dragon claw slowly closed, firmly gripping Huo Yuhao in its palm.

His body twisted and struggled within the dragon's claws, but he could not break free no matter what he did.

Finally, the dragon claw slowly retracted, bringing him up in front of Long Xiaoyao.

Long Xiaoyao looked at him and said calmly, "Boy, don't waste your energy. Although you have good talent, you will never escape from me."

After saying this, he was about to turn around and leave with Huo Yuhao.

But in that instant, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

Those aged pupils suddenly contracted, and his gaze fell on Huo Yuhao in front of him, filled with incredulous shock.