Douluo: I, Unrivaled Thief, Explosive King Returns to His Place

Just then, the lights over the arena suddenly blazed to life, and the host announced that the five-person team soul battle was about to begin.

Dugu Bo withdrew his hand, his tone turning solemn. "Once the match is over, leave Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Your grandfather has backing now. I don't need you to keep worrying about me."

Dugu Yan looked at her grandfather's kindly face, and tears finally spilled from her eyes.

Years of pretense crumbled away in that instant. Like a child, she threw herself into the old man's embrace.

At that moment, the host's voice also rang out from the arena.

"Match Seven, team soul battle! The competing sides are the Evil Thieves Team and the Imperial Dou Team! Contestants, enter the arena!"

Villainous Thieves Team vs. Imperial Dou Team (Part One)

On the central arena of the Great Soul Arena, dazzling spotlights suddenly lit up.

"Now, allow me to grandly introduce both competing teams to our distinguished guests!" The host's impassioned voice echoed through the entire venue.

With a sweep of his right hand, the lights on the left fell precisely upon five upright figures.

"The Imperial Dou Team, elites from Heaven Dou Royal Academy! Captain: Yu Tianheng, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! Team members: brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo, Martial Souls: Mysterious Turtles; Yu Feng, Martial Soul: Wind Chime Bird; and Ye Lingling, Martial Soul: Nine Heart Begonia!"

The audience instantly erupted, discussions rising one after another.

"What? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the number-one Beast Martial Soul in the world?! Aren't they direct descendants of the Upper Three Sects?!"

"Why would the Imperial Dou Team come to a little place like ours? Isn't this just blatant bullying?!"

Hearing the audience's discussion, Yu Tianheng and the others unconsciously curled their lips upward.

After all, even at the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City, the Imperial Dou Team was still a powerful team with few rivals.

"Hmph, Dugu Bo, I'll make you understand that only I am worthy of Yan Yan! The person you keep talking about is nothing but a coward who doesn't even dare face me!"

Yu Tianheng clenched both fists, his gaze fixed like lightning on the figures opposite him.

The Shi Mo brothers and Yu Feng stood firmly behind him, clearly regarding him as their leader.

Ye Lingling stood behind the four with an indifferent expression, showing no emotion.

Seeing that the moment was right, the host raised his hand. The lights on the right immediately came on.

"Their opponents, the Villainous Thieves Team!" He deliberately drew out the words. "Captain: Rebel Son, Martial Soul: Golden Dart King; team member: Thief Father, Martial Soul: Sea Shark King; Shifty-eyed Thief, Martial Soul: Demon Motion King; Zhu Zhuqing, Martial Soul: Hell Spirit Cat; and Ning Rongrong, Martial Soul: Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda!"

"Whoa!" Even louder cheers and arguments erupted from the audience.

A bearded man suddenly rose to his feet and shouted, "Those bastards who made me lose money are finally running into a wall! Imperial Dou Team, teach them a brutal lesson for me!"

The bespectacled merchant beside him immediately retorted, "Lost money? That's because you're shortsighted. Who else can you blame?! The Villainous Thieves Team is still Suotuo City's team, so how can you cheer for the Imperial Dou Team?!"

The young soul masters also stood on opposing sides, arguing until their faces turned red.

"The Imperial Dou Team are elites from Heaven Dou Royal Academy. The Villainous Thieves Team can only throw their weight around in Suotuo City!"

"Bullshit! Have you forgotten how Rebel Son beat the shit out of you, then beat you back into it? And you still have the nerve to mock them? Are you even worthy?!"

Seeing things heading in an uncontrollable direction, the host had no choice but to raise his voice over the commotion.

"Contestants, prepare yourselves!"

"The match—"

The host raised his right hand high, then slashed it down beneath the gaze of the entire audience. "Begin!"

Yet after his words fell, the anticipated fierce clash did not occur.

Yu Tianheng arrogantly stepped forward, a mocking curve on his lips. "What? Does your so-called boss, Unrivaled Thief, not even have the courage to stand before me? He sent a few worthless lackeys like you here to embarrass yourselves?"

He had expected such arrogant words to draw screams from the audience.

Instead, the previously boisterous Great Soul Arena instantly fell deathly silent. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

"Th-this kid's gone mad, hasn't he?!"

After quite a while, a trembling spectator finally broke the silence.

"Young masters from Heaven Dou City really don't know what's good for them! He actually dared provoke that God of Slaughter, that plague god!"

"You should be grateful that plague god isn't competing. He's already obtained his fourth Soul Ring—otherwise, you'd be in for a miserable end!"

Amid the discussions rising from the audience, not a single person stood on the Imperial Dou Team's side.

This bizarre reaction filled the Imperial Dou Team with confusion.

A spectator from Heaven Dou City shakily rose to his feet and shouted toward the arena.

"Young man, quit while you're ahead! Your Imperial Dou Team really is strong, but before that plague god, I'm afraid you'd only be instantly killed!"

Yu Tianheng's expression froze. The Imperial Dou Team members exchanged looks, and even Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan in the VIP room were stunned for quite some time.

The audience, which had previously been divided between the Villainous Thieves Team and the Imperial Dou Team, immediately united upon hearing the name Unrivaled Thief.

"Grandfather." Dugu Yan's voice trembled. "Is what they're saying true?"

Dugu Bo did not answer. He was equally astonished inside.

Just what had that brat Unrivaled Thief done at Suotuo City's Great Soul Arena to leave such a deep impression on the audience?!

Rebel Son picked at his ear and sneered. "Afraid? That word makes me laugh. With this little strength, you want to challenge my boss? Stop calling yourselves the Imperial Dou Team. Change your name to the Turtle Team instead!"

"You!" Yu Tianheng trembled with rage, gritting his teeth. "So unless I show you what I can do, you really think I'm a loach! Martial Soul Possession!"

The others did not dare delay and likewise activated Martial Soul Possession.

In an instant, ten beams of light shot into the sky above the arena, and all kinds of Martial Souls abruptly appeared.

Yu Tianheng's right arm completely transformed into a dragon's limb. Blue-purple scales spread to his shoulder blade, and his sharp claws even tore through the air.

"Watch me tear you apart! First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"

He stomped the ground and shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Rebel Son and the other two, intending to take on three opponents alone!

Seeing Yu Tianheng act so arrogantly, Rebel Son was so furious that he laughed. "Bold of you! You actually dare look down on us!"

"Second Brother, let me handle this."

Just as he was about to make a move, Shifty-eyed Thief beside him charged out first.

"Die!"

Facing Yu Tianheng's fierce advance, Shifty-eyed Thief sneered and brought down the Fire Cloud Blade with savage force.

Clang!

The instant the Fire Cloud Blade collided with the dragon claw, an invisible shockwave swept outward, cracking the arena floor!

Yet neither of them retreated even half a step.

"What?!" Yu Tianheng was startled when he saw his first Soul Skill blocked.

He had read the information and knew that Shifty-eyed Thief before him had two whole levels less Soul Power than he did!

Yet the other man had blocked his first Soul Skill without even using a Soul Skill himself!

Feeling the force transmitted through the Fire Cloud Blade, Shifty-eyed Thief bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "What, didn't you eat? With that little strength, why do you feel like a woman to me?"

The Fire Cloud Blade trembled, and Yu Tianheng suddenly felt an immense force strike him. His arm was uncontrollably knocked upward.

Yu Tianheng's guard opened wide, and Shifty-eyed Thief seized the opportunity to kick him flying.

"Captain!" the Shi Mo brothers cried out.

They had been expecting to watch Yu Tianheng fight three opponents by himself. Who would have thought that their captain would be the first to suffer?

"I'm fine! Don't come over!"

Yu Tianheng slid more than ten meters across the arena before stabilizing himself, his face ashen.

He had underestimated his opponent, which was why Shifty-eyed Thief had caught him off guard!

Rebel Son and Thief Father sneered in unison. "Is that all you've got? Fourth Brother, leave him to you!"

"Don't worry. He's just a loach. He can't make any waves!" Shifty-eyed Thief looked down his nose at Yu Tianheng.

"Bastard, you dare look down on me!"

Yu Tianheng's eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging across his forehead like coiling dragons.

The purple Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly burst with blinding lightning. Violent currents raced madly around him, crackling so fiercely that it made one's scalp tingle.

"Third Soul Skill, Wrath of Thunder!"

In an instant, his entire body transformed into a demonic god of lightning.

Blue-purple plasma formed a flowing suit of armor over his body. Every strand of hair stood on end, and every inch of muscle erupted with astonishing power.

The pungent smell of ozone filled the air, while tiny pebbles on the ground floated under the powerful electric field.

"Die!"

His figure flashed, leaving only an afterimage where he had stood.

The next instant, a dragon claw wrapped in thunderous force tore through the air, accompanied by a piercing explosion as it shot straight for Shifty-eyed Thief's throat.

Wherever it passed, stray lightning plowed scorched trenches across the arena floor.

A sharp gleam burst from Shifty-eyed Thief's eyes. His aura surged, and without the slightest fear, he charged forward once more.

The two figures immediately tangled together, and a rapid chorus of clanging collisions rang out across the arena.

Rebel Son and Thief Father did not remain idle. Their gazes fell upon the Imperial Dou Team's remaining members.

"Zhu Zhuqing, stay behind and protect Ning Rongrong. Leave everyone else to us!"

Before the words had even faded, Rebel Son and Thief Father charged out together.

Thunderous Ghost Whirlwind Dart!

Diamond Ice Dust Fist!

The chaotic melee began!

Villainous Thieves Team vs. Imperial Dou Team (Part Two)

Mysterious Turtle Body Protection!

The Shi Mo brothers roared, and brown light suddenly burst forth.

A solid phantom of a sturdy turtle shell instantly condensed, forcibly blocking the Thunderous Ghost Whirlwind Darts fired by Rebel Son.

Clang! Clang!

The Thunderous Ghost Whirlwind Darts burst into showers of sparks against the turtle shell's surface, their shrill scraping enough to set one's teeth on edge.

Even the floor beneath the Shi Mo brothers cracked, showing just how powerful the attack was.

"Trifling tricks!"

Shi Mo sneered, but the Shi Mo beside him suddenly warned, "Watch out!"

At some point, the brothers' feet had been frozen beneath a thick layer of ice. Frost rapidly crept up their calves, completely freezing both of their legs.

On the other side of the arena, Thief Father maintained his punching stance, diamond-like ice crystals glinting at the edge of his fist.

"Damn—"

Before Shi Mo could finish his cry, the two Ghost Spinning Darts that had been knocked away traced bizarre arcs through the air, returning with dazzling lightning.

Two more deafening explosions rang out, leaving two white marks on the turtle shell that smoked with scorch marks.

Crack! Crack!

Two sharp snapping sounds suddenly rang out as the horrifying impact blasted the brothers backward.

Their legs, violently ripped free from the ice, were instantly left bloody and mangled, dragging two scarlet trails across the arena.

Rebel Son leaped up with a vicious grin and caught the returning Ghost Spinning Darts, preparing to continue his assault.

However, just as he was about to strike again, several green wind blades descended from above with whistling cries.

Yu Feng had somehow taken to the air. His wings beat repeatedly as he unleashed wind blades at Rebel Son and Thief Father.

Faced with the surprise attack of wind blades, Rebel Son had no choice but to block them with his Ghost Spinning Darts.