Balu City lay on the border between the Spirit Hall Empire and the Far North.
Here, there were no laws of the Spirit Hall Empire and no rules of the sects—only the law of the jungle, where the strong preyed on the weak.
The city was full of Spirit Masters who had fled for their lives, wanted criminals pursued by the Spirit Hall Empire, and desperate bandits. The air was forever thick with the pungent stench of alcohol, blood, and cheap tobacco.
In the most dilapidated underground tavern in the city center, the light was dim and smoke swirled through the air. A table in the corner was tightly screened off by a curtain, shutting out all the noise and prying eyes outside.
Behind the curtain, Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun sat around the table. Several jugs of cheap ale sat before them, but none of them had touched a drop.
After escaping from the Star Dou Forest, they had headed west, running without sleep or rest for seven whole days before finally taking refuge in the chaotic city of Xilu and temporarily evading the Spirit Hall Empire's patrols.
Dai Mubai was the first to break the silence. He clenched his fists until his knuckles went white, his voice filled with barely contained frustration and unease. "Third Brother, where are we supposed to go now? The entire continent has become the Spirit Hall Empire's territory. Spirit Hall patrols are everywhere. Even if we hide here, sooner or later, we'll be found."
Though his Hell White Tiger Martial Soul had obtained the Asura God Trial, his Soul King cultivation at level fifty-eight was nothing in the face of the Spirit Hall Empire, now teeming with Titled Douluo.
Throughout their flight, he had lived in constant fear, terrified that