Evil Emperor

The Wordless Heavenly Book guarded Xue Yuheng's Spirit Sea. Even the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's Eye of Destiny had failed to glimpse the memories of his past life buried deep within him.

And this gray-robed youth before him could see straight through his thoughts?

It was...

Xue Yuheng's heart pounded. A name surfaced in his mind, beyond his control.

The second-ranked Ferocious Beast on the Douluo Continent, with a cultivation of 790,000 years.

The Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler.

Why was it here?

"It's a novel, written by someone I admire. It's roughly about a Child of Destiny who overcomes countless trials and eventually becomes a god." Xue Yuheng suppressed the turmoil in his heart and tried to keep his voice calm.

The gray-robed youth tilted his head. His black eyes held no emotion as they stared straight at Xue Yuheng. "Are you the main character?"

"I'm not the main character."

Xue Yuheng shook his head.

The real main character should be suffering at the White Tiger Duke Mansion right now.

The Evil Emperor didn't press him about the novel. Its gaze fell on Xue Yuheng's brow, where a power that struck it as unusual resided.

"You possess a God-Level Martial Soul?"

A God-Level Martial Soul?

Xue Yuheng's heart tightened.

Had it come for the Wordless Heavenly Book?

He had always kept his strength hidden and had never set foot in the Sun Moon Empire, all to avoid drawing the attention of the Holy Spirit Cult and the Sun Moon Imperial Family.

Despite all his precautions, he had never expected to attract this being.

"I think so." Xue Yuheng nodded slowly.

"Then I came to the right place." The Evil Emperor's face remained expressionless. "Come. I'll take you to the Evil Demon Forest."

Xue Yuheng opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't ask, "Can I stay here?"

He had no right to refuse.

The instant the Evil Emperor entered this black-and-white world, Xue Yuheng had clearly felt himself lose all contact with the Moon Shadow Squad hidden in his shadow.

That cold, overwhelming spiritual power spread like an invisible net over the entire rooftop, forcibly pinning the seven women of the Moon Shadow Squad inside the shadow space.

Without his greatest trump card, he was no different from an unarmed ordinary person before the Evil Emperor.

He had accounted for everything, but something had still gone wrong.

Xue Yuheng's mind raced.

Xiao Xiao, Xue Qingwu, Nan Qiuqiu, Wu Ming, Xu Jinrou, Yu Wanwan, Yu Mengdi, Tang Ya...

Which step had given him away?

Before he could figure it out, the Evil Emperor had already reached out.

Black-and-white light instantly enveloped Xue Yuheng.

The next moment, the two of them vanished from the rooftop.

The Evil Emperor moved at an unimaginable speed.

The black-and-white domain around it expanded without pause. Everything it passed lost its color, reduced to stark black and white. They swept past mountains and rivers, racing all the way toward the Sun Moon Empire.

Along the way, Xue Yuheng spotted more than a dozen figures concealed in the darkness.

Some lurked deep in the woods, some perched atop mountain peaks, and some even mingled among the people in human towns.

Every one of them radiated the distinctive aura of the Evil Eye Clan, and even the weakest had cultivated for more than ten thousand years.

These were the "eyes" the Evil Emperor had spread across the Douluo Continent.

Xue Yuheng's heart sank.

It seemed the Evil Emperor hadn't encountered him by chance at all. It had been searching for him deliberately.

A God-Level Martial Soul... Did it intend to possess me?

The thought sent a chill down Xue Yuheng's spine.

He didn't know how much time had passed before the black-and-white domain finally dissipated.

The moment Xue Yuheng landed, he found himself before a vast black forest that blotted out the sky. Its twisted, gnarled branches resembled the claws of demons.

The sky was perpetually gray, and not a single ray of sunlight could pierce through.

This was the Evil Demon Forest, one of the most infamous forbidden zones of life on the Douluo Continent.

The Evil Emperor said nothing, leading him straight toward the forest's depths.

After passing through layer upon layer of black trees, they came upon a massive underground cavern.

Countless strange eye patterns were carved into the entrance. Each eye seemed alive, staring fixedly at the intruders.

Inside, the cavern opened into a vast space.

An immense temple stood at its center.

The entire temple was built from black crystal, and faint purple soul flames flowed across its walls.

Countless transparent souls circled above it, whispering in hushed voices.

The air was thick with a sacred aura of souls, so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

This place looked nothing like a Soul Beast's lair. It seemed more like the abode of an ancient god.

The Evil Emperor walked to the black altar in the center of the temple and knelt on one knee. Its usually indifferent expression turned deeply respectful, almost reverent.

"My lord, I've brought you the vessel you asked for."

As soon as the words fell,

the entire temple began to tremble violently.

The purple soul flames on the walls danced wildly, and the souls circling overhead let out piercing shrieks.

An ancient, boundless presence slowly stirred deep within the altar.

It was a soul pressure that stood above all else. Before this presence, even the Evil Emperor, a 790,000-year-old Ferocious Beast, seemed utterly insignificant.

A gentle, ethereal female voice echoed throughout the temple.

"You've brought the wrong person."

The Evil Emperor abruptly raised its head. For the first time, a bewildered expression appeared on its face. "?"

Xue Yuheng stood to the side, just as bewildered. "?"

At the same time, at Tianzheng Academy.

A full day had passed since Xue Yuheng disappeared.

Xiao Xiao, Xue Qingwu, and Yu Mengdi had turned the entire academy upside down. They had searched every corner of the boys' dormitory, too, but couldn't find even a trace of Xue Yuheng.

He had vanished into thin air.

In a discreet hotel room in Tianxing City,

the lights were dim.

The Moon Shadow Squad's captain, Yue Xiaoyu, knelt on one knee with her head bowed low, her voice full of guilt.

"This subordinate deserves to die. A terrifyingly powerful spiritual force appeared without warning, and all seven of us were pinned inside the shadow space. We couldn't move at all.

"By the time we broke free, Your Highness was already gone."

Behind her, the other six women of the Moon Shadow Squad knelt on one knee as well, their faces filled with remorse.

They were Xue Yuheng's most loyal guards, yet they hadn't even been able to protect his safety.

The atmosphere in the room was so stifling it was hard to breathe.

Xiao Xiao sat on the sofa, her face pale. She hadn't cried or blamed anyone. She simply gazed silently out at the night.

Xue Qingwu stood by the window, her icy-blue eyes filled with cold fury.

Yu Mengdi sat off to the side, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly, Xiao Xiao lifted her head.

"Senior Yu, bring me a map of the continent."

Yu Mengdi froze for a moment, then hurriedly took a detailed map of the continent from her Storage Ring and spread it across the table.

Xiao Xiao walked over to the map and slowly traced her finger across it.

Spiritual power capable of suppressing a Limit Douluo in an instant...

There might be only one person on the entire Douluo Continent powerful enough to do that.

Her finger finally stopped in the southwestern part of the Sun Moon Empire, over an area marked in black.

The Evil Demon Forest.

"Why would that being take Your Highness?" Yue Xiaoyu looked up and asked, baffled.

Xiao Xiao said nothing.

The difference between Xiao Xue and an ordinary Soul Master was that he possessed

a God-Level Martial Soul...

Xiao Xiao felt as if she had grasped a vital clue, but it remained frustratingly unclear.

Xue Qingwu came to stand beside her and stared at the Evil Demon Forest on the map, her brows tightly knitted. "If it really is the Evil Emperor... this won't be easy."

The Two Emperors of Ice and Snow, the top fighters of the Far North, had both disappeared.

There weren't many forces left on the Douluo Continent capable of standing against the Evil Emperor head-on.

Xiao Xiao took a deep breath and raised her head, her gaze turning resolute.

"Whoever it is, wherever they've taken Xiao Xue..."

"I'll bring Xiao Xue back."

"Let's go. To the Evil Demon Forest!"