Xiao Xiao's Capture

Two days was neither long nor short.

But for the various powers of the Douluo Continent, every moment of those two days felt like being roasted over a fire.

The intelligence networks of the four great empires, both overt and covert, had practically turned the entire continent upside down.

The Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou Empire, Dou Ling Empire, and Sun Moon Empire—all had countless spies and informants swarming across every corner of the continent like locusts, searching for the Super Douluo known as "Wu Wei."

Yet the results were all the same: nothing.

This person seemed to have sprung out of a crack in the rocks.

Discussion among those on the continent who knew of Wu Wei grew increasingly heated.

"A Level 95 Title Douluo—how could he possibly have left no trace at all?"

"Could the Sky Screen have made him up?"

"Impossible! The Sky Screen even dared put Di Tian on display. Why would an existence like that bother inventing someone who did not exist?"

Some people began thinking more deeply. If even a Level 95 Title Douluo could hide himself so thoroughly—

Then just how many unknown experts were still concealed on this continent?

The thought sent chills down people's spines.

Sun Moon Empire, imperial palace.

Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest as his gaze rested on the still-silent Sky Screen beyond the window.

Two days had passed, yet the Sky Screen had shown no movement whatsoever.

"Your Highness."

A voice called from behind him.

Xue Chen's figure appeared soundlessly within the hall.

"Did you find anything?" Xu Tianran did not turn around.

Xue Chen bowed slightly, his voice carrying a trace of shame. "Please forgive me, Your Highness. Every agent we could deploy within the four great empires has been mobilized."

"But thus far, we have received no information."

Xu Tianran's fingers stopped in midair.

After a moment of silence, he instead smiled faintly, as though he had figured something out.

"A Level 95 Title Douluo who had hidden on the continent for so long, hidden so deeply that before this, we had not even realized he existed..."

He paused, then shook his head. "How could I possibly find him so easily?"

He turned his wheelchair to face Xue Chen. His expression had already returned to calm. "I was too impatient."

Xue Chen raised his head, surprise flashing through his eyes.

He had followed Xu Tianran for many years and knew his master's temperament well.

Ruthless, suspicious, and scheming. Yet the words "admit fault" were rarely heard from his mouth.

"Over the past two days, I have come to understand something."

"Your Highness means..." Xue Chen continued.

Xu Tianran waved a hand and looked back toward the Sky Screen. "Whether it is true or false can be set aside for now, but one thing is certain."

"If we keep devoting all our energy to searching for one person, it will undoubtedly delay the empire's plans significantly."

He gently patted the armrest of his wheelchair, his tone returning to its usual cold severity.

"Pass down the order. Continue the search, but there is no need to commit so much manpower. Keep watch, that is all."

"Yes."

Xue Chen answered and was about to withdraw when the sky beyond the hall suddenly flashed.

Both men looked up at once.

The Sky Screen, silent for two days, was slowly lighting up. Golden radiance once more spread across the entire sky, just as it had when it first appeared two days ago.

The instant the Sky Screen restarted, everyone on the Douluo Continent stopped what they were doing.

At Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, Di Tian abruptly opened his eyes, his golden dragon pupils fixed firmly upon the sky.

This concerned him directly. He could not afford to miss it.

Sun Moon Empire, Virtue Hall. Jing Hongchen put down the Soul Tool he had been debugging and walked to the window.

Ever since seeing that black cube in the Sky Screen before, he had spent the past two days consulting records of every kind of Soul Tool, but had found nothing.

On the cliffs of the Clear Sky Sect, Niu Tian and Tai Tan looked up at the same time, exchanged glances, and wore grave expressions.

"Big Brother, still no news from that person?"

Niu Tian shook his head.

In streets and alleys, tea houses and taverns, fields and farmlands, countless people craned their necks to stare at the Sky Screen lighting up once more.

"It's starting again!"

Above the heavens, the Sky Screen shone ever brighter as a new image slowly emerged.

[Within the Sky Screen, an image slowly appeared.

A desolate wilderness stretched out below. Two streaks of light tore through the sky one after the other, and the grasses and trees on the ground were bent every which way by the air currents, leaving a long trail behind them.

The view followed the two streaks as they flew across plains and over hills before finally descending into a dense forest.

Di Tian stood with his hands behind his back, still in human form. Beside him, Wu Wei had someone slung over his shoulder.

The person had a mess of long green hair and wore a Shrek Academy uniform. She struggled desperately, yet no matter what she did, she could not break free.]

A line of text slowly appeared beneath the Sky Screen.

[Xiao Xiao, disciple of Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi]

Outside the Sky Screen, Shrek Academy, Freshman Soul Fighting Arena.

The crowd, which had been buzzing with conversation because of the Sky Screen's restart, fell silent in unison the moment they saw the image.

Then everyone's gaze turned in the same direction.

Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao stood amid the crowd. The surrounding students moved aside one after another, their gazes shifting back and forth between the three of them and the Sky Screen.

"Isn't that Xiao Xiao?!"

"It really is her! That green hair—there's no mistaking it!"

"How was she... captured by Di Tian and that human traitor?!"

Voices rose and fell around them. Many recognized the girl who had recently shone so brilliantly in the freshman soul fighting competition.

Her long green hair was far too conspicuous. Moreover, the team she formed with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had fought their way through the competition over the past two days, defeating quite a few freshman teams.

As a result, she was already quite famous among the freshmen.

At that moment, the crowd's eyes held shock, sympathy, and fear.

Xiao Xiao stood rooted to the spot, looking up at the figure slung over Wu Wei's shoulder in the Sky Screen. Her body trembled slightly.

That long green hair, that familiar face, and the Shrek uniform—it was clearly her, only a few years older.

According to the Sky Screen, this was merely a future that had not yet happened.

But that only made it more frightening.

One was Di Tian, the Beast God and the number one Ferocious Beast on the continent. The other was a Super Douluo who dared negotiate with the Beast God and could even block the Dragon God Claw.

If she fell into the hands of those two in the future, would she still be alive?

Xiao Xiao's mind went blank, and her face turned pale.

"Xiao Xiao?"

Huo Yuhao noticed something was wrong and hurriedly asked in a low voice,

"Th-that person... is that you? Or do you have an older sister with the same name?"

Xiao Xiao bit her lip and shook her head, her voice trembling. "I... I don't have an older sister."

In other words, the person in the Sky Screen was her.

Seeing this, Wang Dong took a quick step to Xiao Xiao's side, reached out and patted her shoulder, then said firmly,

"Don't be afraid! No matter who they are, we'll protect you!"

Huo Yuhao nodded repeatedly as well. Though he was just as uncertain inside, he still said forcefully, "Right! We're here!"

Xiao Xiao forced out a smile and gave the two of them a grateful look.

But her gaze soon returned to the Sky Screen, and her expression remained extremely tense.

A Beast God and a Super Douluo... could they really protect her just by saying so?

How could that be possible?