The Third Batch of Explorers Begins, Dai Mubai is Enslaved!

"When you lunged at me just now, your blood and qi were surging, and your eyes were filled with lechery. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

Having his intentions laid bare, Dai Mubai's face flushed a deep red, and the last shred of hope in his heart vanished instantly.

He had no choice but to bite the bullet and invoke his background, hoping to intimidate the other party.

"I... I am a prince of the Star Luo Empire on the Douluo Continent!"

"My father is the Star Luo Emperor, and he commands a million brave soldiers!"

"If you dare to kill me, as long as I can return, the Star Luo Empire will never let you off!"

Dai Mubai roared with a show of bravado, trying to bolster his own courage.

However, upon hearing these threats, the woman in the white dress showed no fear; instead, she wore an expression one might use when looking at an idiot.

"What Douluo Continent? What Star Luo Empire? Never heard of them."

The woman shook her head, her tone imbued with the arrogance typical of a cultivator.

"Here on the Vermilion Bird Planet, even the emperors of those mortal dynasties must bow respectfully when they see a disciple of my Luohe Sect."

"You, a crude martial artist who hasn't even cultivated a shred of spiritual energy, dare to threaten me with a mortal army?"

At this point, the woman seemed to lose her patience.

She stepped forward and carefully scrutinized the exaggerated muscles and white tiger fur on Dai Mubai's body.

"Although the power you possess is inferior, this physique is quite decent, and your blood and qi are far more vigorous than those of an ordinary mortal."

The woman's fair fingers tapped lightly against her chin, as if she were contemplating something.

"My cave dwelling happens to be missing a beast of burden to pull the millstone."

"Those ordinary spirit beasts are too dim-witted to understand commands."

"Since you can speak human language, you would be just right for grinding medicinal herbs."

Hearing this, everyone watching the live broadcast on the Douluo Continent was dumbfounded.

A top-tier genius of Shrek Academy and a prince of the Star Luo Empire was actually being treated as a beast of burden to pull a millstone!

This was even more humiliating than being killed.

Dai Mubai was so enraged that his entire body trembled, his evil eyes bloodshot with humiliation.

"How dare you!"

Dai Mubai roared, struggling desperately to twist his body.

"I would rather die than be used as a beast for you!"

"That is not for you to decide."

The woman in the white dress let out a cold snort, not even bothering to waste more words.

She raised her right hand, her slender fingers tracing rapidly through the air.

A strange rune emitting a faint cyan glow quickly took shape at her fingertips.

"Go."

The woman flicked her finger, and the cyan rune instantly transformed into a streak of light, sinking directly into the center of Dai Mubai's brow.

"Ah!"

The moment the rune entered his body, Dai Mubai let out a scream that sounded barely human.

The agony was a hundred times more intense than when he had absorbed his third spirit ring beyond his limit!

His massive body convulsed violently in mid-air, and sweat poured off him like rain into the pool below.

The veins on his forehead bulged, as if they were about to burst at any moment.

The woman in the white dress stood with her hands behind her back, watching the struggling, agonized Dai Mubai coldly.

"This is a restriction my Luohe Sect uses to control spirit beasts."

"As long as I have a single thought, your soul will experience the pain of being burned by raging fire."

"If you behave and obediently pull the medicine mill for me for ten years, I might show mercy and spare your life."

"If you dare to harbor even the slightest thought of resistance, I will make you wish you were dead."

The woman's voice was not loud, but it sounded like a death curse, deeply etched into Dai Mubai's mind.

A full half-stick of incense passed before the soul-searing pain gradually subsided.

Dai Mubai gasped for air, his eyes becoming dull and vacant.

He no longer had the strength to even commit suicide; like a tamed stray dog, he hung his head, his eyes filled with despair.

Seeing this, the woman in the white dress nodded in satisfaction.

She waved her fair hand, and the water chains wrapped around Dai Mubai instantly dissipated, turning into a puddle of water that fell back into the pool.

Losing support, Dai Mubai's heavy body slammed into the mud, splashing up a spray of muddy water.

He tried to move his fingers, only to discover that the spirit power within him had been completely sealed by the restriction.

At this moment, aside from having slightly greater physical strength, he was not even as capable as an ordinary level-ten Spirit Scholar.

"Get up and follow me."

The woman in the white dress turned around, not even sparing him a glance, and walked straight toward the depths of the valley.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, dragging his aching body as he crawled up from the mud.

He glanced at the woman's slender back, then felt the restriction at the center of his brow that could erupt at any moment.

In the end, he could only lower his head in humiliation, following behind her with a limp, just like a servant.

The image on the Sky Screen froze on Dai Mubai's wretched, disheveled figure.

The people of the Douluo Continent felt as if a heavy stone were pressing down on their chests, leaving them stifled.

In that world, death was merely the beginning.

The so-called cultivators could not only kill them in an instant but also use such cruel methods to strip them of their freedom, enslaving them like beasts.

"Is... is this the Renegade Immortal World?"

Oscar collapsed onto the ground, his face deathly pale as he muttered to himself.

"If I am chosen in the next draw, what should I do?"

"I am only a Food-type Spirit Master; I don't even have the strength to run away."

For a time, an unprecedented emotion spread rapidly across the entire Douluo Continent.

It was not just the commoners and low-level Spirit Masters; even the high-and-mighty Titled Douluo felt a chill in their hearts.

They had originally thought that with their powerful spirits and spirit skills, even if they encountered danger in the Renegade Immortal World, they could at least run if they couldn't win.

But now, seeing that even inescapable methods like mental restrictions existed, their confidence began to crumble.

In the Pope Palace of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Issue an order to all branches of Spirit Hall."

"From today on, everyone must take this Renegade Immortal World seriously. Before we understand their true nature, if anyone is chosen, there is only one primary rule: return alive!"

Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, the Azure Bull Python Da Ming and the Titan Giant Ape Er Ming watched the scene on the Sky Screen, falling into a long silence.

"Big Brother."

Er Ming's voice, like muffled thunder, broke the stillness.

"Is the technique that woman used to control Dai Mubai effective against us spirit beasts?"

A hint of gravity flashed through Da Ming's massive, lantern-like eyes.

"I do not know."

Da Ming slowly shook his head. "But my intuition tells me that the rules of that world are an absolute suppression of all living beings."

"If we are chosen..."

Da Ming did not continue, but Er Ming already understood what he meant.

Dai Mubai dragged his heavy footsteps behind the woman in the white dress.

The mountain path was rugged and uneven, lined with weeds covered in sharp thorns.

The custom-made boots on his feet, crafted from high-quality leather, had long since been torn apart by the mountain rocks.

His soles stepped onto sharp stones, grinding out bloody gashes, leaving a trail of blood with every step he took.

Yet, he dared not stop.

Whenever his pace slowed even slightly, the cyan rune at the center of his brow would send a needle-like, piercing pain through him, constantly reminding him of his current status as a lowly slave.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the surrounding mist gradually dissipated.

The woman in the white dress stopped.

Appearing before Dai Mubai was a massive cave carved into the heart of the mountain.

Embedded in the ceiling of the cave were several glowing white stones, illuminating the spacious interior.

A rich scent of medicinal herbs drifted out from the entrance.

Dai Mubai took a breath, feeling his exhausted spirit lift slightly.

However, the spirit power within his body had been completely sealed by that rune, making it impossible for him to absorb the pure energy in the air.

"Go in." The woman in the white dress did not even turn her head, tossing the two words out in a flat tone.

Dai Mubai ground his molars, lowered his head in humiliation, and hunched his body as he walked into the cave.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was stunned by the sight before him.

In the center of the stone cavern sat a massive bluestone millstone, standing a full two stories high.

The surface of the millstone was incredibly rough, carved with dense, intricate formation patterns that radiated a heavy, suffocating pressure.

Beside the thick push-bar lay the skeletal remains of a massive beast.

Judging by the size of the frame and the thickness of the bones, this creature had been a behemoth in life, surely no less powerful than a ten-thousand-year soul beast.

Yet now, the giant beast's bones were covered in fine cracks; it was clear it had been worked to death right beneath this very push-bar.

"Clean up the bones on the ground and throw them off the cliff behind the mountain."

"Then, come over and push the mill."

The woman in the white dress walked over to a stone bed to the side and sat down, casually pulling a yellowed ancient book from her sleeve to read, as if she were alone.

Dai Mubai stood where he was, staring at the massive push-bar and then at the pile of wretched white bones, his eyes instantly reddening.

He was a prince of the noble Star Luo Empire!

Back in the imperial palace, he had over a dozen servants waiting on him hand and foot, and at Shrek Academy, everyone addressed him as "Boss Dai."

Now, they expected him to perform the kind of drudgery that even low-level beasts couldn't endure?

"I..." Dai Mubai's cracked lips parted as he tried to protest.

He would rather fight someone to the death than be treated like a beast of burden.

However, the woman in the white dress merely raised her eyelids slowly and cast a faint, indifferent glance at him.

In the next second, the cyan rune between Dai Mubai's brows began to flash with a blinding light.

An agonizing pain, as if his soul were being torn apart, erupted deep within his mind.

"Ah!!!"

Dai Mubai's legs gave way, and his massive frame slammed directly onto the hard stone floor.

He clutched his head with both hands, rolling back and forth on the ground while letting out a howl like a wounded animal.

His forehead struck the stone slabs, leaving behind bloody craters, and blood streamed down his cheeks, yet he could no longer feel the physical pain.

The torture deep within his soul, akin to being scorched by raging fire, had already surpassed the limits of human endurance.

"Push the mill, or die now. Choose for yourself." The woman's voice lacked even a hint of warmth, as if she were looking at an ant she could crush at any moment.

The pain lasted for a dozen breaths before slowly subsiding.

Dai Mubai's clothes were soaked through with cold sweat, and he lay in the pool of blood like a pile of rotting mud.

He gasped for air, his once-wild, evil eyes now hollow and devoid of light.

The last shred of resistance in his heart had completely vanished under this inhuman torture.

Dignity became worthless in the face of survival.

He braced his hands against the ground with great difficulty, his legs trembling, and walked step by step toward the millstone.

He pressed his broad shoulders against the rough wooden push-bar, dug his feet into the stone floor, gritted his teeth, and used every ounce of remaining physical strength to push forward.

Accompanied by a dull, grating sound of friction, the massive stone mill, weighing hundreds of pounds, finally began to turn slowly.

Sweat dripped from his scorched golden hair into his eyes, stinging them so sharply that his vision blurred.

Yet, he dared not stop.

He could only circle the millstone in the dim cavern, over and over again, like a beast that had lost its soul.

The sound of the grinding stone became the only rhythm left in his life.

Just as Dai Mubai finished his first difficult rotation of the mill, the image on the massive Sky Screen above the firmament suddenly blurred.

Following that, the screen belonging to Dai Mubai turned gray-white and went completely dark.

[Explorer Dai Mubai of Shrek Academy, Heaven Dou Empire, has been branded with a slave seal by a disciple of the Luohe Sect and reduced to a laborer at the mill. Having lost his freedom for life, the exploration is judged a failure.]

All three screens turned a dismal, gray color.

Immediately after, lines of blood-red characters slowly emerged in the center of the Sky Screen.

[The second batch of explorers has been completely wiped out!]

[Data collection progress for the Renegade Immortal World: 0.2%.]

[The selection for the third batch of explorers will begin in three days.]

[All living beings of the Douluo Continent, prepare yourselves!]

Looking at the glaring, blood-red text on the Sky Screen, the entire Douluo Continent fell into an unprecedented state of oppression.

On the dirt playground of Shrek Academy.

The sky had gradually darkened, and sporadic lights began to flicker in the distant village.

Yet, not a single person had left the training ground.

Everyone stood in the cool night breeze, staring blankly at the lines of red text suspended in mid-air.

Ma Hongjun let out a long sigh and plopped down onto the weed-covered ground.

"We've been wiped out... even Boss Dai has been taken in." The fatty grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it fiercely to the ground, his eyes rimmed with red.

"That woman is too ruthless. Boss Dai has been pampered since he was a child; if he has to push those heavy stone mills, he'll be worked to death within a few months."

Oscar leaned against a large tree nearby.

His face, which usually wore a somewhat lecherous grin, now looked worse than if he were crying.

"Three days... only three more days until the next selection."

Oscar rubbed his stiff hands together. "This feeling of waiting to be picked and sent to our deaths is truly damn miserable."

Tang San did not speak.

He walked alone to a stone table at the edge of the training ground and sat down.

He reached out and brushed his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, pulling out a pile of metal parts that emitted a cold gleam.

It was the mechanical hidden weapon he had always taken pride in: the Zhuge Divine Crossbow.

Tang San held a small wrench in his hand, head bowed, silently dismantling the Zhuge Divine Crossbow into a mess of iron plates and springs scattered across the table.

Xiao Wu walked over with red-rimmed eyes and gently placed her hand on Tang San's shoulder.

"Brother, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Xiao Wu's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of heart-wrenching pity.

Tang San looked at the pile of parts on the stone table and let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Xiao Wu, I used to think that as long as my hidden weapons were exquisite enough and powerful enough, I could catch opponents off guard and challenge those of higher levels."

"As long as I had enough time and materials, I could even fight a Title Douluo."

Tang San extended a finger and touched a sharp arrow fragment.

"But today, that gray-robed youth from the Renegade Immortal World just casually waved a seemingly thin light screen, and it blocked my Silent Sleeve Arrow without the slightest effort."

"Boss Dai's level thirty-seven soul power, combined with his top-tier beast martial soul, couldn't even withstand a single move from that woman."

As he said this, Tang San's grip tightened into a fist.

"In front of that so-called Renegade Immortal World, my hidden weapons and Teacher's theories all seem so pale and powerless."

Upon hearing the word "Teacher," Yu Xiaogang, who had been sitting on the steps in the corner of the training ground, shuddered violently.

He clutched his head with both hands, burying his face deep between his legs.

This master of theory, who usually loved to lecture others and analyze battles with his hands behind his back, now dared not say a single word.

He was afraid to look up; he was afraid to see the questioning gazes of his students.

His mind was a chaotic mess as he tried to piece together a new theory to explain everything about the Renegade Immortal World, only to find that every path of reasoning led to a dead end.

He even began to pray desperately in his heart that he would not be chosen in the selection three days later.

If he, a good-for-nothing who couldn't even break through to become a Great Soul Master, were sent over, he probably wouldn't even be able to defeat a low-level spirit beast in the wild.