Can Tang Hao Continue to Hide, Depends on Whether I Want Him To.

At these words, not only was Duke Spirit Cat Zhu Song stunned, but even the Star Luo Emperor was taken aback.

The look of excitement on Zhu Song's face had yet to fade, freezing halfway through his expression.

The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone wasn't a false report? Could it be that the rumors His Highness had spread last night were actually using the real thing as bait?

The Star Luo Emperor's reaction was far swifter than his.

The shock on his face lasted for only a fleeting half-breath before he returned to his usual composure.

After all, he was a man who had been an emperor for decades; what great storms and waves had he not witnessed?

Yet, his eyes did not shift, his gaze locked firmly onto Dai Mobai.

"Then... where is that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?"

Meeting their gazes, Dai Mobai set his teacup back on the table without haste, then extended his right leg.

"Right here."

He tapped his right leg, his movements casual.

The eyes of the Star Luo Emperor and Zhu Song fell upon his right leg instantly.

Dai Mobai channeled his Soul Power, and a layer of blue-gold light seeped from his leg—thin as gossamer, yet as warm and lustrous as jade.

The light grew brighter, radiating from within to shroud his entire right leg in a glowing blue-gold halo.

The Star Luo Emperor's pupils constricted slightly.

Zhu Song stood up from his chair abruptly.

One a Titled Douluo and the other a Soul Douluo, their perception of Soul Power was incredibly keen.

With just a slight probe, a surge of life force so immense it was inconceivable rushed toward them.

It was vast and profound, like a forest that had slumbered for ten thousand years suddenly awakening.

Soul Power fluctuations of this caliber could never be possessed by a ten-thousand-year-level soul bone.

"It truly is a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!"

Zhu Song's eyes blazed as he stared fixedly at Dai Mobai's glowing right leg, his gaze as fervent as if he were looking at a peerless treasure.

He took half a step forward involuntarily, then, realizing his lack of decorum, forced himself to pull his foot back, though the heat in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

The Star Luo Emperor was far more restrained than him.

He sat upright behind his desk, his expression calm and unruffled, though a trace of faint envy mingled in the look he cast toward Dai Mobai.

Envy.

He never easily revealed this emotion to outsiders, but before his son, he did not deliberately hide it.

This was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone—

A rare, peerless treasure that, once revealed, could shake the entire world of Soul Masters and drive Titled Douluos to break their heads in a scramble to possess it.

Even he, the ruler of a nation and the dignified Star Luo Emperor, had not possessed a single Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone despite having stepped into the realm of Titled Douluo many years ago.

Such things were far too rare; they could not be obtained through power or wealth alone.

Yet Dai Mobai, a youth of only fifteen, already possessed a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone that Titled Douluos dreamed of.

How could he not feel envious?

Fortunately, however, Dai Mobai was his son.

As this thought emerged, the envy in the Star Luo Emperor's heart diminished, replaced by a sense of gratification and pride.

Fertilizer does not flow into outsiders' fields; it was better for the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone to be in his son's hands than in anyone else's.

He slowly reined in the emotions in his eyes, resuming the steady, composed face befitting an emperor.

"Mobai, from what kind of Soul Beast does this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone originate?"

He asked in a deep voice, his tone carrying more gravity than before.

"The Hundred Thousand Year Blue Silver Emperor."

Dai Mobai did not hide it, answering truthfully.

"The Blue Silver Emperor?!"

The Star Luo Emperor and Zhu Song's expressions changed simultaneously.

The two exchanged an instinctive glance, seeing the same shock and the same suspicion in each other's eyes.

"Mobai..."

The Star Luo Emperor's brows furrowed slightly, his voice dropping even lower than before.

"This soul bone of yours, could it be from..."

He did not finish the sentence, but his meaning could not have been clearer.

"Blue Silver Emperor," "Hundred Thousand Year"—when these words were put together, they could only point to one answer.

"Yes, it is the wife of Tang Hao, the one who was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast in human form."

Dai Mobai understood what the Star Luo Emperor wanted to ask and gave a straightforward, affirmative answer.

The Imperial Study fell silent for a moment.

The Star Luo Emperor's lips moved slightly, silently chewing on that name—Tang Hao.

It had been quite a few years since that name was first spoken, but its weight had never once diminished.

"Tang Hao..."

He finally spoke the name aloud, his tone complex.

"He is no simple character."

There was a trace of rare gravity in the Star Luo Emperor's voice.

He and Tang Hao belonged to the same era; no one knew better than he did what kind of methods that Clear Sky Douluo possessed.

Back then, with the strength of a newly ascended Titled Douluo, Tang Hao had fought three Titled Douluos from Spirit Hall.

And the result? One Titled Douluo died a miserable death, while the previous Pope, Qian Xunji, and the other Titled Douluo fled back to Spirit Hall in a sorry state.

Yet, they still could not escape the threat of death.

Not long after returning to Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji died from his severe, untreatable injuries.

After that battle, Tang Hao became famous overnight.

Regardless of Tang Hao's character, the Star Luo Emperor acknowledged his combat prowess.

"Mobai, you took the spirit bone of Tang Hao's late wife; aren't you afraid he will come knocking at your door?"

"I am."

Dai Mobai smiled, frankly spitting out the word "afraid."

"That is precisely why we must drag him out to serve as our shield."

As soon as this seemingly contradictory statement was made, the gravity between the Star Luo Emperor's brows suddenly dissipated.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, leaned back into his chair, and looked at this son of his, who was becoming increasingly unfathomable.

"You want Tang Hao to stir the waters even further?"

"Exactly."

Dai Mobai nodded, his fingers gently rubbing the rim of his teacup.

"If Star Luo moves troops against Heaven Dou, Spirit Hall, which prides itself as the enforcer of the world, will inevitably intervene. Their strength is undeniable; a head-on collision is disadvantageous for us. Therefore, we must keep them busy—busy to the point of being overwhelmed, with no time to concern themselves with the war between us and Heaven Dou."

He paused, looked up, and a calculating glint flashed in his eyes.

"Tang Hao, who harbors a blood feud with Spirit Hall, is the best assistant to divert their attention. The death of Qian Xunji is a stain Spirit Hall can never wash away. As long as Tang Hao lives, Spirit Hall's external deterrent power will never be complete."

"They will commit a vast amount of manpower and energy to hunting down Tang Hao, rather than keeping their eyes on the border between Star Luo and Heaven Dou."

"Tang Hao is the fire we need to light, to make Spirit Hall's backyard burn first."

The Star Luo Emperor did not speak immediately after hearing this.

He remained silent for a few breaths, then slowly nodded.

But just then, Zhu Song, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"Your Highness."

He frowned slightly, his tone laced with concern.

"If Tang Hao continues to hide as he has before, disappearing without a trace, and Spirit Hall loses their target, won't they eventually turn their attention back to the war between Star Luo and Heaven Dou?"

Zhu Song's concern was not without merit.

The reason Tang Hao had managed to survive all these years was precisely because he knew how to hide.

Douluo Continent was vast, and he was but a single man; as long as he did not wish to be found, Spirit Hall could do nothing about him.

Hearing Zhu Song's words, Dai Mobai merely smiled faintly.

"I have naturally considered the Duke Spirit Cat's concerns."

He raised the teacup to his lips but did not drink, instead looking at Zhu Song through the swirling steam, the smile at the corners of his mouth meaningful.

"But what if I could make it impossible for Tang Hao to hide?"